~Chapter 12~
I was startled and dropped my fork.
Didn’t I just hear something cracking?
The air in the room grew chilly. I couldn’t meet his gaze, as his blue eyes seemed to pierce into my conscience.
“Wife, I told you before,” Cedric said as he stood up and leaned toward me. Then his large hand gripped my chin, making me meet his eyes.
“When you speak, you should look the person in the eyes.”
“Ah…”
I swallowed hard, caught by his unwavering blue gaze.
“I thought it was a cute wolf back then…”
“A cute wolf?”
I quickly closed my mouth. It wasn’t that he wasn’t cute, but when I first saw him, his whining was cute. Though, that wasn’t what came out of my mouth.
“I don’t think it was cute. I just felt sorry for him…”
“You’re strict with me, but seem very gentle with others.”
“Huh?”
Slick.
The pressure on my chin released, and the distance between us seemed to grow as well. An awkward silence filled the room, and my mouth went dry.
Screech-
Suddenly, the door opened, and someone walked in. I turned, hoping the person would break the tense atmosphere, only to be stunned.
Cedric’s expression hardened as he stared at the door with a twisted face.
Slowly turning his head, I saw Zeno, stretching casually as he walked toward me. He had new feathers stuck all over his body.
Zeno nonchalantly came to my side, resting his chin on my lap and closing his eyes.
“…Zeno?”
I gently pushed him away and gave a nervous laugh.
Zeno slowly opened his eyes and looked up at me, then rubbed his face against my knee.
‘This is real.’
I pushed Zeno away again, but he immediately dug into my lap once more.
“It seems you’ve gotten quite attached.”
Cedric wiped his mouth with a napkin.
“I suppose I need to try harder. It would be too sad if I’m worse than a wolf cub.”
He stood up and shot a glance at Zeno. The glint in his blue eyes made me shiver.
“Wow-ow.”
Zeno seemed to not care at all.
“That Duke…?”
Knock, knock, knock.
Today, I felt like I was making a lot of saviors.
The person who entered was none other than the butler. I looked at him, blinking with relief.
‘I’m saved.’
The butler approached Cedric and spoke.
“Your Grace, something urgent has come up.”
“Let’s head to the office.”
Cedric glanced at me for a moment, then fixed his gaze on Zeno. The butler delivered the message and left the room first.
“Wife.”
His voice, much colder now, made me slowly blink.
“I have to go take care of something. I’ll leave first.”
Cedric walked past me but stopped, turned around, and walked back toward me. He kicked Zeno out of the way with his foot.
“By the way, you’re allergic to fur, aren’t you?”
“Me?”
“Yes, you are. So, please keep your distance from that poor wolf cub from now on.”
Did I have an allergy?
I nodded at his firm words.
Cedric smiled faintly as he saw my confused expression, then kissed my forehead.
“Well, see you tonight. We still have some unfinished business.”
Heat instantly rushed to my face.
“Growl. Go away!”
Zeno bit Cedric’s arm, but Cedric didn’t budge. He grabbed Zeno by the neck and pulled him off.
“Wild wolves are ferocious. I’ll keep him until he’s tamed.”
“Growl, growl.” (You’re not going to let go? How dare you grab a divine beast like that?)
“If he bites even a bit of your soft skin, it would be a big problem.”
“U-uh… Is that so?”
I nodded absentmindedly. Zeno looked at me with wide eyes, as if betrayed.
“Then, please rest.”
With a grin, Cedric picked up Zeno and left the room.
***
Cedric put a leash around Zeno’s neck and tied him to a nearby post.
“Wow-woooo!” (This ignorant human! Tying me up like this.)
Zeno struggled to get free, but it was useless. Unlike Claire, Cedric didn’t even flinch.
He sat down in a chair and asked the butler.
Every time Zeno became noisy, Cedric would tap his butt with his foot.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s… a message from the royal family.”
“A message?”
At the mention of the royal family, Cedric’s face twisted with displeasure.
“They said they plan to visit the Duke’s estate next week.”
“…Who decided that?”
The butler kept silent. Cedric had no choice but to accept.
“I have no right to do this.”
