Fortunately, the wolf cub did not run away from my hand. I took that as silent permission and tried to pick the cub up, but Thierry was faster.
Even though it was a cub, it was not a small wolf and looked quite heavy, but Thierry, despite being smaller than me, carried the wolf to the villa without much effort, making my worries pointless.
While I treated him with care, Thierry just watched from the side without saying a word. He never touched the wolf, as if he had never suddenly picked it up; it was only when the wolf, now fully recovered, roamed the villa almost like his own home and rubbed against me that he began to stroke its head very occasionally.
"I thought he would leave once he fully recovered, but it looks like he wants to stay with this wolf den. Should I give him a name?"
"..."
"If it's difficult, shall I name it?"
"...Yes."
"Hmm~ Then how about Rood? It means a renowned wolf."
"...Yes, Rood."
And so we went from two to three, and Thierry, who always knew nothing but 'um' whenever we spoke, slowly began to open up.
"Rood was really well-behaved and obedient. When it was cold, it was so nice and warm, and fluffy, to just let me hold him quietly..."
“Oooh!”
The big dog howled loudly as if in response to my words.
"Yeah, yeah, Rood looked similar to you, too. He was a little smaller than you, but the shape of his eyes and all..."
Wait a minute, seriously, is he really a dog?
Come to think of it, it's too big to be a hunting dog, and its howl sounds a bit strange, doesn't it?
"No way. Are you a wolf too?"
"Aah..."
"Huh. I think I'm right? The more I look at it, the more it resembles Rood. These huge claws are a bit... hmm... for them to be dog claws."
It's fascinating. I thought Rood was the only gentle wolf I'd ever met in my life; do all the wolves in this country like people? This one follows people well, too. And maybe it's because I was thinking of Rood, but the more I looked at it, the more it seemed to resemble him.
I know it’s hard to tell them apart because they all look pretty much the same, but maybe it was just my imagination, but I kept feeling like Rood was appearing in front of me.
"Hing... I miss Rood."
I muttered sadly and fearlessly hugged the wolf I had mistaken for a black dog.
I thought he would push me away since it was an emotional action, but unexpectedly, the wolf not only obediently let me speak but even buried his snout deep into my neck.
"Hiiing."
For some reason, I felt a pang in my heart. Buried in the rough yet warm fur, I looked with a wistful gaze.
"..."
But it was at that moment. Another shadow fell over my head.
“Are you hungry?”
A low voice filled the air. I snapped open my eyes and sat up.
"Yes."
Although my attempt to boldly spring my upper body up turned into a helpless, flailing fish due to the wolf that wouldn't budge.
"Hey, could you move aside for a moment? Yeah..."
I groaned as I pushed the wolf, but I did not take my eyes off the unidentified man whose face was invisible due to the backlight.
The man stood still, quietly looking down at me as I struggled. Perhaps because of his black hair and black frock coat, it felt as though a dark aura was emanating from him.
'Please. Just stop!!'
As if sensing my desperate struggle, the wolf finally retreated with a low growl. For some reason, that sounded like a tantrum, as if it didn't want to be separated, giving me a familiar feeling.
“Who, who are you?”
I quickly got up and stood up. I staggered slightly from the hurried effort, but even then, my eyes did not leave the man.
The tall man was a handsome man with a cool impression, notable for his sharp jawline that looked like it could cut and his prominent nose.
What stood out particularly was his sparkling red eyes, but unlike that luminous color, his gaze was merely ruthless and dry, as if he were about to strike down his opponent with contempt at any moment.
"..."
The suffocating silence slowly tightened its grip.
"Hiiing..."
The man didn't seem to have any particular intention of answering my question. He just stared intently at the wolf that was slowly circling around me.
How much time had passed? Finally, the man slowly moved his arrogant-looking, reddish lips.
"...It looks like he didn't intend to kill you."
Kill me? So, asking the wolf if it was hungry meant you were going to eat me? The man tilted his head with a puzzled look.
"That can't be true! He's a good child."
I clung to my leg, stroked the wolf's head, and looked at the man with wary eyes.
The man's gaze, which had been fixed only on the wolf, met mine for the first time. One corner of his mouth curved upward diagonally, as if following the slightly upturned corners of his eyes.
“Good?”
"No... I don't think it will harm anyone."
Thinking that this man might be trying to harm the wolf, I lowered my eyes slightly and shielded the wolf in a subdued voice.
'Why is a person so scary? I actually feel safer with a wolf.'
I had never seen anyone exuding such a chilling aura in my entire life. I felt like it would be dangerous to get close to them, so I wanted to run away immediately, but I became even more cautious, fearing that doing so might only provoke them.
"That's funny."
"..."
“Come here”
"Uh?"
My eyes widened at his attitude of calling the wolf.
