#67

“…What is that?”

I tilted my head, unfamiliar with the name of the flower. Judging from the context, it seemed to be referring to the flower that had bloomed here.

So, the flower in the seal wasn’t actually a black rose after all.

It looked identical to a black rose, which must have caused the misunderstanding. Of course, I had a rough idea that this might be the case, so I wasn’t too shocked. I just didn’t understand what it all meant.

“It’s hard to believe… that the record was true.”

“A record?”

“There’s a record passed down through the Jabis family. It says that a time would come when the Flower of Frenzy would turn white.”

Zakari’s gaze shifted back to the now-white Flower of Frenzy. Even though the petals were sparse, the flower seemed more vibrant than ever.

“Our predecessors always hoped for this moment to come.”

His voice had a wistful tone, and I simply listened quietly.

He seemed genuinely overjoyed. His flower had not only faded to white but the one that had bloomed on his chest had vanished as well.

Zakari suddenly tousled my hair, a smile on his face.

“You did well.”

He seemed like a completely different person—no longer the sharp and irritable man I had known. It was the brightest smile I had ever seen from him.

Was it because of his praise?

For a moment, my chest tightened with a strange feeling. The warmth spreading to my cheeks was unfamiliar, even to me.

“Did I… really do anything?”

As I mumbled, my lips moving wordlessly, he replied with a teasing tone.

“Hmph. Are you pretending not to know after what you’ve done?”

“Uh…”

I mean, I did do something… but I wasn’t entirely sure how. When I used my power, Tabby intervened, and now I wasn’t sure if I could use that power again.

That uncertainty left me unsure of whether I could claim credit for what had happened. Of course, I was relieved that Zakari was okay, but there were still many uncertainties about my powers.

‘And what Tabby said keeps bothering me.’

Tabby’s warnings, as if my power might be dangerous, lingered in my mind.

Noticing my troubled expression, Zakari spoke softly.

“Thank you.”

“…”

“It’s all thanks to you.”

Without realizing it, his smile made me smile as well.

Maybe it didn’t matter.

For now, just knowing that he was alive and well was enough.

As I looked at the now-white Flower of Frenzy bearing Zakari’s name and then at Zakari himself, I instinctively understood something.

Zakari was now free from his madness.

The dangerous and gloomy aura that had always followed him had completely disappeared.

Seeing that, my heart swelled with emotion. At the same time, I felt a deep sense of relief that I had come to Jabis.

I had always thought of myself as a useless existence. Born as a half-blood weasel beast, struggling to survive through harsh winters.

Unable to even assume human form, I was caught in a gray area—not fully human, not fully beast. That was me.

No one had ever cherished me, viewing me as nothing more than a burden that required care.

But now, for the first time, I felt like I belonged here, like I had a place in this world.

A world that always felt foreign now seemed like somewhere I could truly be a part of.

With a trembling voice, I mumbled timidly.

“You’re really okay now, right?”

“Of course.”

“That’s a relief.”

With those words, the tension finally left my body, and I collapsed to the ground, falling into a deep sleep almost immediately. It seemed like all the stress I had been holding onto had finally released.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Zerakiel confirmed that Zakari had safely taken Cersia away, he cast a sharp look at the figure before him. Isaac flinched at the glint in Zerakiel’s narrowed golden eyes.

“This banquet is over.”

The command to disperse snapped Isaac out of his daze, and he immediately protested.

“We can’t just leave like this. We need to verify—”

“Didn’t you hear me? I said leave.”

“I can’t do that. This matter concerns Hebel. We need an explanation for the strange events that occurred earlier.”

Zerakiel’s lips twisted into a mocking smile at Isaac’s firm response. It was clear he intended to interrogate Cersia.

Would he have reacted the same way if Cersia had come from a prominent noble family?

Absolutely not.

Zerakiel’s gaze turned cold as he stared at Isaac. Today, Cersia had been officially given the Jabis name.

Thus, disrespecting Cersia was no different from disrespecting Jabis itself.

After a moment, he spoke in a frigid tone.

“It seems you still don’t understand the situation.”

As Zerakiel took a step closer, his pheromones surged threateningly. Isaac flinched, shouting out in panic.

“L-Lord Zerakiel!”

“Since when was it acceptable for Hebel to overstep its bounds with Jabis?”

“We only wish to hear the account from the weasel you brought with you earlier…”

“She’s not just any weasel; she is Cersia Jabis, my bonded partner.”

Zerakiel’s icy voice sent a chill through the gathered crowd. Isaac nervously fiddled with his tingling fingertips, glancing toward the young master of Jabis.

He was taken aback by the unexpectedly strong reaction. When he first heard the claim that Zerakiel had bonded with a white weasel, he hadn’t believed it—but seeing it with his own eyes made it clear.

The young master of Jabis seemed more infuriated by the disrespect toward his white weasel partner than by any slight directed at himself.

The implication was clear: the Black Lion harbored deep feelings for the white weasel.

When Isaac offered no reply, Zerakiel spoke again.

“She’s not someone you can meet with whenever you please. Are you still going to claim that Hebel hasn’t overstepped its bounds?”

“I-I apologize. That wasn’t our intent…”

“If this were the Page estate, would you be acting so assertively?”

“We would never favor one house over another…!”

“Who said we’re looking for your favor?”

Zerakiel spoke with distaste.

“Why don’t you just be honest? You’re curious about what happened earlier, but you don’t dare ask me directly, so you plan to interrogate Cersia instead. Did you think I wouldn’t see through your intentions?”

Zerakiel’s blunt accusation silenced not only Isaac but also the murmuring beastfolk around them.

Isaac glanced toward Ivan as if seeking help, but Ivan’s expression mirrored Zerakiel’s.

“Why don’t we just cut his head off? I’m tired of seeing him act so arrogant.”

Ivan’s casual suggestion made Isaac instinctively step back in fear.

This was the southern territory ruled by the Jabis. The memory of Naaman’s command to return quietly flashed through Isaac’s mind, and a cold sweat ran down his back.

The events that had unfolded were too shocking, and he had unintentionally stepped into the spotlight. The sudden appearance of a Guardian had stirred him up more than he realized.

On top of that, he had misjudged, thinking it was safe to push forward since the head of the Jabis family had suffered a personal crisis.

He had underestimated the young master before him, who was now cornering him skillfully. Zerakiel’s presence was even more intimidating than Zakari’s, exuding a ferocity that left Isaac unsettled.

It must have been the result of provoking him by targeting the white weasel.

“Maybe that would be best,” Zerakiel mused, his fingers playing with the hilt of his sword as he smiled dangerously. In that moment, he looked like a grim reaper.

Isaac’s face drained of color at the sight, while Zerakiel suppressed a smirk.

The panic was written all over their faces.

Under normal circumstances, they would never have dared to stand against the power of Jabis. But the moment Cersia was involved, they changed their tune completely.

They couldn’t touch the direct line of Jabis, so they targeted his partner, thinking she was an easy mark.

Knowing their true motives only deepened Zerakiel’s disgust.

Maybe they had all lost their minds after witnessing Jabis’s rampage firsthand.

After all, the fact that it was none other than the white weasel who managed to quell that rampage was enough to leave anyone in disbelief.

It was a reality that even he was still struggling to accept. It wasn’t surprising that they, too, couldn’t remain composed in the face of it.

The same people who had scrambled to flee the moment they realized the situation was a Jabis rampage were now pretending to mediate. The irony of it all almost made him laugh.