《Fostering the Male Lead》


 Chapter 1

    Rosetta Katzel.


    She was the spoiled youngest daughter of the Duke Katzel, a powerful family that even the royal family couldn¡¯t touch.


    She had quite a twisted personality. She wanted to possess everything she wished for and if she couldn¡¯t get what she wanted, she wouldpletely destroy it so that no one else could have it.


    However, there weren¡¯t many cases where Rosetta destroyed something.


    Because there was nothing that she couldn¡¯t have.


    Maybe that¡¯s why Rosetta got bored of things very easily.


    Whether it was a person, an object, or even her own life.


    After a long time, she finally had an object that she wanted to possess.


    And it was none other than Crown Prince, Sihael.


    After seeing the crown prince at the Emperor¡¯s birthday banquet, Rosetta became fascinated with him and developed a strong desire to have him.


    But what aspect of him captured her heart?


    Was it Sihael¡¯s beautiful appearance? His powers as the next sessor of the highest position in the empire?


    Or was it because he was going to be the next owner of a jewel called ¡®The Heart of Earth¡¯ that was hidden somewhere in the basement of the royal pce?


    That was not at all the case. Though ¡®The Heart of Earth¡¯ was something that everyone coveted, Rosetta wanted something more rare and precious than that.


    It turned out to be Sihael, who was cursed to turn into a wolf on every night of full moon.


    In other words, what she exactly wanted was the man who could turn into a wolf, not the human Sihael.


    Captivated by his rare silvery fur and bright golden eyes, Rosetta decided to be the Crown Princess, a position she had earlier no interest in.


    If she became the Crown Princess, she could have Sihael all to herself.


    But Sihael already had a woman he loved.


    Wolves only loved one female and lived with them for the rest of their lives.


    Rosetta knew he definitely wouldn¡¯t choose her as he thought of her as a horriblepanion.


    So, Rosetta decided to change her method.


    ¡®If I can¡¯t go next to him, then I¡¯ll make hime next to me.¡¯


    What could be the best way for a princess to have a Crown Prince who would be the next ruler of an empire?


    It was to bring the Crown Prince down from the position of the heir of the throne.


    And for that she only had to make up some ws.


    It was nothing for Rosetta to destroy what she loved.


    To do so, she joined hands with the Empress, who knew about Sihael¡¯s curse.


    She thought after making the second prince the crown prince, Sihael would be hers forever.


    Rosetta pushed Sihael into a corner in such a crazy way that no ordinary person would ever think of.


    Many people died in the process, but she didn¡¯t care about it at all.


    Her hideous obsession with possessing something even at the cost of destroying it, was truly terrifying. A state of mind without any morals.


    Sure enough, it was a typical viinous setup.


    But just like in the end of every novel, the main leads got their happy ending and Rosetta died a tragic death.


    That too by the hands of Sihael, whom she wanted so much.


    Like the fate of all viins, Rosetta was hit by the cane of justice and died in the end.


    ¡°Haah¡­.¡±


    ¡°Miss, is there any problem?¡±


    Yes, there is. A lot: lots of problems! Because I¡¯m that Rosetta Katzel.


    It¡¯s amazing that I became a stranger overnight, but I can¡¯t believe I became a viin in a novel.


    And that too, a viin who would be decapitated and then sent off to her death.


    I feel like I¡¯m going crazy.


    What really had happened was that the real Rosetta had died and I somehow came into this empty shell.


    I¡¯m not sure why I came into Rosetta¡¯s body, but what I¡¯m certain of is that I am dead.


    I still remember it vividly.


    The car that hit me while I was walking on the crosswalk and the pain that I felt as my whole body was crushed under it.


    So I was surprised when I saw my condition after waking up.


    After going through such an ident, I didn¡¯t have any broken bones or any grave injuries.


    ¡®I was really surprised when I saw this face.¡¯


    A week has passed since I became Rosetta, but I still haven¡¯t adjusted to this face.


    A cold beautiful woman with lustrous crimson red hair, white, clear skin, and enchanting emerald eyes was reflected in the mirror.


    An alluring beauty that could leave people open-mouthed, but is it because of the vibe she gives off?


    Even if I frowned a little, my eyes turned cold, giving off a very scary impression.


    Is this the viin buff?


    ¡°Shou, should I do it in a different style?¡±


    The frown on my face seems to have frightened the poor maid out of her wits.


    I quickly eased the furrow between my eyebrows and said.


    ¡°I like it. Go on.¡±


    Only then did the relieved maid move.


    Seeing the woman in the mirror, I let out a faint sigh.


    Now I was getting used to this life.

 Chapter 2

    Well it wasn¡¯t that I could get out of this body just because I didn¡¯t like it, so I was thinking of using this opportunity to live again.


    Except for what would happen in the future, Rosetta¡¯s life was perfect.


    Rosetta was a person born with a diamond spoon in her mouth.


    In other words, since her birth, she had so much money that she could lead a carefree life without ever having to work. It was a life that I could never even dream of in my previous life.


    ¡®No wait, am I not already living such a life?¡¯


    In the mirror, the woman was smiling like a satiated cat as if she hadpletely forgotten the fact that she had just been annoyed.


    I still don¡¯t know whether I feel sorry for myself for bing a viin or I am happy to get to lead such a magnanimous life. But thankfully the original story hadn¡¯t started yet.


    ¡®That means I still have a chance to change Rosetta¡¯s fate.¡¯


    The original story would begin a monthter, when the heroine Liliana would temporarily release Sihael¡¯s curse, who had turned into a wolf.


    During the process, Sihael imprints on Liliana and then the twoe to the Academy together.


    And Rosetta, who would go to the Academy on her parents¡¯ orders, woulde across these two people.


    And it is from there Rosetta¡¯s crazy obsession would start.


    So I¡¯m going to live here forever without ever going to the Academy.


    Then I won¡¯t be obsessed with Sihael. After all, it¡¯s the basic form of every Romance Fantasy novel that getting involved with the main characters would only bring you trouble.


    So I don¡¯t want to get involved with them at all.


    Even without me, the story will continue.


    Because I am not a main character. But would I get in some trouble if I decide not to follow the plot?


    ¡®The Empress will just y the role of the viin on her own. Ah, I don¡¯t know.¡¯


    It¡¯s none of my business what troubles the main characters would go through. All I just want to do is to enjoy my new peaceful and rich unemployed life.


    Then both main characters and I could have our happy ending and lead a happy life.


    However, the happy future, that I was drawing, shattered overnight.


    ¡°What do you think, Rose? Do you like it?¡±


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s this?¡±


    Surprised on seeing arge beast, I stepped back in fright.


    My heart thumped and sank down.


    The beast trapped inside the iron cage, fastened with many harnesses, was a wolf.


    A silver wolf, not the usual brown one.


    And as far as I know, there was only one silver wolf in this whole empire.


    The prince who was under the curse.


    ¡®Sihael¡­¡¯


    That¡¯s ridiculous. Why is he here¡­.


    Maybe he didn¡¯t see my face, which had turned pale with fear, but Lanoa boasted with intense pride.


    ¡°You said you wanted to raise a puppy. So this brother went to hunt one for you. How¡¯s your brother¡¯s hunting skills?¡±


    This crazy guy. From which angle does this look like a puppy?


    Can one shock be covered with another shock?


    Instead of fear, she felt absurd listening to Lanoa¡¯s words, that called a wolf a dog.


    ¡°You idiot! It¡¯s not a dog, it¡¯s a wolf!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same thing. A wolf is also a canine.¡±


    When I saw Lanoa shrug his shoulders nonchntly, my blood pressure rose.


    I forced myself to swallow back all the curses and swear words that were boiling deep inside me. I screamed, ¡°Release it now! Now!¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to. If you don¡¯t want to raise it, then I¡¯ll raise it.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you crazy!¡±


    Do you want us all to die together?! When I¡¯ve finally got my consciousness back, why are you creating troubles for me?!


    Just as I was screaming and fighting with Lanoa, the low cry of the beast fell into my ear.


    ¡°Grrrr¡­.. ¡°


    I turned my stiff neck while hitting Lanoa hard on his back.


    My eyes met Sihael¡¯s bright yellow ones, which were concealed behind his thick eyelids.


    ¡°Gasp.¡±


    ¡°Grrrrrrr, worr, grrrrreung!¡±


    Thud! Thud! Thud!


    Sihael, who rushed towards me, thrusted his head out of the iron bars.


    I was so surprised by Sihael¡¯s behavior that I instinctively sat down. It seemed as if he was rushing forward to bite off my neck.


    Lanoa giggled as he lifted me up from the floor.


    ¡°Even after being driven into a corner, it¡¯s still very high-spirited! It¡¯s not an ordinary wolf.¡±


    Of course! That¡¯s not an ordinary wolf, it¡¯s the Crown Prince! That¡¯s the male lead!


    Lanoa proudly muttered something like his eyes were not wrong. But I couldn¡¯t hear it.


    Because my eyes were focused on the bright golden ones, that were staring menacingly at me.


    This X.


    I¡¯m going to die before I can avoid the original story.

 Chapter 3

    How did this happen?


    At the chilly sensation of the cold metal against my hands, I opened my fist.


    The key to the iron bars that Lanoa left for me boasted an ugly appearance.


    ¡°It¡¯s more satisfying to tame the ones that are more fierce, right?¡±


    Tame it? Tame what, you bastard. No matter what I say, it¡¯s futile.


    I mentally chewed Lanoa out.


    He brushed away my vehement refusals and left.


    He has no idea just exactly what he¡¯s done.


    ¡°I thought I would be fine as long as I avoided it¡­¡±


    Originally, it was supposed to be Rosetta that hunted Sihael, not Lanoa. Rosetta, whose hobby was hunting, would stumble upon and hunt a rare silver wolf.


    Never in her wildest imagination could she have ever known that the wolf was Sihael, the little sun of the empire/kingdom.


    ¡®Even if Rosetta knew, she would have still confined him anyway.¡¯


    Whatever the process, in the end, she met Sihael earlier than the female protagonist Lillianna.


    It¡¯s just that Rosetta wouldn¡¯t know that the wolf was Sihael until the novel started.


    ***


    It was the norm for the prince¡¯s curse to naturally recede with the full moon.


    However, the prince fell to the empress¡¯s tricks and took a poison that would amplify the strength of the curse. He had been unable to return to humanity and was stuck in the shape of a beast.


    As a result, Rosetta had never seen Sihael¡¯s human form before.


    How, then, was she able to figure out who he was just from his wolf form when she came across him by chance at the Academy?


    That was due to the color of Sihael¡¯s pupils.


    Being more perceptive than others, Rosetta took one look at Siahel¡¯s peculiar but mesmerizing eyes to conclude that he was the silver wolf with confidence.


    She was happy to have found the lost wolf, but her happiness was cut short.


    She saw that next to Sihael stood Lillianna, burned with jealousy and anger, and grew obsessed.


    ¡®That¡¯s when she began to walk the path to ruin.¡¯


    I, who understood better than anyone else that the meeting between the two of us would only lead to misfortune, avoided stepping foot anywhere within the hunting grounds.


    Even when others invited me to hunt, I used the excuse of being sick to avoid it.


    I thought everything would be solved as long as we didn¡¯t meet. That was how I came to believe I had avoided my miserable end.


    But for Lanoa to catch him for me¡­¡­.


    It¡¯s already shocking that a man whose nosetips I haven¡¯t seen for one year suddenly showed up, why did it have to be Sihael who was caught?


    Even if I wanted to avoid it, can the original events not be avoided at all?


    A pretty red ribbon tied onto the iron key caught my attention. It was amusing to see it wrapped up like a gift for me.


    ¡°What present? You threw a nuclear bomb in front of me and left.¡±


    I ripped up the ribbon with an agitated hand. My future felt like the torn pieces of the ribbon that fell to the ground.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    ¡°Grrr¡±


    The situation in front of me was so frustrating that I couldn¡¯t help but to release a sigh, butat the sound of my sigh,Sihael, who had be sensitive, bared his fangs.


    Could I not even sigh once¡­. After a short while, I became used to his big fangs, and I was tired of reacting to every single one of Sihael¡¯s actions.


    I massaged my stiff eyes.


    ¡°Why are you only showing your temper to me?¡±


    ¡°Woof, Woof¡±


    ¡°Be Quiet!¡±


    Ugh, my eardrums might burst at this point. I covered my ears at the shaking sounds from the basement. basement shaking sounds. Just a moment ago, I was scared enough that my legs were trembling. Humans truly are animals of adaptation. Now, even if Sihael were to re at me, I can handle it.


    Besides, the cage is specially designed such that he can¡¯t rip it apart, and he can¡¯t bite me with his mouth muzzled.


    So now I just feelregretfulrather than scared.


    ¡°Someone else caught him, but why is he going wild when he sees me?¡± Mumbling, I took a chair from the corner and threw it down across from Sihael.

 Chapter 4

    ¡°Creaak¡±


    The iron chair made an unpleasant sound as it scratched the floor, causing Sihael¡¯s ears to flick. The bright yellow eyes that were following me without rest finally stopped when I sat my butt down in the chair.


    I folded my arms and raised my chin. I acted this way to not lose to him. Not avoiding my eyes, Sihael rattles his mouth to see if it bothers me.


    ¡°You dislike me, right?¡±


    ¡°Grrrrr¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like you either.¡±


    ¡°Woof.¡±


    It seems that somehow we were having a conversation? Does he still have human reason (mentality)?


    After he imprinted on Lilliana, I know he still retained human reason even after turning into a wolf, but I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s like right now, before imprinting.


    So I decided to test Sihael, with harsh (??? I don¡¯t know this word so this one is from Google trante) words.


    ¡°Wolfie, Should I set you free?¡±


    ¡°Grrrr!¡±


    Well, it seems the same as before.


    ¡°If you promise you won¡¯t eat me, I¡¯ll free you. If you understand, nod.¡±


    ¡°Woof! Woof! Grrr¡­¡±


    He nodded and put his head through the iron bars. When Sihael¡¯s head hit the bars, electricity jumped out.


    ¡®That¡¯s no joke.¡¯


    The iron bars filled with lightning magic were perfect for trapping Sihael. Sihael, who briefly retreated from the sputtering sparks, rammed into the bars with his body.


    ¡°Hey Hey, I got it. I won¡¯t do anything, so calm down.¡± I was worried that he¡¯d bea whole roast pigif he continued.


    I¡¯m not interested in him like the original, but it¡¯d still be bad if the male lead were to die.


    ¡°I said stop!¡±


    Sihael, who became tightly twisted, only stopped after I begged him to. I couldn¡¯t tell whether or not this madman had reason.


    But, I knew one thing. I shouldn¡¯t release him for my own safety. I should release him after he¡¯s regained some humanity, even if it¡¯s only a little bit. The problem is, Sihael¡¯s curse can only be freed by the female lead.


    And that female lead will only appear after one month.


    ¡°Being together like this for one month, it¡¯s a little..¡±


    As I murmured to myself, Sihael also snorted. As if to say that he felt the same way.


    ¡®This brat, does he understand me?¡¯ I had my doubts, but the image of him mming his body into the iron bars, just a while ago, rose up into my mind.


    It¡¯s frustrating. If only I were the Female Lead, I would have immediately freed him from his curse. If only I could purify, I wouldn¡¯t be in this sort of situation. Lillianna Maniu was an excellent magician who showed exceptional talent for purification. Her purification even cleansed the poison that was consuming Sihael¡¯s body.


    A month after being caught by the original Rosetta, Sihael finds a fortunate chance to escape from her grasp. He wandered around the North in his wolf form when he met Lillianna by chance. The friendly Lillianna recognizes his curse at an immediate nce and purifies his poison, returning Sihael to his human form.


    However, the timing wasn¡¯t good.


    Perhaps it was because he spent too much time as a beast.


    Sihael, who was following his instincts, became drunk on Lillianna¡¯s seductive pheromones. He entered rut and pounced on her.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡­, hnn.¡±


    After that, a scene fit for the 19+ genre unfolds.


    If I, who didn¡¯t even have purification ability, were to touch Sihael? He wouldn¡¯t return to being human, and a different sort of 19+ scene would happen. A 19+ horror genre filled with screams, blood, and gore.


    I slumped against the back of the chair and stared nkly at the ceiling. In the end, like it or hate it, we have to spend one month together.


    Tsk, I got dealt a dirty hand.


    I can¡¯t do anything about the fact that we¡¯ve met now, and I¡¯m not the original Rosetta, so Sihael isn¡¯t my object of obsession. Can¡¯t I just continue to keep him like this until I let him and the female lead meet? At the right time, like the original plot, he can go meet the female lead by himself.


    Until then I can foster him?


    Yes.


    I¡¯ll foster him.


    I¡¯ll protect you for a month, and then afterwards I¡¯ll send you to your owner Lillianna.

 Chapter 5

    ¡®Just think of it as rearing a puppy. It¡¯s morefortable that way.¡¯


    Even though it¡¯s excessivelyrge and is too fierce to even touch.


    Sihael continued to be vignt of me while licking his bloody wounds.


    ¡®His wounds are severe.¡¯


    He was littered with various wounds from the assassins sent by the Empress, from Lanoa, and, finally, from the lightning magic in the iron bars. To rush at me with the intent to kill, even with all those wounds, he must not be in his right mind.


    ¡°Grrr.¡±


    Sihael, who noticed my gaze, bared his fangs. His habitual growl entered one ear and went out the other.


    Let¡¯s start by treating him. Possibly? I can get close to him while treating his wounds.


    ¡°You, wait here calmly.¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    ¡°You answer well.¡±


    It seems he¡¯s calmed down a bit¡­is what I thought, but bullshit! As soon as I stood up from my seat, Sihael howled so loudly my ears felt like it might be deaf.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just be quiet!¡±


    ¡°Woof! Woof Woof! Awooo.¡±


    Cancel any notion of him being quiet. This damn mutt bastard.


    *****


    Treating Sihael was not easy. The ferocious beast, who has never been touched by human hands, bared his fangs at hands that were tending to him. Even though I¡¯ve gotten used to this sight, the healers that saw Sihael for the first time winced and backed down.


    Then, when they met my eyes, their faces paled and immediately returned to their positions.


    I couldn¡¯t believe it. Was I scarier than the beastly Sihael?


    How low must my reputation be¡­..


    ¡°Mistress.¡± Marina help up her anesthetic gun and announced that she was ready. At my nod, Marina pulled the trigger.


    <i>tang</i>


    Noticing the unusual atmosphere, Sihael quickly evaded, but, due to the limited space, he left his lower backvulnerable.


    I waited for him to hurry up and sprawl out.


    However, maybe because he¡¯s resistant to the drug or maybe he was mentally strong, he still stood firmly upright after being shot with a tranquilizer said to put elephants to sleep.


    ¡°Grrr, Woof!¡±


    Far from sleeping, he became more energetic. It was as if he was getting angry at us for daring to shoot something into his body.


    The people, amazed at this appearance, retreated in fear. I even saw someone crumpling down and crawling away.


    Marina was also surprised and stepped in front of me. I immediately felt her will to protect me.


    I was grateful to be protected by her whole body, but I wasn¡¯t really affected. I¡¯ve seen him act more fiercely before, and this is nothingpared to that.


    The me who became used to Shael approaching him with both of his hands raised up.


    ¡°Calm down. We¡¯re trying to heal you.¡±


    ¡°Grrr! Woof! Awooo!¡±


    ¡°Do you want to die from infections? If so, then keep on running around.¡±


    ¡°Woof! W-Woof! Awoo, Awoooooo.¡±


    He really is a disobedient child!


    ¡°Marina, one more time.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Awoo~¡±


    No matter how powerful the male protagonist was, two strongdosesof anesthetics were quite hard to bear, so his condition weakened little by little.


    After quite some time, he finally copsed.


    I didn¡¯t want to miss this opportunity, so I turned towards the healers andgesturedwith my chin.


    ¡°Get started.¡±


    However, it hadn¡¯t even been a minute since they entered and they were being thrown around.


    Thankfully, the muzzle helped prevent any bites, but the strength in his forepaws and tail made them all fall onto their backs and roll on the floor.


    The knights who pulled the chain around Sihael¡¯s neck couldn¡¯t help but get dragged along as they couldn¡¯t ovee his strength.


    As I watched this scene, a sigh escaped my mouth.


    ¡°What shall we do?¡±


    ¡°Give him anotherdose.¡±


    After threedosesof anesthetics, Sihaelpletely copsed.


    It took about an hour to heal him.


    The four healers were finally able to leave after they finished treating his wounds. Once they quickly finished the treatment, the healers scurried away.


    I¡¯m sure theywouldnevere back here again.


    Watching the figures of the healers shrink as they ran further and further away in a blink of an eye, I spoke to Marina.


    ¡°Make sure they keep their mouths shut.¡±


    ¡°Yes, My Lady.¡±

 Chapter 6

    It was unlikely to hear rumors of a silver wolf here. The rumors would not spread quickly because they were in the North,far away from the Academy, but the story would change if theEmpresswould startcrazily looking for Sihael.


    If the Empress found out that Sihael was here, she would send assassins to murder him.


    Or take him away by iming to be his owner.


    There was no way that Sihael would lose to those assassins, so I wasn¡¯t too concerned about that. But still, I didn¡¯t want to get involved with the Empress.


    ¡®I hate bothersome things. Hopefully this dies down quickly.¡¯


    As the employees went one by one after finishing up the cleaning, I gazed at Sihael¡¯s sleeping face.


    ¡®Is it just me or does he look a little cute when he¡¯s sleeping?¡¯


    I never realized this since his guard was always up when awake, but now that I look at him in this state, he seemed more like a puppy.


    After watching him for a while, I raised my head. A faint ray of light flickered through the perch hanging across the ceiling. In the corner was a spider web messily hanging from the wall. The room was closed from all sides and the floor was cold.


    Thiswas not a suitable environment to raise a dog.


    ¡°Marina, clear the room next to mine and make ithisroom.¡±


    ¡°The room next to yours, My Lady? It¡¯s too dangerous. If it ever escapes¡­¡±


    ¡°We will have to make sure the cage is big and quite strong so that doesn¡¯t happen. Can you do that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, My Lady.¡±


    Marina, who seemed worried, reluctantly nodded her head.


    Satisfied with her answer, I looked at Sihael with a big smile.


    Now that his treatment has been taken care of, the next step was to give him a pleasant environment.


    * * *


    I spent most of my time with Sihael. I had nothing to do anyway, so while I was killing time, I tried to get close to him.


    So, did Imanage toget close to Sihael in these three days?


    I¡¯m not sure if I would say we¡¯ve gotten close¡­ but it seems like he¡¯s gotten used to me.


    After all, I am his food supplier¡­


    Regardless of time or ce, the person who feeds was always the best.


    Since Sihael was sensitive, I prepared his meal, wondering if he would open his heart to the person who feeds him.


    Surely Sihael¡¯s perception of me would change.


    From an annoying and noisy piece of meat to a kindhearted piece of meat that serves food.


    Anyway, my status would still be meat. What should I do to promote myself from a piece of meat to a human¡­ huh, I guess the future looks bleak.


    But what should I do? I would do anything as long as I can do it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡±


    Today¡¯s lunch was Sihael¡¯s favorite beef. Coated in a fishy taste, it was raw meat dripping with blood.


    ButtoSihael, it was the most delicious meat in the world.


    Saliva dribbled from his slightly open mouth. Whenever food was in front of him, hepletely turned into a dog.


    ¡°How tasty is it for you to be so quiet? Hmm?¡±


    I habitually talked as I filled Sihael¡¯s bowl with meat. Even during that short moment, Sihael had a hard time waiting, so he howled anxiously.


    ¡°Awoo!¡±


    ¡°Oho, wait.¡±


    You have to learn to be patient to be a great king.


    ¡°Grr!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. Here you go.¡±


    When I pushed the bowl into the cage, he ran towards it menacingly.


    I took a step back.


    Before, he didn¡¯t even look at the meat because he was wary of me, but now he doesn¡¯t look any way other than the meat.


    Along withthat, there was one more thing that changed. The frequency of his barking had decreased.


    His ceaseless barking had been irritating my eardrums. Thankfully, his barking had died down two days ago. It wasn¡¯t because he feared that I would take his meals away, but because he knew that barking would only hurt his mouth.


    It was the most peaceful time of the day.


    While he was eating, I nced at his body.


    Except for the biggerones, almost all of his wounds hadpletely healed.


    His recuperative powers were really great.


    ¡°I¡¯llebackafter you finish eating.¡±


    I headed to the dining room, leaving Sihael behind, who was busy gulping down the food.


    * * *

 Chapter 7

    ¡°You came?¡±


    When I arrived at the dining room, Lanoa, whom I hadn¡¯t seenina long time, weed me.


    ¡°When did you get here?¡±


    ¡°Today.¡±


    It was the first time we were together since the day I was forced to take care of Sihael.


    ¡°What are you doing here so often? I have never seen you stay at home for so long.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I always returned home.¡±


    Well, Lanoa was a wandering soul.


    Lanoa, the second son of Duke Katzel, lived freely without anyone¡¯s interference because he was far from seeding the title.


    He was a free spirit in a different sense from Rosetta.


    He wandered from ce to ce and went wherever his feet took him. Because of that, he did not appear much in the original book.


    ¡°Did you name it?¡±


    ¡°Nameit?¡±


    ¡°I meantthe wolf.¡±


    My hands that were cutting the meat came to a stop. Come to think of it, Ihadalways called him ¡°Hey¡± or ¡°Wolf.¡± I didn¡¯t even thinkofnaming him.


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s too much. You have to name it.¡±


    ¡°What should I name it?¡±


    ¡°Well since it¡¯s your dog, you shoulde up with ityourself.¡±


    I asked Lanoa for help, but he just distanced himself from the matter.


    Heughed wildly as if it wasentertainingto see me get embarrassedover Sihael.


    The sound of hisughter was awfully annoying. I fisted my hand and as a result, the fork bent.


    ¡°Are you having fun?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s fun. Who knew the great Rosetta Katzel would get embarrassed because of a wolf one day.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who brought the wolf!¡±


    ¡°Then shall I take him away?¡±


    Take Sihael away? Lanoa was as bad-tempered as Rosetta. If he took Sihael away, he¡¯d bully and abuse him, just like what Rosetta did in the book.


    And Sihael, whowouldeventually returnto his original form, would never let this go.


    I wonder if he would make up an excuse to get Lanoa kicked out of the family and then take his life without anyone noticing¡­


    The family would surely be safe, but Lanoa would eventually face a terrible end.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m going to raise it, so don¡¯t even think about touching it. Understood? If you touch it, I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. I got it.¡±


    Seeing him pretending to listen to my threats, Ileanedover the table and shoved the steak into Lanoa¡¯s mouth. Then I reached out my hand, grabbed his cup of water, and finished it all.


    I ignored Lanoa¡¯sments about how it was an attempted murder.


    Whatwas sogood about this shameless bastard?


    Ugh, I¡¯m just way too nice.


    * * *


    Throughout the meal, I kept thinking about what nice name I should give Sihael. I couldn¡¯t even recall if the food went through my nose or mouth.


    As soon as I finished eating, I went straight down to the basement.


    Sihael¡¯s ears perked up in wariness at the sound of my footsteps. He looked at my face, then lied down as if the question ¡°It¡¯s you again?¡± was scrawled all over his face. Hezily put his chin on his foreleg.


    I dragged a chair towards the front of the cage and sat down.


    ¡°Hey Wolf, I¡¯m going to call out a few potential names for you, so respond if you like any of it.¡±


    Icouldn¡¯tcall him Your Highness or Sihael.


    ¡°Whitey?¡±


    ¡°Grrrrrrrrrrr¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see you don¡¯t like it.¡±


    I don¡¯t think thiswassuitable for the Little Sun of the Empire¡­


    ¡°Mochi?¡±


    He didn¡¯t even reply. I guess that was not a good name either. Then, Sihael¡­ Sihael¡­ Sihael¡­ Shahel¡­ Shasha?


    ¡°Shasha?¡±


    Sihael, who wasn¡¯t moving before, looked up and tilted his head. Maybe I was hallucinating, but it seemed like his eyes were shining.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡±


    ¡°Grreung.¡±


    ¡°Okay. From now on, your name is Shasha.¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    ¡°Shasha, from now on, can you please listen to me?¡±


    ¡°Awoo?¡±


    I only gave him a name, yet it felt like we were getting closer.


    Well, Sihael just snorted at my words and rested his chin on his leg again. But it didn¡¯t seem like he hated the name.


    Later that afternoon, Ireceivedthe news that Sihael¡¯s room had been prepared. It was all thanks to the efforts of my faithful henchman Marina.


    Finally,thebig, sturdy and perfect cage waspleted.


    * * *

 Chapter 8

    Sihael stoodatthe edge of the bright room and startedto lookaround.


    Suddenly being put in an unfamiliar environment, he slowly explored his newenvironmentwithoutloweringhis guard. He lowered his nose towards the floor and sniffed while wandering around the spacious room.


    Unlike before, where he was blocked by iron bars even if he moved a bit, Sihael was able to look at me while freely walking around the room.


    Of course, he was still inside a cage, but this time it was a wide, clean, and well-lit cage. It was quite a pleasant environmentinparison to his previous one.


    He moved again after I gestured with my chin, encouraging him to keep moving.


    After being stuck in that narrow ce, I was proud to see him move to his heart¡¯s desire.


    To give this room to Sihael, Irenovatedtwo fine rooms, but it was not a waste.


    The ce where the tip of Sihael¡¯s nose touched was arge cushion that I personally hand-picked.


    Instead of a bed, I chose to put a cushion there because I was afraid that he¡¯d break it while runningaround. But I was d that he seemed to like it. I was pleased to see himnudgingthe cushion with his nose and scratching it with hispaws.


    ¡°My Lady, what should I do with this?¡± It was the muzzle that Sihael wore.


    I forgot about it because it had been a while since I left it out. I was toozy to remove it and put it backonevery time I gave him food.


    ¡°Shall we put it backonnow?¡±


    I shook my head when I saw his free mouth. Hehadnever escaped from the cage, so it should be fine. I feltguiltyfor shootinghim withan anesthetic gun to putonthe muzzle.


    ¡°No, wash him and dry him up. I¡¯ll take him out for a walkter.¡±


    ¡°W-Walk?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we can¡¯t always keep him locked up here.¡±


    If he didn¡¯t attack me right now, then I would take him for a walk right away.


    As if contemting, Marina mumbled and mouthed something.


    However, she eventuallybackeddown without saying anything.


    This was why I liked viinesses.


    Even though my reputation was in shambles, I was satisfied because no matter what I did, no one dared to question me.


    ¡°Oh, by the way, make a leash and a name tag. His name is Shasha. Have his name and address engraved on the back, and put a location tracking function.¡±


    ¡°That much?¡±


    ¡°Yes, because there are people whowouldwant what¡¯s mine.¡±


    ¡°Shall I kill them?¡±


    Marina, no mattermuch of anelite assassin you are¡­


    The opponent is the Empress. Your head would be chopped off before you could even approach her.


    I shook my head. Although I was forced to take care of the male lead, I had no intention of handing him over to theEmpress.


    ¡®I have to raise him safely and then hand him over to the female lead.¡¯


    Although he was really annoying, I had developed a soft spot for him. He was just a little puppy who threw a fit and had a terrible attitude.I didn¡¯t want him to suffer because of the Empress¡¯s hand.


    Feeling a gaze directed at him, Sihael hit the cage with his front paw.


    Boom!


    At the heavy sound, the servant, who was filling the bowl with water, hesitated andretreated.


    ¡°Why are you angry again?¡±


    My nose twitched as I wondered what he was so dissatisfied with that he started behaving rudely again.


    I didn¡¯t want to see Sihael get hurt, so I removed the magic from the cage. Just when I finished, Sihael looked very excited.


    I spoke quietly, looking straightintoSihael¡¯s gleaming golden eyes.


    ¡°Shasha, I¡¯m your temporary owner for now, okay? You can¡¯t behave rudely.¡±


    ¡°Grrrrrrr!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no use doing that.¡±


    ¡°Woof, woof! Grrr. Arf, arf!¡±


    As expected, Sihael rebelled violently.


    The sound was so loud that people clutched their ears when he barked.


    Marina used her Spirit of Sacrifice to cover my ears, but I gently pushed her hands away. For me, this was a level of noise I could tolerate.

 Chapter 9

    I red straight into Sihael¡¯s eyes and raised my voice. It was childish, but I didn¡¯t want to lose.


    ¡°Keep quiet! I¡¯m your owner!¡±


    ¡°Woof! Woof!Grrr! Argggg.¡±


    ¡°I. Am. Your Owner.¡±


    ¡°Woof, woof! Grrrrr!¡±


    Ugh, I couldn¡¯t stand this. I clenched my teeth and blocked my ears. It was such an ear-splitting sound that it felt like my ears were bleeding.


    Just when Sihael, who won the fight, was trying to bark louder and louder, someone burst in as if they broke the door and shouted.


    ¡°Hey! Stop that dog from barking!¡±


    It was Lanoa. When we had lunch earlier, he was fine, but now he reeked of alcohol. I frowned and waved my hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m training him so stay out of it.¡±


    ¡°Is this what you call training? Why are you training him by making all this noise?¡±


    Maybe his head hurt because of the hangover.Lanoa grabbed his forehead and red at me irritatedly.


    I could see people silently showing their support for Lanoa. When I met their eyes, they quickly lowered their eyes, but they might have been inwardly shouting,¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right.¡±


    I felt embarrassed for no reason and cried out.


    ¡°You left him with me so why are you getting angry now?!¡±


    ¡°Woof! Woof! Grrrrr!Woof!¡±


    Sihael started barking at Lanoa as if to counter my irritating cry.


    ¡°Right! Well done. Bark more! Break that bad guy¡¯s eardrum!¡±


    ¡®Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof!¡±


    ¡°Well done! Well done,Shasha. Well done!¡±


    As I pped and cheered, he barked excitedly in tune with the rhythm.Now that there was amon enemy, we fought against Lanoa just like we fought with each other before.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Lanoa screamed and plugged his ears. He was really drunk and it seemed like he was about to fall down.


    ¡°There are two sons of bitches in this house¡­¡±


    For the first time, regret shed across Lanoa¡¯s face. I liked the look so much that I couldn¡¯t help but clutch my stomach andugh.


    I think I heard someone muttering that it¡¯s all a mess but I don¡¯t know. Who cares! Lanoa¡¯s despair was my happiness.


    ¡°Why did I pick up that thing¡­ Why did Igive thatto her¡­.?¡±


    Lanoa drooped his shoulders as he muttered to himself and left the room like a loser.


    ¡°W-Well, then we will go out too.¡±


    Those who had finished organizing the room didn¡¯t miss the chance and escaped like an ebb.


    In an instant, the noisy room became quiet.


    The barking Sihael calmed down and wandered in front of the cage a few times before he sat on the cushion.


    Watching Sihael liefortably on the cushion, I alsoid down on the sofa.I reached out and opened one of the books on the table.


    <b><i><You Can Train A Ferocious Dog Too!></i></b>


    The moment I saw the title, I knew that this was the book for me. Even the author was a famous person.


    The moment I saw his name, I wrote down everything written in his book without even reading the contents.


    <b><i><From Puppy Adoption To Training.></i></b>


    <b><i><What¡¯s the Best Way to Deal With My Troublesome Dog?></i></b>


    <b><i><A Good Dog Comes From A Wise Master.></i></b>


    From thebest-selling author,Mortenzi Garcia.


    The dog master who could turn any ferocious dog into a docilemb.


    With great reverence, I engraved one word after another on my heart.


    Sir, I believe in you!


    * * *


    I think I¡¯m doomed.


    What¡¯s the use of reading a book every day? Icouldn¡¯teven apply it. I don¡¯t think I have a talent for teaching.


    At first, I wanted to teach him to ¡®give paw¡¯.


    But I ended up doing it wrong. Then, I decided to teach him to sit down first since I was afraid of him biting or smacking my hand.


    It was exciting at first, but I kept on failing repeatedly.


    The problem was that I was inferior to Sihael. Even though I tried to reverse this, he was so strong that it didn¡¯t work.


    So, another week passed like that.Even though I tried to appease, get angry, plead, and do everything that was said in the book, Sihael didn¡¯t blink an eye.At this point, I became very exhausted.

 Chapter 10

    ¡°Shasha, if you do this, you can¡¯t go out for a walk.¡±


    Of course, Sihael didn¡¯t even listen to me.


    He continued to chew the bones he had stolen from me yesterday.


    Ugh! I don¡¯t know. If it doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll lock him up, raise him and then send him to the female lead in a month.


    No, it definitely needs to be after a month.


    ¡°Shall I start looking for her from now on¡­¡±


    I got up from the sofa.


    My head feltmuddled, so I decided to go out for a walk.


    When I opened the door after taking my coat, the servant who brought the meat looked surprised and started to tremble.


    ¡°Uh, My Lady, Shasha¡¯s lunch is ready¡­ Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Walk. You give it to him today.¡±


    ¡°M-Me?¡±


    I felt my anger rising. What was so good about that son of a bitch that he got to have a meal? He¡¯s a troublesome little bastard!


    Sihael didn¡¯t even look at me in spite of my ring eyes.


    ¡°Be careful not to get bitten.¡±


    After leaving thetremblingservant and Marina behind, I stepped out and walked along the trail all by myself.


    ¡°WherecanI find the female lead¡­¡°


    It would only be a month when Lilliana woulde to the North. Because of my limited knowledge, I did not know where she was prior to her arrival. She had a great talent for purification and wandered for ce to ce, looking for people who needed her abilities.


    As a result,she never stayed in one ce.


    ¡®Should Ihiresomeone to find her? But can I really find her by doing this?¡¯


    The probability of finding Lilliana was very small since she was very good at hiding and running away.


    In no time, I finished threeps around the trail.


    ¡°Kyaaaa!


    ¡°Argggh!¡±


    ¡°S-Save me!¡±


    I heard a piercing scream, before hearing something break inside the mansion.


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    A chill crept up my feet.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be that, right?¡±


    As I approached the main gate, the screams grew louder. Along with it, there were cries of a beast.


    <i>Crash!</i>


    ¡°Argggh!¡±


    ¡°Stop it!¡±


    As servants rushed through the ajar door, they fell down as Sihael stepped on them, revealing his majestic presence.


    ¡°How¡­¡°


    How the hell did he get out of the cage?


    ¡°Grrrrrrrrr.¡°


    Hisbright golden eyes that Iplimented for being pretty until yesterday watched me warily.


    At that moment I realized.


    We had never gotten close.


    I¡¯ve been trying so hard, but I was still a piece of meat to him.


    ¡°Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.¡±


    At first, I saw Marina and Lanoa chase after Sihael. Then, servants and knights surrounded me.


    I tried to stop Sihael, but he ran at me without even looking at the people around me.


    ¡°My Lady!¡±


    ¡°Rosetta!¡±


    I could hear people calling me from afar.


    I knew I should avoid him, but my body was asstiffas a stone and didn¡¯t even budge.


    Oh, what should I do? I should avoidhim¡­


    My body didn¡¯t move because of the pressure I felt on the day I first saw Sihael.


    Sihael, who was just a short distance away from me, opened his mouth.


    Oh, I don¡¯t know! I closed my eyes tightly and swung my fist.


    ¡°Shasha, stop!¡±


    <i>Punch!</i>I gave him a heavy blow.


    ¡°Aaugh!¡±


    Sihael shuddered and stepped back. He staggered and shook his head to see how much the blow affected him.


    After btedly figuring out the situation, I closed my mouth and looked at my fist in surprise.


    This was crazy! Was I that f*cking strong?


    ***


    Now that we¡¯re at this point, let¡¯s talk about Rosetta¡¯s hiddenabilities.


    As a child of the Katzel family, Rosetta learned martial arts from an early age and came across many kinds of weapons. She could easily handle most basic swords, bows, guns, and even maces. Not only that, but her innate sense ofbat was as good as her sessor, Leonard.


    Her immense power was only a small part of her genius. Because of this, her family had high expectations for her.Herpersonalitywas as bad as being stuck in a trashcan, but because of her abilities, she was considered a genius that came once every 100 years.

 Chapter 11

    The elders, who bothered Rosetta by questioning andining about her conduct, also appreciated her genius.


    They diligently trainedtheimpudent Rosetta, withtheexpectations of creating a swordsman in the future who would go down in history.


    However, contrary to the elders¡¯ expectations, the disobedient Rosetta threw away the sword they gave her without any hesitation.


    ¡®Those condescending old geezers look forward to my abilities? Then I¡¯ll definitely have to give up.¡¯


    Rosetta didn¡¯t want to do anything good for the elders even if she died.


    The title of genius? The best swordsman? A chance to make a name in history?


    Rosetta was not at all interested in all those things. She was just looking for something interesting to break the monotony in her life.


    Like a crazy dog, she kept making trouble and did as she pleased. Contrary to her family¡¯s expectations, the elders were so overwhelmed by her actions that they decided to wash their hands off her.


    The duke and his wife treated their young daughter¡¯s immature behavior as her childishness, so they only cleaned up all the idents she caused and left for the capital at the call of the emperor.


    Now with no one to stop her, Rosetta, who was left alone in the north, wandered all over the northern area like a foal whose reins had been loosened.


    For your information, the story above does not appear even the slightest in the original novel.


    It was because the author did not write any of Rosetta¡¯s stories.


    ¡®Who would have thought that a viiness could be such a genius!¡¯


    I would have never known about this story if I hadn¡¯t possessed Rosetta¡¯s body. Although I had seen through Rosetta¡¯s memories, I just thought that she was faintly strong.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t expect her strength to be this much.¡¯


    When I saw Sihael running towards me, I lightly stepped aside to avoid him.


    Sihael¡¯s movements looked as slow as those in a slow-motion video. No, they had actually slowed down.


    Sihael looked exhausted from the 30-minute confrontation.


    Usually, this guy wouldn¡¯t tire easily even after an hour, but now he couldn¡¯t control himself because he was too livid.


    Sihael missed me and crashed into the spot where I was just standing. He then spitted out the grass that he had identally swallowed during the crash.


    While he paused, I scooted towards him, grabbed him by the throat, and pressed him down with force.


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, stay still!¡±


    ¡°Ruff ruff argggghh!¡±


    I fumbled a little in the middle, but Rosetta¡¯s trained instincts took over and led me safely.


    Sihael, who was grabbed by his throat, struggled and thrashed his legs.


    ¡°Bring the muzzle!¡±


    Marina came running, cutting through the murmuring crowd.


    As I grabbed Sihael¡¯s ttering jaw and forced him to shut up, the quick-witted Marina quickly fastened the muzzle on his mouth.


    At the same time, Sihael pushed me away with all his strength as if he were making his final move.


    ¡°Eek!¡±


    Unable to prepare for his sudden move, I fell back on the floor. Sihael dashed towards me without wasting any chance and stretched out his paws to attack/crush my head.


    I quickly dodged my head to avoid his paws and kicked him hard in the stomach.


    ¡°Awooo!¡±


    Sihael staggered and fell down. I stood up to check whether my attack had properly worked.


    Exhausted, he pulled out his tongue and gasped. When I approached him, he didn¡¯t try to attack me anymore. Finally, our long fight hade to an end.


    ¡®Looking at his condition, it would be impossible to walk with his feet. I¡¯ll just call someone¡­ .¡¯


    Just as I looked up at the crowd of servants and knights while thinking about how to move Sihael, everyone avoided my eyes. Their gazes were exactly like that of a student desperately trying to avoid the eyes of the teacher in case the teacher asked to give a presentation.


    There was nothing I could do. So, I ced my hand on Sihael¡¯s shoulder and lifted him.


    <i>*Lift*</i>


    And then hung him over my shoulder.


    ¡®Rosetta, how strong are you?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t at all hard to lift the giant Sihael.


    I felt like cursing someone. If I had known that Rosetta was stronger than Sihael, I wouldn¡¯t have suffered so much. Until now, I was scared, so I decided to tread carefully till the time to hand him over came.

 Chapter 12

    When I approached the door with Sihael slung over my shoulder, the servants clung to the wall in fright and made some strange noises. While everyone was shaking and clinging to the wall like a cicada, Lanoa pped and admired.


    ¡°Indeed, you¡¯re my little sister. Good job.¡±


    ¡°Are you still here? I thought you went in.¡±


    ¡°I decided to stay here just in case our family¡¯s bastard lost to another bastard who just rolled in from somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy? Is that all you have to say to your sister who fought hard with a beast?¡±


    ¡°But, aren¡¯t you the beast here?¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Seeing Sihael narrowing his eyes, Lanoa ran away while Sihael paused. A horribly childlike giggle resounded through the hallway. I was going to chase him right away and kick his butt, but I gave up soon.


    It would only be a waste of time if I go after that moron.


    I ordered a maid nearby to bring a doctor and went upstairs.


    ¡°Shasha, you¡¯ve been making a lot of trouble.¡±


    Sihael started to struggle when he saw the broken chains and cage. I pped him on the back of his struggling bottom.


    <em>Spank!</em>


    ¡°Just stay still before I smack your butt.¡±


    ¡°Arrr¡­ ruff¡­.¡±


    ¡°Shh!¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Good boy.¡±


    When we went back into the room, I put Sihael in the cage and closed its door. Contrary to my assumption that the lock might have broken during his escape, the lock remained still intact.


    Then, how did hee out? Sihael couldn¡¯t have opened it by himself.


    This door was designed in a manner that it could not be opened from the inside unless someone opened it from outside.


    ¡°Can you tell me what happened?¡±


    I squatted to meet Sihael¡¯s eyes. He stepped back, being wary of me for the first time.


    Thank god! It seems like now he doesn¡¯t see me as some piece of shit he didn¡¯t need to be scared of.


    ¡°Shasha, now do you understand? I¡¯m your master.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Woof.¡±


    Sihael, who had always been imposing, looked small for the first time.


    * * *


    In conclusion, Sihael¡¯s escape was the fault of a servant who was in charge of his lunch that day.


    Among the toys I had given to Sihael, there was an expensive one which the servant wanted to take for himself. So when he opened the door, Sihael took the chance and ran away.


    His face had turned blue when I asked him to feed Sihael. So, I didn¡¯t expect him to have the courage to do such a thing.


    The servant begged me to forgive his mistake, saying that he had lost his senses for a moment.


    I indifferently looked down at his pathetic figure and ordered him to be thrown out. To be honest, I didn¡¯t even want to see his face.


    More than twenty people had been injured because of his<em>¡®momentary mistake¡¯</em>.


    ¡®Even though no one was seriously injured, that doesn¡¯t mean I can overlook the misdeed.¡¯


    And it was me who was in the most danger.


    If it weren¡¯t for Rosetta¡¯s trained body, I might have been digested in Sihael¡¯s stomach by now.


    After knowing the whole story, Lanoa insisted on cutting off the servant¡¯s hand, but I shook my head. Since he had suffered quite a bit of injuries in return for his greed, I decided to quietly move on by firing him.


    However, knowing Lanoa¡¯s personality, there was no way a person who hadmitted an offense against the Katzel family would be allowed to leave without any harm. Maybe he took care of it behind my back.


    But I decided not to care about it.


    I just spared his life and it was now up to him to survive. Also, I¡¯m not that free to care about a servant who had already been fired.


    ¡°Shasha, paw.¡±


    It¡¯s been a week since I started training him. The smart Shasha followed the training very well.


    There were some trials and errors in the process, but he gradually got used to it.


    The problem now was that he could understand what I was saying, but he ignored it because his pride was too big.


    Just like now¡­


    Shasha, who raised his head to the familiarmand, looked at my hand and jerked his head away with an exasperated expression.


    He was again rebelling. At first, he followed well, but his grumpiness increased as days went by.

 Chapter 13

    ¡°Shasha.¡±


    During times like this, I lowered my voice and raised my hand, waving it lightly.


    ¡°Grrr.¡±


    Shasha reluctantly put his forepaw on my hand.


    He was looking at a faraway mountain because he didn¡¯t like being tamed by a mere human being.


    It was disrespectful, but since he diligently carried out my order, I decided to let it slide.


    ¡°Good job.¡±


    I praised with a soft, amiable voice while patting and stroking his head annoyingly.


    The restless Shasha pawed my knee impatiently and kicked me, pushing me away.


    His kick seemed light but was actually very heavy.


    If I hadn¡¯t had Rosetta¡¯s body, with this much power, I sure would have fallen back just like any normal person.


    ¡°Okay, wait.¡±


    I picked up the raw meat from the bowl and threw it at him. Big pieces of meat were a favorite of Shasha.


    Shasha closed his eyes while savoring its taste. After finishing the meat, he looked at me and licked his mouth as if this much was not enough for him.


    ¡°Sit down.¡±


    Since he liked the meat he had just eaten, this time, he obediently sat down on his butt.


    ¡°Good job.¡±


    I patted his head and immediately gave him anothermand.


    ¡°Stand up.¡±


    As soon as themand left my lips, Shasha again pawed me on the knee and strongly protested why I didn¡¯t give him the meat.


    I shook my head when I saw his belly protruding out.


    He had gained weight because I fed him too many snacks this week for training. Also, he ate a lot and he only exercised by moving around the house.


    At this rate, you¡¯ll turn from a canine into a pig.


    A fat male lead! It can¡¯t happen in a romance novel.


    ¡°Stand up, Shasha.¡±


    ¡°Grrrrrrrrr.¡±


    ¡°Hah! Shasha.¡±


    The smart Shasha raised his butt when he realized that he wouldn¡¯t get any meat if he showed his temper. He stood up obediently even though he was annoyed.


    He still hadn¡¯t fixed his rude attitude and hadn¡¯t controlled his growling tendencies, but it was still a satisfying result after one week of training.


    I gently scratched Shasha¡¯s chin. Shasha stepped back as it was a touch he had experienced for the first time in his life. But he soon stopped moving and calmly entrusted himself to me.


    I didn¡¯t know whether he was feeling good or not, but his flustered face was cute.


    If I showed him this look in the mirror, he would definitely jump up and down, asking who this spineless bastard was.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡±


    ¡°Grrr.¡±


    Blushing, he looked out of the window with a smile. Now he looked more like a puppy.


    ¡°I think we can go for a walk now.¡±


    Maybe he understood the word ¡®walk¡¯, Shasha perked his ears up in response.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go out and have fun.¡±


    I smiled awkwardly at Shasha¡¯s convex belly. A male lead with belly fat was a bit¡­


    ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s lose some weight.¡±


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    Shasha, who didn¡¯t understand me, tilted his head.


    To help him understand quickly, I bent down to his level and rubbed his stomach. The protruding belly fat was soft.


    Surprised by the candid touch, Shasha jumped up. His eyes opened so wide that I thought they would pop out of his sockets.


    ¡°¡­ Awoo?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you need to get out more.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Woof?¡±


    ¡°Or else you¡¯ll be a pig¡­¡±


    ¡°Ruff, ruff, ruff, awoo, awwooo!!¡±


    Shasha cried in shock, perhaps because of his belly fat or my remarks about him turning into a pig.


    ¡­ Sorry.

 Chapter 14

    While crying to go out of the mansion, Shasha suddenly hit me with his head.


    I was too frustrated and distracted while trying to soothe him. Because of that, I was suddenly pushed back and hit my back against the door.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    There was not enough room for me to retreat and Shasha identally knocked me with too much power.


    ¡°Ah, it hurts. Okay, okay, we can go now.¡±


    Shasha stepped forward and looked at me with disdain as if he didn¡¯t like my slow attitude. I couldn¡¯t stand his impatience, so I picked up the leash and muzzle hanging on the wall.


    When Sihael saw the muzzle, he twitched his nose and jerked his head. He was outrightly expressing his rejection, but I couldn¡¯t help it.


    I knew it was frustrating for him, but I couldn¡¯t just let him wander freely considering how he had hurt people while running around.


    ¡°If you want to go for a walk, hang in there.¡±


    I forced the reluctant Shasha to put the muzzle on him and then put the leash around his neck.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    We headed for the gymnasium where it was empty.


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    ¡°Come, we¡¯re almost there.¡±


    I took Shasha around the gymnasium with me. Thanks to the torch I was carrying, it was as bright as daytime, so we didn¡¯t face any difficulty while taking a walk.


    Shasha, who had always been under my supervision, was excited to wander around and sniff everything. I followed him gently.


    Then he suddenly raised his leg.


    I was briefly shocked by the scene I saw for the first time, but I quickly recovered.


    ¡®That¡¯s understandable. After all, he¡¯s a wolf now. He can¡¯t stop physiological phenomena. But why does he keep on staring at me?¡¯


    I turned my head because I felt embarrassed, but then I remembered what I had read in a book not long ago.


    <em>When dogs look at their owner while relieving themselves, it means that they feel vulnerable and are asking for protection.</em>I looked into Shasha¡¯s eyes and nodded my head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll protect you.¡±


    But was my gaze too intense? Shasha quietly lowered his leg and avoided my eyes.


    ¡°Sorry, I won¡¯t look.¡±


    Contrary to what I learned from the book, it seemed Shasha felt ashamed when I looked at him while he was relieving himself.


    ¡®I¡¯ll keep that in my mind.¡¯


    I turned my back and started aimlessly kicking the dirt while waiting for Sihael to finish his business. The leash suddenly slipped out of my hand while I wasn¡¯t paying attention.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Fortunately, I grabbed the end of the rope in time, but I lost my bnce because of Shasha¡¯s great strength. I stumbled forward and ended up getting dragged by him.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    He really stopped. But it wasn¡¯t because of mymand, rather he stopped because of the destination we arrived at. Shasha looked up at a tree and barked fiercely.


    ¡°Arggg, ruff ruff ruff! Grrrr!¡±


    When I looked up, I saw a crow on a branch looking down at Shasha. That crow didn¡¯t do anything, but Shasha tried to climb up the tree and bite the crow¡¯s neck off. Seeing him act so recklessly and frantically, I was afraid he might get hurt.


    ¡°Shasha,e on.¡±


    ¡°Ruff, ruff, ruff! Grrrrrr! Ruff, ruff!¡±


    ¡°Shasha, calm down.¡±


    The flushed Shasha didn¡¯t listen to me at all.


    I stroked his back and tried to calm him down, but it was all in vain. I didn¡¯t know what to do. If I let him go, he would stick to the tree again, and if I held onto him, he would bark at me. I picked up some branches around me and threw them towards the crow.


    ¡®Phew! Fly away.¡¯


    Even though the situation was quite intimidating, the crow was eerily still while looking down at Shasha.


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t bother my kid and fly away!¡±


    Its beaded eyes passed over Shasha and then fell on me.


    ¡®What? What are you looking at?¡¯


    When the branches hit its wings, it spread out its wings.


    <em>Caw, caw~</em>


    As the crow flew up in the sky, Shasha rushed forward to chase it. I quickly tugged the rope hard and hugged Shasha to stop him.


    Shasha, who lost the crow, felt overwhelmed under my power. He kept on staring silently at the sky where the crow had disappeared.

 Chapter 15

    Shasha¡¯s chest was violently rising up and down. I patted him slowly on the back, unable to hide my agitation.


    ¡°Shh. Calm down.¡±


    Despite my efforts, Shasha continued to stare up at the sky for a long time.


    * * *


    I told Marina, who was brushing my hair, about what happened in the evening.


    ¡°Sasha looked at the crow and barked like crazy.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he wanted to hunt the crow.¡±


    ¡°Hunt?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s a predatory animal after all. It must have been stressful for him to be locked up for so long.¡±


    Marina had a point, but¡­


    He was too anxious for something like that.


    ¡°I need to take a look.¡±


    It bothered me to see a guy, who wasn¡¯t afraid of anything in this world, show strange behavior to just a crow. When I opened the door and came outside, the door of Shasha¡¯s room also opened at the same time.


    The new maid, who was put in charge of Shasha, came out with a grim face. I heard howling soundsing from behind her. The maid stumbled, struggling to close the door. After closing the door, when she saw me, she quickly ran over as if she had seen a lifeline.


    ¡°My Lady, I think you shoulde. Shasha¡­¡±


    When I entered, the room was aplete mess. The wallpaper was torn and ragged, and the bowls rolled around andid upside down on the floor. The toys were smashed and the cushions were ripped apart with cotton flying everywhere around the room.


    ¡°What a mess!¡±


    Other than that, I had nothing else to say about this. The person who was responsible for this mess whined when his eyes met mine.


    ¡°Aww, awooo.¡±


    Shasha¡¯s trembling figure came as quite a shock to me. It seemed he was bullied by a crow when he was a kid. That must be it. Otherwise, there was no other reason for him to be like this.


    I couldn¡¯t believe that he was showing his vulnerable side to me.


    If I knew he¡¯d care this much, I would have killed that crow on the spot, or let Shasha hunt it.


    Now it was toote to regret it.


    ¡°Shh. It¡¯s okay.¡±


    As I approached him, he put his head out of the cage and looked up at me. His eyes shook like waves.


    His eyes seemed like they were imploring me to open the door. His pretty eyes pulled me into a trance and I opened the cage dazedly.


    ¡°Come here.¡±


    I opened my arms to hug the anxious Shasha. But this little punk just walked past me and escaped out of the door.


    I was a fool to believe that Shasha woulde into my arms.


    ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t youe here?¡±


    I ran behind him anticipating a long chase, but Shasha was lying in an unexpected ce. He arrived in my bedroom, the room next to his. Shashay down on my bed and stared at me nkly.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    It looked like my room was the best ce he¡¯d ever been to.


    ¡®He¡¯s a little cute.¡¯


    Unlike me, who looked at him happily, Marina¡¯s gaze was unpleasant.


    ¡°That bastard.¡±


    Marina mumbled disdainfully. She was on the verge of flipping Shasha upside down.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Marina didn¡¯t know that Shasha would gobble up anyone whom he didn¡¯t ept if they tried to touch him. I quickly approached Shasha¡¯s front andforted him.


    ¡°Shasha,e down.¡±


    Then he turned his head as if he didn¡¯t hear me.


    ¡®I knew it! He never listened to me because I¡¯ve been treating him like a dog.¡¯


    Since he didn¡¯t listen, I pulled him down forcefully. Shasha struggled, thrashing around wildly.


    ¡°Come on, calm down!¡±


    When I somehow managed to pull him off the bed, he got back on the bed andid down again. I pulled him down from my bed but he climbed up. This repeated three more times. In the end, it was me who ended up raising the white g.


    ¡°Go get a new cushion.¡±


    I yield. I never thought I¡¯d see Shasha make a fuss. I put a cushion next to the bed and pulled Shasha down. Then I pressed his head down hard so that he wouldn¡¯t get back into the bed.


    ¡°If you promise to sleep here, I¡¯ll let you sleep with me.¡±


    Shasha, who quickly understood my intent,y down on the cushion.

 Chapter 16

    ¡°But, My Lady, Shasha is a predatory animal. It has always been trying to hurt you. It¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll win.¡±


    ¡°What if it attacks you when you¡¯re asleep?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t my instincts take care of it?¡±


    It might sound like bullshit, but it could still be possible with Rosetta¡¯s trained body. And I knew Shasha wouldn¡¯t attack me. I didn¡¯t worry about it too much. But Marina¡¯s thoughts were different.


    ¡°Then you should at least put a muzzle on his mouth.¡±


    Shasha, who understood her words, looked at me again with big eyes as if he was saying,<em>¡®Master, Shasha doesn¡¯t like muzzles.¡¯</em>


    Interpreting his eyes, I muttered as if I was possessed.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. He won¡¯t be able to sleep because he might feel stuffy while wearing the muzzle. It¡¯s okay because I¡¯ve subjugated him now.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay here and protect you. I can¡¯t leave you alone like this.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    After getting my permission, Marina settled down on the couch. She didn¡¯t take her eyes off him. From the beginning, Shasha didn¡¯t even care.


    Whether Marina red at him or not, he stretched out his body and closed his eyes. That¡¯s how the day ended.


    * * *


    When I opened my eyes, my neck was securely attached to my body and Shasha was still in the dreand.


    As I expected, nothing had happenedst night.


    Marina still didn¡¯t trust Shasha, but she no longer made faces when looking at the sleeping Shasha.


    Also, no matter how much she tried to stay awake, Marina wasn¡¯t able to keep an eye on Shasha every night.


    Why every night, you ask?


    I don¡¯t know what kind of change of heart he had, but Shasha starteding to my room every night. Even if he ate in his room, he came right into my room when he wanted to sleep.


    I was worried that he was suffering from separation anxiety, but during the day, he was theplete opposite, making me so confused. He reacted sensitively only at night and tried to sleep next to me.


    ¡°So, is he always going to be next to you?¡±


    Lanoa looked at Shasha, who was lying at my feet with tired eyes.


    ¡°He only stays with me at night.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s he doing beside your feet right now?¡±


    Lanoa again nced down at Shasha, who was drowsily lying at my feet.


    ¡°Cute Shasha.¡±


    I patted Shasha¡¯s head as hey face down near my feet, but Shasha dodged my hand. I smiled awkwardly.


    ¡®Why is he so cold during the day andes to stick with me to sleep together at night? I don¡¯t know what goes in his head.¡¯


    ¡°Huh, where is the Rosetta Katzel, who would whip the beasts she raised to make them strong?¡±


    ¡°I have been reborn. Forget the old Rosetta.¡±


    The Rosetta he mentioned was not me. I¡¯m going to live a good life now.


    ¡°I realized how I¡¯ve been living my life. I¡¯m going to live a decent life now.¡±


    ¡°Pft!¡±


    Lanoa choked on his tea and spat it all over my face.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s disgusting!¡±


    ¡°Cough! Cough! Hey, you¡¯re not taking some drugs behind my back, right?¡±


    ¡°Are you asking me if I¡¯m taking some drugs? Is that what you should ask your little sister?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re normal.¡±


    Lanoa would be such a good brother if he could shut his mouth. His mouth was always the problem.


    ¡°Shasha, bite him.¡±


    ¡°Grrrrrrrr.¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey, it was just a joke.¡±


    Seeing Shasha charge at him, Lanoa got scared and moved aside to dodge him. It was a quick move, befitting a Katzel. But Shasha was also not one to miss. He chased after Lanoa with all his might.


    Shasha, who was chasing him, suddenly ran towards the door.


    ¡°Ruff! Ruff! Ruff!¡±


    ***


    ¡°Young Master, it¡¯s me.¡±


    Shasha¡¯s barks grew louder at the unfamiliar voice. Of course, it was also a strange voice to me.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    The man who came through the door was someone who existed in my memory.


    Baron Pallia.


    Since Lanoa was a wanderer and I got involved in a lot of idents, he was the one who was in charge of managing the fief on our behalf.


    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s Young Lady, too.¡±


    Rosetta remembered not being on very good terms with the Baron. The Baron nagged Rosetta all the time for ruining the family, and Rosetta trembled at the Baron¡¯s nagging.


    Rosetta would try to avoid him if she heard his voice from afar, and she often ignored his greetings. But I am not that Rosetta.

 Chapter 17

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Baron.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±


    The Baron¡¯s face, which remained calm no matter what, cracked when I reciprocated his greetings and used honorifics. He was suspicious of my sudden weird behavior and wondered what kind of tricks I had up my sleeves this time. Of course, as a great vassal, he didn¡¯t show any of this, but I could tell what he was thinking.


    ¡°There¡¯s also a wolf you haven¡¯t met yet.¡±


    ¡°Grrrrr.¡±


    ¡°This is the guy that I¡¯m raising these days.¡±


    ¡®Shh, you have to be quiet.¡¯ Shasha closed his mouth as I whispered and tugged his leash. But he kept staring at the Baron vigntly.


    ¡°He¡¯s cute, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Huh, yes.¡±


    It was so obvious that he was answering reluctantly. The expression on his grim face was amon sight.


    ¡®You must be thinking that a crazy princess is now raising a dog that resembles her.¡¯


    It was so obvious. The outsiders always looked at me like that. But unlike them, the experienced Baron quickly removed his thoughts from his face.


    ¡°Young Master, I have something to tell you about the mine you mentioned the other day.¡±


    The Baron held something in his arms and put it on the table. It was a ck stone with an uneven surface.


    ¡®Oh, is it really that?¡¯


    The stone felt familiar to me so I picked it up and took a closer look.


    It was light, yet hard enough that it didn¡¯t break easily. It was cold to the touch, as if it was ice. Yet it was a stone I knew very well.


    ¡°The diamonds you were looking for werest reported a week ago. There are only stones like this left.¡±


    ¡°What a waste!¡±


    Lanoa clicked his tongue in disappointment.


    ¡®The mood here is like a house in mourning.¡¯


    I tilted my head, feeling the heavy atmosphere between the two.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a useless stone.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you saying! It¡¯s a mana stone. You would make a lot of fortune with it.¡±


    Even if it was a bit small, it would be worth a lot. As I was rolling the mana stone in my hand, I raised my head feeling the piercing gazes. Two pairs of eyes stared at me intently.


    ¡°A mana stone?¡±


    ¡°You say it¡¯s a mana stone?¡±


    ¡®Huh¡­? Wait a minute, don¡¯t they know it¡¯s a mana stone? I think I brought up something wrong again¡­.¡¯


    In the original plot, the duchy was famous for its mana stones, so I thought they would know about it. But at the same time, I didn¡¯t know much about the existence of mana stones, let alone the famous ones.


    ¡°A mana stone is a jewel that shines with a blue light.¡±


    ¡°Mana stones are processed stones, while this is a raw stone.¡±


    Just as the Baron said, a mana stone was a smooth jewel with a subtle blue light. But because it was a processed stone, one would need to break the hard shell of the raw stone, before grinding and polishing it to make it smooth.


    The gemstone that I was holding was an ugly stone.


    It had the same characteristics as the one I had read in the original book. If you weren¡¯t a wizard, there was no chance anyone would know if the jewel was a mana stone. Even nobles who knew about its existence had a hard time distinguishing it. Moreover, it was much harder for the Katzel family as they were very far from magic. The Baron asked as if he couldn¡¯t believe what I was saying.


    ¡°How do you know about it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen it.¡±


    ¡°Where? There¡¯s no way you would be interested in this sort of thing.¡±


    At Lanoa¡¯s question, I just quickly cooked up a story.


    ¡°The wizard I knew showed me.¡±


    I used an unknown wizard from Rosetta¡¯s memory.


    ¡°Ah yes, there was a wizard Young Lady had sponsoredst year.¡±


    The Baron sessfully bit the bait I had just thrown.


    ¡°He showed it to me, boasting that it was a rare gemstone. I¡¯m sure. It looks just the same as that one. Though, this is bigger.¡±


    This answer was much more usible than saying the stuff I knew from the book.


    Because Rosetta wasn¡¯t interested in magic at all.


    She wasn¡¯t the type to be interested in magic and wizardry. She would rather wield her sword a hundred times than waste her time on such things.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, then you can check it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡±

 Chapter 18

    Surprisingly, the Baron didn¡¯t entrust this matter to an expert. His brown eyes twinkled and lit up, as if he had been anticipating this for a long time.


    ¡°Everything you do is alwaysmendable.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    When the Baron nodded and agreed with Lanoa¡¯s sarcastic words, Lanoa blinked his eyes in surprise.


    No, isn¡¯t it too much to say something like this to someone¡¯s face?


    ¡°Baron, I see you think of me as someone useless.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll put it bluntly then. Considering how much money you¡¯ve been spending to sort out troubles for Young Lady¡¯s dignity¡­¡±


    The Baron shook his head and left the end of the sentence open-endedly.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you seem to being to your senses these days.¡±


    Since then, the Baron¡¯s nagging started to no end.


    ¡®Wow¡­. I think I know now why you and Rosetta didn¡¯t get along. How can you nag so much in such a short time?¡¯


    My head felt dizzy.


    Lanoa, who was initiallyughing at my misfortune, also was nagged by the Baron. His gloating face quickly withered.


    The idea of escaping from here gued my head.


    I grabbed Shasha¡¯s yawning face. Shasha frowned and shook his head.


    <em>¡®Stay still. I can get out of here by using you as an excuse.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Huh? You want to get out? Okay, my Shasha¡¯s tired of Baron¡¯s nagging. I¡¯d better get going.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something you need to know.¡±


    <em>¡®You¡¯re still nagging me?¡¯</em>


    When I looked at the Baron without hiding my weariness, he carefully said.


    ¡°There¡¯s a rumor going around about the Crown Prince¡¯s whereabouts. No one knows where he is right now.¡±


    Well, that Crown Prince was here now. As the Baron spoke, I looked down at Shasha. He too looked up at me.


    ¡°The Crown Prince usually does not wander here and there.¡±


    ¡°The Little Duke is secretly looking for him.¡±


    ¡°Older brother? So it¡¯s not just a rumor.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we have to see whether there¡¯s really a problem.¡±


    A problem? No, there were a lot of problems. The Crown Prince was not only hunted by Lanoa but he was also wearing the cor I ordered.


    ¡°If His Highness doesn¡¯te back by next month, we might have to hold Young Lady¡¯sing-of-age ceremony here.¡±


    ¡®Oh, it¡¯s my birthday soon.¡¯


    Now I understood why Baron¡¯s reaction was so cautious. Theing-of-age ceremony was a very important event for Rosetta.


    Rosetta had settled in the North at the age of twelve and had never left the North for six years. So, the Duke had promised her that hering-of-age ceremony would be the grandest in the whole imperial capital.


    So her long-awaiteding-of-age ceremony was to be held in a simple manner in the estate because of some Crown Prince, whose face she hadn¡¯t even seen?


    Rosetta was so angry that she flipped everything upside down.


    Maybe that¡¯s why the Baron looked at me like that.


    I clicked my tongue, seeing the two people sitting far away from the table.


    ¡®You know, you guys really are creating the situation to make me flip something upside down.¡¯


    I looked at them with a chilling gaze but they didn¡¯t even flinch.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine with me.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    ¡°I thought you would get angry, but this is unexpected.¡±


    ¡°I told you, I have been born anew.¡±


    And theing-of-age ceremony meant nothing to me.


    Unable to believe my calm reaction, the two people stared at me nkly with their mouths open. I didn¡¯t want to deal with them anymore, so I closed the door and left them behind.


    The approachinging-of-age ceremony meant that the start of the original story was also getting closer.


    In other words, there was not much time left before Shasha would leave.


    I patted Shasha on the head.


    ¡°You will be able to go home soon.¡±


    Once Liliana shows up, everything would be back in its ce.


    * * *


    ¡°My Lady.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t buy it.¡±


    ¡°Please take a look at this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m busy. Don¡¯t bother me and go.¡±


    I lightly pushed Baron Pallia around and threw the ball.


    A cloud of dust rose behind Shasha, who ran quickly after the ball. Seeing the dust cling to his body, the Baron furrowed his eyebrows. It was obvious that he wanted to clean up quickly and leave.

 Chapter 19

    ¡®You don¡¯t like it? Well, I don¡¯t like it either.¡¯


    We were already ufortable with each other, but now we¡¯re fighting all because of Lanoa.


    Lanoa, that son of a pig, ran away after slyly putting me in charge of the mine.


    <em><You¡¯re the one who found it, so you should be the one to look over its export.></em>


    By the time I found out, my name had already been listed as the person in charge.


    My only dream was to live as a wealthy, unemployed person, so why do I keep getting more work?


    ¡®It¡¯s all because I pretended to know. The problem is always my damn mouth.¡¯


    Irritated, I rubbed my forehead hard.


    In the meantime, Shasha returned and spit out the ball.


    Shasha wagged his tail as I pped at his pace, which was faster than yesterday.


    I patted his head, looking at him very pleasantly.


    ¡°Good job.¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    This time, I threw two balls at the same time.


    But I couldn¡¯t control my strength and as a result the blue ball went over the fence. Fortunately, Shasha ran after the red ball that fell inside the fence. As I watched him, I sighed, feeling the ominous presence behind me.


    ¡°Your opinion is my opinion, Baron, so don¡¯te to me anymore.¡±


    After all it was Baron Pallia, not anyone else.


    He had managed the Katzel Duchy far better than anyone else for the past four years, so I was sure he would do well without my opinions.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    We both had offered a solution that wasfortable for everyone, but the upright Baron always came to bother me this way.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It was you who recognized the mana stone that no one knew about, and you also found a reasonable processingpany. Of course, no one is more suited to be in charge than you, Young Lady.¡±


    ***


    Yeah, I dug my own grave.


    Lanoa was struggling to find a processingpany. So, I told him whatever I knew.


    Although the processingpany I mentioned was small in size, it was a firm that Liliana had chosen after careful consideration in the original story.


    Since it was a ce chosen by the main character, the quality was guaranteed, of course.


    It was not famous now, but it would soon soar to new heights.


    I only chose it before it became famous, but I didn¡¯t know it would bring such a result.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about business. So what can I do?¡±


    ¡°All you have to do is give your opinion. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­¡±


    If that was the case, then you should do everything.


    For now, there was nothing more important to me than spending the rest of my time with Shasha, who would be leaving soon.


    ¡®Come to think of it, why isn¡¯t Shashaing?¡¯


    And then I saw him.


    Arge ball of fur jumped over the fence.


    ¡°¡­Shasha?¡±


    By the time I noticed, he had already disappeared over the fence.


    ¡°No! Shasha! Come back!¡±


    ¡®You can run away, but that¡¯s only after the female leades to the North!¡¯


    It¡¯s pointless if you go now! You¡¯re going to have a hard time if you leave the house!


    ¡°My Lady¡­ Argh!¡±


    ¡°Move!¡±


    I thought I heard someone fall from behind, but I didn¡¯t care.


    I never thought he¡¯d run away. I let my guard down because he was quiet for a while.


    I sprinted straight out of the fence and ran in the direction where Shasha disappeared.


    ¡°Shasha, don¡¯t go there! Come back!¡±


    I wondered whether this was how dog owners felt when they lost their dogs. All kinds of thoughts were running through my head.


    Shasha getting hit by a carriage, Shasha copsing while walking around the street in a pitiful state, and Shasha getting picked up and bullied by a bad person¡­


    ¡°No! Shasha!¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    Huh? I turned my head to Shasha¡¯s voice.


    Seeing Shasha running from an unexpected direction, I slowed down.


    ¡°¡­Shasha.¡±


    The first emotion that washed over me was relief. Then it changed to doubt.


    Why did youe back? It was a golden opportunity to run away from me.


    He was definitely looking for an opportunity to run away while I was off guard. He wanted to go, so why¡­

 Chapter 20

    Shasha tilted his head as if he didn¡¯t understand why I was out here instead of being inside the fence. Then he spat something out. It was the blue ball that I had identally thrown too far away.


    ¡®I thought you ran away. Was it because of the ball?¡¯


    Ah¡­ like a fool, I was just assuming stuff on my own¡­


    As I stared nkly at the ball, Shasha pushed his head towards me. When I felt the soft fur in my hands, I came back to my senses.


    ¡°Hahahaha.¡±


    I was both happy and deeply moved.


    It was different from the day when I mistook him for getting close and familiar with me. This time, I definitely felt his trust towards me.


    It was the first time I felt a bond between us.


    ¡°Wow, our Shasha is awesome. You brought it without giving up until the end. It¡¯s really amazing.¡±


    Then Shasha wagged his tail wildly. He was so pretty and admirable that I hugged him tightly. Shasha was so big that I gotpletely buried in him.


    ¡°So adorable! You¡¯re so nice, my little puppy!¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    We rolled over the floor.


    The Baron, who followed me, was freaked out by this scene, but I didn¡¯t know¡ª I just didn¡¯t know what to do because Shasha was so adorable. When I got up after rolling on the ground for a while, a document popped in front of my eyes. It was done none other than by the Baron who noticed that I was now in a better mood.


