Chapter 4
Fortunately, the wolf cub didn’t avoid my hand. I took that as unspoken permission and tried to pick it up, but Thierry was faster.
For a wolf that is not small for a cub, it weighed quite a bit, but Thierry, despite my concerns, picked it up without much effort with his smaller frame and carried it back to the cottage.
Thierry watched from the sidelines, saying nothing as I tended to him. He never touched the wolf, as if he’d just picked it up, and only occasionally patted it on the head as the now-healed wolf pranced around the cottage, practically calling me home.
“I thought he’d leave when he got better, but it seems he wants to stay in this wolf cage, so maybe we should name it?”
“…”
“If you’re having trouble, can I build it?”
“… Yeah.”
“Hmmm – how about Rudd? I mean, he’s a famous wolf.”
“…Yeah, Rudd.”
And so we went from two to three, and Thierry, who had always been able to say nothing more than, ‘Mm-hmm,’ began to speak.
“Rudd was so sweet, he listened so well. When it’s cold, it’s nice to hug him and he’s so warm and fluffy…”
“Aoooo-!”
As if in response to my words, the big dog let out a long cry.
“Yeah, yeah. He was kind of like you, just a little smaller than you, with the same eyes…”
Wait a minute. Is this really a dog?
Come to think of it, he’s way too big to be a hound, especially with that weird howl.
“No way, are you a wolf?”
“Uh…”
“Hmm, I think it is. The more I look at it, the more it looks like Rudd, and those big claws are a little too big for a dog.”
I’m intrigued. I thought Rudd was the only gentle wolf in my life, but do all wolves in this country like people?
This one’s pretty good with people, too. And maybe it was because I was thinking of Rudd, but the more I looked at it, the more it looked like Rudd.
I know it’s hard to tell with the animal’s appearance, but for some reason, I kept seeing him in front of me.”
“Hmph… I want to see Rudd.”
I mumbled and hugged the wolf I had mistaken for a black dog without fear.
I expected it to pull away in a moment of emotion, but to my surprise, the wolf meekly surrendered its neck to my arms and buried its snout in the nape of my neck.
“Pfft…”
For some reason, I felt a thrill. I burrowed into the coarse but warm fur, closing my eyes wistfully.
“…”
And then it happened. Another shadow fell over my head.
“Are you hungry?”
A low voice spoke over me. I jerked up, my eyes widening.
“No!”
I scrambled to my feet, though my gesture was reduced to a helpless flopping fish by the unflinching wolf.
“Hey, can you give me a second? Okay…”
I grunted and pushed the wolf away, never taking my eyes off the mysterious man, whose face was obscured by the backlight.
The man stood still, staring down at my struggling form in silence. Somehow, with his dark hair and black procoat, a dark aura seemed to emanate from him.
‘Please, a little!!’
Maybe he felt my desperate struggle, the wolf finally grumbling low and retreated. For some reason, it sounded like a rumour that I didn’t want to fall, so I felt familiar.
“Who, who are you?”
I scrambled to my feet. I stumbled a bit in my haste to get up, but my eyes never left the man.
He was a tall man with a sharp jawline and a prominent nose that looked like it could cut through the air.
Most striking were his sparkling red eyes, but despite their brilliant color, his gaze was merciless and dry, as if he were ready to strike down his opponent with contempt at a moment’s notice.
“…”
A stifling silence slowly tightened around my throat.
The man didn’t seem to have any intention of answering my question, merely glaring at the wolf circling lazily around me.
“Stuck…”
After what seemed like an eternity, the man’s red lips slowly moved into an arrogant smirk.
“… I guess he didn’t mean to kill you.”
Kill, did you mean you were going to eat me when you asked the wolf if it was hungry? The man tilted his head in a strange way.
“Of course not, he’s a good boy.”
I stroked the wolf’s head as it clung to my leg, eyeing the man warily.
For the first time, the man’s gaze, which had been glued to the wolf, met mine. One corner of his mouth turned up at an angle, following the slight upturn of his eyes.
“Good?”
“Yeah… I don’t think he’d hurt anyone.”
I narrowed my eyes, wondering if this man was trying to harm the wolf, and my voice was deadpan.
‘I don’t know what’s so scary about people. It makes the wolf feel safe.’
In all my life, I’ve never met anyone with such an aura of power. I felt like I was in danger if I got too close, and I wanted to run away right away, but I was afraid that would only provoke him.
