"Does it feel better?" One of Angela's friends asked with a tilt to her head.

"...Yeah, it does. Thank you, Papryka." My gratitude was genuine.

I flexed my legs, and the soreness had largely disappeared. The effectiveness surprised me, especially as I had studied some pharmacy underneath the Magistrate of Edlehelm. It was rare to find a common remedy that was as good as the one this servant girl had given me.

The mouse girl smiled and then put away a small tub of cream. Earlier, she had explained to me her aunt was a witch's familiar, and this was a mild healing salve for cuts and bruises. It was nearly as effective as a real healing potion, but without any of the burning or irritating side effects. Since it could be applied in sensitive places, this made it especially popular among the chamber maids who... well... had an occupational hazard of abruptly finding themselves in their employer's beds.

"How can I repay you for this?" I asked Papryka.

However, she shook her head empathetically. 

"My aunt would never turn away any a person in need. She wouldn't approve of me taking your money. But you can think of it as a free sample. Consider visiting Esmerelda's Apothecary in the future, and perhaps you can support her business."

A slight blush rose to her cheeks.

"Although, I am slightly surprised. I never expected that a man would use this product," she teased cordially.

Angela, who was standing by the door to the servant's bath, spoke up at this point.

"A true male pleasure animal is fairly rare. It takes quite a pedigree to breed one, and they are quite a luxurious wedding gift." Her arms were crossed as she leaned against the door. "I can see now that the Telleste Household assembled quite a comprehensive package to marry their only daughter into the royal family — the business, the girl, and a cherry on top."

I frowned upon hearing the older woman's crude comments. She was talking as if I weren't even here.

"Master Telleste never said anything about a marriage gift," I countered.

Angela snorted. "And you trust a human to tell you the truth?"

"The Telleste family has always been good to me. I do trust them!"

"You're as fucking naive of a fur ball as I've ever seen them come."

My tail bristled at the remark, and it lashed back and forth angrily.

Papryka abruptly stood up in between the two of us. There was a strained smile on her face as she tried to stop a fight from breaking out in the bath house. 

"Now... Now... We're all friends here..." She spoke gingerly.

"I never agreed to be friends with that cat."

"I thought foxes were supposed to be intelligent."

"Angela!" Papryka pleaded with her friend. "We don't need another fight. Please!"

"I'm just speaking the truth!" Angela rebutted.

"Please! Do it for me! Can you... hold back... a bit?"

The cat lady narrowed her emerald eyes. She seemed discontent, but she slowly backed down. Without another word, she turned around and walked out of the door of the servant's bath.

I felt perplexed watching this scene unfold. Clearly, the cat and the mouse were very familiar with each other. I couldn't tell exactly what their relationship was, but Angela seemed to answer to the younger mouse. I was unfamiliar with the dynamics among the palace servants, but intuition told me that perhaps Papryka was more important than she let on.

The little mouse turned to me and apologized. "Sorry, Kiel."

"It's fine. I have a lot to thank you for already. Angela too. Both of you helped me today."

Papryka smiled wryly. 

She was staring at my neck. It was obvious that her eyes had wandered elsewhere, and it made me feel somewhat uncomfortable. Reflexively, I raised a hand and touched the side of my throat.

"Is there something that you're looking at?" I asked.

The mouse startled, and Papryka looked as if she had been shaken out of a daze.

"Sorry," she apologized again. "I think... most of us in the capital... can't help but notice that you don't wear a collar."

I rubbed my neck absentmindedly.

She was right. I had noticed it when I first came here as well; all the beastkin in the royal palace wore some kind of collar. Many were exquisite and fashionably decorated, like high-end jewelry that was intended to flaunt the wealth of their masters. Others were more crude and simplistic. Regardless, all beastkin in the capital wore a collar.

"It's illegal for a beastkin to be without a collar in the capital," she continued.

"I know." I responded, nodding. I was familiar with the law.

Susy and I had discussed this when we first arrived.

"My owner... didn't want me to have a collar," I explained. "Since she's marrying into the royal family, I think most of the palace staff have accommodated her wishes so far."

Papryka stared at me with envious eyes.

"So it's true then?" She whispered. "In Edlehelm, beastkin walk in the streets freely?"

I met the mouse girl's yellow eyes and nodded.

"It's true. In my view, all of you in the capital are the strange ones. These rules and these protocols..."

The little mouse girl's hands suddenly covered my mouth, stopping me from speaking. 

"Shh," she whispered with a bright sparkle in her eye.

However, her gaze steadily turned darker.

"Be careful of the things you say aloud here. You might be special now, but that doesn't mean people aren't listening." She warned.

I blinked a few times as I slowly absorbed her words.

"Be very careful," the mouse repeated once more, before releasing her hands.

She smiled, stood up, and brushed off her clothes.

∎