    ¡°Sir Baron, do you know that you¡¯re very persistent?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s my strength.¡±


    I lightly red at the Baron and read the document he had handed me.


    In summary, the Katzel Duchy would make essories with the mana stones and deliver them to the top-tier jewelry shops in the capital. The Baron¡¯s n was to disy the essories made of mana stone there to attract not only the wizards but also the non-magicians.


    Man, I already knew it, but this really smells like big money.


    ¡°This is a good idea. But mana stones are hard to handle aspared to the other jewels, so using any craftsman might destroy them.¡±


    The baron handed me another page.


    It was a famous jeweler whom I had heard of. But he cost a lot of money.


    ¡°Is there no one else aside from him?¡±


    ¡°He was chosen because you said we can¡¯t just use any jeweler.¡±


    Yes, but he was too expensive. I didn¡¯t like the jeweler that the Baron chose. The Duchy had to make as much profit as it could.


    Why? Because that would all be my retirement savings!


    But the problem was that my information was limited here. My information waspletely based on the original story and it was inadequate for this little initiative.


    So there was nothing I could do. I could only follow whatever the Baron said. When I was about to give up, a name shed in my mind like a thunderbolt. It was Rosetta¡¯s information, not mine.


    ¡°Asi¡­.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Please contact Asi¡¯s workshop. It¡¯s not a well-known ce, but I¡¯m sure of his skills. Do you remember the ne that Countess Giller wore to His Majesty¡¯s birthday banquetst year? It was made there.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about that ne?¡±


    The Baron¡¯s eyes brightened as I nodded. Countess Giller¡¯s ne was famous enough for Baron to understand it right away.


    It was actually a magic tool that could be used by non-magicians while maintaining its beauty without being crude.


    It was the only ne in the world. It was so famous that news about it spread all the way to the far north of the kingdom.


    ¡°The jeweler is known to be anonymous. How did you know about it?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s an ornament.¡±


    The ornament was beautiful. And Rosetta was crazy about beautiful things.


    After hearing the rumors about the ne the Countess wore, Rosetta drove her men like dogs to find the name of its mastermind.


    She wanted to request a ne design for hering-of-age ceremony.


    And she finally found out the name of the jeweler. Asi, the owner of the Asi workshop.


    ¡°The cost will be reasonable.¡±


    The Baron¡¯s face brightened up like a light bulb.


    ¡°But it won¡¯t be easy to sign a contract with him. That person is excellent in skill, but he doesn¡¯t like getting attention. I was rejected too.¡±


    And then the light on the Baron¡¯s face immediately went off. The Baron¡¯s expression clearly showed what he was thinking, ¡®The unrivaled Rosetta Katzel failed? Is that even possible?¡¯


    ¡®Yeah, the unrivaled Rosetta failed.¡¯


    ¡°¡­Is he alive?¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, yes.¡±


    The Baron was greatly relieved to hear that. It was clear that he thought it was useful not to kill him because of his skill. If it weren¡¯t for Asi¡¯s outstanding skills¡­ He would have died.

 Chapter 21

    Rosetta¡¯s scary face when she went berserk while sharpening her knife was vivid in my mind.


    Even though he had rejected her, she didn¡¯t touch him at all.


    Because of his skillfulness, she was determined to have a ne made by Asi someday.


    A determined expression came over the Baron¡¯s serious and hardened face.


    ¡°Please leave it to me.¡±


    He looked like a general going to war. I pped and cheered for him.


    Since I left all the work on him, it was no longer my concern. If he seeded in making a deal, then it would fill the Duchy¡¯s coffers and if he failed, then there was nothing we could do. It doesn¡¯t necessarily have to be jewelry making, the export of mana stone could also make enough profits.


    ¡®I have nothing to lose.¡¯


    ¡°Well, you should go now.¡±


    ¡°See you next time.¡±


    No, please don¡¯te back ever.


    * * *


    Of course, that didn¡¯t happen. The Baron who had flown from his manor turned his head at the sound of lowughter.


    Rosetta was smiling and hugging a big wolf.


    The baron stopped in his tracks at Rosetta¡¯s smile.


    ¡®When was thest time I saw her smile like this?¡¯


    He had watched Rosetta since her younger days.


    It had only been six years, but he hadn¡¯t seen such a pure smile in a long time.


    The Rosetta he knew was always bored and indifferent, and she often got annoyed or angry rather than being happy or joyful.


    But now it looks¡­ The Baron felt a strange sense of detachment as he saw her running with the wolf.


    As the wolf crossed the fence, he remembered how she was worriedly chasing after it.


    Her voice was desperate as she cried anxiously looking for the wolf. It was not possessive, rather it was a voice full of sincere care and concern.


    His mind nked as if he had been hit in the back of his head.


    He didn¡¯t know Rosetta was someone who could care for someone.


    He implicitly regarded her as a cold-blooded woman who would shed no blood or tears.


    She was a person who could not empathize with other people¡¯s emotions and took life lightly.


    But it wasn¡¯t like that. Rosetta tamed and put the wolf, which attacked her, by her side instead of killing it.


    It was amazing to see her show patience in such a short time.


    The Duke¡¯s words came to his mind.


    <em><The child is just wandering for a while. Everyone is like that at that age. Rosetta¡¯s time is just a little longer than others. She will eventually grow up.></em>


    When the Duke said so about her good for nothing character, the Baron replied to himself that it would not happen even if he died.


    Rosetta¡¯s actions were outrageous enough to overthrow his loyalty to the duke. But the Duke¡¯s words turned out to be right.


    Rosetta changed and became a much brighter and healthier person than before.


    She knew how to make precious things and cherish life. She also hadmon sense and courtesy, something he didn¡¯t even know she possessed.


    More than that, he got help from her in the most unexpected areas.


    Rosetta made a great contribution to the business by recognizing the existence of a mana stone that no one knew about, and today, she even led them to an excellent jeweler.


    He had thought she was a spoileddy who didn¡¯t know much about the world.


    ¡®It was me who looked at the youngdy with prejudiced eyes.¡¯


    The Baron admitted his mistake. While he had given up, Rosetta grew up splendidly.


    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s not bad to teach her about management.¡¯


    Whether Rosetta heard him or not, the Baron marched forward without thinking of yelling at her to stop.


    * * *


    Oh, I¡¯m dying.


    The Baron, whom I hoped wouldn¡¯t return again, came to me and asked for my opinion.


    At first, I either ignored him or pretended not to know him and even sent him back, but the Baron was persistent.


    Facing his persistence, I gave up and threw out some opinions, no matter how rubbish they were.


    Only then could I get out of this misery.


    The more information and opinions I gave, the more Baron¡¯s face shone to the point I waspletely sucked dry.


    Late at night, after being harassed by the Baron, I returned to my room and threw myself on the bed.


    My half-stretched legs dangled under the bed. Shasha, who was hit on the head by my leg, growled angrily.


    ¡°Grrrr.¡±


    Even though he was irritated, he pushed my legs with his head and put them on the bed, and theny down on the cushion again.

 Chapter 22

    ¡®This tsundere.¡¯


    I rolled over and looked at Shasha with a grin.


    ¡°Thank you, Shasha.¡±


    ¡°Woof.¡±


    But howe his eyes seem to be sympathizing with me.


    It was somewhat nauseating to receive sympathy from Shasha, who was a dog- no, my bad, a wolf.


    I wondered why I was even living in all this splendor and honor.


    The problem was that he saw the gold coins that had been entering the safe not long ago being handedpletely to the Duke.


    ¡°Good night.¡±


    ¡°Woof.¡±


    I patted Shasha on the head and closed my eyes, and fell asleep like a log.


    When I fell asleep like this, I slept like a dead person until the next morning. It was because no one generally touched me and Shasha stayed calm until I woke up.


    But for some reason, Shasha barked fiercely today.


    ¡°Ruff, ruff, arggg, ruff!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, be quiet¡­¡±


    Please be quiet. I mumbled in my sleep and covered my ears, but I soon opened my eyes feeling chilling energy rising from under my feet. Many people charged quickly in the dark room. Men d in ck from head to toe were attacking Shasha with weapons.


    ¡°What the hell?! Assassins?!¡±


    One of them reached for me, but I quickly rolled over and dodged the assassin¡¯s hand. Just when my body rolled under the bed, Shasha jumped up and bit the assassin¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Aaaargh!¡±


    My head stuck out at the ear-splitting scream. I was stunned to the spot as I was experiencing such a situation for the first time. Seeing me in a daze, Shasha hit me in the face with his tail.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    ¡°Sorry!¡±


    When the tail struck me, I came to my senses and jumped up and pulled out the sword that was ced above the bed.


    I swung the sword at the assassin who approached Shasha and killed him in a single strike.


    I got goosebumps at the unfamiliar sensation that was transmitted through the de. Nevertheless, my hands did not stop.


    ¡°Ruff, argggg, ruff, ruff!¡±


    ¡°Shasha!¡±


    As he looked back, he crushed the assassins under hisrge size, kicked them with his feet, and bit them with his sharp fangs.


    The total number of assassins who broke into the room was ten. I had just killed one, while Shasha took care of four others all by himself. The remaining five enemies entered a battle stance while being wary of me and Shasha.


    ¡°Who sent you?¡±


    Of course, no one answered. All I could hear was their ragged breathing.


    Their gaze was strangely fixed on Shasha.


    ¡°Do you have any business with my dog?¡±


    When I pointed towards Shasha, they flinched. Not missing the moment, I quickly lunged at them and swung my sword.


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    <em>ng~!</em>The swords shed and made a chilling sound.


    I noticed from the beginning that their target was Shasha, not me. If I was the target, they wouldn¡¯t have just swung their swords at me, rather they would have stabbed me with the sword first.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    ¡°Your side! Aaargghh!¡±


    Seeing that the assassin was distracted while shouting at me, Shasha bit him from the side. Shasha sunk his teeth into the assassin¡¯s ribs, shook it and threw his mangled body into the wall. My stomach churned at the sight of his exposed internal organs.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t see anything. I didn¡¯t see it.¡¯


    Trying to forget the disgusting scene, I tickled Shasha¡¯s chin as he came next to me. The enemies gulped nervously seeing the mutted figure.


    ¡°Tell me, who wants my puppy?¡±


    ¡°Grrrr¡­¡±


    ¡°Since there¡¯s no answer, there is nothing I can do. I have to kill you all.¡±


    Well, needless to say, it must be the Empress. She must have prepared to clear everything up. There was no way a thorough person like her would leave any trace, and we would gain nothing by torturing them alive. My grip on the sword tightened.


    I must have been slicing around with my sword for a while because when I came back to my senses, the room was a mess with corpses and blood everywhere. The blood clinging to my face made me feel sick.


    ¡°¡­Ha.¡±


    I wiped the blood flowing under my chin.


    ¡°That came out of the blue after a good night¡¯s sleep, right?¡±


    ¡°Grrrrrr.¡±


    ¡°Shasha?¡±


    Even though everything was over, he still seemed like a bundle of nerves. He suddenly raised his head.


    <em>Kyaa!</em>


    I looked out of the window and saw a crow perched on a tree staring at me.


    ¡°That bird, that¡¯s the crow, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    My green eyes met its red ones.


    The shiny marble-like beaded eyes moved from me to Shasha and then to the messed-up room.


    An ominous chill ran down my spine. So that¡¯s what she was watching us with.


    ¡®It was the Empress¡¯s bird¡­!¡¯


    Now I understood why Shasha got so angry at the crow. Sihael knew that the crow was the eyes of the Empress.


    <em>Caw caw~</em>


    The crow spread its wings. Did it think I would let it go?


    I took the gun off the wall and loaded it.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    <em>Bang!</em>


    With a loud shot, the crow fell down helplessly. I checked where the crow fell and shot once more for confirmation.


    ¡®How did she know where Shasha was? I didn¡¯t know she was watching him with a crow.¡¯


    It was my mistake. In the original story, it was mentioned that the Empress used the birds as her familiars but I didn¡¯t notice.


    I should have noticed it sooner and prepared for it. I bit my lips hard.


    I left the messy room behind and hugged Shasha, who was still in an anxious state.


    ¡°Shh, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    I hugged and stroked Shasha. But his back, which should have been soft, was damp. When I looked at it, dark red blood stained my hands.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    I quickly reached over to the bed and wiped the wound with a nket. Fortunately, the bleeding wasn¡¯t heavy, but I was upset. This had happened when he bit the assassin¡¯s hand while I was stupidly dazed.

 Chapter 23

    ¡°Did this happen when you were protecting me?¡±


    What should I do? Because of me¡­ With his ability, he probably would have taken care of it all by himself, but I ended up getting in his way. Even though I wasn¡¯t of much help, I was disturbed by the fact that I was dead asleep and only noticed the dire situation after hearing the sound of his barks.


    ¡®I am unqualified to be an owner.¡¯


    I swallowed back a sigh and stroked Shasha¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Then Shasha licked my cheek. I felt a sharp pain in my cheek. I didn¡¯t know because I was distracted, but I guess I got a cut.


    ¡°It stings.¡±


    I pushed Shasha away but for some reason, he stuck to my face and didn¡¯t let go.


    ¡®Come to think of it, this is the first time Shasha has licked my face.¡¯


    Was he scared? Misunderstanding him, I looked into his eyes and whispered,


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll protect you.¡±


    I hugged Shasha¡¯s neck and buried my face in his fur.


    <em>¡°¡­What?¡±</em>


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    Why was a strange man¡¯s voiceing from my arms? But Shasha was the only one in my arms¡­?


    <em>*Push*</em>


    I quickly pulled Shasha out of my arms. A soft, fluffy fur, two thick ears, and a long snout came into my sight. Surely, it was my dog, Shasha.


    I looked around, but I couldn¡¯t feel anyone¡¯s presence. I had confirmed that all the assassins were dead, so the voice definitely didn¡¯te from the pile of corpses.


    ¡®What? Am I having some auditory hallucinations because I was so surprised?¡¯


    I tilted my head and hugged Shasha again.


    I wanted to heal myself by burying my face in Shasha¡¯s soft fur.


    However, unlike before, when I hugged him, he kept wiggling his butt and moving back.


    Something was weird.


    ¡°Shasha, is it because of the Empress? It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll protect you.¡±


    <em>¡°How do you know that it was the Empress¡¯ doing?¡±</em>


    ¡°Oh, what the f*ck!¡±


    I pushed Shasha hard.


    I couldn¡¯t control my strength and pushed him too hard, because of which Shasha fell to the side.


    Shasha, who was thrown out, opened his mouth and blinked his eyes in surprise.


    No matter how surprised you are, you can¡¯t be more surprised than me!


    ¡°¡­Speak¡­ The dog can speak¡­¡±


    I raised my right hand and pped myself hard on the face.


    p!


    My right cheek tingled.


    ¡°I must be dreaming- no wait I¡¯m not dreaming. What on earth¡­ Shasha can talk? This dog?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a dog, but a wolf.¡±


    ¡°This is crazy¡­¡±


    How, how was he talking? Didn¡¯t the story mention that he couldn¡¯t speak? When he became a wolf, he turned into a real beast, so he did not have either reason or consciousness!


    He couldn¡¯t speak anything even after imprinting on Liliana!


    ¡°This is crazy. This world really is insane¡­¡±


    It was already stupid of me to raise Sihael, who was no different from a time bomb, after possessing the body of the viin, but now he could talk.


    I thought it would be all over if I sent Sihael to Liliana. Of course, after that, he wouldn¡¯t remember me!


    ¡®But what is this? No matter how I look at it, it seems he has regained his consciousness!!¡¯


    I¡¯m doomed. I¡¯m screwed.


    Suddenly my shoulders drooped and the silver fur fluttered in my sight.


    Hisrge front paws pressed against my shoulder. I was on my knees, so I lost my bnce and fell backward.


    <em>¡°I¡¯ll ask you again. How do you know that it was the Empress¡¯ doing?¡±</em>


    Sihael sat on top of me and asked lowly.


    It waspletely different from when he lost his temper and ran towards me.


    He didn¡¯t attack me like that day, nor did he show any aggression. He only asked me calmly with his unwavering, firm eyes.


    The problem was me. When I saw him on top of me, the scene reminded me of that day.


    The head, which instinctively perceived the situation as dangerous, swung freely.


    <em>Bang!</em>


    <em>¡°Arghh!¡±</em>


    ¡°Oh, uh, oh, my God! I¡¯m sorry! I was surprised. I didn¡¯t know¡­ It hurts a lot, doesn¡¯t it? I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    I jumped to my feet in surprise at the sight of Sihael rolling on the floor. But since I was too startled, I stumbled and ended up hugging him.


    When I saw his face distorted in pain, I felt guilt flooding me like a tidal wave.


    ¡®Shasha got hurt while protecting me, and I just made the wound worse. What are you doing, you idiot?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m a bad owner¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re treating me like a dog.¡±


    Ah, that¡¯s right. He was not a dog anymore!


    I let go of the hand that was stroking Sihael¡¯s back and slowly backed away.


    Sihael looked at me persistently.


    ¡®I can¡¯t breathe. How long do I have to stay like this? ¡®


    Finally, unable to bear the tense atmosphere, I opened my mouth first.


    ¡°Well, how are you able to talk?¡±


    <em>¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never seen anything like this before.¡±</em>


    ¡°Oh¡­ Okay.¡±


    <em>¡°I¡¯ll ask you this again. It¡¯s already the third time I¡¯m asking you, so I want you to answer this time. How did you know it was the Empress¡¯ doing?¡±</em>


    What should I say? That I had read about it? I have to give a usible excuse¡­


    As I forcibly tried to work my brain, I saw a gun lying on the floor.


    It naturally led me to think about the crow I killed.


    ¡°Because of the crow.¡±


    ¡°The crow?¡±


    ¡°I heard the Empress raises crows, that¡¯s how I came to know¡­¡±


    I led Sihael and showed him the dead crow outside the window.


    ¡°It has stalked us before. I thought it was weird back then, but I didn¡¯t expect her to send an assassin like this.¡±


    Of course, I thought it was weird then, but I didn¡¯t think too much about it.


    The thought naturally led to the crow I killed.

 Chapter 24

    I muttered and tilted my head with an innocent face, as if I knew nothing.


    What do I need now? Yes, acting skills that are as good as an actor¡¯s!


    I slowly blinked my big eyes and put on an ¡®I don¡¯t know anything¡¯ expression.


    ¡°Shasha, by any chance, were you the Empress¡¯ dog- no, I mean wolf? All the assassins were only after you¡­¡±


    <em>¡°Don¡¯t say such horrifying things. It makes me wanna throw up.¡±</em>


    Oh, okay. That was a very intense reaction.


    He shot the crow a ferocious re, filled with contempt as if just thinking about it would make him nauseous.


    Woah, Shasha can make such a face, too. He really looked like a real person. Well, he¡¯s actually a human being but¡­


    I decided to pretend not to know until Sihael himself revealed his identity.


    If he was going to hide it till the end, then I was also going to pretend I didn¡¯t know until the end.


    ¡®Even if I die, I can¡¯t say that I raised him knowing that he was the crown prince. It was definitely suspicious that anyone would raise him even after knowing his identity.¡¯


    The moon, which had been obscured by clouds, was revealed to the world.


    The moonlight lit up Sihael¡¯s face as well as mine.


    I frowned at the stark horror that unfolded before my eyes.


    First of all, I¡¯ll have to call someone and clean this mess up. As soon as I made that decision, I turned around.


    <em>¡°Rosetta Katzel?¡±</em>


    As I turned around in surprise at the voice calling me, I saw a wolf with surprised eyes as wide as mine.


    ¡°Huh? You know me¡­?¡±


    <em>¡°¡­I know.¡±</em>


    Sihael, who took a moment, curled up his lips.


    <em>¡°Your Ladyship is quite famous as Katzel¡¯s unruly mad dog.¡±</em>


    Sihael¡¯s mouth twitched in amusement.


    Wait, so wolves know how tough¡­ no, not that. Have the rumors spread to the Imperial capital?


    Unlike me, who was scared, Sihael looked relieved as if a huge burden had been lifted off him.


    <em>¡°If you¡¯re here, does that mean this is the Katzel Duchy?¡±</em>


    ¡°Right.¡±


    <em>¡°Should I say I¡¯m relieved¡­¡±</em>


    Sihael, who was muttering while looking at the crow, looked into my eyes as if he had made a big decision.


    I could feel a sense of determination from him.


    <em>¡°I have something to say to you, My Lady.¡±</em>


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    <em>¡°I know it¡¯s hard to believe but I am the Crown Prince of the Empire, Sihael von Idris. I¡¯m like this now because of a curse.¡±</em>


    ¡°Oh? Oh¡­ Yes?¡±


    You¡¯re telling me this right away? That¡¯s top-secret; a secret you shouldn¡¯t tell anyone!


    Surprised by this sudden bomb, I shrugged my shoulders. I was so surprised that the reaction came out naturally without even having to pretend/act.


    ¡°Can you say it¡­ Is it okay to say it like this? Shouldn¡¯t you keep¡­ shouldn¡¯t it be kept a secret¡­.?¡±*


    [*She¡¯s switching from informal to formal]


    Shit, I must look like a fool. Since I had been using informalnguage all the time, I was finding it difficult to speak formally.


    While I was being awkward, Sihael didn¡¯t care much about it.


    <em>¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do about it because you¡¯re the only one I can rely on now. But you¡¯re taking this much easier than I thought.¡±</em>


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t believe after seeing a wolf talk¡­ I think you¡¯re right, seeing how familiar you are with speaking informally¡­¡±


    <em>¡°My Lady, unlike your appearance, you have a nice personality.¡±</em>


    Huh, what was this? The atmosphere had suddenly turned nice.


    I had hit him in surprise, but fortunately, it seemed he had a good impression of me, so I was relieved.


    <em>¡°But, My Lady, how did I end up in the duchy?¡±</em>


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember, Your Highness?¡±


    <em>¡°I don¡¯t.¡±</em>


    ¡°Really? Not at all?¡±


    <em>¡°Yes, is there a problem?¡±</em>


    ¡°Oh, no no, there¡¯s not.¡±


    That¡¯s a relief! I hoped that his memories would nevere back in this life.


    If Sihael found out what I had done¡­ it was terrifying to just imagine.


    I¡¯ll keep my mouth shut even if I am arrested for sphemy against the imperial family.


    ¡°My second brother brought the wounded Your Highness.¡±


    Yeah, it was him who brought him here. But even if I died, I couldn¡¯t tell him that Lanoa actually hunted him.


    <em>¡°That second brother should be Lanoa.¡±</em>


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Sihael¡¯s walls slowly crumbled. The fact that he was picked up and looked after in the homnd of Leonard¨Chis best friend, the Katzel duchy, which became a fence for him after he lost his mother, seemed to have yed a big role.


    Maybe that¡¯s why this wolf could crack a joke that didn¡¯t fit the situation.


    <em>¡°I¡¯m asking you this out of concern, but you weren¡¯t raising me to ughter me, were you?¡±</em>


    ¡°Are you crazy? How can you say that? Do you even know how I felt while raising Shasha?¡±


    How can you say such harsh words?! Once the suppressed grievances broke out, they poured out uncontrobly.


    ¡°I fed you the highest quality meat! I let you sleep on the finest and softest cushion ever! I even took you for a walk every day! How many hardships I suffered while raising you with that flippant personality of yours! Do you- no, does Your Highness know that¡­?!


    All the hardships I had been through shed before my eyes.


    Hah, I felt dumbfounded just thinking about it again. How dare you diminish my efforts?!

 Chapter 25

    As I heaved my shoulders and gasped, that jerk of a wolf wagged his tail and scrunched his eyes.


    This punk! You¡¯re enjoying this now, aren¡¯t you?


    <em>¡°Then I¡¯m relieved because the rumors about the princess are quite horrendous.¡±</em>


    Woah, so this was your personality? I thought you were the serious and scary type.


    ¡®Where did my cute puppy go? I can¡¯t believe this sly wolf jerk is pulling my leg!¡¯


    Realizing that I had been teased by him, I wetted my lips.


    ¡°Do you want to be kicked out?¡±


    <em>¡°I didn¡¯t think you would be this petty¡­¡±</em>


    ¡°My Lady! Are you alright?¡±


    I suddenly blocked Sihael¡¯s mouth with my hand. Surprised, he blinked. I put my index finger on my lips, gesturing to him to stay quiet.


    ¡°Shh, I think the maid is here.¡±


    Sihael, who understood what I meant, nodded his head. Seeing that he was quiet, I went ahead and opened the door.


    ¡°You¡¯re just in time. I was just about to call you.¡±


    ¡°Haa!¡±


    ¡°My Lady!¡±


    Marina and an unknown knight gasped as they peered at the devastation that was spread behind my back.


    ¡°As you can see, it¡¯s a mess. I know it¡¯s quite troublesome at night, but please clean this up.¡±


    I stepped aside and let them in.


    Then Marina came straight up to me, while the knight rummaged through the dead bodies to check whether there was anyone breathing.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to check. They¡¯re all dead.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±


    The knight gulped nervously while seeing the mutted and dismembered corpses.


    In the meantime, Marina scoured my entire body, looking for even a small scar with hawk-like eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Rather, Shasha got hurt trying to protect me. Get him a doctor.¡±


    ¡°So that bastard Shasha can do something worthwhile, huh uhh!¡±


    I hastily closed Marina¡¯s mouth.


    ¡®Shit, he must have heard everything right now!¡¯


    As I slowly turned back, I saw Sihael raise his eyebrows.


    Oh, I guess he heard it.


    ¡°Hang on, My Lady. Your cheek.¡±


    After seeing the scar on my cheek, Marina jumped up like a freshly caught live fish.


    ¡°A scar on such a national treasure-like face! We need to get it treated right now!¡±


    ¡°What national treasure? Don¡¯t say stuff like that.¡±


    ¡°Actually, national treasure isn¡¯t enough to describe it. You must be content with holy artifact-level, right?¡±


    <em>¡°Pfft!¡±</em>


    ¡°What was that sound?¡±


    I covered my face as if I hadn¡¯t heard the knight¡¯s question.


    ¡®Oh,e on. This is so embarrassing. This kind of face would be all over the capital for being notorious, so what¡¯s with saying it¡¯s at some national treasure level?¡¯


    It felt funny to be called a national treasure-like beauty from Marina¡¯s mouth. My face turned hot.


    ¡°I feel a little icky now. I wanna wash up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get your bath ready right away!¡±


    As I was almost being dragged by Marina¡¯s hand, Sihael followed me.


    * * *


    I was tired. Maybe it¡¯s because I didn¡¯t sleep well.


    My head was nk and my body felt like it was floating.


    Even Rosetta who had an iron stamina would be out of breath after taking care of the baron, a deadly assassin attack, and a talking Sihael in a row.


    After washing up and getting treated, I stumbled and straight-up copsed on my new bed.


    I¡¯m not kidding. I really fell down.


    <em>¡°You must be very tired. There are dark circles under your eyes.¡±</em>


    As Iy on the bed and stared into the air, I rubbed my ears at the low-pitched voiceing from my side.


    ¡®Oh, I can¡¯t get used to it.¡¯


    After getting ustomed to the growls of a wolf, I was having a hard time getting used to the low-pitched man¡¯s voice.


    The voice was really good.


    It was soft but not light, and it was a serious and strong voice suitable for someone like the Crown Prince.


    The problem was that it was not the human Sihael, but the wolf Shasha, who had that voice, so there was a huge sense of alienation.


    The Shasha I know was a cute little puppy who would often throw a fit. When did he grow up like this?


    Was this how a mother feels when sending away her youngling? My heart felt empty.


    <em>¡°May I ask you a few more questions, if you don¡¯t mind?¡±</em>


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    As soon as my answer came, Sihael jumped up on the bed and asked his questions.


    From how many days he¡¯d been here to the situation in the capital after he disappeared, he asked about everything.


    After answering the first one or two with utmost sincerity, I gradually got tired of it.


    I knew he was frustrated because he didn¡¯t remember anything, but I really felt like I was going to die.


    ¡°You know what, Your Highness?¡±


    <em>¡°What?¡±</em>


    ¡°You are my dog now. As you may not know, you are wearing a cute cor. So Your Highness is now under my ownership.¡±


    <em>¡°It¡¯s difficult to im ownership at the first meeting.¡±</em>


    ¡°I have been raising Your Highness for almost a month, so I think I am qualified. So, as the owner, Imand you.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t it said that people talk nonsense when they feel sleepy?


    When my brain lost its filter function due tock of sleep, my mouth began to run rampant and gave away all my inner thoughts.


    ¡°Please, I¡¯ll do the rest tomorrow¡­¡±


    After that, my vision turned ck.


    * * *


    She really fell asleep.


    Sihael looked down at Rosetta, who had fallen asleep.


    Contrary to her cold impression, she looked like an angel when she was sleeping.


    ¡®That¡¯s not what I¡¯ve heard.¡¯


    The rumors said she had a vicious temper, was beyond redemption, and she had even killed someone.


    All the rumors that Sihael had heard so far were really terrible. He had even heard about them on the battlefield, so he could see how severe it was.


    The Duke seemed to be trying his best to stop these rumors, but it wouldn¡¯t have spread if he could simply block them.


    Even after the Duke and his wife hade to the capital, the people kept on murmuring about how they left Rosetta alone in the duchy.


    Sihael wondered if she was imprisoned in the Duchy because of what she had done in the past. Since it was a rumor, it was bound to be exaggerated, but when he saw his friend, Leonard¡¯s face hardening whenever someone mentioned about his younger sister, it didn¡¯t seem like the rumors werepletely nonsense.


    But far from being vicious¡­


    <em>¡®Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll protect you.¡¯</em>


    Her voice was so gentle and her arms were so warm that Sihael didn¡¯t even think of overpowering her, who might possibly turn out to be his enemy.

 Chapter 26

    Rather than wary, he felt a sense of security in her arms.


    The sweet scent that ovepped the fishy smell of blood made him feel drowsy.


    Sihael was bewildered at this feeling of security that he had felt after a long time.


    ¡®She said we¡¯ve been together for a month, so maybe that¡¯s why.¡¯


    For some reason, Sihael felt like he shouldn¡¯t dig deep into this, so he consciously erased those thoughts.


    ¡°Oh, um¡­¡±


    Meanwhile, Rosetta, who was tossing and turning, moaned with her neck arched.


    A deep furrow formed between her crumpled brows.


    Sihael, who was staring at this scene, sighed and pushed his head up near her nose.


    ¡°She¡¯s such a handful.¡±


    He pushed Rosetta¡¯s head with his head and put it on the pillow, and then pulled up the quilt that was crumpled under her feet.


    Only then did her face rx and she let out a sigh of satisfaction.


    <em>¡®So, Your Highness is now under my ownership.¡¯</em>


    ¡°How absurd!¡±


    Anyway, she was quite an interesting girl.


    Sihael smiled andy down next to Rosetta.


    He still had a lot of questions and things he wanted to know, but he had plenty of time ahead.


    After lying beside Rosetta in afortable position, Sihael snorted when he saw the deste cushion that had been abandoned by its owner.


    A crown prince couldn¡¯t sleep on a worn-out dog cushion.


    * * *


    One!!!


    Two!!!


    ¡®Ugh, so noisy!¡¯


    I covered my ears with a pillow at the sound of cheersing from outside.


    As the sound faded away, so did my consciousness.


    I barely fell asleep, but I felt a persistent gaze this time.


    As I forced my heavy eyelids to open, I almost let out a gasp of surprise on seeing Sihael¡¯s face right in front of me.


    My heart started pounding.


    ¡°Ah really, why is¡­?¡±


    Wait, what time was it now, and were you already waiting for me to wake up? My heart ached at the thought of having to soon face each of his questions.


    I looked up stiffly and looked at the time; it was ten o¡¯clock. It was still early in the morning.


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you in two hours¡­¡±


    My usual wake-up time was around noon. I pushed away from the looming Sihael andy back on the bed.


    However, it wasn¡¯t Sihael¡¯s nature to give up. He growled and pressed down my shoulder with his front paw.


    Ah, it¡¯s annoying as hell. The heavy weight on my shoulderpletely shook away my sleep and I got up groggily.


    ¡°Use your words. Words. ¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    ¡°¡­What the hell? Why are you like this again?¡±


    Sihael, who had been bothering me until this morning, looked clearly dumbfounded.


    ¡°Woof woof!¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡­I can¡¯t understand a thing.¡±


    Was I dreaming, or did something go wrong while I was sleeping and he went back to being a dog?


    Either way, it was clear that there was definitely a problem.


    ¡®I¡¯m going crazy. If this happens, there¡¯s no way to tell if it¡¯s Shasha or Sihael.¡¯


    Just as I took a deep breath, Sihael bit my puckered lip.


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    *Lick*


    Then Sihael licked my lips.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    To be exact, what he licked was the blood flowing from my lips. He licked greedily as if he couldn¡¯t miss a drop.


    ¡®Is this guy crazy? Was hepletely out of his mind now?¡¯


    My mouth was all wet with saliva.


    I frowned and grabbed Sihael¡¯s back. As I pulled Sihael off me as hard as I could, he shouted at me at the same time.


    <em>¡°It worked!¡±</em>


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®it worked¡¯? Why are you suddenly biting people¡¯s lips?¡±


    He moved away from my lips and wagged his tail as if seeing something good. I flicked his head with a thump.


    <em>¡°My Lady, don¡¯t you think you were too violent?¡±</em>


    Sihael grunted as he shook his head to check whether it hurt.


    ¡°Your Highness, would you like to tell me why you were biting my lips to pieces while I was barely awake?¡±


    The bleeding didn¡¯t stop easily as he had bitten a bit hard.


    ¡°Your Highness, now that you can use words to express yourself, please do me the honor of telling me why you licked my lips?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to eat.¡±


    Was he a pervert¡­? Seeing my eyes filled with contempt, Sihael added hurriedly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that! When I woke up, I couldn¡¯t speak. That¡¯s why I tried to wake My Lady, but your lips looked so delicious- no, it smelled delicious.¡±


    ¡°Did you just think of me as food?¡±


    I barely have the social rank to subdue him. What should I do?


    Should I still care about superiority and ranks to subdue him? I was up against the Crown Prince. Should I just beat him up¡­?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s something in your blood. I be fine if I consume your blood. That¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll believe that?¡±


    ¡°Not even when I started speaking only after I consumed your blood yesterday and today?¡±


    Come to think of it, didn¡¯t he start speaking after he licked the wound on my cheek?


    As Sihael said, there might be something special about my blood.


    Maybe, like Lilliana, I too had the ability to purify people?


    ¡®No, it can¡¯t be. If I had such an ability, then Sihael would have returned to his human form yesterday.¡¯


    He was still cursed.


    <em>¡°So for the record, can I not lick your lips?¡±</em>


    Sihael stared at my lips and licked his lips.


    <em>¡°Too bad!¡±</em>


    I could hear his small murmur in my ears.


    ¡°Are you crazy, Your Highness? You may be a dog now but your soul is definitely a man!¡±


    <em>¡°Do you mind it?¡±</em>


    Of course, I didn¡¯t mind it. No matter whose soul was in there, the outer shell was still a dog.


    Badump, badump. But strangely, why was my heart pounding?

 Chapter 28

    No, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case. Wasn¡¯t it a problem if you felt something like this for a dog in the first ce?


    But it annoyed me when that person said things like that, because it really got on my nerves.


    ¡°If Your Highness needs blood next time, just bite my finger. Don¡¯t drench my lips with your saliva! It feels unpleasant.¡±


    ¡°I was being considerate and not to make you feel unpleasant.¡±


    Sihael mumbled with his tail drooping as if he was hurt by my words.


    ¡®Ugh! If you do this with Shasha¡¯s face, I can¡¯t help but care about you!¡¯


    If it were Sihael¡¯s main body, I would have ignored his pretense of acting cute, but since it was done by the dog I raised I couldn¡¯t ignore him like that.


    Seeing his shoulders continue to droop, I had no choice but tofort him with a gentle voice.


    ¡°Do you still need more?¡±


    <em>¡°It would be nice if I can have some more.¡±</em>


    Then, his eyes twinkled as if the gloomy eyes before were just an illusion.


    I¡¯m a fool for getting deceived like this. I nced at Sihael and stabbed my index finger with a dagger.


    Red blood dripped down from my finger.


    Was this less? I cut my fingers a little bit more.


    When I reached out my hand, Sihael stuck his face in my finger.


    Was my blood that good? He licked my hand hard as if he was eating something delicious.


    Um, this felt weird. It tickled.


    <em>¡°Can¡¯t you just stay still?¡±</em>


    ¡°It tickles.¡±


    When I flinched a few times, Sihael immediatelyined.


    He didn¡¯t even care about the feelings of his owner who was serving him for free.


    ¡°What do you n to do in the future?¡±


    <em>¡°First of all, I¡¯ll contact Leonard.¡±</em>


    In the current situation, the only person he could trust was Leonard, who knew of Sihael¡¯s curse and also had a blood rtionship with me.


    ¡°How?¡±


    Sihael just kept sucking my finger without answering. Reading his intentions in his dull eyes, I smiled a nk smile.


    So you want me to take care of you? This punk!


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m your servant?¡±


    <em>¡°When the work is finished, I¡¯ll listen to whatever My Lady wants.¡±</em>


    ¡°Then please act like a dog.¡±


    While I agreed to it, I decided to write a letter to my brother right away. I took a piece of paper from the desk and wrote down as Sihael told me to.


    The letter was brief.


    The message was mainly:<em>Come quickly to the duchy since Sihael happened to be staying there.</em>


    <Sihael Von Idris>


    In the end, I wrote his name and put a period, but it felt like it was missing something.


    I put the letter on the floor and grabbed Sihael¡¯s front paw.


    <em>¡°What are you doing?¡±</em>


    ¡°We have to leave a mark so that it¡¯s clear it is a letter from Your Highness.¡±


    I carefully applied the ink all over Sihael¡¯s feet and then pressed it down on the corner of the letter. Arge footprint was clearly stamped on the paper.


    It was perfect.


    ¡°Is this okay?¡±


    <em>¡°Well, it¡¯s not bad.¡±</em>


    I grabbed Sihael¡¯s paw and shook it.


    ¡°Your Highness, now that we are in the same boat, call me Rosetta.¡±


    As long as we have a connection, let¡¯s build up our friendship.


    * * *


    ¡°Butler, send it to Brother Leonard. It¡¯s urgent, so please hurry up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, My Lady.¡±


    The butler who put the letter in his arms looked at me.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Yourplexion looks bad.¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s because I¡¯m a little busy these days.¡±


    I swept my face down with my hands. But what I felt was rough skin. The skin that used to be as smooth as a peeled egg was ruined in less than a month.


    I bit my lip in anger and frowned at the stinging pain. The butler also frowned at the same time as if he was the one who was hurting more.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Last night, the young master was very angry because My Lady got injured from that unpleasant incident.¡±


    ¡°My brother?¡±


    ¡°You can hear the knights¡¯ dying sounds all the way here.¡±


    No wonder it¡¯s been so noisy since morning. I remembered hearing cheers and screams all this morning.


    ¡°My Lady, we¡¯ve got a lot of good medicinal herbs today. I know you always refuse to take a tonic, but this time, can¡¯t you just follow this old man¡¯s advice?¡±


    ¡°A tonic? Okay, I¡¯ll take it. I¡¯ll definitely eat it. Then please prepare it¡±


    The butler was worried about my refusal. So when I agreed to take the tonic, his face lit up. The look on his face was that of an old man looking at his grown-up granddaughter.


    ¡°I¡¯ll then prepare it every day.¡±


    Of course, of course. One¡¯s health should be taken care of from a young age.


    I drank the medicine the butler gave me and walked to the training ground.


    ¡®This Lanoa! How could he not show his face when he says he¡¯s worried about my injuries?!¡¯


    As I entered the training grounds, I saw the knights dying, just as the butler said.


    No one was fine.


    They were all struggling and were covered in dust and dirt. Though they were breathing, they looked more like a zombie. I approached Lanoa, who was resting in the shade.


    ¡°Hey Brother, I heard you were worried about me? But then why didn¡¯t youe to see me?¡±


    I patted his shoulder which had a light bruise.


    When Lanoa saw my face, he clicked his tongue.


    ¡°What a mess.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    I shrugged my shoulders and said it was not a big deal, but Lanoa¡¯s distorted expression showed no sign of easing up.


    He was clearly angry, but he couldn¡¯t get angry at me as I was the victim. So it was the poor knights who had to bear the brunt of his anger.


    ¡°Who told you to rest?! Why aren¡¯t you all running? Keep on running!¡± (Lanoa)


    ¡°Yes!!!¡± (Knights)


    After the roaring reply, the knights ran across the training ground, dragging their exhausted bodies.


    I felt pity, seeing their miserable appearance.


    ¡°Why are you making them suffer like this?¡±


    ¡°Even though a rat sneaked in, they were sleeping peacefully, so of course they should suffer. Also, it bothers me that you had to get rid of all those rats who stealthily crawled out from behind. It¡¯s embarrassing that these careless people are the Knights of the Katzel Duchy.¡±


    Lanoa, who had scolded the knights hard, looked at the empty space next to me and asked.


    ¡°Is Shasha seriously hurt?¡±

 Chapter 29

    Following his gaze, I also looked down at his paw. My eyes almost bulged out in disbelief. The wound on his paw hadpletely disappeared as if the deep gash I saw before was just a lie.


    ¡°Are you saying my blood healed you?¡±


    <em>¡°As you can see yourself, yes.¡±</em>


    What¡¯s this? Is there healing power in my blood?


    ¡®Rosetta didn¡¯t have this kind of ability.¡¯


    Did Rosetta have any healing ability from the beginning? If the main character had it, it was understandable, but a viin could not have such power.


    ¡°Would this also work on humans?¡±


    <em>¡°Maybe it¡¯s impossible. If it were possible, there wouldn¡¯t have been a scar left on your body.¡±</em>


    Of course, indeed. Why would anyone give a viin healing powers?


    ¡®So this power is limited to Sihael?¡¯


    No matter whether I liked it or not, I couldn¡¯t get rid of the feeling of being deeply connected with him.


    <em>¡°Are you sad?¡±</em>


    ¡°Not really. I¡¯m so strong that I don¡¯t get hurt easily. The same goes for my family.¡±


    I shrugged my shoulders lightly and beamed.


    Because of that, the wound Sihael bit off got open again, giving out a fishy smell. My expression quickly turned into a frown.


    <em>¡°¡­Does it hurt a lot?</em>


    ¡°If I think this much hurts, then I should be ashamed of calling myself a Katzel.¡±


    Sihael was worried about what I had done, so I said something to soothe his worries. He looked so cute when he nced at me disapprovingly as if he didn¡¯t like what I said, so I reached out and stroked his head gently.


    For me, stroking Sihael was as natural as breathing, but it wasn¡¯t the same case for him. Sihael flinched, feeling embarrassed by the gentle touch he had felt for the first time since he had regained his consciousness.


    Surprised, I also hesitated and stopped my hand.


    ¡°Should I not?¡±


    <em>¡°¡­No, it doesn¡¯t matter. Why are you stroking my head?¡±</em>


    ¡°Because you¡¯re adorable.¡±


    Does there have to be a reason for finding someone adorable?


    Sihael blinked nkly as if he didn¡¯t understand what I was saying.


    <em>¡°Am I adorable?¡±</em>


    He murmured to himself.


    I got up and stretched my body, leaving him alone in his confusion.


    * * *


    I was having a difficult time these days because Sihael had mistook me for a goodhearted person.


    He kept asking if I was the notoriousdy of the rumors or how the rumors came about, but I had nothing to say to him.


    I¡¯m different from the previous Rosetta, so I¡¯m not thedy from the rumors¡­


    ¡®Can¡¯t he see the servants avoiding me?¡¯


    Even though I wasn¡¯t as harmful as before, to them, I was still someone to be feared. The only people who werefortable with me were the butler, who had been with me since I was little, my brother, Lanoa, and Marina, who had sworn her allegiance to me.


    In addition to that, there was also Baron Palia, with whom I had a good rtionship recently, and Allen, who became my escort knight, making it altogether five people.


    The reason why Sihael mistook me for a good person despite my awkward rtionship with everyone was especially because of those two whom I had recently be close to.


    Are you wondering why I brought up the Baron?


    After hearing the news that I was injured, he ran to my side and checked my condition.


    ¡°What kind of bastard dared to target you!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t hide his anger when he saw the scratches on my cheeks and swollen lips. His anger escted when I used my wounds as an excuse to keep away from the Baron.


    ¡°I will kill them all.¡±


    What would you achieve by killing people who I¡¯ve already killed? And speaking of that¡­


    ¡°Baron, aren¡¯t you bad at fighting?¡±


    ¡°Ehem, I¡¯ll also hire some assassins.¡±


    Seeing Baron Palia, the real power of the Katzel duchy, worrying, nagging, and hovering around me, Sihael began to mistakenly believe that my notoriety was just a rumor.


    Plus, Allen¡¯s attitude also changed drastically.


    Contrary to the first time he was wary of me for fear of getting on my bad side, he began to approach me actively.


    ¡°Good afternoon, My Lady!¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Are you going for a walk? I¡¯ll go with you!¡±


    Not paying attention to Allen¡¯s babbling, I opened up my umbre, but Allen reached out his hand.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold it!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need your help so go away!¡±


    I appreciated him being nice to me, but honestly, it was annoying and ufortable.


    Whenever I went for a walk, Allen did not leave my side, so I had to forcibly cut off my conversation with Sihael.


    It had already been two days since I had been taking walks without saying a word. Aside from being frustrated with not being able to speak, it was ufortable being guarded so closely that I thought it was excessive.


    ¡°I¡¯m going with Shasha today, so wait over there.¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°WAIT. OVER. THERE.¡±


    Emphasizing one word at a time, I red at him.


    Surprised by the look on my face, Allen shifted his gaze along where I pointed.


    The quivering eyes soon started to twinkle when he saw that the ce where my finger pointed was under the cool shade.


    ¡°My Lady¡­¡±


    Ha, it¡¯s annoying.


    ¡°Go away!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be off now!¡±


    He bowed to me and ran to the shade like an arrow.


    Allen waved his hands at me.


    I wonder how such a stupid person got into the Katzel¡¯s Knights Order. He really was more like a dogpared to Sihael.


    As I waved back my hand reluctantly at him, I heard a voice mixed with mirth next to me.


    <em>¡°Why don¡¯t you try taming him? I think he¡¯ll listen to you well.¡±</em>


    ¡°I¡¯ve done it. I have already tamed a very fierce fellow.¡±


    <em>¡°I don¡¯t think that fierce fellow is me.¡±</em>


    Hmph! You¡¯re so sure, even though I hadn¡¯t said it. Sihael twitched his nose as I patted him on the head in a yful way.


    ¡°Oh, by the way, brother Leonard said he¡¯d be arriving today¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t finish the sentence when I saw Sihael¡¯s dirty fur.

 Chapter 30

    How long has it been since hest took a bath? When I counted mentally, I realized it had been around three weeks ago.


    ¡°Your Highness, would you like to take a bath before my brotheres?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to, but are you sure you can do it?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    I was confident I could because it was me who tookplete care of Shasha before. Sihael nodded at my confident answer.


    ¡°That¡¯s great, though it¡¯s still awkward.¡±


    However, Sihael, who allowed me to bathe him, immediately regretted it.


    ¡°The rumors weren¡¯t false.¡±


    Sihael trembled, feeling betrayed.


    ¡°I thought you were a kind person, but I didn¡¯t expect you to be so vicious.¡±


    This kid. Was this something you should say while I¡¯m washing you to the best of my ability even though I¡¯m having a hard time?


    ¡°Yes, yes,e here. Your fur is as dirty as a rag. Ugh, just look at all this dirty water.¡±


    ¡°I have lost my innocence.¡±


    Someone might misunderstand if they heard it. I just touched it by ident while bathing him!


    Sihael, who crouched down to avoid my touch, had a yful look in his eyes.


    ¡®Is this how you¡¯re going to y?¡¯


    Sihael often teased me in this way to make sure I wasfortable, but it was clear that he enjoyed seeing me in trouble.


    But who I am, I am the one who tamed the finicky Shasha! I won¡¯t get embarrassed by this kind of prank!


    ¡°Oh my, Your Highness! Haven¡¯t you mated not even once before? To think you¡¯ll lose your innocence just with a light touch like that. You are so innocent, unlike someone who has rolled in the battlefield.¡±


    Because of my exaggerated gestures, Sihael¡¯s eyes widened as he hurriedly took my hands off his body.


    He could not hide his embarrassment because he didn¡¯t know I would react like this.


    ¡°You, you! That¡¯s not something that a kid should say!¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m all grown up.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still a child if you haven¡¯t had youring-of-age ceremony.¡±


    What is it, you boomer? I just didn¡¯t have mying of age ceremony, but I¡¯m 18 this year.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go around saying stuff like mate or anything like that.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What did you say? Did you say you want to mate? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll find you a nice female!¡±


    ¡°Rosetta, are you not ashamed?¡±


    ¡°Aww, baby Shasha is very shy.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    Was it because I was not all scared of staring at his soaking body? What¡¯s with the rmed look on your face? I was just smiling because I found his sagging fur funny. When I giggled out loud, Sihael revealed his fangs, showing that he was really very angry.


    It was the first time Sihael had shown me his fangs since he regained his consciousness, and funnily enough, I was happy to see his sharp fangs.


    <em>¡®Before, whenever he had a chance, he would show his fangs to intimidate me¡­ My Shasha, where did you go, leaving your older sister?!¡¯</em>


    Missing my Shasha, I poured water on the growling Sihael to wash away the foam.


    The way he growled and showed his fangs was just like my Shasha, so I wanted to touch him more. However, maybe I provoked him too much. Sihael looked grumpy until he finished taking a bath.


    ¡°There, it¡¯s done.¡±


    Sihael¡¯s eyes instantly shed as I approached with a towel.


    ¡®Uh, wait¡­!¡¯


    Sihael shook his fur without stopping.


    Tatatatatat!


    Drops of water sshed all over my face, clothes, and everywhere.


    ¡°Ah! You should have told me before doing that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s revenge for harassing me.¡±


    Sihael¡¯s face softened, perhaps because he was feeling a little better.


    Okay fine, as long as you like it. I roughly wiped the water that sshed on my face and walked over to Sihael and covered him with a towel.


    I wiped his fur with a towel.


    From his head to waist, even his hips, and tail. Lastly, as I was wiping his feet dry, Sihael¡¯s gaze became strange.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there something on the ceiling?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s just that there are a lot of water droplets.¡±


    What are you talking about?


    I dismissed Sihael¡¯s words as nonsense, and took out a new towel, and wiped the remaining moisture.


    ¡°Done. Now it¡¯s clean.¡±


    I took him outside to dry up the remaining water on him.


    ¡°Now go.¡±


    Sihael¡¯s steps were light as if he was happy to finish his bath.


    Just when I stepped out of the bathroom, I shivered for a while feeling a chilling gaze.


    As I turned around, wiping my dripping head with a towel, a strange man called me.


    ¡°Rosetta.¡±


    ¡°Brother?¡±


    It was Leonard, Rosetta¡¯s eldest brother. I opened my mouth foolishly when I saw my brother¡¯s face for the first time.


    ¡®He really looks like me!¡¯


    A man who looked like Rosetta¡¯s carbon copy approached me.


    I thought I looked like Lanoa, but it turns out my real resemnce was with this guy. Leonard¡¯s beautiful face looked at me and then moved towards Sihael.


    While the two exchanged nces, Lanoa, who had followed Leonard, cried out.


    ¡°Did you y something in the water?¡±


    When I came back to my senses, Lanoa looked at me and frowned.


    ¡°I can see your undergarments. Don¡¯t torment my eyes. Just go and change your clothes.¡±


    ¡°Is that what you should be saying to your sister?¡±


    Leonard smacked Lanoa¡¯s back.


    ¡°Ouch! Brother, why are you hitting me when I said something true?!¡±


    As they fought, I lowered my head and looked at my chest, and as Lanoa said, my undergarments were visible. The dress I wore today was white, so they came out to be more clearly visible. Now I understood why earlier Sihael avoided my eyes when I asked him why he was looking at the ceiling.


    ¡°Did you see it?¡± (Rosetta)


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see it.¡± (Sihael)


    ¡°You saw it. You definitely saw it. Pervert.¡± (Rosetta)


    ¡°Ho, who¡¯s really the pervert here?¡±(Sihael)


    The conversation naturally led to an argument.


    Lanoa, who was watching this sequence of events, pped himself on the cheek.


    ¡°Am I dreaming¡­ the dog is talking.¡±


    ¡°Rosetta, he¡¯s behaving the exact same way as you did.¡± (Sihael)


    Because of Lanoa¡¯s response, Sihael smiled remembering that day when Sihael regained his consciousness.


    I smiled at the dumbfounded Lanoa.


    Yes, how can our reaction be so simr?

 Chapter 31

    ¡°Is this voice¡­ His Highness, the Crown Prince?¡±(Leonard)


    ¡°You haven¡¯t changed at all. Are you still living like a carpet knight*?¡± (Sihael)


    [*The actual word also means a man of the military ss who has not passed the examination for an official post or an idle youth of the gentry.]


    ¡°This is crazy!¡± (Lanoa)


    Like the blind Shim* who regained his sight, Lanoa opened his eyes wide and suddenly ran to the bed.


    [*Shim Hyeon is a character from The Tale Of Shim Chong. He is the blind father of Shim Chong.]


    When I was wondering what he was doing, he yanked the nket and wrapped it around my body.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look!¡±


    He yelled at Sihael and then got mad at me.


    ¡°Why are you standing like this in front of a man?!¡±


    ¡°What am I supposed to do if you can see how drenched I am while giving a bath?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you?! All bastards are wolves!¡±


    ¡°Ah, rightly said. But you were the one who gave him to me knowing he was a wolf!¡±


    ¡°Because I thought it was a real wolf!¡±


    Why are you getting angry at me? Weren¡¯t you the one who forcibly tossed Sihael over to me because you didn¡¯t want to take care of him?


    We were fighting and growling at each other like dogs. Leonard grabbed the back of both of us and pulled us away from each other.


    ¡°Rosetta, get changed and thene down to my room. Lanoa, don¡¯t make noise ande down after washing your face.¡±


    Maybe because he was the firstborn, he dealt with us younger siblings as naturally as flowing water.


    It had been almost a year since we had seen each other, but I didn¡¯t feel any difort at all.


    ¡°Alright. Brother, then would you help Your Highness dry his fur? He might catch a cold if he¡¯s left like this for so long.¡± (Rosetta)


    ¡°Yes, Leonard. It¡¯s cold.¡± (Sihael)


    ¡°¡­Okay, I¡¯ll do it.¡± (Leonard)


    Leonard paused as he looked at Sihael¡¯s damp fur. There was a brief pause before his answer. He had never once dried anyone¡¯s hair, but soon after, he nodded.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go.¡± (Rosetta)


    ¡°Rosetta Katzel! Wear something ck! No matter what, ck, understood?


    Lanoa¡¯s words echoed behind the closed door.


    * * *


    I simply wiped my body and changed my clothes.


    I wanted to take a shower, but I quickly gave up that thought in consideration of the people waiting for me. Marina and two maids helped me quickly dry my wet hair. I finished my grooming as soon as possible and walked to Leonard¡¯s room.


    Since it was the first time I hade to Leonard¡¯s room, I cautiously knocked on the door. The door opened revealing a pale Lanoa weing me. Seeing his pale and bloodless face, I realized something had happened in the meantime. Just then, a warm wind blew past Lanoa.


    <em>¡®I didn¡¯t think they would really help Sihael dry up.¡¯</em>


    I was really looking forward to the rare sight of Leonard drying Sihael¡¯s hair. I imagined Leonard¡¯s face hidden behind Lanoa¡¯s back. He must be looking so embarrassed right now. As evidence of that, Leonard¡¯s way ofbing could be seen as awful.


    I wanted to watch this up close, but Lanoa stopped me.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Lanoa grabbed my shoulder and whispered, looking at Leonard behind his back.


    ¡°Hey, did you tell him about that?¡±


    ¡°About what, ah¡­¡±


    Now that he realized that he had hunted the Crown Prince of this Empire, sweat dripped from his forehead. Due to the circumstances, I lowered my voice.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. Hus Highness doesn¡¯t even remember anything, so don¡¯t make it difficult for me by talking nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll never do it!¡±


    At that moment, Lanoa¡¯s face slowly began toe alive.


    No matter how much he lived like a rascal, he was scared of the consequences of something as big as shooting a bullet into the Crown Prince¡¯s body.


    Lanoa patted me, gesturing that I did a good thing, but I pped away his big hand and went into the room. In the meantime, Leonard stood up wiping off the sweat on his forehead, perhaps because he had dried all of Sihael¡¯s hair.


    My eyes fell on Sihael, who was standing behind Leonard. He no longer looked shaggy in any ce. The soft silver fur that had been matted and dirty before had now regained their original color and also smelled good.


    Although Leonard¡¯s attempt was clumsy, thanks to his meticulous personality, there was no ce that wasn¡¯t dry, but there was only one ce where he made a mistake.


    Eye booger.


    I asked while removing the booger he had missed.


    ¡°Did brother Leonard do a good job?¡±(Rosetta)


    ¡°He couldn¡¯t even clean my eye boogers. He¡¯s hopeless.¡± (Sihael)


    ¡°Oh no, then he is disqualified as your groomer.¡± (Rosetta)


    Sihael and I made fun of Leonard by mixing jokes and facts together.


    ¡°Everyone, gather here. Your Highness, you too pleasee here.¡±


    Leonard, who pretended not to hear our jokes, turned around and gathered us. When I sat across from Leonard, Sihael naturally sat down next to me.


    Lanoa had no choice but to sit next to Leonard, but his gaze on Sihael was wicked. Even knowing Sihael¡¯s true identity, he was still behaving like that.


    Was this guy¡­ out of his mind?


    I turned to Sihael when I suddenly thought of something.


    ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t you mind if Lanoa knows who you are?¡±


    ¡°We have to stay together for a while, so there¡¯s nothing we can do about it. And it¡¯s not any other person, it¡¯s the Katzels. So I trust you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t trust us.¡±


    Lanoa, who replied bluntly, whined as he was smacked in the head by Leonard for being rude.


    ¡°Now let¡¯s talk about what happened.¡±


    It was Sihael who spoke first to Leonard¡¯s question. He briefly exined the situation of losing consciousness after being attacked by the empress, to the story of drinking my blood and as a result regaining his consciousness back.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying you consumed Rosetta¡¯s blood and your consciousness came back?¡±


    ¡°Not only that, but my wounds also healed as well.¡±


    Then, three pairs of eyes of different colors turned towards me.

 Chapter 32

    I shrugged at my brothers, who were shooting stinging gazes towards me, wanting to know how this had happened.


    Even if you look at me like that, I don¡¯t know.


    Leonard sighed at my carefree attitude, which did not fit the serious matter. He asked,


    ¡°If you can heal His Highness¡¯s wounds, is it possible to do the same for a human?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m curious about that too. I want to see if it works for humans too, so how about having one of you brothers be my test subject?¡±


    I grabbed both of my brothers¡¯ hands and smiled, but Lanoa frowned and pulled his hand back.


    ¡°Ew, I do not want to. How can I drink your blood? And just think about it. How can you have such a good ability?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you want to do it? All right, why don¡¯t we just cut one of your fingers slightly.¡±


    ¡°Hey, get away from me!¡±


    When Lanoa and I quarreled, Leonard stopped us both.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Taking the dagger out of his arms, he shed his palm without hesitating.


    ¡®You didn¡¯t have to cut it that big.¡¯


    I frowned at the wound that was deeper than I thought. Leonard held out the dagger that still had his blood with an unconcerned face.


    As I took the dagger, I also shed my palm long, and Lanoa, who was lying on the sofa, started making a fuss and nagged me.


    ¡°Hey! Cut it gently. We just need a little bit of your blood. Why are you cutting yourself so much? Gently! Do it gently!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, this nagging! We need arge amount of blood to pour enough into a ss.¡±


    Leonard wasn¡¯t Sihael, so I couldn¡¯t tell my brother to lick my blood. I held out a ss of blood. After a moment of reluctance, Leonard made up his mind and took a sip of my blood.


    However, contrary to our expectations, Leonard¡¯s wounds did not heal. We waited to see if it would take some time, but no change urred. It was truly an ability that could only be used by Sihael.


    ¡°It seems to be of no use to humans.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Unlike Leonard, whose hand stopped bleeding after the experiment failed, I was still bleeding. So, I reached out my bleeding hand towards Sihael. Sihael, who had already tasted my blood, quickly lowered his head and licked my blood. Then Lanoa, startled by the unfamiliar sight he had seen for the first time, jumped up and pointed his finger at us.


    ¡°You have to stop the bleeding. Why are you feeding it to him?!¡±


    ¡°It would be a waste to throw it away.¡±


    Like Lanoa, Leonard too was looking at Sihael with indescribable eyes and then spoke softly.


    ¡°Nanabi will arrive soon. First, let¡¯s see if we can cleanse the poison given by the Empress.¡±


    Then Leonard asked us to exin how we met the crown prince. Lanoa imed that he had saved Sihael with pure intent, but Leonard did not believe it.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you it¡¯s true. Should I have left him to die?¡±


    ¡°Lanoa is right. Can¡¯t you see that His Highness is doing well until now? He even gained weight.¡±


    I eagerly responded, defending Lanoa.


    But Leonard, who knew us too well, did not doubt that the two of us had made some trouble again. He was actually correct about us making trouble.


    But it doesn¡¯t matter how you go, as long as you go to Seoul*. As a result, we rescued Sihael, who was dying, and took care of him until now, which turned out to be a good thing for everyone. We were only able to escape from Leonard¡¯s piercing re with the appearance of Nanabi.


    [T/N*whatever the method is, as long as the result is good¡±.]


    ¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Nanabi Terran.¡±


    Nanabi Terran.


    She was one of the few people who knew about Sihael¡¯s curse and the only wizard belonging to an elite unit set up by Sihael himself. However, even Nanabi, who was acknowledged by Sihael, could not cleanse the poison.


    She said that the antidote could not be used recklessly because it was a poison created bybining the existing poisons.


    ¡®No one can solve it unless they¡¯re the heroine.¡¯


    In this way, I realized another rule of fiction.


    Sihael did not show any sign of disappointment as if he wasn¡¯t already expecting much. It was rather Leonard who was visibly very disappointed. It had been almost a month since he turned into a wolf, but he still couldn¡¯t return back to his human form, so it was a problem in many ways.


    The Emperor¡¯s birthday wasing soon, and I could clearly see that he was worried about what would happen if he didn¡¯t return to being human by then. In the meantime, Nanabi collected my blood. She said she would give us the results tomorrow, but I wasn¡¯t really looking forward to it because I didn¡¯t care what the results were since it would not be avable to me.


    I pressed the spot where the syringe needle had pricked with cotton. The three people¡¯s faces darkened, perhaps recognizing the seriousness of the situation.


    ¡°You said that the reason why the curse ced on Your Highness cannot be lifted is because of the special poison used by the Empress. So, will the curse bepletely lifted if the poison is removed?¡±


    When Lanoa, who had been quietly listening to everything so far, asked, Sihael shook her head.


    ¡°No, once the poison is removed, I will return to my human form at once, but when the full moon rises, I will be a wolf again.¡±


    ¡°Is there no way to break the curse? It would be troublesome if the Empress knew about your situation.¡±


    ¡°She already knows. That¡¯s why she sent those assassins.¡±


    Lanoa could not hide his anger at the assassination, which he got to know about recently. He prowled around saying that the next time if they showed up again he will get their confession, even if he had to torture them himself.


    Sihael¡¯s eyes sank as he nced at him.


    The curse he had received was a curse passed down in the Imperial family from generation to generation, and when the full moon rises, he would turn into a wolf and lose his reason and move only as per his instinct.


    Besides, he only had to spend a whole day as a wolf, so it was not an annoying curse.


    There was only one way out of the curse.

 Chapter 33

    Chapter 33


    All he had to do was meet apanion who would be with him for the rest of his life and imprint on her.


    And hispanion was Liliana Maniu.


    Knowing what was gonna happen in the future, I tapped the table lightly to draw everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°First, let¡¯s remove the poison. I know of a wizard who specializes in purification.¡±


    ¡°You know?¡±


    Leonard¡¯s eyes widened at my words that flowed out lightly.


    I could count on my hand how many times I had seen Leonard surprised, but today he seemed to get surprised a lot. I stared at his rare surprised face and answered steadily.


    ¡°There is a wandering wizard named Liliana Maniu. If you just find where she is, His Highness might be able to return back to his human self.¡±


    The original story had already copsed. Sihael going out and stumbling upon the female lead was already out of the question. Since this had happened, we had no choice but to find the female lead and meet her in person.


    ¡°Is that information reliable?¡±(Leonard)


    ¡°Brother, Rosetta is really close with the wizards. You can trust her, so do what she tells you to do. Then you can make rice cake even in your sleep*.¡±(Lanoa)


    [T/N: good things you didn¡¯t expect would happen]


    Lanoa, who had already benefited from my knowledge of mana stones, gave me a thumbs up.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s start by looking for her.¡±(Sihael)


    Sihael also took my side.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here while you find the wizard.¡±(Sihael)


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go to a safer ce than here¡­¡±(Leonard)


    ¡°Leonard, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re worried about, but there¡¯s no ce safer than your sister¡¯s side.¡±(Sihael)


    ¡°Yes, Brother, that child can surely hold her ground. Besides, who would dare hurt His Highness? Those assassins sent by the Empress? Not a chance. Even though our Rosetta has stopped training and been fooling around, she still has it. She herself cut off all those rats¡¯ throats.¡±(Lanoa)


    Leonard was swayed by the two people¡¯s praises of me being a great custodian and bodyguard. There was still a slight anxiety in his eyes, but due to Lanoa¡¯s words, he acknowledged my strength. So Leonard took a step back.


    ¡°Please take care of her, Your Highness.¡±(Leonard)


    ¡°Even if Brother hadn¡¯t asked, I would have taken care of myself.¡±(Rosetta)


    ¡°Okay.¡±(Leonard)


    As I grunted just like Rosetta, Leonard nodded his head familiarly. He reached out his hand andid it lightly on my head.


    ¡°You did well, Rosetta.¡±


    It was the firstpliment I had heard in six years.


    * * *


    I didn¡¯t know how I got back to my bedroom. I sat down on the sofa and ran my hand over my head where Leonard had patted. Maybe it was because of the unexpectedpliment, but I felt weird.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been touching your hair.¡±


    Sihael jumped up on the sofa and pushed his face towards me. Since he already had a history of biting my lips, I quickly covered my mouth and pushed him away.


    ¡°I was just checking, did you have to push me this far?¡±


    Sihael, who was pushed to the other end of the sofa, grumbled.


    ¡°It¡¯s just, it¡¯s been a while since someone patted me on the head.¡±


    With Lanoa, we were like real brothers and sisters, so he had never done such a strange thing, and the duke and his wife were far away. The rest didn¡¯t dare because they were lower in status than me.


    I, who had already died, also had no such experience since I was very young. It¡¯s been a while since I felt warmth and my mind was in a mess, so I touched my hair without realizing it, and I got caught. Embarrassed, I rubbed the back of my neck when something popped up on my head. It was Sihael¡¯s feet covered with fluffy hair.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I can do it for you too.¡±


    A big foot shook my head back and forth. He said he would pat my head, but it seemed he couldn¡¯t control his strength. So rather than stroking my head lightly, he kept on rubbing my head hard. It was clear he had never stroked anyone¡¯s head in his life.


    ¡°Who strokes someone¡¯s head like this?!¡±


    ¡°Huh, you don¡¯t like it? It¡¯s your Shasha¡¯s favorite foot.¡±


    ¡°You told me not to treat you like a dog.¡±


    Only at times like this, he would use my Shasha. Sneaky Sihael. Mumbling inside, I stretched out my arms and pulled Sihael into my arms. His soft fur felt nice so I buried my face in it. Sihael¡¯s body stiffened as if it had turned into a stone.


    I gently stroked Sihael¡¯s hardened back. Then, his body gradually started to rx and he slowly snuggled into my arms looking for afortable position. Sihael, who had been in my arms for a while, suddenly tilted his head.


    ¡°Rosetta, did you often say stuff like ¡®So adorable¡¯ or ¡®So nice¡¯ to me?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember something?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that. Is it because I¡¯m used to staying in your arms like this? I feel like I vaguely heard your voice.¡±


    Umm, this was a little dangerous. I raised my fist in front of Sihael and shook it lightly, just in case.


    ¡°Does this ring any bells with you?¡±


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t like it. I want to avoid it.¡±

 Chapter 34

    Chapter 34


    I was sure he didn¡¯t have any memory of his time as Shasha, but when something simr happened. He seemed to vaguely recall the memories of that time.


    ¡®Is it instinct? I¡¯ll have to be more careful in the future. I¡¯ll be in serious trouble if someone finds out that I swore at the Crown Prince and called him a shitty mutt.¡¯


    I loosened my fist and quickly mumbled, ¡®Ah you¡¯re adorable, so pretty,¡¯ while hugging him tightly.


    ¡°How long do we have to stay like this? It¡¯s frustrating.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯re really bad at stroking someone¡¯s head, so let¡¯s just make do with your body.¡±


    ¡°You really¡­. What do you mean by make do with my body? Don¡¯t say stuff like that to someone, all right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯ll do it only to Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°¡­ That¡¯s uneptable, too.¡±


    His worries were right, but it wasn¡¯t really wrong. Sihael put his chin on my shoulder and murmured like a sigh. Either way, I wouldn¡¯t let Sihael go.


    I liked this better than him patting my head.


    * * *


    ¡°Tell me what happened. If I find out you¡¯re lying, you¡¯ll have to run 30ps around the training ground.¡±


    After Rosetta returned with Sihael, Lanoa bit his tongue as he was threatened.


    ¡°You brought His Highness here because you felt sorry to see him pitifully die? Yeah, right! I know you caught and brought him here with the intent of using him as a watchdog.¡±


    What Leonard said was true. He hit the nail on the head, making Lanoa nervously scratch the back of his head.


    ¡°Rose wanted to raise a dog, so that¡¯s why I brought him here.¡±


    ¡°And what else have you done with him?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°If I ask the butler, he¡¯ll tell me everything.¡±


    Lanoa knew his brother couldn¡¯t be fooled. Seeing Leonard¡¯s terrifying eyes, he sighed and blurted out the truth.


    ¡°I shot him once.¡±


    Punch!


    Lanoa frowned at the fist that crashed into his abdomen.


    ¡°Ah, I really didn¡¯t know his identity. Do you have to do this? Well to be honest, if I hadn¡¯t brought him in, he would have died there!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve lost your mind.¡±


    ¡°Argh, argh! Okay, okay. Geez! It¡¯s my fault. Stop! Brother, stop, it hurts!


    Lanoa, who was hit ten more times for no reason, looked sad. It really hurt like hell. The wolf looked fine, so he brought him here but who knew the wolf would turn out to be the Crown Prince?


    Lanoa rubbed his numb stomach and slowly moved away from Leonard.


    Leonard did not further chase Lanoa.


    If Lanoa had given His Highness to Rosetta, then that meant he had washed his hands off him afterwards. His younger brother was such a guy.


    The problem was their youngest sister.


    ¡°Rosetta could get in serious trouble. If it¡¯s found that she even swung a whip on His Highness, it would be a real big deal, so tell me the truth.¡±


    ¡°She really didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    Leonard did not believe Lanoa¡¯s words. No, he couldn¡¯t believe it. Rosetta and Lanoa were simr types of people like two peas in a pod. They both were impulsive and hedonistic people and had simr beliefs and habits.


    Maybe that¡¯s why, when they were young, his younger siblings showed a careful demeanor while hiding the troubles they¡¯d caused.


    In fact, they would all suffer because of it every now and then.


    When Leonard suspected that these guys were going to cause trouble again, Lanoa got angry.


    ¡°Brother, do you even know how much she has taken care of His Highness? Every time she opened her mouth, there would be only Shasha, Shasha. She fed His Highness the best food, personally treated all his wounds, and even remodeled the room next to her because she felt sorry for seeing him live in the basement.¡±


    ¡°Rosetta did that?¡±


    ¡°You think that was all? She took him out to walk everyday and sent him to the bathroom; she helped him exercise when he gained weight, and even helped him take care of those assassins. Even if I knew who he was, I wouldn¡¯t do that. She worked really hard, so don¡¯t me her.¡±


    Anyone could see that Rosetta was genuinely sincere.


    The younger sister, whom he had met after a long time, cared so much about Sihael to the point she seemed unfamiliar.


    ¡°And Rosetta has reformed herself.¡±


    ¡°You want me to believe that?¡±


    ¡°Trust me! She doesn¡¯t pick fights with anyone anymore and she also doesn¡¯t bully the servants. Because she was raising His Highness, she didn¡¯t go out for a while, so she didn¡¯t cause any trouble.¡±


    Leonard couldn¡¯t believe it. She couldn¡¯t be Rosetta Katzel if she didn¡¯t stir up trouble for a day.


    ¡°Our mana stone business started this time thanks to Rosetta. I¡¯m off the hook and the Baron is working with Rosetta.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure Rosetta really did that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If you doubt it, then go ask the Baron. Do you know how much Baron loves Rosetta now? He would nod and p his hands like a seal no matter what opinion Rosetta gives.¡±


    In fact, when the Baron did what Rosetta told him to do, the business kept on soaring high. There was no day that the smile on the Baron¡¯s face would disappear as the safe piled up one after another.


    As per Rosetta¡¯s suggestion, he now seemed to be busy trying to sign a contract with Asi or something, but he even enjoyed that.


    Needless to say, the days now for Lanoa were much more fun than the days when he used to be in tricky situations. By now, he should have left for the next kingdom to set his schedule so that he could stay at home.


    ¡°Rose said it herself that she has been born anew now. So Brother, don¡¯t offend the kid for no reason. I know you¡¯re trying to save her but don¡¯t offend her and make her go astray again.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I saw her be good like this.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you have any more questions? Then I¡¯ll go.¡±


    Lanoa grabbed his throbbing abdomen and turned around. Leonard looked at his brother¡¯s back that was moving away after saying what he had to say.


    Something had changed.


    Rosetta and Lanoa had a good rtionship, but they weren¡¯t that close to each other. Lanoa wasn¡¯t the only one who had changed.


    ¡®Brother?¡¯


    Her eyes that stared at him always dripped with malice. The clear eyes now held a distinctive brightness. He felt nostalgic for a moment at seeing that face for the first time since she was 12 years old.


    ¡°I should watch her a little more.¡±


    Leonard still couldn¡¯t easily believe it. The Rosetta he knew was a person who could do all kinds of bad things whenever she was displeased.


    * * *

 Chapter 35

    Chapter 35


    I was now in a very ufortable situation. It was because Leonard was staring intently at me.


    ¡°Do you have something to say?¡±


    ¡°No, keep doing what you¡¯re doing.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but feel pressured when he looked at me like that.


    ¡°Go away.¡±


    I raised my eyes and red at Leonard, but he didn¡¯t care a bit. Rather than leaving as I told him to, he didn¡¯t budge at all and stayed there stubbornly. So, I had no choice but to assume that Leonard was a wall.


    Yes, he¡¯s a wall, a wall! I quietly muttered andbed Sihael¡¯s fur. Sihael purred in a good mood.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    The voice that answered wasnguid. His eyes drooped as he fell asleep. I looked at the time and it was time for his nap.


    I had to finishbing his fur now.


    I gathered the fur that rolled around the floor and patted Sihael¡¯s back, which was stuck to the floor as if it had be one with it.


