Episode 9 (Complete)

With a long howl, Totuga disappeared, and she rejoined the anxiously pacing Vitrain and Amy.

Though it was the third time this had happened, Amy’s eyes were once again brimming with tears.

As she stroked Amy’s head, who clung to her arm with a sigh of relief, Vitrain spoke up.

“Did you meet the forest spirit you mentioned?”

“Yes. He thanked us for protecting the Forest of Wolves.”

“And?”

“That’s all.”

Totuga had said more, but she chose to keep it to herself for now. It wasn’t certain yet, and if it truly meant a new child was on the way, she wanted Aiden to be the first to know.

Vitrain stroked his chin, seemingly surprised, then smirked.

“You’re much closer than I thought. You really are friends with a spirit.”

The only spirit Vitrain had encountered was the one from Lake Beryl, who had claimed half the imperial treasury of Belpator as its own.

For a spirit to seek someone out to express gratitude—it was unimaginable compared to the capricious spirit of Lake Beryl.

Whether it was serving as a slide for a child or sharing unknown news, Totuga must truly consider her a friend.

She nodded slightly, gazing toward the far end of the forest.

“A generous and kind friend,” she murmured, and a distant howl echoed in response.

As Vitrain tensed at the sound of the wolf’s cry, she reassured him, but a knight suddenly called out loudly.

“His Grace the Grand Duke is approaching!”

Turning toward the sound, she saw figures coming closer through the snowy forest.

Aiden and several knights rode swiftly across the snow, halting their horses abruptly.

Through the steaming breath of the horses, the face she had missed so much appeared.

“Aiden!”

“My lady!”

Aiden leapt from his horse and ran straight to her, pulling her into a tight embrace before even checking if she was well. In a voice only she could hear, he whispered that he had missed her.

She hugged him back with all her strength.

They held each other until her heart, worn thin with worry and longing, was filled to the brim again.

When they still didn’t let go after a long while, Trevor’s patience wore out.

“Father! Me too! Me too!”

Laughing heartily, Aiden picked up the bouncing Trevor.

Trevor wrapped his arms around Aiden’s face, giggling as his father planted a kiss on his cheek.

Seeing the two identical faces side by side never failed to warm her heart.

She was even more relieved and overjoyed to see Aiden looking pristine, without a scratch, despite coming from battle.

Her joy soon turned to curiosity.

While it was fortunate that Aiden was unharmed, he looked far too neat for someone who had just fought a battle.

She had worried endlessly about him facing an enemy of ten thousand, but perhaps Vitrain had been right—her worries had been unnecessary.

Maybe the Munzen family’s reputed military strength had been exaggerated despite their long-standing status as border counts of the Noidic Empire.

Feeling reassured, she turned her attention to the knights standing behind Aiden.

Unlike Aiden’s immaculate appearance, Sir Eric, the captain of the knights, looked like he had aged twenty years in the fortnight since leaving the grand duchy.

Not only his face but his entire appearance was a mess. Without the distinctive tattered cloak of the grand duchy, she might not have recognized him.

The other knights were in similar states, covered in dried blood and grime.

Blinking in confusion, she turned back to Aiden, who stood clean and cheerful, laughing with Trevor.

Why was her husband the only one looking so fresh?

Had he stayed back, directing strategy instead of fighting on the front lines?

Perhaps he had kept his promise to her to avoid getting hurt.

While she didn’t plan to involve herself in the details of the battle, if that were the case, the knights deserved special recognition.

She approached Eric and the knights.

“Sir Eric, you’ve worked hard. I sincerely thank you for your efforts.”

“It was nothing, Your Grace. We merely followed His Grace’s lead.”

Eric was a loyal knight who even protected his lord’s dignity.

As she pondered what rewards to bestow, Eric scratched the back of his head awkwardly and continued.

“We should have followed him even when he broke through the ice to bathe and wash his clothes. I apologize for our unsightly appearance, Your Grace.”

“Ice… what?”

“When His Grace said he couldn’t meet Your Grace looking like this, he broke through the frozen—”

“Eric.”

Aiden cut him off mid-sentence.

Eric, caught in Aiden’s gaze, flinched with a startled “Hik!” before snapping to attention and avoiding my eyes.

