#84

“Thanks, Ella. And you don’t need to lower yourself just because I’m a saintess candidate. I want us to be comfortable while I’m here.”

“Oh…”

“Honestly, you’re the first beast-girl my age I’ve met, so I’m kind of excited.”

As I spoke with a cheerful smile, Ella blinked in surprise before nodding shyly.

“Yes, I’ll try.”

Her blushing face was incredibly adorable. As expected of the heroine, just her presence seemed to brighten the world.

As I held Ella’s hands and gave them a playful shake, someone suddenly yanked me backward, pulling me away from her. Startled, I turned around to see Zerakiel glaring down at me, his displeasure evident. Judging by his heavier-than-usual gaze, Hebel’s mist seemed to have worsened his condition.

That likely made him twice as irritable as usual.

I froze, bracing myself for whatever nonsense might come out of his mouth. True to form, Zerakiel did not disappoint.

“Cheating again?”

‘Is that really all you think about?’

Now he was even jealous of a female beast-girl? At this point, it felt like he was jealous of everyone who wasn’t him.

At the word “cheating,” Ella jumped in shock and hastily tried to explain. “N-no, it’s not like that! Lady Cersia just asked me about the Saintess Trial—”

“I didn’t ask you to speak,” Zerakiel cut her off coldly.

Ella flinched, her shoulders trembling under the weight of his frosty tone.

‘Zerakiel, being cold to Ella?’

His behavior was so starkly different from how he treated me that I instinctively moved to shield her.

“Why are you crushing her spirit?”

“Her spirit?”

“I mean—” I stammered, realizing I’d slipped into protective heroine-mother mode. I could feel cold sweat trickling down my back.

As I rolled my eyes, Zerakiel ruffled his hair irritably. “We need to talk. Alone.”

His face was filled with unmistakable anger.

I turned to Rachel, silently pleading for help. If I ended up alone with Zerakiel now, I’d be in for a long scolding about my “reckless” actions.

But my treacherous mother-in-law was not on my side.

“Yes, you two should talk.”

“Are you serious?”

“Well, you acted recklessly, so you should deal with the consequences.”

‘Wow, Lady Rachel, so thorough!’

I trembled with indignation at her betrayal but didn’t want Ella to feel any more uncomfortable. I turned to her and said gently, “You can go back for now. I’ll call you if I need you.”

“O-okay…” Ella replied, her face on the verge of tears as she hurried away. Rachel, meanwhile, made herself comfortable on a sofa, waving at us with a mischievous grin.

“Don’t mind me, just have your talk~”

“Do you think saying that will make me not mind you?” Zerakiel retorted sharply, his wordplay eliciting a laugh from Rachel.

“Oh, you never know. I have to make sure you don’t bully my lovely daughter-in-law.”

“That won’t happen,” Zerakiel shot back curtly, but he didn’t ask her to leave.

Instead, he pulled me closer and pinned me against the wall, his voice low and sharp. “Explain.”

“Explain what?”

“Why you came here. What were you thinking?”

His anger was evident, and I couldn’t blame him. Leaving behind only a note and coming to Hebel—a place with a tense relationship with Jabis—probably felt like I had walked straight into enemy territory.

But I had my reasons. Jabis’s excessive overprotection had delayed my efforts to extend my life.

I crossed my arms and raised my chin defiantly. “Why don’t you explain?”

“Explain what?”

“I heard Hebel invited me multiple times. Why didn’t I know?”

“Because you didn’t need to come.”

“And who decided that?”

“…Does it matter?”

“Of course, it matters.”

My frustration bubbled over, and I let my words fly. “Before I’m your wife, I’m still me. Why shouldn’t I know what’s happening in my own life? You could have at least told me.”

Zerakiel’s sharp gaze softened, his expression turning almost uneasy. He bit his lip before muttering, “I didn’t want you to worry. It was something I could handle.”

‘Is he… worried I’d be upset?’

The sight of him carefully gauging my reaction was almost surreal. The black lion, who never cared about others’ opinions and did as he pleased, was now being cautious with me.

It was strange, almost like I’d successfully tamed a wild beast.

Of course, Zerakiel still had his moments of chaos that made me feel like I wouldn’t live a long life.

I deliberately put on a stern expression. “That’s the problem.”

After all, ‘handling it yourself’ in Zerakiel’s case likely meant flipping Hebel upside down!

The fact that Jabis’s way of resolving things was far from normal became clear the moment Zakari chose to bolt and disappear during the prior crisis.

And judging by the dramatic entrance Zerakiel made the moment he learned I was here, his actions were all too predictable.

Even if it meant subjugating Hebel by sheer force, he would have undoubtedly prioritized my protection above all else.

But I didn’t join Jabis to simply sit back and be protected. When I stopped Zakari’s rampage, I realized I had my own responsibilities to take care of.

Not that the path forward was entirely clear to me. All I knew was that it couldn’t be done the way things were now.

I tapped my chest in frustration, trying to shake off the suffocating feeling. Zerakiel’s face, which clearly still didn’t understand what I was trying to say, only aggravated me further.

‘Explaining rational thinking to someone who thrives on irrationality is no easy task,’ I thought, gripping Zerakiel’s shoulders firmly as I spoke.

“No matter how much brute force you use, they’re not going to flinch.”

“They’re not worth the trouble anyway.”

“It’s precisely because you keep trying to solve everything this way that they’re waiting for Jabis to slip up. Remember the wedding? The moment they saw the rampage, they pounced. You have to use your head, not just your strength.”

I tapped my temple for emphasis. Zerakiel tilted his head slightly, his soft black hair spilling over his shoulder.

“You’re probably the only person bold enough to call Jabis stupid.”

“I didn’t exactly say they were stupid.”

Though, in my heart, I might have thought it.

I carefully kept my true thoughts hidden, playing innocent. After a moment, Zerakiel started twirling a strand of my hair between his fingers and asked smoothly, “So, what brilliant idea did our smart Chichi come here with?”

“Ahem, you’re going to be shocked when you hear this,” I declared, puffing out my chest with exaggerated confidence.

Zerakiel smirked faintly. “I’m already shocked, so there’s no more shocking to be done.”

His subtle jab at me coming here unannounced made me pout slightly.

It wasn’t as if I planned to be reckless from the start. But Hebel had cut ties so thoroughly that I’d been forced to take drastic measures.

My life was on the line—I couldn’t afford to hesitate.

I calmed myself and began explaining my reasoning. “I asked Herman to review the treaties between Hebel and Jabis, and there were too many terms that seemed unfavorable to us. I thought this would be a good chance to step in and renegotiate.”

“There’s no need for you to deal with something so tedious.”

“I want to do it. I’m part of Jabis now.”

At my declaration, Zerakiel’s golden eyes flickered with emotion. Hearing me acknowledge myself as a member of Jabis seemed to please him.

The way his mood visibly softened from a single statement was almost laughable. Tilting my head, I decided to deliver the final blow.

“So, are you going to keep stopping me from doing something for the family?”

 

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