    ¡°Go up and sleep.¡±


    ¡°When are you going to wake me up?¡±


    ¡°In an hour. Then we need to go for a walk.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    Sihael, who got up dawdling, climbed up to the bed and closed his eyes.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know if now that¡¯s my bed or Sihael¡¯s.¡¯


    His fur was scattered around the bed because he squirmed into my bed every night saying he couldn¡¯t sleep even if he died on the dog¡¯s cushion.


    After a while, I heard a sound of even breathing.


    ¡®At first, he only slept on my bed because he was wary of his new surroundings.¡¯


    He knew that my bed was a safe ce, and so he often fell into a deep sleep. He believed that I would protect his defenseless self, but it was truly strange to see him trusting me so much. Originally, our rtionship was so bad that I wondered if it would be more terrible, but it was amazing to see that we had a rtionship that had been built from trust and friendship.


    Of course, it was all due to my efforts, but it was also thanks to Sihael quickly letting me in his heart. I was staring at Sihael when Leonard called me.


    ¡°Sit down.¡±


    I sat across from him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Did you cause any trouble recently?¡±


    I removed the fur from my dress and then straightened my posture to Leonard¡¯s serious face. I took my time to answer. Did something happen without me knowing? I racked my brain quickly, but nothing came.


    At least I was staying quietly while raising Sihael.


    ¡°No,¡±


    ¡°Really, no?¡±


    ¡°No, really. The only thing that I could think of is that I have been raising His Highness.¡±


    That was the only big, recent ident that came to my mind. Everyone knew about the assassins, so I was sure he was not asking because of that. So why was he doing this?


    I couldn¡¯t understand the intent of the question, so I stared at him nkly.


    But the pensive Leonard didn¡¯t look at me. He covered my mouth with his big hand and muttered ¡®Is that so?¡¯ under his breath.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    As I pushed him with annoyance. The forest-colored green eyes that resembled mine softened. The hair on my arm stood up at the sight.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot of good things about youtely.¡±


    Was that what he had been observing and lingering around me fortely? Leonard, who decided to stay for a few more days, hovered around me and talked to the people around me frequently.


    Well, it was actually only the baron and Allen. I nodded roughly, smoothing the hairs that had risen on my arm.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been doing fely. I¡¯m going to live a nice life now, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Lanoa also said the same.¡±


    What¡¯s gotten into him?


    I knew Lanoa would tattle to Leonard but I didn¡¯t expect him to say this.


    While we were chatting, a maid came in with tea. We were talking about Sihael, so the conversation was cut off for a while. Suddenly, silence fell, and the maid became overwhelmed by the atmosphere and her hands started shaking.


    ¡®She seems nervous.¡¯


    As soon as I thought so, the maid spilled the cup. The spilled tea wet my legs.


    ¡°Gasp! I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    The maid trembled at her mistake with a deadly pale face. She looked at me nervously not knowing what to do. I didn¡¯t give her a nce.


    It was more of a problem if I stared at her and picked a fight with her for no reason.


    ¡°Get out.¡±


    At times like this, it was better to kick her out. When I waved my hand signalling her to get out, the maid went outside in tears.


    I roughly wiped the tea with the handkerchief that Leonard handed me and set the spilled cup back on the table. I could feel an intense gaze from my other side.


    ¡°You¡¯ve really changed.¡±

 Chapter 36

    Chapter 36


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to grow up so well since Ist saw you. Our parents will be happy to see you like this.¡±


    Is this something to be praised for¡­?


    They might get happy because I didn¡¯t make a fuss about cutting the maid¡¯s hands off unlike before, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something to boast about¡­..


    ¡°I¡¯m also happy for you, Rosetta.¡±


    ¡°¡­Are you on something?¡±


    ¡°Your habit of saying things mindlessly still remains the same.¡±


    Leonard¡¯s features tremendously softened and he stroked my hair. Feeling the tender warmth over my head, my lips trembled and puckered. Leonardughed, seeing my mouth stick out like a duck¡¯s beak.


    ¡°That habit is still the same.¡±


    At that, I curled my trembling lips up.


    * * *


    That evening, the results of my blood analysis came out.


    To put it simply, my blood was an aphrodisiac and a nourishing tonic for monsters. Ingesting my blood would give their body strength and improve their brains/make their brains more active.


    The concentration of magic in my blood was also high, so I could heal their wounds even if they consumed just a little of my blood. In addition, my blood also smelled very sweet. So if a demon smelled it, it would get drunk and would fling itself at me.


    ¡°No wonder those demons went crazy and pounced on this child whenever they saw her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, our sister has suffered a lot since she was young.¡±


    Lanoa and Leonard shook their heads, saying that they now understood why the demons were after me so much.


    ¡°His Highness also attacked her.¡±


    Giving a sidelong scowl to Sihael, who was sitting quietly, Lanoa continued. His nose twitched, feeling awkward.


    ¡°You said it yourself, that His Highness smelled something delicious from you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because His Highness too has demon blood flowing in his veins. It¡¯s natural for him to be affected.¡±


    Just as Nanabi said, Sihael too had the blood of the demons. Sihael¡¯s ancestor was the first demon to enter the human realm. He married a human woman he loved and had a child. The mixed race child born out of that union had superior intelligence and power far beyond human capabilities. The child knew how outstanding he was and he thought that the only right ce for him was to be an emperor.


    So finally, he usurped the throne, and the mixed-race child became the first emperor of the Idris family. Are you wondering how such a powerful person who had so many strengths, let alone a weakness, ended up getting cursed?


    It was because he killed a wolf deity that was protecting the Imperial family during the usurpation of the throne. When the deity saw a man with the blood of the demons step into the Imperial Pce, cut off people¡¯s throats, and spill blood, he cursed him in extreme anger.


    It cursed the Emperor that on the night when the full moon rises, he would turn into a wolf and kill a beloved person.


    Just as the deity cursed, the first Emperor became a wolf every full moon and put the people around him in danger.


    The Emperorughed and treated the curse as a joke, saying that he only needed to pass the day of the full moon well. But the curse did not stop there. At first, the Emperor returned to his human form after the full moon, but at some point, the time he stayed as a wolf began to lengthen. He eventuallypletely turned into a wolf and died at the hands of his own children.


    ¡®The real problem started then.¡¯


    The curse continued even though the first Emperor, the main culprit of everything, died. It was because of the damn condition that the curse would be valid as long as the bloodline of the demons continued.


    In order to resolve this curse, the Emperor¡¯s descendents had to look for a mate and imprint on them. There were cases where some descendents met theirpanions early and imprinted on them, but there were also many cases where they could not find them until their death.


    Fortunately, as time went by, the demon blood was diluted and the effect of the curse gradually faded. As a result, no cursed child was ever born.


    But was it a joke of fate? When Sihael was born, the fading curse arose out of the blue, making him suffer terribly by turning him into a wolf every full moon.


    From Sihael¡¯s point of view, the recurrence of the curse was like a bolt out of the blue.


    Out of all the people, thebination of the demon blood and it¡¯s crazy curse had to befall him!


    ¡®That means if he didn¡¯t imprint on hispanion, he would be a wolf like the first Emperor.¡¯


    As I looked at Sihael with pitiful eyes, I suddenly remembered our crazy first meeting and asked Nanabi.


    ¡°Then, the day when His Highness saw me and tried to eat me up, was it because of my blood?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s highly likely.¡±


    So that was why he left everyone else alone and only attacked me. I wondered whether the reason why he kept looking for me again and again was because he was bing impatient to eat me.


    ¡°Did I really do that?¡± (Sihael)


    ¡°Yes, you saw me as a fresh chunk of meat.¡±

 Chapter 37

    Chapter 37


    These days, he would sometimes look at me with an expression of wanting to eat me, but he now knew how to restrain himself. It was better than the Shasha in the early days, who just opened his mouth thoughtlessly to eat me. Nanabi was curious about my blood, so she asked me a lot of questions.


    ¡°Is His Highness regrly ingesting your blood?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I feed him when he wakes up. Otherwise, he won¡¯t be able to speak.¡±


    There were times when he sometimes returned to being a dog and kept on bellowing. Though it was cute, it got on my nerves, so if possible, I tried to feed him thoroughly to avoid him turning into a dog.


    ¡°Does he maintain his consciousness?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he hasn¡¯t lost his consciousness so far.¡±


    ¡°If he takes arge amount of blood at once, would itst that long?¡±


    I nodded at the constant stream of questions.


    The effectsted several days if I fed him a lot of blood at one time. But it wasn¡¯t something we did often. I became tired due to therge sudden loss of blood, and more than that, Sihael hated it.


    The reason was that the little punk wanted to eat delicious things every day. After Nanabi¡¯s questions were finished, Leonard asked.


    ¡°What about the wizard?¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t found her yet. It seems it will take some time.¡±


    Ah, right! Liliana hid very well. She faithfully followed her teacher¡¯s instructions not to reveal her abilities easily, as her abilities could be misused.


    ¡°Hurry up. We don¡¯t have much time left.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s faces except mine had turned dark. I was rxed as if I were in apletely different world.


    I had told them to wait. She was supposed toe soon.


    A week at thetest.


    She will appear soon.


    * * *


    The next day, Leonard, who could no longer stay away from his duties, returned back to the capital. Before leaving, he left me with a message that he was leaving His Highness in my care and would see me soon at mying-of-age ceremony.


    Unlike his curt and cold mannerism on the first day, he was much more gentle this time. I felt awkward because it was different from what I knew of him, but I didn¡¯t hate it.


    ¡®It¡¯s nice to be close to a handsome brother.¡¯


    I waved my hand at him as he left. Now that there was no one to watch over Lanoa, he again returned to his free-spirited self. Having been henpecked by Leonard for three days, he left with a crate of alcohol, saying he would enjoy his life his best this time and did not leave his room.


    He seemed determined not to run into Sihael as much as possible. Nanabi decided to remain in the duchy just in case, but she spent most of her time studying my blood. Just like Lanoa, she had also locked herself in her room and didn¡¯te out. It was just that she didn¡¯t drink.


    When Sihael, who had regained consciousness, became calm, the servants got used to him running around without a leash, and sometimes talked to him or gave him snacks. Although things around had changed, the days were generally going peacefully.


    ¡®Please let the days ahead be just like today.¡¯


    I prayed like that, but a fight unexpectedly broke out on a surprisingly trivial matter.


    ¡°Please stop it now.¡±


    I frowned when I saw my hands full of teeth marks.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°But how can you chew my hand like this?¡±


    The beginning of the incident was his growing appetite.


    As his time as a wolf increased, Sihael started to relieve his stress by eating.


    ¡®If this goes on like this, something terrible might happen.¡¯


    Worried about his health, I reduced his meal to two meals and put more vegetables in his meat-oriented diet. I adjusted Sihael¡¯s diet only for the sake of his health, but he didn¡¯t understand my heart. As the amount of food decreased, he started chewing my hand whenever he had a chance. He said it was because his mouth was bored.


    He didn¡¯t bite hard enough to make it bleed, so I let him do whatever he wanted, and he yed with my hand like a toy. My hands, which he had bit, sucked, and chewed, were full of teeth marks and had be swollen like the hands of a sick person.


    ¡°Here, bite and y with this.¡±


    I thought this was bing too much, so I gave him a bone instead of my hand, but Sihael didn¡¯t like it and kicked it away with his hind paw.


    ¡°I won¡¯t bite you. I¡¯ll just lick you.¡±


    ¡°But why does it have to be my hand?¡±


    ¡°You smell delicious.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    At the firm refusal, Sihael expressed his dissatisfaction with his actions. He stomped his feet, raised his ws and scratched the wall. Every time he scratched with his paw, the wallpaper peeled off.


    ¡°Stop it.¡±


    Sihael gave me a nce, snorted and ran around the room, hurling all kinds of things.


    Crash, clink.


    Things broke and shattered.


    This jerk!


    It might be because he had been a wolf for a long time, he gradually acted more and more like a dog that didn¡¯t listen.


    ¡°I said stop it.¡±


    Even though he heard my dangerously low voice, he did not stop. After going around my room, Sihael finally ran up to my bed and scratched the nket. He ripped apart my nket and then scratched the pillow, making the cotton inside fly around everywhere.


    The canopy caught in his toes got torn and tattered. The scene of my room being messed up in a blink of an eye unfolded before my eyes.


    ¡®This shitty piece of shit!¡¯


    Unable to stand it anymore, I hit Sihael¡¯s head.


    ¡°You just won¡¯t listen to me, would you?¡±¡±


    ¡°Did you just hit me?¡±


    When Sihael red at me, I didn¡¯t back down and stared back into his eyes.


    ¡°From where did you learn such bad things? Do you really want to get in trouble?¡±


    ¡°Trouble? How dare you scold me, the Crown Prince of the Empire?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re a crown prince, then behave like a crown prince!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk. You¡¯ve never treated me like a prince! Until when are you going to treat me like a dog? Woof! Woof! Woof!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    A dog¡¯s bark resounded, which did not suit the tense atmosphere.


    It seems the effect of my blood had worn out.


    ¡°¡­Woof, woof, rufff!¡±


    ¡°What timing!¡±

 Chapter 38

    Chapter 38


    This was rather good. It was better to stay as a dog on a day like today because we would only fight if wemunicated further.


    ¡°Woof! Woof! Ruff Woof!¡±


    However, Sihael had some different thoughts. When he unexpectedly became a dumb beast, he stomped his feet and barked incessantly. It sounded like he was asking for my blood.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Woo?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a punishment for all the troubles you caused today. Stay like that until tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Ruff! Ruff! Grrrrr! Ruff!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what he meant, but I was sure he was very dissatisfied. I firmly pushed Sihael away. Sihael, who was pushed back by my strength, blinked.


    His eyes fluttered in shock, perhaps because he didn¡¯t know I¡¯d push him away. But soon, his bewildered eyes changed in an instant.


    ¡°Woof wooo, woof!¡±


    Sihael pounced on me and tried to get my blood by force. But before that could happen, I hugged Sihael¡¯s waist and threw him onto the bed.


    Boom!


    However, because I failed to aim the throw correctly, he crashed into the wall instead of the bed.


    Thud!


    Chunks of bricks fell on the floor from the cracked wall.


    ¡°Shit, I¡¯m in serious trouble. What should I do?¡±


    Surprised by the gaffe I had made, I looked at Sihael. And Sihael, who was lying on the floor, also raised his head. The gleam in his golden eyes grew brighter.


    ¡°Heuk.¡±


    In an instant, I stormed out of the door and escaped from the (increasingly) chaotic atmosphere. Sihael barked and chased after me fiercely to the outside of the mansion.


    ¡°Aaaahhhh!¡±


    This was driving me crazy! I had never been chased like this before. A cold sweat ran down my back at this first experience.


    ¡°Let¡¯s calm down and talk! Okay?¡±


    ¡°Grrr! Ruff ruff!¡±


    A deadly tag game had begun.


    * * *


    I didn¡¯t know how long it had been, but it felt like around half an hour had passed. In that interval, I went around the mansion several times.


    Just as I got out of the garden, barely escaping from Sihael, I felt a heavy weight on my back and lost my bnce, making me roll down on the ground.


    ¡°Ugh! Ackk!¡±


    I spat out the soil that had entered my mouth and grabbed onto Sihael¡¯s snout, as he buried his head in my neck.


    ¡°I told you I won¡¯t give it to you today!¡±


    ¡°Woof woof woof woof!¡±


    Sihael cried out, feeling wronged. The flowers that the butler had been diligently growing were crushed behind my back. The scent of flowers engulfed us. It was a scene that didn¡¯t go well with our current situation.


    If the female lead was here, it sure would have been a romantic scene, but with me, it was a deadly fight with my life in line. After tossing and turning for a long time, Sihael lost in our power struggle and came down from above me helplessly.


    The drooping tail represented his mood. Sihael didn¡¯t try to rush at me anymore. Perhaps he realized that he could not change my firm stance no matter how hard he fought.


    Instead, he changed his method and pretended to be pitiful to induce sympathy from me. Of course, it didn¡¯t work. I ignored his drooping tail and walked away.


    Soon after, I heard Sihael rumbling and trudging along helplessly.


    ¡°¡­Wooo!¡±


    ¡°I said no.¡±


    Sihael cried and wailed all day, feeling wronged. He couldn¡¯t talk even the next morning.


    Why?


    I didn¡¯t give him my blood. While he was discouraged, I decided to correct Sihael¡¯s wicked habit of always having his way. I took Sihael, settled in a moderatelyrge open space, and threw a ball up. I nned to y ball after a long time just like when I had raised Shasha.


    ¡°If you behave well today, I¡¯ll give you my blood.¡±


    I threw the ball to Sihael with all my might.


    The flying ball flew towards the mountain in a long parab.


    Sihael ran after the ball without a second thought. I sat in the shade looking at Sihael¡¯s back, which had suddenly be a white dot. However, Sihael did not return after a long time, perhaps because the ball flew quite far.


    ¡°It¡¯s veryte. Did something happen?¡±


    I got up and brushed off my butt. Just then, a ball of silver fur ran through the wind from afar.


    But something was weird.


    Something wriggled in Sihael¡¯s mouth. Sihael, who approached me, spat something out.


    It was a rabbit. And it was alive.


    As I alternated between the shivering rabbit and Sihael. Sihael, who had been hunting rabbits instead of bringing the ball I threw, looked at me.


    ¡°Do you want to reconcile?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Woof, woof woof woof.¡±


    Sihael offered a bribe and asked for reconciliation.


    Looking at him anxiously waiting for an answer, I bit my lip to hold back myughter. My heart throbbed when I imagined Sihael sweating hard to catch the rabbit without killing it. It was so cute. Seriously, from where did this guy learn this?


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that next time.¡±


    ¡°Wooof!¡±


    When I reached out my hand as a sign of eptance, my pale hand disappeared into his mouth.


    Sihael bit my hand and licked the blood. After a while, Sihael, who opened his mouth, spoke in a low, subdued voice.


    ¡°¡­I did something wrong, so I won¡¯t don¡¯t do this again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry too for treating you like a dog.¡±


    Sihael¡¯s pride seemed to have been taken a considerable blow, but we seeded in reconciling safely.


    I released the rabbit at the entrance of the mountain. Sihael grumbled, asking if I would release the rabbit that he barely caught.


    ¡°Where did you learn such a cute thing?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°If you do it to your loverter, she will be very happy.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    When I stroked his head, he turned his head away from my hand.


    Ah, he was really cute.


    * * *

 Chapter 39

    Chapter 39


    Knowing that Sihael was under a lot of stress because of this incident, I decided to feed him whatever he wanted. And in return, he promised to work harder on his workout.


    But that didn¡¯t mean it was okay to wake me up at dawn. I was in a deep sleep, and I opened my eyes to a hand pressing down on my cheek.


    ¡°Whyyy¡­¡±


    ¡°Rosetta, I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°Bear with it. If you keep eating like this, you¡¯ll be a pig.¡±


    I pushed Sihael away and covered myself in a nket. Then Sihael bit the nket and pulled it down, and blew into my ear.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t do that!¡±


    He knew that I hated it when anyone touched my ears!


    I pushed Sihael¡¯s face away with all my might, but he held onto me like a leech.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t wake up, I¡¯ll eat you up.¡±


    Oh my, can you really eat me?


    I snorted, but eventually got up with a tired face and headed to the kitchen due to his incessant biting actions. As Sihael led excitedly, I noticed his butt had be plump.


    ¡°See, your butt has gained weight. What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll run two rounds tomorrow.¡±


    Like hell, you would run! Sihael¡¯s words were t-out lies. Where did the war hero, who once killed off the enemy, go? Now only a dog remained, who becamezy after once settling for peace.


    ¡°You really have to run two rounds, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    After getting a promise that would most likely not be kept, I followed Sihael down the stairs. The mansion, which was so noisy during the day, was now so quiet that one could hear anyone breathing. In the quiet mansion, where only the sound of our footsteps could be heard, I suddenly heard the sound of something falling.


    ¡®Was that from the kitchen?¡¯


    As we looked into each other¡¯s eyes, we silently muffled our footsteps. I looked around to see if there were any weapons nearby that could be used, but there was unfortunately none.


    ¡®Oh well, if need be, I¡¯ll just ask Sihael to bite them.¡¯


    So with this casual thought, I opened the door. And what awaited us was not some strange trespasser, but a googly-eyed maid. In front of her, leftover food was spread out; her puffed-up cheeks stiffened.


    It was funny how I had misunderstood her as some trespasser, but she looked more like a chipmunk. My tensed shoulders loosened up.


    ¡°Cough, cough, cough.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether she was surprised because of the sudden opening of the door or because of suddenly seeing me. The maid who swallowed the food down the wrong pipe coughed breathlessly. I approached her and patted her on the back.


    The way she quickly threw away the food in front of her was almost simr to putting away a corpse. The maid, who had been coughing for a while, finally calmed down after drinking the water I gave her.


    ¡°M-My Lady.¡±


    As soon as she was able to breathe properly, the maid dropped to the floor and started begging.


    ¡°I was really wrong. Please forgive me just this once.¡±


    Looking closely, I realized it was the maid who spilled the tea over me not long ago. At that time, she had spilled the tea on me, and today she was caught trying to chuck down the leftover food. I left her shivering self behind and searched around the kitchen.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you have dinner?¡±


    ¡°I-I did eat¡­¡±


    *Grumble*


    ¡°But from your stomach, you seem to not have eaten anything.¡±


    ¡°Heu, heuk. Please let me live!¡±


    No, what should I say if someone begged me to let them live when I haven¡¯t even done anything to her? As I stared at her dumbfoundedly, she gasped and started bbering about her family situation without me even asking about it.


    ¡°M-My fam-family¡­ is poor¡­¡±


    She stammered and babbled at lengths. So to sum it up, she had a sick brother and all her sry went to pay her brother¡¯s medical expenses. Moreover, she said there were times when she had to often skip a meal and so she sometimes sneaked some dinner home. Whenever she was very hungry, she would sneak in here at night and eat the leftovers. The maid, who kept making excuses in a mumbling voice, prostrated on the floor with a fearful look on her face.


    She looked like she was fifteen year old at most. It was the age when one needs to eat enough to develop their bodies, but she looked too thin. Sihael on the other hand, seemed more plump than her. I didn¡¯t like to see the sight of a skinny child prostrating on the ground. It was not a good scene to watch. I threw a ratherrge piece of beef to Sihael and turned on the burner.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°H-Hannah.¡±


    Hannah. The name sounded familiar. I muttered to myself and put the meat on the pan. Soon after, a delicious scent started wafting throughout the kitchen. Sihael leaned next to me and nuzzled me on the back.


    That meant that he wanted to eat grilled meat. I picked up the meat I threw and grilled it. The grilled meat was ced in front of Sihael and the rest was served to Hannah.


    ¡°Eat it.¡±


    Hannah, who had been distracted by the smell of her meat, jumped up and cried.


    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry, My Lady. Please don¡¯t feed on me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t eat human meat.¡±


    ¡°No. Not the Lady, I meant Shasha.¡±


    When I frowned at what she was saying, Hannah fumbled,


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you trying to fatten me up and then feed me to Sir Shasha? You said to us all that if we didn¡¯t do well, we all would be Sir Shasha¡¯s meal¡­ It¡¯s already my second mistake¡­¡±


    Man, there were so many rumors going around.

 Chapter 40

    Chapter 40


    Since there were quite a few servants who gave snacks to Sihael behind my back, I thought they liked him. But it was a little shocking to know that they saw him as a man-eating puppy.


    ¡°Shasha only eats the finest meat. Do you think he would eat something like you?¡±


    Hannah¡¯s face turned red as I gruffly snapped at her.


    ¡°Of course, he wouldn¡¯t, My Lady!¡±


    ¡°Eat.¡±


    Hannah politely received the te with both hands and put a piece of the meat in her mouth while looking at me. Hannah¡¯s eyes welled with tears after taking a bite of meat. Seriously, I¡¯m not kidding. She cried as soon as she ate it.


    ¡°It¡¯s so good.¡±


    ¡°Do you want more?¡±


    When she nodded her head, I grilled more meat and put it on a te, which made her cry more, with snot streaming from her nose.


    ¡°What¡¯s your brother¡¯s illness?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The doctor said it¡¯s an incurable disease of unknown cause.¡±


    ¡°What about your family?¡±


    ¡°My parents died a long time ago, and now it¡¯s just my brother and I.¡±


    Of all the things, why was this simr? Feeling homesick from a stranger, I stood up bitterly.


    ¡°Okay, clean up after you eat.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Good night, My Lady!¡±


    I replied by nodding my head. Back in my room, Iid on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Themotion of the dawn hadpletely woken me up.


    ¡°Is it bothering you?¡±


    ¡°A little bit.¡±


    When I answered honestly, Sihael tapped my hand.


    ¡°You are nice.¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what makes you kind.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why he was saying this. I hadn¡¯t been exactly nice to him. I always made him lie down on the cold floor and keep threatening and scaring him.


    ¡®Ah, I can¡¯t get it out of my head.¡¯


    There was no reason for me to be so bothered by it. The maid too had ck hair and ck eyes, and funnily enough, our family situation was also simr.


    * * *


    My reflection in the mirror looked like someone who had trouble sleeping all night. When I rubbed my swollen eyes, Marina, who wasbing my hair, hurriedly grabbed my hand.


    ¡°That¡¯s bad for your eyes.¡±


    I calmly lowered my hand at Marina¡¯s insistence and then she gently pulled her hand away from mine.


    ¡°Marina, do you know Hannah¡±?


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I heard that the kid¡¯s brother is sick.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think it¡¯s been around a year or so.¡±


    The quick-witted Marina figured out what information I was looking for and came up with an answer.


    ¡°No one knows the exact name of the disease. The butler took pity on Hannah and sent a doctor to them, but eventually the doctor couldn¡¯t find the cause.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    The doctor sent by the butler must have been apetent person, but not knowing the cause meant that it was a disease that could not be cured by medicine.


    ¡°Is it bothering you?¡±


    ¡°That kid is so skinny that shees frequently to my mind.¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t look like her age.¡±


    ¡°How old is she?¡±


    ¡°Seventeen.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    I thought she was 15. She was just a year younger than me? My face in the mirror was nk with shock. I rubbed my face roughly with both hands.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s bugging me more.¡±


    I tried to erase Hannah¡¯s thoughts from my mind. I had decided not to worry about other people¡¯s affairs, but when I came back to my senses, I was already in Nanabi¡¯s room.


    ¡°Nanabi, there is a patient with an incurable disease of unknown cause. Would you like to take a look?¡±


    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. Then let¡¯s meet after dinner.¡±


    Just like that, we quickly made up an appointment. Sihael, who watched the whole process, cocked his eyebrow and smiled brightly. I grunted at his gaze that seemed to scream he knew everything about my heart.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to.¡±


    Sihael responded lightly and wagged his tail.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to take me with you, right?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t youfortable staying at home?¡±


    ¡°What? What if something happens while you¡¯re away? You have to protect me. I¡¯m weak.¡±


    My hand that wasbing Sihael¡¯s fur stopped. If I didn¡¯t hear it wrong, he definitely said he was weak¡­


    With a whole body that was like a weapon, he unusually pretended to be weak.


    ¡°You¡¯re not weak at all. Not too long ago, you chased me frantically to catch me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bring that time. My injured pride has still not recovered.¡±


    Sihael grumbled, recalling his forced experience of a dog¡¯s life.


    ¡°Get up quickly. You were supposed to run two rounds.¡±


    ¡°I feel tired all of a sudden.¡±


    I knew he would be like this. As he pretended to be sick again today, I picked him up, opened the door and went outside.


    * * *


    Knock, knock, knock.


    ¡°My Lady, you called me¡­ ¡±


    Hannah bowed her head. She didn¡¯t forget her promise to stop by my room before work. I got up from my seat, fastened the leash around Shasha¡¯s neck, and approached her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Your house. Didn¡¯t you say your brother was sick? So, let¡¯s see if we can treat him. This person here is a great wizard.¡±


    When I introduced Nanabi to Hannah, Nanabi waved her hand gently. She was the first to arrive here and had been waiting for Hannah.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Ah, hello!¡±


    Hannah¡¯s bewildered face changed from surprise to joy and then brightened up in an instant. Her eyes glistened with rays of hope.


    ¡°Do you have anything to prepare?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. There¡¯s none! We can just leave right away!¡±


    * * *

 Chapter 41

    Chapter 41


    The ce I arrived in the carriage was an old house that looked like it would fly away with the wind. It wouldn¡¯t be strange to call it an abandoned house.


    I thumped my chest feeling nauseous.


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t have gotten in the carriage right after dinner.¡¯


    I looked around with a frown.


    ¡®This ce¡­ it feels familiar¡­¡¯


    Even though it was my first time seeing this dpidated house, I kept feeling a sense of deja vu. Hannah¡¯s cheeks flushed and she hurriedly kicked away the objects scattered on the floor, perhaps feeling embarrassed to show her house.


    ¡°It¡¯s too shabby for My Lady toe in.¡±


    ¡°Now that we¡¯re at your house, where¡¯s your brother?¡±


    At my question, Hannah guided us to the second floor. When I opened the door, I saw a small, weak figure of a man lying on the bed. The man had ck hair and ck eyes, resembling Hannah.


    ¡®It¡¯s definitely my first time seeing you, but why do I feel so uneasy¡­?¡¯


    ¡°My Lady, this is my brother, Eugene.¡±


    Ha, this was why this ominous feeling was never wrong.


    I closed my eyes at the familiar name.


    Eugene.


    Eugene Mell.


    He was the reason why Liliana woulde to the duchy and also the one who would be her disciple. Liliana appeared in the duchy to take Eugene away as per the order of the Master of the Wizard Tower. She found Eugene on the verge of death and cured him from the disease.


    No wonder I felt this house was familiar. So this was the first ce Liliana visited.


    ¡°Brother, over there is Lady Rosetta Katzel, and this is Nanabi, a wizard, who will treat you.¡±


    ¡°He¡­ Hel-lo.¡±


    He breathed hard after every syble, uttering the word with great difficulty. No matter how much I looked at him, he wasn¡¯t in a state where he could hold out until Liliana came. His eyes couldn¡¯t even focus, and it was questionable whether he could properly understand Hannah¡¯s words.


    ¡®How can he wait for Liliana in that condition? His life may end today or tomorrow.¡¯


    Nanabi hurriedly kneeled beside him as if she had simr thoughts as me.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    Nanabi, after pressing around Eugene¡¯s wrist, ankle, heart, and neck, approached me and whispered. Afterpleting her diagnosis, her expression brightened and she seemed full of confidence.


    ¡°It¡¯s manaemia. Manaemia is a disease caused by clogging of mana in the acupuncture points. It¡¯s amon disease among novice wizards.¡±


    ¡°Manaemia?¡±


    ¡°Without cirction, the mana umtes inside the body and makes the patient cough up blood. It is a disease that can lead to death in severe cases, but fortunately, the treatment method is simple. You just need to pierce the acupuncture points.¡±


    When she finished exining Eugene¡¯s symptoms, she had a look of pure admiration.


    ¡°But I can¡¯t believe hested a year. It¡¯s really amazing. Usually, the patients do not live more than three months. My Lady, if you keep him next to you and nurture his talent, he¡¯ll surely be useful to you. Above all, the amount of mana he has is amazing.¡±


    Of course, he would. Eugene was a one of a kind genius. It was not for nothing that the master of the Wizard Tower wanted him. Nanabi, who was appealing to Eugene¡¯s talent and value, quietly shut up when she saw me not saying anything.


    ¡®Why are Marina and the people around me so quick-sighted?¡¯


    I felt bitter because it seemed they had discovered my innermost feelings and had caught on to my hesitation to treat Eugene. Nanabi asked carefully.


    ¡°Should I treat him? Or should we finish here and go back?¡±


    If I let Eugene get treated now, would Liliana note to the duchy?


    Then, what about Sihael?


    In order for Sihael to return as a human being, Liliana was a must. Yeah, even if I left Eugene alone now, he wouldn¡¯t die. He¡¯s definitely not in a good condition, but he¡¯s not destined to die yet. He was the key to get Liliana here.


    ¡°My Lady, what-what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    As Nanabi and I whispered together, Hannah trembled with anxiety. I could see the hope that had bloomed in her eyes dwindle and get reced by despair. I looked down and nced at Sihael.


    Our eyes met immediately as if he had been looking at me from the beginning.


    From the beginning, he had only looked at me, trusted me, and relied on me.


    I kneeled and hugged Sihael, whispering only to him so that he could hear it.


    ¡°Your Highness, I will make sure to treat the curse.¡±


    No matter by all means.


    I gently pressed my lips on his forehead as I silently swore. Sihael¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at the affectionate warmth that he felt on his forehead and then nodded with a flustered smile. And then, he also answered in a low voice so that only I could hear.


    ¡°If you say so, I have no choice but to believe it.¡±


    I hugged Sihael tightly and then stood up.


    ¡°Nanabi, please treat him.¡±


    ¡°Miss Hannah, can you let go of his hand and go over there?¡±


    At Nanabi¡¯s request, Hannah came to my side. Not taking her eyes off her brother, she nced up at me and smiled shyly.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t answer anything when I saw her glowing face.


    If there were any problems with Sihael in the future and if it happens that I won¡¯t be able to find Liliana on time, I¡¯ll surely regret today¡¯s affairs.


    But I was affected by Hannah¡¯s anticipation. I couldn¡¯t trample her hope for her dying brother.


    Yeah, it would be my responsibility no matter what happens in the future.


    I had to pay the price for changing the original story.


    So wherever Liliana was hiding, even if it was hell, I had no choice but to chase her to the end and bring her before Sihael.

 Chapter 42

    Chapter 42


    I held Sihael in my arms the whole way back to the mansion. My heart was aching because I felt sorry for him.


    Sihaelid quietly in my arms as if he knew how I felt. Even though it was ufortable for him to be in my arms as I was much smaller than him, he didn¡¯tin at all.


    ¡°Nanabi, thank you for your help.¡±


    ¡°Oh, My Lady, don¡¯t mention it. It wasn¡¯t anything hard.¡±


    ¡°Go home and rest.¡±


    ¡°Mydy, you too. You look very tired.¡±


    Leaving her worrisome words behind, I entered my bedroom. With Marina¡¯s help, I took off all my outdoor clothes and changed into a nightdress, and then threw myself onto the bed. It was too early to sleep, but I didn¡¯t want to do anything. I was mentally tired, more than ever.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t expect Hannah¡¯s brother would turn out to be Eugene.¡¯


    This world was so small.


    For now, I decided to keep Eugene¡¯s treatment a secret for the time being. Before leaving Hannah¡¯s house, I deliberately asked her to exaggerate about Eugene¡¯s health, so that rumors would soon spread that he was about to die. After hearing the rumor, Lilliana shoulde to the duchy. I decided to put my hopes on it.


    It would be a relief if it all goes well, but considering the current situation that went against the original story, there was a possibility of failure, so I have to find her by sending someone from now on.


    Even if I have to send more people than what Nanabi and Leonard have sent to search the entire empire.


    I raised my arm and covered my eyes, and the nket next to me waspletely pulled down.


    ¡°There¡¯s something going on with that guy, right?


    There was no point in hiding it when he was already aware of it. So I answered honestly.


    ¡°Yes, there is.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I need that guy to be in his previous state to bring the wizard here. Kind of like a bait.¡±


    ¡°And you still healed himpletely?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I see, so that was why you vowed to release my curse.¡±


    He muttered under his breath, ¡°Now I understand why you said that.¡±


    When I remembered that time, I felt guilty.


    ¡®Aah, what should I do? I¡¯m already regretting it.¡¯


    While stomping my feet, I pulled Sihael¡¯s tail to cover my eyes.


    ¡°I guess you didn¡¯t know that he was your maid¡¯s brother.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I only knew about this after hearing his name today.¡±


    If I had known a little earlier, I would have pretended not to know anything. I wouldn¡¯t have reached out my hand so easily.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Because I kept thinking about that child¡­¡­.¡±


    The words of my apology weakly faltered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t me you. It is actually more reasonable to cure him than wait for a wizard toe.¡±


    Sihael, who did not know how necessary it was for Lilliana toe to the duchy, consoled me, saying I did well and made the right choice on a humanitarian level. He didn¡¯t know what I had done, and he trusted me entirely.


    ¡°Also, I believed you when you said you would release my curse.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness¡­ I¡¯m so touched. Even if that wizard escapes to hell, I will chase her to the end and bring her.¡±


    ¡°You know you sound scary. If that wizard goes to hell, then don¡¯t follow her.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll fish her out from the entrance of hell.¡±


    Sheww! Sihaelughed out loud when I pretended to be a fisherman throwing bait.


    ¡°Okay, then fish her out properly.¡±


    ¡°Just trust me. I¡¯m really good at fishing.¡±


    Before I died, my nickname was ¡®The Waltonian*¡¯. I¡¯ll definitely show you my skills!


    I rolled over and hugged Sihael.


    ¡°I¡¯ll certainly free you, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    * * *


    After waking up earlier than usual, Sihael let Rosetta sleep and went for a walk alone.


    It was because he had as many thoughts as Rosetta sincest night. To the extent, he even refused the snacks from the servants he encountered while passing by. He wasn¡¯t in the mood for a snack now.


    ¡®Your Highness, I will surely undo the curse.¡¯


    ¡®Even if that wizard escapes to hell, I will chase her to the end and bring her.¡¯


    Rosetta¡¯s determined voice kept ringing in his ears. Sihael had no idea why Rosetta was so devoted to taking care of him. The Katzel family was cordial to him, but her care as if she cherished him was too excessive.


    He could tell just by looking at Lanoa next to her without muchparison. He could see he was worried about his curse, but he didn¡¯t probe much into it.


    He seemed to know not to cross the line.


    It was a matter of course. Neither Lanoa nor Rosetta were his subordinates or swore allegiance to him.


    ¡®Does she still think of me as her puppy?¡¯


    For now, this was what made most sense. It could be just that she cherished and worried about the puppy that she raised so far.


    Except for their recent big fight, Rosetta granted most of his requests, but he felt like she listened to him because her ¡®Shasha¡¯ wanted it rather than because of his identity as the Crown Prince.

 Chapter 43

    Chapter 43


    ¡°Is that why she just carelessly kept touching, hugging, and kissing me?¡±


    When he recalled her warm and soft touch on his forehead, he felt his face heating up. He wanted to touch the spot she had touched before, but he could feel nothing with his paws.


    ¡°Haa.¡±


    It was utterly ridiculous how he was embarrassed and brooding over receiving a kiss once from a kid three years younger than him. It was good to be with Rosetta because she was fun andfortable to be with, but it would get dangerous if they got any closer than this.


    Her sweet, cordial expressions, friendly touches, and warm words.


    The affection that Rosetta generously gave was something Sihael had never received.


    ¡®If we get any closer than this¡­¡¯


    If he got addicted, there would be no turning back. Sihael thought he should distance himself from Rosetta, but it didn¡¯t seem like it would be easy. Whenever he slept on the same bed with Rosetta, nine out of ten times, he would wake up in her arms.


    Even today, he went to a lot of trouble to escape without waking her up.


    It was obvious from how often they cuddled that he, who was not much familiar with skinship, feltfortable in Rosetta¡¯s arms


    ¡°Sir Shasha!¡±


    Sihael, who was walking towards the garden, turned his head to the sound of someone calling him. The little maid Rosetta cared about was running towards him. She had just arrived at work, so she was dressed in her daily clothes.


    ¡°Haah, haah. Is the youngdy still sleeping?¡±


    Sihael nodded and looked at Hannah. Seeing how the kid was breathless and gasping for air just from that short distance, she was as weak as she looked.


    ¡®If it were Rosetta, she would have run up to me at once, and lifted me up and spun around.¡¯


    His thoughts naturally headed towards Rosetta.


    ¡°Are you taking a walk alone?¡±


    Hannah was a talkative child. He didn¡¯t like noisy things, but since Rosetta cared about this child, he decided to leave her alone. As a result, they ended up taking a walk in the garden together.


    ¡°Sir Shasha, what do you like?¡±


    ¡°Meat? Fish? If not these, then do you like fruits?¡±


    Even though she didn¡¯t get any answers, she still kept talking by herself. Sihael, who had been ignoring Hannah¡¯s questions, choked at the words that came out next.


    ¡°Oh, I see! It¡¯s the youngdy, right?¡±


    ¡°Keuk.¡±


    Why did she suddenly jump in that direction after talking a lot about food? Bewildered, Sihael made a mistake, which he would normally never make.


    ¡°Rosetta is not something to eat¡±.


    ¡°Of course! I didn¡¯t mean it that way. I meant to ask whether you have a liking for thedy!¡±


    Seeing how she wasn¡¯t surprised on seeing a beast speak, Sihael¡¯s eyes shone sharply with a glint of alertness at Hannah¡¯s natural response.


    ¡°So, you knew.¡±


    Hannah¡¯s shoulders flinched at the low voice. Sensing the unusual atmosphere, she looked into Sihael¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I identally overheard the two of you talking.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Last night, just before you got into the carriage at my house. I heard Sir Shasha worriedly asking thedy if she got hurt anywhere.¡±


    Frightened by the sudden interrogation, Hannah sped her hands tightly and blinked her eyes.


    ¡°I will never tell anyone. Please forgive me.¡±


    Seeing her pitiful look, Sihael swallowed back his sigh. He remembered asking Rosetta this and thatst night because he was worried after seeing Rosetta in low spirits then. He had thought there was no one around. It was definitely his fault for being careless as he had be used to a peaceful life for a while.


    ¡°Do you know who I am?¡±


    ¡°The God of Wolves¡­?¡±


    What kind of god was that?! Sihael narrowed his eyes. Seeing how Hannah was smiling bashfully, she didn¡¯t seem to know his identity. Because if she had known, she wouldn¡¯t have approached him so amiably.


    ¡°Yeah, just think like that. It would be better to know nothing.¡±


    Hannah nodded her head vigorously at the warning words. When the stiff atmosphere rxed a little, Hannah wiggled her fingers and carefully checked Sihael¡¯s mood.


    ¡°Umm, Sir Shasha. What does thedy like?¡±


    ¡°Me.¡±


    Sihael mped his mouth shut at the answer that he spoke out unconsciously. The embarrassment that he had barely managed to suppress overtook him once again.


    ¡®Wait, it¡¯s not wrong either. The one that Rosetta loves the most is me.¡¯


    He consoled himself after struggling with the embarrassment for a brief time. Hannah also helped to some extent by nodding her head and agreeing to it.


    ¡°Of course, thedy likes Sir Shasha a lot, but I meant food, not Sir Shasha. I wish it was some kind of snack, so do you know anything?¡±


    ¡°She eats everything without a fuss.¡±


    ¡°But still.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ Apple pie.¡±


    Sihael smiled when he remembered Rosetta¡¯s face while nibbling on an apple pie a few days ago.


    ¡®Like a squirrel or a rabbit.¡¯


    Although Rosetta didn¡¯t look like the gentle and meek types, at that moment the only animals that came to his mind were the small and cute ones.


    ¡®They say you¡¯re hopeless if you think someone¡¯s cute.¡¯


    He felt he was in more serious trouble now. Sihael sighed heavily and clenched his fists. He didn¡¯t pay any attention to Hannah¡¯s mumbles about the apple pie.


    ¡°Thanks for sharing this with me! Then I¡¯ll be on my way now!¡±


    Hannah, who ran away and disappeared to the back gate of the mansion, was like a spy who came to extract information. Maybe she was indeed a spy. At first, it did look like she was using Rosetta as a purpose to approach Sihael.


    ¡®No, that foolish kid can¡¯t be the empress¡¯ spy.¡¯


    Sihael shook his head when he saw the back of the hopping figure.


    ¡®She¡¯s just a guileless, silly kid.¡¯


    Sihael leisurely walked towards the door where she disappeared. He slowly went in.


    It was time for Rosetta to wake up.

 Chapter 44

    Chapter 44


    After returning from a walk, Sihael looked around with a sharp gaze. The quiet hallway was now unusually messy and disordered.


    ¡®Did another assassine in? Where is Rosetta?¡¯


    He hurried his steps up the stairs. When he got to the second floor, the servant he earlier ran into swallowed back his gasp. He had always been afraid of him, but strangely, his face lit up when he saw Sihael.


    ¡°Lady, Sir Shasha is here!¡±


    Then, from the end of the hallway, Rosetta ran up to him in her nightdress with a ¡®thud thud thud¡¯ sound and hugged his nape, making Sihael stumble in surprise.


    ¡®Why is she running around in these clothes?! Who roams around in their nightdress!¡¯


    He twisted his body to cover Rosetta, but her firm hands never let him go. Sihael was taken to her room, being embraced in an unsightly posture. Sihael didn¡¯t mind it as he was more concerned about Rosetta¡¯s thin clothes than his pride.


    ¡°Where did you leave your outerwear? How can you go out like this? Do you know how many guys are out there?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, where have you been since morning? I was so surprised to see you had suddenly disappeared!¡±


    Even though Sihael chastised her, Rosetta turned a deaf ear to his words.


    ¡°I thought something had happened to you. I almost wrecked the whole mansion searching for you.¡± Rosetta grumbled.


    When she said that she was worried about him, Sihael mped his mouth shut. He couldn¡¯t speak harshly to her knowing she had rummaged through the mansion in her nightdress searching for him simply because she was worried about his disappearance.


    This was why he found this problematic.


    Even though he thought he should keep his distance from her, he was again swept away by Rosetta¡¯s infinite affection. Rosetta, who carried Sihael to the bathroom, got some warm water and wet his feet.


    Her hands rubbing his feet were soft. Sihael nkly looked at Rosetta¡¯s side profile as she washed him, and then turned his head away.


    ¡®I have gone crazy. She¡¯s my friend¡¯s little sister, and she hasn¡¯t even had hering-of-age ceremony yet.¡¯


    ¡°You went out for a walk even before the sun rose. So, have you thought about losing weight now?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t gained that much weight!¡±


    ¡°How would you go back to your original body with this much belly fat bulging out like this?¡±


    Rosetta pinched Sihael¡¯s stomach, making him twist his body.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Your belly fat is so soft.¡±


    Haah, never mind. She has always been such a person. A mischievous and yfuldy who liked to make fun of people.


    ¡®She doesn¡¯t even see me as a person in the first ce, what was I even thinking?¡¯


    Sihael swept his hair and curled himself up on the bed. He was tired because he worried too much about useless things since the morning. Thinking that seeing Rosetta¡¯s face now might make him more distressed, he turned his back towards her.


    Unbeknownst to his thoughts, Rosetta reached out and gently stroked Sihael¡¯s back. Feeling the warmthing from his back, Sihael moved his body to the corner.


    ¡°Are you angry?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    At his blunt answer, Rosetta hugged Sihael and pulled him into her arms. Sihael was helplessly dragged into her embrace. He pondered whether or not to resist, but soon gave up the thought as he couldn¡¯t defeat her by strength.


    ¡°I was just joking earlier. Your Highness is the most handsome person.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more handsome when I¡¯m human.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Even though I¡¯ve never seen you, seeing how good looking Shasha is, you must be very handsome too.¡±


    ¡°I told you I am really handsome.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. You¡¯re the most handsome man.¡±


    No matter how he looked at it, it was clear she still thought of him as a dog.


    Who treats a crown prince like this?


    ¡®Her way of talking is just like that of a person soothing an upset dog.¡¯


    Sihael consciously loosened up his body when Rosetta slowly propped her chin on his back.


    It seemed she was going to treat him as a big pillow now.


    What was certain was that she had never once recognized him as a person. The time with Rosetta was fun andfortable, and sometimes made his heart flutter. He liked the time they spent together like this, but this made Sihael more and more greedy.


    ¡°Rosetta, if I go back to my human form, will you still call me adorable and handsome?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. Just because Your Highness returned to the way you were, doesn¡¯t mean our rtionship will change.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough for me.¡±


    A satisfied smile appeared on Sihael¡¯s face. Someday, their rtionship would not be that of the owner and the dog, but something more closer than that.


    Someday¡­


    Sihael¡¯s eyes brightened.


    * * *


    This was all my fault. This was my karma.


    Today, a report came in that they had again failed to find Liliana¡¯s whereabouts. I let out a nervous sigh. I had confidently told Sihael that I would definitely find her and to have faith in me, but as time passed with no whereabouts of Liliana, I became more anxious.


    ¡®How on earth can you hide like this?¡¯


    I had deliberately exaggerated the rumors of Eugene¡¯s life being in danger, but Liliana did not appear at all. I had thought Liliana would definitely show up after hearing Eugene¡¯s name. But, was the problem because I interfered in the original story?


    Perhaps, Sihael was worried seeing me sigh so much in frustration, so he threw the bone he was ying with and put his chin on my thigh. As I lowered my gaze to the sudden weight I felt on my thigh, he blinked his round eyes and looked up at me. The lump in my chest melted away.


    ¡®He¡¯s really very cute.¡¯


    When I reached out and stroked Sihael¡¯s head, he rubbed his cheek against my hand. For some reason, he then acted more cutely.

 Chapter 45

    Chapter 45


    ¡°Rosetta, are things not going well?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Although I expected this, it¡¯s really not easy.¡±


    I put away the gloomy thoughts and pulled myself together. I couldn¡¯t say anything pessimistic here. I was supposed to take responsibility for him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will definitely catch Liliana.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. After all, you¡¯ve done so well in fishing*.¡±


    [*T/N: The word used here means both ¡®to fish¡¯ and ¡®to catch¡¯. Sihael is joking, making reference to what Rosetta said in the previous chapter.]


    ¡°What did I catch?¡±


    ¡°Well, you caught me.¡±


    I doubted my ears.


    ¡®Wait, did Sihael say that cheesy thing right now?¡¯


    When I looked at him in shock, Sihael chuckled.


    ¡°Your Highness, this joke is a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not kidding. You have caught me in yourpletely.¡±


    Argh! This is so cheesy. I stamped my feet and closed my fingers like a grilled squid. I went along with his joke.


    ¡°What is this? Why did something strange get caught in my? Wasn¡¯t it only Liliana whom I was trying to catch?¡±


    ¡°So, are you saying you won¡¯t raise the fish you caught anymore? I wonder whether this is the famous ¡®fish farm¡¯.¡±


    [T/N: Fish farm here is a pun. Ites from the ng ???? which means managing a fish farm or fish tank. It refers to the act of getting close to many people and stringing them along without being sincere towards any.]


    ¡°What are you talking about? I don¡¯t remember putting Your Highness in my fish farm.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s just say I am in it from today.¡±


    Ho, who said you coulde in as you want! I lowered his head from my thigh and pushed him away.


    ¡°I¡¯m setting you free! Go! Go!¡±


    ¡°No. Since you¡¯ve caught me, you have to take me and raise me well. You should feed me and take care of me.¡±


    ¡°No way! You should go somewhere else, not this fish farm!¡±


    ¡°I have nowhere else to go except by your side.¡±


    What do you mean by ¡®nowhere else¡¯? There¡¯s a pretty and talenteddy named Liliana for you!


    I continued joking with Sihael and didn¡¯t perceive Lanoa¡¯s annoyed gaze.


    ¡°Are you guys dating?¡±


    Sihael and I stopped moving at the gloomy voice that did not suit the sunny weather.


    ¡°If you are going to do something, then go out and do it. Don¡¯t make a fuss in my room.¡±


    ¡°Woah, are you really dating a dog, no a wolf? Only a pervert would think of doing something like this!¡±


    ¡°Do you have a head just for decoration? Ughh, what an idiot!¡±


    Why was he picking a fight with me?


    Unlike me, who was ring at Lanoa, Sihael, perhaps realizing something, approached Lanoa and whispered to him. Lanoa¡¯s face distorted like a crumpled paper, and by the end of it, he stared at Sihael fiercely.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t. Nope!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you stay in the imperial wine cer all day.¡±


    Knowing exactly what Lanoa wanted, Sihael ced an attractive condition, which made Lanoa¡¯s eyes lit up. I instinctively felt ufortable seeing Lanoa¡¯s blooming face which I had seen for the first time after transmigrating into this body.


    Ugh, I didn¡¯t even want to see the sight of him.


    ¡°Hey, Rose. What¡¯s your ideal type?¡±


    Why was he asking this so suddenly? I was puzzled by the sudden question about my ideal type, but my mouth steadily recited what I wanted.


    ¡°Someone good-looking who would cherish me. He should only focus on me and also be a little obsessed with me. It would be good if he¡¯s also good at the night affairs. Of course, he at least has to have a cute side to him. It¡¯s okay if he doesn¡¯t have money as I have a lot.¡±


    ¡°¡­..¡±


    ¡°¡­..¡±


    Both of them didn¡¯t utter a word. I rolled my eyes at their silence.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this enough?¡¯


    Sihael said, breaking the awkward silence between us. ¡°What if he has a lot of money?¡±


    ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°Much more than you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that will be icing on the cake! Then I¡¯ll grab his hand and enter the wedding hall right away.¡±


    Sihael¡¯s face became noticeably brighter. He muttered something about making a reservation for the ceremony, but I couldn¡¯t understand what he meant.


    ¡°Huh? What did you say?¡±


    ¡°Which wedding hall¡­.¡±


    ¡°Icing on the cake? In your dreams! Just try entering a wedding hall holding hands with any rascal. I will pulverize him with my gun.¡±


    Was this nutcase confidently proiming that he would open fire at my marriage?


    I red at Lanoa, who was saying crazy things. However, Lanoa ignored my fierce re, and pulled Sihael back, stopping him from taking any step forward.


    Whack!


    Sihael hit his arm too hard. Lanoa¡¯s arm swung after being hit by him.


    ¡°Ah! My arm! My arm!¡±


    Lanoa made a fuss, saying that his shoulder felt like they had dislocated.


    ¡®I¡¯m the only one who can treat Sihael like a dog.¡¯


    I crossed my arms and clicked my tongue as I saw Lanoa pretending to be in extreme pain.


    ¡°You idiot. How about your ideal type¡­ No, why should I be curious about that? I don¡¯t care. Your Highness, what is your ideal type?¡±


    ¡°A healthy and strong person. She should be a strong person who can protect herself even if I am unable to protect her.¡±


    Oh, wow, that¡¯s good. Comparing our ideal types, I was embarrassed by my conditions for ideal type which seemed quite materialistic.


    ¡®Liliana sure is healthy, but I think she¡¯s by no means the strong person that Sihael desires.¡¯


    Of course, Liliana was strong enough to protect herself. It was not for nothing that her setting was a genius wizard. However, for the story to proceed, she had to fall into the Empress¡¯s trap and inevitably get help from Sihael.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it matter if she has a pretty face or a good personality?¡±


    ¡°It would be nice if she is a kind person with red hair and green eyes.¡±


    Umm, so is it someone like me? But where is such a person¡­ Huh, no way!


    ¡°Wow, how can you be so frank?¡±


    Lanoa muttered with a tired look.


    Yeah, that was too frank.

 Chapter 46

    Chapter 46


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you thought of my brother Leonard like that.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Strong and healthy with red hair and green eyes. I¡¯m not sure about the kind part, but that¡¯s certainly brother Leonard.¡±


    ¡°¡­Rosetta Katzel, I am really thinking about killing you right now.¡±


    If I hadn¡¯t sensed Sihael¡¯s burgeoning murderous aura, I would have thought he was joking. Lanoa pped his thigh and burst into a roar of loudughter as Sihael retched with disgust.


    ¡°Bwahhhhaaaaaha! Your Highness and brother Leonard pfft! Hahaha¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°Haha, there¡¯s no need for me to get in the way of you two. Because there is no hope for you, Your Highness!¡± Lanoa said with a shake of his head. He teased Sihael without even trying to hide the tremors in his lips.


    ¡°Did I make you lose heart, Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    I ignored their chatter and took a mouthful of the apple pie Hannah made for me.


    ¡°So delicious!¡±


    Anyway, when he¡¯d meet Liliana, he would forget all about this ideal type or whatever.


    However, where am I supposed to find Liliana?


    * * *


    When I ced the fork down, the tea time with the three of us came to an end. Despite the fact that it was ¡®tea time,¡¯ I was the only one who had anything to eat.


    Until we got up from our seats, Lanoa had a weird look on his face, as if he wasughing at something. It took Sihael a while to decide whether or not to eat Lanoa, but he eventually bit his leg to show his anger.


    ¡°Argh! My legs! Your highness, you shouldn¡¯t bite people!¡±


    Sihael walked right by me as he stepped on Lanoa, who was writhing on the floor in agony. In the past, Sihael had always apanied me, but this time he was so upset that he returned to the room without looking back. Watching Sihael walk away, I took a step in the other direction. I went to Nanabi instead offorting him.


    ¡°Nanabi, may I enter?¡±


    ¡°Yes, pleasee in.¡±


    Nanabi was deep into her research. When she asked me to wait a bit, I sat down on the sofa and gazed around the room. No matter how many times I saw it, the transformation of an ordinary room into a magicalboratory never ceased to amaze me. While I was examining the expanded collection of research instruments, I heard the door open from the inside. The moment I turned my head, Eugene¡¯s prim and proper eyes widened in recognition of me. When I first saw him, Eugene was merely bones, but now he had gained some weight and looked much better. He approached me swiftly and bowed.


    ¡°Due to my previous state of health, I was unable to properly greet you, Mdy. I am Eugene Mell.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten a lot better.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you, Mdy. I will surely repay this favor.¡±


    Eugene looked like he was willing to give up his life if necessary.


    ¡®You don¡¯t need to do that.¡¯


    I did save his life out of generosity, but everything that followed was carefully nned by me. When he decided to be Nanabi¡¯s disciple, I made the decision to be his backer, both for myself and for the benefit of the Katzel family. Additionally, in the original novel, Eugene developed the same ability for purification magic as Liliana did when he was her apprentice. As a result, he was worth anticipating. Despite the fact that his teacher had changed, his setting as a genius did not change, so there was a possibility that he might be able to use other magical abilities.


    ¡®Moreover, he¡¯s someone who the Master of the Wizard Tower values. It would be a waste if I did not take advantage of this opportunity.¡¯


    If he could possess the power of purification, it would be highly beneficial to Sihael, and if not, he could be the Katzel family¡¯s exclusive wizard. On my side, there was nothing to lose.


    ¡°For now, follow Nanabi¡¯s advice and strive hard to be a wonderful wizard for the Katzels.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely do my best.¡±


    The more I saw him act honestly, swiftly, and deftly, the better I felt. Failing to get Liliana was like a wound to the heart, but I took some sce in the fact that I had seeded in getting Eugene by my side. After my brief talk with Eugene had concluded, Nanabi, who had just finished tidying up, sat down across from me.


    ¡°Mdy, what brought you here?¡±


    ¡°I came here to ask about Liliana. Did you obtain any information concerning her whereabouts?¡±


    ¡°We sadly still haven¡¯t made any progress.¡±


    I¡¯de here hoping she¡¯d have some information on her, but Nanabi, too, appeared to have nothing. Nanabi sighed loudly, as if frustrated.


    ¡°If I can obtain even a faint trace, I can use it to locate her. But it¡¯s impossible because there is no trace of her anywhere.¡±


    The words that flowed out of her mouth were pessimistic and dismal. In the meantime, Eugene brought tea and ced the cup in front of me and Nanabi. When I caught a glimpse of Eugene¡¯s slender wrists poking out from beneath his long sleeves, my mouth dropped open. A bracelet adorned with lilies dangled from his wrist.


    ¡®Liliana¡­!¡¯


    I jumped to my feet halfway up and snatched Eugene¡¯s wrist. Eugene stumbled because I couldn¡¯t manage my strength in a hurry.


    ¡°Where did you get this?¡±


    ¡°Huh? What? This bracelet? Someone was handing it out to the vigers, telling them that it would be beneficial to their health if they wore it. That¡¯s when I got it, too¡­ Is there anything wrong, Mdy?¡±


    ¡°Did that person happen to be a woman?¡±


    ¡°Though that person was dressed in robes, their voice was unmistakably feminine.¡±


    Ha, here I was having a hard time finding you, but you had not only entered the Duchy but also managed to evade all the surveince systems!

 Chapter 47

    Chapter 47


    I sat down in the chair, a dejected smile on my face.


    ¡°How long ago was that?¡±


    ¡°Two days ago.¡±


    Until today, I kept getting reports that she was nowhere to be found, but Liliana had arrived in the duchy two days ago. It was both depressing and astounding at the same time.


    ¡°Is she still in town?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. She probably left. I haven¡¯t seen her since that day.¡±


    It would have been nice if she was still in the duchy, but it was okay as we could find enough traces to track her.


    ¡°Nanabi, you mentioned that if you have any trace of her, you can find her, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mdy.¡±


    Even without much exnation, Nanabi understood the situation through our conversation and extended her hands towards him.


    ¡°Eugene, can you give me that bracelet for a moment?¡±


    ¡°Sure! Will this help?¡±


    ¡°Yes, very much.¡±


    I was still taken aback by the fact that we had discovered a trace of her in such an unexpected ce. I was a little concerned about what I would do if I couldn¡¯t find it, but it just materialized in front of my eyes. Now, all of my worries felt absurd and pointless.


    I decided to put all of those negative emotions aside and focus on the joy.


    ¡°Thanks to you, we can find her now. Tell me what you want; I¡¯ll grant it.¡±


    ¡°No, there¡¯s nothing, Mdy. Your kindness is more than what I deserve.¡±


    ¡°When I give something, just take it.¡±


    ¡°Then, I will just ept your goodwill.¡±


    I could have granted anything Eugene wanted now, but he refused. Since he stated that he didn¡¯t want anything, I stopped pushing for it, since I did not wish to force him.


    ¡®I have to go and tell Sihael. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be delighted.¡¯


    A huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. My steps back to the room with the good news were light. But as soon as I walked into the empty room, all of my excitement was gone. Sihael was not in the room.


    ¡°Did he leave the house again? My puppy really doesn¡¯t listen to me.¡±


    Because I was worried about him, I had told him not to go out alone. I couldn¡¯t stop myself from worrying about him, so I went out to look for him. I walked back the way I hade, but Sihael was nowhere to be seen. I looked for him in the promenade, gardens, and even deep in the mountains, but I couldn¡¯t see a single strand of his tail hair, let alone his mountain-like body.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s here.¡±


    Thest ce I headed to was the training grounds, but he wasn¡¯t there either. When I looked at the location shown by the tracking device installed on Sihael¡¯s leash, it showed he was in the mansion.


    Oh, you were definitely out. When did you go back in?


    Someone called me when I was turning toward the mansion.


    ¡°Mdy!¡±


    ¡°Allen.¡±


    Allen approached me with a beaming face. After Lanoa¡¯s escort order was revoked, he returned to the Knights Order. The face that I was sick of felt pleasant now after not seeing for a long time.


    ¡°How have you been?¡±


    ¡°Good. You look much better now.¡±


    He used to be so frightened that he only uttered sounds like ¡®hiik¡¯, ¡®heuk¡¯ or ¡®ah¡¯ whenever he saw me. Allen¡¯s face turned red as I yfully teased him.


    ¡°Why are you roaming around during the training time? Don¡¯t you knights get suspended because of it? ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s open training time.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, really? By the way, did you happen to see Shasha?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t he go to the back gate with a maid earlier?¡±


    I frowned at Allen¡¯s answer. Did Sihael have a maid he was close with? He was not trying to seduce her, right?


    It would be embarrassing if he was begging for snacks by cutely wagging his tail.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll get going. Work hard.¡±


    After seeing Allen off, I walked to the back door. I could hear Sihael¡¯s voice in the midst of hushed voices.


    ¡°She keeps on treating me like a dog. If it were you, what would you do?¡±


    ¡°If it was me, I would be the youngdy¡¯s dog and be doted on by her!¡±


    ¡°Never mind. It¡¯s my fault to ask you.¡±


    The voice that followed was Hannah¡¯s.


    ¡®Why are these two together, no, more than that, the two of them are talking with each other?¡¯


    As I turned around the corner, I couldn¡¯t hide my surprise and asked the two.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Did you two talk to each other?¡±


    ¡°Mdy, you¡¯re here!¡±


    Unlike Hannah, who weed me warmly, Sihael was still grumpy. He didn¡¯t even look at me. I grabbed Sihael and asked again.


    ¡°Did you speak consensually, or did you get caught?¡±


    Seeing my nk face, Hannah trembled and stuttered as if she was terrified.


    ¡°I, I will never say anything to anyone! I have already promised Sir Shasha that I would keep this a secret until the day I die! Please trust me, Mdy!¡±


    ¡°Leave her alone. She¡¯s just a little fool who knows nothing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, right! I¡¯m a fool!¡±


    Judging by Sihael¡¯s casual reaction, it seemed that he had resolved it well. I grabbed Hannah, who was about to kneel down to her knees, and patted her trembling shoulder.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll trust you. And the apple pie was good. I enjoyed it.¡±


    Then Hannah, who stopped trembling, raised her thumb at Sihael with sparkling eyes. Sihael¡¯s reaction was still not good, but Hannah didn¡¯t care much.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll get going. You two can talk.¡±


    Hannah entered the mansion with light steps. I crouched down next to Sihael after confirming that Hannah had gone away.


    ¡°What were you two talking about?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡±


    ¡®Ho, now you are keeping secrets. You¡¯ve really grown up!¡¯

 Chapter 48

    Chapter 48


    ¡°I have some good news for you. Do you want to know what it is?¡±


    It was indeed great news. Sihael¡¯s ears perked up. I reached out and gently patted his neck.


    ¡°I think we can find Liliana. I happened to find something we can use to track her. The good news wille soon.¡±


    It was the news he had been waiting for, but Sihael only kept burrowing the ground.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look so happy.¡±


    ¡°¡­Rosetta.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I like women.¡±


    I was wondering what nonsense he was talking about when it urred to me that he was still bothered by my earlier question about whether he liked Leonard.


    ¡°I know. I was just kidding earlier.¡±


    I patted his neck and then stroked his head.


    ¡°Did you leave without me earlier because of that?¡±


    ¡°I assumed you¡¯d follow me.¡±


    I always went after him andforted him whenever we disagreed, so he must have assumed I would do it again this time. But this time, after a long wait, I didn¡¯t show up, which irritated him even more. I lightly scratched his head as he grumbled. When he was in a bad mood, this was one of the few things I tried, and it always worked.


    Sihael¡¯s eyes began to droop.


    ¡°I came here immediately after visiting Nanabi.¡±


    ¡°You should havee with me right away.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re such a child, Your Highness!¡±


    The way he frowned and grumbled was quite endearing, so I pulled his cheeks and teased him, and he bit my lips like earlier times.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    The scratch from his big tooth on my tender skin tingled. My eyes frowned at the fishy taste of blood that filled my mouth.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to bite my lip?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your punishment for saying those hurtful things to me.¡±


    True, I teased him, but when Sihael said those words, I was taken aback and feigned a smile.


    Sihael¡¯s gaze was only on my lips as I stared at him, dumbfounded. ¡°Can I lick your wound?¡± Sihael asked, wagging his tail.


    ¡°Then, would you feel better?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Well, okay, Mr. Male lead. Do as you please.


    I pulled Sihael¡¯s face closer to me.


    ¡°As soon as the bleeding stops, you will let me go. Okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Sihael licked my lips with his warm tongue. I wondered whether this could be called a kiss. Feeling my face be wet from Sihael¡¯s saliva, I looked like I was going to cry. If it was going to be a kiss, wouldn¡¯t it be better to do it with a handsome male lead? Even though Sihael¡¯s spirit was of the male lead, his shell was actually a dog.


    ¡°All right, now get off me.¡±


    Sihael, who managed to understand my muffled pronunciation, stepped back. I lowered my sleeves and wiped my lips. Because of how much he licked me, my sleeves werepletely soaked. When I looked at the person who had made my clothes in this manner, he simply acted dumb.


    ¡°Rosetta, will your blood still taste good even after I return to my human form?¡±


    ¡°How would I know that? You can maybe try itter.¡±


    I said it without much thought, but Sihael pricked up his ears, as if finding it tempting.


    ¡°Can I really bite you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your highness. You can do as you please.¡±


    Gently stroking Sihael¡¯s hair, I got up.


    ¡°Since we¡¯re out, how about we go for a walk?¡±


    ¡°Okay¡±.


    ¡°Let¡¯s change clothes first, then go mountain trekking today.¡±


    ¡°All right, let¡¯s do it¡±.


    I couldn¡¯t believe that a person who pretended to be sick to avoid the walks every day was willing to follow me.


    I guess he¡¯s in a good mood.


    * * *


    Standing at the foot of the mountain after changing clothes, I warmed up lightly.


    ¡°Today, we¡¯ll climb up to the summit.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to bet on who¡¯s going to reach the summit first?¡±


    ¡°What kind of bet?¡±


    ¡°The loser grants the winner¡¯s wish.¡±


    Seeing you say this, you must want something.


    I told him ahead of time in case he made an unusual wish.


    ¡°No strange wishes are allowed.¡±


    ¡°Certainly!¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, start!¡±


    I swiftly kicked the ground and took off. From behind, Sihael yelled that it was a foul.


    ¡®Whatever! I don¡¯t care!¡¯


    In order to beat the wolf Sihael, I had to use tricks like this. However, I could not defeat a four-legged beast, even with my tricks. Sihael passed by me, causing a strong gust of wind.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go first! Bye!¡±


    ¡°Your highness! Please be humane! Please cut me some ck!¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m a wolf now!¡±


    Sihael clenched his teeth and elerated his speed after provoking me with his retort. I let out a wry smile, amazed at how far Sihael had run in such a short time. I pumped up my legs to catch up to Sihael. My hair, which was pulled back into a high ponytail, brushed against my cheek.


    ¡®I agreed to the bet even though I knew I couldn¡¯t win, but why am I taking this so seriously?¡¯


    It was amusing how, despite my intention to take this all lightly, I ended up following Sihael with my eyes ming with greed for victory.


    ¡°The left road is mine!¡±


    Sihael looked back at me when I shouted that I wanted the less difficult left road of the fork.


    My annoyance heightened at the look on his face that said, ¡®Okay, I¡¯ll give you this much.¡¯


    ¡®Just you wait! I¡¯ll definitely win. I will never lose!


    Just as I gritted my teeth and increased my speed, I felt my body bend forward and a chill creep up my toes.


    Swoosh! Thud!


    A burning odor apanied the sound of something exploding. When I turned around, arge hole had appeared in the tree, which had previously been fine. It was dripping with a dark red liquid.


    ¡°What is this¡­?¡±


    Swish!


    I leaned back and dove for cover as another attack flew in.


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    Because of the trees and rocks in my way, I couldn¡¯t see the opponent. I drew my sword from my belt. I had brought it with the purpose of killing the Empress¡¯s assassins if they reappeared, but it was fortunate that I had taken it with me. I took a fighting stance and took a nce around. Along with the sound of the wind, I could hear something rustling in my ears. The closer I got, the stronger the odor became.

 Chapter 49

    Chapter 49


    ¡°A demon?¡±


    A foul-smelling four-legged beast-like creature with a bird¡¯s head stared at me. The monster¡¯s mouth was spouting the dark crimson liquid. I gulped anxiously at the first beast I saw. This was a normal hiking track, so why a monster¡­


    ¡°Ah, a nourishing tonic¡­!¡±


    Ipletely forgot that I was the blood bag that demons liked. Ah, I¡¯m doomed! I don¡¯t know what happened, but it seemed that the monster was drawn here by my blood and had crawled up to the mountain.


    ¡®I just need to avoid that strange liquid.¡¯


    I quickly approached the monster¡¯s bird-like head, avoiding the spewing liquid. I swung my sword aiming to take its head. The ground where the liquid sttered sizzled. I was able to evade the attack by jumping around like avoiding andmine.


    ¡°Keeeeeeek!¡±


    Perhaps as a result of my dodging its attacks, itunched a new round of attacks. However, before the monster¡¯s attacks could even reach me, it¡¯s neck fell to the ground.


    Tumble tumble!


    The demon¡¯s birdlike head, which I hacked off, rolled on the ground. The demon, however, who should have been dead, did not die. No, the monster was no longer alive, but the blood from its neck began to pool and take on a new shape. It was like a slime. Before it could fully materialize, I shed it with my sword. Despite my greatest efforts to chop and sh the demon¡¯s blood, it wriggled and attempted to regenerate.


    ¡°Oh, this doesn¡¯t seem good.¡±


    A blob of blood the size of my height suddenly swung its arm towards me. Fortunately, its movement was slow, so it didn¡¯t pose much of a threat to me, despite its intimidating size. But the trouble was that no matter how much I hacked it down, it would regrow.


    ¡®Ah, I don¡¯t know!¡¯


    I shed the lump of blood because I couldn¡¯t think of anything else to do. I wanted to set it on fire, but I only had the sword in my hand at the time. So I had no choice but to keep shing. I believed if I kept slicing it, its regenerating abilities would eventually deteriorate.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you win or I win.¡±


    Cut, Slice, Cut!


    I continued to cut down the lumps that reformed. I hacked it and ripped it apart. I wondered how long it had been since I began swinging my sword without thinking. The demonic lumps eventually lost their ability to regenerate and remained in the form of blood. I shook off the blood from the de, set the sword down on the floor, and wiped the sweat from my brow.


    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve had such a good workout.¡±


    As soon as I began fanning my flushed face, the grass in front of me shook and an unidentified object dashed towards me at full speed. I quickly grabbed the sword from the floor and assumed a fighting stance.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you daree here. I¡¯ll kill you all!¡±


    Just when I swung the sword to attack the unknown thing, it jumped out shouting, ¡°Rosetta!¡±


    I barely stopped my arms at the familiar voice.


    Phew, that was close! I almost killed the male lead!


    ¡°Please say something when youe, Your Highness. I nearly killed you.¡±


    Sihael sighed, as if frustrated, as he looked at me and the demon alternately.


    ¡°I expected you to cry after seeing a demon, but I see you¡¯re doing fine.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Why would I cry? I had never cried since I became Rosetta. When I asked him what he meant, Sihael just shook his head.


    ¡°I ran here for nothing.¡±


    ¡°How did you know about it, Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t know because the smell of its blood is wafting everywhere.¡± When Sihael saw the blood sttered all over the ce, he frowned.


    ¡°Good, you managed to destroy its nucleus. It must have been hard to find.¡±


    ¡°Nucleus?¡±


    What was that? Sihael¡¯s eyes widened torge circles when I tilted my head in confusion.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know? Then how did you kill the demon? Don¡¯t tell me you just kept shing at it mindlessly!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right! I hacked it until it died.¡±


    Sihael burst outughing when he heard my response. He seemed to find it extremely amusing, as hisughter did not stop.


    ¡°You are truly amazing, Rosetta Katzel.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s apliment, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s apliment. You are the first person to kill a Chimera* without knowing anything about its nucleus.¡±


    *[ It¡¯s not the Greek Chimera. Here it¡¯s a ss of demonic monsters that live in the demon realm. ]


    Sihael continued to praise me.


    ¡°If I had hands, I would have given you a standing ovation now.¡±


    It was nice to be praised, but I couldn¡¯t shake the implication of the proverb, ¡®Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.¡¯


    ¡°But why is a demon suddenly here?¡±


    ¡°There are two possibilities. One is that the demon might havee over here through the mountains in the north.¡±


    Sihael kicked the dead body of the mangled demon.


    ¡°The other possibility is that the empress is behind this.¡±


    My pupils constricted as I remembered the empress¡¯s setting from the original novel. The empress was a wizard who couldmand familiars, most of which were birds ¡ª mainly crows.