Turning to Aiden in disbelief, I found him holding Trevor and smiling radiantly.

It was a smile filled with the joy of our reunion, mixed with a lightness and satisfaction I didn’t even want to question.

I was so baffled that I couldn’t find the words to respond.

Aiden, who had been beaming brightly, glanced up at the sky and then extended his large hand toward me.

“It’s starting to snow, my lady. Shall we get into the carriage?”

This man, who supposedly broke through thick ice to bathe, was now concerned about a bit of snow?

Was snow really the issue here?

I wanted to ask what on earth he had been up to, but instead, I held back my words and took his hand.

To Aiden, it seemed that the snow falling over my head mattered more than any icy water he endured himself.

Though the curse of the vow had long been lifted, Aiden’s love remained as loyal as that of a faithful dog.

Sometimes, his love felt almost bittersweet, especially when he smiled as if he had gained everything in the world just because I took his hand.

Sitting side by side in the carriage on the way back home, I looked at Aiden quietly before speaking.

“No matter what form you take, I’ll always love you. I’ll always cherish you.”

Aiden, who had been lightly brushing his thumb over the back of my hand, paused.

Slowly, he lowered his head and pressed a kiss to my hand. Then, he kissed my forehead and, finally, my lips.

“I know.”

If there were a painting of a truly happy person, it would look just like Aiden at this moment.

Just as I knew his heart, he said he knew mine.

And in that moment, I felt a happiness so full it could burst.

“I love you, Sione.”

As his smile bloomed so wide that it nearly hid his red eyes, I leaned toward him.

It was a tearfully happy kiss, one that exchanged whispered declarations of love.

* * *

When Sione announced her second pregnancy, Aiden’s face was a mix of joy and worry as he apologized, only to be scolded.

It was only after Sione saw his red eyes glisten with emotion and heard him whisper a heartfelt thank you that she smiled. She sealed his continued confessions of love with a kiss.

Though winter passed into spring, Sione couldn’t make her way to Brincia.

This was because Emperor Lothania, concerned for her mother’s health during the early stages of her pregnancy, packed her belongings and came to Tilender instead.

While staying in the north, Lothania officially finalized the borders with the Noidic Empire.

Presented with Belpator’s demands, based on the Tilender-Munzen agreement, the Noidic Emperor signed without hesitation.

Along with the finalized borders, a treaty of alliance between the two nations was also established.

Judging it better to join hands than to remain adversaries, the Noidic Empire extended the offer first.

As Tilender firmly established itself as the undisputed ruler of the north, voices of those trying to check their power grew louder.

Nobles constantly whispered, trying to drive a wedge between the grand ducal house and the imperial family. However, the bond between Tilender and Luminal was the most crucial foundation supporting Belpator.

Far in the future, when the legend of Luminal and the three beasts would be nothing more than a forgotten tale, a peculiar day would arrive—a day without sun or moon.

On that day, an ambitious man, a distant relative of the imperial family, would form a contract with the mischievous spirit of a lake.

When the Luminal imperial family faced a dire crisis, those who came rushing to their aid bore banners adorned with a black wolf and gleaming red eyes.

Just as Sione had protected her stepdaughter, the Grand Duke of Tilender, with his crimson eyes, would come running alongside the black wolf to grasp the hand of a princess with eyes of brilliant red.

The story of Tilender and Luminal becoming family again was a distant tale unknown to a cheerful family sharing dinner that day.

Lothania, sitting snugly to Sione’s left, handed her a piece of neatly cut meat and spoke.

“Mother, say ah~. Ah~. You need to eat more.”

“Lottie, I’ve already had plenty.”

“Oh, come on. Look over there! You need to eat the meat Grand Duke Aiden cut too. Now, ah~.”

At Lothania’s words, Sione turned to Aiden.

He had piled a plate high with neatly cut pieces of meat and was holding a fork with another piece, waiting for his turn.

Caught between her daughter and husband doing the exact same thing, Sione burst into laughter. Lothania and Aiden exchanged glances and laughed as well.

Watching the two, whose smiles were so alike, Trevor joined in with peals of laughter, and under the table, an excited Siette barked in delight.

It was a spring day, with flowers blooming all over the world, after a long, hard winter.

<Let’s Tame the Insolent Beast (Side Story 1)> The End.