“That’s a funny thing to say.”
“…”
“Come here.”
“Huh?”
My eyes widened at his crying wolf demeanor.
“Khingg…”
The wolf whined like a scolded puppy and walked toward him with its tail hanging limply.
“Are you the owner of this wolf?”
I asked, feeling a little fascinated and forgetting to be scared, because someone else owned a wolf.
“Yes.”
The man’s short answer made me raise my eyes. I blinked, mesmerized by the red eyes of the man who was still looking at me.
‘I can just turn around and go back the way I came, but why do I keep getting lost? Is it the wolf?’
I hesitantly pursed my lips and finally spoke.
“… Does the wolf have a name?”
“Well.”
“…”
“He lost his master, so he lost his name.”
The man seemed used to the subordination. To some, this might be a problem, but I didn’t care. No, actually, I didn’t want to be polite.
His shirt, with a couple buttons unbuttoned, and the lack of a stock tie, exposing a firm neckline, didn’t look like the attire of a formal aristocrat, but everything he wore looked expensive and gave off an aura of high nobility. I had a premonition that I shouldn’t touch him.
‘He just said he’s the owner… Oh, does that mean you’re the second master?’
I didn’t understand, but I nodded and took a step back.
I couldn’t wait to get out of here, as this man was becoming more dangerous the longer we talked.
“Well, I guess I’ll leave you to it, then.”
“Why is he so excited to see you?”
I almost snapped at the man’s bluntness, but I knew he had no intention of letting me go.
He was stalking toward me like he had no intention of letting me go nicely.
“… I don’t know, maybe he’s just a people person.”
My pupils dilated at the closing distance. I lowered my uneasy eyes, desperately avoiding his gaze.
“It’s not funny anymore.”
I didn’t say it was fun… I pouted my lips and glanced back at him.
His red eyes flashed frighteningly as if he was waiting to see if I would continue to stare.
‘Hiik… I think seeing a ghost would be less scary than this.’
I lowered my eyebrows, frowning as tears threatened to fall.
‘No. You’re going to run like a maniac, expecting to get caught?’
I hadn’t even started running yet, and my heart was already pounding against my eardrums, so determined was I to keep my legs strong.
The man jerked up and grimaced in pain.
“Shit.”
Panicked, I stared at him in disbelief as he muttered darkly through gritted teeth. The corners of his tightly-closed eyes were still sharply upturned, but they looked pained, and for some reason, a little pitiful-
“… It looks like a dog”
-I didn’t look. Never.
I backed away from him, very slowly, like dodging a land mine. At the same time, his eyes snapped open.
The glazed, bloodshot pupils were fully exposed. I stiffened under the murderous stare that looked like it could set me on fire at any moment.
“I couldn’t move. It felt like someone was grabbing my ankles.
‘Oh my God.’
I should have run away, what the hell is wrong with me, I thought, my head spinning as my arrogance faded away.
Luckily, the man turned around first, his broad back filling my vision.
Soon, the wolf let out a small yelp and ran after the man, who was quickly moving away. The wolf paused for a moment to look back at me, and then it was off again, following its second owner at a brisk pace.
“What the hell is he doing?”
I mumbled something incoherent as I tried to relax my nerves. Realizing that we hadn’t even tried to communicate to each other.
***
A strange man left me deeply tired.
I returned to my chamber, ordered my maid to search the area for any suspicious persons, and quickly washed my body from the ground.
“… Alicia!”
“My brother?”
“Come on, get up, and put this cloak on.”
Harrison’s face was grim as he hastily pulled me to my feet and draped the cloak around my shoulders.
I rubbed my eyes in a non-dreamy fashion.
‘Am I dreaming, or have I slept too long?’
Feeling Harrison’s arm around my shoulders, I turned to look out the window. Not a single star was visible in the black sky.
“What’s going on at this hour, where are we going?”
I asked in a groggy, sleep-deprived voice, and Harrison clicked his tongue briefly, as if amused by my behavior.
“Are you even sleeping in this commotion? It’s dark like this.”
“What’s the fuss… Huh? What’s everyone doing?”
The door opened and several servants came out, their faces pale and their heads bowed. Behind them, I could see soldiers and other servants running around busily.
I was stunned. The normally quiet castle was filled with lights and tension.