    Because the Empress¡¯s abilities were limited, she was unable to deal withrge animals. That was why she was so obsessed with creating chimeras that obeyed hermands.


    ¡°It must be the empress¡¯s work.¡±


    Sihael nodded as he looked at the cold body of the Chimera.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 50

    ¡°I also think so. I¡¯m not sure whether it was just a normal demon, but since the monster you killed is a chimera, which are artificially created demons, the probability of it having come from the north is remarkably low.¡±


    Woah, the empress is a really crazy person. If someone other than me had encountered the demon, they would have died with their body punctured with holes.


    ¡°First, let¡¯s go down the mountain and inform Lanoa. We need to deploy people and immediately find the space from where the demon came.¡±


    Halfway up our trail, Sihael and I decided to go down the mountain. It would have been nice if we could return to the mansion safely, but we ran into more demons on our way.


    Within five minutes of killing the third demon, I was completely fed up with the demons that appeared again and again.


    ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯ll leave this to you now.¡±


    ¡°Are you passing this off on me?¡±


    ¡°These demons were originally released by the Empress to capture you, Your Highness.¡±


    Also, I didn¡¯t know how to find a nucleus, so it was taking too long. It was good that I could release some of my pent-up stress, but I had used up too much of my stamina.


    ¡°Rosetta, that¡¯s not fair.¡±


    Sihael, who knew I was weak to Shasha¡¯s appearance, pretended to be sad on purpose.


    Oh, you¡¯re pretending to be pitiful again. The crown prince of the empire was a dignified and proud person. No matter how hard you look, there was no one like him in the empire. But I was used to seeing him act like this, so I turned my head firmly.


    ¡°Acting cute like this won¡¯t work.¡±


    Then, Sihael took a different approach.


    ¡°Master.¡±


    ¡°What? Why are you being like that all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Master, then can Shasha ask for a hug?¡±


    Sihael gently raised the corner of his eyes and fluttered his eyelashes. I bit my tongue at his devious appearance. It seemed this was probably what the phrase ¡®One may look kind, but not act anything like it,¡¯ looked like.


    ¡°Shasha is so scared. Quickly give me a hug.¡±


    Why did he want me to give him a hug when it was him who had catched most of the demons? I looked at Sihael¡¯s feet and clicked my tongue briefly. He said he was scared, yet he was crushing the demon under his feet.


    ¡°Please stop pretending. Shasha has already left my side.¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s always by your side. Watching over you.¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s gone! Instead of my little wolf, there¡¯s only a devious human here now!¡±


    ¡°Hey, that was harsh!¡±


    Puck. The demon¡¯s head exploded under the force of his muscular legs.


    ¡°Ah, that was by accident¡­¡±


    It was too late for him to pretend to be weak now.


    We quickly defeated the monsters with Sihael¡¯s powerful paw attacks, descended safely, and then informed Lanoa of what had occurred. When he heard that there were demons, and even Chimeras in the mountain, Lanoa took the knights and went straight up the mountain. This was due to the fact that while the mountain was dangerous after the sun went down, allowing the demons to run wild was far more dangerous.


    Nanabi followed along to find the space from where the demons were coming.  The occasional commotion in the mansion disturbed the atmosphere. Lanoa and Nanabi, along with the knights, must have been suffering in the dark, so I couldn¡¯t bring myself to sleep soundly alone.


    But I couldn¡¯t run outside, so I kept moving around to ease my discomfort. I drew a picture with paper from my desk. The model was Sihael. I drew the picture as my hands moved, and then showed it to Sihael.


    ¡°Your highness, Your highness. Look at this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, is this me?¡±


    ¡°Ding ding ding. You are right.¡±


    Sihael found it hard to believe that the crooked figure drawn on the paper was him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t like it? It pretty much looks like a good work of art.¡±


    ¡°Give it to me. I¡¯ll show you what¡¯s really called a work of art,¡± said Sihael confidently.


    I laid the paper on the floor and handed him a pencil in his mouth. Then I sat down on the bed and watched him draw. It didn¡¯t take long for the painting to be completed.


    ¡°Is this the demon we saw today?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡±


    ¡°At least my painting had eyes, nose, and mouth in place.¡±


    The thing Sihael drew was definitely not a human being. The eyes were next to the ears, the nose to the chin, and the mouth to the forehead. What on earth was this terrible hybrid like monster?


    ¡°Look at it through your heart. Then you would be able to see it well.¡±


    What nonsense! Even if I looked at it through my heart, the mouth on the forehead did not disappear. Just when Sihael and I were holding a competition to see who was worse at drawing, someone knocked on the door.


    ¡°Come on in.¡±


    It was Eugene who came in.


    ¡°Milady, I have found Lilliana Manu.¡±


    ¡°Already?¡±


    I expected it wouldn¡¯t take long to find her with the traces she left behind, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be this fast. It had only been six hours since Nanabi had examined Eugene¡¯s bracelet, and they had already found Lilliana¡¯s whereabouts. If my subordinates, who had been pulling all-nighters to find Liliana for a few days, knew about this, I was sure they would be very upset.


    ¡°She has escaped the duchy, but fortunately she¡¯s still here in the north. Tomorrow, as soon as the sun rises, the teacher said she¡¯ll go and pick her up.¡±


    ¡°Good work,¡±


    If Nanabi goes in person, she¡¯ll definitely bring Lilliana safely.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll get going.¡±


    Eugene, after finishing his job, went back. Though Eugene said he didn¡¯t need anything, he still contributed greatly to finding Liliana, so I thought about giving him a reward. It¡¯s something I would have to do when I¡¯m done with all this.


    My priority right now was, of course, Sihael.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be back to normal tomorrow.¡±


    Finally the end was in sight.

 Chapter 51

    Our time together was deeply intertwined with unexpected events, but as a result, we made good memories. It sure was a chaotic cohabitation, but it was also a valuable experience because I got a good friend through it.


    ¡®I wouldn¡¯t have been able to speak with him, the Crown Prince, if it hadn¡¯t been for this.¡¯


    I reached out and gently stroked Sihael¡¯s fur.


    ¡°Rosetta?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something I¡¯ve been looking forward to for a long time, so I should be happy, but I¡¯m not sure why I¡¯m a little sad.¡±


    I became attached to him more than I thought, to the extent that I even wanted to ask him to stay as a wolf a little longer. I didn¡¯t want to send him to anyone else.


    ¡®This must be precisely why it is advised not to recklessly take in a puppy on a temporary basis.¡¯


    The idea that we had to say our goodbyes to each other the next day made my heart break. I was completely absorbed in images of us washing, changing clothes, and even resting in bed. Sihael seemed unusually ecstatic, probably because he expected to be able to return to his human form the next day. I took a close look at Sihael¡¯s face, who was resting next to me.


    As if etching each of his characteristics into my mind¡¯s eye.


    ¡°Your eyes are tearing up.¡±


    ¡°Because today is our last day. I¡¯m trying to engrave you in my eyes so that I don¡¯t forget you, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re making it sound as if I¡¯m going to die.¡±


    You¡¯re not going to die, but once you imprint on Lilliana, I won¡¯t be able to see you like this, so calling it our last day is right.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll finish the last imprint right away, but¡­ I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen.¡¯


    After gazing at Sihael for a long time, I grabbed both of his cheeks and kissed him.


    Kiss~


    ¡°A good night kiss and a goodbye kiss.¡±


    Sihael¡¯s eyes widened into large circles, as if he didn¡¯t expect me to kiss him first. I gave the sweetest smile I could muster.


    ¡°Good night.¡±


    I could see him even with my eyes closed since his image had been etched on my retina. I closed my eyes to visualize him and etched him into my consciousness once more.


    * * *


    Heavy!


    As if I were suffering from sleep paralysis, I was unable to move my body. It seemed as if I were being crushed by a massive boulder, and breathing was difficult.


    I naturally assumed it was Sihael who had gotten on top of me again, so I swung my arms at him. But what touched my hand was not his fluffy fur, but smooth skin.


    I could feel the warmth radiating through my palms. Thump thump thump, a slightly faster heartbeat was felt beneath my fingertips. I fumbled with my hands, feeling the soft texture under my fingers.


    It was smooth.


    Also, firm and hot.


    ¡°It¡¯d be best if you stop touching me.¡±


    When I heard a deep, muffled voice right next to my ears, I lifted my heavy sleep glazed eyelids.


    ¡®Sihael, you bastard, I told you not to talk next to my ear.¡¯


    I tried pulling Sihael¡¯s fur to punish him  but what greeted me was a firm chest.


    ¡°¡­ Why¡¯s your chest¡­?¡±


    ¡°Good morning,¡±


    ¡°Huh, oh, oh¡­ who¡­?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t tell if what I was seeing now was a dream or reality because I hadn¡¯t yet awoken. A handsome man I¡¯d never seen before smiled at me, the corners of his eyes curving. But that smile was strangely familiar.


    The eyes that stared at me were as warm as the sun, and his lips curled up in a friendly smile.


    I stared at the man blankly and then lowered my gaze.


    Bare chest, bare arms, waist, and¡­


    ¡°Aargh!¡±


    What the¡­ why aren¡¯t you wearing anything?!


    Startled, I pushed the man¡¯s chest and pulled up the blanket to cover my body. Then, the man¡¯s bare body, which was barely covered with a blanket, became completely naked.


    ¡°Aagh! Shit, what is that!¡±


    Why, why are you not wearing anything?!


    I had no choice but to throw the blanket that covered my body at him.


    ¡°Cover yourself! I told you to cover yourself!¡±


    ¡°Rosetta. Calm down.¡±


    ¡°How can I possibly calm down now?!¡±


    I curled up and covered my face. I could feel the heat on my skin.


    Shining silver hair and bright yellow golden eyes¡­


    And that voice was unmistakably Sihael¡¯s.


    No, just by looking at the collar that hung loosely around his neck, I knew it was him. Who would wear a dog leash, unless the man was a pervert?


    ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s you, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Fuc, why did you suddenly become a human?!¡±


    I stifled the profanity that escaped my mouth out of habit. However, I couldn¡¯t help but swear. He hadn¡¯t even met Liliana yet; how on earth did he become human?!!!


    Sihael shrugged his shoulders.


    ¡°I have no idea. When I opened my eyes, I was back to my normal self.¡±


    ¡°Is that possible?¡±


    ¡°I believe the empress¡¯s poison has been detoxified.¡±


    No, all the troubles I endured in order to find Liliana were in vain. I pushed my palm to my hurting temple.


    ¡°First, let¡¯s cover your body.¡±


    Let¡¯s first put him in Leonard¡¯s clothes as soon as possible and get a tailor to adjust them to his size.


    After that¡­


    I was briefly organising what I needed to do in the future when Sihael interrupted my thoughts.


    ¡°Rosetta.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Am I handsome?¡±


    Mr male lead, is that what you should first say after waking up? Even though he looked like a pervert with his lower bottom just covered with a blanket, he was still very¡­


    ¡°¡­yes.¡±


    He was very handsome.


    He perhaps liked my answer as he smiled happily like a satiated beast.

 Chapter 52

    I couldn¡¯t even blink at his smile and just stared at him blankly. Even though his lower body was just covered with a blanket and he looked silly enough to be not considered charming even jokingly, his gorgeous smile made me forget everything in an instant,


    ¡®Wow, no joke, he has the number one visual.¡¯


    A beauty from another world that I had never seen in my previous or current lives was right in front of my eyes. The male lead was, as expected, in a different league.


    ¡®He looks fantastic, despite the fact that he has only just awoken.¡¯


    Even his unkempt hair, which poked out here and there, looked good. I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off him no matter where I looked. Broad shoulders, a strong chest, and well-defined abs! The muscles he gained from rolling around the battlefield were also perfect.


    ¡®I used to call him a pig because of his belly fat, but I have to take it back now.¡¯


    When Sihael said that it wouldn¡¯t be noticeable if he gained weight, I assumed it was an excuse, but it wasn¡¯t.


    ¡®Where did all that fat go?¡¯


    Sihael¡¯s grip on the blanket tightened as I gradually lowered my head to scan his slender body. At the same time, my gaze was drawn to his veins that rose up on the back of his hand, and I forgot about the purpose of finding his fat and admired it, before raising my head in awe at the voice I heard over my head.


    ¡°Where are you looking at?¡±


    ¡°You used to be so chubby, but now there¡¯s no fat at all. I was looking for where all the fat went¡­ Wait, why are you looking at me like that? I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°Your eyes are so insidious. And it¡¯s not like you didn¡¯t do anything. You groped my chest.¡±


    Sihael took a step away from me and covered his chest with one arm, pretending to be ashamed. I was startled by his innocent look and burst out laughing. If I really groped him, I would have felt bad about it. But I didn¡¯t grope him; I just touched him in my sleep.


    ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t even touch it properly. It was a total mistake.¡±


    ¡°¡­Do you want to touch it now?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything silly! Why would I want to touch it?!¡±


    He liked to tease people whenever he got an opportunity. Look at his momentum now that he¡¯s back to being a human. As he laughed out hysterically, I got out of bed and glared at him.


    ¡®I need to go get Nanabi¡­ Oh, she¡¯s not here right now. She said she¡¯d leave early in the morning.¡¯


    Then there was only one option left.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go and call Lanoa. You wait here calmly, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I turned my back on Sihael and covered my face, pretending to fix my unkempt hair. I pretended to be calm until now, but it was actually very burdensome and awkward. I was embarrassed that Sihael had suddenly become a person, but I couldn¡¯t believe we¡¯d met for the first time in this manner. I sped up my steps, using the back of my hand to cool my burning cheeks.


    Click!


    As I stepped out into the hallway, I quickly shut the door and took a look around. I hit my head against the wall after checking the empty hallway.


    ¡®Shit! This is crazy! What should I do now¡­¡¯


    I was looking forward to an emotional reunion with Sihael after he became a human, but¡­ what I ended up feeling was shame, awkwardness and embarrassment.


    ¡®I know the original novel is 18+ rated, but I didn¡¯t expect to see 18+ stuff. How could he be like that in front of me?¡¯


    My face, which had barely cooled, flushed with heat again as soon as his thing I saw came to mind.


    I slapped both of my cheeks with my hand.


    ¡®Forget about it, forget about it!¡¯


    I was holding my tingling cheeks from slapping them so hard when the door burst open. A silk gown was gently draped over my trembling shoulders.


    ¡°Don¡¯t walk around in your nightgown.¡±


    I alternated between looking at the gown draped lightly over my shoulder and Sihael¡¯s frowning eyes.


    Regardless of how one looked at it, he was the one who needed this gown the most, not me. It wasn¡¯t the right size, so putting it on would make it look even weirder.


    ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t just walk around with your lower body covered. What are you going to do if someone sees you? Please go inside.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­!¡±


    As I forced Sihael, who was about to say something, to close the door, I patted my surprised heart.


    ¡®He came out so suddenly. It really scared me!¡¯


    I removed the gown draped by Sihael, lightly patting my still pounding chest.


    ¡®Is the curse really purified? Did he maybe imprint on me?¡¯


    I stopped walking at the hypothesis that suddenly came to my mind, but then shook my head. Imprinting had to be done a total of two times: Spiritual imprinting and Physical imprinting. Spiritual imprinting meant feeling love and affection for the other person and connecting with them mentally.


    That is, it had to be a pure and devoted love.


    In contrast, physical imprinting was making love to the other person. The moment when both people¡¯s bodies connected and became completely one, the imprint would be made.


    In order to completely remove the curse, both of the above had to be satisfied regardless of the order. If even one condition was not satisfied, Sihael would not be able to completely revert back to his human form because of the incomplete imprint. In fact, in the original novel, Sihael made a physical imprint with Liliana but still became a wolf when the full moon came.


    He didn¡¯t return to his human form until he made a spiritual imprint with Lilliana.


    ¡®And I didn¡¯t fulfill any of these conditions.¡¯

 Chapter 53

    The night I shared with him yesterday was not a steamy night, but a peaceful and calm night, and there was no feeling of that type of love between us.


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely not imprinting.¡±


    As I walked while organizing my thoughts, I found myself in front of Lanoa¡¯s bedroom.


    Knock, knock, knock.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming in¡±


    There was no answer. He was probably asleep anyway. I didn¡¯t expect him to be awake, but I still opened the door without hesitation. Even though it was eleven o¡¯clock, Lanoa¡¯s room was dark enough for the time to be mistaken for midnight.


    ¡°I too live like this, but he¡¯s definitely worse than me.¡±


    He was dozing off as if he were dead. I hit Lanoa on the shoulder after drawing the thick curtains.


    ¡°Hey! Brother! Lanoa!¡±


    ¡°Aah, what?¡±


    Lanoa opened his eyes in annoyance, and rubbed his shoulder over and over again, as if it hurt where I had hit him.


    ¡°Your Majesty has returned to his human form.¡±


    ¡°Is that wizard here already?¡±


    ¡°No, when I woke up, he had already become a human.¡±


    Lanoa¡¯s hands, which had been running through his hair in annoyance, came to a halt. The golden eyes, which resembled those of birds of prey, turned to face me.


    ¡°When you woke up¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You woke up in bed¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. I was so surprised. When I opened my eyes, his bare chest¡­¡±


    Shiing~


    A familiar sound from below interrupted my thoughts. Lanoa, who had picked up the sword from the bedside, slid it into the sheath and began acting crazy.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Did you say in your room¡­ in your bed? Bare chest? Cheesst?!!¡±


    I could hear his teeth grinding every time he said a word. Lanoa jumped up the moment I reached out to him, the sound of an alarm ringing in my head.


    ¡°Crown Prince, that bastard! I knew this would happen since he was a dog. I should not have allowed you to share your bed with him from the moment he began acting like a human.¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey! Nothing happened!¡±


    ¡°Of course, nothing should happen! I will kill him if it did. What is that rascal thinking of doing with a kid who hasn¡¯t even come of age?¡±


    I forced the overly excited Lanoa to sit down, and took his sword away while he was off guard and moved it to a corner.


    ¡°Calm down and go get some clothes.¡±


    ¡°You want me to take care of the crown prince?¡±


    Lanoa grunted as he roughly brushed away his unkempt bangs.


    ¡°Then what should I do? We can¡¯t just recklessly let others know about his curse.¡±


    And there was one more issue that was just as important.


    ¡°Aside from that, what would people say if they saw a man dressed in nothing leaving my room? I¡¯m sure there would be a lot of strange rumours.¡±


    It was obvious people would spread dirty rumours about me. Lanoa, who had only recently realised this, spit out a light swear, rubbed his face violently, and pointed to the sofa.


    ¡°You take a seat over there and wait.¡±


    ¡°All right, but first you go greet him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I should greet him.¡±


    Lanoa, whose sword had been taken from him, fisted his empty hands. The ¡®greet¡¯ I asked him to do and the ¡®greet¡¯ Lanoa was thinking seemed to be very different.


    * * *


    Sihael leaned back on the sofa and stretched tiredly. He was faithfully obeying Rosetta¡¯s command to wait patiently until she returned.  As he watched the clouds drifting out of the window, he bowed his head recalling Rosetta¡¯s face.


    ¡°Pfft.¡±


    A face as red as Rosetta¡¯s hair glimmered in front of him.  He never expected to see her like that. Rosetta, who had always had a dignified and belligerent personality, was rarely shy.


    He was taken aback by the scarlet red face of such Rosetta. He really struggled to hold back from wanting to tease her.


    ¡°She¡¯s so adorable.¡±


    Her green eyes were dazed as she gaped at his face. For the first time, Sihael felt the use of his handsome face and he understood how to win Rosetta¡¯s heart in the future.


    ¡°I¡¯ve imprinted on her, so she can¡¯t get away from me now.¡±


    He didn¡¯t even want her to be away from him in the first place. Sihael hummed excitedly.


    When he opened his eyes, he was surprised and bewildered to see he had reverted back to his human appearance. But after feeling connected to Rosetta, he laughed out happily.


    Sihael¡¯s mood was so good that even if the Empress made a move on him right now, he could laugh it off.


    Well, it was given that his mood was good. Because the prerequisite for imprinting was love and nothing else.  Perhaps the trigger was Rosetta¡¯s goodnight kiss.


    There was love in it.


    Even if it was her love for the wolf Shasha.


    But Sihael was satisfied with it.


    ¡°I can start from here.¡±


    The reason he didn¡¯t tell Rosetta the truth was because of his ambiguous relationship with her.


    ¡®I can¡¯t mean anything more than a dog to Rosetta.¡¯


    It must be embarrassing for her that a dog  suddenly turned into a human, but what if she got to know that he suddenly  imprinted on her? His gut feeling that had been well honed by the war told him that she would run away from him without ever looking back.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be difficult.¡±


    It was an opportunity he somehow got, but thanks to that he could finally shed the wolf¡¯s shell and appeal to her as a human being.


    It was an opportunity that he could never miss. He had to approach her slowly and carefully.


    When she would come to her senses, she would be already in his arms, so he couldn¡¯t leave her anyway to escape.  No, he didn¡¯t even want to think about her leaving.


    His bright yellow golden eyes flashed with an overwhelming possessiveness.

 Chapter 54

    Outside, Sihael heard a knock on the door.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    Sihael wrapped the blanket around his waist, dispelling his deep feelings. The door clicked open. Sihael, who naturally curved his eyes and turned back,  grimaced when he saw someone tall entering.


    ¡°What brought you here?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, do you think I¡¯ve come here because I wanted to?¡±


    Lanoa, who also had a grimace on his face, cussed after seeing his lower body covered with a blanket. Sihael overheard him calling him a perverted wolf.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything to Rosetta, did you?¡±


    Sihael smiled wryly as he noticed his hostile eyes. He didn¡¯t do anything; rather, it was him who lost his heart to Rosetta. Sihael exclaimed proudly, ¡°Lanoa, you should speak correctly. I¡¯m the one who has lost my innocence.¡±


    ¡°This crazy¡­¡±


    Seeing a bulky looking man talking about his innocence, Lanoa forced himself to swallow back a curse.


    *   *   *


    ¡®I¡¯ll take care of it, so wait here calmly.¡¯


    I had no choice but to wait quietly for the two of them in Lanoa¡¯s room. Lanoa had locked me in the room and left me behind.


    ¡®He¡¯s not going to fight with His Highness, right?¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t that thoughtless, so I thought he would be fine.


    Time flew by without a hitch. As the air became quiet, I was struck by a sense of emptiness. I couldn¡¯t feel it earlier because I was so busy moving around, but when I opened my eyes and saw the empty place next to me, I felt lonely.


    ¡®Sihael has always been by my side.¡¯


    It finally hit me that my Shasha was now gone.


    Anyway, what would happen now?


    Sihael became a human before he could meet Liliana, so the connection between the two would disappear.


    As per the rules of the novel, the two people should have fallen in love, but¡­


    I had no idea what would happen in the future now that it was me with whom he had a close connection from the beginning.


    ¡®Since they¡¯re the main characters, they¡¯ll do well on their own, right?¡¯


    As I was organising the future situation with my chin in my clasped palm, I raised my head to the sound of the door opening.


    ¡°Rosetta.¡±


    My jaw dropped open as I gaped blankly at Sihael, who looked extremely dashing. His previously unruly hair was now neatly covering his forehead, and Leonard¡¯s hastily borrowed clothes fit him perfectly, as if they were his own. With a white shirt and black trousers, he was dressed in a fairly plain outfit for a Crown Prince, yet he still looked fantastic in it.


    ¡°It¡¯s much better. It looks good on you.¡±


    ¡°Do you like this style?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, there¡¯s no style that wouldn¡¯t look good with your face.¡±


    Sihael laughed with his eyes curved up when I told him that he could rock any style with his handsome face even if he wore a bag. Lanoa, who appeared later, rubbed his neck, clearly tired from the morning¡¯s commotion.


    ¡°Your Highness would tell everyone that he stopped by the Katzel duchy to rest. I know people would think it¡¯s strange, but the butler will handle it.¡±


    There will be murmurs among the servants, but the news will not leak out of the house thanks to the butler¡¯s meticulous management.


    ¡°Your Highness, how long are you going to stand? Please come here.¡±


    I almost beckoned to him, as I used to do to Shasha, but I quickly lowered my hand.


    ¡°You still think of me as your dog, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Even if he said that, seeing him laugh out loud, it didn¡¯t seem he was offended. I scooted over a little to make room for Sihael. However, someone else sat next to me before he could.


    ¡°Thank you for making room for your brother.¡±


    It was Lanoa.


    Just before Sihael could sit down, Lanoa squeezed in his butt between us and shamelessly raised his head.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s too crowded here. Why are you calling His Highness here?¡±


    I slapped Lanoa on the back and pushed him away, but he kept sitting firmly.


    ¡°Just be patient. I¡¯m going to call Brother Leonard now, so let¡¯s show him his face and get this sorted at once.¡±


    Having said that, Lanoa quickly took out a crystal ball from his bosom, just in case I would push him away.


    As Lanoa wrapped his hands around the crystal ball, it softly emitted a pure white light. Shortly thereafter, it was connected with Leonard.


    ¡°Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Sihael, who had been beaming at me only moments before, responded bluntly. It was clear that Lanoa¡¯s butt attack had offended him. Despite Sihael¡¯s icy reaction, Leonard exhaled a sigh of relief, saying it was a good thing that the situation he was worried about had been avoided.


    ¡°You succeeded. I¡¯m glad.¡±


    ¡°I was lucky. How about the empress?¡±


    ¡°Needless to say, she has been secretly scheming and spreading rumours that there¡¯s a problem with Your Highness¡¯ body not only in the capital, but all the way up to the borders. But, strangely, she¡¯s been quiet lately. It appears that she is reserving all of her plans for His Majesty¡¯s birthday banquet.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, is it so?¡±


    Leonard rubbed the corners of his eyes tiredly. He appeared to have been through a lot. His eyes had dark circles under them, and his face had turned pale from exhaustion.

 Chapter 55

    ¡°When are you coming back? Please hurry up and put an end to the rumors. You¡¯ve also got a lot of work to catch up with.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there in time for His Majesty¡¯s birthday banquet.¡±


    ¡°Are you putting it off because you don¡¯t want to work right now?¡±


    Leonard¡¯s expression hardened. It seemed to accuse him, as if to say, ¡®I¡¯m dying here, but you¡¯re only thinking of returning after a good rest.¡¯


    ¡°Your Highness, please come back to the capital now!¡±


    Then, someone screamed outside the crystal ball.


    My shoulders trembled with surprise at the loud voice that was loud enough to make my ears bleed. Sihael seemed to be used to it as he didn¡¯t react much.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you have to do, Gayle! That¡¯s your job! I must see the Empress screw up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hand in my resignation. Please accept my resignation!¡±


    That had to be Gayle. A man who appeared to be Sihael¡¯s aide yelled for resignation, but Sihael and Leonard ignored him.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°I found something pretty interesting here. I¡¯m going to make the last appearance on the day of His Majesty¡¯s birthday party and show it off with great pomp.¡±


    Sihael raised the corners of his lips, and showed something towards the crystal ball.


    ¡°I wonder what the Empress¡¯ reaction would be when she sees this.¡±


    It was a chunk of the Chimera I killed. Leonard¡¯s eyes widened as he recognised it right away.


    ¡°Is it a Chimera?¡±


    ¡°The Empress unleashed it in the mountains behind the duchy. Rosetta almost got hurt.¡±


    ¡°¡­Is Rosetta all right?¡±


    Leonard¡¯s low voice was heard over the crystal ball. I waved my hand gently as Sihael turned the crystal ball towards me.


    ¡°Where did you get hurt?¡±


    ¡°No, Your Highness was just joking. How could I get hurt, after all it was me who hacked down that Chimera¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you think Rosetta could be defeated by something like that?¡±


    Sihael chuckled and asked Leonard if he still didn¡¯t know about his younger sister. Leonard, who realized that it was me who had killed it, gritted his teeth.


    ¡°You really¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Call me when you come back. I¡¯ll pick you up.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After a short talk with Sihael, Leonard called me and Lanoa.


    ¡°Lanoa, Rosetta, you both did a great job.¡±


    ¡°Well, it was the least we could do.¡±


    Unlike me, who shrugged my shoulders and smiled, Lanoa crumpled his face since the mention of Sihael still staying here.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just say that we did a good job, and take His Highness with you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. Keep up the good work.¡±


    Tuu, tuu, tuu.


    The call was cut off abruptly and the disconnect tone continued to sound for some time. Lanoa, who had been stunned, slowly came to his senses and shook the crystal ball.


    ¡°Brother? Bro! Hey! Leonard!¡±


    Lanoa yelled at Leonard, who only said what he wanted to say and abruptly cut the call.


    ¡°Hey! Brother! There¡¯s a wolf rascal in our house!¡±


    I grabbed the crystal ball and left the howling Lanoa alone. I got up from my seat and mumbled to Sihael.


    Let¡¯s go.


    Okay.


    After talking with our eyes, we left a wailing Lanoa behind and proceeded down to the dining room.


    *   *   *


    Lanoa was pretty shocked that he had to stay with Sihael, so he didn¡¯t even eat lunch and went straight for a drink.  If he was going to drink, he should have gone to my room, but he came down to the dining room and kept drinking all day.


    On top of that, he kept pouring the alcohol straight into his throat without taking any side dishes.


    No, it seemed that the side dish was us.


    To be exact, Sihael.


    Lanoa watched each and every one of his actions tenaciously, as if he intended to upset Sihael. On the contrary, Sihael was quite relaxed.


    ¡°Lanoa, we¡¯re going to be pretty close in the future, so don¡¯t be too hard on me, okay?¡±


    ¡°He even speaks dogshit with such sincerity.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s because I just became a human again. I hope you understand. I was after all a dog until yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    I spewed the water I was drinking at Sihael¡¯s wordplay. I roughly wiped the water that dripped down my chin with my hand and hung my head down and stayed tight.


    ¡®Even though Lanoah is like that, Sihael, why are you fighting back with him?¡¯


    He himself had told me not to treat him as a dog, yet here he was calling himself a dog. After shaking my shoulders and laughing for a while, I finally caught my breath and continued to cut my meat.  Still, my ears were pricked open toward the two of them.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have been better if you were a dog? You don¡¯t even look good now¡±


    ¡°I guess you don¡¯t know yet.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Lanoa¡¯s eyebrows wriggled as Sihael smiled confidently.


    ¡°Rosetta.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Am I handsome?¡±


    ¡°Yes, fricking handsome.¡±


    Sihael raised his chin with a satisfied smile at my excited answer. Lanoa covered his face and sighed.


    ¡°F*ck¡­¡±


    Lanoa, who uttered a curse sadly, opened a new bottle and chugged it down.


    ¡®Woah, he¡¯s been at it since morning.¡¯


    I wondered how much longer Lanoa would go on like this. When he noticed my gaze, he raised his head and abruptly began to fight with me.


    ¡°Is a handsome face all that matters to you?¡±


    ¡°Why are you picking a fight again? And don¡¯t talk nonsense. It is also necessary  to have a good body.¡±


    At my words, Lanoa scanned Sihael¡¯s body. Lanoa sighed and covered his face once more.


    I¡¯m not sure about anything else, but after seeing Sihael¡¯s face and body, no one can swear.


    ¡°Lanoa, I¡¯ll take you to the imperial wine cellar.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not falling for that this time.¡±


    ¡°You can take as much wine as you want.¡±


    This time, Lanoa, who was in a deep agony, groaned.


    And like that, the fight between the two ended.


    No, it just seemed to be going well until the apple pie appeared for dessert.


    ¡°Would you like some more of my pie, Rosetta?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    When I saw the massive apple pie, I nodded, then stared open-mouthed at the hand that swiftly snatched the plate.


    Lanoa¡­!


    ¡°This brother will feed you!¡±

 Chapter 56

    ¡°Ugh! Aack!¡±


    Surprised by the apple pie that was suddenly stuffed in my mouth, I pushed away Lanoa as hard as I could.


    Clack! Crash!


    Lanoa fell back and his body rolled on the floor. Seeing how he couldn¡¯t even get up properly, he was already in a drunken stupor.


    ¡°Ugh, are you crazy? My jaw is aching!¡±


    Touching my throbbing jaw, I grabbed Lanoa by his collar while he struggled on the floor. I had no idea why he was acting this way It was probably because he was worried that I woke up in the same bed as Sihael.


    I could understand his thoughts, but it was just too much.


    ¡°I told you. Nothing, seriously nothing happened! If you¡¯re really drunk, just eat well and then retire to your room to sleep!¡±


    ¡°Something can happen in the future!¡±


    ¡°What kind of nonsense are you on about? His Majesty and I are simply friends! Whatever you¡¯re thinking, it¡¯s nothing like that!¡±


    I yelled, turning to face Sihael while clutching Lanoa¡¯s collar.


    ¡°Please, Your Highness, don¡¯t provoke this jerk and just go along with me! If you act like you usually do, he¡¯ll really believe it!¡±


    No matter how much Sihael enjoyed pulling pranks, there could be no middle ground here.


    I stuffed a crumpled apple pie into Lanoa¡¯s mouth for the last time after threatening Sihael.


    He did, however, appear to be insane. He kept smiling while eating the apple pie.


    ¡®He must have really gone crazy¡­.¡¯


    I let go of his collar and smacked him on the head. Then I heard a cracking sound coming from behind his head.


    ¡®It¡¯s not as if I care if his head cracks or rolls off his neck but¡­¡¯


    Lanoa, who was whining and grabbing the back of his head, raised his arms and cried out.


    ¡°Never in the future¡­!¡±


    ¡°Just shut your mouth!¡±


    Lanoa, who was hit in the thigh by my fist, continued to drink until the end of the meal.


    ¡°Your Highness, let¡¯s throw this guy away and then go out.¡±


    ¡°¡­..¡±


    ¡°Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. If only I could throw him away somewhere.¡±


    His voice as he glared at Lanoa was terrifying.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to put him away in his room?¡±


    He just glared at Lanoa like he was going to kill him¡­


    Sihael approached me, tilting his head and softening his gaze.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Well, did I see it wrong?


    *  *  *


    When Nanabi returned in the afternoon and saw Sihael, who had become a human being, she covered her mouth.


    ¡°How did this happen? How did His Highness suddenly turn back to a human?!¡±


    ¡°It just happened.¡±


    Sihael, who had been in a dull mood since the earlier meal, answered curtly.


    Nanabi slowly shook her head as if finding it hard to believe. She then sat down on the sofa and murmured, ¡°If you were going to turn back to a human, why didn¡¯t you turn back one day sooner, why today¡­¡­¡±


    I was also disappointed about it, but I could imagine how disheartened Nanabi would be now that she had brought Liliana herself.


    ¡°I stayed up all night, putting a barrier on the whole Duchy, and then brought Liliana as soon as the sun came up¡­¡±


    Nanabi said desperately. After seeing her pale face, I felt sorry for her. Even though it was quite disheartening, I had no other choice but to see the female lead.


    ¡°What about Liliana?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­She¡¯s waiting in the drawing room.¡±


    At her response, I stood up and dragged Sihael by the arm.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go quickly, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Since I¡¯m now fine, do I really need to meet her? Just tell her to go.¡±


    ¡°What if you¡¯re not cured completely? Hurry up and get up! Come on, hurry up!¡±


    I also had to bring the two protagonists together who couldn¡¯t meet because I messed up the original work.


    ¡®Because their first meeting was ruined, him imprinting on Lilliana was highly unlikely, but if they get used to each other¡¯s faces, it might all work out in the future.¡¯


    Sihael¡¯s eyes narrowed when I pulled both of his arms. He still didn¡¯t move. It was like pulling a radish from the ground.


    ¡°Why are you being so strong?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, she¡¯s here. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    With a glum expression, he refused to budge.


    I still grabbed and yanked on his arm, and he reluctantly followed me. It was quite inconvenient because he kept dragging his steps. It was like dragging a child to the hospital who didn¡¯t want to go.


    ¡°You were so happy when you were fighting with Lanoa, but why are you so glum now?¡±


    ¡°Because of someone who doesn¡¯t care about me.¡±


    ¡°Who? Lanoa?¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ Never mind. I¡¯ll just work harder.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what it is, but all the best.¡±


    Sihael sighed and ruffled my hair roughly when I raised my right hand and fisted it in a ¡®all the best¡¯ pose.


    *  *  *

 Chapter 57

    Liliana was as pure as her name.


    She was a woman with a small face, small hands, and a delicate figure that stimulated one¡¯s protective instinct.


    Liliana stood up, her gleaming blonde hair gently gliding down her shoulders, as if golden sunlight illuminating her body.


    ¡°Liliana, this is Lady Rosetta.¡±


    ¡°Hello, my lady, I am Liliana Manu. You summoned me.¡±


    The heroine¡¯s voice was as lovely as a jade bead.


    ¡°This person has been poisoned; could you examine him?¡±


    When I pulled Sihael who was sitting next to me, he buried his head in my shoulder.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with this guy? Why is he acting like this in front of guests?¡¯


    Surprised, I pushed Sihael¡¯s face away to get him into the proper posture. Even after seeing what we were doing, the sweet Liliana kept her sweet smile on her face.


    ¡°Stretch out your hand.¡±


    Liliana extended her hand to Sihael, but he only looked at her hand and did not extend his own.


    ¡°What are you doing? Hurry up and hold her hand.¡±


    ¡°Rosetta, you hold my hand.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    No, hold Liliana¡¯s hand, not mine!


    I blinked at Sihael¡¯s unexpected behavior as he calmly rested his body against my shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid to see a doctor.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?  You¡¯re not even at the age to be afraid of injections.¡±


    As I stared at Sihael dumbfoundedly, Sihael lowered his gaze, as if he had been waiting.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯m very scared.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Huh.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that right? Nanabi?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Yes, unlike what he looks like, His Highness gets scared easily. Very, very easily.¡±


    Nanabi, who appeared to have aged ten years, replied slowly.


    There was no genuineness in it. Anyone could see it was a blatant lie. I laughed out loud at the ridiculous lie, and then I felt an unfamiliar touch on the back of my hand.


    Sihael strokingly tapped the back of my hand with his index finger.


    ¡°Rosetta, hurry up and grab my hand.¡±


    Oh, please. How could someone known as God of War and Battlefield Killer be afraid of something like this?


    ¡®But why am I still clutching his hand!¡¯


    I looked down in vain as I extended my hand in response to Sihael¡¯s cuteness.


    ¡°I¡¯m not scared anymore.¡±


    Sihael smiled and curled his eyes as he clasped his fingers tightly in mine.


    Oh my goodness! I¡¯m in big trouble.


    I bit my tongue at the alarm ringing in my head.


    His face was very much to my taste.


    After looking blankly at Sihael, I turned my head to the side of the gazes I felt.


    Nanabi alternated between looking at me and Sihael, opening and closing her mouth like a carp.


    ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t anticipate you actually holding his hand.¡±


    I bowed my head, embarrassed by Nanabi¡¯s self-talk. My hair flowing down like a curtain cut off Nanabi¡¯s gaze.


    ¡®This is ridiculous.¡¯


    I thought it was all ridiculous.


    It was funny even to me. I just criticized him for acting like a child, but I still fell for his whining face and held his hand.


    ¡®No, there is also Sihael¡¯s fault in it. Who told him to be so pretty and handsome!¡¯


    The too handsome Sihael was the problem.


    I looked down at the two protagonists holding hands. A large hand caught my eye.  I was surprised to see the long hands after looking only at the furry paws covered in fur.


    Unlike the cute paws that I wanted to bite hard for no reason, his human hands, which had thick bones and were covered with calluses, had many large and small scars from the battlefield.


    ¡®I took such good care of him when he was Shasha, so why is his hands still so rough? I also changed his toenails and applied coconut oil to them.¡¯


    Sihael¡¯s hand flinched as I gently caressed his scar.


    I patted him on the back of his hand to say that it was ok. It wasn¡¯t my Shasha¡¯s big paws, but the hand had other strange charms.


    After clasping his hands for a while, I slowly lifted my head to the strangely quiet surroundings.


    The atmosphere was strange.


    It felt like everyone but me had stopped breathing.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the atmosphere here? Your Hi, no Sihael, is there some problem with you?¡±


    Liliana, who finally exhaled her breath, cleared her throat and said, ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that.¡±


    When Liliana¡¯s gaze reached Sihael, I followed her and turned my head. Sihael was looking at the other side without making eye contact with me.


    Strangely, the rims of his eyes were red.


    Hmm, even his eyes seemed a little red.


    ¡°Are you sick?¡±


    At my question, Sihael sighed, pulled his hand from Liliana¡¯s and then buried his face in his free hand.


    Soon after, I heard a subdued voice as if he had just woken up.


    ¡°It¡¯s because of you.¡±


    ¡®Seeing that his mouth is still working well, it seems he is fine.¡¯


    Since the diagnosis was over, I could finally let go of his hand.


    I shook off Sihael¡¯s hand and asked Liliana,¡±What do you think?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about, My lady. He¡¯s been completely purified from the poison.¡±


    ¡°Really? Are you sure there¡¯s no problem?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s no sign of poisoning. He¡¯s in fact very healthy.¡±


    Finally, I let out a sigh of relief and patted Sihael¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°What a relief.¡±


    ¡°I told you, there was no need to take another look.¡±


    However, Shihael, the owner of the body, was reckless as if it was someone else¡¯s business even though it was his own need. It was such a cold reaction that I felt like a fool for worrying so much about him.


    ¡®It¡¯s Sihael¡¯s body, why do I care more?¡¯


    When I scowled at Sihael, the despicable man smiled with his eyes curled up this time.


    He was so shrewd. He knew too well that I was weak to his face.


    ¡°By the way,¡±


    ¡°By the way?¡±


    Liliana opened her mouth after a long time and hesitated.


    ¡®If you speak up first, you should continue to answer. Why did you stop talking?¡¯


    Is there something wrong with his body?


    The longer the uncomfortable silence was, the greater my anxiety was.


    I urged Liliana with a stiff voice.


    ¡°Say it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­how come your body is that of a monster, no, that of a demon, to be exact. How is the blood of a demon flowing in you?¡±

 Chapter 58

    I, who was staring at Liliana; Nanabi, who was observing the situation, and an unconcerned Sihael were all taken aback and rendered speechless by her question. Liliana, who had thrown us all into a stupor, only looked at Sihael. Sihael twitched his lips in response to her question, which was filled with certainty rather than suspicion.


    ¡°Can you also see that?¡±


    ¡°I can see more than that.¡±


    At that, Sihael¡¯s eyes widened with interest.


    ¡°More than that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can see that you two are connected.¡±


    Huh? What connection?


    ¡°And that it¡¯s unstable. My eyes can see it all.¡±


    While I alternately looked at them, not understanding what they were saying, my gaze met Nanabi¡¯s, who was also tilting her head in confusion.


    ¡®What are they talking about?¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m not sure.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t keep up with their conversation.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s presumptuous, but I have something to say. Don¡¯t get too close¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re gifted and have excellent vision.¡±


    Sihael glanced down at Liliana with chilly eyes after forcibly cutting short her words.


    ¡°However, because of that tongue of yours, you¡¯ll live a very short life.¡±


    Oh my goodness! How can you say that? She is the heroine of the novel. Aren¡¯t you guys going to date later?


    The fierce atmosphere made me hold my breath, so I just kept watching the two.


    ¡°You should have kept your mouth shut if you knew it was presumptuous.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Sihael¡¯s anger was not relieved despite Liliana¡¯s apology.


    ¡°Nanabi.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Nanabi stepped forward at Sihael¡¯s call and placed her hand on Liliana¡¯s shoulder.


    Unlike her clumsy movements before, her movements were smooth and quick.


    ¡°Please go out.¡±


    Liliana quietly got up from her seat and left the room with Nanabi.


    After kicking Liliana out, he showed no further signs of dissatisfaction on his face, but it made me feel uneasy.


    ¡°Why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear her? She was being presumptuous.¡±


    Even so, you can¡¯t kick someone out like that. I let out a sigh.


    I knew it would be too much to expect him to like her right away, but I expected him to think of her as someone who helped him or was gifted.


    I never imagined he¡¯d be labeled as arrogant. Liliana remained silent, but she must have inwardly cursed us for being ungrateful aristocrats.


    ¡®How is he going to imprint on her now¡­¡¯


    Them getting even close seemed difficult, let alone imprint.


    Will the original story be ok? It was already a mess at the start, but I felt like it was getting out of hand¡­.


    ¡®Let¡¯s fix it first.¡¯


    Sihael grabbed my wrist as I rose from my seat.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back after talking with her.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Why? Why? Because of you.


    Prepare to say thank you for taking care of the story later, Mr. Male Lead.


    ¡°Since I called her, I owe her a proper thank you. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    Leaving Sihael standing alone, I grabbed hold of Liliana, who was about to leave the mansion. Liliana bowed gracefully without showing any surprise when she saw me.


    ¡°I apologize for causing you inconvenience.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. The apology must come from our end. I apologise for calling you and being rude to you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kind, my lady.¡±


    ¡°He is also kind. He¡¯s just in a bad mood today. I hope you don¡¯t feel too bad about it.¡±


    Liliana smiled brightly at me as I took Sihael¡¯s side and repeatedly made excuses for him.


    ¡°I was presumptuous, so it¡¯s no surprise he was angry. Don¡¯t be concerned; I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m relieved¡­¡±


    After all, as a heroine, her heart was as wide as the Pacific Ocean. Liliana extended her hand to me in the same way she did when she checked on Sihael¡¯s condition.


    Without hesitation, I took her hand in mine. I could feel her warmth in my hands. Liliana nodded slightly after a while, mumbling something to herself.


    ¡°You¡¯re as special as him. Blood that entices the demons.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    It was truly incredible. In less than a minute, Liliana figured out what Nanabi took all day to study.


    ¡°I¡¯m just like you, My lady.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    You also have blood that entices the devil like me?


    Liliana nodded as I raised my voice in bewilderment. At that moment, I covered my mouth at the scene that flashed through my head. This was the reason why Sihael attacked Liliana¡­


    In the novel it said she exuded seductive pheromones so I thought it was just a setup for the 18+ story setting but she also had an unusual blood like me.


    Sihael kept sucking and biting my hand saying it smells delicious even though he was completely clear headed. So if he met Liliana with only his beastly instincts left, he must have been unable to resist the temptation to entangle his body with hers.

 Chapter 59

    I was amazed at the perfect setting, so I looked down at Liliana and her calm eyes looked at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what the young lady¡¯s life must have been like, but mine hasn¡¯t been easy.¡±


    A bitter smile appeared on her lips as she looked back on the past.


    ¡°So, as someone who has experienced it earlier, I would like to say something. You should keep a safe distance from him.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Your blood has been his medicine up till now.¡±


    Liliana¡¯s quiet voice made me swallow uneasily, and I let go of her hand hopelessly at the words that followed.


    ¡°One day it will become poison.¡±


    My heart sank with a thud.


    ¡°And the consequences will be solely your responsibility, my lady.¡±


    * * *


    I¡¯m not sure how I came back to my room. As I sat still with my face buried in a pillow, I could feel the bedside sink.


    ¡°Rosetta. Are you all right?¡±


    Sihael, who pretended to be upset that I had left him alone in the living room, noticed my sadness and quietly shut his mouth. He followed me into my bedroom and asked, ¡°Did she say anything strange?¡±


    ¡®You will become poison to each other.¡¯ ¡®


    ¡®You have to keep your distance from him, my lady.¡¯


    The words of Liliana rang in my ears. My blood was only described as a mild medicine or nutritional tonic, but when I learned that it was poison to him, my head went numb. What would happen to Sihael¡¯s body because of my blood?


    And it would be me who would have to take all the fallout. How much harm would my blood cause him for her to issue such a terrifying warning?


    ¡°Is he going to die?¡±¡®


    If that was the case, he would have to move away from this place for our sake.


    Sihael must break the curse and become a perfect emperor, while I must survive and live in this world safely.


    The risk factors needed to be eliminated sooner.


    ¡®But I don¡¯t want us to separate ways like this.¡¯


    Sihael, despite being the male lead, was the first friend I made as Rosetta.


    Our relationship to me had a different meaning from the others who had a connection with Rosetta from the beginning. My relationship with Sihael was a relationship that I wove the strings of by myself. As a result, it was not easy to cut it off like cutting it with scissors.


    ¡®We would naturally drift apart when he would go to the capital, but¡­ This is so sad.¡¯


    Sihael gently patted my shoulder as I sighed deeply in sadness.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what that woman said to you, but ignore it because it¡¯s probably nonsense.¡±


    Sihael¡¯s comfort didn¡¯t do much for me. It was after all Liliana who told this ¡ª the female lead with special abilities that no one else possessed.


    And she was very sincere when she told about her experience.


    ¡®There¡¯s no way I can ignore it.¡¯


    After groaning for a while, I gave up thinking. Let¡¯s listen to Sihael¡¯s opinion and decide what to do with it.


    I raised my head, having made my decision.


    ¡°We need to talk.¡±


    Sihael, who was standing right in front of me, flinched and convulsed his shoulders.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Wait, did he just flinch seeing my face?


    I grabbed him by the shoulder as he moved away and brought my face close to his.


    ¡°Are you scared of my face?¡±¡±


    ¡°¡­.. A little?¡±


    I was here anxious to death but he was still provoking me like this?


    Sihael instantly shut his mouth close upon observing my gloomy countenance. I removed my hand from his shoulder and grabbed a cushion. Sihael immediately grasped the pillow after observing my hand¡¯s bulging veins.


    ¡°Wait a minute.¡±


    What ¡®wait a minute¡¯? I raised my pillow high and hit him on the shoulder.


    ¡°You have to say no at times like this!¡±


    ¡°No, your face is so pretty. So cute.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re late now!¡±


    Duck feathers flew from the torn pillow. A heavy hitting sound echoed in the room. I did not stop until after all the feathers in the pillow had been scattered away. When I came back to my senses, I noticed that everything around the bed was covered with duck feathers.


    And Sihael¡­..


    The sight of a handsome man lying on the bed and covered in duck¡¯s feathers was truly a sight to behold, but the handsome man in question was none other than the Crown Prince. When I belatedly came back to my senses, I seated Sihael very carefully, as if handling a glass. He wrapped his arms around his shoulders and frowned.


    ¡°I think my shoulder has been dislocated.¡±


    ¡°¡­. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it hurts.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll call a doctor now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad. But it hurts.¡±


    As he kept complaining about his shoulders hurting, I wondered if he enjoyed seeing me get worked up. He was obviously being a crybaby, but I kept apologising without saying anything because I had indeed done something wrong. However, my patience quickly ran out due to his constant whining.


    ¡°I think if anyone can make it better, it would be me.¡±


    Since it was me who hurt him, I¡¯d have to take the responsibility. So, I grabbed Sihael¡¯s shoulder and his eyes trembled at my strong grip.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll fix it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok¡­!¡±


    Thump.


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    As I twisted his intact shoulder, Sihael clenched his teeth.


    ¡°You really¡­¡±


    Sihael grabbed my waist, throwing me off balance, and then threw me down with force. My head was spinning. Soon after, the soft bed touched my back.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s enough.¡±


    Sihael turned his shoulder lightly, saying, ¡°Thanks to you, I¡¯m all better.¡±


    ¡®Did he just moan because he enjoyed it?¡¯


    As I looked at Sihael, he shrugged his shoulders with an innocent expression.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s have that talk.¡±


    ¡°In this position?¡±


    With me lying on the bed and you looking down at me?


    ¡°Don¡¯t you like it?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I do.¡±


    The posture was a little strange, but it was okay because my eyes were getting one hell of a service.


    He looks so handsome even from this angle.


    When I stared at Sihael¡¯s face with arms crossed, he smirked, as if to say ¡®Look as much as you want without feeling burdened.¡¯


    ¡°Have you calmed down now that you¡¯ve seen my face?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

 Chapter 60

    He was able to ask that because he was always quite confident in himself. Even though I knew it was embarrassing to say such a thing with my own mouth, I sat up and nodded my head.


    ¡°You said we should talk,¡± Sihael, who was sitting next to me, said, ¡°so tell me what you want to say.¡±


    I took a deep breath and spoke in a strained tone.


    ¡°My blood will poison you.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense! That¡¯s why I told you not to go to her.¡±


    ¡°And she also said I would get hurt because of it.¡±


    Sihael, who was sardonically laughing, closed his mouth at my next words. In shock, his eyes fluttered slightly.


    ¡°Are you saying you could get hurt because of me?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    Sihael sprung from the bed when I nodded my head in agreement.


    ¡°Where is that woman?¡±


    Seeing him react more fiercely than I expected, I quickly grabbed his arm.


    ¡°She¡¯s already gone. And there¡¯s no point in dwelling on what Liliana meant by her words. I¡¯ve already asked her everything.¡±


    I shook my head in response to his questioning gaze, asking for what she said.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t tell me anything else.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t like that woman from the start. If you¡¯re going to warn someone, you should at least tell them why. Is it reasonable for her to flee after poking someone¡¯s insides?¡±


    I felt the same way as Sihael.


    I appreciated her help for my ignorance, but it would have been better if she had told me more clearly about what she knew.


    Sihael grumbled as he was dragged by my strength and sat down.


    ¡°Assuming she thought I keep turning into a wolf from time to time, I think I can get a rough idea of


    what she meant. Your blood is definitely very enticing. She might have meant that I could eat you.¡±


    Sihael was also aware of the problem, so he roughly raked his hand through his hair violently.


    ¡°But I¡¯m a human now. I¡¯m not a cannibal, and there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll eat you.¡±


    ¡°I know, but there¡¯s no harm in being careful. What if my blood isn¡¯t simply a poison? What if you develop an addiction to my blood?¡±


    Sihael sighed at my attitude of wanting to build a wall between us.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to expect, but I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re poisonous to me.¡±


    ¡­ Does he really mean it when he says he¡¯s fine with it?


    ¡°If I¡¯m poisoned by your blood, you just need to detoxify it, and if I go on a rampage and start running wild, all you have to do is scold me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    I stared in surprise at the unexpected response.


    ¡°Why, you used to chastise me a lot when I was Shasha.¡±


    ¡°Um, no, I didn¡¯t. I¡¯ve done nothing but look after you, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°I heard everything from Lanoa.¡±


    Lanoah, you traitor! What did you tell him?


    Embarrassed, I rolled my eyes and looked at the distant mountain, but Sihael grabbed my cheek and whispered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t turn your head. Look at me.¡±


    ¡­You could have just simply said it. Do you have to hold my cheek and whisper like this?


    Regardless of how close we were, such an overt touch seemed awkward.


    ¡°Please let go of me.¡±


    Slap~


    Without hurting him, I lightly slapped his hand around my cheek.


    Sihael, who stepped back gently, lightly tapped my clenched hand.


    ¡°Yeah, so if I cause any more trouble, you can teach me a lesson with your fists.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re the crown prince, is that okay?¡±


    At that time, he would be a human, not a wolf. Wouldn¡¯t I be arrested on charges of contempt and attempting to murder the royal family?


    Sihael chuckled at my question and said that nothing like that would happen.


    ¡°You¡¯re the only one who can stop me anyway.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ Am I the only one?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re the only one.¡±


    Well, that was true. I had overpowered him when he used to run wild with excitement as Shasha. Listening to Sihael, I had the impression that I could solve all of the problems on my own terms.


    ¡°But if you get into trouble because of me, then it will be troublesome.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it will be troublesome.¡±


    Sihael burst into laughter when he saw me not saying it was okay even with empty words.


    ¡°You¡¯re too honest.¡±


    He lightly patted my head with his hand.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want us to drift apart because of the words of some unknown woman.¡±


    ¡°I too don¡¯t want that.¡±


    Sihael, who looked brighter than ever when he swept his messy, ruffled hair back, looked at me with a more serious look than ever.


    When I looked into his sincere eyes, a smile came out.


    The time that we spent together must have been a precious time for him just as I cherished the time I spent with him.


    ¡°But I think it¡¯s right for us to separate ways.¡±


    As sad as it was, our paths were different.


    So far, we had walked together on one road, but since the road had split into two, we would have to head to different places.


    ¡°Right for whom? For me or for you?¡±


    Sihael frowned as if he read my mind.


    ¡°Both.¡±


    ¡°If I can find a way to protect you, is it okay for us to stay together then?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯ve been neglecting your own safety for a while, so shouldn¡¯t you think about that first?¡±


    Just as my life was the most important thing to me, you should also value your life the most.

 Chapter 61

    When I saw that he was determined to put his safety aside for mine, I let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of that. Answer me. Is it okay if I can guarantee your safety?¡±


    ¡°¡­yes, then it¡¯s okay.¡±


    As long as his life was guaranteed, there was no reason for us to separate right now.


    Finally, Sihael¡¯s face brightened up when he got the answer he wanted.


    ¡°Okay, I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes? What?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be apart from you, so don¡¯t think about useless things.¡±


    Did you even listen to me? My mouth dropped open at his obstinate attitude.


    ¡°Why do you want to go down the difficult road? If we keep a distance, everything will be solved neatly¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my choice.¡±


    By this point, I felt like an idiot after worrying and caring about him enough to give me a headache. I told myself to not think too hard.


    ¡°In other way around, we could say if your blood puts you in danger, you would be fine if I don¡¯t look at the blood.¡±


    ¡°¡­ That¡¯s right.¡±


    In a nutshell, yes. When I answered awkwardly, Sihael clapped and livened up the atmosphere.


    ¡°Then that¡¯s it, let¡¯s stop talking about it.¡±


    I felt a strong will not to talk about this topic anymore.


    ¡®Sigh. I don¡¯t know. I just have to be careful until he leaves.¡¯


    Maybe he couldn¡¯t see me pressing down on my throbbing temple, but Sihael acted like a puppy who couldn¡¯t tell the difference between heaven and earth.


    ¡°Shall we go out for a walk after a long time?¡±


    How cheeky!


    As I stared at him, I pushed away Sihael¡¯s shoulder. Sihael, who was pushed away by my power, suddenly frowned at our reversed position.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®what¡¯s this¡¯? Your Highness also threw me down on the bed, so shouldn¡¯t I also try it?¡±


    ¡°¡­what?¡±


    ¡°You look so cute.¡±


    I left him alone and got out of bed. I decided to go to the garden for a walk.


    *   *   *


    ¡°Wow, the flowers are in full bloom.¡±


    We entered the garden while looking at the blooming flowers.


    I picked a flower that had bloomed nearby and sat down in the shade. When I heard a rustling sound from next to me, I looked up and saw Sihael standing there while holding his handkerchief.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I was going to lay it down for you.¡±


    His hand was awkwardly hanging in the air. I snatched the handkerchief from his grasp, spread it beside me, and lightly patted it.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Please sit here, Your Highness.¡±


    Then Sihael covered his face with his big hand and sat down beside me. His ears, peeking through his silver hair, were flushed red.


    ¡®Is it so embarrassing?¡¯


    If I tease him more, would he get angry? I pretended not to see Sihael¡¯s ears and turned my head, and started to weave the flowers I had brought.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I made it, so I don¡¯t quite remember how to make it.¡±


    ¡°What are you making?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you see it.¡±


    After a few trials and errors, I finally put the finished flower crown over Sihael¡¯s head.


    ¡°Ta-da. The flower crown is done.¡±


    ¡°I see, I¡¯m getting the coronation crown in advance.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you can¡¯t compare that with this wreath.¡±


    Sihael, who had been carefully touching the flower crown I made for a while, suddenly stood up.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    Sihael strode away with hasty steps. He was so fast that he disappeared out of my sight before I could stop him.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be back soon, right?¡±


    I looked in the direction where Sihael disappeared for a moment and then made a new wreath. After making it once, the second time was easy. Just about the time the second wreath was completed, Sihael returned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to make a flower crown.¡±


    He grabbed my hand and carefully put something on my ring finger.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you this instead.¡±


    It was a cute ring made of white clovers. It seemed he had worked hard to make it, but the ring was big and loose, and the petals adorning it were crushed and fell down from the ring, giving it an appearance of a grass ring rather than a flower ring. Seeing the ring on my hand, Sihael scratched his forehead. I smiled as I imagined him wriggling his big hands while making it.


    ¡°Where did you learn this?¡±


    He gave me a rabbit when he was a wolf, and this time he gave me a flower ring. It was very cute of him.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I decided to take it and put a preservation spell on it. I carefully put the ring down next to the flower crown, fearing that all the few petals would fall off.


    ¡°Do you want me to make it again?¡±


    ¡°Why, I like it!¡±


    Even when I answered that it was enough, Sihael sat next to me and started to wiggle his big hands to make me another ring. I pulled my knees together and placed my chin over it as I looked at Sihael, who was absorbed in making the ring. This time, it was not easy to make, and his fine eyebrows furrowed deeply.


    The sight brought a smile on my face.


    ¡®Did Sihael ever go feral because of Liliana in the original story?¡¯


    I tried to recall it but I couldn¡¯t come up with anything. In the first place, there was hardly any situation where there was any blood mentioned. I carefully called Sihael, who was terribly focused on the ring.


    ¡°Your Highness, what kind of smell comes from me?¡±


    Sihael¡¯s eyebrows furrowed at the sudden question.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re trying to ask here.¡±


    ¡°Do I smell as good as I did when you were Shasha?¡±


    ¡°Usually you smell like you, but now you smell like flowers.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what my smell was, but fortunately I didn¡¯t smell that good. I now didn¡¯t have to worry about getting eaten by him by accident.


    ¡°Then what did you smell from Liliana?¡±


    ¡°Do you think of me as some pervert? You want me to smell her?¡±


    Sihael was heavily disgusted.


    I knew it was weird to remember the smell of a strange woman. It was surely weird, but it was the female lead. Shouldn¡¯t there be something memorable about her?


    ¡®Ha, I don¡¯t know. The two will eventually take care of it when they meet at the emperor¡¯s birthday banquet.¡¯


    ¡°Stop saying weird things and give me your hand.¡±


    Meanwhile, Sihael, who completed the ring, put the ring on my finger.

 Chapter 62

    This time, the flowers were not crushed and the size was right.


    ¡®We¡¯re having so much skinship and I¡¯m not at all affected by it.¡­ Have I gotten comfortable with it?¡¯


    It was understandable, since even though he was like a pet dog, we had been living together for a month. That¡¯s why it felt natural for me to touch him now.


    At first, it was awkward because I was surprised by his dashing face and naked body that appeared before me suddenly, but the Sihael I knew did not disappear, just because his appearance had changed.


    His playful personality was still the same, also his voice was the same. He had just changed back from a wolf to a human, but Sihael was still Sihael. I once again became comfortable with him once I recognized that.


    The problem was that I had a habit of touching him when he was a wolf, so I still kept touching him. Seeing that he didn¡¯t hate it even if I touched him, I didn¡¯t know if he felt the same way as I did. Or, whether he was a person who was quite familiar with physical contact.


    ¡°Your Highness, I have a question. Have you met a lot of women?¡±


    Sihael frowned at my sudden question.


    ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯ve never met anyone.¡±


    ¡°Liar.¡±


    It was not just the skinship, he was also quite natural at making the flower rings. When I looked at him with a suspicious gaze, Sihael shook his head, telling me to not speak.


    ¡°Now you tell me, who have you dated?¡±


    ¡°I have quite high standards, so I still haven¡¯t gotten anyone I like.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t lying, no one stood out in Rosetta¡¯s eyes. Her standards of beauty were so high that even the most handsome and pretty people were eliminated.


    However, if she looked at Sihael now, I wondered if she would try to capture him somehow.


    When I looked at Sihael¡¯s face, he turned completely towards me.


    ¡°What do you think about me?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no point in asking that. You¡¯re perfect, Your Highness. You have raised my standards higher, so I¡¯m in trouble now.¡±


    A satisfied smile came onto Sihael¡¯s face at my sincere answer.


    Yeah, who doesn¡¯t like hearing that they¡¯re handsome? Since I was at it, I decided to praise Sihael to the best of my ability.


    ¡°Your Highness is the most handsome man in the world.¡±


    You¡¯re cool, you¡¯re dashing.


    I even raised my thumb at him.


    ¡°I see, so from now on, no man will ever stand out in your eyes.¡±


    ¡°Maybe?¡±


    Sihael, who was basking in my praises, made an absurd remark.


    ¡°Rosetta Katzel, you are in quite a trouble. Now you won¡¯t be able to date or get married.¡±


    I was left speechless at his words. Sihael could not hide his joy because he could not see my dumbfounded expression.


    ¡°Your Highness, I can live alone.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to live alone?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to marry someone who I¡¯m not satisfied with.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to have an unsatisfactory marriage with someone lacking.


    ¡°Why marriage? Why should I get into this fuss when I can just adopt a dog and live alone.¡±


    When I responded like that, Sihael beated his chest as if frustrated.


    ¡°You have me!¡±


    ¡°Haha, we don¡¯t have that kind of relationship.¡±


    He was also good at joking too. When I tapped Sihael on his shoulder, he rubbed his face roughly and sighed deeply.


    ¡°Your Highness is my friend.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not friends.¡±


    Sihael, who answered curtly, turned his body away from me and looked straight ahead.


    ¡®Aren¡¯t we friends?¡¯


    I gaped at him in shock. Till now, I thought he was my friend. But for him, we were not friends. Then what were we? I tried to rack my brains.


    ¡°¡­ So, are we a team that overcame hardships together?¡±


    We also dealt with the assassin sent by the Empress and killed the monster¡­ Yes, this suited us more than the term friends.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s be a team.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t just decide on your own.¡±


    ¡°Then what is it?¡±


    ¡°A relationship closer and deeper than that¡­¡­?¡±


    Hmm, that was tricky. For him, we were neither friends nor colleagues. So what should I do? Then I covered my mouth with a thought that suddenly flashed in my mind.


    ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯re not talking about the relationship between a dog and its owner, are you?¡±


    His eyes, which looked at me with a strange anticipation, became cold.


    ¡°Be honest with me. You still see me as your dog, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No, I think of you as a real person now!¡±


    The stronger I denied it, the deeper Sihael¡¯s doubts grew. After thinking deeply for a moment, Sihael got up and declared a bomb on me.


    ¡°Rosetta, I want to find another owner.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­who?¡±


    The low voice that came out of my mouth unknowingly was chilling.


    ¡®Who on earth is it? It¡¯s probably not Liliana. Is there anyone I don¡¯t know of?¡¯


    As soon as I thought so, Sihael said, ¡°There is someone. Someone you don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not ready to let you go yet, oh!¡±


    Sihael pinched my lips. He gently shook my protruding lips which looked like a duck¡¯s snout.


    ¡°What do you mean no?¡±


    ¡°Ah, it hurts.¡±


    ¡°You really need a good scolding.¡±


    Sihael pinched my lips for a long time before letting them go. My lips had become swollen because of how hard he had pinched them. I covered my throbbing lips and glared at Sihael, but he didn¡¯t even blink once.


    And Lanoa, who had a strange misunderstanding when he saw my swollen lips, was furious all day.


    *   *   *

 Chapter 63

    Sihael¡¯s attitude toward me had become cold as if he was upset about what had happened that day. Even Lanoa, who hated Sihael, couldn¡¯t help but ask what was going on with him.


    ¡°Are you alone again today?¡±


    ¡°He wants to be alone.¡±


    Today, I was rejected by Sihael again.


    I pulled a chair and sat across from Lanoa. Looking at the various desserts on the table didn¡¯t make me happy, and seeing the apple pie Hanna made didn¡¯t stimulate my appetite.


    ¡®We don¡¯t have much time left to spend together¡­.¡¯


    Time flew by, but Sihael was determined to avoid me for some reason. How could I placate his anger? Lanoa pushed the dessert in front of me after I sighed deeply due to my growing concerns.


    ¡°Good for you. Leave him alone until he gets to the Capital.¡±


    ¡°How can I do that? I won¡¯t be able to see him if he returns to the Imperial Capital.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you see him? You¡¯ll be following him.¡±


    ¡°I? Why?¡±


    Our eyes widened as we looked at each other.


    ¡°What, you¡¯re not going?¡±


    ¡°Why should I go there?¡±


    Lanoa, who noticed me tilting my head in confusion, also tilted his head.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have your coming-of-age ceremony.¡±


    ¡°Ah, my coming-of-age ceremony.¡±


    I had completely forgotten about it while taking care of Sihael. I remembered that my coming-of-age ceremony would soon be over after the emperor¡¯s birthday banquet, so I raised a teacup and said, ¡°Just do it here.¡±


    ¡°¡­ What?¡±


    I quenched my thirst with tea after kindly answering the question again. Lanoa, who had stiffened like a stone, jumped up and hit the table.


    ¡°You want to have your coming-of-age ceremony here?!¡±


    ¡°Speak softly.¡±


    I set the drink I was holding aside and put my hands over my ears. My eardrums nearly ruptured. I frowned and scowled at Lanoa. He dashed up to me, grabbed my shoulder, and shook me.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that your coming-of-age ceremony should be held in the imperial capital no matter what?! You were the one who said you¡¯d rather die if it were held in the North! You said you¡¯d live a lavish lifestyle in the capital!¡±


    ¡°No, I no longer want to.¡±


    I yanked Lanoa¡¯s arm away from my shoulder and pushed him with all my strength.


    Lanoa staggered at my calm reaction.  He collapsed on the chair, muttering in disbelief.


    ¡°When you said you have changed, did you change even that? Are you sure you are not sick?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Heuk¡­.¡±


    I asked, stroking his arm and pretending to smile as I stared into space.


    ¡°Brother, will you stay here until my coming-of-age ceremony?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m going to stay at home for a while.¡±


    ¡°I see, okay.¡±


    At least, there would be one family member attending my coming-of-age ceremony. I didn¡¯t believe coming-of-age ceremonies were particularly significant, but holding one without family would seem depressing. The knowledge that Lanoa will be by my side brought me great relief.


    Lanoa looked at me as time passed, as if he had calmed down from his excitement.


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s no point in going to the capital. You¡¯ll only get involved in the dirty political battles.¡±


    ¡°Right! If I go to the capital, will the Empress stay still?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not. I guess she must have realised by now that you are looking after and protecting His Highness. But I¡¯m sure she thinks you¡¯re on the Crown Prince¡¯s side and will attack you whenever she gets the chance.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I am going to stay here.¡±


    The reason I didn¡¯t want to go to the capital was partly due to my promise not to get involved with the original work, but the empress, whose eyes would blaze with rage and who constantly attacked Sihael, also played a role. The Empress¡¯s involvement in Sihael¡¯s situation was also significant. In the original story, the two of them seemed to get along well, but now when they met, they regarded each other as their biggest adversary.


    She was one of those people I never wanted to get close to.


    ¡°You have become smart. Now you know how to be reasonable.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t treat me like a child.¡±


    I glared when he suddenly ruffled my hair. Now that I see it, Lanoa¡¯s eyes looked gentle as he kept babbling nonsense.


    Just when I was going to ruffle his hair in the same manner in return for treating me like a child, someone knocked on the door.


    Knock, knock, knock.


    The baron¡¯s voice was heard after the knock on the door.


    ¡°My Lady, it¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Come on in.¡±


    The baron had lost weight and was thinner than before, but his face looked good.


    ¡°Long time no see. Baron.¡±


    ¡°How have you two been?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t ¡®been well¡¯ because of an uninvited guest.¡±


    Lanoa, who dismissed Sihael as an uninvited guest, frowned. The baron, who knew perfectly well without saying who he was talking about, shook his head at his reaction.


    ¡°I heard His Highness is staying here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s here to recuperate quietly, so you know you can¡¯t talk about it anywhere, right?¡±


    Sihael pretended to be exhausted from long wars and political affairs and that was quietly recuperating at the home of his close friend, Leonard- the Katzel Duchy.


    The baron wasn¡¯t a person to open his mouth recklessly anywhere, but it wasn¡¯t bad to be careful.


    ¡°Seeing My Lady make such sensible remarks, I suddenly feel emotional.¡±


    Because of his low expectations, the baron overreacted to my little act.


    ¡°Ah, yes¡­ The baron must be in a good mood.¡±


    I passed the baron¡¯s nonsense from one ear to another and changed the subject. The baron¡¯s face couldn¡¯t stop smiling.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. We¡¯ve finally signed a contract with Asilla.¡±

 Chapter 64

    ¡°Really?¡±


    My eyes widened as I received the unexpected news. I¡¯d just told the Baron about Asilla to get him off my back, but I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d make a deal with him. The Baron had a terrifying persistence.


    ¡°Congratulations Baron! You did a great job.¡±


    I gave a big smile and applauded. I couldn¡¯t stop a smile from spreading across my face as I imagined the money piling up in the duke¡¯s safe once more. The baron also smiled broadly and took out a contract.


    ¡°This is all thanks to you.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. Everything is due to the baron¡¯s efforts.¡±


    ¡°I am humbled by your words, Milady.¡±


    The pleasant atmosphere continued as we complimented each other on the job well done.


    ¡°Then come with me to the imperial capital now.¡±


    In less than five minutes, the atmosphere was shattered.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The baron, who had received my and Lanoa¡¯s venomous stares, pointed to the contract.


    ¡°Asilla only agreed on the condition that the lady would supervise his work herself.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re the person in charge.¡±


    What? Am I some sort of dummy boss?


    ¡®How did I end up being in charge when I only signed my name on the contract?¡¯


    I rushed through the contract, looking for the duties associated with this unexpected position. My name was near the bottom of the contract, next to Asilla¡¯s. It was a finished contract that couldn¡¯t be changed, sealed with a thick and strong seal.


    ¡°¡­¡­Wha-what is this?¡±


    When I stammered in embarrassment, the baron responded as if he was stating the obvious.


    ¡°Milady, since it was your idea to approach Asilla¡¯s workshop, of course you¡¯re in charge.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Milady, how could I put my name in for the position just because I closed the deal? I can¡¯t do something so selfish.¡±


    Do it, please do it! You are free to be as selfish as you want, so please do so!


    ¡°Then let¡¯s change it now. The baron will be the person in charge. How about it? Sounds good?¡±


    ¡°Milady, I don¡¯t want to be in charge either.¡±


    Grin~


    The back of my neck started to ache seeing the bright smile on the baron¡¯s face.


    ¡°What do you mean?!¡±


    ¡°Milady, I¡¯m confident you¡¯ll do well.¡±


    What do you mean I¡¯ll do well? How can you just hand over all of this work to me?!


    I glared at the spot where my seal had been stamped.


    ¡®If I knew it would be used like this, I wouldn¡¯t have given it to you!¡¯


    I was annoyed by the baron¡¯s frequent visits to get my approvals, so I handed over my seal to him. It was undoubtedly a risky act, but I trusted him because it was not someone else but the baron, who was known for his integrity and honesty.


    But I didn¡¯t expect to get stabbed in the back like this.


    I summoned all of my rage and glared hard at the baron. Surprised by my ferocious eyes, the baron flinched and took a step back. From his constant glances at the table, it seemed he was worried that I might throw one of the glasses at him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll never let you go, baron. You won¡¯t get away from this.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­You may change your mind if you see this.¡±


    At my dripping cold words, the baron quickly held out a piece of paper in front of me. A beautiful pair of earrings and a necklace were drawn on the paper. When I looked up at him wondering what it was, he said with a proud face.


    ¡°As a commemoration of the contract, Asilla said that he will make earrings and necklaces for you to use at your coming-of-age ceremony. This is the design.¡±


    The Baron¡¯s face as if asking ¡®Aren¡¯t you happy?¡¯ was quite unpleasant.


    ¡®Happy? How can I be happy?¡¯


    I tapped on the design of earrings and necklaces while scowling at the baron.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s pretty, though.¡±


    Seeing how Asilla, who did not concede to Rosetta despite all kinds of threats from her, even made earrings for her necklace, the Baron must have negotiated well with him.


