Chapter 4

Fortunately, the wolf cub did not avoid my hand. I thought it was an unspoken permission and tried to hug the wolf, but Thierry was faster.

Although it was a young wolf, it looked quite heavy, but Thierry took the wolf to the villa without much effort with a smaller body than me, despite my concerns.

While I was treating it with all my heart, Thierry just watched from the side without saying anything.

“I thought it was going to leave when it got better, but I guess it just wanted to stay. Would you like to name it?”

“…”

“If it’s difficult, can I name it?”

“…Yes.”

“Um- Then how about Rud?”

“…Yes, Rud.”

So we grew from two to three living things in the villa.

“Rud was very kind, and he listened very well, and when it was cold, he snuggled me softly…”

“Oh-!”

As if answering my words, the big dog cried for a long time.

“Yes, yes. Rud looked just like you. He was a little smaller than you, but his eyes…”

Wait a minute. Are you really a dog?

Come to think of it, it looked too big to be a hunting dog, and I think it’s acting a bit strange.

“Are you a wolf too?”

“Awoo…”

“Huh, I guess that’s right? The more I look at it, the more it resembles Rud. These big claws are a little too much for dog claws. Hmm.”

How miraculous. I thought Rud was the only gentle wolf in my life, but do all wolves in this country like people?

He also follows others well. And it was because I was thinking of Rud, the more I looked at it, the more it looked like Rud.

I know it was hard to tell because it actually looks like a beast, but it felt like Rud was constantly appearing in front of me because of my mood.

“Hey… I want to see Rud.”

I muttered gloomy and fearlessly hugged the wolf I had mistaken for a black dog.

I thought it would be avoided because it was an emotional act for a moment, but unexpectedly, the wolf could not quietly put his neck on my arm and buried his snout in the nape of my neck.

Somehow, I felt like it was heartbroken. I dug into his rough but warm fur and closed my eyes vaguely.

“…”

But it was that moment. Another shadow fell over my head.

“Are you hungry?”

A low voice fell. I opened my eyes and got up.

“Oh!”

As I tried to raise my upper body vigorously, I felt like I became a fish that fluttered helplessly because of the wolf who didn’t even move.

“Hey, can you get off of me for a second…?”

I grunted and pushed the wolf away, but I did not take my eyes off the unidentified man whose face was not visible due to the lighting on his back.

The man stood still and looked down at me as I struggled. He seemed to have a dark aura emanating from him, perhaps because of his dark hair and black frock coat.

‘Please!!’

Feeling my desperate struggle, the wolf finally retreated, growling low. For some reason, it sounded like a complaint.

“Who are you?”

I wiped my dress and stood up. I staggered slightly from getting up in a hurry, but in the meantime my eyes did not fall from the man.

He was a handsome man with a cool impression, with a sharp jawline.

What stood out in particular was the sparkling red eyes, and unlike their brilliant color, his eyes were just ruthless and dry, as if they were about to hit their opponents with contempt at any moment.

“…”

The suffocating silence slowly tightened my throat.

The man seemed unwilling to answer my question. He just stared intently at the wolf, which was slowly circling me.

“…””

How long has it been? Finally, the man slowly moved his arrogant-looking reddish lips.

“…I guess he didn’t mean to kill you.”

Killing me? So when you asked the wolf if he was hungry, did you mean that he would eat me? The man tilted his head with a curious look.

“No way! He was good.”

I leaned against my leg, stroked the wolf’s head, and looked at the man with vigilant eyes.

The gaze of the man who had been focused only on the wolf reached me for the first time. One corner of the man’s mouth went up obliquely as if following the raised eyebrow.

“He was good?”

“Yes… I didn’t think it would harm anyone.”

I wondered if this man was trying to harm the wolf, so I gently lowered my eyes and covered the wolf.

‘Why are people so scary?’

I’ve never seen anything in my entire life exuding such a good-natured atmosphere. I felt like it would be dangerous to get close, so I wanted to run away right away, but I became more careful because I was afraid that it would provoke my opponent.

“That sounds funny.”

“…”

“Come on.”

“Hm?”

My eyes widened at his attitude of calling the wolf.

