Episode 149. Father and Son
Isabelle guided Adele to a chair on the outdoor terrace.
The scenery outside the terrace was completely soaked in white by the heavy rain.
“Sit down, Countess Grills.”
“You must have forgotten, this is my house. You are trespassing.”
Adele spoke coldly while standing.
Her green eyes were as cold as ice.
Isabelle sat down, shaking the moisture from the hem of her dress with a cold expression.
“I couldn’t help it. I have to take responsibility for the security of Kalame in place of the ailing King.”
“How can trespassing on private property be considered responsibility for security?”
“It would be different if criminals or traitors were hiding in that private property.”
“What?”
Isabelle’s lips turned up thinly.
“The incident of the Wolf Clan’s rampage. I heard that Mark Castler planned it with the rebel priests.”
Adele was shocked.
“Are you trying to place your sins on Mark?”
Instead of answering, Isabelle asked the captain of the guards standing next to her.
“What happened?”
“As you instructed, Count Castler and his family were all arrested. And Aaron Castler.”
The moment Aaron’s name was mentioned, Adele rushed in.
“You’re crazy! What did you just do to him!”
Clink!
The guards crossed their swords on both sides and quickly stopped Adele.
Isabelle laughed softly.
“What did you do to such a small and cute child that no one would ever find, no matter where he disappeared to?”
“You... I’ll kill you!”
However, Adele was blocked by the guards and couldn’t approach Isabelle. She could only grit her teeth and glare.
Isabelle put a piece of paper on the table.
“If you want to see Aaron, get the Emperor’s signature here.”
“What?”
“First, withdraw the army of the Bahamart Empire from Kalame. Second, recognize Kalame as an autonomous state, not a vassal state. Only then will you be able to see that pretty child again.”
And as Isabelle stood up,
“I’ll kill you first.”
Clink!
Adele’s pistol was already aimed at her chest.
“What the...!”
“Jade was your doing, too, right? And as if that weren’t enough, how dare you touch my child again?”
Even Isabelle couldn’t help but feel nervous in front of the pistol.
She raised both hands and spoke shamelessly.
“If you kill me, you might never see Aaron again. Are you okay with that?”
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
However, Adele, holding the pistol, couldn’t shoot rashly.
If by any chance something really went wrong with Aaron...
That’s when it happened.
“Oh no, we’re in big trouble!”
One of the guards rushed over urgently.
“I can smell... blood.”
Meanwhile, Christine’s face hardened as he waited for Adele outside the mansion.
The surprised Zimmer asked cautiously,
“Should we enter the mansion right away?”
It was not a problem to subdue Isabelle’s soldiers with their forces right now.
However, since there were hostages inside, they could not move rashly.
“No, I think I should go alone.”
“Your Majesty!”
Christine jumped onto his horse and raised his hand as if telling him not to follow him.
“Hey, hot!”
He started galloping through the rain toward the mansion.
“Oh my...! ”
Adele, who was running towards the southern playroom following Isabelle and the guards, was startled.
Red blood was flowing out from under the tightly closed door.
This was Aaron’s playroom, so the boy must be inside.
“Aaron! Aaron!”
Adele screamed and grabbed the doorknob of the playroom.
“Don’t open it!”
Christine appeared before she knew it, along with his urgent shouts.
Adele clung to him with trembling hands.
“Your Majesty, our Aaron, Aaron is... in that room!”
He just nodded coldly.
“I know. But it’s dangerous here, so stay back.”
“Your Majesty, what is that?”
At that moment, a strange and eerie sound came from inside the playroom.
“Keuuuu... Save me... Save me!”
“Kuaaaaang! Kuaang!”
Adel turned blue. She knew what that sound was.
It was the scream the wolf clan made when they ran wild at the bazaar.
“...The wolf clan inside...!”
Adel, who was muttering in surprise, suddenly stopped.
No way?
Christine nodded heavily.
“Yes, the wolf clan inside is our child.”
At that moment,
“Euaaaah!”
He ran inside at the same time as a shout was heard from inside the door.
Bam!
Red blood splattered on the yellow wall.