    The mana stone properly mixed between the tightly embedded diamonds caught my eye. The unique roughness of the mana stone lent the necklace and earrings a strange beauty that could not be found anywhere.


    I thought it was too flashy, but since Rosetta had a splendid appearance, the design would suit her well.


    ¡®I can promote it if I wear it well.¡¯


    The baron, who noticed that the beautiful design had eased my mood, thought it was time and took back the contract.


    ¡°I knew you would come with me.¡±


    ¡°No, wait¡­¡­!¡±


    Maybe this is what it means to be caught like a sitting duck. The contract vanished in an instant, and by the time I reached out to grab the baron, he had already left the room.


    Was the Baron really that quick? I blinked stupidly when I saw the Baron¡¯s speed for the first time. My mind went blank, as if a storm had swept my thoughts away.

 Chapter 65

    6-8 minutes 07.03.2021


    I looked at Lanoa and sighed.


    ¡°It seems I have to go to the capital¡­.¡±


    ¡°Cheer up.¡±


    Lanoa, who had just earlier encouraged me not to go to the capital, couldn¡¯t say anything and just cheered me up because there was a big contract at stake. He just patted my sad back.


    *   *   *


    My employment status suddenly changed from unemployed to a general manager, so I walked down the hallway helplessly. A nervous and restless Marina continued to follow after me.


    I didn¡¯t want to go to the capital, but I also felt bad for the baron who ran around hard to make this deal a success.


    Above all, I couldn¡¯t afford to pass up an opportunity to fill the safes with mountain-sized piles of cash.


    ¡®That¡¯s all my retirement funds¡­.¡¯


    After much deliberation, I made up my mind to go to the capital. I don¡¯t really want to, but what else could I do? It¡¯s not like I have to live there. I just have to look around and then come back.


    ¡®If I wear the earrings and necklaces made of mana stones during my coming-of-age ceremony, they will be promoted well.¡¯


    Now that this had happened, I was going to hold my coming-of-age ceremony in the capital and take everything I can from it.


    ¡®Okay, then let¡¯s just relax¡¯


    I was sure everything would work out. I folded the paper that the baron gave me in half and held it in my hand, and then straightened my slackened shoulders.


    ¡°Marina, is His Highness still in his room?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡®Oh, I guess he¡¯s still grumpy.¡¯


    Sihael continued to act as if I had betrayed him, which embarrassed me because I suddenly felt like a sinner.


    ¡°In the first place, it was Sihael who misunderstood my words, but why should I be the one to coax him?¡±


    I grumbled inwardly, but my legs moved steadily toward Sihael¡¯s room.


    Knock, knock, knock.


    ¡°Your Highness, are you there?¡±


    I knocked on the door, but no one answered. I listened to the door but couldn¡¯t hear anything because the room was empty.


    He¡¯s not pretending he¡¯s not there, is he?


    When I turned the doorknob slightly with suspicion, the door gently opened. My eyes widened at the sight before my eyes.


    ¡°¡­¡­What is this?¡±


    The drawers were pulled all out and turned upside down, and the floor was littered with shattered and broken objects.


    ¡®Did a thief or something break in?¡¯


    But that was not an option. Because this was a Duchy, it wasn¡¯t easy for petty thieves to come and go. As a result, it was highly unlikely that this was done by just a thief.


    ¡°Marina, immediately¡­ Nanabi?¡±


    When I saw Nanabi running at full speed, I stopped what I was saying and blurted out her name. Nanabi, who was running frantically, came to a halt inside the messed-up room, then ran to the corner and looked for something.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t here.¡±


    ¡°Please excuse me, Nanabi.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I have to go!¡±


    A look of impatience flashed on her always relaxed looking face.  Noticing an unusual air around her hurriedly running form, I quickly followed Nanabi. Marina drew a dagger from her sleeve and followed me, keeping a close eye on the surroundings.


    Fortunately, she didn¡¯t go too far and came to a halt outside, looking around the mansion.


    ¡°Nanabi! What happened?¡±


    ¡°The barrier has been broken.¡±


    The situation was more serious than expected.


    ¡°His Highness appears to have felt an abnormality in the barrier and left¡­, and while he was gone, someone stole a piece of the Chimera.¡±


    Nanabi bit her lip, saying it was her fault, and pointed to a location.


    ¡°This way!¡±


    She pointed towards an incinerator. Several thoughts flashed through my mind for a brief moment. The thief stole a piece of the Chimera, and Nanabi¡¯s hand pointed to the incinerator.


    ¡®The thief must be thinking of destroying the evidence by burning it.¡¯


    My heart started pounding loudly, and I dashed ahead of Nanabi. Nanabi had been running alongside me at first, but she soon became tired and was left behind. Marina, who was standing close to me, murmured quietly,


    ¡°My Lady, someone is there.¡±


    A servant was looking at the burning fire in the incinerator, just as Marina had said. He looked at the fire, as if dazed, and then took something from his arms. Although it was difficult to tell what it was because it was wrapped in gold cloth, its shape clearly indicated that it was the piece of Chimera.


    ¡°Marina, stop him!¡±


    At my command, Marina threw the dagger and struck the servant¡¯s hand precisely. The servant, who had dropped the cloth, looked down quietly at his empty hand and turned his head to my voice.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    The servant¡¯s eyes that looked at me were too dull and calm.


    ¡®This guy doesn¡¯t work for the Katzel Duchy.¡¯


    Only a few people in this mansion could look me in the eyes. It was just Marina, the butler, and Hannah, who had been chasing me like a chick lately.


    ¡°No. Are you human?¡±


    His eyes glistened like marbles with no emotions, and a chilling energy surrounded him.


    My intuition told me he wasn¡¯t human.


    ¡°Is there a doghole somewhere in my house? From where do these things keep creeping in?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll track it down and block it.¡±


    ¡°Since they are monsters, you can¡¯t just stop them by blocking the hole.¡±


    ¡°Seeing how this one broke through my barrier, it appears to be a high level monster.¡±


    The gasping Nanabi who followed us flicked her finger. Then, a transparent film, invisible to the eye, encircled the entire area.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I separated the space. It can¡¯t cause any damage to the surroundings.¡±


    Nanabi barely caught her breath before yanking her staff from her arms.


    ¡°By the way, humanoids are quite rare monsters. Can we do some research on it after we capture it alive?¡±


    ¡°Do we have to save it? Let¡¯s just get rid of it.¡±


    When Nanabi and Marina took up their weapons and were ready to fight, the monster, who had kept his mouth shut so far, opened his mouth.


    Slurkk~.


    Three snakes crawled out of its mouths. Since it was the first time I had seen a humanoid monster, I was inwardly amazed by the good-looking monster, but when I saw the black snake-like bodies crawling out of its mouth, my face hardened.


    Of all the monster¡¯s things, it had to be snakes. I didn¡¯t feel good about it.


    ¡°We got caught! So, let¡¯s eat.¡±


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s eat. She said we can eat if we get caught.¡±


    ¡°Who said that?¡±


    When I asked as I took a step forward, the stupid monster answered meekly,


    ¡°That woman.¡±

 Chapter 66

    ¡®The woman they¡¯re talking about must be the empress.¡¯


    I seriously had enough of it. It had been a month and a half. After being attacked three times in the meantime, I felt like smacking the empress once when I¡¯d meet her.


    ¡°I want to eat first.¡±


    ¡°There are three women. Let¡¯s eat one by one.¡±


    ¡°I think this one will taste the best.¡±


    The ¡®one¡¯ they pointed to was none other than me. When I saw the snakes looking at me with drooling mouths, I got goosebumps on my arm.


    ¡°My lady, please step back.¡±


    Marina quickly hid me behind her when the monster¡¯s focus narrowed to me.


    With me were Nanabi, who dominated the battlefields alongside Sihael, and Marina, a former elite assassin.


    ¡®Since I have two great fighters beside me, I don¡¯t have to step out.¡¯


    Heeding to Marina¡¯s words, I stayed behind her.


    *  *  *


    This is not good!


    I groaned in agony as I watched the ebullient monster. Maybe it was because he was a high-level monster, but he was much faster and stronger than the others I¡¯d faced so far. Marina¡¯s fighting abilities were not lacking. She responded effectively by matching the monster¡¯s speed.


    The problem was¡­


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t get hurt at all.¡±


    ¡°Look out¡­!¡±


    The monster negated all of Nanabi¡¯s magic and squealed as if it was immmune to Nanabi¡¯s spells. As its three heads flicked its tongues at the same time, the enraged Nanabi clenched her teeth and exerted all her magic.


    ¡°I guess the Empress has prepared this monster exclusively for Nanabi.¡±


    ¡°It seems so.¡±


    Under such circumstances, it was practically just Marina fighting alone. She appeared to be struggling as she faced three opponents rather than one, and her strength appeared to dwindle gradually.


    Above all, the monster¡¯s crazy regeneration ability was the main problem. No matter how many times we cut off its neck, it would keep reattaching. So it was like pouring water into a bottomless jar.


    ¡®Its weak point is not its neck.¡¯


    All three of the snakes revived without dying even after cutting off their head.


    ¡®Where do we need to cut it?¡¯


    As I was watching the battle between the two to find the monster¡¯s weaknesses, I noticed a subtle movement. The monster appeared to protect its human shell, which it threw into a corner while attacking Marina.


    ¡°No way!¡±


    When the thought occurred to me, I grabbed the dagger Marina had given me and threw it at its shell with all my might. The monster, who had been fighting Marina, then dashed forward and struck the dagger.


    The appearance of the monster that protected its shell even by giving away one of its necks to Marina validated my theory.


    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±


    That shell lying on the floor was the weak point of the monster.


    No, it was not its outer shell but one of the main bodies of the monster.


    I thought wrongly because I generalised its ugliness based on what I saw.


    ¡°My Lady, I just saw something interesting.¡±


    ¡°Really? What a coincidence! I saw something interesting too. You know what to do now, right?¡±


    Nanabi gave me a smirk and raised her staff. The monster attacked us as soon as he noticed the change in the atmosphere, and the flames soared. The dark red flames that engulfed the area made my cheeks flush. When the burning fire was extinguished, a cloud of black smoke rose.


    Now, what¡¯s going on this time?


    When I was watching the silent smoke, an unknown creeper-like thing flew towards me and like a whip wrapped around my wrist.


    No, it wasn¡¯t a creeper at all; it was the snake! Maybe it was trying to get back at me for revealing its secret weakness, so it clung to my wrist and wouldn¡¯t let go easily.


    ¡®I really hate snakes!¡¯


    With disgust, I shook my hands off, but it didn¡¯t come off easily because it was tightly entangled around my wrist. The more I tried to get rid of it, the harder it pressed against my wrist. Then the snake hissed and bit the back of my hand.


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    ¡°My lady!¡±


    But the sensation of something wrapping around my wrist was more terrifying than the pain of a snake bite.


    ¡°Disgusting! So gross!¡±


    My wrists felt clammy as if wetted with spit.


    ¡°Get away from me! I told you to get away from me!¡±


    When I waved my hands up and down in genuine disgust, the monster¡¯s head, no, its entire body, shook.


    ¡°Keuk. Sss. Keuk.¡±


    The force that had been pressing on my wrist was released when the monster¡¯s shell, which had been shaking up and down, sank its teeth into my skin.


    It¡¯s running away¡­!

 Chapter 67

    When I saw the snake biting me quickly, I closed my eyes tightly, grabbed its body, and knocked it down with all my might. The monster smashed to the ground was in agony.


    ¡°Ugh. Ack.¡±


    It was in pain and had tears in its eyes.


    ¡°It hurts¡­¡±


    When I kicked the monster¡¯s abdomen, which was staggering and attempting to get up, it rolled on the floor. The monster, which did not blink even when its head was cut off, rolled on the floor, moaning in pain. Its durability seemed to differ depending on whether it was in human or snake form.


    ¡°Hiing! It hurts! It hurts!¡±


    The monster came to a halt after slamming against a tree.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a monster crying like a child.¡±¡¯


    I fake smiled as I looked down at the monster with ridiculous eyes.


    ¡°Nanabi, didn¡¯t you say it¡¯s a high-level monster? I believe its brain is a little strange.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­it¡¯s actually smart.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­this?¡±


    ¡°Because it can talk.¡±


    Lost for words, Marina and I were speechless. The way it moved its shoulders and shed tears did not appear smart in any way.


    ¡°It hurts.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also hurt.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡­Mmah.¡±


    What the hell?! What¡¯s he doing? Is it really smacking its lips?


    As I approached in a bad mood, the monster, who was lying face down, quickly knelt down on its knees and raised its hand. It looked like a child being punished.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be hurt!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s delicious!¡±


    Everyone was pleading for help, but the snake on the far left was acting strangely alone. Seeing him stagger and smack its lips, it must have been the bastard who bit the back of my hand.


    As my eyes became fierce, the other two attacked the other one. They blinked and pleaded after that.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t taste it.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t taste it either. Just kill him.¡±


    Despite sharing a body, they had no sense of loyalty to one another. The snake that acted weird was drunk on my blood and continued to mutter.


    ¡°Smells delicious, smells sweet¡­¡±


    ¡°This?¡±


    When they saw my dripping blood, the other two¡¯s eyes slowly turned. They licked their lips and peered at the back of my hand, but when they saw my vicious gaze, they ducked back in surprise. They quickly took refuge in their shell because the fear of dying outweighed the temptation of the sweet scent.


    ¡°Nanabi, what should I do with this? It¡¯s so stupid that I feel it would be a shame to kill it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite a high-level monster because it can think and communicate. Should we torture it in order to extract some information?¡±


    Nanabi, who had finally discovered how to kill the monster, smiled brightly and swung her staff like a bat.


    ¡°Hiik!!¡±


    The monster trembled. The moment she held her staff high, the space created by Nanabi shook violently.


    ¡®How do these cretins keep popping up without end?¡¯


    I sighed and pointed my sword in the direction of the crack. Silver hair glistened in the sunlight, fluttering through the space that had been ripped away.


    ¡°Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°I rushed here because I sensed something weird. Did you already fight with it?¡±


    Sihael, who had the corners of his eyes curved into half moons, had a bright smile that contrasted with the ugly head in his arms.


    Sihael threw the head on the floor as I frowned. I asked Sihael, taking my gaze away from the monster¡¯s head, which rolled with a thud sound.


    ¡°Where have you been?¡±


    ¡°The barrier seemed strange, so I went to investigate, and this monster was there. I finished it first, but I believe the real one is that little guy you caught.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the real one or not, but that little bastard stole the piece of Chimera.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then why aren¡¯t you killing it and getting along with it?¡±


    When Sihael pointed the blood-splattered sword at the monster, it hugged my leg.


    ¡°Master.¡±


    ¡°Master.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­!¡±


    It was terrifying when it clung to me, but it was even more terrifying when the three of them spoke in unison.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, get off her ladyship¡¯s leg now!¡±


    Although Marina threatened it with her sword and pulled it off with all her power, the monster did not budge.


    The monster clung desperately to my legs as if it was a lifeline.


    Sihael, who was quietly watching the scene, smiled brightly.


    ¡°Rosetta, were you not content with just me that you¡¯ve now tamed the monsters?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Who tamed it? When I aimed at the monster, it looked up at me with big eyes, as if trying to elicit sympathy.


    Its outer shell was like a cute little boy, but when I imagined a large snake twisting its tail in it, I felt repulsed.


    ¡°You really think you can worm your way in using those beauty tricks?¡±


    Sihael, who came close, grabbed the monster¡¯s head.


    ¡°Do you think Rosetta¡¯s going to fall for your face when I¡¯m here?¡±


    What are you envious of this time? Sihael, who looked disappointed by my dumbfounded expression, said firmly.


    ¡°Rosetta, no matter how attractive you think they are, they cannot be your paramour. I can¡¯t stand it.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, please keep your mouth shut.¡±


    I¡¯m about to go insane. Do you want to make a joke out of this situation?


    Raising the corners of his lips up at my bewildered eyes, Sihael smiled and threw the monster that clung to me far away.


    After some rolling, the monster collapsed on the floor and mumbled in a weeping voice.


    ¡°The master has abandoned us.¡±


    ¡°We have been abandoned.¡±


    ¡°It breaks my heart.¡±


    ¡°Shut up! Who is your master!¡±


    When I raised my fist and threatened to hit it if it said anymore nonsense, it became terrified and shut its mouth.


    I should have done this before. Haah!


    As I sighed, a large hand wrapped around my wrist.


    ¡°You, your hand


    Blood, which had not stopped bleeding, trickled down the back of my hand.


    ¡®Blood¡­!¡¯


    I quickly escaped Sihael¡¯s clutches and hid my hand behind my back, but it was too late. Sihael¡¯s golden eyes became hazy as he stared at me. Sihael approached me slowly, drunk on my blood and unable to overcome his instincts.


    ¡®¡­¡­I think this is a little dangerous.¡¯


    Swallowing nervously, I took cautious steps so as not to excite him too much. Sihael, who approached me despite my efforts, closed the gap between us.


    ¡°Your Highness, please wait¡­!¡±


    My ears were filled with a drunken, murky voice.


    ¡°Rosetta¡­.¡±


    An unfamiliar face approached me, one I had never seen before.


    As if ready to devour me at any moment.

 Chapter 68

    In an instant, Sihael had my wrist in his grip. A warning bell rang loudly in my head.


    ¡®This is bad! If it goes on like this¡­¡­.¡¯


    Just before Sihael¡¯s lips could touch the back of my hand, I quickly covered his mouth with my other hand.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡±


    I tried to call him, but Sihael remained silent. As a last resort, I rammed into Sihael¡¯s forehead, drawing his full attention to me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this!¡±


    ¡°Oh, oh.¡±


    Was it due to the shock? Thankfully, his hazily focused eyes had returned to their normal state. I pushed Sihael away and took a step back after confirming that he had returned to his senses.


    Sihael covered his face with his hands and gulped nervously as he realised what was going on.


    ¡°Nanabi, I¡¯ll have to go. Please handle the rest.¡±


    ¡°Why so suddenly¡­?¡±


    ¡°I think it would be dangerous to stay together any longer.¡±


    ¡°For you, Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Sihael¡¯s worried gaze fell on me.  When I smiled softly to express that it was okay, he shook his head roughly and turned his back.


    Was it my imagination that his slightly drooping back appeared quite pitiful? I lowered my gaze from Sihael, who had vanished through the crack, to the back of my hand.


    ¡°I expected it, but I never imagined he¡¯d be influenced by my blood even when he¡¯s in a human state.¡±


    Perhaps it was because he inherited the demon blood, but despite being human, he coveted my blood like Shasha.


    ¡°My lady, we must first determine whether that monster was poisonous.¡±


    Marina carefully held my hand and wiped the dripping blood.


    ¡°Yes, we should.¡±


    I tapped the side of the monster with my foot after wiping away the blood.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­!¡±


    It seemed to be waving its tail at me. I wasn¡¯t sure if this was a good or bad thing.


    The monster jumped up, knelt on his knees, and clasped his hands together, looking up at me. Its childlike cute eyes reminded me of Puss in Boots.


    However, because I had grown accustomed to Sihael¡¯s beauty, the monster¡¯s little tricks had no effect on me.


    ¡°Do you have any poison?¡±


    ¡°Noo.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re lying, I¡¯ll sever your neck right now.¡±


    When Marina threatened the monster with a dagger, it gulped nervously.


    ¡°Actually, there is¡­¡±


    Obviously, since it was a snake monster, it had to be poisonous. Unlike me, who accepted it calmly, Marina grabbed the monster¡¯s neck.


    ¡°What poison is it? Tell me right now!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a poison that causes a little pain. You¡¯ll have a mild fever and the wound may feel hot.¡±


    ¡°Since it¡¯s a poison, it can¡¯t just cause a little pain.¡±


    I smacked the monster¡¯s head with my fist.


    ¡°Awooo, it hurts! My head feels like it¡¯s been split in two like a butt!¡±


    It was still babbling nonsense.


    ¡°Did you hear your master¡¯s voice when you put the poison in my body?¡±


    ¡°We were enemies back then, Master, so there was nothing we could do about it.¡±


    ¡°We are still enemies.¡±


    ¡°No, now we are your loyal subordinates. We will listen to you well, Master.¡±


    In the meantime, Nanabi, who collected the Chimera¡¯s pieces and the hideous monster head that Sihael had severed, dispelled the space magic.


    Then she bound the monster¡¯s hand.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    Nanabi smiled brightly at it as it tilted its head.


    ¡°You come with me, Little Cutie.¡±


    ¡°Hey! No! We don¡¯t want to! Master!¡±


    The struggling monster was caught by Nanabi and dragged away.


    ¡°My Lady, please keep your movements to a minimum and take proper rest. I¡¯ll analyze this bastard¡¯s poison and have an antidote ready for you soon. Please wait a moment.¡±


    Nanabi, who was in a hurry, dragged the monster away and quickly vanished. I relaxed as I looked at their distant backs.


    It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll die. It¡¯ll only be mildly painful, so it won¡¯t be much.


    *  *  *


    A little, my foot!


    ¡°¡­It hurts like hell.¡±


    My head felt hot and dizzy, and my throat felt congested like I¡¯d swallowed sand.


    I felt like I was going to die, but it wasn¡¯t really that painful to kill me. I took the antidote within an hour, but my body, which wasn¡¯t resistant to poison, could not withstand it. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been in bed until now.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill that bastard!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just kill him. We have to send it to hell in the most painful way.¡±


    Lanoa and Marina, who saw me struggling in pain, were furious. Caught between the two, I closed my eyes tightly.


    ¡°Please¡­ be quiet.¡±


    When I groaned in a dying voice, the two startled people clung to the side of my bed.


    ¡°Heuk, Rosetta. Does it hurt a lot? Call a doctor right now!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bring him!¡±


    I pointed to the door with my throbbing arm.


    ¡°Both of you, get out.¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°How can I leave you like this My Lady¡­¡±


    It hurts more because of you guys!


    I swallowed back the words that almost slipped out of my mouth and opened my eyes.


    ¡°Get out!¡±


    The two of them, startled by my face that was about to explode, hesitated and left the room reluctantly.


    ¡®Finally some peace¡­.¡¯

 Chapter 69

    After a while of slowly closing my eyes to the peace I had barely found, I awoke to the sound of the door opening.


    ¡°Your Highness?¡±


    It was Sihael.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    How am I feeling? My whole body throbbed as if I had been beaten with a bat, and my stomach felt sick as if I was getting motion sickness.


    But looking into his eyes filled with guilt, I couldn¡¯t tell him the truth. Even if he didn¡¯t say anything, it was clear that he believed I got hurt because of him.


    ¡°I feel like I have a cold.¡±


    ¡®Tomorrow will I be able to move?¡¯


    At this point, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder about the whereabouts of the monster that put my body in this condition.


    ¡°Is that guy alive? My brother is not going to leave it alone.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s suffering hard in Nanabi¡¯s hands.¡±


    Then it must be suffering to death. A smile leaked out when I imagined the grim face of Nanabi, hounding him for information, and the face of the monster running away to a corner in fear.


    ¡°Do you like that bastard?¡±


    Sihael, who misunderstood my smile, made a sulky face.


    ¡°I never said I like him.¡±


    ¡°Lies! You protected him when I tried to kill him.¡±


    Sihael grumbled with a wistful face. Looking at it, I suddenly remembered what happened earlier.


    Knowing that I had been poisoned, Sihael became very enraged and tried to kill the monster. The air around him was so scary that it was the first time since I met him that my back shivered.


    ¡®Move away! I¡¯ll kill it!¡¯


    ¡®Your Highness, please wait a minute. It still has information we need to get.¡¯


    ¡®You¡¯ve been poisoned! Does the goddamned information matter to you?¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s you who need it, not me.¡¯


    He wanted to kill the monster while I tried my best to stop him.


    The process was not smooth, but in the end I won and as a result the monster still had his neck attached to its body.


    ¡°Do you like his face?¡±


    Did he think I was that crazy? It was after all because of him that I¡¯m in extreme pain right now, so how can I find him good-looking.


    However, Sihael was determined that I had fallen for the cute face of the monster.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do anything if you like his face, but don¡¯t like him more than me.¡±


    Sihael looked down at me with sad eyes. Looking into those eyes, I felt guilty as if I had made a mistake that I had not done.


    Having indirectly experienced the feeling of being a trash that turned her eyes away from the lover who only looked at her, I covered Sihael¡¯s eyes with my palm.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. And it¡¯s all because of you, that my standards have risen so high that I can¡¯t even appreciate any face.¡±


    ¡°Thank god! I¡¯ll take good care of myself from now on.¡±


    Even though I couldn¡¯t see it because I had covered his face with my hand, I could feel him smiling and curving his eyes. The touch of the fluttering eyelashes on my palm tickled me, making me slowly lower my hand.


    As expected, Sihael was smiling.


    ¡®Anyway, as I said, he was a master of teasing people.¡¯


    I glanced at his playful face and turned my head. Perhaps my body had become weak, I got tired even by his light teasing.


    I blinked blankly as I stared at the ceiling, and a cool hand touched my cheek. The hand that pulled the hair off my cheek was very careful.


    ¡°Rosetta, what if I put you in danger?¡±


    ¡°What else can I do? I have to run away.¡±


    Sihael smiled coldly at the prompt answer that flowed out without any hesitation.


    ¡°Then what should I do? Should I catch you if you run away?¡±


    Sihael grabbed my hand.


    ¡°Should I let you go?¡±


    Contrary to his words, a strong grip held me. It felt strange, as if he was clinging to a lover who was leaving.


    Did something happen while I was sleeping? Why was he doing this?


    As I glanced at him, Sihael carefully caressed my eyes. I turned my head back in surprise, and listened quietly to the words that followed.


    ¡°That wizard was right. I might hurt you.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re talking about yesterday, it wasn¡¯t that bad.¡±


    As soon as he saw my blood, I was a little surprised by the hunger in his eyes, but I didn¡¯t think it was particularly a threat.


    Of course, it was before he consumed blood.


    ¡°It¡¯s because you don¡¯t know. Do you know what I was thinking when I saw your blood?¡±


    ¡°That you wanted my blood?¡±


    It was quite close, but not true, Sihael shook his head.


    ¡°I wanted to devour you. I wanted to possess everything without leaving even a single strand of your hair.¡±


    That¡¯s a little scary. Losing reason and showing up with an appetite? It was similar to the time when he was Shasha.


    If there was an added point, was it possessiveness?


    But what kind of contradiction was this? He not only wanted to possess me but also swallow me whole in his stomach.

 Chapter 70

    ¡®However, I¡¯m glad he has no sexual desire for me.¡¯


    However, this was originally intended to be an 18+ novel. Even though I wasn¡¯t the main character, I had blood that was similar to hers. In other words, Sihael might find my blood tempting enough.


    ¡®I need to be cautious about this.¡¯


    I shrunk my head back with a wary expression.


    ¡°From head to toe, I want to chew everything¡­ What should I do? I feel like trash. I¡¯m sorry, Rosetta.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even consume my blood. You¡¯re simply thinking too much.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather be a wolf and run wild.¡±


    His face that touched my palm was hot. It was refreshing to see him properly reflect, but I couldn¡¯t see his drooping shoulders.


    ¡®What should I do about this? Should I let him go or not.¡¯


    I thought I would take revenge on him who teased me at every opportunity he got, but this guilt-stricken appearance did not suit him.


    I removed my hand from Sihael¡¯s face and pinched his cheek.


    ¡°Ughh¡±


    Sihael, who had been attacked unexpectedly, widened his eyes in surprise.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Highness, but you¡¯re mistaken. Did you seriously believe you could eat me?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°If the danger Liliana talked about is your appetite, then there is no need for me to run away. You can definitely bring it on. I¡¯ll let you say hello with my fists until you get your act together.¡±


    After speaking pompously, I realized my current physical condition and quickly added, ¡°Oh, not now.¡±


    I could handle him on my own if he ever lost his mind and attacked me, but not right now. I¡¯d definitely lose if we fought right now.


    Glancing at the bandages on my hand, I took a vigilant stance considering the circumstances in which he might attack. Sihael then burst out laughing. After laughing out loud for a while, Sihael gasped and wiped away his tears.


    ¡°Yeah, you just have to hit me until I get my act together.¡±


    Sihael, who had neatly concluded, asked again, as if confirming.


    ¡°So, if I don¡¯t listen, you will scold me loudly?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Sihael, despite my promise, gave me a lengthy lecture on how to effectively beat him because he was still worried.


    *  *  *


    ~Click


    Sihael closed the door quietly so Rosetta, who had fallen asleep, wouldn¡¯t wake up, and looked at the door stiffly.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to find that wizard first.¡¯


    He thought her words were nonsense, but everything was going as Liliana had said. He believed he could return to his normal state. However, he didn¡¯t expect to be affected by her blood even in his human state. At this rate, he might completely devour Rosetta.


    He still didn¡¯t know what it was like to be poison to Rosetta, but he knew he was a danger to her. He would most likely lose his senses and run wild if he drank Rosetta¡¯s blood, and he might even swallow her whole.


    Whether this was because of his hunger or something else¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m in trouble.¡±


    Sihael mumbled to himself as he roughly combed his hair with his hands. He had explained to Rosetta that he wanted to devour her, but it wasn¡¯t just his hunger that worried him.


    Rosetta¡¯s sweet scent made him dizzy, permeating all of his blood vessels and paralysing his nerves. He could only see her at that time and rushed forward as if he had transformed into a beast. The desire to get drunk on Rosetta collided violently with the desire to chew and swallow the entire Rosetta.


    Why did I suddenly have such a desire? I never felt like this when I was a wolf!


    Sihael hoped Rosetta, who had no idea, hadn¡¯t picked up on his impure thoughts. He lacked the confidence to accept Rosetta¡¯s contemptuous look.


    If she keeps her distance from me¡­


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Sihael couldn¡¯t take it any longer and slammed his head against the wall.


    ¡®The wizard must have been concerned about this.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t know what would overcome him next time ¡ª his hunger or his lust for her, but no matter what, he¡¯d lose his senses and attack her. He didn¡¯t think Rosetta would be able to win against him.


    ¡®I can¡¯t just rely on Rosetta¡¯s fists.¡¯


    The problem was that there was no other way but to give Rosetta the defense armour made by Nanabi. He had no choice but to find Lilliana and find a way as soon as possible. Sihael, who was on his way to Nanabi¡¯s room, came to a halt when he noticed a figure ahead of him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk for a minute.¡±


    Lanoa opened the door to his room, a dissatisfied expression on his face. Sihael had anticipated Lanoa¡¯s arrival by this point, so he gladly accepted his call.


    ¡°Was the Empress after Rosetta this time, rather than His Highness?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Lanoa, who hurled insults, smacked the table. Ignoring an agitated Lanoa, he remembered the monster he had met in the mountain the day before.


    ¡®Woman, we need to find the woman.¡¯


    The only women they could target were Rosetta and Nanabi. The monsters sent for Nanabi usually were the ones who appeared to be missing a screw. Therefore, the monster, whose neck Sihael blew away, was targeting Rosetta.


    Why did she go after Rosetta and not me?


    ¡®Is she trying to take her hostage?¡¯


    The monster that survived thanks to Rosetta was useless. The only mission he had been given was to steal the chimera pieces and destroy all the evidence. It was a disposable monster that didn¡¯t know anything.

 Chapter 71

    ¡®I should have killed him even though Rosetta stopped me.¡¯


    Rosetta seemed to like him a lot now that he hadn¡¯t killed him, so he couldn¡¯t even touch him.


    ¡®Well, if not by my hands, he¡¯d almost certainly be killed by Lanoa¡¯s.¡¯


    Sihael thought as he looked into Lanoa¡¯s ferocious eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s all because of you, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Rosetta has been chased by and tormented by monsters since she was a child, and as a result, her personality has morphed into something similar that of a dog! She was just returning to normal.¡±


    Lanoa, who had been evasive at the end of the sentence, bit his lower lip.


    ¡°You¡¯ve ruined Rosetta¡¯s peaceful life.¡±


    Sihael was aware of this. Rosetta had been involved in strange things since meeting him. Even though he knew it well, he couldn¡¯t let her go, so he felt very helpless.


    ¡°So take responsibility and look after her.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­I thought you¡¯d warn me to stay away from her right away.¡±


    Sihael, who had expected Lanoa to grab him by the collar and curse him, looked at him with surprise.


    ¡°Will you keep your distance from her if I tell you to? I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    No, of course not. Lanoa clicked his tongue, irritated by the bold response in his eyes.


    ¡°However, that doesn¡¯t mean you should contact her more than is absolutely necessary. Don¡¯t think nonsense and just consider yourself as Rosetta¡¯s Knight.¡±


    ¡°To call the Crown Prince a knight is an overstatement.¡±


    Sihael covered his twitching mouth and said. Seeing him almost jumping with joy, Lanoa felt irritated and wondered whether he should take back all what he said just now.


    ¡°I will protect her no matter what. Even if I have to risk my life.¡±


    Lanoa couldn¡¯t help but believe in the Crown Prince as he even promised to risk his life. Lanoa¡¯s stiff face eventually softened at Sihael¡¯s sincere gaze.


    ¡°We¡¯ve also decided to go to the capital.  We can¡¯t avoid going there anymore as we have a very important deal.¡±


    ¡°When are you guys going?¡±


    ¡°We will be going with you. Originally, we were going to only arrange Rosetta¡¯s coming-of-age ceremony there, but in such a situation, there is nothing we can do about it.¡±


    ¡°But would you guys be okay? You¡¯ll be under The Empress¡¯ eyes.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s already keeping tabs on us. Now that this is the case, we¡¯ve decided to go with Your Highness and annoy the hell out of the Empress.¡±


    If the Empress was to lay her hands on them, it would be safer to be in the capital where there would be many eyes and ears around them than their secluded Duchy.


    At least, they wouldn¡¯t be attacked by monsters as often as they do now.


    It was also Katzel¡¯s way of not avoiding any fights they had encountered. They would gladly accept it even if the opponent was the Empress.


    The golden eyes that resembled birds of prey shone sharply.


    ¡°And don¡¯t forget about the wine cellar.¡±


    Sihael burst into laughter at the words that did not go well with his fierce glare.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you take as many wines as you want.¡±


    *  *  *


    The next day, when I woke up, the monster greeted me.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    The monster that was running towards me with twinkling eyes was caught by Sihael and thrown into a corner.


    The monster, who rolled down the floor with a loud sound, ran with tears streaming from the corners of his eyes. Even though I¡¯d realized it already, the little guy didn¡¯t live up to the name of a monster as he cried a lot.


    The monster, who rubbed its eyes and wiped away the tears, looked at me hesitantly, and then bowed its head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for hurting you!¡±


    I kept getting all types of apologies from the monster. It was honestly amazing. The monsters I knew were idiots who would drool and aggressively rush towards me, but this guy was definitely different.


    ¡®I think it would be useful to have it next to me¡­.¡¯


    Thinking that I was troubled by it, Sihael grabbed the head of the monster. It was useful, so he kept it alive, but the blue veins on the back of his hand were still clear.


    ¡°Rosetta, now that this bastard is useless, shall I kill him?¡±


    ¡°Hiick! No, no! Master! Don¡¯t kill me.¡±


    Terrified by Sihael¡¯s eerie voice, the monster shook off his hand with all his might and ran away. He immediately hid beside me. I pushed its head, that was poking me, away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me master. We are enemies.¡±


    ¡°We are no longer enemies. We are on the same side! We¡¯re friends, friends!¡±


    You now speak like a friend. Who was the one who rushed to eat me?


    I pushed away the clingy monster and threw it at Sihael, and then asked Nanabi.


    ¡°I¡¯ve felt it before, but is there something wrong with his head?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t really have any problem, he¡¯s still young¡­¡±


    Was it really young?  When I asked how old it was, Nanabi answered with a sigh.


    ¡°In human terms, it would probably be around ten.¡±


    Ten years old? He¡¯s basically a kid.


    When I looked at him, surprised by his unexpected young age, the monster climbed up and sat down on a chair.


    He tried to come by my side whenever he had time. It wasn¡¯t that he liked me, but that he knew that I was the only person who could protect him from the scary Sihael. He was stupid, but he was also quick-witted.


    ¡°I¡¯m all grown up. I can protect you, Master.¡±


    What are you talking about? You¡¯re weaker than me.


    However, seeing the weak guy struggling to survive, I couldn¡¯t somehow fight back. He was the one who made me lie on the bed. I had decided to teach him a lesson once I woke up, but when I saw those small, twinkling eyes, my heart weakened.


    Sihael was right. I easily fall for  good-looking guys.

 Chapter 72

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have one.¡±


    Clearly, the empress didn¡¯t give a name to her chess pawn. Tsk tsk, I clicked my tongue and called him a name that came to mind.


    ¡°Your name is Lumian from now on.¡±


    ¡°¡­Lumian?¡±


    Lumian, who had blinked blankly, jumped up excitedly when he heard his name for the first time. Three snakes jumped out of his mouth, claiming to be Lumian and fighting and hitting each other on the body.


    ¡°My name is Lumian!¡±


    ¡°No, you aren¡¯t!! It¡¯s me!¡±


    ¡°My name is!¡±


    Nobody intervened to stop the escalating brawl. Nanabi and Sihael just stared at them, as if it were nothing new.


    It seemed I was the only one who could stop this fight.


    ¡°Stop! From the right, you are Lu, Mi, and An. Okay?¡±


    The monster¡¯s eyes twinkled when I split the name as a temporary measure.


    ¡°I am Lu!¡±


    ¡°I am Mi!¡±


    ¡°And my name is An!¡±


    When I saw Lumian, a demonic monster, clapping and jumping with joy over something so insignificant, I shook my head and covered my forehead.


    ¡®No matter how good-looking he is, his behaviour is not within my acceptance level.¡¯


    The sight of the three snakes joyfully dancing and shaking their bodies was difficult for me to accept.


    ¡°If at all possible, Lumian, don¡¯t come out as a snake.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡±


    While nodding his head excessively, Lumian slipped the snakes back into his mouth. Hearing his responses felt good. Unlike Shasha, he listened to me well. I also liked how quick-witted and obedient he was.


    ¡°Get out of the way.¡±


    Sihael threw an ecstatic Lumian at Nanabi and sat down next to me. In a sulky tone, he said,


    ¡°You¡¯re being too nice to him.¡±


    ¡°Even though I have taken him in,  are you okay with it? After all, Your Highness, this guy was aiming for you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not okay, but I can¡¯t help it since you seem to care about him.¡±


    It was natural for him to be uncomfortable with Lumian. It would be safer and better for Sihael to cut Lumian¡¯s head off and get rid of all the aftermath.


    ¡°The empress used him to clobber you, right? Then I will have to release him back to the place where he used to live.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about it. I was your only dog, but now some snake bastard has crept in. It¡¯s extremely irritating.¡±


    ¡®Didn¡¯t he say he didn¡¯t like being called a dog?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t decide which rhythm to follow. Sihael, who was glaring at Lumian with venom, smiled beautifully as he noticed my eyes on him.


    ¡°However, I believe I am the only one you should adore.¡±


    I nodded, my gaze drawn to his charming features.


    * * *


    After I had fully recovered, I went to the baron¡¯s office for a walk and to look over the business.


    ¡°My Lady, are you all right?¡±


    I shrugged my shoulders at the baron who ran towards me with a surprised face.


    ¡°Yes, I took a good rest. It only felt like I had a minor cold¡±


    Even after seeing my cheerful face, his concern did not fade.


    I know he is worried about Rosetta becoming ill from the poison, but there is really nothing to worry about. I am quite hale and hearty now.


    I sat down, blocking the baron¡¯s gaze, and immediately brought up the main topic.


    ¡°We are going to the Imperial Capital with His Highness.¡±


    ¡°I heard from the young master.¡±


    It was actually Lanoa¡¯s decision, but I quietly decided to follow it. I had previously been hesitant to travel to the capital because I did not want to interfere with the original story and also did not want to be associated with the Empress.


    But now that the Empress was after me and saw me as her adversary, I didn¡¯t have to keep an eye out for her. Besides, as Lanoa had mentioned, I had no idea when she would send another monster to bother me.


    So staying within the duke and his wife¡¯s fences in the capital was much safer. My goal was to live a safe and peaceful life. Things had gone wrong after meeting Sihael, but my ultimate goal had not changed.


    ¡°My Lady, if you don¡¯t mind, why don¡¯t we show Asila¡¯s work ahead of time at His Majesty¡¯s birthday banquet?¡±


    ¡°At the banquet? I think my coming-of-age ceremony is enough.¡±


    ¡°I believe it would be better to show them ahead of time. It¡¯s a birthday banquet, so not only will all the nobles of the capital attend, but also the nobles of each region. If we show it then, we will certainly get a good result.¡±


    True, but¡­. I had no intention of attending the birthday banquet.


    But the Baron also had a valid point. The Emperor¡¯s birthday banquet was one of the biggest events, and it was attended by even the nobles from the outskirts. There was no better way to advertise Asila¡¯s work.


    ¡°Well, the baron is already going there, so do I need to go?¡±


    I made it seem that I didn¡¯t like it. It was not because of the empress, but simply because I found it tiresome.


    ¡°Of course, because you have a great influence in the capital, it has to be you, young lady, to have a proper publicity effect. Who would like it if a boring old man did it?¡±


    Baron¡­ ¡­don¡¯t say such sad things. And it¡¯s well known that the influence the baron was referring to was in fact horrendous¡­


    It was clear that the wizards and nobles would rather gossip from afar than approach us.

 Chapter 73

    Fortunately, I had Lanoa. It was because, despite living like a rake and behaving badly, Lanoa had an outstanding and handsome appearance that didn¡¯t leave anything to be desired.


    ¡®Should I stay quietly by Lanoa¡¯s side and return?¡¯


    I kept weighing the tedious affair versus my retirement funds, and eventually decided to lean toward my retirement funds.


    ¡°All right, let¡¯s do it.¡±


    ¡°You made a wise decision.¡±


    But this was insufficient. If I was going to do this, I had to do it right the first time.


    To target middle-aged wizards or those interested in magic tools, more models were required.


    ¡°Baron, I know we¡¯re out of time, but can we ask Asila to make us some more jewellery?¡±


    ¡°Until the banquet?¡±


    ¡°Yes, if we¡¯re going to promote it, it¡¯s better if both my parents and brothers also promote them.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any thoughts?¡±


    ¡°The men would need brooches, and my mothers would like to wear necklaces, earrings, and rings¡­ We only have ten days left, can we do it?¡±


    Because of the tight schedule, I was worried that Asila would not be able to do so due to unreasonable demands. But the baron confidently replied


    ¡°No worries. The ornaments to be presented at this banquet have already been prepared. It is now in the final stages, so it is possible.¡±


    Oh my gosh. He had already prepared so much without my knowledge. As expected of the baron.


    He was a thorough man who kept his eyes ahead, and was always one step ahead of others. His experience of managing the estate and the records for many years was not something that could be overlooked.


    For the first time, I looked at him with respect. My faith in him grew even stronger when he responded casually that this was nothing.


    ¡°Oh, and I was planning to sign a contract with the new wizard to imbue the processed mana stones with magic. What do you think of it, My Lady?¡±


    The baron inquired cautiously about Eugene as a possible candidate.


    ¡°I believe it is best to sign him if his skills are guaranteed.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a bad offer. If Nanabi had to return to the capital, I was going to send Eugene with her. Because how could a disciple remain when their master was gone?


    Now since our paths were the same, he could work for us while learning from Nanabi. Of course, this would only be possible if Eugene proved capable of doing the job.


    ¡°Baron, check his qualifications separately and sign a contract if you believe he is qualified for the job.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll speak with him soon.¡±


    Okay, so we found a wizard and turned all of the duchy¡¯s members into models for our brand. The rest¡­


    I took a piece of paper from my arms and extended it to the baron.


    ¡°Oh, and if possible, I¡¯d like this first.¡±


    ¡°What exactly is this?¡±


    ¡°Take a look.¡±


    This is the design of the brooch I made in my spare time after learning that Lanoa was going with Sihael. It looked like a hideous drawing, but I knew Asila could turn it into a lovely brooch.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t plan on doing this, but now that it¡¯s happened, we should make Sihael the best model for our Katzel Jeweler.¡¯


    The baron¡¯s face lit up when I told him the brooch was for Sihael.


    Our sales will increase! It was written all over the baron¡¯s face.


    ¡°I will do my best.¡±


    It was very reassuring to see the baron so enthusiastic.  Having entrusted all the work to the baron, I returned with light steps.


    * * *


    Finally, the day to leave for the Imperial Capital dawned.


    We had a long way to go to the capital, so we got ready early in the morning and hurriedly got on the carriage.


    ¡°Master! I want to ride with you too! Please don¡¯t leave me with the witch sister!¡±


    Our carriage was delayed for a while because Lumian kept whining not to abandon him, but thanks to Nanabi and Marina¡¯s quick response, we were able to leave on time.


    ¡°Do we really have to bring him along?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more. Every time he tries to be cute, I want to throw him away.¡±


    For the first time, Sihael and Lanoa were at the same wavelength and stared at Lumian, who was being dragged away, with contemptuous eyes.


    ¡°If we leave him here, who knows what will happen? So, I want to keep an eye on him.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s more dangerous to take him with us.¡±


    Lanoa furrowed his brows as he remembered the accident Lumian had caused. Sihael, who had beautifully curled his eyes and smiled, said harshly, ¡°It¡¯s quite good, in my opinion. Let¡¯s just kill him if he causes another accident.¡±


    Lanoa then raised his thumb and stated that he liked his idea. The two people, who had united their minds and wills, radiated a vicious energy towards Lumian.


    ¡°He¡¯s still quite young, so don¡¯t bully him.¡±


    I took Lumian¡¯s side. At some point, I stopped talking. I felt like I was on the verge of death because of the swaying carriage.


    ¡®I felt sick as well when I rode the carriage for the first time.¡¯


    Even though the distance was short, my stomach churned wildly as if I were travelling a long distance with no end in sight.


    ¡°Rosetta, are you all right?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    Sihael inquired cautiously, watching my face darken as time passed. I replied weakly, my eyes closed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll inform Nanabi and let you go first.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    It would be fantastic if I could request that Nanabi teleport me. But how far could I travel on average? I¡¯d heard that the greater the distance travelled to be teleported, the greater the physical exhaustion.


    Also, I couldn¡¯t just use someone with a high-end talent like Nanabi to send me over first. How could I do that when Sihael was still there?


    ¡°Then let¡¯s take a break here. I think you¡¯re going to faint at this rate.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me.¡±


    Sihael closed his mouth in response to my feeble words.


    I knew he cared about me, but his kind words only made me feel sicker. We also had a long distance to travel, and I didn¡¯t want to stop the carriage just yet.


    ¡°If you continue to bother Rose when she¡¯s in a bad mood, she¡¯ll beat you. So simply leave her alone.¡±


    Lanoa¡¯s words made me nod inwardly. It was better to leave me alone than to keep bothering me by asking if I was okay all the time.


    I kept tossing and turning my achy body, but I felt sick no matter what position I slept in.


    Just as I was tossing and turning to find a comfortable position, a large hand extended out in front of me and tapped on the back of my hand.

 Chapter 74

    ¡°Rosetta, we can switch our seats. You can lie down here.¡±


    Sihael pointed to his seat. It was large and spacious because he only used it by himself.


    ¡®Yeah, I guess if I lie down for a while, I¡¯ll get better.¡¯


    I struggled to open my eyes and moved forward in an almost crawling motion.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    At my feeble words of gratitude, Sihael covered my eyes and told me to go to sleep. I laid down in the comfortable chair and relaxed, feeling a little better now that I was comfortable.


    A gentle breeze cooled my cheeks just as I was about to fall asleep.


    ¡°Good night.¡±


    The soft voice was like a lullaby, causing me to let go of my consciousness strings.


    * * *


    It was late afternoon when I arrived at the gate.


    I jumped off the carriage as soon as it came to a stop, filled my lungs with fresh air, and slowly exhaled.


    ¡°Finally over¡­!¡±


    Breathe in, breathe out.


    As I repeated the breathing technique several times, a hand stretched out from behind and touched my arm.


    When I turned my head, Lanoa handed me some water. The water that touched my fingertips was cold, so I quickly gulped it down.


    I wiped the water from my lips and took a long breath.


    ¡°Haa. I will live now.¡±


    ¡°Have you been drinking? What¡¯s with your responses?¡±


    ¡°Shut up. I¡¯m not in the mood to quarrel with you right now.¡±


    When I handed Lanoa the empty glass, he filled it with so much water that it overflowed.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t gotten motion sickness since you were a child; what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°It could have reappeared¡­¡­.¡±


    I wondered if Rosetta¡¯s constitution would change when I entered her body, but it didn¡¯t seem to matter.


    My motion sickness was as bad as it had been in my previous life, if not worse.


    ¡®I can¡¯t ride a carriage; I want to ride a car.¡¯


    Even in my previous life, I had a hard time riding a car because I had severe motion sickness, but compared to this, it was heaven.


    The carriage is really¡­, The thought of riding it again made me dizzy.


    Fortunately, we could now use the gate to travel to the capital; otherwise, I would have had to travel for days and days, which was a relief.


    Since I now had time, I sat in the shade and stretched my legs as the gates were being operated. Lanoa, who was sitting next to me, looked at the empty seat next to me and asked, ¡°Why isn¡¯t that dog of yours next to you? Aren¡¯t you guys always together?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, are you talking about Your Highness like that?¡±


    Lanoa smiled with a face confirming my doubt.


    This crazy bastard! Even though Sihael used to be a dog, how could he still call him a dog? I looked around to see whether there was anyone around, and then hit Lanoa¡¯s arm.


    ¡°What if someone had heard it?¡±


    ¡°I said that because there isn¡¯t anyone here.¡±


    Ugh, how long has Sihael been by my side for him to say such a thing. But come to think of it, I¡¯ve never really been away from him.


    Not only during his time as a Shasha, but also after he returned as a person, we ate together, went for a walk, and always accompanied each other until just before he fell asleep.


    ¡®Have I been with him longer than I have with Lanoa?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t deny Lanoa¡¯s words after realising I hadn¡¯t been aware of them. There were days when I visited Sihael first, but most of the time, he came to me first and would stay by my side when I woke up.


    ¡®How come he still acts like a dog after becoming human? He also behaves like a dog who keeps whining and crying in the absence of its owner.¡¯


    When I imagined him as a dog, a hypothesis formed in my mind.


    ¡®Does he have separation anxiety?¡¯


    Ridiculous doubts began to creep in.


    What if it really was like that?


    Suddenly, I was terrified. Separation anxiety is hard to fix once you get it¡­


    It was a fatal problem because the Crown Prince of the Empire was anxious about separation. Just when I was seriously thinking about whether I should keep my distance from him now and help him cultivate social skills, I heard Lanoa shout.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    When I shifted my gaze to the call, Lanoa paused uncharacteristically.


    ¡°Say what you have to say.¡±


    ¡°Are you attracted to his highness? Do-do you like him?¡±


    ¡°I like him.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t scream so close to my ears!¡±


    I pushed Lanoa¡¯s face away, rubbing my throbbing ears.


    ¡°Like a friend, no, not like a friend, I like him as a colleague.¡±


    I corrected my words when I remembered Sihael stated he was not my friend.


    ¡®It¡¯s okay if we¡¯re not friends.¡¯


    When I thought of that time, I pouted my lips.


    ¡°A colleague?¡±


    ¡°Yes, for now. I wanted us to become friends, but he doesn¡¯t want to befriend me. Well, when I asked him if he wanted us to be colleagues, he said he didn¡¯t want to do it. But if he didn¡¯t, he would have nothing to do with me.¡±


    I didn¡¯t like being nothing to him. I wanted to leave a mark on him in some form.

 Chapter 75

    ¡®First, we¡¯ll be colleagues, then we¡¯ll be friends.¡¯


    I would do it by all means! When I clenched my fist, Lanoa looked at me as if he were looking at the biggest fool in the world.


    ¡°You¡¯re my sister, but¡­¡­.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°If it was me in place of His Highness, I would have thrown my arms up in frustration.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Anyways, he became very upset with me because of that.¡±


    ¡°Was it that time?


    When he asked me if it was the time when Sihael started eating alone and staying in his room, I nodded my head, making Lanoa click his tongue.


    ¡°Seeing that cheeky bastard like this, I can¡¯t help but feel pity for him.¡±


    What kind of situation is this?


    Lanoa, who was wary of Sihael, sympathized with him for the first time.


    * * *


    By using the gate, we arrived at the capital in the blink of an eye.


    Fortunately, I did not suffer from motion sickness.


    Leonard and a stranger I¡¯d never met before awaited us when we arrived.


    ¡°Welcome back, Your Highness .¡±


    When Leonard approached and greeted Sihael, Sihael patted his friend and trusted subordinate on the shoulder.


    While the two were enjoying their reunion, the stranger entered the heartwarming scene.


    ¡°Your Highness, your face is radiant.¡±


    ¡°Gail, do you have a death wish?¡±


    A man named Gail excitedly heaved his chest at Sihael¡¯s grumpy answer. Judging from his voice and fierce reaction, it was clear that he was the person who was asking for resignation over the crystal ball.


    ¡°I know who is the reason behind it!¡±


    ¡°Do I need to know?¡±


    Hearing Sihael¡¯s calm and collected response, Gail staggered while grabbing the back of his neck in exasperation. Perhaps because he was agitated, his face looked like a burning sweet potato.


    Even though he felt exasperated, he couldn¡¯t swear, so he must be quite frustrated. Gail rushed over to Leonard and complained. Leonard, on the other hand, ignored his complaints and approached us, leaving him behind. Nanabi gently patted Gail¡¯s drooping shoulders.


    ¡°Welcome everyone. Was it hard to get here?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even talk about it. Rosetta almost died from motion sickness.¡±


    ¡°Motion sickness? All of a sudden?¡±


    Leonard narrowed his eyes when he saw my pale face.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine now.¡±


    Even though my face was still pale, I was able to recover and didn¡¯t feel like I was going to die. My face darkened at the thought of having to ride in the carriage again.


    Sihael gently stroked my cheek after noticing the brief change in my expression. His cool hand brushed against my right cheek.


    ¡®It¡¯s cool. It feels good.¡¯


    His hand swept beneath my eyes as I gently lowered my eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re okay. Your complexion doesn¡¯t look good.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just my complexion, but I assure you I¡¯m really okay.¡±


    I lifted Sihael¡¯s hand and placed it to my forehead. Noticing that I was using him as an ice bag, Sihael chuckled and covered my forehead with his large hand.


    ¡°Should I ask Nanabi to take you to your house?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really okay. Wanna see?¡±


    To allay Sihael¡¯s worries, I picked up a rock that had fallen on the floor and crushed it.


    Krrrr. The powdered stone was blown away by the wind when I spread my hand.


    Did you see it? When I looked around with a confident smile, I noticed people who knew me saying that I was still the same.


    Except for one individual.


    Gail¡¯s eyes excitedly darted back and forth between me and my hands. I think I heard a murmur questioning if I was human.


    ¡°Did you get hurt?¡±


    ¡°No, see! I¡¯m perfectly fine.¡±


    Sihael shook off the stone debris stuck to my palm, and then put a bracelet on my wrist.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    Based on its crude design, it did not appear to be used as an accessory. Nanabi shouted from afar when I tilted my head.


    ¡°I made it when Your Ladyship was resting. It¡¯s like this because His Highness kept rushing me!¡±


    ¡°It also has twice the effect than the usual.¡±


    ¡°Thanks to the young lady, it turned out so good!¡±


    While Nanabi was crediting me, I raised my hand and gave her a thumbs up. She must have really been happy with the effect as she was grinning happily from ear to ear.


    ¡®Ah, this was why I couldn¡¯t see it earlier.¡¯


    ¡°It has magic that restores stamina. Wearing this will make you feel better.¡±


    Sihael added, fastening the bracelet on my wrist.


    ¡°Since it was made in a hurry, I couldn¡¯t do much. I¡¯ll give you something nice next time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. This is enough.¡±


    Sihael kept fiddling with my wrist as if he didn¡¯t like the bracelet that was made in a hurry. But unlike Sihael, who was dissatisfied, I really liked the bracelet.


    ¡®It¡¯s an item that will save me from hell!¡¯


    It was like a single ray of light in the darkness. Extremely moved, I held Sihael¡¯s hands tightly.


    ¡°Your Highness, thank you very much. I am so happy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay as long as you like it.¡±


    Sihael smiled at my sincere greeting, took his hand out of my hand and stroked my hair. He didn¡¯t take his hand off my head until it was time for us to go.


    * * *


    Thanks to Sihael, I arrived at the mansion comfortably and set my feet on the ground with a fresh face.


    ¡°Now you look a bit like a human.¡±


    Lanoa commented after noticing my face regain its original pallor and ruffled my hair.


    Did you put some honey on my hair? Why do you keep messing up my hair whenever you see me?


    ¡°Let go, before I rip your head off.¡±


    ¡°When His Highness does it, you stay still and let him do as he please, but when I do it, why do you come to bite me like a dog?¡±


    ¡°Because you and His Highness are different.¡±


    While I was quarreling with Lanoa, a huge golden door burst open.


    ¡°Rosetta¡­¡±


    I looked awkwardly at the Duke, who had come out shouting my name. Unlike Lanoa, with whom I had felt at ease from the start, I had no idea how to treat the Duke.


    However, I was the only one who felt detached. The duke, after sprinting one step at a time, carefully placed his hand on my shoulder.


    ¡°How long has it been? I can¡¯t believe you¡¯ve grown so much already. Now you look like a mature lady.¡±


    The duke fixed his gaze on me, whom he hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. He had a calm smile on his face only because he hadn¡¯t noticed that I had suffered from motion sickness.


    ¡°I heard it all from the baron. You did a great job with the business.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very proud of did well. No, very well.¡±


    The duke lavished praises on me as he patted my shoulder. I lowered my gaze, unsure what to do with his compliments.


    It wasn¡¯t that big of a deal, but the duke, like a typical daughter fool, exalted me as if I were a war hero.


    ¡®When will it end?¡¯


    I seriously considered fleeing at one point.


    ¡°I had faith in you, my beloved daughter.¡±


    I looked up, surprised by the completely unexpected remark.


    His tender eyes made my heart skip a beat.

 Chapter 76

    The Duke, who had been watching me intently for some time, couldn¡¯t hide his disappointment and took his hands away from me. He seemed to want to say more, but the duke hid his greed and withdrew.


    And when he came across Lanoa, who was only a few steps away from me, he opened his arms wide.


    ¡°Come here, Lanoa!¡±


    ¡°Yikes! No way! I¡¯m already so old, yet you want to hug me. It¡¯s extremely embarrassing.¡±


    Lanoa, who had escaped from the duke¡¯s arms, was so aghast that his body shivered.


    ¡°Despite having a face that resembles my beloved wife, you have such a cheeky attitude. From where did you get your cheekiness?¡±


    ¡°Maybe from the embrace of your beloved wife?¡±


    ¡°You jerk!¡±


    The mischievous Lanoa was eventually beaten by the Duke. Lanoa, who was hit hard on the back, twisted his body in pain saying it hurt.


    He has now been beaten by me, then by Leonard and now the duke. He was basically like a family punching bag.


    ¡®Everyone¡¯s still the same.This family hasn¡¯t changed a bit.¡¯


    Looking at the two people, I smiled happily. Despite his title of Iron Blooded Duke, the duke was a man who was warm and friendly to his family.


    People who knew the Duke might be surprised seeing him like this, but it was a very natural routine for this family.


    ¡®It¡¯s a warm family.¡¯


    As I looked at the two of them happily, my gaze happened to meet the duke¡¯s. When he saw my face, he looked at me mesmerized as if he had seen a ghost.


    ¡®What happened? Is there something wrong?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t understand anything so I just blinked. Meanwhile, the Duke, who had abandoned Lanoa, approached me and took my hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen you smile like that.¡±


    Oh¡­


    ¡°When you smile, you look exactly like me.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, that¡¯s not true. Rosetta, of course, resembles me.¡±


    What? Has the Duchess also arrived? Can¡¯t we just go inside and do this?


    It was embarrassing to have the long family reunion right outside the door rather than the hall of the mansion. I looked at the Duchess¡¯s face and found it extremely peaceful and calm.


    ¡®So cute¡­¡¯


    Compared with Katzels¡¯ traits of long, glamorous, and scary-looking face, Duchess had a pleasant and cute face. The Duke, who was holding my hand, dashed over to the Duchess and wrapped his arms around her shoulder.


    ¡°Wife, you¡¯re not feeling well. You shouldn¡¯t have come out.¡±


    ¡°Our troublemakers are finally here. So how could I not come out¡±


    She grinned at us as she pulled her fluttering shawl over her shoulder.


    ¡°Come here.¡±


    When the Duchess with a gentle smile opened her arms, Lanoa ran like a puppy and hugged her.


    What the hell?! It was the first time I saw Lanoa acting so cutely. I had barely calmed down and my stomach churned again. I tried my best to control my nausea , but I couldn¡¯t hide my distorted face.


    ¡°Rosetta.¡±


    The Duchess opened her arms and asked me to come. After much consideration, I carefully hugged her back.


    There was no big reason, but strangely, I felt like I shouldn¡¯t refuse her. The duchess¡¯s body flinched. She was surprised for a moment because she probably didn¡¯t think I was going to hug her, and then she hugged me tightly.


    The Duchess patted me affectionately on the back.


    I felt strange. It felt warm and cozy, but every corner of my heart was strangely aching.


    ¡°When did you grow up so much¡­?¡±


    The Duchess¡¯s eyes seemed to burst into tears at any moment. At the sudden somber atmosphere, I awkwardly pulled the corners of my mouth. I thought I¡¯d cover it up with a laugh. But it turned out to be the wrong choice.


    The Duchess cried more at my awkward smile.


    ¡°Did you just smile at this mother?¡±


    Wait, is that a point to cry?


    While I was bewildered and at a loss for what to do, the duke approached us and held us in his arms. I was held against his big chest, and as I blinked, I felt a small vibration from above.


    ¡®¡­ Wait is the duke also crying?¡¯


    Trapped in the couple¡¯s arms, I asked Lanoa for help, but he was not at all helpful. Before he could realize, Lanoa was also pulled into the hug by the duke. I glared at Lanoa.


    ¡®Hey, what should we do?¡¯


    ¡®Just stay still. If we try to escape, they will ask if we hate it and then cry more.¡¯


    So, Lanoa and I shared a very uncomfortable hug for quite some time.


    *  *  *


    After the tearful welcoming ceremony, I threw my haggard body onto the bed.


    Under the Duke and Duchess fierce love attack, I didn¡¯t know whether I swallowed meat from my mouth or my nose.


    ¡°I feel bloated.¡±


    Instead of looking for digestive medicine, I put back on the bracelet I had taken off while washing. There was a faint glow from the marble indicating that it was still effective.


    ¡°Thank God, I can still use it.¡±


    I patted my swollen stomach and stared blankly at the ceiling. The duke and duchess¡¯s crying faces flashed through my mind one after the other. The image of the couple smiling at me with their eyes red like rabbits lingered in my mind. It remained as an afterimage and followed me even when I closed my eyes.

 Chapter 77

    The way they watched me closely so as not to miss a single action of mine, how they were moved to tears by a small, awkward smile, and how they tried to take care of me kept flashing through my mind.


    Can I still call Rosetta an abandoned princess after seeing that?


    Rosetta was still the ducal couple¡¯s lovely and precious daughter whom they loved and cherished very much. I could tell by their eyes. Their affection for Rosetta had never changed despite the physical distance between them.


    ¡°I envy you, Rosetta.¡±


    The Duke and his wife were good parents¡­


    In the past, now, and in the future.


    Despite the fact that Rosetta and the Empress were at odds, the Duke attempted to save his daughter¡¯s life.


    Although there were ways to abandon Rosetta, who had committed an unforgivable sin, the couple did not abandon Rosetta until the very end.


    ¡®The duke and his wife loved her unconditionally, but why did Rosetta change?¡¯


    Even though she grew up as a shy girl with her parents¡¯ unconditional love, she was not raised in an environment where she could turn out to be crooked like a broken person.


    Was she sick of her parents¡¯ unconditional love? Nonetheless, did she have to be so harsh of her parents?


    When they called her name, she would yell. She despised it when they touched her. When she wasn¡¯t good at anything, she would say a lot of dirty things.


    Rosetta was a person truly beyond saving.


    ¡®I can vividly recall all her wicked deeds but why can¡¯t I remember how Rosetta was in her younger days?¡¯


    Strangely, I didn¡¯t have any memory of Rosetta¡¯s family being harmonious. From the reactions of the people around her, it was clear that they all were on good terms when she was young¡­¡­.


    I had no memory of the time before Rosetta was twelve. Well, it¡¯s understandable if we were talking about memories from the age of four or five, but if it¡¯s ten, they should be in Rosetta¡¯s memory.


    Was this a side effect of my transmigration?


    ¡®Too bad. It would have been a little easier to deal with the Duke and Duchess if Rosetta¡¯s memories were intact.¡¯


    There was no point in looking into her memories of the time when she used to run wild like some crazy dog.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯ll work out somehow.¡±


    Humans are adaptable animals, so someday either the duke and his wife will get used to me or I may adapt to the two of them.


    As I sprawled on the bed peacefully, I raised my wrist when I saw that the bracelet had lost its light. The bracelet had dimmed after calming my bloated stomach and started shaking.


    ¡®Take a rest as soon as you get home. Okay?¡¯


    I recalled Sihael¡¯s face when he kept worrying about me until the very end, even as he reluctantly took his leave at Gale¡¯s persistent nagging. I was the one who was about to die but why did he look more miserable than me?


    ¡®Could he be anxious because I¡¯m not there?¡¯


    Smiling at the absurd thought, I took off the bracelet and reached out my hand to place it on the table.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    However the bracelet hit the corner of the table and disappeared under the bed.


    ¡°If it had to fall, why did it have to be under the bed?¡±


    I grumbled and crouched beside the bed to start looking for the bracelet.


    ¡°It should be around here¡­ Huh?¡±


    Something touched my fingertips. It wasn¡¯t a bracelet but a small ring.


    ¡°Is this a secret space?¡±


    When I pulled the ring out of curiosity, a square tile-shaped space was revealed.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    I took out the box hidden in the secret space and tilted my head feeling the heavy weight. Maybe it has some jewels?


    ¡°It must be some great jewels for them to be hidden here so secretively¡­ Huh?¡±


    Contrary to expectations, what was in the box were simple things such as colorful paintings, diaries, dolls, and beads. I turned the box upside down to shake it, but still no jewels came out.  The only ornaments present in it were hairpins that seemed quite old.


    ¡®These don¡¯t seem like Rosetta¡¯s type. Did she used to like these when she was young?¡¯


    Turning a large white ribbon around, I reached for the diary, which seemed to be the most useful item among them.


    If I look at this, wouldn¡¯t I get to know a little bit about Rosetta as a child?


    I opened the diary with my heart pounding with anticipation and burst into laughter upon reading the first entry.


    [Lanoa, you idiot, you imbecile! How dare you tease me with a lizard? I won¡¯t leave you alone. I will take my revenge!]


    I could feel her rage on the paper where the pencil had been pressed to ensure proper engraving. Rosetta had a unique personality from a young age.


    [Today, Brother Leonard gave me a piggyback ride. As soon as I grow up to be as big as my brother, I will also give him a piggyback ride.]


    In the corner of the diary, there were some stick drawings. They were  probably meant to be Leonard and Rosetta. Based on the contents of the diary, I think it was the drawing of their piggyback ride¡­


    ¡°She¡¯s really bad at drawing.¡±


    I turned to the next page, feeling a subtle sense of familiarity in an unexpected place.


    [Mom and Dad asked who I looked more like. They were so eager for my response that I lied and said I looked half and half like my mother and father. I look like brother Leonard¡­ Dad will cry if he finds out, so I have to keep it a secret forever.]


    ¡°She was very cute when she was young.¡±


    She seems like a lively and bubbly child, but how did she turn into an irredeemable crazy bitch?


    ¡°How did you go through your puberty?¡±


    Tsk, I clicked my tongue as I slowly flipped through the diary bit by bit. My confusion only continued to grow.


    ¡®Is this really Rosetta?¡¯


    It was hard to believe it, but Rosetta in the diary was very lovely. She was calm, playful, and very adorable.


    And most of all, I could feel her love for her family.


    ¡°Did you get hit in the head somewhere?¡±


    I knew that wasn¡¯t the case with Rosetta, but I was extremely perplexed. The gap between her present and her past self was enormous. I even felt like putting back the diary as if I hadn¡¯t ever seen it. However, I couldn¡¯t stop because this was the only thing which could provide me some information about Rosetta.


    After passing the story of the hair pulling fight with Lanoa, I turned to the next chapter and trembled.


    Why is this person¡­

 Chapter 78

    [If I go to the palace, I¡¯ll have to see the empress. I don¡¯t want to go.]


    ¡®Empress¡¯


    As my body hardened seeing the word, I kept looking at the diary for a long time.


    * * *


    ¡°My Lady, what happened overnight?! Your face, face¡­!¡±


    ¡°The skin is so puffy¡­!¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t apply charcoal under your eyes, right?¡±


    Is it really that bad?


    When I touched my cheek and looked in the mirror, I saw that my dark circles had become quite prominent. It was the result of having stayed up all night.


    ¡®I couldn¡¯t sleep after reading the entry in the diary about the Empress.¡¯


    All sleepiness vanished the moment the word ¡®Empress¡¯ appeared, and I searched the room thoroughly throughout the morning. I did so because I was anxious and expecting to find more clues. However, no significant results were obtained.


    ¡®How did Rosetta know the empress?¡¯


    I frowned at the unanswerable question and as I stared at the floor, I heard a voice from behind me calling out to me.


    ¡°My Lady, My Lady!¡±


    Perhaps they found a solution in that short amount of time, because the maids¡¯ eyes, which were filled with despair a while ago, shone like hyenas who had found their prey


    ¡°My Lady, come here.¡±


    ¡°Wait, why are your eyes weird? ¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. We¡¯ll be gentle.¡±


    Have their eyes lost focus? I was scared out of my mind, so I stretched out my hand towards Marina.


    ¡°Marina. Help me!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, My Lady. Everything will be alright.¡±


    Alright? What alright?! Marina abandoned me with a gracious smile. The ¡®hyenas¡¯ eventually grabbed both my arms and shoulders and dragged me into the bathroom. They used various massage and beauty techniques on me. By the time I came back to my senses, I was in front of the mirror.


    ¡®Wait, what just happened¡­?¡¯


    The maid, who had already finished preparations, raised her brush with a determined expression and gently stroked my face. When I opened my closed eyes, my perfectly styled face was reflected in the mirror. I just blinked blankly at their incredible skills.


    ¡°Wow¡­ That¡¯s amazing.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The maid rubbed her nose and curved the corners of her eyes. She was friendly and didn¡¯t seem to be afraid of me.


    ¡®Aren¡¯t you afraid of me?¡¯


    In the Duchy, even if I just squinted my eyes, people would tremble, crying ¡®Please help me¡­!¡¯ but here if I did the same, then the people would try to comfort me by saying ¡®It¡¯s alright¡¯ or ¡®Our Lady is in a bad mood again.¡¯ Their attitude was refreshing, but at the same time I also found it awkward.


    ¡°Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?¡±


    ¡°No, I was just remembering how I used to be.¡±


    To be more specific, I had no idea what to make of their unusually different reaction.


    ¡°What did you all think of me? Be honest with me.¡±


    ¡°My lady, you were a perfect master for us; you were lovely, cute, pretty, and even sweet.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°You were the most affectionate of all. Whether it was a person or an animal, you would pick them up if they were in pain. Don¡¯t you recall?¡±


    ¡°That, I¡­¡±


    The maids chattered excitedly as if they couldn¡¯t see my uneasy expression


    Affectionate¡­ it was a very inappropriate word for Rosetta.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think the reason is puberty. There¡¯s something fishy about it.¡¯


    There is no way puberty would change someone this drastically. Can people suddenly become so different? It appeared that there was a hidden story behind it that I was unaware of.


    ¡°I¡¯ll finish it now.¡±


    Meanwhile, the maid rushed to finish the exquisite makeup. My waist-length hair was pulled up and decorated with pearls, and a necklace made by Asila hung around my exposed slender neck. Finally, after fastening the earrings, the maids covered their mouths in awe.


    ¡°You look so beautiful, young lady.¡±


    ¡°The gift from Asila¡¯s workshop also suits you very well.¡±


    Surely Asila¡¯s abilities were impressive enough to attract attention. The brooch I got this morning was also perfect. Even I was in awe of Asila, who made the picture of the earthworm crawling perfectly.


    I had asked Leonard to deliver the brooch to Sihael before he left for work in the morning. Leonard suggested that Sihael might not wear such a brooch, but I¡¯m not sure.


    ¡®I gave it to him, so how can he refuse to wear it?¡¯


    I¡¯m curious how attractive he¡¯ll be today.


    * * *

 Chapter 79

    When I arrived at the palace, I stepped out of the carriage in a good mood.


    ¡°Is it effective?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s super good.¡±


    I lightly waved the bracelet Lanoa gave me. I guess he was worried about me almost dying from motion sickness yesterday, so he threw it to me this morning saying he picked it up on his way.


    ¡°Ho, this is the power of your brother.¡±


    ¡°I know it was Yujin who made it.¡±


    I knew that Yujin stayed up late to make it, but here he was bragging about someone else¡¯s efforts.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who ordered Yujin to make it.¡±


    ¡°I know. Thank you.¡±


    Lanoa turned his head quickly, as if he didn¡¯t expect to hear me say thank you.


    ¡°¡­¡­Just grab my arm.¡±


    Perhaps he was shy, because he grunted and grabbed my hand. I calmly placed my hand on Lanoa¡¯s arm.


    When I entered through a large golden door, a magnificent interior appeared in front of me.


    I slowly took in the subtle melody of the orchestra and the shining chandeliers, as well as the exquisitely dressed nobles.


    The noisy banquet hall suddenly became silent as I entered holding Lanoa¡¯s arm.


    Countless eyes were drawn to me. I could hear people gossiping about us here and there, and I even heard people calling us ¡®crazy dog¡¯ and ¡®jerk¡¯ on occasion.


    When the two infamous villains entered the hall together, there was a huge impact.


    ¡°Is your reputation bad too?¡±


    ¡°Not as bad as yours.¡±


    Despite what he said, neither Lanoa nor I cared about the people¡¯s murmurs; Lanoa was a person who didn¡¯t care about other people¡¯s gazes, and it was enough of an opportunity for me to show Asila¡¯s work by drawing their attention to it in any way.


    Sitting in a suitable place along Lanoa, I looked straight ahead, ignoring all the gazes directed towards us.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything that would catch the eyes of the Empress.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    I nodded at his warning. Just then, the trumpets sounded loudly.


    ¡°The Emperor, Empress, and the Second Prince are entering!¡±


    The empress and second prince followed the emperor in turn. Strangely, Sihael was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡®Is he planning to make a surprise appearance?¡¯


    After confirming that Sihael was not present, my gaze was drawn to the empress. The blonde woman with neatly brushed hair crossed the banquet hall with an elegant gait.


    Perhaps she anticipated her victory in Sihael¡¯s absence, but the empress¡¯s face revealed a deep sense of satisfaction. As I watched the empress stride across the hall, the diary came to mind again


    ¡®It¡¯s not strange that they have known each other before, but it¡¯s uncomfortable.¡¯


    At first, I assumed they knew each other and had a good relationship. However, according to the diary, Rosetta was clearly apprehensive about meeting the empress.


