The Northern Mad Dog Wags It’s Tail

 Britia’s lips parted in astonishment at the unexpected mention of a tail from Harty’s lips.

 “How…?”

 “I’m the one who should be saying that. How can you see it? You don’t even have a tail!”

 Britia faltered, blinking her eyes.

 “To think that someone blessed to see the evidence of being chosen by the Goddess would be a plain, pinkish pebble-like you!”

 “…Evidence of being chosen?”

 The tail was something that extended equally to everyone. But hearing it as if the fact of having a tail was something special and invisible to others caught her attention.

 “Is this some kind of joke by the Goddess? Oh, how I’ve prayed that not only would I possess this magnificent appearance, but also that there would be someone who could appreciate the beauty of my tail. But why, of all the people, Britia Lockhart?”

 Harty closed his eyes, his voice filled with genuine sorrow.

 “That’s what I wanted to say!”

 Britia exclaimed. From a young age, she had wondered why only she could see the tail with her own eyes and why it remained invisible to others. She had hoped to meet someone someday who could see tails like she did.

 And now, the person she had longed for was finally before her—Harty Slanford?

 “Why can you see the tail in your eyes, Harty-nim? Why of all people, you?”

 “Because it’s my tail, so naturally it’s visible to my eyes.”

 “You mean even if you have a tail, it’s usually not visible?”

 “Usually? Wait a moment…”

 He raised his index finger to indicate that Britia should wait, organizing his thoughts.

 “Does that mean there are other people besides me who have tails? Tails that are a sign of being chosen by the Goddess?”

 Harty could never have imagined that only certain individuals had tails while everyone else did. One of the reasons he believed he was chosen by the goddess was precisely because of his tail.

 “Are you suggesting that there could be someone else besides me…”

 He lowered his head with a serious expression.

 “The tail is a symbol of perfection bestowed by the Goddess upon those born in this world.”

 “What?”

 “It’s not apparent to others because they are imperfect. Even to an ordinary pebble-like you, it is attached.”

 Britia was momentarily speechless at his conviction. She glanced at her own tail, consciously moving it. While she couldn’t control it as freely as Harty, it was properly attached and visible.

 “Well, despite what I just said, I also have a tail.”

 “What?”

 He shot Britia a sharp voice.

 “You don’t have one.”

 “I do.”

 “You don’t.”

 “It’s just that it’s not visible to Lord Harty. I have it, something like a fox tail.”

 Harty, with his lips slightly parted, stared intently at her face and then stood up to examine her back.

 “You don’t have it. You liar.”

 “That’s what I said. It’s just not visible to Lord Harty.”

 Britia was furious at being called a liar.

 “The tail symbolizes perfection, so it’s only attached to me. There can’t possibly be someone else with a tail.”

 Harty dismissed her words as untrue and unheard.

 “I have a tail because I am perfect, hm!”

 He suddenly turned to Britia, his eyes widening.

 “Sig Turas-nim! Does he also have a tail? If there’s someone else with a tail beside me, it can only be him!”

 “Duke Turas also has one. And I have it too.”

 “Yes! I knew it! But I haven’t seen it, ah, but he definitely has a tail!”

 Upon hearing that Sig also had a tail, Harty became excited and began to search Britia’s room, moving here and there in a frenzy. Britia assumed that he hadn’t heard the part about her having a tail.

 “What color is his tail? What does it look like?”

 Harty grabbed Britia’s arm and shook it, urging her to speak.

 “Don’t keep your mouth shut, speak!”

 He attempted to pry open Britia’s tightly sealed lips with his hand. Startled, Britia pushed him away, causing Harty to stumble and fall to the ground.

 “Speak!”

 Rather than acknowledging the fact that Britia had pushed him, Harty remained fixated on the appearance of Sig’s tail as he sat on the floor, desperately urging her.

 “Perhaps it is adorned with scales, or maybe it resembles a beautiful wolf’s tail.”

 “It resembles the tail of a large dog.”

 “Exactly! What about the color? Is it black?”

 “Yes.”

 “I knew it!”

 Harty clenched his fist in triumph, exhaling a blissful breath and closing his eyes, envisioning his tail in his mind.

 “Indeed, he is a perfect man. Yes, it is more fitting for him to have a tail. It must be a striking black, reminiscent of a beautiful night sky. I know it.”

 “But I’ve repeatedly told you that I have a tail as well. It’s not some exclusive evidence, but rather something that everyone possesses.”

 Britia couldn’t comprehend why Harty only believed in Sig having a tail while denying the possibility of her having one.

 “Are you even listening to me? I said everyone has a tail.”

 “A large black tail, it suits him well…”

 Engrossed in his imagination, Harty paid little attention to Britia’s words. Even if he had heard them, he would have turned a deaf ear to Britia’s denial of his belief, pretending not to hear.

 “Fine. So that’s why you kept tilting your head and looking down in front of Duke-nim.”

 “Did I do that?”

 Britia’s eyes widened in surprise. Harty nodded and opened his sleepy eyes, gazing at her.