“Help... please...!”
Five or six men begged in fear, bleeding.
One who looked like a wizard was also shivering under the desk.
“Kuaaaaang!”
And in the middle of the room, a black wolf howled with its fur standing on end.
It was small for a wolf clan, but its pointed lower body and white fangs were threatening.
However, the moment Christine met the blue-gray eyes that resembled his own, he could feel it.
This young wolf was terrified.
Poorly, he was bleeding from stab wounds here and there on his body.
“Aaron, calm down. It’s me.”
“Kuaaang! Kuaa!”
Christine approached him calmly, but the black wolf struggled and cried even louder.
He felt anxious because the sound seemed to be a cry for help.
He took off the sword he had on his waist, put it on the ground, and raised both his hands.
“Yes, I came to help you. Now, look. There’s nothing there.”
“Kuaaang!”
Aaron must have been surprised and confused enough by the sudden change.
But how scared and terrified must he have been by the adults who rushed at him, swinging their swords?
He looked so threatening, but he was still only a six-year-old child.
“I know, it’s scary. I was like you. So, Aaron, come here. Mommy’s worried too.”
Christine reached out his hand, but
“Kuaaang!”
The black wolf charged at him with sharp claws.
Phew!
The claws dug into his shoulder, but Christine didn’t dodge.
Instead, he patted the head of the trembling black wolf and smiled.
“It’s okay, I won’t let anyone hurt you. Now, be good, Aaron.”
But the black wolf turned around, broke the window, and ran out.
“Aaron!”
Christine followed after him.
The sky darkened, and night fell.
Aaron ran to Wolf Valley and hid deep inside a cave.
It was still raining outside.
Christine, who had been chasing the child, found dry branches and lit a fire at the entrance to the cave.
It was spring, but it was still cold on rainy nights.
He cooked the rabbits and pheasants he had hunted and cooked them over the fire.
The child, who had been out of control, must have been very hungry.
As expected, he felt Aaron approaching the entrance to the cave. However, he was hidden in the darkness.
Christine deliberately avoided looking at the child, fearing that he might run away again, and muttered to himself.
“The rabbit is cooked very well. The pheasant would be delicious too. I can’t fish, but I’m pretty good at hunting.”
He skewered the meat, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and placed them on the two.
“I’ll have to get some water to drink.”
Then he slyly left the cave.
After confirming that no one was there, Aaron slowly approached the fire and began eating the meat in a hurry.
He was so busy eating that he cooled it down with his breath. Then he stopped.
“...!”
He heard footsteps approaching the cave.
After his wolf transformation, Aaron’s senses had become much more sensitive than usual.
He quickly hid inside the cave, but Christine appeared in front of the fire again.
“How is it? Is it edible, Aaron?”
He shook the water bottle that was making a splashing sound.
“There’s water too, so come out if you’re thirsty.”
“...”
“Well, if you’re not ready, you can come out slowly.”
He pushed the water bottle in front of the child and continued grilling the meat.
“You were really surprised earlier, right? Are your injuries okay?”
After a while, a child’s voice boomed from inside the cave.
“Those people are dead?”
“Who? The people you attacked?”
“...They hurt me first. So...without me knowing...”
Aaron’s tearful voice could be heard.
“Yes, they were wrong. And no one died, so don’t worry.”
“Am I a monster now? My wounds healed quickly.”
“No, you’re just a member of the wolf clan.”
“Oh, but I’m still scared...”
Christine consoled him in a firm but soft voice.
“Don’t be scared, Aaron. Mom and Dad... your brothers won’t care what you look like. They love you that much.”
“What if I hurt them? I hurt Your Majesty earlier...”
“But you eventually stopped. You’ll be able to stop better in the future.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I was like that too.”
“Your Majesty?”
“Well, I was just as surprised when I first turned into a wolf. I was scared that the people I loved hated and feared me, and I was even more scared that I might hurt them. That’s why I couldn’t come out of the forest for days.”
“Oh, oh, oh, oh! Oh, oh!”
A moment later, Aaron began to sob inside the cave.