    She evolved from the Rosetta who was terrified of the empress to the Rosetta who attempted to exploit the empress¡¯s powers. The six-year gap was far too large.


    As I looked at the empress, who was slowly moving away, my eyes met with red ones in an instant. Out of all those many gazes, I don¡¯t know how I could pinpoint hers. The empress¡¯s blood-red eyes gleamed sharply. I wondered if the emotions flashing through her eyes were ones of hostility and resentment.


    I couldn¡¯t read it easily because of the conflicting emotions that were present. But there was one thing I did know.


    That the Empress despised me.


    ¡®It¡¯s a good thing I went with Lanoa¡¯s choice.¡¯


    Even if the Duchy had been quiet, it was clear that the Empress had been staring at us.


    The Empress¡¯s gaze, which I expected to fade quickly, remained steadfast. It didn¡¯t go away even after I sat down in my seat.


    I missed the timing to avoid her gaze and instead ran into the Empress¡¯s gaze again.


    ¡®Is this okay?¡¯


    I¡¯m not sure if the Empress saw my attitude as a challenge, but there was a deep furrow between her brows.


    ¡°Lanoa, the Empress is staring at me.¡±


    Should I avoid her or not? When I covered my mouth with a fan and murmured, Lanoa freaked out and grabbed my shoulder.


    ¡°Hey, what did you do?¡±


    ¡°Start a staring contest?¡±


    ¡°Are you out of your mind¡­¡­.?¡±


    Lanoa sighed and touched his forehead.


    * * *


    ¡°My ears hurt.¡±


    ¡°Try doing it one more time. It hasn¡¯t even been an hour and you¡¯ve already got yourself in trouble.¡±


    Lanoa, who was firmly threatening, pinched my ear. After hitting his hand in the prickly pain, I poked my mouth.


    Lanoa scolded me and pinched my ear. I clenched my hand at the stinging pain that came up.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you even understand a joke?¡±


    I grunted, rubbing my tingling ears.


    I was just kidding, what kind of mess is this?


    I just joked with Lanoa to relieve his nervousness as he was too wary of his surroundings. But I didn¡¯t know I¡¯d be dragged to the terrace and nagged for a long time.


    ¡°Don¡¯t raise your eyes like that. All the men who came here have seemed to run away.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need such a weak man.¡±


    I responed bluntly and sat on the sofa prepared on the terrace, patting my stiff shoulders. When I remembered the empress¡¯s persistent gaze, I felt extremely exhausted. The gaze that chased me while pretending not to was like a snake seeking food.


    She was too wary to say it was just because I was by Sihael¡¯s side.


    ¡°Lanoa, what happened to the empress when I was young?¡±


    I asked quietly, lowering my voice in case anyone heard me. Lanoa frowned and inquired as to what I meant.


    ¡°I don¡¯t recall much, but I believe there¡¯s something.¡±


    ¡°Would I have brought you here if it had been like that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡­.¡±


    Why is this guy so brusque?


    Perhaps it was because he was less angry at my prank, but it felt like he had purposefully blocked my question.


    ¡°You¡¯re hiding something, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by hiding something? Think about it. You¡¯re as small as a rat. What would you have to do with the busy empress? Did the Empress meet you? You have to say something that makes sense.¡±


    Lanoa turned his head as if he didn¡¯t want to hear about it anymore. I was suspicious of the sensitive reaction.


    What are you hiding?¡¯


    Lanoa¡¯s delicate manner, the Queen¡¯s gaze, Rosetta¡¯s diary, and the missing memory.


    There must be something I¡¯m missing.


    ¡°Stop thinking about insignificant things and go down because your dog is here.¡±


    Lanoa, who lightly tapped my brow, motioned towards the banquet hall, and as soon as I cleared my mind and lifted my head, I heard a distant voice.


    The loud sound of trumpets announced the appearance of the late male lead. After tidying up my messy dress, I opened the door to the terrace and saw Sihael entering the banquet hall.

 Chapter 80

    The buzzing atmosphere of the banquet hall became fervid with Sihael¡¯s appearance. I smiled contentedly seeing the brooch on his collar. Sihael, who was today dressed to the nines, shined more than usual. The silver hair reflected in the light on the chandelier sparkled as if it had been sprinkled with star powder, and his eyes could seriously swallow the moon¡­¡­.


    ¡°Hey?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think His Highness¡¯ eyes look a little darker?¡±


    ¡°How would I know that?¡±


    After dismissing Lanoa, I left him behind and then looked hard at Sihael¡¯s face.


    Was it because of the chandelier light? Sihael¡¯s golden eyes seemed brighter than usual.


    ¡®Are you not well?¡¯


    Come to think of it, his movements were strangely stiff. Normally, Sihael moved full of ease, but he was too stiff today.


    No, rather than too stiff he seemed more restrained?


    Most people wouldn¡¯t be able notice it, and like Lanoa, they wouldn¡¯t find it strange, but I could see it very well.


    ¡®Is he tense because of the empress? But he¡¯s not the kind of person to be so tense because of that¡­¡¯


    I squinted my eyes at him, and at that moment, ¡°Excuse me.¡± Someone tapped me on my shoulder. When I turned my body, a woman with an impressive tear shaped mole on the corner of her right eye smiled brightly


    ¡°You¡¯re Lady Katzel, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I am the second daughter of Marquis Duqran, Anisha Duqran. If it¡¯s okay with you, would you like to join us?¡±


    Anisha, who spoke in a charming voice, pointed behind me. I followed her gesture and saw five or six young girls peering at me. I looked alternatively between Anisha and the group behind her.


    Is this the famous ¡®lording over the newcomers¡¯? And that too at my own debut ceremony?


    ¡°Is this necklace for real? This is the work of Asila, right?¡±


    Anisha¡¯s eyes twinkled as she looked at me. Her face was too close. I almost took a step back reflexively, but when I heard Asila¡¯s name, I straightened my back and placed my hand on the necklace.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a gift from Asila to celebrate my coming-of-age ceremony.¡±


    ¡°Oh my God!¡±


    Then, the young ladies waiting behind Anisha rushed towards me like moths. In an instant, I was surrounded by the young ladies.


    When I deliberately pulled my hair behind my ears, the young ladies¡¯ attention shifted to my earrings. They all exclaimed in amazement.


    ¡°They¡¯re so beautiful!¡±


    ¡°This necklace is of a higher standard than the necklace Countess Gillard wore.¡±


    ¡°Is this also a magic tool?¡±


    Anisha asked between the continuous exclamations.


    ¡°Yes. Considering how we¡¯re living in a dangerous world these days, I thought I should have at least one magic tool to protect me.¡±


    Then the young ladies nodded continuously.


    ¡°There are so many monsters out there these days! I¡¯m scared to go around alone.¡±


    The lady, who had encountered a monster somewhere and the other, who had been attacked by one, looked at each other and asked if they could also get Asila¡¯s jewelry.


    Inwardly exclaiming with joy, I smiled at my future customers.


    ¡®Operation successful.¡¯


    When I looked up and searched for the baron, I saw him in the distance. He smiled mischievously as if he had been watching me all the time and then raised his thumbs at me without the people around him noticing.


    ¡®You¡¯re truly wonderful.¡¯


    I could literally read the praises he was inwardly heaping at me from his face.


    Lanoa, buried among the young noblemen, was also working hard in his own way.


    While I was smiling at the satisfactory performance and working hard on my new business¡¯s publicity, I glanced at Sihael from the corner of my eye. He was heading to the terrace as if he had not seen me.


    I followed his footsteps with my gaze. He looked at me, feeling my gaze. I was about to smile at him reflexively, but when I saw his empty eyes, I stopped.


    ¡®What¡­ why are you looking at me like that?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t feel anything from his eyes. There was no friendly affection or devious mischief. His eyes were like empty shells.


    Sihael looked at me insensitively as if he had never seen me before and turned his head. My heart sank when I saw his back moving away.

 Chapter 81

    ¡®No, I must have seen it wrong.¡¯


    I made up a plausible excuse and tried to calm my pounding heart, but without realizing it, I was clenching my fists tightly. One young lady cautiously called out to me.


    ¡°Lady Katzel?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I guess I haven¡¯t gotten over my fatigue yet. I need to go get some fresh air.¡±


    ¡°We must have held onto you too much. Have a good rest.¡±


    I left the young noble ladies behind and chased after Sihael.


    * * *


    I stormed in, announced my identity as a Katzel to the guard stationed on the terrace, and then purposefully shut the door with a loud thud.


    I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll welcome me with a friendly smile, not with those insensitive eyes I just saw.


    But what greeted me was his cold back and frigid voice.


    ¡°I said I wanted to be alone.¡±


    ¡°Would you not allow me also?¡±


    Sihael, who turned back at my voice, frowned blatantly. His eyes were icy and harsh.


    ¡®I wasn¡¯t mistaken.¡¯


    My fingers became numb at his first rejection.


    ¡°Your Highness, are you perhaps mad at me? If you could tell me the reason you are suddenly behaving like this¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you to get out.¡±


    My heart ached at his cold response. He not only cut me off, but also brutally dismissed me. I bit my lower lip as an unpleasant sensation swelled in my chest.


    ¡®If he dismissed me, I would have to leave from here as ordered, however, he always told me he would never become estranged with me¡­!¡¯


    It was unfair. I didn¡¯t want to be kicked out without understanding why. My despair quickly evolved to rage.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t.¡±


    Who was it who insisted on staying by my side even if something bad happened?


    ¡®Are you seriously going to pretend you don¡¯t know who I am now?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t back down until I got the right answer.


    Sihael got wary as I approached him with that thought.


    ¡°What are you doing now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving until I know why you¡¯re pushing me away.¡±


    ¡°There is no reason.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that makes sense? You were fine until yesterday, but why all of a sudden¡­!¡±


    As my voice raised in excitement at Sihael¡¯s constant attempts to avoid me, I faltered at the end of my words.


    ¡®Wait, is this person really Sihael?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t tell when I saw him from a distance, but when I saw him up close, I had a peculiar sensation of dissonance.


    ¡°Miss Katzel. No, Ro- setta¡­ You¡¯re making me uncomfortable, so get away from me.¡±


    He also addressed me incorrectly. When I looked for further hints, I discovered that there were more than just one or two odd things. I abruptly turned to face Sihael.


    ¡°What¡­!¡±


    His eyes were a different colour, as expected. From a close look, I was certain.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t Sihael.¡¯


    The person looked like him, but it wasn¡¯t Sihael.


    When I realized that, my heart began to race. Along with my relief that Sihael had not pushed me away, I was concerned for the actual Sihael¡¯s well-being.


    I grabbed the fake guy¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Who are you to try to mimic His Highness?¡±


    The man¡¯s face then cracked for a split second. He quickly corrected his expression, but it was of no use as he had already been caught.


    ¡°¡­Outrageous!¡±


    ¡°Outrageous indeed! Was it fun to pretend to be His Highness and mess with me?¡±


    I erupted in rage when I realized I had been aggrieved because of this fake Sihael.


    ¡°If you were going to pretend to be His Highness, you should have done a thorough investigation beforehand.¡±


    When I tightened my grip on the fake¡¯s shoulder, his jaws closed. It was unusual to witness Sihael¡¯s face give up to my power, but that was all there was to it.


    ¡®What if his face is the same, he isn¡¯t the real one.¡¯


    I released my grip on his shoulder and brushed off his wrinkled uniform.


    ¡°Well, now that our formal conversation is over, tell me who you are. Seeing how my brother is being quiet, I think you might know each other.¡±


    Leonard isn¡¯t a fool. There¡¯s no way he didn¡¯t know that this guy was a fake.


    Maybe this guy¡¯s also a close friend of Sihael?


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t tell you.¡±


    He¡¯s so obstinate. Well it can¡¯t be helped. I have no choice but to ask Leonard. I couldn¡¯t use force when it wasn¡¯t clear who my opponent was, so I let the matter go without regret.


    ¡°Rosetta?¡±


    Was the goddess of destiny on my side? When I encountered Leonard on the terrace, I sang with joy inside.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    I smiled innocently and pointed behind me.


    ¡°His Highness was acting strange, so I came to see him but he turned out to be a fake. Brother, you knew about it, right?¡±


    When Leonard looked behind me and frowned, the man covered his face and sighed.


    ¡°I really did my best.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did your best.¡±


    Leonard sighed as he complimented his best efforts to emulate Sihael.


    ¡°How did you find out?¡±


    ¡°The color of his eyes is subtly different. And¡­¡±


    Looking at the fake¡¯s emotionless eyes, I added.¡±His Highness will never pass by  me ignoring me.¡±


    Perhaps he found my confident words strange, Leonard looked at me with a subtle expression.


    ¡°You were able to know with that?¡±


    ¡°Mm, why?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The uneasy silence on the terrace persisted for quite some time. The longer it went on, the more worried I became. How long could he be stunned when I was so worried? I yanked Leonard¡¯s arm and prodded him.


    ¡°So where is His Highness? Did something bad happen to him for you to put up a substitute in his place?¡±


    ¡°Rosetta, you know that this is top secret and I can¡¯t say it casually.¡±


    I knew. I knew it very well. But if it was concerned with Sihael, of course I should know.


    ¡®I am Sihael¡¯s caregiver, friend and colleague.¡¯


    Having made all sorts of excuses inwards, I decided to goad Leonard.


    ¡°Even if you don¡¯t tell me, I¡¯m not going anywhere. I¡¯m going to keep pursuing and tormenting this fake.¡±


    When I pointed my index finger at the man, his face hardened like a stone.


    ¡°And I might be able to help.¡±


    In the end, Leonard raised both hands at my reckless stubbornness.


    ¡°¡­ It would be better if you saw him for yourself. Go to the lounge.¡±


    He indeed came. I was worried because I thought he couldn¡¯t come, but it was a relief.


    ¡°Hurry up, don¡¯t make a mess here.¡±


    As the force on my back pushed me forward, I glanced around and said, ¡°Ah, right.¡± Looking at the man leaning on the terrace, I murmured.


    ¡°Let¡¯s meet in person next time.¡±


    His face piqued my interest. When I stared at the fake Sihael and smiled, he secretly avoided my eyes.


    ¡°And brother, please go around the banquet hall.¡±


    I tapped the brooch on Leonard¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Please help me promote them properly.¡±


    Leonard¡¯s expression distorted when I told him to work hard instead of Sihael.

 Chapter 82

    I headed to the restroom at the far end, as Leonard had suggested. I looked around, but I couldn¡¯t find the guard he mentioned. Just to be cautious, he put spatial magic around, afraid that if the guard was placed in front of the door, he would draw too much attention.


    ¡®Nanabi should be able to listen to my voice.¡¯


    I clenched my fists and knocked lightly on the door.


    ¡°Nanabi, it¡¯s me, Rosetta.¡±


    After around ten minutes, the door finally opened. Through the crack in the slightly opened door, I could see Nanabi¡¯s haggard face.


    ¡°Nanabi, ugg.¡±


    Suddenly, a hand stretched out and dragged me in. As I was pulled inside the lounge, a big tuft of fur lunged at me. My eyes opened in astonishment as I bumped with the ball of fur and fell down on my back.


    ¡°Your¡­ Highness?¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    ¡°Why, why did you suddenly become Shasha?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t there still one day until the full moon?


    ¡®Why did he turn into a wolf so quickly?¡¯


    That too on an important day like today!


    Sihael, who couldn¡¯t grasp my concern, eagerly wagged his tail.


    ¡°Can you explain what happened first?¡±


    ¡°Woof, Arrrg Arrg! Woof! Woof!¡±


    He tried his best to explain, but I couldn¡¯t understand what he was saying.


    ¡°Nanabi?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    The situation was quite complicated.


    The moment Nanabi clutched her forehead and opened her mouth, Sihael swallowed my mouth.


    ¡°¡­ Oh?¡±


    When she saw his big fangs advancing in front of me, she became terrified.


    ¡°Your, Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness! Spit her out right now! Now!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t the only one who was taken aback by his sudden action. Nanabi yelled, as though she was out of air. I was able to rapidly regain my composure thanks to her.


    I heard a grunt behind me as Nanabi yanked Sihael away from me.


    ¡°My Lady, are- are you alright? Huh? Please say something!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am alright. I¡¯ve gotten a little wet, though.¡±


    I reached out and gently stroked Sihael¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°Your Highness, please, can you let me go?¡±


    Fortunately, Sihael understood me. He let go of my mouth and licked my messed up face. My cheeks were itching from the constant stream of kisses. Nanabi, who was slumped in shock, gasped and clutched her stunned chest.


    ¡°What was that¡­¡±


    ¡°He was probably expressing his love.¡±


    As Sihael rubbed the back of my neck, I wondered if that was the correct answer. It was all thanks to the books I studied to learn how to engage with Sihael when he was an ignorant puppy. I was glad that I could remember it quickly.


    ¡®I was almost butchered.¡¯


    I rubbed Sihael¡¯s bottom jaw, relieved on the inside. Sihael pressed his head in asking for more, as if the touch made him feel better. Nanabi, with an unfathomable expression on her face, whispered tremblingly, ¡°Expressing his love?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t hurt you or eat you.That¡¯s what I think it means. It¡¯s a little gory, right?¡±


    ¡°Not a little, but a lot.¡±


    When I looked at Sihael, he softly nipped my cheek.


    Maybe that¡¯s what this means too.


    I yanked Sihael away while he again rushed towards my face, and then hugged his head.


    Thank you for remembering and liking me, but I¡¯d be in big trouble since you keep licking my makeup.


    ¡°Your Highness, be still.¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    Sihael twitched his nose, displeased at my command, but he didn¡¯t resist.


    ¡°He¡¯s like a gentle sheep.¡±


    When I raised my head to the despondent voice that sounded like a sigh, Nanabi gripped her waist and burst out laughing.


    ¡°It¡¯s been more than five years since I¡¯ve served him, but I still can¡¯t get accustomed to seeing him in that dog-like appearance.¡±


    ¡°Grrrrrr.¡±


    ¡°Why are you getting angry? It¡¯s true.¡±


    Nanabi fled after nearly being bitten while taunting Sihael.


    ¡°Woof! Woof! Woof!¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Based on my experience with Shasha, that¡¯s probably ¡®If I catch you, I will kill you.¡¯¡±


    ¡°¡­ Your Highness you are too much.  Still, how could you say you¡¯d kill your most faithful servant?¡±


    ¡°Greuf.¡±


    Sihael snorted as Nanabi faked to fall while grabbing her chest.


    ¡°How come you don¡¯t even look at me?¡±


    After she was done with her pranks, she tied her disheveled hair and told me,¡±Your Highness has told me that your blood could be poisonous.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think it would be dangerous to feed him my blood.¡±


    ¡°Then there is nothing we can do. Your Highness, even if it¡¯s frustrating, you have to stay as a wolf.¡±


    Sihael twitched his nose at the rather cold remark. Seeing the slightly exposed fangs, Nanabi quickly hid behind me.


    ¡°What about the Empress? Do you think she could have noticed that His Highness is different from usual?¡±


    ¡°No, It didn¡¯t seem she knew. Don¡¯t tell me, do you think it was the Empress¡¯s doing?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s the only one who would do this.¡±


    Forcing him to transform into a wolf was too dangerous.


    ¡®Wait, if she could, why didn¡¯t she do it in the original?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t trust the original novel because it had already devolved into a mess, but when I was suddenly hit with a barrage of fears, the back of my head throbbed.


    ¡®There must be a reason why the Empress could not turn Sihael into a wolf.¡¯


    The only variation between the original plot and now was that Liliana was no longer by Sihael¡¯s side. Could Liliana be the key to all of this?

 Chapter 83

    ¡°Nanabi, how do you know it was the Empress who turned His Highness into a wolf?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I have a guess. It seems that she has developed something new out of the poison she gave to His Highness.¡±


    ¡°Is it poison again?¡±


    ¡°No. I think it is the mana stones this time. They caused a strange reaction when His Highness entered the palace, so she must have installed them all over the palace.¡±


    Nanabi sighed heavily. My mind raced as I processed the new information. Although the setting changes due to various variables, this world maintains the basic fundamental course.


    Therefore, the Empress must have tried to turn Sihael into a wolf in the original plot as well. However, it was not mentioned in the original story.


    What if Liliana had stopped the incident from occurring? Maybe that¡¯s why it wasn¡¯t mentioned at all.


    ¡®Then it would be even more dangerous. Without Liliana, the empress could do this over and over again.¡¯


    I hadn¡¯t taken it seriously until now, but Liliana¡¯s absence had become too significant to ignore. Disturbed, I hugged Sihael¡¯s neck tightly.


    ¡°I hate to say this because it hurts my pride, but I can¡¯t keep up with the Empress in this field,¡± Nanabi, who had buried her face in her lap, cried out.


    ¡®Yeah, I too am really struggling to keep up with this.¡¯


    If Nanabi felt at a loss because of the empress, I felt shameless because of Liliana.


    I was heartbroken that I, who didn¡¯t even know the letter ¡®M¡¯ of magic, couldn¡¯t help Sihael no matter how hard I tried.


    ¡®No, I can help him.¡¯


    All I have to do is find Liliana and make way for her as soon as possible. Having set my goal once again, I shook away my complicated thoughts.


    ¡°Nanabi, don¡¯t worry too much. You are a great wizard.¡±


    Nanabi raised her head and looked at me with sad eyes when I comforted her.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I am a genius and I can¡¯t break down like this.¡±


    Her eyes blazed with rage and zeal for research.


    ¡°My Lady, may I seek His Highness¡¯ permission for something? Before the empress does anything, I want to investigate the surroundings.¡±


    ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    After obtaining Sihael¡¯s permission, Nanabi jumped up and clenched her fists.


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll be back in thirty minutes!¡±


    I waved my hand at the running Nanabi. Following me, Sihael also waved his paw at her.


    * * *


    After seeing off Nanabi, I threw off my tight shoes and lay down on the sofa. Then Sihael, who was following me, also threw himself on the sofa.


    He didn¡¯t even consider his massive stature. His butt almost landed on my head.


    ¡°Your Highness, I almost got crushed, so please be careful.¡±


    Then Sihael tickled my cheek with his tail as if he was aware of what he did. I felt at ease when my entire body was buried in Sihael¡¯s fur, as if I had found my home in my heart.


    I was always on edge after arriving in the capital, but now I felt extremely relaxed and drowsy.


    ¡®No, I shouldn¡¯t doze off.¡¯


    The drowsiness persisted even when I pinched my thighs or bit the soft flesh in my mouth.


    It can¡¯t go on like this. Now that I am in charge of protecting Sihael, I could not leave him for the lands of dreams. I raised my body and opened my eyes wide.


    ¡°Your Highness, please hit me once.¡±


    A slap on the cheek from Sihael¡¯s strong tail would bring me back to my senses. However, Sihael did not understand my words and tilted his head.


    If we can¡¯t communicate with words, then we can communicate using body language.


    ¡°With this, like this. All right? Please hit me hard enough to wake me up.¡±


    I grabbed his tail and pretended to slap me on the cheek. Maybe he finally understood, Sihael¡¯s eyes twinkled as if he were telling me to trust him.


    ¡°Come on, hit me!¡±


    When I closed my eyes and shouted, I felt his fur brush against  my cheek.


    ¡®It¡¯s coming¡­¡¯


    Kiss~


    ¡°What?¡±


    When I opened my eyes, there was silver hair all over my field of vision. What¡¯s going on here? The unexpected development made my shoulders shrug.


    I¡¯m awake, but this isn¡¯t right.


    ¡°I asked for a slap on the cheek, not a kiss¡­¡±


    Sihael didn¡¯t listen to me even when I grabbed his tail and shook it.


    Kiss, kiss, kiss.


    The tip of my lips slowly relaxed and twitched at the relentless onslaught of kisses. I, who initially grumbled at Sihael¡¯s thief-like kisses, eventually fell for his cuteness.


    ¡°You¡¯re so cute.¡±


    If I died right now, the most likely cause of death would be a heart attack.


    I grabbed my throbbing heart and crouched down. Then Sihael, restless, tapped my head with his nose.


    ¡°Woof! Woof! Awwooo-.¡±


    Oh, I couldn¡¯t take it any longer, so I reached out towards Sihael, who was running around me.


    ¡°Woof?¡±


    ¡°How can you be so cute!¡±


    I grabbed his face and pouted my lips. Sihael blinked when my lips touched his cheek. I showered kisses on Sihael¡¯s face, from his head to his cheeks, even his nose and mouth.


    Surprised by the non-stop shower of kisses, Sihael looked at me in a state of fascination. He looked so cute while blinking his eyes in a daze.

 Chapter 84

    After I kissed his lips for the last time, I hit him hard on the back.


    ¡°Now, that¡¯s it! I¡¯ve kissed you the way you wanted me to, so it¡¯s okay now, right?


    Satisfied, I smiled contentedly and looked Sihael in the eye. Of course, I thought he would be satisfied too.


    But what¡¯s with his eyes?


    His deep golden eyes grew darker. For some reason, I licked my parched lips in nervousness, and his gaze slid down. My shoulders trembled as I saw where his gaze had rested.


    ¡®Wait, wait! It¡¯s not that, right?¡¯


    I reached out hastily after noticing Sihael¡¯s intent, but it was too late.


    ¡°No, ugh.¡±


    Sihael suddenly bit my lower lip and stuck out his tongue.


    ¡®No, not the blood!¡¯


    I desperately threw back my head. I snatched Sihael¡¯s back and yanked him away from me, but he¡¯d already licked my blood.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡±


    Oh no! It was the first time he¡¯d eaten my blood since Liliana¡¯s warning. I got up from the sofa, fists clenched, and then gave Sihael a firm warning.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you in advance, but if you stick your jaw out at me again, I¡¯ll beat you.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I just eat a little bit?¡±


    When he ate blood, the mien of Shasha, who couldn¡¯t control his instincts, vanished and was replaced by that of Sihael.


    ¡°What if something bad happens to you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right. I know my body well.¡±


    What do you know? Do you realise your eyes are almost out of focus?


    Perhaps it was because he hadn¡¯t eaten blood in a long time, but Sihael, who had succumbed to his desire, crept towards me. He approached me quietly, but he eventually crossed the line I had drawn.


    ¡°I warned you!¡±


    I clenched my fist and lightly struck Sihael¡¯s head with the tip of my fist. The effect appeared all of a sudden.


    ¡°Ugh, hit me gently.¡±


    ¡°What gently? You need to be punished more.¡±


    Instead of reflecting, he continued to grumble, so I slapped his buttocks.


    You bad doggy, you must be beaten until you come to your senses.


    I hit him about one or five times. Sihael whined, ¡°It hurts,Violent Princess.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Mr. Pervert Wolf.¡±


    Who are you calling a violent princess? You were the one who tried to eat me!


    Sihael¡¯s eyes became as big as a plate at my retort. He stuttered as if shocked by the word pervert.


    ¡°Pervert¡­? How can you call me a pervert?! Where else can you find an honest and hardworking young man like me!¡±


    ¡°An honest and hardworking young man doesn¡¯t steal kisses as he pleases.¡±


    ¡°Steal kisses? Hey, you gave me permission.¡±


    He was shameless to the end. He had not come to his senses even after being scolded and beaten so much. How can someone be this brazen!


    ¡°When did I do that?¡±


    ¡°You asked me to wake you up.¡±


    ¡°I asked you to slap me, not kiss me, wait, were you listening all the time?¡±


    Sihael grumbled with a curt face.


    ¡°You thought I was a jerk, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Of course. If Shasha had rationality, would he be Shasha? No, it would be you, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°It was me from beginning to end. I also heard Nanabi swearing at me.¡±


    Sihael¡¯s eyes changed sharply when he recalled her daring to call her lord a dog.


    ¡®That¡¯s why you tried to attack her.¡¯


    Seeing that he clearly remembers other things, he must have retained his rationality¡­ But no matter how well I tried to think of it, it was a dog, no, a wolf, who ran at me.


    ¡°But why did you swallow my head? I was taken aback.¡±


    ¡°Because I felt like it?¡±


    I was right. I guess he had retained his reason but only half. What type of person would follow a wolf¡¯s habits? No matter how one looks at it, he was half a wolf.


    ¡®The fact that he can retain even half of his reason means that something has changed.¡¯


    While I was lost in thought, I took a step back to avoid Sihael, who sneaked up on me, making his tail droop.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was wrong.¡±


    ~Sob.


    He blinked his big eyes slowly making a crying sound. When I saw his golden eyes wet with tears, my heart softened.


    Oh, I¡¯m going to be weak to his charms again.


    ¡®You wicked wolf!¡¯


    Finally yielding to him, I spread my arms. Of course, I didn¡¯t forget to wipe my blood thoroughly before doing that.


    ¡°Come here.¡±


    As soon as my words fell, Sihael quickly ran to me and embraced me. I knew he was pretending to be pitiful and that it was all an act to arouse my pity, but I couldn¡¯t call him out on that.


    ¡®But what can I do? He¡¯s so adorable.¡¯


    I rubbed Sihael¡¯s back.


    ¡°Is there something wrong with your body? Is it different from before?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s the same. I just want to eat you because you smell delicious like before.¡±


    I¡¯m glad if that¡¯s the case.


    ¡°Next time, don¡¯t do that.  OK?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡±


    I didn¡¯t think it was going to work just by trying. Also, it was hard to believe his words straight away because Sihael still gulped when he glanced at my lips.


    I grabbed him by the head and buried him in my neck so that he could not see my blood.


    ¡®If Liliana had seen it, she would have been frightened.¡¯

 Chapter 85

    To be honest, I would be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t afraid. Sihael had just eaten my blood, and he still wanted more. After Liliana¡¯s warning, I couldn¡¯t trust Sihael as a wolf unconditionally like I used to. Sihael said he definitely felt an appetite. Maybe he might rip my throat off.


    But even so, I believed in only one thing, his clear and clean eyes.


    ¡°Rosetta, are you scared? Your heart is beating fast.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little worried, Your Highness. What if you suddenly bite my neck?¡±


    Is he aware of my resolve?


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you run away?¡±


    ¡°Because I believe in you.¡±


    Yes, I did believe in him. He was the one who told me to attack him mercilessly if he did something stupid, so I should trust him. I raised my hand and gently stroked his head.


    ¡°I believe in you.¡±


    When I mumbled several times as if determined, Sihael, who had been silent for a long time, whispered in my ear, ¡°Really?¡±


    Sihael buried his mouth in the crook of my neck and shoulders, pressing his canines against my skin, as if testing my determination. I tightened my fists in response to the warm breath that struck me.


    ¡®Anyway, he¡¯s always been wicked.¡¯


    He wouldn¡¯t let me go if I run away because I¡¯m scared.


    I clasped my arms around Sihael¡¯s back. As if asking him to try it once.


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    Sihael bit my neck lightly.


    I wished it could have ended there, but his teeth nibbled, bit, and licked my skin.


    I couldn¡¯t stand the novel and gruesome touch and whacked him on the back of the head.


    ¡°Is it fun to tease people? You can¡¯t bite someone¡¯s neck the moment they tell you they believe in you!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your fault. Who told you to say such adorable things?¡±


    ¡°Why are you biting me if I said something nice?¡±


    Sihael nipped my nose and curled his eyes into a crescent moon as I shrugged my shoulders and groaned.


    ¡°Why are you biting me again?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to devour you.¡±


    ¡°Lies! Your Highness, are you thinking about where to bite me next?¡±


    ¡°Oh my, I got caught.¡±


    You had no intention of hiding it.


    His eyes were the eyes of a predator contemplating which part to eat. Sihael was in a good mood, circling around me and twirling his tail.


    Are you happy? I¡¯m slobbered with your saliva.


    ¡°If you bite me again, I won¡¯t let you go.¡±


    When I warned him while wiping my damp neck with a handkerchief, Sihael licked his lips and backed off. Given how his stare was fixed on my cheeks, it was obvious that my cheek was his next target.


    ¡°Ok, I won¡¯t do it today.¡±


    ¡°It simply will not happen again.¡±


    ¡°Can I do it once I become a human?¡±


    ¡°You, you¡¯re saying nonsense again.¡±


    After passing Sihael¡¯s nonsense from one ear to another, I saw the image of my neck reflected in the mirror and was quite shocked.


    ¡°What the¡­¡±


    He worked really hard to bite me so that no one would think it was a dog¡¯s work! How am I going to get out of here now?


    ¡°Just wait until you return to your human form, Your Highness. I¡¯m not going to let you go.¡±


    I gnashed my teeth while covering my speckled neck with my hands. Sihael slowly stopped walking and pretended he didn¡¯t know anything.


    ¡®Wicked doggy.¡¯


    It was a big deal because Lanoa would be furious if he saw it. When it came to Sihael, he had always been sensitive.


    He¡¯ll turn the entire banquet hall upside down if he sees my neck. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll make a big deal about it.


    I fumbled for the magic necklace. The magic contained in the Mana Stone was only for defense and attack, so I couldn¡¯t hide my wounds using it.


    There was only one way left.


    I had no choice but to wait until Nanabi returned. I hurriedly untied my hair to cover my shoulder, but someone knocked on the door.


    Sihael and I both turned our heads at the same time.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    If it was Nanabi or Leonard, they would have already entered and disclosed their identity. However, the person, who stood outside the door, only politely knocked on the door.


    Wondering if the person might have been sent by the Empress, I muffled the sound of my footsteps and stood near the door, but I heard an unexpected voice.


    ¡°Miss Rosetta, this is Liliana. Please open the door.¡±


    Liliana? I blinked in surprise at the unexpected person.


    ¡®How did you know?¡¯


    Liliana¡¯s appearance itself was not surprising. In the original plot, she attended the banquet as Sihael¡¯s partner. Now that things had gone wrong, she couldn¡¯t become Sihael¡¯s partner. But even if that wasn¡¯t the case, she would attend with her mentor, the Master of Mage Tower.


    ¡®But her looking for me makes no sense as there is no such development in the story.¡¯


    It was already absurd for her to find Sihael here, but her coming here to find me was totally illogical. And how did she know I was here? Everything was questionable.


    ¡°Your Highness, what shall I do?¡±


    Sihael smiled as I whispered, fearing she would hear what I was saying outside the door.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hear what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡±


    Embarrassed, I scratched my cheek. In the meantime, there was a constant knocking outside the door.


    Liliana urged, not even giving me time to discuss it.


    ¡°My lady? Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Tell her to come in.¡±


    ¡°What? You can not get caught.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Anyway, I have a question for her.¡±


    Oh, could this be it? The rule of the original plot that the main characters would meet in some way?


    It was an unexpected meeting, but perhaps this incident could make them share each other¡¯s secrets and bring them closer.


    ¡®If that¡¯s the case, then you¡¯re welcome.¡¯


    This was an opportunity. An opportunity to tie these two people together. Unable to pass up this golden opportunity, I quickly opened the door. Then I whispered lowly to Liliana.


    ¡°Come in quickly.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    I closed the door as soon as Liliana stepped into the lounge.


    ¡°Liliana, what happened?¡±


    I locked the door and turned around to ask, but she stood in front of me with her mouth tightly closed. The focus of Liliana¡¯s stare shifted between my wounded lips and speckled neck. Suddenly, her face distorted terribly.


    ¡®Why does she look angry?¡¯


    Liliana appeared extremely upset, contrary to her usual demeanor. After uncomfortably swallowing in response to her unfamiliar appearance, I bit my lips and avoided her persistent gaze.


    ¡°Hey, Liliana?¡±


    ¡°This is why I told you to stay away from each other.¡±


    Liliana said in a low-pitched emotionally-charged voice. Her icy gaze seemed to be chastising me.


    Sihael, sensing the strange mood, bared his teeth and beckoned to me in a low voice.


    ¡°Rosetta, come here.¡±


    Then Liliana¡¯s eyes widened. She grabbed my wrist and quickly hid me behind her own back.

 Chapter 86

    Liliana grabbed my wrist and quickly hid me behind her back.


    ¡®Huh? Why are you hiding me?¡¯


    I was embarrassed when I was suddenly protected by the heroine. Liliana didn¡¯t stop there; she assumed a combat stance so that she could utilise her magic at any time. I was startled when I saw her pointing her magic staff towards Sihael and grabbed her hand.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Stay behind me. It¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    Hey, you¡¯re the most dangerous one here!


    I shook Liliana¡¯s hand away, swallowing the words that were on the tip of my mouth. Did she realize she was threatening the crown prince and not just anyone else?


    Obviously, Liliana was being aggressive without knowing Sihael¡¯s identity, but it was still a dangerous act, as she could have lost her neck if Sihael so desired.


    I stood in front of her to defend Sihael and prevent Liliana from advancing. Liliana¡¯s fine eyebrows twitched.


    I had no idea what was wrong with her, but she was like a ticking time bomb that may erupt at any moment.


    ¡°Just calm down¡­¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I warn you that it¡¯s dangerous?¡±


    Would you please hear me out?


    Now that I see it, Liliana was a huge solipsist. I didn¡¯t like how Liliana only said what she wanted to say and made the environment unpleasant, so I replied brusquely. ¡°There has been nothing ¡®dangerous¡¯ here.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Liliana¡¯s gaze rested on my neck. With a confident attitude, I raised my hand and covered my neck.


    ¡®I allowed this, and it¡¯s pretty much proof of our faith in each other.¡¯


    While I was pondering, her gaze shifted to Sihael.


    ¡°I see you¡¯re still arrogant despite the fact that you haven¡¯t been able to reverse your curse¡­ Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°You must have a poor memory. Did you already forget my warning to watch your mouth?¡±


    Liliana¡¯s provocation eventually enraged Sihael. I held my forehead against the bloody atmosphere that kept surging like a storm. So Liliana already knew Sihael was the crown prince and that he got cursed as well?


    ¡°How did you¡­? No, since when?¡±


    ¡°She must have known it from the beginning. She has a good eye.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I knew it from the start.¡±


    ¡°But why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    ¡°If I said that, I do not believe I would have survived.¡± Liliana responded in a peculiar manner, rubbing her neck as if she had been struck in the back of the head.


    Recalling how Sihael had fiercely attacked Liliana before, I quickly understood. If she had brought up his curse then, she might have had her throat ripped out.


    ¡°Then did you already know His Highness¡¯ identity?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I only learned about that today. I could never have imagined that our noble Crown Prince was the victim of a curse.¡± Liliana mocked. My eyelids twitched in response to her unusual remarks, which seemed to cross the line.


    ¡®This is getting a little dangerous.¡¯


    Sihael glanced at her and smiled. Very ferociously, with all his canines showing. Worried that he might bite Liliana at this rate, I grabbed him by the neck.


    ¡°If you know it, then shouldn¡¯t you be bowing and scraping with your stiff neck?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll consider it after you become a human. Even if I have to die, I will not bow my head to a demon.¡±


    What the hell¡¯s wrong with you guys?! Why do you grow apart every time you meet? My temples were throbbing because of the worsening relationship between the two.


    ¡°Stop, stop! Why do you fight every time you see each other?¡±


    I broke their war of nerves by squeezing between the two. Then I tried to meditate between them step by step.


    I escorted a human and a wolf to the couch. It was somehow the same situation and seating position as when they met in the Duchy.


    There was an odd air between us.


    ¡°How did you know about this place? Also, why were you looking for me?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t ask this earlier because she started fighting with Sihael. In fact, I should have asked these questions as soon as she entered.


    ¡°I guess she followed you in a hurry because she was afraid I¡¯d eat you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I came here because I was worried that His Highness had gobbled the lady into his stomach as a result of the deluge magic coursing throughout the palace.¡±


    Liliana gave a sidelong scowl to Sihael. Her eyes held no faith in him.


    ¡°The only place where the spatial magic unfolded is here, so I naturally found out about the lady¡¯s location.¡±


    That¡¯s why she rushed up to the door. She truly believed Sihael had devoured me. Without realising it, I had blindly sided with Sihael and dismissed her as a nuisance.


    ¡®I feel extremely sorry.¡¯


    But the feeble guilt was just momentary.


    ¡°How did you know it was deluge magic? I¡¯d like you to tell me in detail if possible.¡±


    I guess I¡¯ll always be on Sihael¡¯s side. Rather than thanking and feeling sorry towards her, I just kept thinking of ways to help Sihael.


    I fixed my eyes on the jet-black mana stone Liliana pulled out of her arms.


    ¡°It is hidden all over the palace.  I don¡¯t know how the hell they made this, but it contains magic that forcibly draws out the instincts of monsters.¡±


    ¡°How did you find out about this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very sensitive to such things, so I notice them right away.¡±


    I knew that the Empress was into dark magic, but this was so astounding that even Liliana was taken aback.


    ¡°If I had arrived before Your Highness, I would have removed it, but since it had already started its effect, I couldn¡¯t stop it.¡±


    Watching the series of actions of her putting the mana stone back into her arms, I pressed down on my throbbing temple.


    ¡®As expected, Liliana should have been there.¡¯

 Chapter 87

    In the original story, it was because of Liliana that Sihael didn¡¯t become a wolf. She must have removed them all before Sihael stepped into the banquet hall. But this time, because they couldn¡¯t be together, Sihael was caught in the empress¡¯s clutches.


    Anxious, I bit my lips hard.


    ¡°Is there any way to stop it? What should I do if something like this happens in the future?¡±


    Is there no other option except to keep Liliana at Sihael¡¯s side in some way?


    However, I was hesitant to do so. There¡¯s no way they¡¯d cooperate properly if there was still a spark of enmity between them.


    Liliana sighed deeply as she looked at my pleading eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you an armor.¡±


    ¡°Really? You would?¡±


    I sprang to my feet and grabbed Liliana. Liliana flinched at my frightening gesture.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard right now, but I¡¯ll try.¡±


    ¡°Thank you! Liliana, do you need anything? I¡¯ll get you everything!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t simply empty words; I could get her anything she wanted. Money? Honor? Power? Even if there was something I couldn¡¯t get, Sihael could.


    However what Liliana actually wanted was completely unexpected.


    ¡°Then, promise me you won¡¯t use your blood recklessly in the future.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll listen to me even if I tell you to stay away from him, so please take care of yourself.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I promise.¡±


    It was so simple that I was embarrassed by the trivial request.


    ¡®Why are you trying to help me like this?¡¯


    I was just a minor character, but the feeling of being protected by the heroine was unfamiliar. Liliana reached out and carefully rubbed my lips.


    Then she totally healed my injured lip, leaving no trace of it. Similarly, Liliana cleaned up the teeth marks on my neck before grabbing my hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I rushed to you recklessly. However, my concern for you is sincere.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ why do you care so much about me?¡±


    It would be an exaggeration to claim she was acting in this manner because she was kind and nice. She was very protective of me, as if I were her own child.


    ¡°Though meeting people with unusual blood like us is uncommon, it is not impossible. As we travel through life, we occasionally run into one other and may even build a relationship.¡±


    She had a distant look in her eyes, as if reminiscing old memories.


    ¡°¡±I was friends with someone like that before I met you. They were good people. The two of them were a couple. The husband had a rare blood like the young lady, and his wife was a demon.¡±


    [T/N: The term demon in the novel refers to half human and half monster beings. The closest word that I could find for it was therianthrope. Hope this cleared some of your confusion.]


    It was a love that transcended races. Liliana drew her lips together and smiled softly.


    ¡°Despite the disapproval of the people around him, the man married the demon woman. He thought their love was stronger than his wife¡¯s appetite.¡±


    Ah, this story was strangely similar to me and Sihael¡­


    It was just our tale if you changed the relationship from a couple to friends.


    ¡°The couple adopted and raised a child, starting a happy family. Just like any ordinary couple.¡±


    She whispered softly as if telling a secret.


    ¡°Did the wife overcome her appetite?¡±


    I already knew the answer to the question just by looking at Liliana¡¯s tearful eyes.


    ¡°No, their love failed. The wife couldn¡¯t resist her urge and cut out her husband¡¯s heart. She even chewed it well before swallowing it into her stomach.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°After swallowing her husband whole, the wife regained her reason, but was shocked by what she had done and took her own life.¡±


    ¡°The child¡­¡±


    ¡°Dead.¡±


    A heavy silence hung in the room. Sihael also closed his eyes. He was lost in thought , and I couldn¡¯t tell how he felt.


    ¡°I wanted you to get further apart because I¡¯d seen people lose their lives by staying close like the two of you. It was all for the sake of you two.¡±


    So, my relationship with Sihael really touched on Liliana¡¯s trauma. Liliana was concerned about us as we inadvertently became closer.


    She considered not just the possibility of Sihael eating me, but also the possibility of him collapsing after eating me.


    ¡°The more His Highness eats the young lady¡¯s blood, the more he will become greedy and crave it. He¡¯ll crave it like an addict. Endlessly. He¡¯ll eventually consume you.¡±


    Liliana¡¯s steady gaze was fixed on me. She seemed to be telling me to flee now because it wasn¡¯t too late for me.


    But I had no intention of fleeing.


    ¡®I gave up running away from the moment I gave up my neck to Sihael.¡¯


    Sihael had the same thought as well. Instead of moving away from me, he devised a solution.


    ¡°Is there any way to control my appetite?¡±


    ¡°No, Your Highness, you have to overcome it yourself. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s possible.¡±


    Sihael, unable to refute Liliana¡¯s words, averted his gaze. He might be recalling the recent memory of almost eating me.


    ¡°If you wish to stay together, you must break the curse. If you completely get out of your wolf form, being affected by blood will also naturally disappear.¡±


    To do that, Liliana and Sihael had to imprint¡­


    ¡°But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be easy.¡±


    Yeah, that¡¯s right. I gave a firm nod. The two persons in front of me appeared to have travelled a long and winding path to go from nothing to developing feelings for each other.


    ¡°So, why don¡¯t you leave His Highness behind and come with me?¡±

 Chapter 88

    ¡°Huh? Me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    What! Why are you trying to charm me instead of Sihael?


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ haha.¡±


    I let out an awkward laugh at Liliana, who held my hand tightly.  It was difficult for me to answer, so I tried to cover it up with a smile. Sihael abruptly straightened up and pushed Liliana away with great force.


    ¡°Oh boy, what can we do? Rosetta already promised to stay with me forever.¡±


    I had never made a promise like that. Sihael confidently lied to her despite my questioning gaze. Liliana¡¯s innocent eyes twitched as she was duped by the lie.


    ¡®Here we go again.¡¯


    I intervened before Sihael could again pick a fight with Liliana.


    ¡°Your Highness, please stop.¡±


    ¡°Rosetta, why are you reprimanding me? You saw it for yourself that it was her who picked a fight with me first. I feel so wrongly accused.¡±


    With drooping eyes, Sihael rubbed his head on my leg. He whimpered and shook his head, upset that he was the only one who was chastised.


    ¡°When did I ever only scold your Highness? You have to retain the dignity of the crown prince.¡±


    ¡°My Lady, don¡¯t get fooled by him! All of this is this wolf¡¯s wicked ruse.¡±


    Liliana leapt up from her seat and began a passionate speech while I was caressing Sihael on the back to calm him.


    ¡®No matter how he appears, he¡¯s still the crown prince. Isn¡¯t she too dismissive of him?¡¯


    The desire to lash out at her resurfaced within me.


    ¡°Liliana, you also please stop. No matter how cute and insignificant he looks, he is the second sun of the Empire. You have to treat him with courtesy.¡±


    When I took his side, Sihael, who was in low spirit, snuggled into my arms.  Liliana¡¯s face suddenly turned red as she stared at us in dismay.


    Liliana forced a dejected smile and bit her lower lip.


    ¡°My Lady, you¡¯re being completely fooled.¡±


    ¡°Liliana.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­I feel wronged, too. I was only trying to protect you.¡±


    Liliana¡¯s eyes drooped pitifully this time. I was flustered because I was suddenly embroiled in a battle over who felt more wronged.


    ¡®Why can¡¯t you guys just stop fighting and start dating!¡¯


    I held back what I wanted to scream and clapped my hands to change the mood.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you guys get along with each other?¡±


    ¡°Why should I?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll never befriend a monster, let alone a demon.¡±


    Only a sigh came out at the reaction of the two people. Instead of intervening to stop them from bickering, I simply retreated.


    ¡®Yeah, let¡¯s fix everything here and start over.¡¯


    The two then vented their displeasure, most likely because they wanted it now.


    ¡°Stay away from Rosetta.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, please stay away from the lady.¡±


    The two were strangely fighting over me, but from what I could tell, they were strangely communicating well. Even though they continued to fight, they also got along well. After all, they are the original pair.


    ¡°You two look good together.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    In response to the words I muttered to myself, the two turned their heads like a creaking machine that hadn¡¯t been oiled for long. Their shocked expressions gradually contorted. I nodded as I noticed the similar expressions on both of their faces.


    ¡°You two look great together. How about you get along really well from now on?¡±


    I didn¡¯t say it to force the two to be together, but I was in the mood to properly support their relationship. They got along well because they were the male and female leads.


    They might be able to get close enough with time.


    ¡®No matter how much the story has messed up, they were a fated pair.¡¯


    That made me feel like a stumbling block between the two, and a bitter taste spread inside my mouth.


    If only Liliana had met Sihaell first, and not me¡­


    That thought occurred to me. If that were the case, there would be no useless fighting and squandering of time like there is now, nor would he be forced to transform into a wolf.


    I felt burdened by the story that had changed because of me.


    ¡°Your Highness, when you return to your human state, let¡¯s have a meal together¡­¡±


    I decided to turn the story back from now, but my resolution didn¡¯t last long. At the two people¡¯s frigid stares, I quietly closed my mouth.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pretend I didn¡¯t hear that.¡±


    The response was as icy as his eyes. Sihael closed his mouth, declaring that it was not worth addressing. The two of them, fed up with each other, scowled at each other without anyone saying anything first.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how on earth you came to that conclusion, but we can never, ever be in that type of relationship.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯m sure you guys will end up together.¡¯


    Liliana¡¯s obvious disdain elicited an uneasy smile from me. Then Sihael, who had been quiet up until now, told me firmly.


    ¡°Yeah, not just with her, but with no one else. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°No, I have no idea what you¡¯re, eup!¡±


    Sihael used his paw to close my mouth. His fur tickled my nostrils.


    ¡°Rosetta, if you speak another word, I might get angry.¡±

 Chapter 89

    I swallowed uneasily at his fierce blazing eyes, which seemed to be on the edge of exploding, and nodded calmly. Sihael frowned at me and directed his glare towards Liliana.


    ¡°If you¡¯re done here, leave.¡±


    He again ordered her to get out!  Every time they meet, he would drive Liliana away, so how could they become close in time! I took Sihael¡¯s paws off and grabbed Liliana.


    ¡°Why are you trying to kick her out? Liliana, you are welcome to remain as long as you wish. No, would you like to stay here until Nanabi comes?¡±


    ¡®I think it would be nice if she could stay here and get close with Sihael.¡¯


    I wanted to hold on to Liliana for as long as possible, because even if I failed, Sihael could become friends with her. Perhaps reading my mind, Liliana, who had stood up awkwardly, sat down again.


    ¡°It would be rude to refuse you like this, so please excuse me.¡±


    I inched closer to her, asking her questions one after one, much like making new friends in the new semester.


    ¡°How old are you?¡±


    ¡°What are your hobbies?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your favorite food?¡±


    Perhaps it was because of my receptive mind, I could sense Liliana¡¯s bewilderment at the non-stop barrage of questions.  Oops, I was the only one who was thinking ahead of myself, so I stopped asking questions and began introducing myself first.


    ¡°I¡¯m 18 years old, and I will have my coming-of-age ceremony soon. My hobby is playing with the puppy version of His Highness, and my favorite food changes from time to time, but recently, I like apple pie.¡±


    As I stroked Sihael¡¯s waist coaxing him to also introduce himself, his mouth opened reluctantly.


    ¡°I¡¯m twenty-one years old. Rosetta. Rosetta.¡±


    No matter how much he hated to do it, his answer was too simple.


    Let¡¯s assume that is his age but what¡¯s with me being his hobby and his favorite food¡­?


    ¡°Your Highness, are you treating me like food?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Sihael, who stuck out his red tongue and licked his mouth, closed his eyes cheekily. When I saw his sky-high confident attitude, the back of my head hurt very much.


    ¡®Even if it¡¯s a joke, there should be a limit!¡¯


    I pinched Sihael¡¯s both cheeks hard. Liliana, who had been a bystander all along, finally spoke up.


    ¡°I¡¯m 19 years old. My hobbies are studying and researching about magic, and I eat all kinds of food.¡±


    Liliana seemed puzzled, but also somewhat excited. Reading the positive response on Liliana¡¯s face, I quickly pushed ahead with the plan as I didn¡¯t want to miss this opportunity.


    ¡°Then, would you like to have a meal with us next time? If you are uncomfortable with His Highness, you can eat together with me.¡±


    Sihael and Liliana, if you don¡¯t get close with each other, then I¡¯ll get close  with you both. And then I will become a bridge and connect the two together.


    ¡°Will you be my friend?¡±


    Taking the first step toward that, I beamed at Liliana, curving my eyes.


    Sihael often used this on me, but I didn¡¯t know if it would work. Liliana, who had been staring blankly at me for some reason, slowly started to blush.


    ¡°¡­Yes, I would love to.¡±


    Good, it worked.


    I held Liliana¡¯s hand tightly, and said, ¡°I hope we get along well.¡±


    * * *


    The whole thing with Liliana went as smoothly as a sailing boat, but it didn¡¯t last long.


    ¡°Sorry, I have to go. My teacher is calling me.¡±


    The light on Liliana¡¯s bracelet flickered at high speed, looking quite urgent.


    If it¡¯s a call from the Master of the Mage Tower, she¡¯d have to go.


    ¡°Well, see you next time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll see you next time.¡±


    Liliana¡¯s steps were sluggish, like a turtle¡¯s, as if her feet were reluctant to move. Sihael, unable to see that, forcibly pushed Liliana¡¯s back with his head.


    ¡°What¡­!¡±


    Bang


    Sihael sniffed the closed door, then quickly ran towards me and buried his head in my leg.


    ¡°Did you have to kick her out like that?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s her fault for interrupting my time with you.¡±


    After grumbling for a while, Sihael raised his head and looked at my neck. As if he didn¡¯t like something, he kept twitching his nose.


    ¡°I worked hard on making it, but she erased it all. So annoying!¡±


    ¡°Of course she had to erase that. How would I have gone out with those marks?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to brag, but it¡¯s a pity.¡±


    What¡¯s there to brag about by showing someone your mottled neck?


    I squeezed his cheek hard after observing Sihael¡¯s lack of self-reflection. I expected him to whimper in pain, but he questioned me in a serious tone that didn¡¯t fit the scenario.


    ¡°Rosetta, don¡¯t you mind what the mage said?¡±


    ¡°Not really. It¡¯s a fact that I knew anyway.¡±


    The tragic ending of the couple¡¯s story was frankly shocking. But I wasn¡¯t surprised because it was a fact that I knew otherwise.


    ¡®I knew Sihael might eat me up.¡¯


    I had already heard it through his mouth and was preparing my mind early. However, it would be difficult if he became addicted to my blood and tried to covet it all the time.


    ¡®Though he seems to be fine so far.¡¯


    Sihael¡¯s eyes staring at me were still clear and clean. In the first place, the reason he ate my blood was because he was frustrated that he couldn¡¯t speak, so I was certain that he wasn¡¯t addicted.


    ¡°But it¡¯s a relief, right? Because there is no abnormality in your body.¡±


    Addiction is dangerous, but far better than suffering.


    But Sihael¡¯s thoughts seemed a little different.


    ¡°Rosetta, you¡¯re in danger.¡±

 Chapter 90

    unedited


    ¡°Would someone who was worried about that rush for a taste of my blood?¡±


    What¡¯s the point of saying that now?


    It wasn¡¯t that he had bit me once or twice, so it was amusing that he was thinking of me being in danger when I even assured him that I¡¯d give him hot if he were ever to lose his senses.


    I playfully teased him and prodded his cheek. I¡¯d rather see him get angry than have an expressionless face.


    However, rather than being annoyed, Sihael forced his head into my hand.


    ¡°Please hit me again.¡±


    Liliana¡¯s story must have shocked him. He was even telling me to hit him again. Instead of hitting him with my knuckles, I ruffled his hair.


    ¡°I already scolded you a lot earlier, so I¡¯ll let you go. Instead, get along with Liliana. I want you to get along with her.¡±


    Aside from the purpose of connecting the two, Liliana was someone I wanted him to get close to as a human.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I hate the mage. But I have no intention of getting any more close to anyone. That would be the same for the mage.¡±


    That¡¯s right. Though they didn¡¯t talk long, I knew for sure that if Liliana was a monster or a demon, it would have made his teeth tremble from anger. Sihael was cursed now, so he was treating her generously; otherwise, he would have killed her without remorse.


    ¡®In terms of likability, wouldn¡¯t I be higher than Sihael?¡¯


    No, I¡¯m definitely higher. I arranged all the jewelries in Rosetta¡¯s jewelry box.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care whether you want to be close to her. But don¡¯t force me to get along with her.¡±


    Though he said it in a pleasant voice, it was tinged with a clear warning. I pushed him too far out of impatience, which backfired.


    ¡°Okay?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but nod quietly at the tail, brushing my cheek as though seeking for an answer.


    ¡®It¡¯s going to be troublesome if he gets irritated and erupts in anger, so I¡¯ll have to make sure they get to know each other first.¡¯


    Just when I was revising the plan of bringing the two leads closer,


    Bang!


    The door flew open.


    Sihael and I, who had been lazing together, were on alert one step late.


    ¡°My Lady!¡±


    However, it was Nanabi who appeared nervously.


    ¡°Nanabi? What¡¯s the matter with your face? ¡±


    Could she have been hurt by the empress? As I approached, surprised by her messy appearance as if she had rolled on the floor, Nanabi grabbed my shoulder.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. Did you happen to find anything strange at today¡¯s banquet?¡±


    Her rapid, impatient breathing made my heart race, so I searched my memory.


    ¡®There was nothing in particular.¡¯


    The only strange thing was the man who came out as Sihael¡¯s substitute.


    I said with confidence, ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡±


    Nanabi did not relax her furrowed eyebrows. The atmosphere that had suddenly subsided was unusual.


    ¡°Nanabi, what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ Your Highness, can you speak? Did you drink Her Ladyship¡¯s blood?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not important. Why are you asking about what happened to Rosetta?¡±


    At the urging of Sihael, Nanabi silently took something out of her arms and held it before us.


    It was a blackened mana stone.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Liliana Manu already told us about it.¡±


    ¡°Then have you seen this, too?¡±


    The second gem she took out was as red as blood.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s my first time seeing it.¡±


    Nanabi stared at the jewels with cold eyes.


    ¡°If the black stone is a mana stone that makes your mana run wild, then this is a mana stone that suppresses the deluge magic.¡±


    Suppress a mana deluge? No way! It¡¯s like someone expected this to happen¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s someone who joined hands with the empress.¡±


    I raised my head in surprise at the voice that pierced my ears. I could see Sihael¡¯s eyes filled with confidence, not doubt.


    ¡®Yes, Sihael is right.¡¯


    The unknown entity had joined hands with Empress and protected themselves with the jewel that Nanabi was carrying.


    It was a ploy aimed only at Sihael.


    ¡°There¡¯s a demon in this palace.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably a high-level monster, or close to a demon.¡±


    What was the Empress thinking by bringing a monster to the imperial palace? What was she trying to do with Sihael this time?


    I bit my lip at the empress¡¯ relentless attacks, trying to harm Sihael at every step. Nanabi, who misunderstood my behavior as anxiety about my rare blood, warned me.


    ¡°Be careful, My Lady. No matter whether you have anything to do with this situation or not, the monster might be drawn to your blood.¡±


    When I was told to go home as soon as possible, I nodded my head.


    *  *  *


    ¡°My Lady, would you be really okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my home¡¯s just around the corner. It¡¯s okay because I have this.¡±


    I knocked on the necklace, dissuading Nanabi¡¯s request to drop me home. I was wearing a necklace with a defense magic spell and earrings with attack magic spell, so I just had to use them and run away.


    ¡°And it¡¯s dangerous to leave Sihael alone behind.¡±


    It was after all a short distance of about five minutes on foot, so it was enough if I hurried back quickly.


    ¡°Your Highness, then I¡¯ll be going.¡±


    ¡°Go back carefully.¡±


    I closed the door after bidding farewell to Sihael.


    ¡®What kind of trouble is this because of the empress.¡¯


    Rather than being afraid of monsters hiding among people, I was more anxious about the empress¡¯ persistent repulsive behavior until the end.

 Chapter 91

    unedited


    ¡°Ugh. So annoying!¡±


    As I stomped my feet, I gasped in surprise at a human figure that suddenly jumped out from around the corner. But maybe I was the only one who was surprised, as the other person called me in a shrill voice.


    ¡°Oh, Lady Katzel!¡±


    ¡°¡­Lady Duqran?¡±


    It was Anisha Duqran, the number one contributor to promoting my necklaces and earrings.


    ¡®She seems a little weird. Has she been drinking?¡¯


    Anisha dragged her swaying body from side to side and grabbed my arm.


    ¡°Where have you been? I kept looking for you but I couldn¡¯t find you.¡±


    ¡°I was tired, so I was resting in the lounge.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re already tired? That can¡¯t be true.¡±


    Suddenly, she reached out her hand and grabbed my face.  Embarrassed by the hand rubbing my cheek, I couldn¡¯t even think to push it away and froze.


    ¡®If you drink so much, you¡¯ll obviously get drunk!¡¯


    After a while, I slapped her hand away feeling uncomfortable with the way she rubbed my cheeks.


    ¡°Hey, what are you doing now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m envious of you. I¡¯ve always wanted a face like this!¡±


    Ha, what nonsense is this! She¡¯s not even listening to me at all.


    I forcibly removed Anisha, who kept clinging to me, and pushed away her body. Anisha, who stumbled and barely leaned against the wall, let out a laugh like a man with a screw missing.


    ¡°You smell good.¡±


    ¡°It must be perfume.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, what perfume do you use?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    I indeed didn¡¯t know because the maids sprayed it on me. By the way, was it okay to talk informally when drunk? Anisha smirked as I frowned at her for speaking informally.


    ¡®Well, I¡¯d rather we not see each other.¡¯


    I saw Anisha¡¯s half-lidded eyes and gave up dealing with her. No matter what I said, she wouldn¡¯t be able to understand. Just as I was sighing at Anisha, who was half-confused, her pale white hand reached out to my neck without notice.


    ¡°I want to have it! It¡¯s mine!¡±


    She couldn¡¯t take her eyes off my necklace from earlier. She finally expressed her desire.


    ¡®I¡¯m about to go crazy. I have to go back quickly, but why do I have to deal with a drunkard?¡¯


    Uggh, I don¡¯t know. I can just throw her into the lounge.


    As I stretched out my hand toward the swaying Anisha, someone grabbed my wrist.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it. So please drop your hand.¡±


    I stopped at the low, intimidating voice and raised my gaze. Faced with bright red eyes, I calmly withdrew my hand. The woman before me exuded an impressive and intimidating charisma and air of a lot of experience.


    ¡®Who is she?¡¯


    In the meantime, the woman who had thrown Anisha into the lounge and closed the door looked back at me with a grin.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just trust anyone and do things like that. You could get in big trouble.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh.¡±


    At her words of admonition, I put my hands together and bowed my head.


    Wait a minute, why am I being scolded?


    I lifted my head and squinted my eyes, and before I knew it, she stared back at me with an expressionless face.


    ¡°Still, you¡¯ve come to the right place.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Do you know me? I quickly searched my memory, but it was a face I didn¡¯t know.


    ¡®By the way, what kind of alcohol did she drink?¡¯


    The smell of the alcohol that wafted from her was awful. Anisha didn¡¯t smell like this.


    ¡®Wait¡­?¡¯


    I bit my lips because I finally realized it. Anisha didn¡¯t smell like anything. The half-closed eyes and her staggering figure were definitely the appearance of a drunk person.


    ¡®Could it be that she did drugs and not alcohol?¡¯


    Contrary to what she looked like, Anisha was quite a free spirit. What broke my string of thoughts was a light tap on my shoulder.


    ¡°You¡¯re Rosetta Katzel, right? Chase¡¯s youngest daughter.¡±


    Chase was the Duke¡¯s name.


    ¡°Yes, but who are you?¡±


    Her friendly demeanor made me flustered. Whoever sees us will think that she was a close friend of mine.


    ¡°I just came here to check if I found the right person. Now I can finally relax my eyes.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    First it was Anisha and now this person. Their words were full of nonsense that I couldn¡¯t understand. Was it because they were both out of their minds? Just when I muttered to myself that I was unlucky to come across a drunkard twice in a row, a familiar voice flew into my ear.


    ¡°Miss Kariya, it¡¯s time to go.¡±


    ¡°Lily, I told you to wait as I would be there soon.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know what else to do. Huh, Lady Katzel?¡±


    ¡®¡­Did she say Kariya?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t hear Liliana¡¯s voice calling me.


    Kariya¡­? Could she be that Kariya that I know?


    ¡®Is she the Mage Tower¡¯s Head Kariya?¡¯


    I closed my gaping mouth. The person whom I thought of as another annoying drunkard turned out to be the living legend, Kariya ¨C the Head of the Mage Tower.


    ¡°Why is the legend¡­?¡±


    ¡°What legend? I¡¯m just an old woman who¡¯s about to retire.¡±


    What do you mean by old woman! She was still strong enough to wipe out an entire area if she put her mind to it!


    ¡®No wonder, I was intimidated by her presence. Her aura is no joke.¡¯


    It was to the point that I, who usually never blinked an eye, was left flustered.


    ¡°Do you two happen to be friends?¡±


    ¡°We became friends today.¡±


    When I answered instead of Lilliana, who was hesitant about what to answer, Kariya patted her on the shoulder with a beaming smile.


    ¡°Lily, I wondered what was going on when you suddenly disappeared. So, it happens you were making friends.¡±


    Kariya tousled Liliana¡¯s hair as her face flushed red.

 Chapter 92

    unedited


    Kariya did not even bat an eye as Liliana waved her hands in disagreement.


    ¡°You¡¯re a big girl now.¡±


    Lilliana cringed when Kariya pretended to wipe away her tears. She looked like a daughter who was embarrassed by her mother¡¯s incoherent chatter.


    ¡°Rosetta, please be good friends with my Lily.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    I slowly nodded my head. Kariya pulled something from her pocket and held it in her hand while grinning with satisfaction.


    ¡°Here, keep some pocket money.¡±


    It¡¯s a whole different matter when it comes to pocket money.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I immediately extended my hand.


    Wow, this looks like a drunk father throwing money at his children.


    Seeing how she easily opened her wallet wide before me, it didn¡¯t seem like something new.


    Liliana blushed and pleaded, possibly embarrassed by Kariya.


    ¡°Miss Kariya, please!¡±


    Although I knew Kariya was a flawless person, it still shocked me to see her acting in a drunken frenzy. I watched the two of them interact while wearing an awkward smile. I immediately snuck a glance at the object in my palm when Kariya¡¯s attention was on Liliana.


    The texture of the paper that I previously felt was not money. She must have been so inebriated that she confused the wrong paper for money. When I opened my palm at the feeling of the thick bundle, I couldn¡¯t help but gape at it.


    ¡®Gosh, they¡¯re scrolls!¡¯


    They were scrolls containing teleportation spells, attack spells, and defense spells. A total of three scrolls were inscribed with Kariya¡¯s seal. They were scrolls made by the Head of the Mage Tower herself! I couldn¡¯t believe I got such precious things for free.


    ¡®How much is all this?¡¯


    For a moment, I had an illusion that light was coming from behind Kariya¡¯s back. Kariya smiled as she noticed my twinkling eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving first, so come back after saying goodbye to Rosetta. And Rosetta, please visit the Mage Tower next time.¡±


    Her disappearance was as unexpected as her appearance. A hand abruptly waved in front of my eyes as I stood blankly recalling her back, which was somehow so straight that I couldn¡¯t believe she was inebriated.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll walk you home.¡± Liliana smiled innocently and volunteered.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°Miss Kariya told me to take good care of you.¡±


    She just told you to say goodbye to me, she never told you to walk me home. Liliana, who boldly lied with her mouth, showed no signs of backing down.


    ¡°Then, ok.¡±


    Liliana¡¯s face lit up as I quietly placed my hand on her much smaller hand. The first thing I observed when I came to the banquet hall, led by her hand, was Leonard, surrounded by many young ladies.


    His expression was as frigid as always, yet his brows were wrinkled slightly, as if embarrassed by the scenario.


    ¡®Leonard, you¡¯re still working hard just as you¡¯ve been told.¡¯


    Since he has worked so hard, it was time to save my brother from the young ladies who were trying to court him.


    ¡°Liliana, thank you for coming with me till here. I couldn¡¯t tell you this earlier, but if you have time, would you like to come to my coming-of-age ceremony?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be delighted to go if you would invite me.¡±


    I felt better when I saw her flushed and elated face, and I approached Leonard with light steps.


    The first guest of my coming-of-age ceremony turned out to be the female lead. I really didn¡¯t know anymore what was going on in this world.


    *  *  *


    I¡¯m so tired.


    Stretching my body out in the carriage, I leaned my head against the back of the sofa. We were the indomitable three Katzel siblings, who were second to none when it came to physical strength, but today, all three of us were exhausted and burned out.


    Why on earth did I have to make such a fuss about the business promotion? I massaged my throbbing temple.


    ¡®I can¡¯t do it again. No, never.¡¯


    I would rather prefer to run to death in the training grounds than smile and laugh Hahas and Hohos with others.


    ¡®Even if Sihael comes to visit tomorrow, I¡¯ll just sleep.¡¯


    I stared blankly at the rapidly passing scenery.


    ¡±I¡¯ll be in my private villa from tomorrow. Do you want to go too?¡±


    ¡°If you come, I¡¯ll let you touch my belly and butt.¡±


    A combination of belly fat and butt. It was something I couldn¡¯t resist, so I fell into Sihael¡¯s temptation. But now that I think about it, I¡¯m not sure if it was a good choice. I was dead tired but I don¡¯t think I made a mistake agreeing to him.


    ¡°Rosetta, we¡¯d be leaving at ten tomorrow, so go to bed as soon as you arrive,¡± Leonard said, seeing my worn expression.


    ¡°What? Where are you two going without telling me?¡±


    Oh, right! I didn¡¯t tell Lanoa. He¡¯d definitely make a fuss if I tell him now¡­ I¡¯ll just tell him tomorrow. Lanoa pestered Leonard when he saw me ignoring him.


    ¡°What is it? Come on, tell me!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve decided to go to His Highness¡¯ villa tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired of being together all the time?¡±


    Lanoa shook his head in disgust. His attitude was distasteful, but he didn¡¯t make much fuss. Surprised, I asked again.


    ¡°I¡¯m going with His Highness. Won¡¯t you stop me?¡±


    ¡°If you want to go, then just go. After all, His Highness is your only friend.¡±


    Lanoa teased me while munching on a chocolate.


    ¡°I won¡¯t stop my little sister from having close relationships with others.¡±


    I hated the way he pretended that he was acting like that for me, but I decided not to miss the lucky opportunity I had got.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to go back on your word, right?¡±


    ¡°No, you can go. Just come in before it gets dark.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s two nights and three days.¡±


    ¡°Pft!¡±


    At Leonard¡¯s blunt words, pieces of chocolate sprayed from Lanoa¡¯s mouth. Leonard and I both simultaneously uttered a curse.


    ¡°Are you proclaiming that you will stay out overnight in front of me? And that too with a man?¡±


    ¡°Not a man, but a wolf.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re both almost the same!¡±


    Lanoa beat his chest after angrily claiming that the wolf and Sihael were the same. I shut my ears to his relentless nagging.

 Chapter 93

    ¡°Are you in your right mind? Why are you so unnerved?¡±


    This is why I didn¡¯t want to tell him.


    ¡°I¡¯m against Rosetta spending two nights in a strange place with an insidious beast. No way!¡±


    ¡°But I agree.¡±


    ¡°I also agree.¡±


    Lanoa¡¯s opinion was overruled by a score of 2-1.


    Clap, clap~


    As I clapped my hands to wrap things up, Lanoa gritted his teeth, telling us not to ignore his opinion.


    ¡°Brother! Did you sell our Rosetta to that black hearted person? Goddammit, ack!¡±


    The fierce fistfight between my brothers made me smile. Hit him more. More, more!


    However, even after being beaten like that, Lanoa didn¡¯t stop nagging me even after we arrived at our mansion.


    ¡°Hey, listen carefully. If you really want to go, then throw dust in this brother¡¯s eyes and go! Can you do that?¡±


    ¡°Of course, why not?¡±


    Lanoa, who had already moved away when I grabbed a handful of soil, shouted, ¡°Hey! Rosetta Katzel! Are you really that crazy about men?¡±


    I snorted at him as he kept shouting about how I could think of throwing dirt on my brother.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m crazy about doggies.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what you¡¯re crazy about, you¡¯re crazy about that devilish bastard!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what the person who threw the devilish dog at me should say.¡±


    Leonard acted as a mediator between the two of us, who were becoming increasingly agitated and on the edge of a fistfight.


    ¡°Take it.¡±


    Leonard held out a wooden box, which was handed from the carriage by a servant, to Lanoa.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°His Highness said you¡¯d know once you receive it.¡±


    ¡°What kind of trick is he playing again?¡±


    Lanoa frowned and halfheartedly opened the lid of the box.


    ¡°Oh my!¡±


    Lanoa¡¯s eyes widened as if they were going to bulge out of his sockets, and he soon fell down on his knees.


    What happened? What¡¯s wrong with him? I wondered how great the gift he received was for him to act like that, so I peeked a glance at it. However it turned out to be some wine. I didn¡¯t know much about wines, but seeing Lanoa¡¯s enraptured face, it seemed to be very precious.


    ¡°Did he really give this to me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Instead, he asked me to make sure you agree.¡±


    After hearing Sihael¡¯s message, Lanoa thought for a while and then grabbed my shoulders.


    ¡°Rosetta, you have my permission. You can go with His Highness.¡±


    Where is the guy who criticized Leonard for selling his sister?


    Lanoa, who abandoned his younger sister for a bottle of wine, stroked it with ecstatic eyes. It was clear that if he ever rose to office, he would become a bribe-mad and corrupt person. Turning away from his grinning figure stroking the wine, I fixed my gaze on Leonard. His eyes were frowning as if he had seen something that even he didn¡¯t expect to see.


    ¡°But what should I tell Father?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell him. You go in and get some rest.¡±


    Thank god. I was wondering how to explain it to him.


    ¡®If his trustworthy eldest son tells him, he¡¯ll surely allow it.¡¯


    I returned to my bedroom, leaving Leonard to take care of the rest.


    As I stretched out my aching body, the door burst open without knocking.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    It was Lumiyan, whose entire body was dyed white.


    ¡®What the hell did you do to look like that?¡¯


    His head, face, and body were all covered with flour, as if he had fallen in the flour container.


    Lumiyan, who was trying to rush in my arms, quickly stopped when he saw Marina blocking my front.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to come into the lady¡¯s room without permission. And I also told you to always keep yourself clean.¡±


    ¡°Marina, he¡¯s still a child. Don¡¯t scare him too much.¡±


    Her voice was so cold that it even scared me. Her lips curled up and she stretched out her hand toward Lumiyan, who grunted, and his face turned pale.


    ¡°My Lady, Lumiyan is not a human, but a monster.¡±


    ¡°I know. But his mental age is ten years old.¡±


    When I sided with him, Lumiyan, who rushed into the room, pouted his mouth.


    ¡°Why did you come so late?¡±


    Lumiyan, who transformed into the body of a 10-year-old child according to his age, was a pretty cute child on the outside.


