#83

During the wedding, I must not have noticed Ella because she kept her hood pulled down and her gaze fixed on the ground.

“Why is Ella in Hebel?”

Meeting her in such an unexpected place brought a flood of thoughts. Perhaps this world didn’t follow the novel’s plot as rigidly as I had assumed. After all, even Zerakiel occasionally behaved differently from his novel counterpart, which had left me perplexed more than once.

“Well, I guess I’ll figure it out as we spend more time together.”

Pushing aside my suspicions for now, I extended my hand to Ella. Meeting the heroine in person filled me with delight.

“I’m Cersia Jabis. Can I call you Ella?”

“Yes, please feel free to,” Ella replied softly, shyly taking my hand. Just then, with a soft pop, rabbit ears appeared atop her head. I couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.

“Adorable…”

“Oh no!” Ella yelped, hastily covering her ears with her hands, looking utterly flustered. It seemed she was struggling to maintain her human form.

She must still have difficulty because she hasn’t fully matured yet.

“That’s odd. In the novel, Ella could do this effortlessly.”

I didn’t know what might have happened to her, but I was confident I’d uncover the truth eventually.

By the time Ella led me to our accommodations, a commotion had begun to stir from the direction we’d come. Moments later, a loud bang reverberated through the area.

Rachel rubbed her nose, looking sheepish. Her expression hinted at a mixture of guilt and exasperation.

“He’s here already,” she muttered.

Kiera, adjusting her glasses, chimed in, “Indeed, it seems he’s arrived.”

Who could they possibly mean?

No way… it couldn’t be him, could it?

I alternated nervous glances between Rachel and Kiera. Sensing my gaze, Rachel awkwardly avoided eye contact as she spoke.

“It’s Riki’s presence.”

Of course. Of course, it’s him.

That crazy black lion.

Doesn’t he know how dangerous it is to use pheromones in Hebel?

For a beast like Zerakiel, whose pheromones were exceptionally strong, using power in Hebel was particularly taxing. And yet, he had charged in so recklessly.

Why didn’t he ever think about his own well-being before stirring up chaos? As my expression darkened, Kiera tactfully offered some reassurance.

“At least, it doesn’t seem like he used his pheromones.”

“Well, at least there’s one shred of rationality left in him,” I muttered, exhaling deeply. I was relieved he hadn’t pushed his body to its limits by using his pheromones, or I would have been furious.

Glancing briefly at Ella, I turned to Kiera and said, “Kiera, could you go and tell him to stop making a scene and come here quietly?”

“I’ll be back,” Kiera replied calmly, swiftly departing to carry out my request. I then turned to Rachel.

“Zerakiel really takes after you.”

“Well, he is my son.”

“His dramatic entrances are completely your style, Lady Rachel.”

“That sounded like an insult.”

“Of course not.”

I smiled brightly, and Rachel mirrored it. The truth was undeniable, so all we could do was laugh.

After Kiera left, Ella tilted her head in curiosity.

“Didn’t your husband know you were coming here?”

“I left in a hurry and only left a note behind.”

“Oh…” Ella murmured softly.

Ella’s lips moved as if to say something, but no sound came out. A moment later, she frowned and muttered quietly, “He must hate the idea of coming to Hebel more than anything.”

“How do you know that?” I asked, tilting my head at her as though she knew something about my husband. Startled, Ella’s eyes widened, and she quickly explained.

“Oh, I heard it from one of the seniors here,” she said, waving her hands in denial. “I’m not interested or anything! I just heard that the Young Master of Jabis finds Hebel particularly difficult.”

“I wasn’t misunderstanding you.”

“Phew, thank goodness,” Ella said, sighing with relief as she pressed a hand to her chest. Her overly cautious demeanor made her seem pitiable.

“Why does she keep looking around like that? It’s unnecessary.”

Feeling a little guilty for unintentionally making the heroine uncomfortable, I offered her a small smile.

Ella was right, though. Zerakiel despised coming to Hebel. His powerful pheromones made staying here an excruciating ordeal for him. That was why I had deliberately brought only Rachel with me. As for me, I had already confirmed during my last visit that Hebel posed no such difficulties.

I had planned to finalize the contract quickly, secure an extension on my life, and return home in triumph. Yet Zerakiel couldn’t wait and had rushed over anyway.

I had told him to follow if he was worried, but I hadn’t expected him to take it so literally.

“I guess obsession runs in the family. Both Zakari and Zerakiel are as tenacious as they come.”

At least Zerakiel wasn’t frighteningly overbearing like his father, so any thoughts of running away had long since vanished.

As I muttered to myself, Ella hesitated before speaking timidly. “Um, I’ll take my leave now. I’ll be staying in the adjacent room for the time being, so please don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything.”

She looked as though staying with me was a source of great discomfort. Not wanting to let her leave just yet, I called out, “Wait a moment.”

“Yes?” Ella stopped, looking at me with wide, doe-like eyes. Her innocent expression momentarily stunned me, but I quickly gathered myself and asked, “Do you know much about the Saintess Trial?”

At the mention of the trial, Ella’s expression softened, her demeanor tinged with a faint sense of regret, as though she felt guilty for not having mentioned it sooner.

“Oh, the Saintess Trial is mostly a formality, so you don’t need to worry too much. I should’ve told you earlier.”

“I wasn’t asking to blame you,” I replied lightly. In truth, I wasn’t all that curious about the trial itself. I’d only asked because I didn’t want Ella to withdraw so quickly.

“Still, the word ‘trial’ makes me nervous,” I said, stroking my chin and furrowing my brow theatrically.

“There’s really no need to worry…” Ella murmured. “But if you’d like, I could help. I mean, not that you’d need my help, but if you do—”

“Of course I need your help!” I cut in eagerly, clasping her hands with mine. My eyes sparkled as I looked at her, and she blinked in surprise. Her still-visible rabbit ears perked up at my enthusiasm, as though she hadn’t expected anyone to value her assistance.

“She’s definitely been walking on eggshells here.”

Ella’s demeanor was more subdued than I had anticipated, far more than her portrayal in the novel. It stirred a pang of concern in me, especially as her melancholy seemed much deeper than I’d imagined.

To be honest, I didn’t actually need her help with the trial. I had skimmed over the trial process in the original story and had already secured my qualification through my contract with Tavy. Passing the trial and reporting back to Hebel were my primary goals.

As Ella had mentioned, the Saintess Trial was nothing more than a formality. That was likely why Naaman hadn’t bothered explaining it in detail to me.

Still, I wanted to spend more time with Ella and get to know her better. After all, wouldn’t a conversation help us grow closer?

And in novels, when the missing heroine suddenly reappears, it usually means something is about to happen.

As a seasoned romance fantasy reader, I couldn’t help but feel that Ella’s reappearance was significant. Even if it wasn’t, befriending the heroine could only be a good thing.

This was an opportunity handed to me on a silver platter—I would be a fool to waste it.

Perhaps during my stay in Hebel, I could also figure out why Ella’s pheromones had disappeared and why she was here in the first place.

Ella hesitated before finally speaking, her fingers fidgeting nervously.

“Then I’ll help you.”

Her shy demeanor was so endearing that my heart felt as though it were tickled. Without thinking, I ended up speaking more than I intended, my tone bright with excitement.

 

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