Christine felt a heavy heart as if a large stone had been placed on his chest at the sound of the child’s cries.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for causing you such confusion.”
“No. Fortunately, Your Majesty is here. I was so scared earlier that I thought I would die...”
Christine felt a little sad.
When he first turned into a wolf, he had desperately wanted this kind of help.
But he was glad that he could be of help to Aaron in this way.
“Then will you come out and finish the meat?”
The child hesitated and answered, unable to answer right away.
“...But can I ask you one more thing?”
“What?”
“What will you do about your clothes when you turn back into a human?”
Christine scratched the bridge of his nose with a troubled expression.
“That’s the biggest problem. That’s why I try not to turn into a wolf.”
“Oh my God! No! Then how do I get out now?”
When Aaron suddenly returned to reality, Christine almost burst out laughing.
“Hey, what’s embarrassing between men?”
“Ahh! No. Then Your Majesty, take it off too.”
“What?”
Christine, who was dumbfounded, came up with a good compromise.
“Instead, how about giving me my coat and candy? I still have the yellow candy you gave me as a gift.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I ate it sparingly because it was precious.”
After thinking for a moment, Aaron cheerfully accepted.
“Yes!”
When Christine carried Aaron on his back and left Wolf Valley, a carriage was waiting.
Adele, who saw the two, quickly opened her umbrella and ran over.
“Aaron...”
“He’s asleep.”
He spoke softly, afraid that the child would wake up.
Only then did Adele finally feel relieved and able to breathe. Then she looked back and forth between the father and son and laughed.
“Why?”
“I was in trouble, but it looks like you two enjoyed a delicious dinner.”
Adele wiped Christine’s and Aaron’s mouths with the hand that wasn’t holding the umbrella.
The two men’s mouths were covered in black soot.
“Mom...”
Aaron smiled sleepily.
“Yes, Mom, here you are. Let’s go home now, Aaron.”
Zimmer made an embarrassed expression as he watched the three people get on the carriage together.
They looked so perfect that he had no room to interfere.
Even though it was the season of flowers, he felt a little lonely...
Isabelle guided Adele to a chair on the outdoor terrace.
The scenery outside the terrace was completely soaked in white by the heavy rain.
“Sit down, Countess Grills.”
“You must have forgotten, this is my house. You are trespassing.”
Adele spoke coldly while standing.
Her green eyes were as cold as ice.
Isabelle sat down, shaking the moisture from the hem of her dress with a cold expression.
“I couldn’t help it. I have to take responsibility for the security of Kalame in place of the ailing King.”
“How can trespassing on private property be considered responsibility for security?”
“It would be different if criminals or traitors were hiding in that private property.”
“What?”
Isabelle’s lips turned up thinly.
“The incident of the Wolf Clan’s rampage. I heard that Mark Castler planned it with the rebel priests.”
Adele was shocked.
“Are you trying to place your sins on Mark?”
Instead of answering, Isabelle asked the captain of the guards standing next to her.
“What happened?”
“As you instructed, Count Castler and his family were all arrested. And Aaron Castler.”
The moment Aaron’s name was mentioned, Adele rushed in.
“You’re crazy! What did you just do to him!”
Clink!
The guards crossed their swords on both sides and quickly stopped Adele.
Isabelle laughed softly.
“What did you do to such a small and cute child that no one would ever find, no matter where he disappeared to?”
“You... I’ll kill you!”
However, Adele was blocked by the guards and couldn’t approach Isabelle. She could only grit her teeth and glare.
Isabelle put a piece of paper on the table.
“If you want to see Aaron, get the Emperor’s signature here.”
“What?”
“First, withdraw the army of the Bahamart Empire from Kalame. Second, recognize Kalame as an autonomous state, not a vassal state. Only then will you be able to see that pretty child again.”
And as Isabelle stood up,
“I’ll kill you first.”
Clink!
Adele’s pistol was already aimed at her chest.
“What the...!”
“Jade was your doing, too, right? And as if that weren’t enough, how dare you touch my child again?”
Even Isabelle couldn’t help but feel nervous in front of the pistol.