    ¡°Why does he look like this?¡±


    ¡°He was baking cookies.¡±


    I rubbed Lumiyan¡¯s cheek with the handkerchief Marina gave me. Lumiyan, who quietly placed his face in my hand, twitched his nose.


    ¡°Master, you smell.¡±


    ¡°Smell? Like what?¡±


    ¡°A smell that makes you not want to go near you.¡±


    Did I smell that bad? When I looked back at Marina in shock, she shook her head in a hurry.


    ¡°Lumiyan, it¡¯s rude to say someone stinks right in front of their face.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    He tried to answer diligently, but he did not loosen his hand that was covering his nose. Exhaling through his mouth, Lumiyan rummaged through the pockets of his trousers.


    I heard a rustling sound and as expected, what came out of his pocket was a star-shaped cookie.


    ¡°I made it. I¡¯ll give it to you as a gift.¡±


    ¡°You made this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I made it with the elder sisters.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    People might think it¡¯s my birthday today. After receiving Kariya and Lumiyan¡¯s gift, both my hands felt full.


    ¡°I did a good job, right? I held back what I wanted to eat just to give it to my master.¡±


    A smirk leaked from his lips, smeared with cookie crumbs.

 Chapter 94

    ¡°Yes, you did well.¡±


    It was admirable that he thought of me, so I decided to pretend I didn¡¯t know he had already eaten them. After roughly brushing off the flour from Lumiyan¡¯s face, I straightened my body and stood up.


    ¡°Lumiyan, I will be away for about two days from tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Are you going on a trip?¡±


    ¡°Yes, in the villa where His Highness is. You have to stay with Marina. Got it?¡±


    ¡°With the little witch sister?¡±


    When Marina, ¡®the little witch¡¯, nodded her head with an expressionless face, Lumiyan¡¯s complexion turned dark.


    ¡°I want to go too. Please take me too!¡±


    ¡°You are afraid of His Highness.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more scary to be with the little witch without you, master!¡±


    For you to better understand, Lumiyan called Marina the little witch and Nanabi the big witch. On the day I was poisoned, both of them beated Lumiyan so much that he became scared of them and started calling them witches.


    Of course, the one he was still most afraid of was Sihael.


    ¡®Is Marina that scary?¡¯


    Lumiyan clung to my arm and kept whining. I wondered if it was better to be next to me even if I was going to meet Sihael.


    ¡°Lumiyan, don¡¯t bother My Lady.¡±


    Marina pulled a dagger from her sleeve and glared at him coldly. Lumiyan quickly shut his mouth and quickly got off my arms.


    ¡°See, I told you she was scary.¡±


    ¡°No, Your Highness will be scarier.¡±


    Sihael, being a werewolf, might get annoyed by his presence and bite Lumiyan, who he usually regarded as an eyesore.


    Lumiyan, who had no way of knowing that fact, kept begging me to take him too.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Ung, hngg, you¡¯re such a meanieee.¡±


    Eventually, Lumiyan, who burst into tears, threw the cookies and left.


    ¡®Haah, it feels like I¡¯m raising a toddler brother.¡¯


    It¡¯s all broken. What a pity!


    I carefully picked up the broken cookie pieces that had fallen on the floor. I was sure he¡¯d come back because it was his favorite snack.


    However Lumiyan never came back.


    *  *  *


    ¡®Lumiyan must be really upset.¡¯


    No matter how angry he was, I thought he would come to see me off, but I couldn¡¯t see a single strand of his hair.


    ¡°My Lady, would you be really okay without me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Marina, I want you to take a good rest here.¡±


    Marina secretly expressed her wish to take her with me. Marina was the best and comfortable person to be with for me too, but I couldn¡¯t increase the number of people who knew Sihael¡¯s identity for my convenience.


    ¡°Marina, you are the one I trust the most. You know that, don¡¯t you?¡±


    I hugged Marina¡¯s sullen figure and patted her on the back.


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±


    ¡°Please keep an eye on Lumiyan so he doesn¡¯t get into an accident.¡±


    ¡°Yes My Lady, just trust me.¡±


    After bidding farewell to Marina, who quickly regained her strength, I climbed into the carriage with Leonard.


    Rumble, rumble.


    As I watched the mansion slowly moving away, I felt strangely uneasy.


    ¡®I think Lumiyan is going to get in an accident.¡¯


    These ominous forebodings usually came true most of the time. I tried to get rid of my anxiety, but the uneasy feeling didn¡¯t go away even when I arrived at the villa.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something that bothers me.¡±


    As I was frowning from the beginning until now, Leonard misunderstood my apprehension and gently stroked my hair.


    ¡°Relax. The Eempress doesn¡¯t know you are here.¡±


    No, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m worried about.  It¡¯s Lumiyan that¡¯s bothering me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes.¡±


    I followed Leonard, who led the way with my luggage. As soon as I opened the ugly door and entered, a neat interior unfolded before my eyes.


    It could be seen how old the villa was, but thanks to the well-maintained space, it did not give the impression of being worn down at all. The odd thing was that it was too quiet.


    There must have been one or two people waiting on Sihael, but I couldn¡¯t see a single mouse, let alone a person.


    ¡°It¡¯s like a haunted cabin, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very quiet here.¡±


    ¡°My Lady, to be honest, I was surprised when you said you were coming here. There¡¯s really nothing here.¡±


    Nanabi was right. There really wasn¡¯t anything here. There were no furnishings, just a few things and furniture.


    Also there were no people.


    The only people staying in the villa were me, Leonard, Nanabi, the villa manager and chef.


    ¡°May I help you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡±


    So here, I had to take care of everything on my own except for meals. Of course, I had to unpack my luggage by myself as I came in with only a small amount of luggage.


    ¡®I¡¯ve lived a very comfortable life so far.¡¯


    It was awkward to unpack by myself as I had gotten used to people doing things for me since these two months. But only my mind found it awkward as my body naturally unpacked the things. After sorting out my clothes, I reached for the last bag and frowned when I found something strange.


    ¡®Why is it open?¡¯


    With Marina¡¯s meticulous personality, there was no way she would have put it like this on the carriage. Did it get open in the carriage?


    When I looked inside the bag, something wriggled. Startled, I picked up the bag and quickly threw it against the wall.


    Bang.


    The bag hit the wall and fell to the floor, spilling its contents.


    ¡°What the hell¡­ ?¡±


    A doll wriggled out of the bag.


    In an instant, I got goosebumps all over my body and Nanabi¡¯s words about this place seeming like a haunted lodge flashed into my mind.


    ¡®People say that ghosts appear here.¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t that a joke?! I jumped onto the bed and gripped the pillow tightly.


    ¡®Since it¡¯s a doll, I should be able to kill it easily.¡¯

 Chapter 95

    Fearing that it would disappear in the blink of an eye, I kept staring at the doll. Then the tottering doll opened its mouth.


    ¡°Ung.¡±


    ¡°What the hell, it can also talk!¡±


    The doll is talking!!


    I held my pillow high, swallowing back the scream that rose to the top of my throat.


    ¡°Uh, It¡¯s me Lu, Lumiyan.¡±


    Lumiyan, who walked out, stumbled forward.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Why is he here¡­


    It is said that people feel like laughing when they¡¯re too dumbfounded, and that¡¯s exactly what I was feeling. The pillow fell from my trembling hands and rolled across the floor. Lumiyan tried to get up but ended up retching.


    ¡®He really made up his mind to come with me.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t believe he really shrinked his body and hid in my bag. It was all because of this that I felt a strange feeling since I left the mansion.


    ¡°Lumiyan, aren¡¯t you too clever for your age?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, urgghh¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t beat him. He might just get crushed with my one fist. I pressed Lumiyan¡¯s forehead with my index finger in anger. Lumiyan, who was pushed by the force and fell on his buttocks, grumbled.


    ¡°You, I definitely told you not to come.¡±


    ¡°Uggh, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. I just went in to play hide and seek and ended up here.¡±


    Wow, look at him lying through his teeth.


    After living with people, the guy who only knew about eating and sleeping, had started to think.


    The problem was that he kept playing tricks like this.


    ¡°Lumiyan was just playing hide and seek, but where is this?¡±


    ¡°Huh, who is this? Isn¡¯t it our cutie Lumiyan?¡±


    ¡°Aah, a big witch¡­!¡±


    Lumiyan was startled and jumped out. He had no idea about Nanabi also being here. His face turned ashen and he clung to my arm, scared.


    ¡°Lumi Lumi, did you come because you wanted to play with me?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Then maybe with His Highness?¡±


    I moved away from the door that Nanabi was blocking. After that, Sihael, who must have woken up from a nap, slowly entered the room.


    ¡°Heuk!¡±


    Seeing Sihael transformed into a wolf for the first time, Lumiyan shuddered.


    Hick, Hick.


    Lumiyan clung to my arms as if I was his lifeline, and cried out desperately as if gasping for air.


    ¡°No? Just tell her it¡¯s not!¡±


    ¡°Lumi Lumi, greet His Highness.¡±


    ¡°Grrr, woof! Woof woof! grrrrr!¡±


    Oh, right. He can¡¯t talk because he hasn¡¯t drunk my blood.


    Sihael, who was unable to express in human language, stumbled, but at least he could put forth his words clearly.


    I¡¯m sure that means ¡ª ¡®If you don¡¯t get off her right now, I¡¯ll kill you.¡¯


    My prediction was correct as Sihael bit the Lumiyan¡¯s clothes and forcibly pulled him down. Then he pressed the struggling Lumiyan under his paws. He looked like a mouse caught by a cat.


    ¡°Grrrrrrrrrrr.¡±


    ¡°Ahh! Master! He¡¯s eating me!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he won¡¯t eat you because you don¡¯t taste good.¡±


    He could have returned to his body and ran away, but Lumiyan¡¯s transformation had a big disadvantage. Once he changed his body size, he would have to live with that body for half a day.


    Therefore, Lumiyan was stuck in his doll form.


    ¡°What luck! Your Highness, I was going to buy you a toy but now we have him. Do you like it?¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    Sihael understood what I meant and his eyes twinkled. He put away his big paws and pushed Lumiyan¡¯s back.


    ¡°Wait, Master¡­!¡±


    ¡°Grrrr.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to!¡±


    Seeing Sihael¡¯s sharp fangs, Lumiyan screamed and ran away. After that, Sihael followed him leisurely as if hunting for food.


    ¡°Lumiyan must be having a hard time.¡±


    ¡°Serves him right.¡±


    He deserved it for playing a trick on me.


    * * *


    Lumiyan had only one thought.


    This is hell.


    Tears burst out of his big eyes as he tripped over a rock.


    ¡®Why am I here¡­¡¯


    I should¡¯ve just stayed home. Even though the little witch was cold, she combed my hair and dressed me in pretty clothes every day.


    Don¡¯t they say that you never realize the value of something until it¡¯s gone?


    After being driven into an extreme situation, Lumiyan realized the importance of Marina for the first time.


    [Caught you!]


    ¡°Argh, please stop!¡±


    Lumiyan, who couldn¡¯t stand the heavy paw pressing down on his back, struggled and burst into tears.


    [That¡¯s it? How boring.]


    Bad doggy! Lumiyan, who ran for more than 10 minutes with his short legs, felt wronged.


    ¡°Why are you only doing this to me?! We agreed to reconcile back then! I promised you I won¡¯t bite my master anymore!¡±


    Lumiyan shed tears of injustice. Sihael sighed, while watching the scene with tired eyes.


    [What does Rosetta find in you adorable?]


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m adorable!¡±


    Lumiyan, who did not know what he looked like covered in dirt, said confidently. Sihael laughed at him with a smug look.


    [I¡¯m more handsome than you.]


    Lumiyan recalled the face of Sihael when he was a human being. He was tall, broad-shouldered, handsome¡­


    ¡°Eek!¡±


    When he glared at Sihael resentfully, he hit him with his nose. Lumiyan staggered and shrugged his shoulders.


    [Look here, crybaby.]


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me a crybaby!¡±


    [From now on, Rosetta will only be with me, so don¡¯t interrupt us.]


    In an instant, a vicious pheromone pressed down on Lumiyan. Lumiyan, who was suffocating, opened his eyes to a familiar smell he had smelled somewhere before.


    ¡®It¡¯s the smell of my master!¡¯


    Yesterday, he noticed that Rosetta smelled strange. This guy marked his territory all over her. Even when he was a human, his eyes were very, very impure.


    You wicked dog!


    ¡°What are you going to do with my master?¡±


    [Well, I¡¯m thinking about it.]


    Sihael closed his eyes and muttered in a languid voice.


    [Should I eat her up?]


    ¡°No!¡±


    [Or should I let her eat me up?]


    ¡°That¡¯s not going to work¡­ huh?¡±

 Chapter 96

    [Which one do you think will happen faster?]


    Is this dog crazy? Which devil in this world would want to be eaten up? But Lumiyan, after considering his viewpoint, of course chose the latter for Rosetta¡¯s life.


    ¡°Yes, you should be eaten!¡±


    [Okay, then I will work hard to get Rosetta to eat me.]


    While Sihael kept humming about how he couldn¡¯t wait to get eaten, Lumiyan crawled out from his grasp.


    As expected, he was completely out of his mind.


    ¡®My master has been caught by a madman¡­!¡¯


    However, Lumiyan did not have the courage to save Rosetta. Because the coward Lumiyan was very, very scared of Sihael¡¯s fangs.


    *  *  *


    After a fierce chase with Lumiyan, Sihael left him alone when he collapsed from exhaustion and walked down the hallway with a leisurely pace. He passed his own room and stood in front of Rosetta¡¯s room. He was troubled.


    Should he knock and act like a gentleman, or should he open the door himself and receive Rosetta¡¯s warm praises for opening the door all by himself.


    Sihael, who was seriously considering which one would appeal to Rosetta more, decided to choose the latter.


    Even though he looked like a gentleman in wolf form, he was nothing more than a cute dog in Rosetta¡¯s eyes. If she saw him as a puppy anyway, wouldn¡¯t it be better to dedicate himself to make Rosetta happy?


    Sihael stood up against the wall and put his front foot on the doorknob. Then, he glanced at Leonard who was climbing up the stairs. Leonard¡¯s eyebrows twitched as if he had seen something strange.


    ¡°Do you want me to open it?¡±


    Sihael refused Leonard¡¯s favor and turned the doorknob with all his might. However, what greeted him was not Rosetta, who smiled admiringly, but an empty room.


    ¡®Why isn¡¯t she here? She should have been here.¡®


    After entering the room with somewhat hasty steps, Sihael scoured the room. He checked under the bed, in the closet, and even in the bathroom, but he couldn¡¯t find Rosetta.


    ¡®Where did she go?¡¯


    As he opened the drawer and knocked his head, Leonard, who had followed him, twisted his lips.


    ¡°Do you really think Rosetta will fit in there?¡±


    When the two of them were together, Leonard did not hesitate to speak informally with him.


    ¡®Then where did she go?¡¯


    Sihael slammed the floor with his front paw to urge him to speak if he knew about her whereabouts


    ¡°Please talk to me before that.¡±


    Since Leonard had been taking care of Sihael for 10 years, he now understood everything about him.


    ¡®It¡¯ll be faster if I find her.¡¯


    Shocked by Leonard¡¯s uncooperative attitude, Sihael clicked his tongue and closed his eyes. He slowly relaxed his body and focused his mind. He could feel Rosetta¡¯s presence in one place, albeit faint.


    ¡®My room?¡¯


    Sihael was embarrassed. There was nothing, really nothing in his room. If there were any, he had already destroyed them all, so there was only one bed left to sleep on.


    It was the one place he didn¡¯t want her to be, but she had been waiting in his room all this time.


    ¡®Just wait here.¡¯


    But contrary to what he thought, his tail was too straightforward. His tail swayed as if it had its own mind. Leonard frowned at him revealing his emotion without any intention of hiding it.


    ¡°Sihael, let¡¯s talk.¡±


    ¡®Get out of the way. I¡¯m busy.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t want to talk about work here.


    Sihael, who pushed Leonard away with his head, ran straight to his room. He heard a low string of swear words from behind, but since he was a generous lord, he decided to let it go.


    Sihael, who ran to his room at the speed of light, saw the door open about an inch and slammed his body against it.


    Slam! Bang! Rattle~


    When he appeared with a rather loud sound, Rosetta, who was reading a book leaning against the back of the bed, looked at him with rabbit-like eyes.


    ¡°Did you have fun?¡±


    Seeing the bright smile on her face, conveying how glad she was to leave the door open, Sihael was overcome with an unknown feeling.


    Even though this happens everytime in the Duchy, why do I feel so weird today?


    Maybe it was because Rosetta was in his territory covered with his scent, and having someone waiting for him in his space made him feel a strange sense of satisfaction. At the same time, he felt a burning thirst, and licked his dry lips.


    He wanted to run towards her right away and swallow her whole in one bite, but he wanted to keep this image in his eyes forever. As he stood still with indescribable emotions, Rosetta, recognizing his unusual expression, closed the book.


    ¡°Why? What happened?¡±


    Sihael couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and ran towards her and hugged her.


    He couldn¡¯t control his overflowing emotions. Her gentle touch on his back and her affectionate eyes were all only meant for him. That was why he wanted it all the more. He had a selfish heart that he didn¡¯t want to show to anyone. A soft whisper sounded next to his ear.


    ¡°Do you want to eat my blood?¡±


    ¡®No.¡¯


    Sihael shook his head.


    He had no intention of ever touching Rosetta¡¯s blood. Until he met Liliana, he thought maybe once a fortnight would be okay, but not anymore.


    ¡®The wizard is right. Rosetta¡¯s blood is dangerous.¡¯


    The story of the demon wife who took her own life after eating up her husband¡¯s heart came as quite a shock to him as well. Rare blood is just as dangerous and tempting. To the point of destroying a love that transcends beyond races.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be stopped even with a half imprint.¡¯


    Because of this, Sihael could no longer guarantee that his relationship with Rosetta was safe. Rosetta didn¡¯t seem to care about it, though. She believed that her fist was all she needed.

 Chapter 97

    Her fists were indeed heavier-than-steel, and whenever he lost his sanity before, she had brought him back to his senses. But he was sure it won¡¯t work forever. If she becomes unable to subdue him, she¡¯ll be eventually pinned down by him.


    ¡°Then you don¡¯t need my blood anymore?¡±


    ¡®Right.¡¯


    Sihael nodded with sincerity.


    Rather than ending up in such a terrible situation, he would prefer to be the only one needed to be uncomfortable. And it wasn¡¯t that uncomfortable either. He couldn¡¯t speak, but he maintained his lucidity all the time, perhaps thanks to the imprint.


    ¡®Rosetta misunderstood that I had only half of my lucidity.¡¯


    Rosetta¡¯s misunderstanding wasn¡¯t entirely wrong. The first time he swallowed Rosetta¡¯s face, he was indeed a bit dazed. Because he was forced to become a wolf, his mind was clouded, and his instinct was stronger than his reason. However, while staying with Rosetta, he was slowly able to regain his reason.


    After that, he deliberately pretended to be a wolf.


    ¡®Thanks to that, I was able to kiss her as much as I wanted.¡¯


    The corners of his mouth went up as he remembered her kisses falling on his face.


    ¡®The only frustrating thing is how to communicate with her.¡¯


    That was bearable, too. Sihael had lost his lucidity all his life and lived like an animal, so it didn¡¯t matter if he couldn¡¯t talk for a while.


    ¡°Your Highness, you have grown up in the meantime we haven¡¯t seen each other.¡±


    Sihael pressed his face against Rosetta¡¯s neck and inhaled her sweet scent. Sihael breathed languidly in the familiar scent. His body stretched out at the soft scent as if it was gently caressing down his back.


    As Sihael¡¯s eyes closed, Rosetta spanked him on the butt. Sihael, who was hit on his buttocks unexpectedly, came to his senses.


    ¡®Hit me more.¡¯


    Rosetta winced, her eyes widening when he held out his butt as if saying that she could spank him as much as she wanted.


    Rosetta asked, slowly covering her mouth with her hand, ¡°Are you trying to seduce me now?¡±


    ¡®Of course.¡¯


    Sihael couldn¡¯t wait to seduce Rosetta and get eaten by her. In order to do so, he willingly offered his body to her.


    ¡°Appealing your charm with your butt. It¡¯s pretty good.¡±


    Rosetta, who rapped his butt, bent her eyes.


    ¡®It¡¯s not bad to be a wolf.¡¯


    Seeing her happy face as she pinched his belly fat, Sihael had this thought for a moment.


    *  *  *


    Whoosh~


    The gentle wind tickled my cheek.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Drunk, I whined and rubbed my cheek. Then, a soft tuft of hair brushed the back of my hand.


    ¡°What the¡­¡±


    When I opened my eyes in surprise, silver fur fluttered in front of my nose. The hair that tickled my cheek was Sihael¡¯s tail.


    ¡°Why are you here¡­ Oh, right.¡±


    Just before I could go to bed, Sihael stormed in. I burst out laughing when I thought of Sihael, who squeezed himself into my bed last night.


    ¡°What kind of good dream is he having that his tail can¡¯t stay still?¡±


    The tail swaying constantly from side to side was amazing, so I poked it with my index finger. As if my touch was annoying, Sihael purred and snorted.


    ¡°Cute.¡±


    When I pressed down on his twitching nose, I saw a glimpse of his canine and withdrew my hand.


    ¡°Sleep tight. I¡¯m going out.¡±


    As usual, I spoke to Sihael, then pulled off the blanket and stood up. As I turned the doorknob, I saw my clothes and rubbed the back of my neck.


    ¡®Don¡¯t go around in your inner garments. Ok?¡¯


    The words of Sihael came to my mind.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think anyone cares about what I¡¯m wearing, but I don¡¯t want to be scolded¡­¡¯


    Muttering to myself, I put on a robe that was sprawling on the sofa. I quietly closed the door so that Sihael wouldn¡¯t wake up.


    Click.


    The hallway was cold. Yesterday it was noisy thanks to Lumiyan and Sihael playing tag, but now it was full of silence.


    Feeling spooked by the dreary atmosphere, I tightened my gown around my body.


    ¡°Where is Brother?¡±


    In this place where there were no servants, the only way to find a meal was to find Leonard. While searching the villa for him, I couldn¡¯t find him until I went outside.


    Leonard was in the garden with Nanabi.


    ¡°There is nothing wrong with the barrier.¡±


    ¡°It will not be good if the barrier breaks through like before, Nanabi.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I told you it won¡¯t break through again.¡±


    Nanabi, who scoffed fiercely, stretched out her arms.


    ¡°Since we have time left, should we go make a wish?¡±


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t given up?¡±


    ¡°No, well, there¡¯s nothing to lose if I lose, right? Do you want to go, too?¡±


    I listened carefully to the conversation between the two.


    ¡°As a wizard, how can you believe in such superstition? It¡¯s better to train in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°Who says I believe it? I¡¯m just going because I¡¯m bored.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t stand my curiosity and interrupted the conversation between the two.


    ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡±


    When I appeared with eyes sparkling with curiosity, Nanabi was startled and clutched her chest.


    ¡°When did you wake up?¡±


    Leonard greeted me calmly, as if he knew I¡¯d come.


    ¡°Just now. I woke up because His Highness kept tickling me with his tail.¡±


    ¡°No wonder you weren¡¯t in your room yesterday.¡±


    Leonard let out a light sigh and shook his head.


    ¡°Nanabi, please let me know, too. What superstition do you believe in?¡±


    ¡°Do you see that mountain? There is a large rock that has been in place for a thousand years, and there is a superstition that if you make a wish on it, any wish will come true.¡±


    Ho? There¡¯s something like that?

 Chapter 98

    ¡°Wow, a rock that will grant wish!¡±


    ¡°There are rumors that it is not a stone but a person, but I have never seen it myself, so I cannot believe it.¡±


    Nanabi shrugged her shoulders, saying it was a legend passed down from generation to generation in the village. It was an absurd story that even Nanabi, who brought it up, did not believe, but it strangely aroused my interest.


    *  *  *


    Isn¡¯t there a day like that in all our life; a day when everything seems to go well.


    It felt like today was such a day.


    After taking a proper rest for the first time in a long time, my body felt lighter than ever. There was Sihael, beside me, wagging his tail in a sound sleep and looking all cute, and the meal was also incredibly delicious.


    So, of course, I thought that the day would end well. I thought I would spend the day safely and return home with Sihael, who would revert back to his human self.


    ¡®¡­But how did this happen?¡¯


    Crunch~


    The branches trampled under my feet broke in two and made a loud noise. I looked up at the sky as I kept walking ahead.


    The pleasant scenery of July filled my eyes. If it weren¡¯t for our current situation, I would have been able to enjoy the stroll through the woods with a comfortable mind.


    ¡°Where in the world are we?¡±


    I¡¯m lost, where should I go?*


    [T/N: Reference to IU¡¯s song ¨C The Red Shoes]


    As I was humming along to the song, I recalled our hopeless reality and my face hardened again. It had already been an hour since I was stuck in the mountain. I scratched trees on every road I passed and made a mark, and I also tried to walk aimlessly along an artificially created path, but all of them failed.


    The more I moved, the deeper I went into the mountain, and now I really didn¡¯t know where I am.


    I¡¯m sure I was going down, but why am I still walking around in the same place?


    ¡°Why is the compass like this again?¡±


    Maybe it was broken, so I nervously stuffed the spinning compass into the bag. Tired of walking for a long time, I sat on a large rock nearby and looked at the sky. It wasn¡¯t even three o¡¯clock, but it was already dark.


    Where did the bright sunlight in the morning go? It seemed like the sky was going to rain a lot.


    ¡°I¡¯m in big trouble.¡±


    I buried my face in my hands and murmured gloomily.


    ¡°Damn me, why did I come up here?¡±


    What legend? What wish? Screw it all!


    When I heard about the legend from Nanabi, I quickly took my bag. Taking only the most basic things, such as a compass, a water bottle, bandages, matches, and knives, I climbed the mountain curiously. I didn¡¯t believe in legends, but I was curious, thinking would my wish really come true?


    ¡°I¡¯m going to ask for just one handsome guy.¡±¡¯


    I obviously started out light-heartedly.  But who would have known that I would end up lost within an hour of starting.


    ¡°Does anyone know I¡¯m here¡­.¡±


    I thought it over, but there really wasn¡¯t anyone. Absolutely no one!


    Since Sihael was busy taking a nap, and Nanabi and Leonard seemed busy, I sneaked out quietly.


    ¡®And Lumiyan¡­ Well, even if he knew he won¡¯t be of any help.¡¯


    After all, no one knew that I was lost in the mountains. I tousled my hair roughly.  If I didn¡¯t show up by evening, someone would come looking for me, but the problem was the weather.


    Dark clouds began to swallow the sky. The mountain, which was full of freshness, had long since lost its light and turned gray.


    ¡®Can I hold out here until someone comes?¡¯


    No, I won¡¯t last. It looked like it would rain within an hour at the latest. At least I had to find a shelter from the rain. I got up off the rock and looked around.


    ¡°I wish there was a cave or a big tree¡­¡±


    As I pushed through the branches, I heard a voice in the distance.


    ¡°¡­Woof!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Awoo!¡±


    Sihael?


    ¡°Aawoooo!¡±


    ¡°Your Highness! I¡¯m here!¡±


    I screamed my lungs out, afraid that Sihael would leave me behind.


    ¡°Sihael! I¡¯m here!¡±


    Sihael finally found me and ran towards me at full speed. I opened my arms and hugged him. It was not a family reunion, but a tearful welcome.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡±


    ¡°Woof! Woof! Wooof!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what exactly he was saying, but I knew that he was scolding me. But it was okay. I really thought I was going to be lost.


    ¡°I thought I was going to die alone.¡±


    I cried and buried my face in his neck. Sihael pressed my cheek with his paw as if telling me not to say such a ridiculous thing.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go down now.¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    But for some reason, Sihael didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    I pushed him hard on the back, while he stood just blankly staring at me, but he didn¡¯t move.


    No way! It isn¡¯t what I am thinking, right?


    ¡°¡­Do you not know the way back?¡±


    I bent my knees urgently and grabbed Sihael¡¯s face. His eyes were trembling slightly.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    He quietly averted his gaze and replied back in a mousy voice.


    ¡°Awoo.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, we are doomed¡­¡­.¡±


    Crack! Boom!


    The sound of thunder was heard in the distance.


    A thunder struck in my heart, too.


    * * *

 Chapter 99

    Boom! Rumble!


    The dark clouds came rushing in at a rapid pace with a terrifying  sound. Seeing the pitch-black sky, I scratched my head in frustration.


    When Sihael came, I thought I was saved now, but I wasn¡¯t. I thought he was the prince who came to rescue me, but he turned out to be another lost child like me.


    ¡°Did you tell others?¡±


    Sihael avoided my eyes again this time.


    ¡®When he woke up, I wasn¡¯t beside him, so he must have run out recklessly.¡¯


    In the end, no one knew that Sihael and I were lost in the mountains. At this point, it was more amazing that he indeed found me.


    ¡°How did you find me?¡±


    Did he just keep running until he found me? Considering how he didn¡¯t know the way back, it was highly likely.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you use your nose to find the way back?¡±


    ¡®Even though he was a wolf in name, wouldn¡¯t it be possible for him to return to the villa by following the familiar smell?¡¯


    I looked forward to it, but Sihael shook his head resolutely. He stepped behind my back and tapped the red flowers blooming between the trees. Then the strong scent of flowers filled the surroundings.


    ¡°Achoo!¡±


    Sihael coughed constantly but did not stop touching the flowers. It was as if he was urging me to come and look at the flower.


    Is there something in that flower? Bending my knees in front of the flowers as he wished, I opened my eyes wide.


    Wait, could it be it by any chance?


    ¡°Is it a red lily flower?¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    Sihael nodded eagerly, saying I was right. Ah, now it made sense why Sihael was irritated by its smell. The red lily flower had a unique fragrance that demons disliked. To humans, it smelled the same as other flowers, but to demons, it was said to be a terrible and disgusting smell.


    Just like how mosquitoes hate mosquito incense.


    It actually felt like a sweet flower scent to me.


    ¡°Your Highness, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    I didn¡¯t notice until now because I was only looking forward, but now I could see red lily flowers blooming all over the forest. Is this a barrier to prevent other demons and monsters from entering the villa, or is it a measure to prevent Sihael from leaving the villa?


    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s both.¡¯


    Since Sihael was dangerous when he lost all reason, it might be a means to protect him and restrain him at the same time.


    ¡°This is bad.¡±


    People say that it is better to be together than alone, and with Sihael by my side, I was still mentally stable.


    ¡®If they find out that Sihael is also not present at the villa, they¡¯ll move faster.¡¯


    Nanabi and Leonard will frantically search for him, so we¡¯ll be found sooner than if I were alone.


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s go down as far as we can.¡±


    I circled around the same place alone, but with Sihael, maybe it would be different. We hurried our steps. As a profound silence spread, Sihael opened his mouth.


    ¡°Woof, woof, grrrrr.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t understand what you are saying.¡±


    When I shook my head, Sihael stopped for a moment and began to explain something to me with gestures. He pointed with his foot the way we had come, and thumped the ground.


    ¡°Ah! Are you asking why I am here?¡±


    Sihael barked telling me I guessed right.


    ¡°I came here because I heard there was a rock that makes one¡¯s wishes come true.¡±


    ¡°Grreung.¡±


    What? Did you just laugh at me?


    I opened my mouth in amazement, but Sihael continued to burst into laughter. As if he found it ridiculous that I believed in such an absurd superstition.


    ¡°Why? It might come true.¡±


    ¡°Woof, greung?¡±


    What do you mean this time?


    ¡°Did you just call me an idiot?¡±


    Sihael shook his head.


    ¡°Are you asking what my wish is?¡±


    Sihael nodded eagerly.


    ¡°Ah, I wanted to ask for a handsome man, ugh.¡±


    In an instant, Sihael rammed my body. I managed to straighten my staggering body and pushed away his face, as he kept pressing down on my stomach.


    ¡°Why are you being like this?¡±


    While I frowned, not knowing what he meant, Sihael stomped his feet, revealing his canines.


    ¡°Well, since I had to make a wish, I wanted to wish at least that much!¡±


    ¡°Grrrrrrr!¡±


    You didn¡¯t scold me like this even when I was lost, but why are you getting angry now?


    Just when I was about to bicker with Sihael, cold drops of water touched my cheek.


    Drip.


    Drip, drip.


    Raindrops began to fall from the sky. The raindrops were quite big.


    ¡°Your Highness, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s time for us to fight among ourselves.¡±


    It¡¯s only now falling drop by drop or two, but it might soon pour like there was a hole in the sky.


    ¡®It¡¯d be a big deal.¡¯


    Looking at the sparkling sky made me feel impatient. I had an ominous feeling that a big storm was coming.


    ¡°Your Highness, we can¡¯t fight like this anymore. Let¡¯s find a place to avoid the rain first.¡±


    The big drops of rain hit me all over. The rainwater that ran down my cheeks was cold. I wiped my eyes several times as my vision blurred from the rain.


    Rumble, clap!


    As I shuddered at the loud sound as if a cannon had been fired, Sihael pushed me on the back with his head, telling me to go. How long did we run with our body drenched in the rain?  I eventually found a space where we could get shelter from the rain. It was overlaid with two large stones. I raised my voice and called out to Sihael.


    ¡°Your Highness, over there!¡±


    Sihael¡¯s ears pricked as I screamed with all my might. I pointed to the space with my finger and ran into it.


    ¡®Thank gods. Though it¡¯s uncomfortable, we¡¯ll be able to avoid the rain now.¡¯


    Excited about the space which turned out to be more useful than I thought, I beckoned to Sihael to come quickly.


    Not knowing that the ground had become weakened by the sudden heavy rain.


    ¡°Your Highness, please come quickly, ugh!¡±


    Thud!


    I blinked stupidly as my center of gravity kept leaning back.


    Why are my feet collapsing?


    Wait, why am I falling backwards?


    ¡°Woof! Woof!¡±


    No, that¡¯s not what matters.


    Behind this, there is obviously a cliff.


    ¡°Shit¡­¡±


    The black sky in front of me was like my future. I closed my eyes tightly for the last time, as Sihael flung himself toward me.


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 Chapter 100

    ¡°Cough, cough.¡±


    I opened my eyes struggling with pain, coughing constantly while shaking my chest. As I wiped my blurred vision several times, the first thing I saw was a terrifyingly high cliff.


    ¡®Ha, did I really survive such height?¡¯


    Should I say I¡¯m lucky, or should I say I¡¯m unlucky to fall down from so high?


    ¡®In the end, Sihael jumped towards me¡­¡¯


    Then put me in his arms and fell¡­


    ¡°Sihael!¡±


    I jumped up at the memories that came to my mind. My whole body screamed with pain, but I gritted my teeth and looked around in search of Sihael.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Thump! My heart sank.


    The sight of an unmoving Sihael and the red puddle beneath him strangled me.


    Drip, drip.


    I came to my senses from the rain hitting my cheeks, and I hurried towards him and knelt before him.


    ¡°Please, please¡­.¡±


    I begged and prayed that Sihael wasn¡¯t hurt too much, that he was okay.


    But God didn¡¯t heed to my prayers.


    ¡°Your Highness¡­¡±


    I stretched out my hand toward the unmoving Sihael. When he fell, he must have been stabbed by something sharp, and blood kept constantly flowing from his long, torn wound. There was more blood coming out than the blood being washed away by the rain. My blood-soaked hands trembled.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡±


    I patted Sihael¡¯s cheek carefully with trembling hands, but he was still unconscious. When I hurriedly put my hand under his nose, I felt a weak breath.


    Even though he was alive, he was almost on his deathbed.


    Oh, what should I do? This all happened because of me.


    ¡°Sihael, please¡­ Open your eyes.¡±


    I hugged his head and sobbed. I couldn¡¯t stop crying from fear, horror, and guilt. Deep wounds, endlessly flowing blood, and hypothermia from the pouring rain. The situation was so bad that my mind kept thinking about the worst.


    ¡®No, come to your senses.¡¯


    He¡¯s still alive. There¡¯s no way the male lead would die in vain like this. That¡¯s why I knew he was never going to die. I roughly wiped my blurry eyes and looked around.


    First of all, we needed shelter from the rain. That way, I would be able to do something, whether it was stopping the bleeding or raising his body temperature, which was gradually dropping. I don¡¯t know whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, there was a large cave under the cliff where we fell.


    I carefully held Sihael in my arms.


    ¡°Just hang in there. I¡¯ll let  you down in a minute.¡±


    ¡°Woof.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    I carefully hugged him so as not to put too much strain on his body, and quickly entered the cave. Carefully putting him down, I took a bandage from my bag and wrapped it around his side. Sihael struggled in pain and groaned.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯ll be over soon.¡±


    I put pressure on his waist and tied the bandage in a knot, muttering that it was okay like a habit, and stroked Sihael¡¯s head. I felt like crying when I saw him breathing hard.


    ¡°It¡¯s all because of me.¡±


    If I had been careful with my steps, no, if I had descended the mountain without looking back when I thought I had taken the wrong road. No, if I hadn¡¯t climbed the mountain in the first place, none of this would have happened.


    It was all my fault.


    I couldn¡¯t even protect him and almost pushed him to death. I was truly the worst.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    At some point, my tears began to flow again and fell down on Sihael¡¯s face. I put my head on his forehead and swallowed back the tears. But, the tears, once shed, did not stop easily.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    I kept repeating the same words over and over like a broken radio. I raised my head at the feeling of my cheek being licked, and his eyes crinkled in pain were looking at me.


    ¡®Why, why are you looking at me like that?¡¯


    I felt suffocated as if those eyes looking at me were telling me not to cry.


    ¡°You should worry about yourself, fool.¡±


    The bandage tied around Sihael¡¯s waist could not stop his bleeding and his red blood was dripping down his body.


    ¡®What should I do?¡¯


    If I leave him like this, he will definitely die. No one could have escaped death if they were soaked in the rain with wounds this deep.


    Even if it¡¯s the male lead.


    ¡®What should I do? What can I do?¡¯


    If I had been able to use magic, at least if I had brought a scroll, none of this would have happened.


    I¡¯m such a fool. So stupid.


    I resented myself for not taking any magic scrolls or magic tools with me.


    I was of no help but just a poison to him¡­


    ¡°Blood¡­¡±


    Yes, there was my blood!


    When Sihael was injured back then by assassins, and when he hurt his foot, I healed his wounds perfectly. It would take several times as much blood as then to heal the wound now, but it didn¡¯t matter. It was okay even if he ate my blood and suffered a mana deluge.


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 Chapter 101

    ¡®A mana deluge? How can it be a problem when he¡¯s struggling to survive?¡¯


    At least he¡¯d be breathing even if he¡¯s suffering from mana deluge. This was the only way.


    ¡®My Lady, promise me you won¡¯t use your blood recklessly from now on.¡¯


    I remembered the promise I made with Liliana in my head, but that was it. I took out the knife I had brought and cut my hand. Seeing the dripping blood, Sihael turned his head away for some reason.


    ¡°Why, come on, eat quickly.¡±


    I put my hand over his mouth to urge him to eat, but Sihael struggled and refused. The eyes staring back at me were clearly tinged with denial.


    Don¡¯t tell me, are you afraid you¡¯re gonna eat me?


    ¡°Eat! I told you I¡¯d stop you from doing anything to me!¡±


    I screamed as I was choked with emotion and sadness. However, Sihael did not open his mouth.  He just dragged his sick body and struggled to move away from me.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll do whatever I want!¡±


    After grinding my teeth, I forced open Sihael¡¯s mouth and squeezed my own blood into it. And I grabbed his chin so he couldn¡¯t spit it out.


    ¡°Swallow.¡±


    The eyes that had been stained with pain slowly began to blur. Rejection, though faint, reflected in the eyes that were getting wet as if they were foggy. I held out my hand while whispering in his ear, intending to erase even the slightest objection.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right. Eat it all.¡±


    At those words, Sihael, who threw off the last shackles, flung at me.


    His eyes gleamed dangerously. Sihael instinctively tried to bite my neck. I hurriedly raised my right hand around my neck and blocked him with my left arm.


    His sharp canines dug into my forearm.


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    I clenched my teeth at the pain of my skin being ripped off. I held my trembling hand tightly.


    ¡®Hold it in. I can bear it.¡¯


    Sihael had promised me. He said he could stop it even if he went out of control.


    I made up my mind, but I couldn¡¯t help crying. It really hurt like hell. I wanted to forcibly tear off Sihael, who had his head in my arm.


    ¡°Grreurrr¡±.


    Sihael climbed on top of me and did not take his eyes off me while drinking my blood. His eyes went wild, showing the presence of the beast itself.


    I knew the moment I let my guard down, he¡¯d rip my throat out. I gulped nervously at the pain that gripped my throat.


    ¡°¡­Sihael.¡±


    I called his name carefully.


    Sihael was preoccupied with drinking my blood. So I took the opportunity to glance at him and lowered my hand that was covering my neck. Vigilantly, I stretched out my hand toward Sihael¡¯s side. I carefully felt the wound so as not to frighten him. Then I could feel the wound slowly healing with my fingertips.


    ¡®¡­A little bit more!¡¯


    Finally, the ghastly long cut wound was gone. The blood that flowed endlessly like a flood finally stopped. My eyes crinkled as I touched the soft skin of Sihael.


    ¡®It¡¯s done now. He¡¯s all better.¡¯


    The terrible pain turned into relief. Tears streamed down my temples and wet my ears.


    ¡°You, just wait till you become human again. I¡¯m going to beat your butt like a drum.¡±


    My voice trembled with relief and anger. I felt nauseous as if my stomach was churning, but I had no time to calmly control my emotions.


    ¡®If we stay like this, I¡¯ll soon breathe my last breath.¡¯


    I grabbed Sihael¡¯s chin and forcibly removed him from me.


    ¡°Grrrrrrr.¡±


    ¡°Stop! That¡¯s enough!¡±


    ¡°Woof! Woof!¡±


    Of course, Siehael didn¡¯t listen to me. Sihael, who had already lost his humanness due to blood, rushed at me with the sole intention of eating my blood.


    ¡°Arrrrggg!¡±


    The only thing Sihael was aiming for was my neck. Sihael just only kept looking at it and lunged at me without seeing my fist flying from the side. Caught off guard, he couldn¡¯t avoid my fist and rolled on the floor. I quickly grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pinned him under me.


    I pressed his neck with my thigh as he struggled to get out. My body trembled at his strong movements.


    ¡°Arfff, arrfff.¡±


    ¡°Sihael, wake up!¡±


    I don¡¯t want to hit someone who just came back alive!


    However, Sihael¡¯s reason showed no signs of returning. It was because he ate too much blood.


    I didn¡¯t like it, but I couldn¡¯t help it.


    ¡°I have no choice but to knock him out.¡±


    Among the vital points that Sihael himself told me, the one that can be hit in this position was the nape of his neck. I found that vital spot and hit the back of the neck as hard as I could. It felt ridiculous to have him faint again, but what could I do, I had to live.


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Awoo.¡±


    Sihael, who was struggling with all his might, slumped.


    ¡°When you wake up after a good night¡¯s sleep, everything will be fine.¡±


    I whispered as I stroked the head of Sihael, who was breathing hard. As if he had understood my words, his breathing gradually became stable.


    ¡°Good job.¡±


    You and I endured well.


    I hugged him and buried my face in his neck.


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 Chapter 102

    ¡®¡­It hurts.¡¯


    When I relaxed, my whole body screamed in pain. A searing heat like a fire rose from the arm that had been bitten by Sihael. Even though the pain could not be expressed in words, I wondered how my body survived without fainting.


    ¡®I even knocked out Sihael.¡¯


    I truly had a blessed body.


    ¡°Anyway, he didn¡¯t bite off as much as I thought.¡±


    My left arm, which I thought would end up as a meat chop, was in better condition than I expected. Did he get back the last handful of his sanity, or was he just preoccupied with drinking my blood? Whatever the reason, I was able to stop the bleeding a little easier.


    I tore my shirt and stopped my arm from bleeding. I was already breaking out in a cold sweat thinking about the awkward situation that would play out tomorrow morning.


    One side was stark naked and the other was wearing just undergarments.


    Even though I was wearing another sleeveless shirt underneath, it was almost the same thing.


    ¡°Is this some scene from a bish¨­jo game¡¯s bonus content?¡±


    However the process was too bloody and terrifying for a heart-throbbing bonus.


    I let out a breathy laugh and put my hand under the sleeping Sihael¡¯s nose.  His even breathing tickled my fingers.


    ¡®At last, his breathing is stable. Thank god.¡¯


    After confirming that Sihael was safe, I got up from the ground. In an instant, my vision was spinning. I had lost so much blood that I felt dizzy.


    ¡®I still have a lot of work to do.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t fall down here. The rain with thunder and lightning continued to pour, and there were no signs of someone coming to rescue us. It was certain that we had to spend the night here.


    ¡°The problem is fire.¡±


    Even though it was July, we had been drenched from the rain for quite a while and it¡¯s deep in the mountains where the temperature drops drastically at night. We needed a fire to warm our cold bodies. But all I had was a matchbox, nothing to use as firewood.


    ¡®There must be at least one twig here.¡¯


    I was in a panic earlier and couldn¡¯t see it properly, but I could see the traces of fire here and there. Maybe it¡¯s a trail left by people who had been in distress like us? If so, there might be some dry branches that someone had abandoned here.


    ¡°Take a good rest.¡±


    I left the unconscious Sihael behind and walked into the cave.


    Crackle~


    When I lit the light with a match, my only survival tool, a small light illuminated the cave.


    I relied on the dim light to slowly move forward. My face lit up when I found a dry branch on the floor. When I leaned down and picked it up and stood up, there was another dry branch not far away.


    ¡®This is not a Hansel and Gretel story. What is this?¡¯


    The firewood artificially placed on the floor, as if someone had deliberately placed them, would look suspicious to anyone. But I didn¡¯t have a choice.


    I walked along the path, holding each branch and leaf in my arms. I kept walking for a long time. When I came to my senses, I was at the end of the cave.


    ¡°¡­What is this?¡±


    I put out the fire as if I were possessed by something.


    ¡®What the hell is this place?¡¯


    Faint light emanated from the crystal balls embedded in the cave, illuminating the surroundings.


    I looked back. The road I passed was pitch black.


    This place was like a different world alone.


    ¡°So pretty.¡±


    A lake so clear that you could see the bottom of it spread out in front of my eyes. And in the middle of the lake was a huge rock that seemed to reach the ceiling. It exuded an energy that no one should carelessly touch.


    A thousand-year-old rock that is said to make your wish come true if you find it.


    It was the cause of all this suffering.


    ¡°If you¡¯re hiding in a place like this, how can anyone find you?¡±


    The cave was next to the cliff, and also in the corner, so there¡¯s no way to find it. Grumpily, I slowly crossed the lake. Though I went through a lot of troubles to find this rock, it won¡¯t be unfair if I make a wish.


    After wading through the current, I stood in front of the rock, clasped my hands together and gently closed my eyes.


    ¡°May Sihael wake up safely, may my arms heal safely, and may we both be rescued safely.¡±


    After desperately praying, I put my hand on my forehead and burst out laughing.  All the wishes I wished for were things that happened because of me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just stop.¡±


    Why did I come all the way here and make Sihael suffer?


    I felt sick to my stomach.


    I have to go back and make a fire.


    Turning my back, I stepped forward vigorously.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I lost my balance for a moment and fell backwards.


    ¡°Ouch.¡±


    My butt throbbed as if I had bumped into a rock. With water drenching my head, I hit the water, annoyed.


    ¡°Today, my luck is awful. Should I do a ritual to drive away the bad luck?¡±


    How many times have I already fallen backwards? I got up, rubbing my throbbing back, and let out a sigh mixed with annoyance at the sight of my soaked clothes.


    ¡°Why is that there?¡±


    To make matters worse, the shirt I had wrapped around my arm was floating in the lake.


    ¡°The wound has worsened.¡±


    Tsk, I clicked my tongue and reached for my shirt. When I looked at my arm my eyes widened.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the wound?¡±


    The wound had disappeared. without a trace of it


    The wound inflicted by Sihael, when he drank my blood, had healed completely.


    Does this make sense? No matter how strong I was, I never had this crazy healing power. Then there was only one way to explain this.


    I looked up at the rock.


    I was sure I prayed for my arm to heal¡­


    ¡°Is this for real?¡±


    Did the rock really grant my wish? I clasped my hands and made another wish.


    ¡°Please send me one handsome man.¡±


    ¡°Yekki!¡±


    Then a man came down.


    An old man with a white beard appeared. The crystal balls around me made my eyes flash. The grandfather, who jumped off the rock, landed gracefully. I blinked at the incredible sight.


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 Chapter 103

    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Grandpa approached me and mercilessly swung his cane at me.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    ¡°A grown-up lady walking around with her clothes off! Aren¡¯t you ashamed of yourself?!¡±


    ¡°Wh-What?¡±


    Did I get hit because I am not properly dressed? And that too by someone whom I don¡¯t even know?


    Having been slapped on the shoulder by a stranger and even being nagged at, I sighed dumbfounded.


    ¡°Grandpa, who are- oh.¡±


    Suddenly, a black cloth fell from above my head and blocked my vision.


    ¡°It¡¯s a cloak. Hurry up and cover yourself.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±


    What¡¯s this? Is Grandpa carrying fire in one hand and water in the other?


    With grandfather¡¯s help, I covered myself with a cloak. I even buttoned up and looked at the grandfather, who was stroking his beard, saying that I was finally worth seeing.


    I should greet him first, right? I bowed my head toward the strange grandfather.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    What should I call him? As I hesitated, I uttered a word that came to mind.


    ¡°Fairy Grandpa¡­?¡±


    ¡°Cough.¡±


    Grandfather burst into a cough.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a fairy, but a guardian deity!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re a guardian deity.¡±


    Fairy sounded more mysterious. When he appeared, his eyes sparkled too.


    ¡°Yes, a guardian deity! How old do you think I am to be a fairy?¡±


    He, too, coughed and stroked his beard, as if he was aware of his appearance.


    ¡°All right, fairy grandpa. Why did you show up in front of me?¡±


    ¡°¡­Because I¡¯m a guardian deity. You¡¯re a selfish and rude kid. All right, I¡¯ll give you a mission.¡±


    Did he just scold me again? And what¡¯s with the mission all of a sudden?


    I don¡¯t know where to start and what to point out. Does the grandfather not see my face with an absurd face, or was he just too egocentric?


    What was certain was that he was also a freak.


    ¡°Give this thing to a child named Lia-¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait! You¡¯re giving me a mission right away? Without a proper explanation?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you see it?¡±


    Grandfather, who was looking down at me with a pathetic expression, jutted upward. As I raised my head to follow him, the magnificent thousand-year-old rock filled my vision.


    ¡°I am the one who granted your wish.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying you are that 1,000-year-old rock?¡±


    ¡°Finally, we can communicate. I am the guardian of this mountain.¡±


    He swung his cane in a dignified manner.


    ¡®But was there a guardian deity in this world?¡¯


    Suddenly, I wondered and tilted my head, but grandfather drew my attention by clearing his throat.


    ¡°Now listen again.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, Grandpa. I don¡¯t want to do that mission. Can¡¯t I not do it?¡±


    ¡°Since I granted your wish, you must grant mine too.¡±


    My eyes widened as he looked down at me in disdain again. His eyes seemed to say, ¡®Why are you acting like that young lady? Don¡¯t you know give and take?¡¯


    Give and Take?! If I knew I would be led by my nose like this, I would have never wished for anything.


    ¡°Since I fulfilled your three wishes it would be fair if you fulfill three for me.¡±


    ¡°Only one wish came true.¡±


    I was really grateful to him for healing my arm, but it was difficult to force me to take over a work like this.


    ¡°The wolf will wake up on his own in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the rescue team?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll be here by tomorrow morning.¡±


    What? Then, in the end, the only thing that worked properly was my arm. As I grunted and rubbed my arm, I paused at the thought that came to my mind.


    If it was the power of the guardian spirit, wouldn¡¯t it be possible to lift the curse of Sihael?


    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    ¡°If Grandpa is really a guardian spirit, then he can also lift the curse on Sihael, right?¡±


    Maybe it was possible because he was the guardian deity. I asked him earnestly, ¡°Please. You can cancel all other wishes, so please just lift his curse!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity if you¡¯re talking about the curse on the wolf, because I can¡¯t do much for that wish. Curse is not my domain.¡±


    ¡°¡­I see.¡±


    I expected it inwardly, but my shoulders drooped at the sharp answer. When I nodded with a sullen face, the grandfather patted me on the shoulder as if comforting me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too disappointed. The last wish can¡¯t be helped, but the other three wishes have all come true. So now grant me my wish!¡±


    What¡¯s this? Isn¡¯t this daylight robbery?


    It would take time to fulfill my other wishes as Sihael would wake up tomorrow morning and the rescue team was also coming tomorrow morning, but I had to immediately grant his three wishes!


    When I glared at grandfather¡¯s cunning face, he coughed and looked at the distant mountain.


    ¡°Ahem, okay. It¡¯s only one, but wasn¡¯t your wish for your arm to be healed?¡±


    That¡¯s true. Thanks to him, not only the pain of the torn flesh, but also the wound disappeared as if it had never been there. I felt like I had been blameshift all of a sudden, but I indeed got his help. I nodded after much thought.


    ¡°¡­What is it? Tell me.¡±


    Then, his face, which was touching the tip of his beard in embarrassment, turned bright.


    ¡°Find a person and deliver this to her. Her name was Lia. She used to keep me company.¡±


    His request was to find a girl named Lia who used to keep him company.


    ¡°I can¡¯t leave this mountain. And I will never be able to go out in the future.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel sad?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s my mission to protect this mountain, so I can¡¯t be sad about it.¡±


    He was always visited by many people, and it was enough that he had a relationship with him. However, as time passed by, those who remembered the guardian deity passed away one by one, and he was gradually forgotten.


    ¡°Lia was the first child to find me in a hundred years.¡±


    Lia was the only joy and pleasure in his lonely life. Lia was quite a talkative child, and once she started talking, she never stopped talking until she parted ways.


    ¡°Her voice was so loud that it hurt my ears.¡±


    A smile formed on his lips as he spoke bluntly.


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 Chapter 104

    Even if he said that, he must have been the one who waited the most for Lia¡¯s chatter.


    It would have been nice if that moment would last forever, but time was something one couldn¡¯t hold onto. As time passed, Lia grew up, and her number of visits began to decrease. A day became a week, a week became a month. And by the time it turned into a year, she no longer came looking for him.


    ¡°The day I last met Lia, she left this with me. I kept waiting for her to come looking for this pendant, but she never came.¡±


    Grandfather smiled bitterly.


    ¡°I wish I could have said my last goodbye.¡±


    He touched the pendant affectionately.


    He held out the pendant to me as if he was ready to let go of the memories no matter how much time had passed. Receiving the pendant with both hands, I asked out of curiosity.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you find Lia with your mystical powers?¡±


    ¡®Even if you can¡¯t get out of here, there must be many ways.¡¯


    Like flying a bird, or even looking for her location.


    Seeing that he healed my wounds, I thought it was possible enough.


    ¡°I am not omnipotent either. If that was the case, I would have already been looking for her.¡±


    Well, if he had that ability, he would be the strongest in the world. I understand that, but why me?


    ¡°Why me? There must have been others¡­¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re the first guest in 40 years.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie. There are more than one or two traces of bonfire ash.¡±


    Even if I just roughly counted, there were five traces of bonfire ashes. Anyone who was curious about this place must have come this far. When he opened his eyes again because he thought he was selling medicine again, he snorted.


    ¡°Hey, you punk! Only those I allow can come in here. This is not a place that anyone can enter.¡±


    ¡°But I came in easily.¡±


    ¡°I threw the bait hard to lure you, but if you wouldn¡¯t have found it, it would have all gone in vain.¡±


    No wonder the firewood was scattered as if asking to follow the trail. I fell for his lure and picked up the bait he threw.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how long it takes. Just tell her before she dies.¡±


    A longing appeared on his face as he gazed into the distance, but when he looked back at me, it was gone.


    ¡°We made a promise, so make sure to keep it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s it. Now off you go.¡±


    Before he even said goodbye to me, he tapped my forehead with his index finger. He didn¡¯t hit me hard, but my body fell backwards.


    ¡°Thank you, I prepared a present for you. Use it carefully. Always dress neatly!¡±


    While he nagged me like a wife about proper dressing, the world turned around.


    *  *  *


    I opened my eyes with the feeling of floating as if I was falling off a cliff, and I took a breath in feeling the solid chest in front of me.


    ¡°Did you sleep well?¡±


    A low husky voice whispered in my ear.  The exhale that blew in later gave me goosebumps. When I raised my head, I saw Sihael looking at me with a handsome face.


    ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°It indeed is a good morning.¡±


    I stared blankly at his face, then moved my gaze to the heavy feeling on my waist. I saw a strong arm wrapped around my waist.


    ¡®Huh? Sihael¡¯s arm?¡¯


    When I finally came to my senses, I shoved his face in surprise at the fact that I was too close to Sihael.


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    Sihael groaned in pain. I quickly got up and took a few steps back. I kept forcing my gaze not to go down.


    ¡®Don¡¯t look, no matter what, don¡¯t look down there.¡¯


    While staring straight ahead, Sihael, who stood up from his seat, grabbed his nose and grumbled.


    ¡°It¡¯s too much to hit someone in their face first.¡±


    ¡°You were too close.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯d be bad for my heart to see such a beautiful face so close in the morning.¡¯


    I muttered inwardly, staring intently at Sihael¡¯s face to prevent the same mistake as I did before.


    Rosetta, if you look below, even if you did it by mistake, it¡¯d be a disaster.


    ¡°Your Highness, are you wearing anything underneath?¡±


    ¡°No, why would I?¡±


    He proudly said that he was naked, and he was more than relaxed and smirking.  It was me who was ashamed of his confident attitude.


    I buried my face in my hands and groaned. ¡°Can you please at least pretend to be embarrassed?¡±


    ¡°Should I? I feel confident though.¡±


    I¡¯m going crazy. Of course, he was overflowing with confidence. But I couldn¡¯t find a place to put my eyes.


    Uggh, I held my forehead and decided to scare him a bit.


    ¡°Your Highness, if you keep showing me your body like that, you¡¯d have to marry me. So¡­¡±


    ¡°Really? Can we get married like that?¡±


    I definitely meant to tease him, but Sihael¡¯s eyes sparkled with anticipation. I must be crazy, what the hell was I expecting?


    ¡°How can you say that so recklessly? ! Since you¡¯re the crown prince, you must hold on to your fidelity!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying my best to do that.¡±


    Is that the attitude of the person trying his best? He was always like this. I glared at Sihael, who was smiling mischievously. I had no idea if this was a joke or if he was flirting with me.


    If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible.

 Chapter 105

    ¡®Even if it¡¯s a joke, I¡¯m annoyed, but if he¡¯s flirting with me, I won¡¯t let it go.¡¯


    He will have to face death for the crime of playing with a girl¡¯s heart. I roughly took off my cloak and threw it at Sihael.


    ¡°Cover your bottom with it. We can¡¯t have a proper conversation like this.¡±


    ¡°Rosetta, wait, wait!¡±


    Sihael, who received the flying cloak, looked at my body and jumped up and ran. I was attacked unexpectedly, and I screamed in amazement.


    ¡°Argh! Don¡¯t come!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t so you wear it!¡±


    The cloak thrown by Sihael hit me in the head.  My body staggered from the force of the violently flying ball of cloth.  Embarrassed, Sihael stuttered, ¡°You, don¡¯t you ever take off that cloak. Make sure to keep wearing it.¡±


    ¡°No! Your Highness must wear it!¡±


    Our fight, in which we kept arguing and shouting out reasons why the other person should wear the cloak, ended unexpectedly in a bland way. Sihael, who had lost his will to fight after being hit on the back by me, calmly accepted the cloak. I let out a sigh of relief only after confirming that Sihael was wearing a cape around his waist.


    ¡®Now I feel a little better.¡¯


    Now that I could see Sihael comfortably, I folded my arms with a satisfied face. But Sihael kept looking away because he was embarrassed to see me. His reddened ears were very impressive.


    ¡®Well, I guess it¡¯s okay for him to show off his body, but it¡¯s embarrassing to watch other¡¯s.¡¯


    Anyone who sees me will also think that I am naked. There was quite a bit of skin exposure, but unlike Sihael, who was stark naked in the beginning, I was wearing everything needed.


    I was even wearing a sleeveless chemise, so there was no need to be awkward.


    ¡®By the way, the grandfather also made a fire.¡¯


    I thanked him in my heart, looking at the bonfire that had been extinguished.


    ¡°Your Highness, how long will you be like that? Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    I was amazed by the shy side of Sihael, but we couldn¡¯t stay here forever. Sihael, who was rubbing his flushed cheek, was able to meet my eyes after a long time.


    The shyness that remained in Sihael¡¯s eyes disappeared like smoke, taking on a serious light.


    ¡°Rosetta, don¡¯t do that next time.¡±


    Did he find his memories before he lost his reason?


    His gaze lingered on my left arm. I touched my previously injured arm.


    ¡°Do you remember?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I remember I bit you here. But where did the wound go?¡±


    ¡°I made a wish to the guardian deity of this mountain and he healed me.¡±


    It was too long to tell from the beginning, so I explained only the key points, but as expected, Sihael did not understand what I was saying.


    But he stopped asking as if the method of treatment was not important.


    ¡°Anyway it doesn¡¯t hurt, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Sihael breathed a sigh of relief and grabbed my hand as he stretched his arm forward.


    ¡°Thank god.¡±


    ¡°Were you surprised?¡±


    A desperate voice flowed from Sihael, who buried his face in my hands and nodded.


    ¡°Rosetta, next time this happens, just leave me alone.¡±


    ¡°What? What are you talking about? If I had left you alone, you might have died.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t die, so don¡¯t ever feed me your blood.¡±


    What¡¯s with this confidence? He was really bleeding badly.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it if I tell you not to. I¡¯m saying this for you.¡±


    The voice that cut me off firmly was cold. I was taken aback by the cold voice I heard for the first time and shut my mouth.


    I shook his hand in a fit of anger.


    ¡°Then why did you save me? You should have just let me fall.¡±


    ¡°You and I are different.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?! What is the difference between you saving me by throwing your body and me saving you by using my body?!¡±


    My eyes burned with intense emotion.  Why was he rebuking me when he should just say thank you?


    I was upset and disappointed.


    Eventually, I couldn¡¯t control my emotions and exploded, so I clenched my fist and hit him hard on the shoulder.


    ¡°You bastard, you don¡¯t even know what I was feeling.¡±


    ¡°Rosetta, wait a minute.¡±


    ¡°What was I supposed to do if something happened to you¡­¡±


    Tears flowed down my cheeks.


    ¡®How annoying. Why am I crying now?¡¯


    From my blurry vision, I could see Sihael panicking and not knowing what to do. I turned my head and wiped my cheek roughly. However, the emotions that once flared up did not calm down easily.


    The fear and terror that I had barely buried inside suddenly came up.


    I closed my eyes tightly at the memory of Sihael, who was covered in blood.  I buried my head in my hand.


    ¡°Rosetta, look at me. Huh?¡±


    ¡°Go away. I want to be alone.¡±


    I ruthlessly pushed away Sihael¡¯s hand that was holding my wrist, but he didn¡¯t give up. Suddenly, he held my cheek and raised my head. Because of the blurred vision, I couldn¡¯t see Sihael¡¯s face well. Then, something warm and soft touched my eyelids. As my eyes cleared from the flowing tears, what I saw was Sihael standing so close to me that we could feel each other¡¯s breaths.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry.¡±


    I blinked blankly at the hand wiping away my tears. His lips touched once more near my eyes.


    ¡°If you cry, I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible.

 Chapter 106

    More tears flowed from my eyes from the unexpected shock.


    Then, something warm and watery touched my eyes, and that was the lips of Sihael¡­


    When I realized that, my face was heated up. I couldn¡¯t speak and my mouth was twitching, but Sihael wrapped his arms around the back of my head and pulled me into his arms. I was helplessly dragged and hugged by his chest, and I opened my mouth in a daze.


    Thump, thump, thump.


    I was embarrassed by the sound of my heart beating loudly as if a drum was being beaten.


    ¡®Is this the sound of Sihael heartbeats, or mine¡­?¡¯


    It was definitely the sound of Sihael¡¯s heartbeats, but it didn¡¯t seem it was his only. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears.


    Why? Why? Why on earth? As I flinched in panic, the hand wrapped around my shoulder tightened. I was again buried in his chest. At the strange atmosphere, I averted my eyes which were only looking at Sihael¡¯s eyes.


    What should I do? Should I push him away?


    After listening to the sound of his heart for a long time, I could hear his low voice above my head.


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to make you cry.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. I¡¯m sorry, too. I didn¡¯t want to cry, but all of a sudden¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t finish my sentence. How could I explain this? That I cried because I was very upset that he was angry?


    ¡®How can I say that without feeling ashamed?¡¯


    I shut my mouth tight.


    ¡°You cried, Rosetta.¡±


    ¡°I cried for the first time today.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    Sihael patted my head and said,


    ¡°Thank you for saving me.¡±


    Oh, yeah, that was the most important thing. I missed what I had to say because we suddenly raised our voices and started to fight.


    ¡°Thank you for saving me too.¡±


    As we calmed down and looked back at each other, the strange atmosphere gradually returned to normal. Our fight seemed to have been settled, but Sihael was a more persistent man than expected.


    ¡°Still, don¡¯t feed me your blood if possible.¡±


    ¡°Again,¡±


    Just when I was about to open my mouth, Sihael quickly added.


    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll make a mistake. Miss Stubborn, please listen to me at least once.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. I subdued you again this time.¡±


    Sihael smiled lightly when I proudly told him how I had knocked him out at once by pressing a vital point.


    ¡°That¡¯s great, Rosetta. You subdued me even when I completely lost my reason. You¡¯re so cool.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Even when Your Highness was Shasha, I subdued you with my fists.¡±


    ¡°Good job. I¡¯m so proud of you.¡±


    After bombarding me with compliments, Sihael stroked my hair. It felt good, even though the soft caressing hands were ticklish.


    But we couldn¡¯t stay hugging like this.


    ¡®If we go on like this, my heart might burst¡­¡¯


    I was careful not to touch Sihael¡¯s chest as much as possible. Of course, both of us were naked, so all the skin-touching kept bothering me.


    ¡°Excuse me, Your Highness, now please,¡±


    The moment I looked up and saw Sihael, our eyes met. My gaze naturally lowered to his lips. Recalling the kiss that landed on my eye, I hurriedly lowered my eyes.


    ¡°Why are you avoiding me?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°No, you clearly avoided me.¡±


    Excited to find something to tease after a long time, Sihael stuck his face close to me. He pulled the corners of his lips and whispered playfully.


    ¡°Are you embarrassed?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    I was indeed embarrassed¡­!


    I raised my head and turned around in surprise seeing his face in front of me.  Sihael burst into laughter, as if he found my overreaction more fun than usual.


    ¡°Who would believe you if you said no with such a face? Huh?¡±


    Laughing, Siehael teased my hair.


    ¡®It¡¯s annoying! I can¡¯t see his face, huh?¡¯


    I blinked in surprise seeing the black object at the entrance to the cave.  A three-headed snake looked at us and flicked its tongue. It was a Lumiyan that appeared in his main body after a long time.


    ¡°Lumiyan!¡±


    For the first time, Lumiyan looked like an angel. But that lasted only for a moment. I was left speechless at the sight unfolding in front of me.


    ¡°I found her first!¡±


    ¡°No! It was me!¡±


    ¡°Get out of the way, both of you! Master, I found you first!¡±


    The three snake heads began to fight.


    ¡°Excuse me, guys¡­¡±


    Their fight didn¡¯t stop despite my confused expression. The first head that had finally won flashed its eyes at me.


    ¡°I was the first to find you ! I did a good job, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did well.¡±


    When I smiled at the first snake who wished for praise, it twisted its body as if it was happy. The second shouted in disgust.


    ¡°You fool! We have to get out of here!¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right! Master. Let¡¯s go. Leonard is very, very worried!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll be there now!¡±


    I immediately got up, but the arms wrapped around my waist made me fall forward. When I held onto Sihael¡¯s shoulder in a hurry, I was surprised by the warmth in my hand and took away my hands.


    ¡°Your Highness? What are you doing? Let me go!¡±


    ¡°Are you more pleased with that snake than with me?¡±


    Is this the time to argue about that? We were finally able to escape this damn cave, but Sihael did not let me go.


    ¡°Of course! Lumiyan is here to save us!¡±


    ¡°I told you I can¡¯t be just a paramour like that.¡±


    I grabbed the back of my neck at the bullshit I hadn¡¯t heard in a long time. Sihael clung to me, saying even if I frowned and hit his shoulder, he couldn¡¯t let me go like this. I pushed away Sihael¡¯s chest and asked Lumiyan.


    ¡°Are you here alone, Lumiyan? What about my brother and Nanabi?¡±


    However, Lumiyan just stared blankly at me and Sihael in shock with his tongue flicking here and there.


    ¡°Lumiyan?¡±


    ¡°Hey, you pervert doggie!


    Lumiyan revealed his sharp fangs and slammed his body against Sihael. The coward Lumiyan attacked Sihael first! I didn¡¯t know where he got the courage but I couldn¡¯t help but gape at the astonishing sight.


    ¡°You punk.¡±


    Surprisingly, Lumiyan didn¡¯t get kicked out by Sihael and his attack worked unexpectedly. Lumiyan, who wrapped his body around Sihael¡¯s arm, pulled it back with all his might and flicked his tongue menacingly. At first glance, Lumiyan had the upper hand. Even so, I was more worried about Lumiyan than Sihael.


    ¡®Lumiyan is in trouble.¡¯


    I gulped nervously when I saw Sihael¡¯s enraged face.


    Look at those cold eyes! It seemed difficult for Lumiyan to live a normal life now.


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 Chapter 107

    ¡°arghhh, master!¡±


    eventually, lumiyan flew out of the cave. lumiyan, who flew at a high speed, called me pitifully, but there was nothing i could do. i¡¯m sorry, i would have accepted him if he had come as a human. the snake was too much.


    ¡°that bastard always shows up when it¡¯s important.¡±


    sihael, who gritted his teeth, wiped his hands on the cape as if he had touched something dirty.


    ¡°rosetta, can¡¯t we just throw that thing away?¡±


    ¡°what are you talking about to our savior who found us?¡±


    ¡°what do you mean by savior?¡±


    ¡°shh, wait a minute. your highness, do you hear this?¡±


    i blocked sihael¡¯s mouth as he tried to say something. my ears pricked up at the sound of footsteps outside the cave.


    ¡°rosetta!¡±


    ¡°your highness!¡±


    fortunately, we heard a call from outside. lumiyan hadn¡¯t come alone.


    ¡°i guess my brother and nanabi are here.¡±


    as my heart swelled with relief, i looked inside the cave. i had confirmed it wasn¡¯t a dream, so i didn¡¯t have to go again. i wonder if i¡¯ll see the grandfather again even if i go.


    looking into the darkness, i turned my head.


    at that moment, the wind from the cave pushed my back. as if to go.


    ¡®tell lia. i had fun thanks to her company.¡¯


    after i find lia, i¡¯ll come to find the grandfather. as i was adjusting the pendant hanging around my neck, i raised my head to the hand that was out in front of me.


    ¡°let¡¯s go.¡±


    sihael was beaming, showing his straight teeth. i was filled with anger when i saw his confident face, as if he believed that i would naturally hold his hand.


    ¡°why should i?¡±


    he has teased me a lot so far, but i didn¡¯t hold his hand. i crossed my arms to prevent sihael from accidentally grabbing my hand.


    ¡°i¡¯m so scared. can you hold my hand?¡±


    then at least make a scared face. he kept smiling so who would believe him?


    ¡°there are a lot of scary things.¡±


    ¡°yes, it¡¯s scary because the cave is so dark.¡±


    ¡°you have a problem with your eyesight. it is so bright.¡±


    seeing how stubborn i was, sihael shrugged his shoulders sullenly.


    ¡°that¡¯s too much. i¡¯m hurt.¡±


    sihael held onto his heart and drooped the corners of his eyes. it was clearly a playful gesture.


    ¡°you¡¯re lying.¡±


    ¡°you don¡¯t believe me. too bad.¡±


    he was so shameless. turning my head at the obvious trick, i didn¡¯t give him my hand.


    * * *


    ¡°rosetta!¡±


    ¡°your highness!¡±


    when we came out of the cave, leonard and nanabi, who found us, ran towards us at a frightening speed.


    both of them were in a mess as if they had been looking for us all night. the skin under their eyes was almost black, someone had blackened them, and there were a lot of blood veins visible in their eyes.


    it seemed that anyone would believe that these two people, not me and sihael, were in distress.


    i couldn¡¯t raise my head because i felt sorry.


    when i thought of the trouble i caused to many people because of my complacency, i felt ashamed and wanted to hide in a rat hole.


    ¡°i¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°what the hell are you¡­!¡±


    leonard grabbed my shoulder with a scary face. i closed my eyes tightly when i saw how leonard was about to burst from anger. my heart was pounding already at how much i would be scolded. however, the voice that i actually heard belonged to sihael, not to leonard.


    ¡°leonard, don¡¯t say anything to her. if you do, i will deduct your pay.¡±


    ¡°when i heard that, ¡±


    ¡°do you want me to put you on probation here for a month?¡±


    after defeating leonard proudly, he gave me a look, as if asking, ¡®i did a good job, right?¡¯


    ¡®well, i¡¯d rather get scolded and just let him vent his anger here.¡¯


    swallowing a sigh, i pushed sihael away and grabbed leonard¡¯s sleeve.


    ¡°it¡¯s my fault, brother.¡±


    ¡°¡­i¡¯ll hear why you did it later. where did you leave your clothes?¡±


    leonard, who was angry at my depressed appearance, took off his outer coat and put it on my shoulder. and he even buttoned it up, as if he wasn¡¯t satisfied.


    ¡°you, stay away from rosetta.¡±


    leonard was very angry and didn¡¯t hesitate to speak informally to sihael. i rolled my eyes at the intimidating atmosphere.


    nanabi handed the robe to sihael with a calm face as if nothing had happened. sihael, who wore the robe, frowned as leonard continued to stare at him in disbelief.


    ¡°i didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°if you did, you¡¯ll be dead.¡±


    it was a bit fierce, but i thought it would end well at this point. only if it wasn¡¯t for lumiyan, who came down the rock.


    ¡°leonard, leonard! he¡¯s lying!  the doggie, no, his highness was hugging master! while naked too!¡±


    ¡®idiot, anyone will misunderstand us if you say it like that!¡¯


    as if he couldn¡¯t see me silently telling him to shut up, lumiyan kept shouting loudly, crawled quickly and stood next to leonard. he was very excited to see he had someone on his side.


    three pairs of eyes, including lumiyan¡¯s, turned to sihael.


    but who was sihael? far from being embarrassed by the eyes of the people who saw him as shameless, he just shrugged and laughed.


    ¡°there was a reason for that.¡±


    ¡°what reason?¡±


    leonard, who added that it would be better to answer well, was already putting his hand on the scabbard. i freaked out when i saw his twitching hand.


    ¡°why should i tell you that? it¡¯s a secret between us. right, rosetta?¡±


    ¡°what? me?¡±


    then, this time, his eyes turned to me. in the meantime, sihael, who had slipped away, winked at me as i got surrounded by nanabi and leonard.


