"You know, I can't help but wonder what type of dog breed you represent. I'm pretty sure my dogkin lover is related to golden retrievers, but I can't seem to find a breed to connect to you."
As soon as the words left my lips, Kitsara stopped where she stood and froze.
"Pffft!"
Then, a hearty laugh burst free from her lungs, so much so she was clutching her chest.
"Your dogkin woman is related to golden retrievers?! Hahaha!"
I didn't get it. "What's so funny? Didn't you see her lush blonde tail? Also, she's very energetic, playful, and a bit goofy. She's talking in 3rd person for some reason, which makes her incredibly adorable. Furthermore, she's very loyal and loving. All of these traits remind me of golden retrievers."
Kitsara finally collected herself enough to respond while amusedly shaking her head. "I've seen her lush blonde tail, yes… The issue is that dogkin are not related to dogs… She might resemble a golden retriever, but she has nothing to do with them biologically."
"Oh."
"Oh indeed," Kitsara giggled jovially. It was nice to see I didn't offend her with my words. I could've informed myself about this topic, but I just never found it important enough. And, frankly, who doesn't assume a dogkin would have something to do with normal dog breeds?
I'll give myself a pass for this one.
"She swore her oath to you?" my travel guide asked, and I couldn't help but hear a very serious undertone to her voice all of a sudden.
Kitsara must've been talking about the dogkin oath of eternal loyalty. Blossom said they can only swear it once in their life. Normally, they tend to swear their oaths to their lords, but as she grew up alone with her family in the forest, Blossom was free to choose anyone she wanted. Thankfully, her choice landed on me once she ascertained I was a man worthy of her loyalty. "Yes, she did."
"So father was right…" Kitsara whispered under her breath. Her voice was so quiet I barely managed to pick up on her words.
"Hmm?"
She shook her head once again, with much less energy this time around. "Nothing." Afterward, our tour resumed.
"I don't see any roadmarks. For a city with a million inhabitants, this just makes no sense. How do people find their way around?"
"Hehe!" Pride returned to Kitsara's cheeks upon hearing my question. "Canisgard is built with scent-based navigation in mind! The forefathers thought we should make good use of our heritage. As such, we use special oils to mark buildings and districts. The first layer, the one where we're located currently, has a faint scent of flowers. The second layer smells of spices, while the outer layer carries a scent of blood with it. Furthermore, unique buildings have their own markings, allowing us to find our way around seamlessly.
The forefathers thought this would grant us great advantage should Canisgard be invaded. While a few beastkin species have a good sense of smell besides the dogkin, such as wolfkin, bearkin, and foxkin, most races would get lost. Including the lionkin…"
"And even those with a great sense of smell wouldn't find their way around unless they knew which smell represented which building or district," I added, receiving an energetic "Exactly!" response. 𝙍áΝo͍฿ƐS̈
Now this detail was quite fascinating to me, unlike their district layout which was pretty much identical to the human one. It never occurred in my mind they would have such a navigation method in their megacity.
We made our way out of the first layer and into the market district. Despite it being nighttime, Canisgard was bustling. I got the impression it was a city that never slept.
Wherever we passed, people would bow to Kitsara in reverence, but I also noticed many men doing their utmost to sniff her scent. It seemed my girls' assumption that dogkin men would go crazy upon smelling Kitsara's odors was most definitely true. A lot of loud smacks were handed out by outraged wives and girlfriends in our wake.
Speaking of, I couldn't help but bring this topic up once I sensed no one was within earshot.
"You know, back when you first appeared in my room, I thought you were trying to seduce me, but it seems I was mistaken."
Instead of laughing alongside me about the misunderstanding, Kitsara stopped where she stood.
I could only watch her frame wryly, especially as she turned her head in my direction and cried, "But I was! Why did it not work?! I even thought I was lucky because I'd just finished my training session when word of your arrival came. I was just about to step into the bath but came rushing here instead…"
This woman was just something else… I didn't know what to do with her.
"Kitsara, please tell me what the innate advantage dogkin enjoy over humanity."
She was quick to respond, "Sense of smell!" Just as the last word left lips, her eyes widened in horror. She brought both hands to her cheeks as she held her rapidly reddening head. "Oh dear Goddess, I'm so ignorant!"
Kitsara then glanced at me and said, "I'm sorry… I never interacted with humans before… My brain just somehow assumed you would… So you can't smell my feminine odors at all?" By the end of her question, her fluffy tail drooped toward the ground lifelessly.
"Not unless I move closer to you. But even if I did smell you, I wouldn't get aroused… I'm not into that stuff. Although I'll give it to you—the glistening of your skin and your choice of attire are very sexy."
"Ugh…"
"Now that we've cleared that up, I can't help but ask, Kitsara. Why is a princess trying to seduce a random human she never met before?"
Silence reigned between the two of us as we continued our journey through Canisgard's middle district. It took Kitsara a good few minutes to ponder on her answer. Once she did, our eyes met once again. Only seriousness and determination could be seen in hers. "If you want to hear my reply, follow me."