"Your Majesty..."
"Your Majesty?"
"No. No! You're not exactly the gentle type, are you? Ahem... Why, why are you staring at me like that?"
“What am I doing?”
"You look like you're about to pounce at any moment. Just like someone upset."
"...I'm not offended. I indeed want to pounce on you, though."
"What? What do you mean by pounce on?"
What do you plan to do by pouncing on? Surely you aren't going to hit me.
“To bed.”
"W-what are you talking about all of a sudden!"
Just at the slightest chance. I recoiled in horror at the arm he was holding. Since he had only been loosely fiddling with it, my arm easily slipped free. The only problem was that the corners of Thierry's eyes slowly curled up as he stared blankly down at his empty hand for a moment.
"No?"
" No, it's not that I want to..."
As I trailed off, not knowing what to do, Rood stealthily got up from his seat, as if he sensed the strange atmosphere between us.
'Rood, this is a betrayal. How dare you leave me behind!'
There was no way he could hear me, but I grumbled to myself and kept sucking on Rood's butt as he disappeared, wagging his droopy tail.
Suddenly, I felt a hand cupping one of my cheeks. The hot hand, despite its large size, moved gently, turning my cheek slightly and making me turn my head.
"Let's see, you're not looking at me."
There was dissatisfaction in his low, muttering voice. However, a strong sense of intimidation permeated it, making it look as if he was watching my reaction.
Unconsciously, I blinked blankly and met his gaze. Beneath his thick eyebrows, his red pupils sank deep. A gloomy, dark red light flashed for a moment, and soon the slowly drooping ends of his eyebrows stole my attention.
"...Do you hate me doing this?"
There he goes again. Does he do this on purpose because he knows I get soft-hearted? I swallowed hard without realizing it.
'However...'
How could I remain unaffected after seeing that face? He is someone I understand and love more than anyone else.
Even if people described Thierry as a selfish person who feared nothing in the world, I was the one who knew better than anyone that he was the very person who could be infinitely vulnerable in front of me.
I realized my mistake belatedly and shook my head violently.
"That's impossible! I don't dislike it at all."
“So? You like it?”
It was just a single word, but seeing the beautiful, radiant eyes that immediately lit up, I ended up muttering as if entranced.
"Great."
I looked at him as he languidly closed and opened his eyes, then slowly lowered my gaze.
The warmth enveloping my cheeks hit me even more strongly, and my lips pouted. I looked like a squashed steamed bun, so I immediately frowned and glared at him, but when I saw him smiling with a look that said he found me adorable to death, the words slipped right back into my mouth.
'Isn't smiling that brightly a bit unfair?'
At his fresh, boyish smile, my lips naturally softened. Filled with the excitement of catching a glimpse of his childhood self that I hadn't seen in a long time, I quietly accepted him as he approached me quickly.
Soon, a soft sensation touched my lips, followed by a rain of kisses falling here and there. On my forehead, the bridge of my nose, on my cheeks. He kissed me so softly, as if determined to kiss every single part of my skin, that it was almost overwhelming, but I didn't want to stop him. Honestly, the corners of my mouth turned up, welcoming this behavior.
I naturally wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my head slightly against him. Savoring the sweet, scattering breath, I gently closed my eyes.
- Bang!
It would have remained exactly as it was if it hadn't been for the sudden, violent crashing sound.
"Ugh. Wait.... Just a moment."
"It's okay."
"It's not okay at all."
I firmly pushed away from his chest as he whispered with our lips still touching.
"Ha..."
Although a sigh of deep regret echoed in my ears, fortunately, he willingly stepped back. I patted the upper part of his firm chest once to soothe him, then turned my head toward the direction of the sound.
"...Rood? What are you doing there?"
"You bastard, aren't you doing this on purpose?"
...Is he introducing himself? A giggle escaped from between my lips.
"No. What would a wolf know to do this on purpose?"
"Are you going to keep defending that guy?"
Anyone looking would think you were a human. I let out a laugh of disbelief and lightly kissed his cheek.
"Sorry."
“...Do the other side too.”
Smooch.
“Even on your lips.”
Smooch.
