CH 28

*Rainelle’s  POV

A terrifying gaze from golden eyes that fit the description of a murderous gaze entered my field of vision.

Ah, it's Karmeut.

Realizing that Karmeut was here, I lost all the strength in my body. As I suddenly felt that I was safe now, my body twitched and screamed that I was going to die if I move any more than this. ...but I didn't know how things would progress, so I tried to open my eyes which already had a dim vision and looked at them.

*Luwellin’s POV

"Karmeut-----!!"

Luwellin's face was crumpled. As Karmeut took a step forward, Luwellin subconsciously stepped back.

"-yes, it's me, brother."

*drip*

There was the sound of viscous liquid dripping from Karmeut's side who took a step into Luwellin's room. Without taking his cold gaze away from Luwellin, he threw something from his hand.

*thump*

With such a sound, it bounced slightly off the carpeted floor. Then, it rolled to Luwellin's feet which made it stop completely. It was only then that it became clear what the thing was.

"......!"

"A familiar face, isn't it? No, is it your first time seeing this face? Because my noble little brother wouldn't be able to remember the face of a servant that he could throw away after using them once."

The face was full of horror.

The drops of blood on the white cheeks were nauseatingly clear. The white frill headband on her head was the only decoration that indicated that she was a female servant.

Perhaps not cut at once, the cut surface of her neck was not smooth and was torn in tatters.

"This... such a dirty thing in my room...!"

"There are many different ways to get the liar to spit the truth out of her mouth, but it's a waste of time, so I've made her spat out the information in my own way."

Luwellin's body flinched and trembled. Was it because the gleaming golden eyes were staring straight at him?

No, no. That's not why my body trembles like this.

Feeling a slight tremor in his legs, Luwellin clenched his fists.

My brother didn't even awaken, and he dare to step on me and give me such a gaze? He dare---?!!

"I didn't know that she would casually lie in front of me. A big lie at that. You've killed my escort knights, and now you're kidnapping my crow... I've beheaded this servant slowly for telling lies in front of a member of the Imperial Family. Don't you like my gift?"

"You bring something dirty as a gift?! Ha. And what's wrong with taking the bird?!!"

*swish*

Along with that sound, Luwellin felt a burning sensation in his earlobe. He slowly and fumblingly raised his hand. He could touch something hot and sticky. The Third Prince's lips trembled and turned his head to look at the sword on the wall.

"This-----!"

"-that bird? Sorry, but that bird is the most expensive and precious thing in my room, so it's the only thing I need to protect."

"Ha!! Sure!! It even has two forms, huh?! You have such a taste? Is that unlucky little chick between your cr*tch so good? Then you shouldn't hog the good stuff by yourself! This body will become the next emperor. Why don't you grab that thin leash by presenting this crow to me?!"

Luwellin raised the corners of his mouth with sarcasm.

The only awakened person is me. I'm considered as one who's born with the blood of wolves, which gets weaker as generations pass by! That's why I'll become the emperor! It's bound to happen!

So there's nothing that I can't have!

Luwellin, who was known to be the only one among the brothers to awaken, received all kinds of flattery from the nobles and became arrogant as well as evil.

He turned his gleaming gaze to the crow lying on the floor.

Karmeut really loves that bird? That's why he cut that servant's throat and came all the way here?!

In that case, shall I kill it?

He didn't like Karmeut, who was superior to him in the aspect of everything. So when he awakened, he was so happy as he was sure: "I will be the emperor!"

But that guy was always at ease. Even when he was nearly assassinated, he had a relaxed smile.

I want to see that face contorted.

With such twisted thoughts, Luwellin acted impulsively. He ran towards the crow lying on the floor, which was unknown if it was dead or alive, and lifted one foot to trample the crow hard.

"Kwaghhhhh!"

*thud, thud, thud*

Luwellin rolled on the floor. He screamed at the sharp pain in his arm and he tried to struggle, but he could not move and only felt pain from something that weighed heavily on his body.

"Ughh!"

Luwellin's yellowish-brown eyes opened wide.

"Grrrgrrr-----!"

It was the eerie growl of a terrifying beast. It was a huge golden wolf who bit the third prince's arm. It was staring with its golden eyes while revealing its ivory-colored teeth that were wedged on flesh.

Without being perturbed, the golden wolf turned its head with all its might while biting Luwellin's arm, consequently throwing the prince to the floor.

"Arghhhhhh!"

"Grrrhh!"

As if it had no intention of giving any opening, the golden wolf pounced on Luwellin, who was still rolling on the floor.

A cow-sized wolf attacked to bite his neck, but Luwellin transformed into a murky golden wolf, showed his teeth, and fought back.

"Grrr!"

"Krrr!"

What happened over there was a battle between beasts, not humans.  It was instinctive for wolves to bite with their front feet and scratch their opponents' skins with their claws while aiming for the back of their necks.

Normally, the knights guarding Luwellin's room would have appeared at this time, but that didn't happen. It was because the third prince, who saw Rainelle's human form, became greedy to get her, so he dismissed the knights so that they won't disturb him.

...However, Luwellin, who was at most half the size of a normal wolf, wasn't good enough to face Karmeut, who had such a big size.

Until now, Luwellin had been aiming for an opportunity to attack while barely dodging Karmeut's attacks, but he couldn’t find the chance as Karmeut quickly bit Luwellin’s neck, shaking his head violently, and then smashed the Third Prince's head on the floor.

"Kaungg. Aung----!"

Luwellin still struggled as he spewed out painful groans, but the golden wolf, whose golden eyes were gleaming, then ran towards the wall while dragging him. He slammed Luwellin into the wall at a high speed. The murky golden wolf's mouth opened wide and he groaned.

Luwellin, who had been struggling with his four legs, seemed to have fainted, but Karmeut didn't seem to care at all.

