~Chapter 9~
“Am I crazy…?”
What have I done?!
I pulled the blanket over my head, tightly shutting my eyes. I couldn’t forget the kiss I shared with him before he left. It was just a deep kiss, but…
‘Why do I want more…’
I touched my lips, then kicked the blanket with my foot, mumbling quietly to myself. I was the one making a fuss about getting a divorce, and now I kissed him!
I had to snap out of it. I needed to move while he was gone, maybe even run away. The thought of his fierce, piercing eyes made me shiver.
“Your Grace, may I come in?”
Lien, who had been waiting outside, came in with my permission and started helping me get dressed. I was in a daze, letting her do her work, but then I quickly snapped back to reality.
“I need to see His Grace off.”
I dressed warmly and hurried to the front entrance of the mansion. He was already on his horse, fully prepared to leave. I stared at him intensely, silently saying goodbye in my heart.
“My lady, I’ll be back.”
Cedric, on his horse, leaned down and extended his hand. I gently held it, and he pressed a deep kiss to the back of my hand.
“I won’t be gone long.”
He was so calm, not at all like someone heading off to war. For him, this was probably familiar. The thought made my heart ache a little. I watched him as he rode away with his knights, leaving the grand estate behind.
I let out a sigh and collapsed to the ground, feeling utterly drained.
‘…Finally, I can relax.’
It was only then that I fully grasped the situation. I felt guilty for being relieved that he had been called away to war.
‘It’s kind of messed up to feel happy while he’s off at war…’
I felt a sharp pang of guilt and shook my head vigorously.
Even while eating, I tried to fight off the strange emptiness that crept over me. We’d only eaten together a few times, so why did I feel so lonely? Was it possible he’d cast some kind of spell on me? All sorts of thoughts ran through my mind.
‘First things first, I need to find that tree.’
With that, I quietly slipped out into the garden to search for the tree in the forest. I stretched and carefully made my way towards the garden’s entrance, avoiding the maids.
“Tweet, tweet!” (Claire! There’s a new member of the family!)
“…A new member?”
I found myself following the birds’ lead, walking slowly. As I approached a thickly overgrown area in the garden, I heard a soft whining sound.
“Huh? Where’s that coming from?”
I cautiously pushed through the bushes and found a wolf, bleeding. The wounds were deep, even at a glance. I quickly looked around, hid myself in the forest, and reached out my hand.
“How did you get hurt this badly?”
First, I had to heal the wolf. I used my power to start healing the wolf’s body. Sweat began to bead on my forehead.
“Growl, howl!” (It hurts, it hurts.)
“Just hang on a bit longer.”
I pressed the wolf down with my foot to stop it from moving and continued the healing. It might have been a bit rough, but it was the best way I knew.
After a few minutes, the wolf’s breathing became steadier. Finally, I took my hand away.
It didn’t hurt, to be sure.
I bent down slightly and listened. The wolf wasn’t groaning anymore.
“Hah… Am I going to die from exhaustion first?”
Completely drained, I lay down on the ground. I needed to rest for a bit to recover my energy. Using my powers took a lot out of me.
“The sky is so clear here.”
It was too clear, almost painfully so. As I stared at the cloudless sky, thoughts of him crept back into my mind. I shook my head hard and slapped my cheeks with both hands.
“Get a grip! How can you survive in this harsh world if you’re so easily swayed by his face?”
He’d been too good to me, making me lose my guard. This might be my last chance—my perfect opportunity to divorce him.
“But first… what do I do with this wolf?”
I looked at the wolf, who was much bigger than me, feeling troubled. There was no way I could move it on my own.
***
A week passed. But the wolf showed no signs of leaving. What was more troubling was that I was still stuck in this grand estate.
‘Why is security so tight?!’
This had to be Cedric’s doing. There’s no other reason for such tight security. Before Cedric left for the battlefield, when he was still at the estate, it wasn’t like this. No guards followed me when I went for walks or relaxed in the garden. What did that mean?
It meant Cedric had sneakily left orders to keep me under watch. He’d thrown my emotions into chaos, and now he wouldn’t even let me escape!
On top of that, he’d left Sir Arita as my so-called “bodyguard.” But clearly, her job was to keep an eye on me. She claimed she was staying behind to protect me, but it felt more like she was monitoring me.
But more than Sir Arita, who was watching me from a distance, this guy was the real problem.
“Why won’t you go back to the forest when you’re clearly healed?”
