Episode 24. I can't stand it anymore
"Damn, where have you been?"
When Zimmer entered Adele's bedroom, Christine was not in the room. Judging from the open window, he must have gone out.
He quickly rode his horse and chased after him, but he disappeared without a trace. It was not easy to track his movements because it kept raining.
"If this goes wrong, it will be a disaster."
Christine had no rivals on the battlefield. With his animalistic senses and superhuman athleticism, no one could even touch his body with a single sword.
In fact, he had the blood of a wolf clan that was said to have disappeared long ago.
A warrior among warriors.
However, he also had a fatal weakness. It is said that in winter, the mating season for wolves, his senses become more acute and he easily feels desire for the opposite sex.
One day, they talked about this while drunk.
"So, do you hug just any woman then?"
“That’s stupid. Our clan is meant to be in love with one person for life. After we’ve been in love once, we only react to that person’s scent.”
“Then what do you do when you feel desire and the person you want as your partner isn’t around?”
“You have no choice but to suppress it. However, it consumes a lot of stamina, so you need prey.”
“But you haven’t felt any discomfort even in the winter so far, have you?”
“Because I’ve never felt desire in a battlefield full of men.”
“Ah... I see. But what if you suppress your desire and reach your limit?”
“Well, you might lose your reason and go berserk, or you might collapse from weakness. I haven’t
been there, so I don’t know for sure.”
That’s why Zimmer was even more worried.
He must have lost most of his stamina suppressing his desire. Judging from the rough breathing of an animal in Adele’s room, he must have half awakened into a wolf.
At this point, he might have lost control of his reason. Then he might have hunted like crazy, or collapsed while transformed into a wolf.
The problem was that this was the capital, Greenhill. A city with very good security. If he ran wild and his identity was revealed, everything would be over.
Even Count Weiss would not be safe if it were known that he was part of the wolf clan. People did not leave anything different from themselves alone.
The wolf clan had disappeared long ago.
Kwarreung! Boom!
“Kyaaaaak!”
April screamed at the loud thunder.
“Are you okay, Princess?”
Soon, the nanny who was sleeping in the next room and the guards outside the door came in.
“Yes, I’m okay. I was startled by the thunder.”
“Should I stay with you?”
April quickly shook her head at the nanny’s affectionate voice.
“No, I’m past that age.”
The nanny winked and smiled.
“That’s true. You’ll be marrying the best groom in the empire soon.”
“Don’t tease me.”
April let out a sigh as everyone left, and she was alone again.
That was what she said, but in reality, the nights when thunder and lightning were still scary. The sound of the trees howling in the wind sounded like the howling of a huge beast. She went to the window and checked again to see if the door was locked properly.
Flash!
At that moment, lightning struck and the sky became as bright as day.
And April saw clearly. A man is standing under a tree and looking up at her balcony. That man had dazzlingly beautiful silver-white hair.
'Count Weiss?'
April carefully opened the window and went out onto the balcony.
Whoosh!
Her hair and pajamas were flying wildly in the fierce wind and rain, and she couldn't come to her senses.
However, she was so focused on the man approaching that she didn't have time to care about that.
"May I come in?"
A slightly hoarse and low voice.
She didn't know how she could hear that voice clearly over the noise of the wind and rain. Even though the distance between the balcony on the second floor where she was and the garden on the first floor where he was standing was quite a distance.
But he was definitely Count Weiss. The once haughty and arrogant man was drenched in rain, looking like a pitiful beast.
“...Right now?”
The moment he nodded, April’s whole body trembled slightly.
No matter how ignorant she was of the ways of the world, she knew what it meant to bring a man into her bedroom at this hour.
It was something only immoral and vulgar people would do.
However, the thought of doing such an immoral thing made her heart tremble. Because it was this man.
“Can you come without being caught?”
As soon as she finished speaking, Christine quickly dove. Using the protruding decoration on the wall as a stepping stone, he jumped over the balcony railing on the second floor.
April, who suddenly found herself face to face with him, was embarrassed and didn’t know what to do.
“You're really wet. I, let’s go inside first...”
As she tried to run away to the bedroom, he pushed her against the wall.
Suddenly trapped in his long arms, April became sad. The unusually heavy breathing was a little scary, and it also gave her a strange thrill.
“Count...”
The voice calling his name trembled thinly.
“You can blame me. But I can’t stand it anymore...”
He muttered, staring blankly with unfocused eyes.
April’s eyes widened. Those words were so unexpected. Wasn’t he the kind of man who always kept his distance and ignored her?
But he came to her so rudely in the middle of the night and made such a passionate confession.
Was he drunk?
So it would be right to reject him, right?