The wolf with gleaming golden eyes gave more strength to his maw, pressed Luwellin's body with one front paw, and bit his neck as if he was going to rip off the flesh.

"Aung..."

*Karmeut's POV

A faint cry could be heard. The golden wolf's ears perked up when the exhausted, barely squeezed-out cry was heard. As if tossing something dirty, Karmeut shook his head and spat out Luwellin, then he turned her head to look at the side where the crow was at.

"Caw..."

The wolf ran over hurriedly to the crow at the faint, listless cry.

"Rainelle-------!"

Karmeut, who was almost approaching Rainelle, paused. Karmeut clenched his teeth as he looked at the purple eyes, which were stained with pain, blinking slowly at him.

--One of the wings was bent in a strange direction and her lethargic body was trembling intermittently.

How painful it must be.

Karmeut, who could not even cry properly, slowly and carefully approached Rainelle's side and sat down on his knees.

"--Rainelle. I, I-- Can I take you to be healed?"

Karmeut's hands were trembling slightly, as if he wanted to hold her in his arms and run for her treatment right away.

...However, she had been avoiding him since the discovery of the video crystal balls, and he didn't want to disrespect her now, so, while struggling to suppress his burning heart, Karmeut waited for her gesture of consent to come.

Slowly, the crow lifted her head and brought her beak to Karmeut's fingertips.

Recognizing that as permission, he hurriedly but carefully lifted Rainelle's body.

Karmeut clenched his teeth when he saw Rainelle trembling without even making a sound.

Holding her in his arms with care, the prince approached Luwellin, who was whimpering and tilting his head slightly, as if he had barely come to his senses.

*crack, crack, crack*

The little wolf opened his mouth and made a gasping sound at the same time as those cracking sounds. His front paw which was crushed by Karmeut's feet was trembling and twisting around, but the golden eyes that were staring at him were cold.

"You broke Rainelle's wing, so it's fair."

After leaving only those words, the golden wolf hurriedly left the room as if it was a waste to spend it any longer on Luwellin.

In the gorgeous room that had become messy from the fight, a wolf with a broken front paw and a wrecked body was groaning and couldn't get up.

***

*3rd person POV

*blam!*

Without minding the wide-eyed guards at the door, Karmeut kicked open the door with his foot and shouted.

"Marquis Namuel!"

"Your Highness---"

"Where's the healer?!"

"I am here, Your Highness."

Karmeut cast a strangely scorching gaze at the healer. When the healer took a step back as he was overwhelmed by the gaze, the prince grabbed the healer by the neck with one hand and forcibly pulled the healer in front of him.

"Heal her. Now. If she dies, your head will fly away."

The healer subconsciously trembled under that gaze. It was also because of the hand that was strangling him, but there was also the gaze from the golden eyes that stared at him as if he was going to get eaten. To avoid the unbearable gaze, the healer lowered his eyes and looked at the prince's arms.

A small black lump was there. Upon closer inspection, it was not a mere lump, but a crow that was breathing heavily as if in pain.

The sight of her wings drooping and trembling pitifully made the healer frown.

One of the wings was twisted in such a strange direction that he wondered who had done this as it seemed to hurt even just by looking at it, so the healer gathered divine power in his hands and stretched them out towards the crow. Just before his hands could reach her, a chilling voice entered the healer's ears.

"If you don't heal her, you'll die. No, I'm gonna make you beg me to kill you."

The healer's body trembled as the pressure was enough to make his skin sting.

Did someone feel sorry for the stiffened healer who trembled as if he had convulsion? A calm voice suddenly interrupted them.

"It's not that I'm not aware of how worried you are, but please calm down a little bit. The healer didn't hurt the crow, did he?"

The pupils of the golden eyes narrowed and turned to Namuel. The gaze was more intense than an injured beast's, but Namuel's expression remained unchanged. Rather, he continued to speak calmly as if to give comfort.

"Even at this time, doesn't the crow that the prince cherishes suffer?"

At those words, the pressure from the golden eyes was lifted. As the suffocating feeling disappeared, the healer gasped for breath, but he did not withdraw the divine power in his hands. He then quickly focused his divine power on the crow and began to heal her.

*wuung*

The crow's body trembled along with a loud and unusual sound. The wing, which had been twisted in a strange direction, slowly returned to its original position, and the messy feathers gradually became orderly.

As soon as Karmeut noticed that her heavy breathing became stable and comfortable, his rigid body slowly relaxed.

The healer's hands were still shining for a while. As if that fact showed just how injured Rainelle was, the prince's expression stiffened again.

Was the next action meant to reassure the prince? The bright glow on the healer's hands gradually faded, then the light was completely gone and his hands returned to normal.

"Huft... The treatment is over, Your Highness."

"...but she's not waking up."

"The wounds were very serious. The treatment can only heal physical wounds, while the psychological impact needs sufficient rest. Of course, it’s not that the divine power cannot treat that, but there are many sensitive areas inside the mind. Unless it's urgent, it's best to let her rest until she wakes up on her own."

Karmeut clenched his fist at those words. The breathing sound of the crow, who was leaning against his arm, was even. However, the violet-colored eyes that he wanted to see were not visible. The prince was silent for a moment, then he turned his gaze to the healer, who was stiff from tension, and opened his mouth.

"...you did a great job. It seems that I overreacted because my beloved was seriously injured. I did not intend to underestimate your efforts."

"No, Your Highness. Although she's is an animal, it is because you care about her, isn't it?"

The healer shook his head with a gentle smile. Karmeut nodded briefly to the healer and saw him off with a promise that he would compensate him later.

It was unknown whether he was satisfied with the word 'compensation' or whether he was happy to be able to get out of here, but the healer left with a beaming smile.