She raised both hands and spoke shamelessly.
“If you kill me, you might never see Aaron again. Are you okay with that?”
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
However, Adele, holding the pistol, couldn’t shoot rashly.
If by any chance something really went wrong with Aaron...
That’s when it happened.
“Oh no, we’re in big trouble!”
One of the guards rushed over urgently.
“I can smell... blood.”
Meanwhile, Christine’s face hardened as he waited for Adele outside the mansion.
The surprised Zimmer asked cautiously,
“Should we enter the mansion right away?”
It was not a problem to subdue Isabelle’s soldiers with their forces right now.
However, since there were hostages inside, they could not move rashly.
“No, I think I should go alone.”
“Your Majesty!”
Christine jumped onto his horse and raised his hand as if telling him not to follow him.
“Hey, hot!”
He started galloping through the rain toward the mansion.
***
“Oh my...! ”
Adele, who was running towards the southern playroom following Isabelle and the guards, was startled.
Red blood was flowing out from under the tightly closed door.
This was Aaron’s playroom, so the boy must be inside.
“Aaron! Aaron!”
Adele screamed and grabbed the doorknob of the playroom.
“Don’t open it!”
Christine appeared before she knew it, along with his urgent shouts.
Adele clung to him with trembling hands.
“Your Majesty, our Aaron, Aaron is... in that room!”
He just nodded coldly.
“I know. But it’s dangerous here, so stay back.”
“Your Majesty, what is that?”
At that moment, a strange and eerie sound came from inside the playroom.
“Keuuuu... Save me... Save me!”
“Kuaaaaang! Kuaang!”
Adel turned blue. She knew what that sound was.
It was the scream the wolf clan made when they ran wild at the bazaar.
“...The wolf clan inside...!”
Adel, who was muttering in surprise, suddenly stopped.
No way?
Christine nodded heavily.
“Yes, the wolf clan inside is our child.”
At that moment,
“Euaaaah!”
He ran inside at the same time as a shout was heard from inside the door.
Bam!
Red blood splattered on the yellow wall.
“Help... please...!”
Five or six men begged in fear, bleeding.
One who looked like a wizard was also shivering under the desk.
“Kuaaaaang!”
And in the middle of the room, a black wolf howled with its fur standing on end.
It was small for a wolf clan, but its pointed lower body and white fangs were threatening.
However, the moment Christine met the blue-gray eyes that resembled his own, he could feel it.
This young wolf was terrified.
Poorly, he was bleeding from stab wounds here and there on his body.
“Aaron, calm down. It’s me.”
“Kuaaang! Kuaa!”
Christine approached him calmly, but the black wolf struggled and cried even louder.
He felt anxious because the sound seemed to be a cry for help.
He took off the sword he had on his waist, put it on the ground, and raised both his hands.
“Yes, I came to help you. Now, look. There’s nothing there.”
“Kuaaang!”
Aaron must have been surprised and confused enough by the sudden change.
But how scared and terrified must he have been by the adults who rushed at him, swinging their swords?
He looked so threatening, but he was still only a six-year-old child.
“I know, it’s scary. I was like you. So, Aaron, come here. Mommy’s worried too.”
Christine reached out his hand, but
“Kuaaang!”
The black wolf charged at him with sharp claws.
Phew!
The claws dug into his shoulder, but Christine didn’t dodge.
Instead, he patted the head of the trembling black wolf and smiled.
“It’s okay, I won’t let anyone hurt you. Now, be good, Aaron.”
But the black wolf turned around, broke the window, and ran out.
“Aaron!”
Christine followed after him.
***
The sky darkened, and night fell.
Aaron ran to Wolf Valley and hid deep inside a cave.
It was still raining outside.
Christine, who had been chasing the child, found dry branches and lit a fire at the entrance to the cave.
It was spring, but it was still cold on rainy nights.
He cooked the rabbits and pheasants he had hunted and cooked them over the fire.
The child, who had been out of control, must have been very hungry.
As expected, he felt Aaron approaching the entrance to the cave. However, he was hidden in the darkness.