But they say drunken sincerity. If he really wanted to, he could be immoral and vulgar.
“I don’t blame you. I want you too...”
‘Huk!
He must have lost most of his stamina suppressing his desire. Judging from the rough breathing of an animal in Adele’s room, he must have half awakened into a wolf.
At this point, he might have lost control of his reason. Then he might have hunted like crazy, or collapsed while transformed into a wolf.
The problem was that this was the capital, Greenhill. A city with very good security. If he ran wild and his identity was revealed, everything would be over.
Even Count Weiss would not be safe if it were known that he was part of the wolf clan. People did not leave anything different from themselves alone.
The wolf clan had disappeared long ago.
***
Kwarreung! Boom!
“Kyaaaaak!”
April screamed at the loud thunder.
“Are you okay, Princess?”
Soon, the nanny who was sleeping in the next room and the guards outside the door came in.
“Yes, I’m okay. I was startled by the thunder.”
“Should I stay with you?”
April quickly shook her head at the nanny’s affectionate voice.
“No, I’m past that age.”
The nanny winked and smiled.
“That’s true. You’ll be marrying the best groom in the empire soon.”
“Don’t tease me.”
April let out a sigh as everyone left, and she was alone again.
That was what she said, but in reality, the nights when thunder and lightning were still scary. The sound of the trees howling in the wind sounded like the howling of a huge beast. She went to the window and checked again to see if the door was locked properly.
Flash!
At that moment, lightning struck and the sky became as bright as day.
And April saw clearly. A man is standing under a tree and looking up at her balcony. That man had dazzlingly beautiful silver-white hair.
'Count Weiss?'
April carefully opened the window and went out onto the balcony.
Whoosh!
Her hair and pajamas were flying wildly in the fierce wind and rain, and she couldn't come to her senses.
However, she was so focused on the man approaching that she didn't have time to care about that.
"May I come in?"
A slightly hoarse and low voice.
She didn't know how she could hear that voice clearly over the noise of the wind and rain. Even though the distance between the balcony on the second floor where she was and the garden on the first floor where he was standing was quite a distance.
But he was definitely Count Weiss. The once haughty and arrogant man was drenched in rain, looking like a pitiful beast.
“...Right now?”
The moment he nodded, April’s whole body trembled slightly.
No matter how ignorant she was of the ways of the world, she knew what it meant to bring a man into her bedroom at this hour.
It was something only immoral and vulgar people would do.
However, the thought of doing such an immoral thing made her heart tremble. Because it was this man.
“Can you come without being caught?”
As soon as she finished speaking, Christine quickly dove. Using the protruding decoration on the wall as a stepping stone, he jumped over the balcony railing on the second floor.
April, who suddenly found herself face to face with him, was embarrassed and didn’t know what to do.
“You're really wet. I, let’s go inside first...”
As she tried to run away to the bedroom, he pushed her against the wall.
Suddenly trapped in his long arms, April became sad. The unusually heavy breathing was a little scary, and it also gave her a strange thrill.
“Count...”
The voice calling his name trembled thinly.
“You can blame me. But I can’t stand it anymore...”
He muttered, staring blankly with unfocused eyes.
April’s eyes widened. Those words were so unexpected. Wasn’t he the kind of man who always kept his distance and ignored her?
But he came to her so rudely in the middle of the night and made such a passionate confession.
Was he drunk?
So it would be right to reject him, right?
But they say drunken sincerity. If he really wanted to, he could be immoral and vulgar.
“I don’t blame you. I want you too...”
‘Huk!
"You're crazy. What did I just say?"
April was shocked that such explicit words came out of her mouth. However, when he lowered his head and lowered his lips, she was proud of herself for not rejecting him.
"I wanted our first kiss to be a little more romantic..."
However, she became impatient and unconsciously closed her eyes and lifted her heels.
His hot breath wet her lips. April tightly gripped the hem of her pajamas. Before she knew it, her hands were soaked with sweat.
Their lips were about to touch.
"Adele..."
"...Huh!"
April was shocked that such explicit words came out of her mouth. However, when he lowered his head and lowered his lips, she was proud of herself for not rejecting him.
"I wanted our first kiss to be a little more romantic..."
However, she became impatient and unconsciously closed her eyes and lifted her heels.
His hot breath wet her lips. April tightly gripped the hem of her pajamas. Before she knew it, her hands were soaked with sweat.
Their lips were about to touch.
"Adele..."
"...Huh!"
Knock!
Someone knocked on the bedroom door at that moment.
"Wait a minute!"
Embarrassed, April pushed Christine away and looked back and forth between the door and him. However, he seemed to have no idea.
"Princess, is everything okay?"