"And..."
"That's enough. I'll continue later. Okay?"
I lovingly stroked his cheek as he kept leaning his face in endlessly, then lowered my gaze to Rood, who had already come to my legs.
As our eyes met, Rood hesitated for a moment, as if gauging my mood, then gently bit the hem of my dress. As if telling me to follow him.
"Huh? You want to go together?"
"Don't go. He probably just wants to go for a walk. I told you not to go outside for a while, so why are you wandering around like this?"
He urgently grabbed Thierry's hand as he stood up from his seat, looking as if he were about to kick Rood out at any moment.
"If that were the case, wouldn't they have whined and pestered even more? There is definitely another reason for this."
"...Tsk."
I stood up from my seat after watching him in disbelief as he clicked his tongue briefly, as if his excuse had vanished.
"Just go for a moment."
"After we get back, you're staying only with me. That guy is banned from here now, too."
I eventually shook my head as I watched him point his finger at Rood as if to warn him.
For some reason, it feels like they're bickering even more than before. Or maybe I'm the only one thinking that...
***
"Ah. So you called me because of this wolf?"
I looked down with a strange gaze at the brown wolf standing close to the back door. I also glanced at Rood, who was looking up at me as if asking me to open the door, and eventually burst into a chuckle.
Although the back door had been closed even tighter to prevent people from getting out, it seemed he called out to me instead of crashing into it, as he had strongly warned Rood not to open it as he pleased.
It's a relief that he didn't just run off on his own, though...
"Did these two fall in love or something?"
What should I do with these two wolves when it is time to leave? I rolled my eyes in bewilderment.
"Looks like we're done. Let's go inside."
"Huh? With the back door left open?"
"...Should I bring that brown one inside and close it?"
"I wonder if Rood will just stay here quietly. I'm worried he might break down the door and cause a ruckus again for no reason."
"So, in the end, it means they plan to stay here until those things drop by on their own."
"...Haha."
Smiling awkwardly, I glanced at Thierry. I expected him to be frowning in dissatisfaction or narrowing his eyes.
"Don't worry about what I think. You can do whatever you want."
However, surprisingly, he had a calm expression. The man who had looked like a teenage boy earlier was gone, and a kind and dignified man was gently putting his arm around my shoulder.
'It's unpredictable... Of course, that makes it even better.'
I laughed along with him and wrapped my arms around his muscular waist. Then, leaning my head against him, I looked down at the two wolves rolling around, sniffing each other.
The cool breeze was nice, and the warm sunshine was wonderful. I closed my eyes tightly and took a deep breath of the scent of grass brushing against the tip of my nose.
However, the comfortable silence did not last long.
"...Excuse me."
My eyes snapped open at the sudden sound of an unfamiliar voice.
"What is that?"
A cold voice came from beside me. I watched the man approaching the back gate, surrendering myself to his touch as he pulled me in as if holding me halfway.
It was a familiar face with brown hair and a gentle impression. I narrowed my eyes and scrutinized the other person for a moment.
"Ah! You're the one who treated the wolf before, right?"
The brown-haired man's eyes opened wide.
"You remember! That's right."
"Ah, did you come looking for the wolf?"
"Yes, I couldn't see it, so I followed the road and came here..."
The man trailed off as he looked at me and Thierry. I smiled and opened my mouth to introduce Thierry to him.
"You could have just waited for them to come back on their own; did you really go out of your way to find them?"
However, Thierry's question came before I could speak.
"You didn't come here hoping to meet my wife, did you?"
It was a voice that was languidly subdued yet strangely sharp. When I turned my head, the red eyes that had shone with heat were now cold and dead.
"What? I only met that person briefly the other day. There's no way that could be because of me."
"That can't be right. He must have encountered that wolf countless times, so does it make sense for him to come all the way to an unfamiliar mansion just because he couldn't see it? No, the fact that a wild wolf came all the way here in the first place is strange."
"It looks like the wolf came to see Rood, but couldn't he have come purely out of concern for the wolf?"
Thierry's mouth twisted. It was the distinctive expression that comes out when he is upset, so I curled my lips inward.
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