#59

It seemed that Hebel had also received an invitation. Normally, they didn’t leave Hebel, but it appeared they had come to foster goodwill.

It was as Hiscleif was walking past them without much thought that he noticed someone around his age, wearing a hood, flinch and lower their head.

A strand of soft pink hair peeked out, glowing faintly as if it might disappear at a touch.

Given that no pheromones could be sensed from them, it was clear they were a member of Hebel’s tribe.

As Hiscleif unconsciously stared at the figure, Rudy called out to him from ahead.

“Young master, this way.”

“Right.”

Hiscleif quickly dropped his interest and followed. Even he didn’t know why he had been staring at that child so intently.

* * *

I took a deep breath and glanced around at the crowd. It was much more packed than I had expected.

There were quite a few members of other tribes that I hadn’t seen in Hebel. Most of them seemed to be from the southern regions or families that had close ties with Jabis.

It was the first time I’d seen so many people from other tribes wandering around Jabis Castle. As I was marveling at the sight, Zerakiel came to fetch me.

“They’re starting the ceremony.”

Since I didn’t have any relatives, he had offered to enter the ceremony with me at the same time out of consideration.

“Oh, right.”

As I clumsily stood up, he extended his hand. It was a gesture to prevent me from tripping over my long dress.

“Careful.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Zerakiel grinned as he led me forward. Since the day we had our honest conversation in front of the Secret Garden, something had changed between us.

It felt as though we had forged a bond of sorts—like a sense of camaraderie.

He was still the same absentminded black lion, but there was definitely something different about him now. For example…

“We can share the same room again now. It was lonely without you.”

“If you start feeding and exhausting me like before, I’m running away.”

I growled, recalling the past, and Zerakiel blushed as he responded.

“Those were good times.”

“What?”

“But it won’t be like that anymore.”

“…”

“So, let’s not talk about separate rooms.”

“Huh?”

“Promise.”

Zerakiel grinned, holding out his pinky finger. I had expected him to protest or say something defiant, but his reaction was surprisingly gentle.

This was the same guy who used to roll me around every day, whether I wanted to or not, all for his own amusement. Now, he was smiling sweetly and asking me to make a promise.

In this lifetime, I never would have imagined something like this.

Is this what people mean when they say it’s important to pick the right allies?

With a black lion by my side, I suddenly felt like I had nothing to fear.

“Hurry up.”

Zerakiel hooked his pinky finger with mine and completed the gesture with a cheerful expression.

Even though there’s a chance he could still make some drastic decisions when the time comes… this kind of relationship isn’t so bad, after all.

Before I knew it, we arrived at the entrance of the aisle. The chatter of the guests who had come to congratulate us quieted. At the same time, the orchestra’s music filled the hall.

I slowly walked down the aisle, guided by Zerakiel. I never imagined I’d be walking down the aisle at this point in my life, but what could I do?

A powerless weasel has to cling to a lion’s back if she wants to survive in this world of survival of the fittest.

In the front row, Zakari and Rachel were seated.

Behind Rachel sat her father, Wilhelm, and her intended match, the fox beast Erhardin Rodin.

Wilhelm, proudly bringing Erhardin along, wore a bright smile. On the other hand, Zakari seemed noticeably bothered by the man sitting behind him.

‘Who would have thought there’d be a love triangle at my wedding…’

Contrary to my plans, Zakari had been holding on for so long that it was becoming troublesome. I hadn’t expected this tension to last all the way to my wedding day…

As I pondered how things had come to this point, Zerakiel tugged at me.

“What are you looking at?”

“Ah.”

“Your eyes should be here, not over there.”

Zerakiel pointed to himself, sounding a bit annoyed. He was telling me not to get distracted during the ceremony.

I opened my mouth to apologize, but before I could speak, he said,

“You should be looking at me.”

“…”

“If you start looking elsewhere on our wedding day, that’s not good.”

“I was just glancing.”

“Still.”

Zerakiel shrugged and leaned in to whisper in my ear.

“I feel like I’m the only one watching you.”

“…”

“Not that I mind, though.”

With those words, Zerakiel smirked and pulled back, still grinning.

What has gotten into him?

It was clear that I had somehow given him immense comfort. Otherwise, the mighty black lion wouldn’t be acting like a puppy wagging its tail.

‘Am I really going to end up ruling over this black lion?’

It felt like, at this rate, if I merely pointed a paw at someone, he’d hunt them down for me. In the past, he would’ve just stood by and watched as I fought for myself.

Thanks to Zerakiel’s surprising behavior, my face grew hot.

I touched my now tomato-red face and awkwardly cleared my throat.

* * *

After the wedding, the reception began. After making the rounds, greeting people I didn’t even know, I felt utterly exhausted.

I collapsed onto a chair, gasping for breath. In the meantime, Zerakiel brought me a plate of food, carefully arranged for easy eating.

“Eat.”

“Ugh… Thanks.”

I sluggishly got up and picked up a fork. After I devoured the food like a soldier finishing a mission, I patted my full belly.

“You ate all of that?”

“I was tense. I couldn’t eat anything all morning.”

“Should I get more?”

“I wouldn’t say no to that!”

I waved him off, urging him to go, and Zerakiel stood up without complaint.

As he walked away, I called after him.

“Oh, and lots of pineapple!”

I had no idea that the sight of this exchange left the guests in shock.

* * *

“Did you see that?”

“I can’t believe my eyes. That white weasel’s got the black lion running errands?”

“So, the rumors were true? You know, the one about the white weasel finding the black lion’s weakness.”

The guests whispered among themselves, unable to believe what they had just witnessed. A wedding between a white weasel and the black lion—unthinkable!

Everyone had assumed that the white weasel would be cowering in fear, being threatened into submission. But instead, she seemed quite used to bossing the black lion around.

And the most shocking part?

“Anything else you need?”

“I’m kind of thirsty, too.”

“Got it.”

The black lion actually obeyed her every word. Not only that, but he was doing everything himself, refusing any help from his subordinates.

Zerakiel Rune Jabis. What kind of beast was he? In the south, everyone knew him as a lunatic.

Half the guests here had sons who had experienced the bitter taste of being beaten to a pulp by Zerakiel at some point.

An uncontrollable, powerful maniac.

That was the phrase most used to describe Zerakiel. And yet, now there was someone who had managed to tame him!

“Are you sure she’s really a white weasel?”

“No doubt. My friend attended the last meeting in Hebel and said that the small master of Jabis practically carried that weasel around like a treasure.”

“Whaaaat?! Does that mean the white weasel outranks the young master of Jabis?”

The rumors were clearly becoming exaggerated, but unless you were the one involved, it was hard to know the truth.

At that moment, Rudy, who had been quietly observing the excited gossip, leaned over and whispered to Hiscleif.

“Do you think he’s really been blackmailed?”

“I doubt it.”

“How can you be so sure? Do you have some insight on the situation?”

Rudy blinked in confusion as he asked, but Hiscleif responded calmly. And with a very serious expression, he said,

“Let’s call it… the power of love.”

“?”

What nonsense is that?