The voices of the guards could be heard from outside the door.
"Yes, everything is okay!"
April shouted at the door.
“Let me take a look. There was a report that someone was seen entering the Princess’s bedroom.”
They didn’t seem like they would go away easily. At times like this, the guards’ sincerity was a little regrettable.
“Just wait a moment!”
She whispered, pushing Christine behind the velvet curtain.
“Hide for a moment. I’ll send you back soon.”
Boom!
When April opened the door, the two guards and the nanny who had just entered her room were standing there.
“What’s the fuss about this time of night? An intruder came into my room without me knowing?”
As she spoke, April’s pajamas were soaking wet.
“I’m sorry. For the Princess’s safety, I’ll take a look.”
When the guards tried to come in, she firmly blocked their path.
“If there were no intruders, how are you going to take responsibility? How do you plan on paying for waking the Princess from her deep sleep?”
April was usually gentle, but she was the Princess. The guards couldn’t be too forceful. They just glanced over her shoulder to check the situation in the room.
“I’m sorry. That’s all.”
“Your Highness...”
April firmly spoke to the worried nanny.
“Good night, nanny.”
After sending everyone away and closing the door, April finally felt relieved.
“They’re all gone.”
She said to the curtains, but there was no response. When she gently lifted the velvet hem that had hidden Christine, there was no one there.
He had disappeared just as quickly as he had appeared.
“This is too much...”
April collapsed on the bed, exhausted from disappointment. Then she quietly touched the lips that had touched him just a moment ago.
The breath that had been so hot and sweet.
The rough, feverish breathing.
Just thinking about it again made her suffocate with a thrill.
What would it have been like if she had spent the night with him?
How would he hold a woman?
“Ah, so wild!”
Embarrassed, April blushed and pulled the blanket over her head.
Then suddenly she remembered the last words he had murmured.
“Adele...”
She thought he had definitely said those words.
Adele is the name of the Marchioness of Oswald. Could it be that he called her that?
'No, I must have misheard. She told me that the Count and she are like siblings.'
But what if I hadn't misheard?
Thinking about it, it seemed like there had been a strange atmosphere between the two since Madame Hans' party. They hadn't made eye contact, but somehow they seemed to be aware of each other.
In addition, the rumors about what happened in the palace garden yesterday afternoon were already spreading. The palace women were gossiping that he had been whipped by the Empress in place of Adele.
Could it be that he had mistaken me for that woman a little while ago?
If so, that means that there was something unusual between them...
The next morning.
The rain had been falling all night, but the sky had cleared up as if it had never happened before. It was an unusually clear and pleasant morning, perhaps because of the cold air.
“Princess, are you awake?”
The nanny, who was entering April’s room with the maids, was startled.
The Princess, sitting on the bed with a sullen face, was nowhere to be seen in her usual lovely manner.
“What happened... last night?”
When the nanny asked cautiously, April shook her head with a gloomy face.
“I just had trouble sleeping.”
Then one of the maids quickly asked,
“Did you see anything strange last night?”
The nanny tried to stop the conversation by telling her to stop, but
“Something strange?”
April’s eyes were already sparkling with curiosity.
“Well, a body was found in the palace forest this morning.”
“A body?”
The nanny said it was nothing. However, April was worried about Christine, who had suddenly disappeared like that last night.
Could it be that she was wrong?
“If it’s a body, who died? How did it happen?”
The nanny patted and reassured April as she continued to ask questions.
“It seems that a hungry beast entered the palace forest because of winter. One of the night guards was bitten to death. We’re releasing people to hunt them now, so don’t worry too much.”
“Oh, I see.”
April finally felt relieved, thinking it was a blessing in disguise.
The palace had been in an uproar for several days because of the tragedy in the palace forest. The hunters and guards continued to search the forest, but they hadn’t found any beasts that could harm people.
“A leopard or a tiger, perhaps?”
“It could have been a wolf. There have been rumors of silver wolves being seen in the palace forest recently.”
“A silver wolf?”
The ladies who had gathered to enjoy tea time with April also showed interest in this incident. However, their interest was only for a moment.
“By the way, what happened with Count Weiss?”
Everyone looked at April with sparkling eyes at someone’s question.
However, the Princess only rested her chin on her hand and poked at the cake with her dessert fork. She seemed to have lost her mind.
“Your Highness.”
She finally came to her senses when the maid next to her quietly called her.
“Yes?”
The ladies who had been looking at April all laughed meaningfully.
“What happened with Count Weiss that rainy night?”
Clank!
Startled, April dropped the fork she was holding.
Someone knocked on the bedroom door at that moment.
"Wait a minute!"
