Translator: Nox
(40) Star Festival and Ash Wolf (12)
Elise was Roxana's closest friend. At any other time, she would have accompanied Roxana to the Great Temple, but for some reason, she had said she would stay behind.
And the family gathered in one place.
'What did they say? Yes, did they say they were gathering to celebrate my return? Did they say everyone should gather and prepare a surprise party before I get married and leave?'
If that were the case, Ian and Nauphried would have come to the Royal Palace without complaint.
At a gathering to celebrate the return and marriage of their only sister.
'You killed my family!'
Lucas Pelur's sword, already accepted as family, and Elise's lips, who had lived like family.
'You beheaded my family and threw them into the well!'
She didn't want to cry, but the blood flowing from her bursting heart flowed down her eyes. The truth she didn't want to think about became thousands of blades, stabbing and tearing Roxana's lungs.
The tenderness she had found in Torkan instantly dyed her quiet heart black. A dark red emotion, like old blood, filled Roxana's mind.
The wind blew around Roxana. The calm sea stirred up violent waves. The quiet beach began to rumble deeply.
Floyd, surprised by the sudden change, grabbed Roxana's arm to lift her up when.
Kwaaaaaaa-!
A huge wave surged like a tsunami from the sea with a roar.
Floyd reflexively grabbed Roxana, pulled her into his arms, and rolled on the ground.
The high wave crashed over them.
Swaaaaaa-
Thanks to the cold seawater pouring over her head, Roxana regained her senses. As Roxana breathed, the ground tremor subsided, the wind stopped, and the sea became calm.
Only then did Roxana realize that she was soaking wet and lying beneath Floyd.
Her whole body was cold, but only the places that touched him were hot.
Arms, back, and touching chest.
Roxana raised her eyes and looked up at him.
The droplets that had formed on his eyelashes, the tip of his nose, and his chin fell on Roxana's forehead, tok, tok. He swept Roxana's forehead with his thumb, but it was no use because she was already soaking wet.
Roxana felt as if the dark and damp emotion she had just felt was a dream.
"I'm sorry."
"Why are you sorry, Princess? Surely this isn't happening because of you?"
"...Yes. Sometimes they sympathize with my mood and move on their own."
Floyd laughed loudly.
Roxana, wondering if this was a situation to laugh at, he said in a voice filled with laughter.
"Then you and I are the same, harboring crazy beings."
He sat up away from Roxana's body, swept back the hair that was wet and stuck to his forehead.
He stared at the calmed sea with a graceful figure like a god, then jumped up, grabbed Roxana's waist, and lifted her up. And he picked up the coat on the floor, put it on Roxana's shoulders, and said.
"You'll catch a cold. Let's go back."
+++
The captains of the royal guard were sitting on the ramparts, drinking beer. During the festival, the knights focused on security rather than training, so the captains of the royal guard had more free time than usual.
"I, I'm going to the festival with Roelity tomorrow."
Cain frowned at Adrian's words.
"Who is Roelity again?"
"The lovely lady of the Viscount Rakean family."
"What about the woman you met last time?"
"It's been a while since we broke up."
"It hasn't even been a month since you said you were seeing her?"
"A month is a long time. There are many women in the world who want me, and time is short, so I can't invest too much time in one woman."
"Why don't you train like that?"
"Brother, I'm stronger than you even if I don't train."
"Nonsense, want to fight?"
Arsene, who was next to him, grabbed Cain's wrist, who was about to draw his sword, and said to Adrian.
"I heard that the Viscount Rakean's daughter is chaste, so it might be better not to meet her rashly."
"Wow, I didn't know you would give advice on other people's love lives. I didn't know our Chetekh had such warm friendship!"
Arsene's hand tightened at Adrian's sarcasm. Cain, whose wrist was grabbed by him, grumbled.
"That bastard did wrong, but why are you trying to break my wrist?"
"Ah, my apologies."
Arsene apologized and released his wrist. Adrian leaned his elbows on the small table and clasped his hands together and asked.
"Cain, I heard a crow came today? Did it come from Kanta Palace?"
"Yeah."
"What did it say? Who is sitting on the throne of Kanta Palace now? Lucas Pelur?"
"No, they haven't even confirmed that yet."
Cain repeated the conversation he had with Floyd today. Adrian, who was listening to the story with interest, said.
"Oh, dear. Lucas Pelur deliberately deceived his fiancée's family. How pitiful. Does the Princess know this fact?"
"The master told me to shut up. You shut up too."
