CH 30

When Alexa pretends not to see it, he looks at her with tears in his eyes. He was barely clinging on Alexa’s dress with his thick front paws and his tail was dropping. 

“No way! What did I tell you last time? Can you eat this, or not?”

Ysildus moved in pursuit of Alexa who turned around and sat down. And if Alexa turned on the other side again, he would chase after her a dozen times. 

Visten cleared his throat when he saw Alexa eating the cake in such an uncomfortable position. Just in case, he had a snack for Ysildus in hand. 

“Ahem, ahem, Ahem, Young Master Ysildus?”

Pretend not to hear. Alexa gasped at the disappointed Visten. 

[‘Try asking him, ‘What could this be?’]

It was a method Alexa often used to lure Ysildus, and when Alexa says, ‘What could this be?’, he would be fooled and come as he thought Alexa was giving him food. Though he doesn’t fall for it these days. 

“Ahem, what could this be!”

Visten said, mimicking Alexa as much as possible. Ysildus responded as if his efforts were futile. He turned his head and looked at the snack on Visten’s hand…. 

‘Really, that’s weirdly offensive.’  

It was like he was telling him he would take one bite of it. 

Ysildus walked proudly, only took the snack on Visten’s hand and went back to Alexa. He ran and climbed onto the sofa. He then sat down next to Alexa and nibbled on the snack. 

Alexa smiled awkwardly at the despondent Visten. She put down her now empty bowl. 

In fact, he thought that it was already a big improvement that Ysildus just took the snack without baring his fangs, so Visten put aside his regrets and brought up a topic. 

“By the way, Alexa. About that person…. My little brother.”

“Yes! Are you talking about Sir Clouster?”

“Yeah. Weren’t you scared?”

It was very important so Visten asked her this. He came to tell him that the war ended much earlier than they expected, and that the Grand Duke and his wife would return. How they will react to Alexa was a problem itself, but a bigger problem is that the Knights Order was swarming with the likes of Clouster. 

Those who looked terrible and hideous would be going around the Grand Duke’s castle, but what if Alexa gets scared? What if she passes out because of her weak and fragile heart? He was even thinking of taking the training ground of the Knights Order outside the castle with the money Alexa had earned. Besides, she might faint from the loud roars of the wolves…. He was constantly worried. 

Visten stared at Alexa with a nervous expression on his face. 

“Uhm, no. Why should I be afraid?”

Alexa added with a very serious face.

“I did nothing wrong. Perhaps… did I do something wrong?”

She blinked her eyes. 

Alexa had always been like that. She had been alone since her parents died. Losing the people who had been her great supporter, Alexa vowed to herself. She shouldn’t be afraid if she had done nothing wrong, and if she backed away in fear, Alexa, who was left alone, won’t have enough courage to come back at all. 

Is that why her wall had gotten taller? She wasn’t scared at all. 

“That… nevermind. You didn’t do anything wrong. Wasn’t that guy a little big? He had a scary impression.”

“Lieutenant, I learned that people shouldn’t be judged by their appearance. The hand that held mine was very warm.”

Haa, Visten put his palm over his heart. His tired mind and body felt comforted just by looking at Alexa’s smile. Moreover, she used such pretty words and talked in a timid way. 

Surrounded by the aggressive wolves, just looking at Alexa melts him like this. All of Visten’s worries were blown away. 

“But you must tell me if you’re afraid.”

“Yes, Lieutenant.”

“Oh, and about what I was talking about earlier.”

Crack~

Huh? Visten stopped talking and lowered his head. Ysildus was looking up at Visten sitting with his butt on the floor – as if he didn’t do anything at all. 

When it fell on the floor, Visten’s fountain pen rolled in half, and the ink that filled it made a mess on the office floor. And his white fur that turned black…. 

“Y, Young Master Ysildus…?” Visten’s voice trembled. 

“My! Ysu! You got into an accident again! Again! Didn’t I tell you, you shouldn’t do that! I’m sorry, Lieutenant!” 

This wasn’t actually something that Alexa should be sorry about. Visten let out a trembling sigh and picked up his broken fountain pen split into two. 