“Growl…”

The wolf’s back, walking towards him with his tail drooping and howling like a scolding dog, looked very pitiful.

“Are you the owner of this wolf?”

Does anyone else have wolves? I felt a little strange and forgot what I was afraid of.

“Yes.”

It caught my attention at the man’s short answer. I blinked, startled by the man’s red eyes, whether he was still looking at me.

‘Now I just need to turn around and go, but why don’t my feet follow my thoughts? Is it because of the wolf?’

I licked my lips with a hint of hesitation and finally let out some words.

“…Does the wolf have a name?”

“Well…”

“…”

“He lost his owner, so he lost his name.”

The man looked like someone from the lower-ranking side. At least, there was some etiquette lacking.

A shirt with a couple of buttons unbuttoned and a tight neckline without a tie that didn’t look like a formal aristocratic attire, but everything he wore looked expensive at first glance, and it exuded an aura like a high-ranking aristocrat. I had a foreboding feeling that I shouldn’t get involved.

‘He just said he was the owner… Oh, did he mean the second owner?’

I didn’t understand, but I took a step back, pretending to understand roughly, nodding my head.

The more I talked to him, the more dangerous I felt, so I wanted to leave this place quickly.

“I see. Then I’ll get going.”

“Why is it crazy about you?”

Crazy?! I almost showed a sign of disgust for a moment when I hated the man’s outspoken words and actions.

The man was approaching this way as if he had no intention of letting me go.

“… I do not know. Maybe he just follows people well for fun.”

My pupils trembled relentlessly in the narrowing distance. I lowered my anxious eyes and tried to avoid his gaze.

“It’s not fun.”

I didn’t mean to say it was fun… I pursed my lips and glanced at him again.

The red eyes flashed terrifyingly as he was still staring at me.

‘Hah… Even seeing a ghost is less scary than this.’

I felt like tears were about to come out, so I lowered my eyebrows.

‘I can’t. Am I prepared to be caught? Should I run away pretending to be crazy?’

It was still before I could run, but the sound of my heart beating already made my eardrums pound. It was when I tried to put strength on my legs with such firm determination, the man suddenly rubbed his forehead and frowned in pain.

“Ugh.”

Confused, I stared at him as he grinded his teeth. His tightly closed eyelids were still sharply raised, but it was because he looked sick, and somehow it felt a little pathetic-

“…It’s like a dog.”

– Never mind.

I backed away from him very slowly, as if dodging a mine. At the same time, his eyes lit up.

The gleaming red eyes were fully exposed. My body stiffened at the bloody gaze that looked at me as if it would burn me at any moment.

I really couldn’t stand it. It felt like someone grabbed my ankle.

‘It’s driving me crazy.’

I should have ran away sooner. Why the hell are you doing this to me?

Fortunately, the man turned his back first. A wide back view filled my vision.

Soon the wolf whined a little and followed the man who was moving away quickly. The wolf paused for a moment and glanced back at me, and soon followed the second master again vigorously.

“What the hell are you doing?”

I muttered absurdly as I relaxed my tensed body later. Come to think of it, I realized that we hadn’t even learned each other’s name.

***

That stranger gave me deep fatigue.

I returned to my room and asked my maid to search around if there was a suspicious person, and then quickly washed my body. My body soaked in the hot water became drowsy, and my exhausted mind quickly called for sleep.

“…Alicia!”

When I opened my eyes to a voice calling me urgently, it was early morning.

“Brother?”

“Get up, put on this cloak.”

Harrison’s face hardened. He hastily lifted me up and put the cloak around my shoulders.

I rubbed my eyes with a gloomy face.

‘Am I dreaming or have I slept too long?’

I looked out the window, feeling Harrison’s hand wrapped around my shoulder. There was not a single star in the dark blue sky.

“What is going on at this hour? Where are we going?”

I asked in a muffled voice. Harrison clicked his tongue briefly, as if he was shocked to see me like this.

“Are you able to sleep despite this commotion?”

“A commotion… Huh? What are you all doing?”

When the door was opened, several attendants bowed their heads with pale faces. And after that, the soldiers and other servants running around caught my eyes.

I was then fully awake. The castle, which would normally have been quiet, was filled with heightened tension with lights lit here and there.