"Hmph. How boring. If the Princess knew, she might try to take revenge. It would be worth seeing if she tried to take revenge with that strange power."
Arsene narrowed his brows.
"Don't be frivolous, Adrian. What revenge can you take with that power?"
"Of course, it would be difficult with the Princess's power alone. But our master is behind the Princess. I think the master would help if the Princess said she would take revenge. And eat up Gania as well."
"Nonsense! Even if Torkan seems to be entering a stable period, there are still many dangers inside and out. Don't you think that if a war breaks out at this time, there will be a lot of sacrifices?"
"Ha, Arsene. That's what I'm saying, that's what I'm saying. Can't I even say it for fun?"
"Don't even joke about that."
"You're a terribly boring and stubborn guy. You'll keep frowning like that for the rest of your life, and your eyebrows will be pushed back to the back of your head. It'll be worth seeing when that happens."
When Arsene was about to retort at Adrian's relentless mockery, the door to the ramparts burst open and Hexter came in. Hexter was holding a large basket in his hand, which contained a gray wolf about the size of an arm.
"Wow, what is that?"
When Adrian showed interest, Hexter smiled and put the basket on the table. Arsene sat with his arms crossed and couldn't take his eyes off the wolf cub, and Cain carefully approached and reached out to the wolf.
"Kyang!"
The wolf cub bared its teeth and rushed at him, so Cain quickly pulled his hand back and said.
"It's fierce. This isn't a dog, is it? It's a wolf, right?"
"Yeah. Cute, right? It was born in a circus. Only this one has a different color. The others are brown."
Listening to Hexter's explanation, Arsene thought.
'It's really unbelievably cute.'
Adrian asked.
"What are you going to do with it? You said you wouldn't raise animals until the kids grow up? And wolves are fierce no matter how small they are. It wouldn't be good to raise them with kids."
"I'm not going to raise it."
"Then? Are you going to tell Arsene to raise it?"
Arsene shook his head.
"I'm sorry, but I already have three dogs, so I don't have the capacity to take care of it. I could bring in one more, but I don't think the dogs would get along well with the wolf. But if there's no place to put it, I might be able to make some space."
Hexter laughed as if he was dumbfounded.
"Hey, who's giving it to you? This is..."
Hexter was about to explain when the door to the tower opened again, and this time Floyd, soaking wet, came in. Cain widened his eyes and asked.
"Did you go swimming in the moonlight? Don't tell me you set a fire again and jumped into the sea?"
"No. Something happened..."
At that time, the wolf, who had been glaring at the captains of the royal guard from the basket, saw Floyd and began to snarl fiercely, baring its teeth. Floyd, who found the wolf cub guarding to the point of bristling its fur, stretched out his hand.
The wolf cub succeeded in sinking its teeth into Floyd's hand, but Floyd didn't care, shook it off, and grabbed the back of its neck and lifted it up.
The wolf cub struggled its short legs to escape.
"What is this?"
"A gift for the Princess."
"For the Princess?"
"Yes, I saw earlier that the Princess seemed to be particularly concerned about this guy. Didn't you know?"
Floyd recalled Roxana at the circus. Come to think of it, she kept looking towards the wolf cage.
I thought she was scared.
'It doesn't seem like that Princess would be afraid of anything...'
Anyway, Hexter is the only man among the men gathered here who has been in a relationship and succeeded in marriage, so he will know the psychology of women best.
"Did the Princess seem to want to have this?"
"Yes. Very much."
"It's too fierce."
Floyd was worried about whether it would be okay to entrust the wolf cub, who was still trying to bite his hand, to that fragile Princess.
What if this guy accidentally swallows that little Princess in one bite?
"I object. The baby wolf has lost its parents, so it needs delicate care. I'll take care of it."
Arsene jumped up and held out his hands. Hexter hit that hand hard and said.
"You said you didn't have the capacity?"
"I'll make it."
"That's enough. Master, raising something means you have a responsibility for it. Raising that guy will be a small light for the Princess."
"What if this guy swallows the Princess?"
"How can that guy swallow the Princess?"
"The Princess is small."
"She is small. But that guy is smaller, isn't he?"
"Hmm."
Floyd stared down at the wolf cub for a while. The dusty gray fur was similar to the color of Floyd's eyes.
"Master, if the Princess tames that guy well, that guy will be a great guard for the Princess. Beasts are sharper and have better reflexes than humans."
At Cain's words, Floyd made a decision.
