Chapter 41
The room Perea’s group would be staying in for several days was a suite that occupied the entire top floor of the hotel.
“W–Wow…!”
Perea let out an even bigger gasp than she had in the lobby. Seeing her reaction, the staff member who came to explain the room smiled softly.
Most guests who used the suite were stiff and proud, barely listening to the explanation. It was rare to see someone like Perea, who openly showed exactly how she felt, so her reaction made the staff member smile even more.
Because of that, the employee explained everything more carefully than usual and pointed to a bell-shaped ornament placed on the side table.
“If you lift this and ring it, we’ll be contacted immediately. If you need anything during your stay, please call us anytime.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Perea nodded while holding back the urge to touch the shiny golden bell.
After more than ten minutes of detailed explanations, the staff member wished them a pleasant stay and finally left the suite.
“Perea! We’re sleeping in thaaat big room, right?”
Theo, who had been completely silent while the staff was there, immediately jumped into Perea’s arms as soon as the three of them were alone.
Holding Theo naturally, Perea walked in the direction he pointed.
The “big room” Theo mentioned was deep inside the suite.
Calling it a hotel room felt strange—it was larger than Perea’s clinic, and since it was on the 10th floor, the entire city of Eclit could be seen through the window.
“Do you like this room the best?” Perea asked.
“Yeah! It’s the biggest! Perea and I are sleeping together!”
Theo swung his legs happily. He smiled so brightly that he looked like an angel.
Perea gently stroked Theo’s soft, chubby cheeks with her fingertips. Theo let out a small purring sound in response.
The two of them were exploring the room together when—
“Theo, let’s wash first.”
Ray, who had already taken off his cloak and changed into comfortable clothes, gestured to them.
They had only washed briefly at a rest stop on the way here, so everyone still felt uncomfortable. The rabbit ears Hayu had made were also dirty and needed to be washed.
“Okaaay!”
“There’s a bathroom in this room. You use that one. Theo and I will use the main bathroom.”
Perea nodded at Ray’s words.
Unlike most feline beastmen who hated water, Theo actually liked bathing.
According to Ray, that had changed after meeting Perea. Either way, Theo obediently held Ray’s hand and headed toward the bathroom.
Even then, he kept turning back to wave sadly at Perea.
‘Anyone would think we’re separating forever.’
Ray chuckled inwardly and removed Theo’s rabbit ears. They were attached with snap pins.
Theo’s golden hair was so thick that it was hard to notice unless you looked closely. If Ray hadn’t learned about it in advance at Timi Village, he might’ve tried to pull them off by force.
“Ahh! My ears feel cool!”
Theo smiled brightly as his real tiger ears finally popped out. The round ears flapped happily.
Fortunately, there were no signs of irritation. Ray carefully checked Theo’s ears and quickly undressed him.
Theo yelled “Kyaa!” in annoyance at Ray’s rough hands, but once he was placed into the bathtub full of foam, he quieted down.
He stacked thick bubbles on his head to make “rabbit ears” and laughed happily.
‘No matter what, he’s still just a kid,’ Ray thought, letting out a short laugh.
“Ray! Which one smells the same as Perea?”
After playing with the bubbles for a while, Theo tilted his head while looking at the amenities next to the shower.
Maybe because this was the best room in the hotel, there were five different body washes.
Until now, they’d only ever had one bar of soap. Choosing one out of five felt impossible.
Theo frowned immediately at the thought that he might choose a scent different from Perea’s.
“I want to smell the same as Perea.”
“What does she smell like?” Ray asked.
Ray was interested too. If possible, he wanted to use the same scent as Perea.
But instead of answering, Theo suddenly pushed Ray out of the bathroom.
Ray, whose shirt was already soaked from making bubbles, was kicked out bare-chested.
He stared at the closed door in disbelief and knocked.
Knock, knock.
“Theo, open the door. It’s dangerous to be alone.”
“Go ask Perea what smell she uses!”
“What…?”
“Ray, go ask her! Ask, ‘Which one do you like?’!”
Theo had given him a completely unreasonable mission.
Ray ran a large hand through his hair and let out a deep sigh.
‘Well, this is my fault for spoiling the prince.’
And honestly, Ray was curious about Perea’s scent too, so he didn’t force the door open.
“Theo. Don’t go into the tub alone.”
“Okay! I’m sitting on the chair!”
“Stay there and don’t move.”
After repeating the warning several times, Ray headed toward the inner room, planning to ask Perea once she came out.
But then—
‘What… is this…?’
Ray looked down at Perea trapped in his arms.
Her green eyes shook helplessly, and her breathing was uneven from shock.
Ray was just as startled. His pupils narrowed as he blinked repeatedly, his muscles—and even his tail—completely stiff.
Neither of them could even look at each other for a while as they tried to calm their racing hearts.
How did they end up in such an embarrassing position?
***
Three minutes earlier
Perea, who had just finished an amazing bubble bath in the best bathroom of her life, hummed softly.
Eclit was famous for both the sea and hot springs, and after just one soak, her skin felt incredibly smooth.
There were so many body wash scents that she couldn’t choose just one—so she used all five.
‘I’ll wash again after dinner,’ she thought as she opened the door wide.
Steam poured out, and inside it, she saw a whitish shape.
“W–What is that…?”
The shape kept growing closer. Startled, Perea hurriedly stepped back.
She slipped on the wet floor—
And just as she was about to fall, Ray quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her upright.
The problem was that Ray wasn’t wearing a shirt, thanks to Theo’s stubbornness.
Relieved for a split second upon realizing it was Ray, Perea immediately screamed when she saw his bare upper body.
“Eek!”
Her body, which had barely regained balance, fell backward again—and this time, they both fell together.
Thankfully, the carpet was soft, and neither was injured.
Still, Perea thought it might have been better to hit her head and pass out.
‘I just enjoyed a bath… why is this happening…?’
She quickly scrambled out from under Ray, her heart pounding wildly.
Ray was still frozen face-down on the floor.
Perea grabbed a blanket from the nearby sofa and gently placed it over Ray’s bare upper body.
Only then did she feel like she could finally breathe.
When Ray had been a patient, she could see his bare torso without thinking twice.
But now—
Seeing his exposed skin like this made her head spin.
Perea, who recovered first, carefully opened her mouth to speak.
