Episode 3
A few days later, I safely arrived at the territory with my parents.
‘We finally arrived.’
I moved my stiff body around and got off the carriage. After being in the same position for a long time, my joints felt like they were screaming.
While standing there and stretching, I heard a familiar voice from nearby.
“You worked hard to come here, sis.”
“… Brother?”
As soon as I heard the voice, I quickly turned my head. Then I saw Elliot smiling softly at me.
Elliot was my older brother, two years older than me. He was not only the heir to the family but also the captain of the Evergreen Knights.
Unlike me, who resembled our mother with platinum hair and gray eyes, Elliot had black hair like our father and deep blue eyes.
Combined with his cool demeanor, he exuded the typical aura of a cold-hearted handsome man.
Weren’t you busy with knight duties? Can you be outside like this?”
I blinked at Elliot in confusion.
Originally, Elliot was supposed to come to the capital with me, but he couldn’t come with me due to an urgent matter related to the knights.
“Don’t worry, I have time to pick you up.”
Elliot chuckled and lightly patted my head.
“If anyone hears this, they’ll think you came here alone.”
At that moment, my father appeared behind me and let out a small chuckle. My mother was standing next to him.
“You didn’t forget about us, did you?”
“… How could I?”
Elliot, who noticed the two of them belatedly, raised his head. Unlike when he faced me, he had a blunt attitude.
“More importantly, what’s that iron cage behind you?”
Elliot gestured with his eyes towards somewhere. When I followed his gaze, I saw the knights grumbling as they moved Michael’s iron cage.
“Oh, that? I asked for it as a birthday present.”
I casually replied while glancing at the iron cage. Then Elliot’s expression subtly changed.
“…That wolf is your birthday present?”
“Yeah. I asked Father to get it for me.”
Nodding his head, Elliot muttered to himself with a complex expression.
“Of all the animals, why did it have to be a wolf?”
“What did you say? I couldn’t hear you because your voice was too low.”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Looking at Michael with a meaningful gaze, Elliot withdrew his gaze as if saying, “When did this happen?” and smiled.
“It seems like the wounds are quite deep. How about calling a veterinarian first for an examination?”
“That’s what I was thinking, too.
As I spoke, I briefly glanced at Michael.
He was still lying weakly against the iron bars, seemingly lacking energy.
Even if I just left him alone, the wounds would heal on their own, but I thought it would be better to have a veterinarian examine him just in case.
‘Since he’s currently in the form of a beast, a veterinarian would be more helpful than a doctor.’
With that in mind, I immediately gave instructions to a nearby servant.
“Find out if there’s a veterinarian in the nearby village. If there is, tell them I’ll pay whatever they want, but I need them to come here as soon as possible.’
“Yes. I will find out right away.”
The servant politely responded and quickly left.
At that moment, my father, who had been silently watching me, suddenly spoke up.
“We still have time until the veterinarian arrives. It would be best to move that wolf to the reception hall in the western annex.”
I blinked slowly at my father’s words.
“The western annex… Isn’t that the place we use as a storage room now?”
Originally, the western annex was built for guests who stayed for a long time.
However, a part of the building was recently destroyed by a fire, and it had since been converted into a storage room for miscellaneous items.
‘They hardly clean that place. I wonder if it’ll be okay.’
“… Do we really need to move it to the western annex? We have plenty of space in the main building.”
“The main building won’t do. I don’t want any accidents to happen with such a dangerous beast.”
My father firmly nodded his head. It was a face that showed he couldn’t compromise on this matter.
Since I had no intention of insisting on the main building, I obediently nodded my head.
“Alright. Let’s move it to the western annex for now.”
Satisfied with my answer, my father spoke in a softer voice.
“Then let’s leave the wolf to the knights and go inside.”
“Father and Mother, please go ahead. I’ll stay and observe a little longer before joining you.”
When I gestured towards Michael and spoke, my father let out a sigh as if he couldn’t stop me, with an expression that said it all.