“But Your Grace is aware, isn’t he?”
“…This time, I’ll allow it.”
Cedric felt a headache coming on.
He had won the war, regained freedom for the North, and, according to Claire, had even obtained the divine beast.
Cedric turned his gaze toward Zeno.
“Growl.” (What are you staring at, you crazy human? You really treat me like a dog.)
Zeno was clearly unhappy, even if Cedric didn’t understand what he was saying.
“This won’t happen again.”
“Understood. Should I inform the Duchess as well?”
“You should.”
It was her father, after all, and he might want to see her. Even if they weren’t on good terms, he was still family to Claire.
“Are you okay?”
“…Don’t worry about me. Just go out.”
Cedric was troubled by the idea of the old man coming to the Duke’s estate. If it was about the war, a letter would have been enough.
‘Maybe it’s because of this beast.’
The sudden acquisition of the divine beast bothered him. He didn’t want to release it in the North on purpose. If the emperor came, he would have to hide the creature.
Maybe it was a good thing.
He could just chase it into the forest. If it was an obedient beast, it would listen, especially since Claire was in trouble.
“Wow!” (If that guy hates it, then it’s a good thing for me.)
Zeno snorted as he watched Cedric’s increasingly grim expression. He didn’t care what Cedric was thinking, and he was having fun.
Cedric had separated Zeno from Claire. If he thought that would separate them, he was wrong.
Cedric ran his hand through his hair, sinking into the chair and staring at the ceiling.
“Damn it.”
Nothing was going his way. The emperor was still scheming to take control of him. If Cedric had married Isabel, the emperor would have strangled him and tied him down.
Through Isabel, the emperor would have monitored the North and kept Cedric under control.
He thought his marriage to Claire would get him out of that, but the emperor still had plans for him.
He had cooperated and gone to the battlefield, but how long would this continue?
“Ha…”
If he had married Isabel, his life would have been even more miserable. Every move he made would have been reported to the emperor.
Unexpectedly, he married Claire, and every day with her was different. She was strange, and he couldn’t figure out what she was thinking.
When they went to the palace to discuss their marriage, Cedric had thought she was interested in him since she was secretly watching him. But that was a misunderstanding.
As soon as they were married, she asked for a divorce.
Cedric Monteiroz.
He was adopted into the Duke’s family, not the legitimate heir. Because of that, he was pushed to the border, and the emperor envied his strength and skill.
The emperor had promised to give Isabel to him if he made achievements on the battlefield. Cedric knew that it would be a collar around his neck.
So, he tried to avoid marriage with Isabel.
Fortunately, Isabel didn’t seem to like him, and she asked about marrying Claire instead.
Cedric agreed.
Claire was better than Isabel. He thought they would understand each other.
‘She’s a woman I can’t figure out.’
One thing was clear, though—Claire seemed to care about Isabel. She probably thought Isabel was the original intended bride.
The emperor said he was coming here, but fortunately, it didn’t seem like Isabel would be with him. So, there probably wouldn’t be any major problems.
But why did Cedric feel so uneasy? He had a bad feeling, like something bad was about to happen.
Cedric turned to look at the piercing yellow eyes that were watching him.
Zeno’s expression looked like he was judging him, and Cedric’s brow furrowed.
“I don’t like this.”
“Woof-woof.” (If you’re unsure, just pass it to me.)
Even though Cedric couldn’t understand the words, he could tell it wasn’t anything good.
The way Zeno had been wagging his tail and looking cute in front of Claire was gone. Now, he had a bored expression.
“I’m getting annoyed.”
It was definitely a good thing that he separated Zeno from her.
“Woof!” (You’re so dumb.)
“…Maybe I should teach you how to stop barking.”
Cedric reached out toward the furry Zeno.
‘I heard that dogs become docile if you pet them.’
“Bark!” (Where do you think you’re going!)
But Zeno bit Cedric’s hand, and Cedric remained calm despite being bitten.
“Wild wolves are indeed fierce.”
Even with his hand bitten, Cedric’s voice remained calm.
At that moment, Zeno thought:
It seemed like he had made a terrible mistake by falling into the hands of this crazy man.