<My dear Honey> 

The words engraved on the pen were also divided between ‘My dear’ and ‘Honey’. The fountain pen I cherish and treasure…. 

But what’s even worse was that Visten can’t say anything to Ysildus. 

Visten swallowed his saliva. It was to hold back his rising anger. But that abominable… dog… is…. 

“Krrrr!!!”

Heavens, can I live with this sorrow? Visten pressed his eyes tightly with his palms and then opened them again. 

Visten then said, barely keeping a smile on his face, “I’ll be out in a minute Alexa. First, this is what I wanted to ask you.” 

He pushed the papers in front of Alexa. She then opened the papers with Ysildus in her arms. 

‘This….’

Alexa’s eyes twinkled. 

‘Is the imperial family already moving?’

Thersion has been playing the role of protecting the Imperial Family for many years. However, eating a hunting dog after hunting. Ahead of the continent’s unification, the Imperial Family attacks Thersion to take all the credit, but this was after Ysildus came of age. 

Alexa’s heart began to pound like a tiny bird. She couldn’t figure out where this came from. Ysildus was still 14 years old now. His second growth was yet to be completed, the Grand Duke and his wife had yet to return, and he had yet to establish a proper bond with the female lead. But why? 

Ysildus needed Selina. Selina had the ability to quell the madness of the wolves. It was guaranteed by the oracle that came down from the temple. 

[‘Only the savior who will appear with eyes those of the wolves and swaying hair like the setting sun can save the continent from the wolves’ lunacy.’] 

That oracle was referring to the female lead, Selina. Thersion annihilated the human Emperor who betrayed them and raised their swords against humans. They repay their grudges as much as how they do not forget kindness. They decided to keep this continent under their feet, which the Emperor was greedy about. 

The scene where Ysildus, who had lost the Grand Duke and his wife to the Emperor’s hand and went crazy, bite off the human Emperor’s neck with his sharp teeth was the climax of the novel. It was Selina, who Ysildus had forgotten, who quelled his madness. 

The paper Alexa was holding was crumpled. 

“I don’t know what could be the purpose of the Imperial Family for gathering the soldiers of the nobles” 

Visten’s eyes darkened.

‘We have to save the Grand Duke and his wife.’

The fact that the Imperial Family is making their move now means that the return of the Grand Duke and his wife is imminent. It seems like the war had ended earlier than what it was in the novel. 

‘Where did the Grand Duke and his wife die?’

Alexa bit her lip.

‘Calm down, Alexa.’

The Grand Duke and his wife were attacked and were severely injured on their way back here. But it wasn’t the injuries that killed them but the poison that was on the weapons used to attack them. A poison that could kill even wolves. Their death was the real beginning of the novel. I guess I was too laid back. 

‘Where was it?’

Remember, Alexa. Alexa took a deep breath and lifted her head.

“Sir, I need a map. Can you save them?”

The map is only entitled to be owned by the Imperial Family. But isn’t this place Thersion? Visten agreed. 

“Sure.”

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Visten took out the map and unfolded it on the table. The Grand Duke and his wife were attacked on their way back from the battlefield. It was said in the novel that it was a place with high canyons and lush forests, high enough for hiding snipers to shoot. 

Alexa places Ysildus in her arms on the desk. It was because it was much safer to have him in front of her. 

“Stay still and noona will give you three snacks! Okay?”

I don’t know if he understood me or not. The ink-stained Ysildus laid down on the desk and closed his eyes.  

“… What are your thoughts, Alexa?”

“They will be attacking the returning Thersion’s army returning to the Imperial Family, Lieutenant.”  

The Imperial Family joined forces with the Dukes to unite the enlisted men. And Alexa also knew that the marriage between the Crown Prince and Princess Cartan was a sign…. 

There was an attached document stating that the marriage between the Crown Prince and Princess Cartan was imminent.

(T/N: I was just thinking, since it was the original Alexa who took care of Ysildus even before Selina came, that she was the one the oracle was referring to, and Selina had use some underhanded methods in order to be that child of the oracle. Right?)