    ¡®that bastard.¡¯


    he dared to sacrifice me? just wait and see. i¡¯m really going to bust your ass.


    i grit my teeth hard.

 Chapter 108

    after returning to the villa, we washed our dirty faces and were immediately examined in nanabi¡¯s room. fortunately, there was nothing wrong. sihael was in excellent health thanks to the empty wish from the guardian deity.


    ¡°my lady, just in case, take a good rest before you leave.¡±


    ¡°thank you. and i¡¯m sorry. nanabi.¡±


    ¡°if you really care, please tell me about that guardian deity next time.¡±


    nanabi winked her eyes and smiled coolly, saying that she would forgive me then.


    ¡°rosetta, go and rest first.¡±


    ¡°yes.¡±


    after completing the test before sihael did, i returned to the room first, leaving him behind. i wanted to lie down in bed right away. but it wasn¡¯t the soft bed that was waiting for me, it was leonard who was exuding a cold air.


    ¡°rosetta katzel. come here right now.¡±


    an angry leonard pointed in front of him. knowing that i did wrong, i quietly shut up and went to him.


    it wasn¡¯t enough that i suddenly disappeared without a word, but i also fell off a cliff, risked feeding my own blood to cure sihael, and even met the self-proclaimed guardian deity.


    leonard gripped his throbbing forehead recalling the incidents that happened in just one day.


    ¡°next time you will always tell me wherever you go next time, and promise never to go alone.¡±


    ¡°yes, i promise.¡±


    i was not a child, yet i was only released after i made a promise with my pinky with leonard. i laid my exhausted body on the bed. i turned over my right hand that leonald had been holding for a long time and then glanced at my wrist. a flower-shaped figure was visible beneath the reddened skin.


    ¡°what the hell is this?¡±


    it was like a tattoo, but to think that a tattoo that i had never done before could be created overnight. it was a series of strange events. it was strange to notice it while i was washing it.  after all that fuss in the cave, how could i not notice it?


    ¡®thank you, i prepared a present for you. use it wisely.¡¯


    it seemed like a gift from my grandfather, but i couldn¡¯t figure out what kind of ability it was. even when i asked nanabi, she shook her head, saying it was a form of magic she had never seen before. it was a gift from the guardian deity, so i knew it wouldn¡¯t harm my body.


    ¡°if you are going to give it to me, please tell me at least what kind of gift it is.¡±


    i grumbled and burrowed my body into the soft mattress. i would go home soon, but i wanted to sleep well until we had to leave. as my body relaxed, i suddenly remembered what had happened in the cave.


    ¡®don¡¯t cry. if you cry, i don¡¯t know what to do.¡¯


    surprised by sihael¡¯s face, which was getting closer, i opened my closed eyes.


    ¡®no, don¡¯t remember it. erase it from your mind. pretend it never happened.¡¯


    i pulled the blanket over my head and tried to block my thoughts, but it turned out to be a bad choice. as my vision darkened, the memory came back more clearly. i kicked the blanket and struggled.


    ¡°ugh! don¡¯t remember!¡±


    boom, boom.  i kicked and rolled across the bed hard enough to shake off all the dust from the blanket.


    ¡°why do i keep thinking about it?¡±


    after rolling for a long time, i collided with the bedpost and quietly crouched down.


    ¡®what on earth was sihael thinking?¡¯


    his gesture was too intense to be trying to appease me, and the atmosphere was too subdued to be trying to tease me. kissing the eyes is something that only a lover would do.


    ¡°ah! no way.¡±


    i shook my head wildly. i¡¯m sure he is fond of me. the gestures and actions that sihael did to me were impossible without fondness.


    and i was also fond of sihael. he was a person one didn¡¯t want to let go, as well as someone you shouldn¡¯t let go. that was sihael.


    he always puts my safety first.


    but could it be more than a feeling of fondness?


    ¡°no way!¡±


    i must be delusional. the door swung open at the same time as i buried my confused head on the pillow.


    ¡°rosetta!¡±


    i closed my eyes when i saw sihael running towards me calling my name.


    ¡®this is why i¡¯m confused¡­¡¯


    her doubts grew as she saw his worried and anxious-looking face.


    ¡®why do you do such things to muddle people?¡¯


    i was going to kick him out right away, but i collected my emotions. i couldn¡¯t send him away like this. i felt like i would feel better if i gave him a good beating for complicating my thoughts by acting strange for no reason.


    ¡°your highness¡­ please come here.¡±


    when i held out my hand to him and mumbled weakly, sihael rushed over and grabbed my hand.


    ¡°what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±¡±


    ¡°¡­just a little closer.¡±


    the moment sihael¡¯s face came near my face, i jumped up and hit his forehead.


    ¡°ugh!¡±


    my eyes widened and tears welled up. that¡¯s weird. it was said that rosetta was a knucklehead. in her diary, she definitely wrote that she made lanoa cry with a bump. i believed in that and hit him once, but it hurt terribly. if it hurts like this for me, then what about sihael?


    when i lowered my head, i saw him collapsed on the bed, groaning.


    ¡°why did you, ugh?¡±


    he couldn¡¯t speak properly because it was really painful. feeling relieved by his appearance, i smiled at his red forehead like i had received a medal.


    ¡°it¡¯s revenge for bullying me!¡±


    ¡°¡­i bullied you?¡±


    sihael frowned as he rubbed his red forehead.


    ¡°i don¡¯t know what¡­ oh, are you mad about me leaving you?¡±


    right, that happened too. my anger rose.


    bad guy, how could you leave me?


    when i jumped up and grabbed the pillow, sihael¡¯s neck twitched.  seeing my eyes gleaming eerily, sihael slowly stepped back.


    ¡°your highness, do you remember?  we had a lot of fun in the duchy.¡±


    ¡°i don¡¯t remember having any fun.¡±


    sihael, who had been hit until the pillow burst, must have foreseen that he would be hit again this time.


    ¡°rosetta, calm down.¡±


    i chuckled as i watched desperate sihael.

 Chapter 109

    ¡°then it will be fun from now on. because i¡¯m going to beat your butt red.¡±


    ¡°my butt?¡±


    ¡°yes, your highness even allowed it.¡±


    sihael was suspicious of the words he had heard the first time, so he raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°i have no memory of that.¡±


    ¡°of course! it¡¯s a promise we made when your highness attacked me!¡±


    sihael, who managed to avoid the fierce flying pillow, broke out in a cold sweat. he raised his hands so that his palms would be visible to me and slowly held them forward.


    like calming an angry beast.


    ¡°pervert. don¡¯t you like my butt too much? i think you like it as much as my face.¡±


    even in the middle of this, he was joking. it was really too much.


    ¡°you really need a good scolding.¡±


    i swung my pillow after the fleeing sihael, and this time, hair flew from the broken pillow. the battered sihael grabbed my shoulder.


    ¡°rosetta, i really feel like my shoulder is gone this time.¡±


    ¡°don¡¯t be such a baby. i only hit your shoulders and back because i was thinking of saving your face.¡±


    seeing my rage filled eyes, sihael groaned and lay down on the bed.  i hurriedly averted my eyes to the disheveled appearance of sihael lying on the bed.


    beep beep beep.


    a red light kept flashing inside my head.


    ¡°get up. i never allowed you to lie in my bed.¡±


    ¡°rosetta, guess who owns this villa?¡±


    of course it¡¯s you. how could you be so shameless to say that you own it right in front of my eyes?


    sihael, who blocked my mouth with his wealth, smiled in victory.


    ¡°you¡¯re very good looking.¡±


    ¡°yup, i¡¯m good looking.¡±


    look at him not losing a word. i sighed and sat down on the sofa. i turned my back to sihael with my arms crossed and felt his eyes staring at me from behind.


    ¡°why are you angry?¡±


    ¡°because your highness abandoned me.¡±


    ¡°there¡¯s one more thing besides that.¡±


    he was quick-witted.


    ¡°are you going to keep turning your back on me? then shall i go?¡±


    i quickly faced sihael. i had a hard time making eye contact with a chuckling sihael and looked at his shoulder.


    sihael¡¯s eyebrows twitched at my evading gaze, as i continued to avoid him, but he did not force it any further.


    ¡°now tell me. why are you angry?¡±


    ¡°¡­i¡¯m not angry, i¡¯m just, it¡¯s just i care.¡±


    ¡°what?¡±


    i mean well.


    as i kept stuttering over and over again, i closed my eyes tightly.


    ¡°i mean the kiss on my eyes!¡±


    i almost cried at the sound of a voice urging me to leave the room.


    ¡®it¡¯s embarrassing. i just want to disappear.¡¯


    it would have been nice if he gave me some kind of reaction, whether it be laughter or teasing, but the surroundings were strangely quiet. unable to bear the silence, i slowly opened my eyes. sihael buried his head in the bed.


    i¡¯m the one who wants to hide because i¡¯m embarrassed, but why are you burying your head down?


    ¡°your highness?¡±


    sihael¡¯s face was red when he raised his head. did the blanket make it hard for him to breathe? as if nothing had happened, sihael¡¯s lips naturally drew an arc as he rested his chin.


    ¡°did it bother you?¡±


    ¡°of course it did.¡±


    ¡°i see, it bothers you.¡±


    why was he being like this? i stared at sihael repeating the same thing like a broken radio.


    ¡°anyone would be bothered if something like that happens to them.¡±


    ¡°i was so tactless that i thought you would forget it if you turned around.¡±


    why are you trying to provoke me again? when i glared at him, my eyes which had been evading him so far met with his eyes. sihael didn¡¯t miss the timing. the gently folded eyes turned mischievous.


    instinctively sensing danger, i opened my eyes wide.


    ¡°why, what? are you going to tease me again?¡±


    ¡°you know, rosetta. you looked pretty at the banquet.¡±


    how did our conversation suddenly jump in that direction? clenching my fists at the unpredictable conversation, i pulled up the corners of my mouth and closed my eyes. the corners of my mouth, which i had forced up, twitched.


    ¡°right? you liked my earrings and necklace, too, right?¡±


    i knew that was not what i meant, but i changed the subject pretending i didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°it was a coming-of-age gift, but i put it on in advance. i¡¯m trying hard to promote it.¡±


    ¡°was my brooch for promotion, too?¡±


    ¡°yes. but i designed the brooch myself, your highness.¡±


    sihael¡¯s expression became subtle when i shrugged my shoulders as if i were bragging.


    ¡°with your drawing skills?¡±


    ¡°i worked hard and stayed up all night long to draw it!¡±


    it was just a picture anyway. as long as the finished product came out well, it didn¡¯t matter. sihael grinned lightly as he mumbled.


    ¡°thank you. someone else was acting to be me that day, but i¡¯ll definitely wear it for your coming-of-age ceremony.¡±


    ¡°be sure to come and show off your good looks to everyone.¡±


    on that day, it was a pity that sihael could not properly introduce the brooch because he became a wolf, but it was a good thing.


    ¡°you got a necklace and earrings. what about the ring?¡±


    ¡°i don¡¯t know. i¡¯m wondering if i should wear what i have or not.¡±


    i¡¯m not particularly fond of accessories, and i wanted asila¡¯s work to receive attention. also when i opened the jewelry box, it was overflowing with rings so i didn¡¯t have to get a new one anytime soon.


    ¡°then don¡¯t wear the ring.¡±


    ¡°why?¡±


    ¡°you don¡¯t have to make your fingers heavy.¡±


    that¡¯s true. he was definitely right, but why do i feel so anxious? i wondered what his plan was again this time, but when i tried to gauge his intentions, he just smiled prettily.


    ¡°by the way, rosetta, i think you misunderstood something.¡±


    ¡°did i ?¡±


    i don¡¯t think there was anything like that. when i tilted my head, perplexed, sihael got up from the bed and approached me.


    ¡®what, why are you coming closer¡­!¡¯


    while hesitating, my back hit the sofa and i searched for a place to escape. in the meantime, sihael, who had arrived in front of me, bent down and whispered softly.


    ¡°you¡¯re the one i said was pretty.¡±

 Chapter 110

    that afternoon, i parted ways with sihael. to be exact, i avoided sihael by myself, and kept widening the distance between us while he chased after me. he didn¡¯t leave me alone for a moment.


    ¡°rosetta, shall we go play tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°don¡¯t come. i¡¯m busy. if you come, i will beat you with a pillow.¡±


    ¡°not my butt?¡±


    ¡°¡­you¡¯re not a wolf, you¡¯re a human now.¡±


    until now, i treated him like shasha without realizing it, but i knew for sure as of yesterday that sihael was not a wolf, but a big, strong man. i couldn¡¯t treat him like shasha anymore.


    sihael strode up and whispered in my ear.


    ¡°rosetta, are you avoiding me because you think of me as a person or because you think of me as a man?¡±


    ¡°¡­it¡¯s both.¡±


    sihael¡¯s smile deepened. suddenly feeling a sense of danger, i hid behind leonard¡¯s back to avoid him.


    ¡°brother, let¡¯s hurry up and go.¡±


    nanabi, who found my attitude of avoiding sihael unlike usual strange, glanced at me. it must be strange. my face was grim, while sihael kept smiling. surprised by the subtle changes between us, leonard checked up on me to see if i was bothered by something.


    ¡°did something happen between you and his highness?¡±


    leonard asked me, while i was lying down like a piece of luggage in the carriage.


    ¡°there¡¯s nothing like that.¡±


    however, the face reflected in the carriage window was a face that anyone could see saying, ¡°something is wrong.¡±  steam fogged up the window as i exhaled a deep sigh. i wrote ¡®idiot sihael¡¯ on it and rubbed the window with an annoyed hand.


    ¡®it would be nice if it was just my misunderstanding.¡¯


    with such a troubled heart, time passed by. in the meantime, i was busy preparing for the coming-of-age ceremony. fortunately, as i was busy, my thoughts on sihael naturally waned. it would have been nice if it had been like that all the time.


    ¡°my lady, i think you should come out for a while.¡±


    ¡°why?¡±


    ¡°that¡­¡±


    when i went outside at marina¡¯s call, the scene in front of me made me speechless. i opened my eyes wide to see the carriage in front of the mansion. while everyone was dumbfounded, an attendant got off the driver¡¯s seat and ran towards me.


    ¡°lady katzel, it¡¯s a gift from his highness.¡±


    what he meant was the things inside the carriage were my birthday presents.


    ¡®this is crazy! why did he send so many gifts in a carriage?¡¯


    i couldn¡¯t hide my embarrassment because it was my first time receiving so many gifts.


    what should i do at a time like this? there are too many gifts. should i send them back?


    i didn¡¯t know what to do, so i asked for help, but others were flustered as well.


    ¡°he must be out of his mind.¡±


    ¡°he¡¯s really out of his mind.¡±


    i didn¡¯t realize when leonard and lanoa came to my side and cursed quietly. the attendant did not change his countenance despite the curses of the young lords. he seemed oddly affirming to it, too.


    ¡°hissen, where did his highness disappear after throwing this bomb?¡±


    ¡°he is busy grooming himself to become the most beautiful flower for lady katzel¡¯s coming-of-age ceremony tomorrow.¡±


    i bit my tongue at the gaze of the servant looking at me.


    ¡®what the hell are you talking about, man?¡¯


    why is all the embarrassment my share? as i rubbed my heated cheeks with the back of my hand, leonard was taken aback.


    ¡°are you sure you have nothing going on with his highness?¡±


    ¡°no, absolutely not. we¡¯re just friends!¡±


    however, leonard¡¯s doubts did not fade. he jibbed at the never ending number of gifts.


    ¡°then what are all those?¡±


    ¡°what do you mean by what are all those? he¡¯s basically declaring that he¡¯s going to go on the offensive because he doesn¡¯t have enough charm.¡± lanoa, who answered leonard¡¯s question instead, clicked his tongue, saying, ¡°there are even various kinds of gifts.¡±


    he grabbed a passing servant and opened the box.


    ¡°he has a good eye.¡±


    behind lanoa, who was whistling with satisfaction, the butler, whose shoulders were full of strength, raised his voice.


    ¡°come on, move them all inside!¡±


    under the butler¡¯s leadership, the gifts were quickly moved into the mansion. they might be annoyed by the sudden increase in work, but their faces were full of smiles. it seemed that they were somehow proud. the fact that i was favored by the crown prince seemed to make them quite happy.


    ¡®it¡¯s bothersome.¡¯


    i almost didn¡¯t know what kind of rumors would go around this time.


    ¡®sihael, he seems hellbent.¡¯


    i was already tired. for a brief moment, i pressed down on my sunken eyes. i was thinking about going back to my bedroom pretending not to have seen them, but a boy came into my field of vision.


    as if performing acrobatics, the haphazardly stacked boxes looked unstable.


    ¡®it¡¯s going to fall down like that.¡¯


    as soon as i thought about it, the unbalanced boxes fell down. something spilled from the box and rolled to my feet.


    ¡°pillow?¡±


    why did you put a pillow in there?


    a memory suddenly came to my mind when i saw the unexpected gift.


    ¡®i don¡¯t like the pillow because it¡¯s too light. it¡¯s fun to hit with it when it¡¯s heavy.¡¯


    it was just something that i meant as a joke in the villa. don¡¯t tell me he heard it and fulfilled it straight away.


    i grabbed the corner of the pillow with disbelief. then, i felt a heavy weight as if someone had put five books together.


    sihael, you crazy bastard.


    no matter what, who makes a pillow so heavy? is this a pillow? it¡¯s almost a club.


    ¡°leave it behind. i¡¯ll take it with me.¡±


    ¡°yes, yes!¡±


    i hurriedly got up, left the running servant behind me, and pressed down on the pillow.


    ¡®does this mean he wants to get hit with this next time?¡¯


    i hit the pillow lightly with my fist and grabbed the corner and swung it round and round.

 Chapter 111

    ¡®i¡¯m sure i¡¯m going to enjoy it.¡¯


    when i was satisfied, hissen handed me a letter.


    ¡°this is a letter from his highness to my lady .¡±


    i quickly opened the letter, wondering how on earth he would have explained this situation.


    [rosetta, do you like the present? i didn¡¯t know what you¡¯d like, so i prepared everything. of course i¡¯ll be the biggest gift. you can look forward to it tomorrow.]


    ¡®has he gone crazy?¡¯


    the hand holding the letter tightened. hissen¡¯s face darkened at the crumpled paper.


    ¡°tell him he¡¯d better be prepared when we meet tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°yes, my lady.¡±


    ¡°and make sure to tell him that if he¡¯s not pretty, i¡¯ll beat him with this pillow.¡±


    hissen swallowed his saliva as i shook the heavy pillow threateningly.


    ¡°yes, i will definitely convey this to him.¡±


    just try not to look pretty. i won¡¯t let you go. staring at the letter, i turned my back.


    ¡°ros¨¦, aren¡¯t you going to look at them?¡±


    ¡°you can look at them as much as you want.¡±


    ¡°there¡¯s something cute, too¡±.


    lanoa, buried among the presents piled up in the hall, shook the puppy doll. it had a strange resemblance to shasha and attracted my attention. his hair was slick and his ears were sharp. even its color was silver.


    as i was climbing the stairs, i turned around and sat down next to lanoa. up close, the bright yellow eyes were the same color.


    ¡°here¡¯s a note, too. let¡¯s see, it¡¯s modeled after your cutie, shasha, yuck.¡±


    lanoa, who was reading the note sarcastically, gagged. he grabbed its tail with his index finger and thumb and handed the doll to me, as if he would get goosebumps if he thought the doll was shasha.


    ¡°i can¡¯t just look at it because it looks like him.¡±


    ¡°why, it¡¯s very cute.¡±


    when i hugged the fluffy doll tightly, soft fur brushed my cheek.


    ¡®it¡¯s cute. i like it.¡¯


    when i thought this doll was shasha, i couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡°do you like dogs that much?¡±¡±


    ¡°yes, i find them cute.¡±


    ¡°you¡¯re eighteen years old, not eight.¡±


    laughing at me, who had a puppy doll in one hand and a pillow in the other, lanoa teased me, saying that it would be perfect if i just put on my inner-wear.


    ¡°little rosetta, go to bed now.¡±


    ¡°shut up.¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s not that you can¡¯t sleep alone because you¡¯re scared, right? . argh!¡±


    great. let¡¯s do a performance test right now.


    lanoa, who was hit on the shoulder by the pillow i swung, screamed, ¡°what is this? is this a pillow? did you put stones inside it?¡±


    ignoring him rubbing his shoulders with surprised eyes, i went up the stairs.


    lanoa shouted from behind. ¡°hey, look forward to this older brother¡¯s gift tomorrow!¡±


    what do you mean by ¡®look forward¡¯? i¡¯ll be just glad if you don¡¯t give me weird things.


    recalling the birthday presents lanoa gave every year, it was better to set aside all expectations early. what was it last year? wasn¡¯t it a strange pot he found while traveling to the nearby country?


    it reminded me of the memory that rosetta, who was angry because a snake came out of there, stepped on it and killed it.


    ¡°since you already gave me a snake, you won¡¯t give it again, right?¡±


    as for a snake, lumiyan was enough.


    anyway, what is this troublemaker doing? after proudly declaring that he would make me a birthday present, he didn¡¯t even show his nose.


    ¡®i just hope he didn¡¯t get into any accident.¡¯


    i went back to my bedroom to avoid the noisy hall. but it wasn¡¯t a safe place either. i sighed when i saw the boxes piled up in the corner of the room. when did that get here?


    ¡°m-my lady.¡±


    ¡°what?¡±


    ¡°please open this.¡±


    the shining eyes of the maids poked me. seeing the sorrowful eyes of the three, i reluctantly untied the ribbon. what appeared were ivory shoes. the design decorated with gold on the heel was impressive.


    ¡°oh, my god, it¡¯s so beautiful.¡±


    ¡°your highness must have wanted you to wear them.¡±


    ¡°oh, my god.¡±


    i knew it would be seen in that way. i decisively cut them off before they could spread their delusions.


    ¡°it¡¯s not like that. he just gave it to me as a friend.¡±


    ¡°ah, a friend gives so many presents.¡±


    ¡°and it¡¯s all to your taste!¡±


    the maids, already in love with their sweet imagination, brought out the boxes and held it out to me. in the end, i had no choice but to sit down and unwrap all the presents.


    *  *  *


    the morning of the coming-of-age ceremony was bright.


    unlike the last banquet, i got enough sleep and was able to start the day with clear eyes. it was thanks to the maids who were worried that i would wake up all night again this time, and prepared all sorts of scented candles that were said to be good for sleep.


    ¡°good morning. miss.¡±


    it was morning, the sun had just begun to rise, and the sky was pale blue.


    ¡°it¡¯s just daybreak.¡±


    when i replied in a tired voice, the maids firmly shook their heads.


    ¡°if you want to become the most beautiful woman in the empire, you have to endure this much.¡±


    ¡°i have no desire to be the most beautiful in the empire. let¡¯s do it in moderation, huh?¡±


    i tried to calm my enthusiastic maids, but no one listened to me. even marina, who was the only one listening to me, led me into the bathroom, saying that i should be more beautiful than anyone else today.


    i don¡¯t know. i hope it works out.


    i quietly surrendered myself, and the maids, excited by my cooperative attitude, flew around me as if they had wings.


    ¡°do it in moderation.¡±


    ¡°we haven¡¯t even started yet. please look forward to it!¡±


    the maid who put me on the dressing table took out a makeup brush with a graceful gesture.


    ¡°isn¡¯t it too much?¡±


    ¡°we¡¯re not even halfway there yet.¡±

 Chapter 112

    despite the fact that it seemed like a long time had passed, the brush strokes had no intention of stopping.


    ¡®i¡¯m tired.¡¯


    i swallowed a sigh that was about to escape. my coming-of-age ceremony hadn¡¯t even begun yet, and i was already exhausted.


    marina noticed my health was fast deteriorating and placed a piece of fruit in my mouth as my sugar levels dropped.


    she fed me, while the other maids did my makeup and hair. their hands came to a halt almost simultaneously after working tirelessly. when i opened my eyes to their slowly receding hands, i gazed in the mirror at myself and opened my mouth in a stupor.


    i thought their skills were great at the last banquet, but this time it was on a different level.


    could this be what they mean by putting your heart and soul into something?


    the corners of my haughty eyes were raised like that of a cat, and my tall nose and red lips contrasted well with my pale skin. it was a makeup that made good use of the strengths of rosetta.


    ¡°¡­like you guys said, i really think i look the prettiest today.¡±


    then, as if they had been waiting, they all started praising me with admiration.


    ¡°sure! our lady is the most beautiful!¡±


    ¡°there will be no one more beautiful than our lady today!¡±


    excessive praises, which i would normally have found distasteful, felt good today.


    ¡®with a face like this, i can¡¯t help but get compliments.¡¯


    while i was satisfied with my pretty face, the maid who brought in my dress led me. the purple dress, designed by a famous tailor, was put softly around my body. every time i moved, the jewels densely embedded in the dress sparkled.


    ¡°my lady, let¡¯s use these shoes.¡±


    what she presented was not the shoes that matched the dress, but a gift from sihael.


    ¡°it¡¯s not because we have a special interest in it, but the gift his highness gave you suits you better than the one we picked.¡±


    just as she said, the shoes sihael gave suited me better.


    ¡®did he perhaps plant people near me?¡¯


    it was a perfect pair with the dress to the point where i had a ridiculous suspicion.


    i put on my shoes and sat down at the dressing table again. finally, it was time to put on the hair ornament. when i was thinking about which ornament to use, someone knocked on the door.


    ¡°can i come in?¡±


    it was the duchess.


    surprised by the unexpected appearance, the maids quickly opened the door. the duchess came in and smiled softly at me.


    ¡°i want to do your hair. will it be okay with you?¡±


    her expression was bright, but i could glimpse a subtle anxiety behind it. she tried to approach her daughter, but was still afraid of being chased away.


    ¡°sure, mother.¡±


    relieved by my flawless smile, the duchess approached me with light steps. the quick-witted maids withdrew.


    ¡°i was afraid you might not like it.¡±


    ¡°my puberty phase is over.¡±


    turning rosetta¡¯s crazy wickedness into a temporary adolescent phase, i drew my lips together and smiled.  the duchess smiled when she saw the calm look on my face, unlike the past days when rosetta was rude and fierce with her.


    ¡°i wore it during my coming-of-age ceremony. i really wanted you to wear it when you grew up.¡±


    the duchess handed me the jewelry she took out from her bosom.


    ¡®¡­ it¡¯s so beautiful.¡¯


    the laurel-shaped ornament made of diamonds and pearls shimmered. it was a remarkable object because it was 20 or more years old, yet it didn¡¯t appear to be that ancient.


    ¡°would it be okay with you?¡±


    ¡°sure, i like it.¡±


    it was out of fashion and extremely simple, but it was more beautiful than any fancy accessories that filled the dressing table. the duchess, who held the jewelry firmly so that it would not fall off, gently hugged my shoulder.


    ¡°you look so pretty.¡±


    as i smiled happily with utmost sincerity, a smile graced her lips. i looked at myself and the duchess in the mirror.


    ¡®they look alike.¡¯


    i thought rosetta had taken her looks from the duke until now, but looking at the duchess this way, rosetta¡¯s nose and lips resembled hers. she also traced my face with her eyes to see if she was the only one feeling emotional.


    ¡°when you were little, you said you would live with this mother for the rest of your life. do you remember?¡±


    sadly no. i didn¡¯t have rosetta¡¯s childhood memories, so my head was as good as a blank slate. but i didn¡¯t want to disappoint her, so i nodded my head in affirmation.


    ¡°there were times like that.¡±


    ¡°you were like a chick only chasing after its mom, but you¡¯ve grown up so quickly now.¡±


    her eyes gleamed faintly, perhaps thinking of a young rosetta. she still regarded rosetta as a small baby, even though her body and mind had grown so much.


    ¡°are you going back after the coming-of-age ceremony?¡±


    maybe. it seemed to me that i could go back as soon as i could visit asilla and finish my business.


    silence meant affirmation. the duchess, who recognized my intentions even without saying anything, smiled a bit bitterly.


    ¡°do you resent me for leaving you there alone?¡±


    ¡°no, i don¡¯t care.¡±


    how could she take rosetta back to the capital when she kept making such a fuss? the only way to contain her unbridled foal was to lock her in a secluded place where it would not be harmed as much as possible.

 Chapter 113

    rosetta might not have liked it, but i liked the duchy quite a lot. i liked the secluded and quiet place rather than the capital where all sorts of incidents and accidents happen. but maybe my thoughts didn¡¯t reach her, the duchess kept trying to appease me as if she were making excuses.


    ¡°that day, you kept screaming that we were abandoning you, but in fact it was all to protect you.¡±


    ¡°¡­protect me?¡±


    from what? rosetta had a proud personality and a body as strong as steel.


    she was more suited to protecting someone rather than being protected. rosetta was the type of person who would survive even if she was thrown into the mountains. but what protection is she talking about? i blinked my eyes in wonder.


    the duchess, who was sitting on her knees in front of me, wrapped her arms around my wrist. her hand felt impatient yet desperate.


    ¡°that was the only way to keep you away from the eyes of the empress.¡±


    ¡°¡­huh?¡±


    the empress again? i forced myself to suppress a sneer that was about to burst out. i was so dumbfounded that i couldn¡¯t even say a word.


    the duchess¡¯ slender hands, which seemed unable to even break a branch, suddenly clenched around my wrist.


    it was an unexpected force.


    ¡°looking at the marriage talks going on between the 2nd prince and the young lady of the ludrick family, it seems like she has given up on you.¡±


    her face, which had always been kind and gentle, hardened.


    no way! it can¡¯t be. my back shivered at her words. i shook my head slowly, not wanting to hear anything that would come out of her mouth.


    ¡°the empress really liked you, rosetta.¡±


    my head felt dizzy as if i had been hit in the back of the head.


    *  *  *


    could it be because the boundaries of the duchy, which i believed would be safe, had been breached, and i had been repeatedly threatened by the empress?


    the duchess pulled my hand saying she would rather keep me by her side, so she told me to stay here. i couldn¡¯t give a definite answer to her desperate hold.


    my head was blank as if i had been hit in the back of the head.


    ¡°milady?¡±


    ¡°get out. i want to be alone.¡±


    interrupted by the maids who were hesitantly looking at me, i stared blankly into space.


    ¡®did she really say that the empress picked me to be the second prince¡¯s bride?¡¯


    i thought i would have lived a normal life if it wasn¡¯t for sihael, but now that i see it, even if it wasn¡¯t for him, i was destined to be unlucky. my forehead throbbed at the secret past that kept popping up.


    ¡°did she think of using me to make the katzel family to come to her side?¡±


    since we were the most powerful family in the empire, the empress must have wanted us to be on her side. but by then, the katzels had already extended their hand towards sihael¡­


    ¡®she probably wanted to use me to disperse the power going to sihael.¡¯


    i knew that she was greedy, but i never dreamed that she would even covet rosetta.


    ¡®is that why she glared at me?¡¯


    she looked at me disapprovingly, so of course i thought it was because of sihael. but now it seemed that she was also retaliating for rejecting her son.


    by the way, my parents must have been quite helpless for them to send rosetta to the duchy, but did she really give up?


    it had already been 6 years, and there were rumors that she was initiating marriage talks with a girl from another family, so it seems like she eventually gave up, but i couldn¡¯t believe it.


    because the empress i knew was someone who would do anything to get what she wanted.


    ¡®the reason why she abandoned rosetta in the original work was probably because it was more profitable that way.¡¯


    because it would be more advantageous for the empress to use her to depose sihael as crown prince rather than have rosetta as the prince¡¯s consort.


    ¡®however, it was all in vain.¡¯


    regardless of how much the empress plotted and schemed, the second prince had no desire to be crown prince.


    the empress had high expectations for her second son, but he was only a debauchee enjoying women, alcohol, and nightlife.


    second prince of the empire, eutis von idris.


    when i first saw him at a banquet not too long ago, he resembled sihael, but he had a different face. if sihael had brilliant silver hair, he had blonde hair and golden eyes that looked like melted gold.


    he was different from sihael in many ways.


    unlike sihael, who was tall and firm, he was weak and dainty as if he had never held a sword. but he was quite handsome since he was the son of the emperor and the empress.


    ¡®well, sihael is more handsome.¡¯


    after unconsciously comparing sihael with eutis, i rubbed the back of my neck in embarrassment.


    ¡°my lady, sir leonard has arrived.¡±


    i cleared my cluttered thoughts and got up. as i followed marina down the hallway, i saw leonard, who had come to escort me today. when i put my hand around his outstretched arm, leonard asked me as if he had been waiting.


    ¡°are you nervous?¡±


    ¡°no.¡±


    ¡°your expression is strange.¡±


    i put a lot of effort into managing my facial expressions, but i didn¡¯t know he would find out right away. i raised my hand and groped my cheek. i waited for a moment before asking leonard, who was walking in step with me.


    ¡°brother, is it true that the empress considered me for the position of prince consort?¡±


    ¡°where did you hear that?¡±


    ¡°from our mother.¡±


    as expected, leonard knew. if so, lanoa would also know. everyone in the family knew, but i was the only one who didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°so was that why you took me to the duchy? to hide from the empress?¡±


    ¡°yeah. you even destroyed all the furniture in the room saying you wouldn¡¯t go even if you died.¡±

 Chapter 114

    anyway, with rosetta¡¯s personality, i could clearly picture how crazy she must have been.


    ¡°his highness said that one of the monsters that invaded the duchy was looking for you.¡±


    so he heard about that too. lumiyan¡¯s mission was to retrieve and burn the chimera fragments. and the purpose of the monster whose head was cut off by sihael¡¯s hand was to find me.


    ¡°that means she hasn¡¯t given up on you yet.¡±


    ¡°why? what am i¡­¡±


    since i¡¯m now next to sihael, i wonder if it bothered her and made her want to kill me.


    ¡°if she had intended to kill you, she would have killed you miserably without anyone even knowing. because she has the power and the people to do so. she must have given the order to send a monster to kidnap you.¡±


    ¡°then what is she planning to do by kidnapping me?¡±


    ¡°that is the question. i don¡¯t think she¡¯ll make you the princess now when she and the rudricks are talking about marriage.¡±


    leonard clicked his tongue.


    ¡°she must have other plans.¡±


    leonard¡¯s face darkened as if he hadn¡¯t figured it out that far. he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of being overpowered by the empress.


    the chimera pieces they had been protecting had become useless. it was because sihael was not able to disclose it at the banquet because he had turned into a wolf, and in the end, he only spoke to the emperor personally. he thought it was a good opportunity to turn the tables on the empress, but things went wrong and the emperor felt sick to his stomach.


    ¡®no, let¡¯s stop thinking about it.¡¯


    on such a good day, there was no need to have gloomy thoughts. i shook my head lightly, shaking off a series of negative thoughts. i grinned at leonard, who looked at me curiously.


    ¡°let¡¯s stop talking about bad things, i¡¯m a real adult starting from today.¡±


    ¡°i know.¡±


    ¡°to celebrate becoming an adult, i¡¯m going to drink until i vomit at the after party.¡±


    ¡°don¡¯t go overboard. you don¡¯t know your drinking capacity.¡±


    ¡°i¡¯ll only know that when i try some.¡±


    when i confidently said that i would learn about my drinking capacity like that, leonard sighed, muttering something about not knowing where to start.


    ¡°lanoah, that bastard must have taught you strange things.¡±


    the blame was directed at lanoa, but who cared, he deserved it. i chuckled inwardly.


    ¡°i¡¯ll give you your gift after the coming-of-age ceremony.¡±


    ¡°brother, you prepared a present for me?¡±


    when was the last time i received a present from leonard, at least not in the last three years. when i looked back at him in surprise, a subtle redness appeared on his sullen face.


    ¡°oh my god¡­ brother, are you shy right now?¡±


    ¡°i don¡¯t know if you¡¯d like it, but yes, i prepared one.¡±


    ¡°please don¡¯t give me anything weird like lanoa.¡±


    my shoulders trembled as i remembered the gift lanoa had given me. when i muttered to myself that it would be better if he didn¡¯t give anything, leonard said casually.


    ¡°he has prepared something good this time.¡±


    ¡°never mind, i don¡¯t have much expectations from it.¡±


    he¡¯d probably give me another weird stuff. i followed leonard, saying let¡¯s go.


    ¡°wait a minute.¡±


    ¡°huh, why?¡±


    leonard, who stopped me on my way, pointed to my side. turning my head to follow his hand, i widened my eyes at the unexpected person.


    why is sihael here?


    sihael, who appeared from the family head¡¯s office, smiled at me. he was not lying when he said that he would become the most beautiful flower at the coming-of-age ceremony. a beautifully dressed sihael approached and held out his hand.


    ¡°rosetta, would you like to give me the honor of escorting you today?¡±


    sihael curved his eyes into half-moons and called my name in a languid voice. i stared blankly at him.


    ¡°i¡¯ll escort you today, my lady.¡±


    as if i was bewitched by his slowly folding eyes, i grabbed sihael¡¯s hand and came back to my senses at the warmth that wrapped around the back of my hand.


    ¡®another beauty trap¡­ !¡¯


    after being so vigilant, what is this natural atmosphere right now? no, it wasn¡¯t my fault that i fell over. the problem was the overly handsome sihael. he was usually an eye-catcher, but he was especially more so today.


    his bangs were neatly brushed over his forehead, his dark eyebrows and gently curved eyes, his sharp nose and the corners of his mouth that slid upward. as i was marveling sihael¡¯s features one after another, i realized that i was in a daze again and bit the soft flesh of my mouth.


    it wasn¡¯t too late even now. i tried to sneak my hand away, but sihael wouldn¡¯t let go.


    ¡°your highness, my hand.¡±


    ¡°thank you, i will serve you wholeheartedly. my lady.¡±


    sihael¡¯s lips rested on the back of my hand. i flinched at the tingling sensation in my fingers and waved my arms. seeing my twitching arm, sihael covered his mouth and let out a laugh.


    ¡°don¡¯t say a word!¡±


    ¡°no, i won¡¯t.¡±


    don¡¯t tease me until the end! i glared at sihael with a face red like a carrot.


    when i raised my eyes, i was surprised, but now i could feel the composure on his face as he looked at me, as if he had adapted perfectly.


    ¡°rosetta, what is my score out of 100 today?¡±


    ¡°two hundred out of a hundred. did you dress up like this because you didn¡¯t want to be scolded by me?¡±


    no matter how annoyed i was, i couldn¡¯t curse, so i gritted my teeth. it¡¯s a shame. if i really didn¡¯t like even one corner, i wouldn¡¯t look back.


    ¡°yeah, that too. i told you i¡¯d be the greatest gift. do you like it?¡±


    ¡°no, i¡¯m annoyed that you keep teasing me.¡±


    ¡°so, you mean you like it? thank god. i¡¯ll give you the rest of the presents in a little while. of course they¡¯re not better than me.¡±


    i lost, i lost. i didn¡¯t have the ability to overcome sihael, who reinterpreted any words as he pleased.

 Chapter 115

    ¡°your highness, did you forget that i am also here?¡±


    in the meantime, leonard, who was ignored, pursed his lips and looked at the two of us alternately.


    ¡°sorry, brother. let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°you should have left us on your own if you had any sense.¡±


    ¡°why are you kicking my brother out?¡±


    ¡°rosetta¡­¡±


    as i stood in front of leonard and defended him, his eyes stained with emotion fell on my face.


    don¡¯t think too much. it¡¯s because it¡¯s burdensome to be alone with sihael.


    sihael twisted the corners of his lips, perhaps offended by my attitude of taking leonard¡¯s side.


    ¡°leonard, are you going to stay like that?¡±


    ¡°you don¡¯t have to tell me to leave.¡±


    ¡°¡­are you going?¡±


    leonard pulled my hand from his arm.


    ¡®no!¡¯


    i clung to leonard¡¯s arm to keep him from running. i don¡¯t know about anyone else, but i knew that leonard would not abandon me.


    that¡¯s what i believed!


    ¡°rosetta. i¡¯ll go first.¡±


    ¡°brother? you¡¯re really leaving. how can you leave me like this!¡±


    leonard forcibly removed my hand and tapped my shoulder. what? what do you mean?! i reached out my hand toward his back as he walked away, but sihael grabbed me by the chin. when i turned my head to face him, sihael smiled and took my hand.


    ¡°then, my lady, shall we go?¡±


    i couldn¡¯t say no. while i was in a daze, i had already stepped into the banquet hall. i was already drawing attention because i was the main character, but when i showed up with sihael, the banquet hall became agitated.


    ¡°his highness the crown prince is escorting¡­¡±


    ¡°i think the rumors are true.¡±


    ¡°the presents his highness sent to the duke¡¯s residence yesterday¡­¡±


    look, lowering your voice doesn¡¯t mean i can¡¯t hear you, okay?


    i pulled sihael to a corner away from the noisy crowd. sihael, who was obediently taken by my hand, seemed to be quite satisfied with this situation, and a deep satisfaction appeared on his face.


    ¡°what happened? what did you do without me?¡±


    there¡¯s no way that leonard abandoned me for no reason. it was clear he had a reason.


    ¡°leonard asked for you.¡±


    ¡°you asked for it?¡±


    ¡°the empress is not serious, so i ask you to become a knight for one day.¡±


    no matter how it is, i knew for sure what rumors would spread if i went out with sihael!


    i scanned the banquet hall while being wary of my surroundings.


    ¡®the empress¡­ isn¡¯t it?¡¯


    out of courtesy, i couldn¡¯t have refused to invite her, so she didn¡¯t come. i was glad if that was the case.


    ¡®still, i¡¯ll have to check until the end.¡¯


    the last time i glanced at the entrance, a person caught my eye.


    ¡®liliana! you came!¡¯


    as i stared at her gladly, liliana turned her head, perhaps sensing my gaze.  when she shyly waved her hand, i waved back at her.


    ¡®cute.¡¯


    i was smiling brightly at liliana¡¯s flushed cheeks when a ragged voice sounded in her ear.


    ¡°is it her again? how did she come here?¡±


    ¡°¡­!¡±


    surprised by his face at a close distance, my cheeks grazed against his, i drew in a breath.


    ¡°i thought i could have you alone today.¡±


    i tried to calm my beating heart and pushed away sihael¡¯s face. it was so natural that i forgot about it for a moment. that sihael is the next person to watch after the empress.


    taking a step back from him, i took a defensive stance.


    ¡°i called her. we decided to be friends before.¡±


    ¡°hmm, okay? i mean friends.¡±


    i swallowed nervously when i saw sihael muttering the same thing. that was a premonition right before he started talking nonsense.


    ¡°rosetta, do you like her because she¡¯s pretty?¡±


    ¡°do you think that i like all pretty things?¡±


    wait, do you think liliana is pretty?


    ¡°his highness, isn¡¯t she pretty to look at?¡±


    ¡°no, she¡¯s not pretty at all.¡±


    oh, she¡¯s pretty. in less than a minute, i frowned at the changed words. as much as i stepped back, sihael, who had shortened the distance, whispered softly in my ear.


    ¡°i am the prettiest.¡±


    i shrugged my shoulders at the hot wind that touched my ears, but i nodded tremblingly at the words that followed.


    ¡°ah, yes¡­¡±


    yes, you are pretty. embarrassed by his unexpected words, i chewed on his words without even thinking about extending my distance from him.


    ¡®i¡¯m sure this is true, but why do i feel defeated?¡¯


    don¡¯t they usually say you¡¯re prettier at times like this?


    if i had heard that i was pretty from sihael, that would have been a problem, but not being able to hear that, even with empty words, created a strange sense of defeat.


    ¡®why am i still disappointed and upset¡­¡¯


    it seems that he has been assimilated to sihael, who pushes him like a bulldozer. the moment i calmed down my shaking heart, my body was pulled back.


    ¡°good enough, too close.¡±


    lanoa, who hid me behind his back, gritted his teeth. lanoa frowned at sihael¡¯s conquest.


    ¡°the clothes are too much.¡±


    he stuck out his tongue, saying that anyone who saw him would think that he had come to marry.


    ¡°i thought rosetta would be satisfied with something like this.¡±

 Chapter 116

    ¡°don¡¯t make excuses using me.¡±


    then sihael acted like it was unfair, saying he did his best to dress himself because he didn¡¯t know how i¡¯d feel.


    you¡¯re making me laugh. it was his choice to dress up nicely, not mine. i didn¡¯t even tell him to do anything like this.


    ¡°anyway, you¡¯ve shown her enough, so rosetta let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°yeah. i¡¯m going to hang out with lanoa now.¡±


    i agreed with lanoa¡¯s words and joined him. this much was enough for our superficial relationship.


    from yesterday¡¯s gift to the moment we entered the hall together. it was time to step back because we had thrown enough fodder for people to gossip about.


    ¡®and if the rumors are excessively inflated, it¡¯s sihael who will be in trouble.¡¯


    my goal was to remove the empress from sihael¡¯s side, but these actions could put him in a position to be used by me.


    ¡®what if the rumors go wrong and his road to marriage gets blocked?¡¯


    i moved along with lanoa to the seat of honor. however, it wasn¡¯t long before sihael grabbed my arm. he called someone in a low voice.


    ¡°hissen.¡±


    the man who appeared from behind sihael held out a box to lanoa. the man was actually the attendant who had dragged the carriage to our mansion yesterday. when i saw the box in hissen¡¯s hand, an unknown anxiety gripped my fingers.


    ¡°take it.¡±


    ¡°is it a bribe again?¡±


    lanoa¡¯s face collapsed in an instant when he opened the box with a determined face, saying he would never fall for it this time. i closed my eyes tightly when i saw his smile reach to his eara.


    no wonder i had a bad hunch.


    ¡°if you thought i would fall for this kind of bribe, you thought it correctly. have a good time with rosetta.¡±


    so i was sold for a bottle of wine again.


    * * *


    the coming-of-age ceremony went smoothly. the event for congratulatory speeches was dull and boring. however, since the elders knew about my horrid personality, the ceremony was shortened, and it became the shortest coming-of-age ceremony in history.


    the guests seemed a little taken aback by the coming-of-age ceremony, which ended quickly, but were delighted with the short and concise speech. all that was left was to enjoy the rest of the banquet with the guests.


    ¡°young lady, congratulations.¡±


    everywhere i went, people would congratulate me whenever they saw me.


    ¡°by the way, what¡¯s your relationship with the crown prince?¡±


    then, they would glance at sihael, who stood firm by my side, and asked what our relationship was.


    ¡®what kind of relationship is it, friends?  it¡¯s a bit subtle though.¡¯


    i swallowed the words that filled my throat. i just pretended not to know keeping only a faint smile. then, having misunderstood my reaction, they blushed and withdrew on their own.


    but that was only possible when sihael was by my side. the people who had been quietly asking about my relationship with sihael turned open when he was away for a while due to the duke¡¯s call.


    ¡°are you engaged?¡±


    ¡°huh?¡±


    ¡°when are you planning to hold the ceremony?¡±


    ¡°ah, haha. i¡¯m not sure.¡±


    i pretended not to know, but the elders did not back down.


    ¡°the sooner you get married, the sooner-¡±


    ¡°my father is calling me. excuse me first.¡±


    the questions kept flowing like flowing water, and i ended up running away at the talks of my engagement.


    my god, an engagement!


    it was already embarrassing that they were asking if we were lovers, but the progress of the elders was too fast. i quickly took refuge in the garden and hid myself deeply away from the people. sitting on a bench, i looked at the sky where the sunset was slowly setting.


    ¡°why on earth did they come up with such a plan?¡±


    i didn¡¯t know what my parents and older brothers were thinking. no matter how much they tried to get rid of the empress, we were using sihael. i don¡¯t think it¡¯s a very good choice, but everyone except me seemed satisfied.


    even sihael.


    ¡®what¡¯s so good about being taken advantage of?¡¯


    rather than being offended, sihael was actually enjoying it. for whatever reason, he was overly enthusiastic. as a result, i felt like i was the only one going crazy.


    i was already preoccupied with not allowing sihael get too close, paying heed to the eyes of those around us, and interacting with all the customers. but sometimes, when sihael looked at me with a heated look, i just wanted to quit and run away.


    ¡°i¡¯m in trouble.¡±


    there was no way i wouldn¡¯t know if he kept expressing his feelings like that.


    i thought it was a joke at first. he was pretty mischievous even when he was a wolf. i thought he was just teasing me. however, what happened in the cave could not be dismissed as a joke.


    ¡®when did he start feeling that way?¡¯


    i didn¡¯t know exactly when, but it was clear that any chance of having liliana and sihael together had been smashed because of me. when i told them to give away the original work, they really gave it away.


    ¡®even if sihael is mischievous, he¡¯s not someone who plays with people¡¯s hearts.¡¯


    i didn¡¯t know how long these feelings would last, but it seemed certain that it was directed at me now. i pressed my eyes dry with fatigue.


    ¡®i feel distraught!¡¯


    during the day, i told leonard that i would drink until i vomited as a joke, but now i really wanted to drink to oblivion. i stared at the sky in a daze and listened to the voices i heard. judging by the voices, it was a male and female pair. if so, they probably came to the garden for private time.

 Chapter 117

    ¡°it¡¯d be embarrassing if i encountered some passionate love here.¡±


    i stood up before i could face an embarrassing situation. i had shown my face enough at the ceremony, so i thought of going back to my room secretly.


    only if it weren¡¯t for the voices i heard nearby¡­


    ¡°hey, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°¡­it¡¯s liliana manu.¡±


    what? liliana?


    ¡°wouldn¡¯t you ask for my name?¡±


    ¡°i know.¡±


    her voice was subdued, as if she was in a difficult situation, caught by some higher nobles.


    ¡°shit, that¡¯s not good.¡±


    i didn¡¯t know who the other guy was, but liliana was a commoner. most of today¡¯s invitees were nobles, so it won¡¯t be easy for her to shake those guys off herself. in the event of a dangerous situation, she could use magic to get out of it, but with that kind of flirtation, she won¡¯t be able to attack recklessly. i wanted to go help her right away, but there was a problem.


    ¡°where the hell are you?¡±


    still unable to memorize the garden structure, i scratched my forehead in embarrassment.


    ¡°liliana? you have a pretty name. can i call you lily?¡±


    it¡¯s not like this guy has flirted with a woman once or twice. listening to the friendly voice, i roughly found the direction and went straight ahead.


    ¡°i would appreciate it if you could call me miss manu.¡±


    as expected of liliana, she was like an iron wall that did not leave even an inch of gap.


    ¡°yes, miss manu. come with me if you have time.¡±


    ¡°sorry. there¡¯s someone i need to find, so i¡¯ll just leave.¡±


    hmmm, i guess i can leave it as it is. focusing on the conversation i heard nearby, i stopped my busy feet. if the man wasn¡¯t a clingy person, it seemed like it would end here.


    ¡°please let go.¡±


    no, he¡¯s a clingy bastard.


    i rushed in the direction where the last voice was heard, even if it was a flower garden.


    dig!


    i appeared after destroying a sunflower that was as tall as me and smiled at liliana in front of her.


    ¡°i¡¯ve been looking for you for a while.¡±


    ¡°lady katzel?¡±


    liliana blinked with a puzzled face, surprised to see me suddenly popping out of the flowers.


    ¡°well, my lady, your hair¡­¡±


    ¡°oh, this? never mind. i¡¯m going to go in soon anyway.¡±


    roughly shaking off the leaves on my head, i stood in front of liliana. i wondered who kept flirting with my dear liliana, but the person seemed familiar.


    it was the second prince, eutis von idris.


    ¡®this is a little difficult.¡¯


    i didn¡¯t know that the most difficult person to encounter was here.


    ¡°greetings, prince eutis.¡±


    ¡°hello, lady katzel.¡±


    eutis smiled at me as if it was his habit to flirt whenever he saw a woman. i looked at the figure with an emotionless expression. it was clear that sihael had raised my threshold for beauty as i was not at all impressed by the handsome man¡¯s smile.


    ¡°do you have any business with lilliana?¡±


    ¡°i want to be friends with the lady.¡±


    no one could even dream that he was a playboy just by looking at that figure.  unlike sihael, who had a cold impression, his flirtatious appearance was what people would like.


    ¡°you seem to be on good terms with my brother.¡±


    ¡°we¡¯re pretty close.¡±


    ¡°how close?¡±


    ¡°i am ashamed to say it myself.¡±


    ¡°i see,¡± eutis mumbled, his face bitter, as i responded with a glance that showed no sign of being ashamed. i quickly dismissed the impression that he had a gleam in his eyes. but it was a fleeting moment. eutis smiled again and approached me.


    ¡°would you like to be friends with me too?¡±


    eutis¡¯ hand brushed my cheek.  reflectively clutching my fist, i closed my mouth tightly as his hand dropped.


    ¡°there was dust.¡±


    eutis shrugged his shoulders after blowing wind on his fingers.


    what dust? there was nothing.


    he obviously did it deliberately.


    to my annoyance, looking at that sly attitude strangely reminded me of sihael. they were not only similar in appearance but even their way of teasing was similar.


    ¡°oh, here, too.¡±


    there¡¯s no second time. this womanizer.


    i grabbed his hand that reached out to touch my ear and broke it. eutis, whose arm was suddenly bent behind his back, screamed.


    ¡°argh! it hurts! it hurts!¡±


    ¡°oh, i¡¯m sorry. i thought you were attacking me because you suddenly reached out.¡±


    ¡°since you know i wasn¡¯t, let go of me!¡±


    ¡°okay, i¡¯ll let you go, but¡­ your highness, you are very soft.¡±


    can you even act like a man? when i murmured that, eutis, who was in tears, let out a groan.


    ¡°hey, do you even know how good i am in bed?! i¡¯m no joke at night!¡±


    ¡°i¡¯m not interested.¡±


    whether you do well at night or day, i don¡¯t care. eutis struggled as he muttered carelessly.


    ¡°let go! let go! how dare you do this to me, a prince? do you think you¡¯ll be safe?¡±


    ¡°uhm, i survived even after doing worse things to his highness the crown prince.¡±


    if sihael had heard that, he would have snorted. when he was shasha, he was beaten up by me alot. even after he became a human, he was often hit with a pillow.


    compared to that time, i was handling eutis delicately like glass, but i was very  harsh.


    ¡°shouldn¡¯t you let him go, my lady?¡±


    liliana grabbed my arm, worried that something might happen. giving in to her worried eyes, i let go of the strength. then eutis, who had closed his mouth, grabbed his wrist and bent down. when i looked closely, there were tears hanging on the corners of his eyes.


    ¡®how weak.¡¯


    there was no way a guy like him could act as the crown prince in place of sihael.


    and he¡¯s the guy who could have been my husband.

 Chapter 118

    it hurt my pride.


    when i looked down at eutis with a condescending look, he choked up, and screamed.


    ¡°you!¡±


    ¡°what?¡±


    when i turned to the familiar voice, i saw sihael, standing with his head tilted a little.


    ¡°bro, brother.¡±


    ¡°you, what. tell me.¡±


    seeing the sweat on his forehead, he must have been looking for me. eutis shuddered and looked away from his eyes, perhaps because he was afraid of sihael.


    but after a brief moment, the scared eutis pushed his reddened wrist in front of him.


    ¡°that woman made my wrist like this! look!¡±


    ¡°hmm, that looks serious.¡±


    ¡°right?!¡±


    contrary to the word ¡°serious,¡± sihael, who was looking at eutis¡¯ wrist with emotionless eyes, reached out his hand. and he took hold of his wrist,


    crack.


    he twisted it.


    ¡°aargh!¡±


    ¡°well, i got it right again. now are you satisfied now, brother?¡±


    ¡°ah, uh. it hurts so bad. are you being so harsh with me because i touched your woman? that¡¯s too much, brother!¡±


    eutis, with tears dripping from the corners of his eyes, gave off a weird pitiful glow.


    was eutis originally such a character?


    ¡®he¡¯s such a crybaby. he really whines a lot.¡¯


    unable to see a grown man holding on to sihael and whining, i pushed sihael aside. then, sihael was meekly pushed away. seeing this, eutis forgot what he was screaming and blinked blankly. it seemed that he was very surprised to see the scary sihael behaving calmly.


    so what? you will be more surprised from now on.


    ¡°you know what, prince?  i was quite famous in the duchy of katzel.¡±


    approaching eutis, i murmured in an eerie voice that was quiet enough to be heard.


    ¡°they called me a mad dog that won¡¯t let go once it bites.¡±


    eutis shook his shoulders, startled.  his golden eyes resembling sihael lost their gleam and trembled, probably remembering what happened to him earlier.


    ¡°so in the duchy, everyone who saw me was busy hiding. if you were bitten by me, you had to break something to get out.¡±


    ¡°bro-brother, is this woman out of her mind?¡±


    eutis, frightened by the continuous threatening words, hid behind sihael using him as a shield.


    but there was one thing eutis overlooked.


    that sihael was on my side.


    sihael grabbed eutis by the collar and dragged him in front of me. i smiled at eutis, who was sweating coldly.


    ¡°next time, don¡¯t play with your hands carelessly. understood?¡±


    ¡°ugh.¡±


    i lightly patted eutis on the shoulder and turned my back. i then held liliana¡¯s arm in one hand and sihael¡¯s arm in the other.


    eutis shouted from behind.


    ¡°hey!  next time we meet, i won¡¯t leave you alone!¡±


    people who say such words usually never act on their words. ignoring eutis¡¯s words completely, i left the garden leisurely.


    ¡°he¡¯s a prince, will it be okay?¡±


    ¡°i know. i should have knocked him out by hitting the back of his neck instead of bending his hand. then he wouldn¡¯t have seen my face.¡±


    but strangely, i wasn¡¯t worried.


    was it because eutis was like a child, unlike what i thought, or was it because i had someone strong like sihael behind my back?


    maybe it was both.


    ¡°there¡¯s nothing to worry about. even if he looks like that, he¡¯s a pretty smart guy, so he won¡¯t wage a losing fight.¡±


    ¡°you know him very well. seeing you earlier, you two seemed quite close. are you both close?¡±


    ¡°what do you mean close?¡±


    sihael, who snorted, shook his head, as if he remembered the image of his pitiful younger brother. i didn¡¯t know what sihael thought of him, but eutis seemed to like him a lot.


    ¡°rosetta.¡±


    ¡°what?¡±


    i struck my hand reflexively, surprised by the sudden touch on my cheek. when i turned my head, i saw sihael¡¯s hand floating in the air. sihael, who opened his eyes wide, quickly apologized.


    ¡°sorry. were you surprised?¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s alright. but why the cheek¡­?¡±


    ¡°to disinfect. that idiot touched your cheek.¡±


    sihael stretched out his hand once again and gently rubbed my cheek.  i was about to get rid of that hand, but when i saw sihael¡¯s rugged face, i lowered my hand.


    ¡®okay. i lost, i lost.¡¯


    i might give in once this time.


    ¡°now is it done?¡±


    ¡°not yet.¡±


    the touches that i thought would end after rubbing once didn¡¯t stop until my cheeks turned red.


    ¡°your highness, my cheeks are going to become swollen.¡±


    ¡°i think you¡¯ll look cute even with a swollen face.¡±


    somehow, the body temperature of sihael, who persistently stroked my cheek, was not bad.


    ¡°if you like it so much, you can press your own cheek.¡±


    i managed to push away the mischievous sihael¡¯s hand and accelerated my steps to avoid being caught by him. it was just when we arrived at the entrance to the garden.


    a thought struck me and i looked at liliana.


    ¡°ah, liliana. didn¡¯t you say you were looking for someone?¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s all right now. she came looking for me like a prince.¡±


    ¡°could it be me?¡±


    as i pointed her finger at me, liliana nodded her head in response.


    ¡°why me?¡±


    ¡°my lady, congratulations on becoming an adult. i have been looking for you to tell you this.¡±


    seeing her eyes folded like crescent moons, i touched my tickling fingertips. the fact that she came to the garden just to say congratulations was so cute  that it tickled my heart. my first same-sex friend was such a sweet person. i was obviously one lucky woman.


    ¡°thank you so much for congratulating me. i¡¯m happy.¡±


    liliana kept touching her cheek as if she was embarrassed by my fixed gaze. with a shy smile, she put a small bag in my hand.


    ¡°this is a small gift.¡±


    ¡°have you prepared a present?¡±


    i had already received too much. half happy and half sorry, i opened the bag and opened my mouth wide.


    ¡®hey, how many scrolls are there?¡¯

 Chapter 119

    i covered my mouth as i thought curses would come out. what surprised me wasn¡¯t the amount of scrolls that filled the bag, but the fact that everything here was made by liliana herself.


    ¡®how is this a small present? if i sell all of this, i can buy a house!¡¯


    it was an amount on a completely different level from the scrolls i received from kariya as pocket money.


    ¡°liliana¡­¡±


    ¡°i prepared it because you like scrolls.  do you like it?¡±


    ¡°yeah, really, totally. i love it.¡±


    i forgot all dignity and started jumping up and down in joy. liliana, who was looking at me with satisfaction, immediately put something in my hand.


    ¡°please take this too.¡±


    ¡°what¡¯s this?¡±


    when i opened my hand, a transparent bead rolled around my palm.


    ¡°if something dangerous happens, break it. i¡¯ll find you.¡±


    ¡°liliana¡­¡­.¡±


    i hugged liliana, unable to control my soaring emotions. where did such an angel come from? i really liked liliana as the female lead and as a human.


    ¡°liliana, thank you so much. let¡¯s be friends for life.¡±


    liliana, who was at a loss for what to do with my violent reaction, soon put her hand on my back. that¡¯s how we embraced each other and were soaked in emotion. however, there was an intruder who didn¡¯t like the relationship between the two of us.


    ¡°get off her now.¡±


    it was sihael.


    sihael, who forcibly separated liliana and me, stood in front of me with arms crossed. he seemed worried that i might run to liliana again.


    ¡°as if that little snake bastard was not enough, now do i have to look out for this woman?¡±


    ¡°wha- what! please, your highness, your words.¡±


    i didn¡¯t know what else he was going to say, so i covered his lips. if anyone heard that, they¡¯d believe i was seducing lilliana.


    it was just a friend hugging another friend, did he have to go this far?


    sihael murmured while i glared at him, as if he had a lot to say.  then his lips kept pressing against my palm, stimulating my nerves.the tingling feeling on my palms slowly gave me goosebumps.


    ¡°uh. all right. i lost.¡±


    eventually, i couldn¡¯t stand it and removed my hands. sihael said with a sullen face, ¡°ask her about that thing on your wrist.¡±


    recalling the existence of the tattoo i had completely forgotten about, i undid the ribbon covering my wrist and showed the tattoo to liliana.


    ¡°liliana, can you guess what this is?¡±


    liliana¡¯s brow furrowed as she carefully grabbed my wrist. she tilted her head, as if she didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°this is ancient magic¡­ i don¡¯t know much about it as this is not my field. i¡¯m sorry.¡±


    liliana¡¯s shoulders drooped sullenly, as if she was sorry for not being of help.  i patted her drooping shoulder in a hurry.


    ¡°no, it¡¯s all right.¡±


    after nanabi, liliana didn¡¯t know much about it either.  how old was this magic?


    ¡°miss kariya would know about it.  unfortunately, she had some work today so she couldn¡¯t come to your party.¡±


    ¡°she must be very busy.¡±


    ¡°yes, recently, there was an incident where monsters came down to human settlements and attacked people, so she is busy dealing with that.¡±


    as was the case at the last banquet, i heard that the number of monsters in the capital had increased significantly.


    ¡°i will tell miss kariya about the tattoo.  please visit the mage tower when you have time.¡±


    ¡°i¡¯d appreciate it if you would.¡±


    in fact, finding about the tattoo was not so urgent. the guardian god gave it to me as a gift, so it couldn¡¯t hurt me, but i was just curious about its usefulness.


    ¡°rosetta, do you know the lord of the mage tower?¡±


    sihael, who had been silently listening to the conversation, frowned and asked.


    ¡°i met her at the last banquet.¡±


    ¡°don¡¯t get too close with her. the lord of the mage tower doesn¡¯t seem normal.¡±


    ¡®look who¡¯s speaking of being normal.¡¯


    although miss kariya liked to drink a lot, and said mysterious things, it was sihael, who was the most unusual here right now.


    ¡°be careful, she¡¯s a real mad woman.¡±


    i don¡¯t think she¡¯s that bad.


    when sihael grabbed and warned me, i was a little taken aback.  then, liliana raised her eyes and glared at sihael.


    ¡°miss kariya is a bit of a nerd, and although she is reckless, she is quite a normal person. you don¡¯t know anything about her, yet you¡¯re talking too much.¡±


    ¡°how can i not know her, i¡¯ve been seeing her since i was young.¡±


    before liliana¡¯s words were over, sihael responded. he hated the many things kariya had done to him and spat out curse words.


    ¡°have you ever been beaten by that woman?¡±


    ¡°¡­ did your highness also get beaten by her?¡±


    contrary to their cute tone, the two people¡¯s complexions darkened in an instant.


    ¡°do you still want to take her side after suffering that?¡±


    ¡°well, she¡¯s the one who raised me, so how can i curse her!¡±


    the two of them had a long conversation, and their eyes looking at each other seemed to have felt a sense of kinship.


    ¡®it¡¯s amazing, i didn¡¯t even dream of pushing them to be close like that.¡¯


    it felt strange seeing the two of them rapidly become close as they now had something in common (miss kariya). i was glad to see that they had become close as i expected, but the fact that they had finally reached here after so much problems made me feel uncomfortable.


    after all, it would have been possible without me.


    looking at the two people who looked happy, i slowly turned my body.

 Chapter 120

    ¡®because the real fate is this way, sihael¡¯s heart will turn around eventually, right?¡¯


    there is no such thing as forever.  emotions are fickle, and they change easily with the slightest stimulation.


    moreover, i could not conclude that sihael¡¯s feelings toward me were of love.


    because the feelings of ¡®like¡¯ and ¡®love¡¯ are completely different.


    maybe his feelings toward me were that of ¡®like¡¯.


    until now, i was the only one next to sihael, but if he got close to liliana like this, the story would definitely be different.


    then, at that time¡­


    ¡°you don¡¯t look good. are you uncomfortable?¡±


    i bit my cheeks at sihael¡¯s worried eyes. the feelings hidden deep in my heart, which i didn¡¯t want to admit, rose at his one glance. i felt a strange relief that sihael¡¯s gaze reached me straight away, and an ugly sense of superiority that i still had an edge over lilliana.


    ¡®don¡¯t feel superior over something like this.¡¯


    i turned my head to the side to avoid sihael¡¯s hand.


    ¡°i guess it¡¯s just because i¡¯m tired.¡±


    ¡°then maybe i can use some recovery magic.¡±


    ¡°no, you can go and rest.¡±


    avoiding even liliana¡¯s hand, i took the lead. i just wanted to get in and rest.  i felt like i would have ugly thoughts if i stayed there. perhaps because of my cold and sullen face, the two people who were lost in memories closed their mouths.


    ¡®what am i doing right now?¡¯


    after trampling on the opportunity for the two of them to become friends, i closed my eyes tightly. misunderstanding my look, the two of them busily moved their feet on either of my side. since i kept walking faster, we arrived at the entrance of the banquet hall in the blink of an eye. it was just when i was walking up the stairs with a mentally exhausted body,


    ¡°let¡¯s talk for a minute.¡±


    sihael grabbed liliana. as i was climbing the stairs one step ahead of them, i looked back at the two in surprise.


    sihael called liliana first? no matter how close they became, how could they become close this quickly? liliana, too, looked up at sihael with her eyes wide open, as if surprised.


    ¡°me?¡±


    ¡°yes, you.¡±


    sihael belatedly turned to me after beckoning liliana to come towards him, whose eyes were wide open.


    ¡°rosetta, go first.¡±


    so, are you going to talk just the two of you?


    naturally, i thought i would also be included, but i stopped breathing in shock. as i hurriedly lowered my wandering eyes, i swallowed nervously and opened my mouth.


    ¡°me too,¡±


    ¡°no, i have something to talk about with her.¡±


    i was rejected by sihael. when i realized that fact, my head throbbed. till now, i implicitly believed that there was no way that sihael would reject me or push me away.


    ¡®what am i saying?¡¯


    just because he called you his owner, did you really think you were his owner?


    my throat stung when i forced myself to swallow back a groan. a chill ran down my throat and reached my heart. now that their relationship had developed as i wanted, here i was being upset for no reason. i was truly hopeless.


    rosetta, there would be more and more days when you¡¯d feel left out like now, so what would you do?


    having bitten my tongue enough to wake up, i forcibly pulled up the corners of my stiff lips.


    ¡°¡­ yes. then liliana, see you later.¡±


    ¡°yes, my lady. please take a good rest.¡±


    i moved on with my back against the two of them. i pressed my throbbing eyes as i walked as fast as i could to run away.


    thank god, i can walk with my back against them.


    at least i can hide my face.


    * * *


    why is she looking like that?


    in an instant, sihael narrowed his eyes as he saw rosetta turning around with a crumpled expression. it may be an illusion, but rosetta seemed sad. that¡¯s right, she did indeed seem sad. he thought she would actively push them forward with shining eyes. but it was an unexpected reaction.


    ¡®by the way, why does rosetta fuss about wanting me to get along with this person?¡¯


    sihael frowned as he watched liliana stare at him with a crooked stance.


    he wasn¡¯t going to say it, but liliana kept acting innocent, unlike rosetta.


    ¡°so what is your business?¡±


    ¡°what is the case when sexual desire precedes appetite?¡±


    ¡°¡­no way.¡±


    liliana, well-informed in this respect, noticed what sihael was saying at once and wrinkled her face.  likewise, sihael¡¯s face also distorted at the gaze of liliana, who saw him as shameless.


    ¡®i can¡¯t call rosetta when i¡¯m talking about this.¡¯


    how could i tell her that smelling her blood makes me lust for her?


    if rosetta despises him like trash¡­ just thinking about it was terrifying.


    ¡°if you can¡¯t even control your sexual desire, you are not a human but a beast.¡±


    ¡°you really have no manners. look who¡¯s calling a beast.¡±


    if it weren¡¯t for rosetta, he would have cleaned her up long ago. whether or not she knew that rosetta was looking out for her future, liliana always stuck with her cocky attitude. but that was short-lived as liliana straightened her back and poured out questions with a serious face.


    ¡°how is it when you are a wolf?¡±


    ¡°i just have an appetite.¡±

 Chapter 121

    come to think of it, he never felt sexual desire when he was a wolf. he only wanted to eat. he felt nothing but appetite.


    ¡°and when you are human?¡±


    ¡°both sexual desire and appetite.¡±


    ¡°which one of them do you feel most provocative?¡±


    ¡°when i¡¯m a human.¡±


    sihael, who was answering liliana¡¯s questions one by one, released his arms from impatience and brushed her off. lilliana rarely offered an answer.


    ¡°um¡­¡±


    i have to go see rosetta quickly, but why is it taking so long?


    ¡°so what is the conclusion?¡±


    ¡°i ask you one last time. the imprint your highness has made with the lady is a mental imprint. right?¡±


    ¡°yes.¡±


    ¡°then it is because of it. since this place was imprinted first, the body is naturally drawn to it.¡±


    liliana tapped first on the head and then on the chest.


    ¡°come on, i told you that to lift the curse perfectly, you have to perfectly clinch the knot between you again and again.¡±


    ¡°to clinch it¡­¡±


    ¡°of course, it¡¯s not just that, it¡¯s a symptom that appears complexly due to the aphrodisiac ingredient in the lady¡¯s blood and the half imprint intertwined.¡±


    monsters, rare blood, and imprints.


    liliana, who had been aware of these three things since she was young, found the answer that sihael wanted at once.


    ¡°don¡¯t rush into it, though. if you do something wrong, you¡¯ll get addicted. so be careful.¡±


    ¡°i think it¡¯s already too late.¡±


    ¡®your highness, you are already addicted.¡¯


    nanabi¡¯s grim voice while looking at the test paper, seemed to be echoing in his ears.


    ¡°i¡¯m already addicted.¡±


    sihael replied casually. however, the content was nothing short of a time bomb. liliana blinked for a moment, unable to take his words properly.


    so, did you say you¡¯re addicted now?


    liliana, who had come to her senses belatedly, stuttered her words.


    ¡°wait, wait, but how are you sane?¡±


    ¡°that¡¯s what i want to ask, why am i still sane?¡±


    liliana couldn¡¯t say anything to sihael, who leaned against a wall and waited for her answer. as far as she knew, when one was addicted to rare blood, they could not find their reason until they resolved their desire. so when one gets addicted, there¡¯s only destruction after that.


    whether it¡¯s a demon or a monster, nine out of ten times, the dominating feeling is of appetite. so, it was the bottom line that everyone with rare blood would be eaten.


    she knew that best because she had witnessed the scene herself.


    but being addicted and staying sane?


    thump thump thump. the heart that discovered a new possibility burned with research fever. liliana involuntarily strode toward sihael and grabbed his arm.


    ¡°what happened recently?¡±


    ¡°do not touch me. only rosetta can touch me.¡±


    liliana wrinkled her face. rosetta sometimes covered his mouth when he talked nonsense, so she thought she could understand how she felt now.


    sihael, who shook off lilliana¡¯s hand, stepped back as much as she approached him.


    ¡®luckily rosetta didn¡¯t see her.¡¯


    sihael, who confirmed that nothing happened while he was absentmindedly  talking to the woman, breathed out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°keep your distance. it¡¯s troublesome if rosetta misunderstands.¡±


    ¡°i don¡¯t like you either. tell me quickly what happened.¡±


    ¡°i was seriously injured while i was a wolf, and rosetta poured her own blood into my mouth to heal me.¡±


    my lady! i told you to be careful!


    liliana let out a frustrated shriek at rosetta¡¯s reckless action.


    this time, sihael felt the same way as liliana. why did you make such a risky choice?


    ¡®eat! eat!¡¯


    recalling the situation at the time when rosetta opened his mouth and shoved her hand into it, sihael let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°my last memory was of chewing on rosetta¡¯s arm, and when i came to my senses, i was a human. that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°i don¡¯t quite understand, but how did you two come back intact?¡±


    no matter how you look at it, the lady isn¡¯t dead?  liliana narrowed her eyes at a thought passing quickly.


    even if he loses his reason, is his self-control affected by his determination to protect rosetta?


    or did rosetta use the scroll to protect herself?


    liliana came up with numerous hypotheses, but the answer that came to her mind was to destroy them all.


    ¡°i was beaten.¡±


    ¡°¡­ yes?¡±


    ¡°i was beaten. i was beaten until i passed out.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°and when i came back to my senses, i returned to being a human.¡±


    she really kept her promise to beat him up if he ran out of control.


    unlike sihael, who smiled proudly, she spat out, ¡°what¡­¡±


    liliana grabbed her head in confusion. is this conceptually possible? did she really solve it by force?


    ¡°that¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°you¡¯ve always seen rosetta as some delicate glass work, but she¡¯s stronger than me.¡±


    sihael smiled and shook his fist lightly.


    ¡°rosetta is the woman who tamed me, a wolf, into her fist. she even put me on a leash and raised me like a puppy.¡±


    ¡®ah, fist¡­ i mean fist¡­.¡¯


    overloaded with all the new information, liliana gave up her thoughts.


    * * *


    in the end, this is what happened. even though i knew, i still felt bad. it was how it should have been all this time, but i felt like an idiot for becoming too sentimental.


    when i saw sihael and lilliana together, i muttered, ¡°that¡¯s how it should have originally been.¡±


    ¡°what should have been?¡±


    ¡°oh, my.¡±


    a familiar face smiled at me as i turned around in amazement at the sudden voice.