 “At the cafe, while you were talking to Duke-nim, your gaze kept dropping downwards. And then you stifled your laughter.”

 Harty grumbled, his head drooping with a strong sense of disappointment.

 “Did I really do that?”

 Britia asked, startled.

 Was she unintentionally displaying such an unpleasant demeanor, despite her efforts to prevent any cute remarks from slipping out and to keep her face composed?

 “I thought it was because you were a strange woman. Since you’re an odd woman, I thought you must be harboring some sinister thoughts with that ominous head of yours.”

 Harty recalled the fact that her gaze was always directed somewhere other than his eyes.

 ‘Why didn’t I notice it earlier?’

 He wondered, but there was only one answer. He could never, absolutely never, have imagined that she possessed such a special power!

 Rumors were circulating about seeing ominous things, like the flames of a dead soul, but he couldn’t connect it to a tail. From Harty’s perspective, she was far from perfect. In fact, he thought she might have started those rumors herself, wanting to draw attention.

 “Why would a tail be visible to the eyes of an ordinary woman like you? Of course, I can understand if someone like me with a tail can see it, but why can you?”

 “Turas-nim cannot see the tail.”

 “Even though there’s a tail, he can’t see it. That means he must be incredibly pure.”

 Harty’s attitude shifted dramatically when he heard that Sig couldn’t see the tail.

 “Exactly. Ah, just the thought of it makes my heart flutter.”

 Watching the man breathe in ecstatic sighs, Britia realized that Harty’s affection for Sig went beyond her imagination, and it sent a shiver down her spine.

 “Why did the Goddess give you such abilities? What part of you is so beautiful?” 

 Harty, who had been happily imagining Sig’s tail for a while, suddenly opened his eyes wide and glared at Britia. He couldn’t help but imagine it like this; whenever he looked into Britia’s eyes, it made him angry because those eyes had seen Sig’s tail. It was as if jealousy had blinded him.

 “To a woman who blatantly peeks with an ominous face. You’ve been looking at me with dirty eyes not only as Duke-nim but also constantly.”

 Every time Harty saw that look in her eyes, he chuckled to himself thinking that she must have feelings for him and rejected them sincerely. Every time he jumped up happily listening to her say that she didn’t like him.

 “I saw your tail… I mean Lord Harty’s tail!”

There were times when she unintentionally caught sight of his tail and quickly turned away. But she had never seen him directly!

 “You harbored impure thoughts about my tail?”

 “No! I meant that it wasn’t impure; it was just as beautiful as you described it, Lord Harty. Purely because the tail was beautiful!”

Britia really disliked herself for feeling this way, but there were times when she wanted to touch Harty’s tail at least once. The only tails in her life that she could properly touch were those of her family members and recently Sig’s.

 They all had fur-covered tails, so they hadn’t encountered anything covered in scales before. She honestly wondered what it would feel like.

 But she couldn’t bring herself to confess to Harty about these thoughts which might make him suspect impure intentions from her side.

 What treatment would be given? She absolutely couldn’t say anything about it.

 “Marqui-nim’s tail is truly beautiful.”

“No, my intuition is accurate. I don’t see people who just want to admire something beautiful with those eyes.”

 He always distinguished between those who caught his attention because they were beautiful and those who stared because they wanted something. Britia Lockhart belonged to the latter.

 “It’s like wanting a tail, wanting to touch it, like…”

 Britia’s body twitched for a moment.

 “Could it be that you were thinking of wanting to touch it? Did you dare to harbor such dirty thoughts even when looking at Duke Turas’ tail? Did you think it was a tail you could touch?”

 Harty laughed mockingly, poking Britia with his finger.

 “You can touch it.”

 In reality, she had already touched it, even hugged it for a moment, but when he said it as if it were an impossible thing, Britia snorted in amusement.

 “Were you taking advantage of the fact that Duke-nim’s tail can’t be seen to secretly touch it? Was that your audacious plan?”

“Ugh.”

 Britia couldn’t help but give an honest reaction. She remembered the time when she first met Sig, thinking that he wouldn’t notice, She tried to secretly wipe off the water but got caught.

 “I know guys like you well. If their desires aren’t fulfilled, one day they’ll suddenly cause trouble.”

 Harty didn’t know that trouble had already happened.

 “Excuse me, Lord Harty. I also have self-control.”

 Britia was incredulous. At least she had enough self-control to avoid the urge to hug Sig when he was too cute.

 Britia was taken aback. At least she had enough self-restraint to avoid touching Sig’s tail when she found him too adorable.

 “I had imagined it.”

 “That’s true.”

 “But soon, that won’t be enough to satisfy you. If this continues, Duke Turas will truly be in danger.”

 Harty, with a serious expression, pondered for a moment, then glanced at Britia out of the corner of his eye and licked his lips.

 “There’s no other choice. I’ll have to close my eyes and make the sacrifice…”

 As he said that, he gently lifted Britia’s hand from top to bottom with his tail.

 “You can touch it.”

Harty’s voice sounded resigned, devoid of the usual venom he directed towards Britia, and it sounded sluggish.