“Since it’s cold, don’t stay outside for too long.”
“Yes. I’ll see you at dinner later.”
With those words, my father headed toward the mansion with my mother.
I watched them holding hands and entering the estate harmoniously, then briefly glanced at Elliot, giving him a fleeting look.
For some reason, he was gazing in the direction of Michael’s cell with an expressionless face.
“Brother.”
“Yes, Cici.”
Calling him cautiously, Elliot paused and turned to me.
As if asking when he had been expressionless, a gentle smile lingered at the corner of his mouth.
“Why do you look so serious? What were you thinking about?”
“Just various things related to the knights.”
Elliot replied casually and lightly patted my head.
Although his answer felt somewhat suspicious, before I could inquire further, Elliot spoke first.
“Well, I should go back to the knights now. Cici, don’t stay outside for too long, and come in quickly if possible.”
Saying that he quickly left without giving me a chance to respond.
Left alone in an instant, I blinked in surprise.
‘…Did something urgent come up suddenly?’
I didn’t know what it was, but seeing him leave in such a hurry, it seemed like an important matter.
‘Now I should go inside too.’
I took one last look at the knights moving away with Michael, then turned around.
If I wanted to make it in time for dinner, I had to start moving diligently from now on.
* * *
After quickly finishing dinner.
I headed towards the western annex to check on Michael’s condition.
‘… Now I understand why the servants don’t come here.’
As I approached the annex, the charred black exterior wall caught my eye.
Since the restoration work hadn’t been done yet, there were traces of fire all over the building.
‘There were rumors that ghosts come out of the western annex. The visual seems like a real ghost would come out.’
I shook my head as I looked at the completely burned exterior wall.
I hadn’t been to the western annex before, so I didn’t know, but now I realized there was no separate ghost house.
‘Maybe the atmosphere isn’t like this when you go inside.’
With an unwilling expression, I approached the annex.
I wasn’t particularly afraid of ghosts, but still, I couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
As soon as I opened the door to the annex, it was the moment.
Cautiously entering the annex, I opened my eyes wide and looked around.
‘…Huh. It’s not as bad as I thought.’
When viewed from the outside, it felt like a place where ghosts would pop out at any moment.
But now that I was inside, surprisingly, the interior was neatly organized.
‘They say they don’t clean here because it’s scary. But they still do the basics, I guess.’
Well, it was a noble family’s honor, so they couldn’t just leave the building abandoned.
After quickly finishing my exploration of the surroundings, I headed towards the banquet hall inside the annex.
Since I had been here a few times before, finding my way was not difficult.
“Welcome, my lady.”
When I arrived in front of the banquet hall, a knight standing guard politely greeted me.
Instead of returning the greeting with a nod, I went straight to the point.
“I came to check if my birthday present is well-prepared. Can I go inside for a moment?”
“Of course.”
The knight nodded readily and turned his body. While waiting for him to open the door, I slowly took in the surrounding scenery.
I wonder how long I waited.
Creak. With the sound of the door opening, the knight’s voice followed.
“Please come in.”
“Thank you.”
Smiling at the knight, I entered the banquet hall slowly.
As I glanced around, I noticed an iron lattice placed alone in a corner.
‘… Huh? Who is that person?’
Just as I was about to approach the iron cage, I suddenly noticed a man standing in front of it and paused for a moment.
He had his back turned, so I couldn’t see his face, but for some reason, his back seemed familiar.
‘He doesn’t seem like a knight or a servant, judging by his attire…’
That’s when it happened.
Whether he sensed my presence or not, the man turned around without warning.
“… Huh?”
The moment I caught sight of the man’s face, I froze without realizing it.
Ruby-like red hair and emerald green eyes.
Sharp yet drowsy eyes and slightly raised corners of the mouth.
It was the face of my childhood friend, whom I hadn’t seen in three years.
I received the beast male lead as a birthday present.