"Hiing..."
The sight of the wolf walking toward him with its tail hanging limply and crying like a scolded puppy looked pitiful.
"Are you perhaps the owner of this wolf?"
To think another person is raising a wolf. Feeling a bit fascinated, I forgot my fear and asked.
"Yes."
I looked up at the man's short reply. I blinked, startled by the man's red eyes meeting mine—whether he had been watching me all along or not.
'I could just turn around and leave right now, but why can't I bring myself to leave? Is it because of the wolf?'
I moved my lips with a hesitant look and barely managed to speak.
"...Does the wolf have a name?"
"Well."
"..."
"This one lost its name because it lost its owner."
The man seemed accustomed to being treated disrespectfully. It might have been a problem for others to see, but I didn't really care. No, actually, I didn't really want to bother with things like etiquette.
With a shirt undone a couple of buttons and no stock tie revealing a firm neckline, he did not look like a nobleman who valued formality; however, everything he wore was made of materials that looked expensive at first glance, and he exuded an aura of a high-ranking noble. For some reason, I had a feeling that I should not approach him rashly.
'He just said he was the owner... Ah, does that mean he's the second owner?'
I didn't understand, but I nodded as if I roughly grasped it and took a step back.
He was someone who felt dangerous the more I talked to him, so I wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.
"I-I see. Well then, I'll be going now."
"Why do I go crazy looking at you?"
"What do you mean, 'crazy'?" I almost showed a look of disgust at the man's unrestrained speech.
The man was striding toward me as if he had no intention of letting me go easily.
"...Well, maybe it's just a personality that gets along well with people."
My pupils trembled uncontrollably as the distance narrowed. I lowered my anxious eyes and tried hard to avoid his gaze.
"It's not fun anymore."
I didn't mean to be funny, but I pouted and glanced at him again.
As if he had been staring at me all along, his red eyes met mine with a terrifying glint.
'Eek! Even if I saw a ghost, I don't think it would be as scary as this.'
I felt like tears were welling up, so I lowered the corners of my eyebrows and furrowed my brows.
'This isn't going to work. Should I pretend to be crazy and run away, even if it means getting caught?'
Even before I had started running, the pounding of my heart was already ringing in my eardrums. I had steeled myself and was about to put strength into my legs when...
The man suddenly clutched his forehead and grimaced in pain.
"Shit."
Flustered, I stared blankly at him as he gritted his teeth and muttered ominously. His tightly closed eyes were still sharply upturned at the corners, but perhaps because he looked like he was in pain, for some reason, he seemed a little pitiful—
“...It’s like a dog.”
- I couldn't see it. never.
I stepped back from him very slowly, as if dodging a landmine. At the same time, his eyes snapped open.
His gleaming, blood-red eyes were fully revealed. My body froze at the fierce gaze that looked as if it would burn me to ashes at any moment.
I really couldn't move an inch. It felt like someone was holding my ankles.
‘I’m going crazy.'
It was around the time my mind went completely blank, as all sorts of thoughts—like whether I should have run away sooner or why on earth this was happening to me—gradually faded away.
Fortunately, the man turned his back first. His broad figure filled my field of vision.
Soon, the wolf let out a small whimper and chased after the man who was moving quickly away. After pausing for just a moment to glance back at me, the wolf soon vigorously followed its second master again.
"What on earth does this person do?"
I belatedly relaxed my tense body and muttered in disbelief, realizing that we hadn't even attempted to introduce ourselves.
***
The stranger gave me deep fatigue.
I returned to my room, ordered the maid to search the surroundings as she had seen a suspicious person, and quickly washed my body that had been rolling on the ground. Soaking in the warm water made me feel drowsy, and my exhausted mind was quickly lulled to sleep.
"...Elisha!"
I opened my eyes to the sound of a voice urgently calling me, and before I knew it, it was dawn.
“Brother?”
"Get up quickly and put on this cloak."
Harrison's face was stiff. He hurriedly helped me stand up and draped a cloak over my shoulders.
I rubbed my eyes with a half-asleep expression.
'Am I dreaming, or have I been going on for too long?'
Feeling Harrison's hand wrap around my shoulder as if to embrace me, I turned my gaze to the window. Not a single star was visible in the dark blue sky.
"What brings you here at this hour? Where are you going?"
I asked in a mumbled voice, half-asleep. Harrison clicked his tongue briefly, as if dumbfounded by my behavior.
"Can you still sleep with all this commotion? You're such a heavy sleeper."
"What's all the commotion? What is everyone doing?"
As I opened the door and stepped out, several servants bowed their heads with pale faces. Behind them, soldiers and other servants bustling about came into view.
I snapped back to reality. The castle, usually quiet, was filled with heightened tension and lights lit here and there.
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