“Woof.” (I’m still in pain.)
The wolf, who introduced himself as “Zeno,” had a name that didn’t match his size at all. But the more I used it, the more it started to feel like a cute puppy name.
“Zeno, why won’t you leave? You’re causing me a lot of trouble, you know.”
If he left, I could come up with a plan. I couldn’t exactly ride a wolf to escape… or could I? Now that I was desperate, all sorts of wild ideas were crossing my mind.
“Seriously, once you’re fully healed, you need to go back to the forest.”
“Woof, woof.” (You’re trying to kick me out when I’m still in pain?)
“You look fine to me.”
I squinted my eyes at Zeno, who just curled up and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.
“Your Grace, I’m so scared.”
“Don’t worry, Your Grace. As long as I’m here, that wolf won’t harm you.”
Compared to Lien, Aritha didn’t seem scared of the wolf at all. Her face remained calm.
“Isn’t it too dangerous to keep a wolf inside the house?”
Even the butler, who had been quiet until now, carefully voiced his disagreement. First Lien, and now even the butler was against me.
I shrugged and blinked at the butler.
I hadn’t thought about that. This wasn’t my house, after all. It was the duke’s mansion. If I did something he didn’t like, wouldn’t I get kicked out?
After thinking for a moment, I cautiously asked the butler.
“Hmmm, do you think the duke would be angry if he found out?”
“He… might be.”
Good, that means I definitely have to do it. My eyes sparkled with mischief.
“Make sure to report this to the duke right away.”
“…What?”
“Tell him everything, without leaving anything out. I’m planning to keep this wolf as a pet.”
The butler’s face turned pale with shock.
“Grrr…” (And if they kick me out, they’ll regret it.)
At Zeno’s growl, I leaned in closer, eyes sparkling. He was definitely hiding something important.
“What is it? What are you hiding?”
“Woof…” (I don’t know what you’re talking about.)
“If you don’t tell me right now, I’ll throw you out.”
“Grrr, woof woof!” (Don’t you think that’s a bit unfair?)
“Zeno, life’s like that sometimes. Now spill it. What are you hiding?”
“…Whimper…” (In the forest…)
I narrowed my eyes and leaned in even closer to Zeno, waiting for him to continue.
“Woof, woof!” (There’s a tree. A tree with holy power. I know where it is.)
“What!?”
I jumped up in surprise.
***
“I don’t understand. Why can’t I get her out of my head?”
Cedric leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. The situation was moving quickly, and the war was already leaning in his favor. However, unlike the war, he couldn’t win the battle with his wife.
He looked in the mirror, examining his face. His sharp eyes and hair were as black as the night sky. His cold blue eyes stared back at him.
‘It was as if she was always uncomfortable when she saw my face.’
Everyone avoided him and wouldn’t even look him in the eye.
He had never even considered marriage before because of his responsibilities in the North.
He hadn’t expected much from marriage either.
But after marrying Claire, he found himself smiling more often without even realizing it.
He wanted to do his best because they were married, and he tried to make sure she wasn’t lonely.
His gaze turned cold as he stared at the letter in his hands. As if things weren’t already tense, the letter from the butler contained something he hadn’t expected.
‘A wolf pup…’
A sharp, tense air filled the room around Cedric. He crumpled the letter and threw it into the trash, leaning his head back.
“Sigh.”
Even as he sighed deeply, Claire’s face kept appearing in his mind. The brief, but unforgettable kiss they shared before he left was burned into his memory.
“Your Grace? Is something wrong?”
Caven looked at him with concern.
“I need to finish this quickly. A week is too long. Three days… yes, that should be enough.”
Cedric was troubled by the thought of a stranger in his home. For some reason, he felt like he needed to return quickly. His instincts were telling him so. And his instincts were never wrong. The uneasy feeling in his chest was growing.
‘It’s too quiet… that’s strange.’
She had talked about divorce nonstop, hadn’t she? Claire might think now was the perfect time while he was gone.
Would she run away if he took too long? The memory of her trembling in his arms made a thirst rise within him.
He had never let go of anything once it was in his hands. And Claire would be no different.
“Caven.”
“Yes, Your Grace?”
“I’m returning to the mansion tomorrow.”
“…Excuse me? Did I hear you right?”
“I won’t change my mind.”
Caven’s face turned pale at Cedric’s words. That meant they would have to finish everything by staying up all night to work.
“There’s no such thing as impossible.”
“…Understood.”