Embarrassed, April pushed Christine away and looked back and forth between the door and him. However, he seemed to have no idea.
"Princess, is everything okay?"
The voices of the guards could be heard from outside the door.
"Yes, everything is okay!"
April shouted at the door.
“Let me take a look. There was a report that someone was seen entering the Princess’s bedroom.”
They didn’t seem like they would go away easily. At times like this, the guards’ sincerity was a little regrettable.
“Just wait a moment!”
She whispered, pushing Christine behind the velvet curtain.
“Hide for a moment. I’ll send you back soon.”
***
Boom!
When April opened the door, the two guards and the nanny who had just entered her room were standing there.
“What’s the fuss about this time of night? An intruder came into my room without me knowing?”
As she spoke, April’s pajamas were soaking wet.
“I’m sorry. For the Princess’s safety, I’ll take a look.”
When the guards tried to come in, she firmly blocked their path.
“If there were no intruders, how are you going to take responsibility? How do you plan on paying for waking the Princess from her deep sleep?”
April was usually gentle, but she was the Princess. The guards couldn’t be too forceful. They just glanced over her shoulder to check the situation in the room.
“I’m sorry. That’s all.”
“Your Highness...”
April firmly spoke to the worried nanny.
“Good night, nanny.”
After sending everyone away and closing the door, April finally felt relieved.
“They’re all gone.”
She said to the curtains, but there was no response. When she gently lifted the velvet hem that had hidden Christine, there was no one there.
He had disappeared just as quickly as he had appeared.
“This is too much...”
April collapsed on the bed, exhausted from disappointment. Then she quietly touched the lips that had touched him just a moment ago.
The breath that had been so hot and sweet.
The rough, feverish breathing.
Just thinking about it again made her suffocate with a thrill.
What would it have been like if she had spent the night with him?
How would he hold a woman?
“Ah, so wild!”
Embarrassed, April blushed and pulled the blanket over her head.
Then suddenly she remembered the last words he had murmured.
“Adele...”
She thought he had definitely said those words.
Adele is the name of the Marchioness of Oswald. Could it be that he called her that?
'No, I must have misheard. She told me that the Count and she are like siblings.'
But what if I hadn't misheard?
Thinking about it, it seemed like there had been a strange atmosphere between the two since Madame Hans' party. They hadn't made eye contact, but somehow they seemed to be aware of each other.
In addition, the rumors about what happened in the palace garden yesterday afternoon were already spreading. The palace women were gossiping that he had been whipped by the Empress in place of Adele.
Could it be that he had mistaken me for that woman a little while ago?
If so, that means that there was something unusual between them...
***
The next morning.
The rain had been falling all night, but the sky had cleared up as if it had never happened before. It was an unusually clear and pleasant morning, perhaps because of the cold air.
“Princess, are you awake?”
The nanny, who was entering April’s room with the maids, was startled.
The Princess, sitting on the bed with a sullen face, was nowhere to be seen in her usual lovely manner.
“What happened... last night?”
When the nanny asked cautiously, April shook her head with a gloomy face.
“I just had trouble sleeping.”
Then one of the maids quickly asked,
“Did you see anything strange last night?”
The nanny tried to stop the conversation by telling her to stop, but
“Something strange?”
April’s eyes were already sparkling with curiosity.
“Well, a body was found in the palace forest this morning.”
“A body?”
The nanny said it was nothing. However, April was worried about Christine, who had suddenly disappeared like that last night.
Could it be that she was wrong?
“If it’s a body, who died? How did it happen?”
The nanny patted and reassured April as she continued to ask questions.
“It seems that a hungry beast entered the palace forest because of winter. One of the night guards was bitten to death. We’re releasing people to hunt them now, so don’t worry too much.”
“Oh, I see.”
April finally felt relieved, thinking it was a blessing in disguise.
***
The palace had been in an uproar for several days because of the tragedy in the palace forest. The hunters and guards continued to search the forest, but they hadn’t found any beasts that could harm people.
“A leopard or a tiger, perhaps?”
“It could have been a wolf. There have been rumors of silver wolves being seen in the palace forest recently.”
“A silver wolf?”
The ladies who had gathered to enjoy tea time with April also showed interest in this incident. However, their interest was only for a moment.
“By the way, what happened with Count Weiss?”
Everyone looked at April with sparkling eyes at someone’s question.
However, the Princess only rested her chin on her hand and poked at the cake with her dessert fork. She seemed to have lost her mind.
“Your Highness.”
She finally came to her senses when the maid next to her quietly called her.
“Yes?”
The ladies who had been looking at April all laughed meaningfully.
“What happened with Count Weiss that rainy night?”
Clank!
Startled, April dropped the fork she was holding.
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