#74

I kept a close eye on Erhardin, who was glued to Rachel’s side like a stubborn leech.

Just then, Ivan sidled up to me, whispering as if delivering a long-overdue report.

“Ah, my apologies for the delay. Lord Zakari is fully prepared. He’s become a rather magnificent yellow lion—perfect prey, really.”

“Well done.”

“Yes, it was quite the ordeal. He nearly tried to eat me to test the potion’s efficacy.”

“It wasn’t the potion’s fault, Ivan. It was probably your mouth.”

“How did you guess?” Ivan looked genuinely startled, feigning innocence with an exaggerated expression. Ignoring him, I noticed Zerakiel eyeing Erhardin.

“What should we do about him?” he asked, his gaze fixed on Erhardin with a dangerous edge that suggested he’d make the fox vanish without a sound if I said the word.

But it wouldn’t look good if Zerakiel handled this directly, given Erhardin’s shamelessness. Besides, I still needed to figure out why Rachel was being so unusually calm.

The real problem was how Erhardin was stuck to Rachel’s side and didn’t seem likely to leave her alone anytime soon.

“I’ll try to get that fox away from her.”

“You don’t need to bother with him….”

“Approaching him myself will make him less defensive, don’t you think?”

He seemed like the skittish type, and if Zerakiel tried to approach, he’d likely retreat. Besides, I had a strange feeling that Erhardin had a hidden motive.

His excessive friendliness toward me was suspicious. At the wedding, he hadn’t even spared me a glance.

Back then, his gaze had been openly dismissive. For him to suddenly act friendly had to mean something.

Maybe he was intrigued by how I’d managed to rein in Zakari. Before, I was probably just an insignificant white weasel to him.

At that moment, Rachel mentioned she was thirsty, and Erhardin immediately jumped in.

“I’ll get it for you.”

“No, I can—” Kiera started, but Erhardin cut her off with a firm tone.

“It’s fine. I should be the one to bring water for Rachel.”

To an outsider, he might have seemed attentive to Rachel, but to those of us listening, his words had a different ring—almost as if he didn’t trust anyone else to handle it.

For a split second, Kiera’s face cracked with irritation. No doubt, he was the reason for her simmering annoyance.

Still, he was Rachel’s guest. In true career-woman style, Kiera quickly regained her composure and stepped back.

“Suit yourself,” she said, though her twitching eyebrow gave her away.

This wasn’t the first time, was it?

I sidled up to Kiera, whispering, “Has he been like this often? He seems rather… irritable with you.”

“Oh, it’s payback,” Kiera replied nonchalantly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“He was peeved because I made him wait when he arrived without an appointment. And he’s been making quite the ruckus while staying here.”

Her face twisted in a scowl as if just recalling his antics annoyed her.

“He’s such a nuisance, so I’m letting him do whatever he wants. I suppose Lady Rachel has her own reasons for tolerating it.”

Kiera’s words conveyed a quiet confidence in Rachel’s judgment, so I inquired further.

“How has Lady Rachel been lately?”

At this, Kiera’s expression grew a touch concerned, her tone laced with a hint of foreboding.

“Well… to be honest, it feels like the calm before a storm. She’s been unusually calm, so I can’t help but wonder how big the explosion will be this time… I mean, I’ve half a mind to quit before it happens… Oh, pardon me. My thoughts slipped out,” she finished, giving an awkward smile as she fiddled with her lips.

Pretending not to hear her lapse, I turned my gaze toward the direction Erhardin had disappeared.

‘Suspicious…’

I didn’t like leaving him unchecked, but I had no solid reason to confront him.

With a quick glance, I signaled to Zerakiel to stay with Rachel while I stealthily followed Erhardin.

Thanks to my innate ability, my presence and pheromones faded, making the pursuit easier. While veteran beastmen might catch on, Erhardin was far from experienced.

I carefully shadowed him, watching as he picked up a juice bottle from the dessert table and poured it into a glass. And then…

‘What’s he doing?’

I watched in horror as Erhardin added something to the juice.

“Nothing like that,” he sneered. “I was just planning to make her a little more… compliant so it’d be easier to take her away.”

With that, Erhardin picked up the glass of juice he’d spiked and spun it in his hand, causing the liquid to slosh ominously. His eyes glinted with dark satisfaction as he continued, “I’m not one to enjoy getting burned twice by the Jabis family. This was my chance for revenge.”

His gaze turned ravenous, the greed in his eyes making me feel sick. He chuckled to himself, clearly pleased.

“Besides, Rachel is much more suited to a calmer life. Honestly, she’s a bit… spirited, don’t you think?”

“…”

“A female’s place is in the home, raising cubs,” he smirked, his voice dripping with contempt.

The arrogance of his words was revolting, painting him as nothing short of a despicable creature. As the tension between us thickened, I remembered how oddly subdued Rachel had seemed today. I spat out the question, barely containing my anger.

“Don’t tell me… have you already been giving her something?”

“Of course not. The Honey Badger Clan doesn’t fall for such cheap tricks.”

He wasn’t wrong; Rachel’s clan was famously immune to most toxins, with resilience even against the venom of the Black Mamba. Any drug would be quickly neutralized, making such an approach useless.

“Then….”

I trailed off, still unable to piece together why Rachel was acting so differently today. Surprisingly, Erhardin decided to answer my unspoken question, perhaps enjoying the twisted power play.