Christine deliberately avoided looking at the child, fearing that he might run away again, and muttered to himself.
“The rabbit is cooked very well. The pheasant would be delicious too. I can’t fish, but I’m pretty good at hunting.”
He skewered the meat, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and placed them on the two.
“I’ll have to get some water to drink.”
Then he slyly left the cave.
After confirming that no one was there, Aaron slowly approached the fire and began eating the meat in a hurry.
He was so busy eating that he cooled it down with his breath. Then he stopped.
“...!”
He heard footsteps approaching the cave.
After his wolf transformation, Aaron’s senses had become much more sensitive than usual.
He quickly hid inside the cave, but Christine appeared in front of the fire again.
“How is it? Is it edible, Aaron?”
He shook the water bottle that was making a splashing sound.
“There’s water too, so come out if you’re thirsty.”
“...”
“Well, if you’re not ready, you can come out slowly.”
He pushed the water bottle in front of the child and continued grilling the meat.
“You were really surprised earlier, right? Are your injuries okay?”
After a while, a child’s voice boomed from inside the cave.
“Those people are dead?”
“Who? The people you attacked?”
“...They hurt me first. So...without me knowing...”
Aaron’s tearful voice could be heard.
“Yes, they were wrong. And no one died, so don’t worry.”
“Am I a monster now? My wounds healed quickly.”
“No, you’re just a member of the wolf clan.”
“Oh, but I’m still scared...”
Christine consoled him in a firm but soft voice.
“Don’t be scared, Aaron. Mom and Dad... your brothers won’t care what you look like. They love you that much.”
“What if I hurt them? I hurt Your Majesty earlier...”
“But you eventually stopped. You’ll be able to stop better in the future.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I was like that too.”
“Your Majesty?”
“Well, I was just as surprised when I first turned into a wolf. I was scared that the people I loved hated and feared me, and I was even more scared that I might hurt them. That’s why I couldn’t come out of the forest for days.”
“Oh, oh, oh, oh! Oh, oh!”
A moment later, Aaron began to sob inside the cave.
Christine felt a heavy heart as if a large stone had been placed on his chest at the sound of the child’s cries.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for causing you such confusion.”
“No. Fortunately, Your Majesty is here. I was so scared earlier that I thought I would die...”
Christine felt a little sad.
When he first turned into a wolf, he had desperately wanted this kind of help.
But he was glad that he could be of help to Aaron in this way.
“Then will you come out and finish the meat?”
The child hesitated and answered, unable to answer right away.
“...But can I ask you one more thing?”
“What?”
“What will you do about your clothes when you turn back into a human?”
Christine scratched the bridge of his nose with a troubled expression.
“That’s the biggest problem. That’s why I try not to turn into a wolf.”
“Oh my God! No! Then how do I get out now?”
When Aaron suddenly returned to reality, Christine almost burst out laughing.
“Hey, what’s embarrassing between men?”
“Ahh! No. Then Your Majesty, take it off too.”
“What?”
Christine, who was dumbfounded, came up with a good compromise.
“Instead, how about giving me my coat and candy? I still have the yellow candy you gave me as a gift.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I ate it sparingly because it was precious.”
After thinking for a moment, Aaron cheerfully accepted.
“Yes!”
When Christine carried Aaron on his back and left Wolf Valley, a carriage was waiting.
Adele, who saw the two, quickly opened her umbrella and ran over.
“Aaron...”
“He’s asleep.”
He spoke softly, afraid that the child would wake up.
Only then did Adele finally feel relieved and able to breathe. Then she looked back and forth between the father and son and laughed.
“Why?”
“I was in trouble, but it looks like you two enjoyed a delicious dinner.”
Adele wiped Christine’s and Aaron’s mouths with the hand that wasn’t holding the umbrella.
The two men’s mouths were covered in black soot.
“Mom...”
Aaron smiled sleepily.
“Yes, Mom, here you are. Let’s go home now, Aaron.”
Zimmer made an embarrassed expression as he watched the three people get on the carriage together.
They looked so perfect that he had no room to interfere.
Even though it was the season of flowers, he felt a little lonely...
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