#60

 

Rudy looked at Hiscleif with a bewildered expression.

But Hiscleif wasn’t one to joke around. So, he must have been genuinely serious when he gave that answer.

With a serious face, Rudy replied,

“But… we’re talking about the young master of Jabis, aren’t we?”

“What other reason would he have to want her by his side, even imprinting on her?”

“Well, yes, but…”

Rudy’s face remained doubtful as he looked over at Zerakiel and Cersia. The young master of Jabis he knew wasn’t the type of naïve beast to be swayed by something as trivial as love.

Before even reaching maturity, Zerakiel had already mastered control over his pheromones, becoming a threatening presence in the surrounding territories.

Several beasts had disappeared without a trace when they attempted to spy on the southern lands out of concern for him.

He had an uncanny ability to detect intruders on his land and deal with them swiftly.

And there was no mercy in his methods. He treated the lives of some beasts as if they were no more significant than the life of an ant. A true cold-blooded predator.

And now that same beast was living obediently under the thumb of an unknown weasel?

It was unbelievable, even seeing it with his own eyes.

“His attitude toward the weasel is definitely not ordinary.”

“And he seems to enjoy it, even when she hits him.”

“Excuse me?”

“Look.”

Hiscleif nodded toward them, and Rudy turned his head just in time to see Cersia smack Zerakiel lightly on the mouth. Rudy, now with a serious expression, watched as Zerakiel blushed.

Just as Hiscleif said, Zerakiel seemed to like it. His cheeks were so red, it was hard to believe he hadn’t been kissed rather than hit.

“Perhaps the weasel is hiding her true strength.”

“Strength, huh.”

Hiscleif smiled slightly as he recalled the faint pheromones he had sensed from Cersia back in Hebel.

It had been hard to detect under Zerakiel’s overpowering pheromones, but he remembered a faint sweet scent.

It was a gentle, relaxing pheromone that had left an impression, but it had no hint of power.

‘Maybe it’s that pheromone that keeps her close to him.’

Given that Zerakiel, who was notoriously averse to other beasts’ pheromones, allowed her to stay so close, there must have been something to it.

Moreover, strangely enough, at this moment, Cersia’s pheromones were entirely undetectable. It was as if they were being masked.

It was certainly unusual, and Hiscleif’s gaze toward Cersia grew more contemplative.

“Maybe you’re right.”

“Still, this whole situation doesn’t make sense.”

Rudy grumbled as he buried his face in his plate, starting to eat. Hiscleif chuckled softly and continued eating, only to glance back at Cersia a moment later.

Cersia was sitting alone. It seemed she had sent Zerakiel to fetch more food for her again.

By now, she had sent him back for at least five plates of food.

‘Impressive.’

He marveled at how much she could pack into her small frame.

But then, all of a sudden, Cersia jumped up with a startled expression and began running off somewhere in a hurry.

* * *

The food was going down smoothly today.

Now that I was more relaxed, I was being honest with my stomach’s demands, swinging my legs in anticipation of dessert. Zerakiel, though looking a bit exasperated, had obediently gone to get it for me.

“If it’s like this, maybe being the mistress of Jabis isn’t so bad?”

I had that careless thought as I leisurely looked around at the guests.

“Huh?”

I suddenly stood up when I spotted a familiar figure.

Curly pink hair, bright blue eyes reminiscent of the clear sky.

A delicate appearance that naturally triggered a protective instinct… there was no doubt about it.

“Ella?”

Yes, it had to be her. The heroine, Ella. I had only caught a glimpse of her, but with her extraordinary beauty, there was no way she was just a side character.

My heart raced. Who would have thought I’d see Ella, the elusive heroine, at my wedding?

And to top it off, she was wearing the robes of an apprentice priest from Hebel. That meant she was associated with Hebel.

‘Why is Ella in Hebel?’

In the original story, she was supposed to be under the sponsorship of the Page family. Not only had she vanished without a trace, but now she was in such an unexpected place.

Ella was moving quickly, clearly trying to leave the hall.

Instinctively, I started moving in the direction she disappeared. For some reason, I felt the need to speak with her.

“Ah, come on!”

But the cumbersome dress I was wearing slowed me down.

“Hah… whew… where… where did she go?”

I panted as I looked around, realizing I had lost sight of Ella. I had wandered away from the reception hall and stood there, breathing heavily.

“Did I imagine it?”

I had only glimpsed her briefly. And I had never actually seen Ella’s face before, had I?

Maybe I was just startled by seeing a rabbit beast with pink hair. Ella wasn’t the only one with pink hair, after all.

Thinking that, I felt my energy drain. I must have been subconsciously worried about the heroine, Ella, being absent from the story.

If that weren’t the case, I wouldn’t have been so shocked and chased after her.

“Ow, ow…”

The sudden running had left me with a stitch in my side, and I grimaced in pain. I was heading back toward the hall when I suddenly froze at a voice.

“Stop right there!”

Startled, I halted in my tracks. At first, I thought someone was calling me, but no. The voice was coming from the opposite side, from the garden.

“If you take one more step, you’ll never see me again.”

The sharp voice trembled with emotion. It was so familiar that I instinctively held my breath.

Carefully, I peeked through the hedge of vines to see what was happening on the other side. As expected, the people confronting each other in the pergola were faces I knew well.

‘That’s Rachel and Zakari…’

And between them stood the infamous fox beast who had been the talk of the wedding all day—Rachel’s suitor, Erhardin Rodin.

He had been smiling and sticking close to Rachel, clearly not an ordinary man.

It seemed the three of them had finally come face-to-face. Eavesdropping here might be dangerous, but going back risked being caught, so I had no choice but to stay put.

Erhardin spoke up.

“Rachel, it’s time to forget about him. Look at you—you’re the only one getting hurt.”

“…Be quiet, Erhard.”

“I can treat you better.”

At Erhardin’s words, a vein popped out on Zakari’s forehead. Unfortunately for him, his back was turned toward me, so I saw it all too clearly.

He looked like he wanted to grab Rachel right then and there, but instead, he spoke words that didn’t match his feelings.

“Good for you.”

“What?”

“Go ahead and be with him.”

Ugh! You foolish father-in-law!

I pounded my chest in frustration. Those kinds of words were totally unfair, especially with that pained expression.

But Rachel, unaware of his true feelings, had already been shaken by his words.

“…Are you serious?”

“…Yes. I mean it.”

“You bastard.”

With tears in her voice, Rachel turned and ran off. Erhardin shot Zakari a reproachful look before running after her.

“Don’t go back on your word later.”

With that, Erhardin also disappeared. A tense silence filled the air.

Then Zakari spoke in a deadly voice.

“You can come out now.”

I had been discovered.

I realized there was no point in hiding any longer and stepped out. There was no escaping now that he had sensed my presence.

“It was you.”

Zakari’s menacing aura softened slightly when he saw me, and he muttered in a low voice. He hadn’t expected the eavesdropper to be me.

Ruffling his hair in frustration, he quickly reined in his anger.

“If you’re here to make more annoying comments, don’t bother.”

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. It was purely by accident.”

“The one who was licking plates clean at the reception?”

Zakari snorted incredulously, clearly not believing me. He must have thought I had been following him on purpose.

When did I ever lick a plate clean?