Ch#87
Pudding found Tenebrey using his clairvoyance and then rushed off ahead by himself.
“Mistress. He went on alone.”
I know that already…. Jelly and I stared blankly at the spot where Pudding had vanished.
No, if he found her, shouldn't we at least go together? How could he go alone when it might be dangerous! Pudding seemed oblivious to how perilous the world could be, probably because he was still young.
Well, kids usually insist on running errands by themselves. I should have noticed when he was straining earlier, grunting that he'd find Tenebrey on his own….
“Let's follow him.”
Still, it was fortunate Jelly was with me. When Jelly snapped his fingers, we teleported to Pudding's location. Just the two of us.
“What about Sir Ante?”
“Someone has to guard the prison.”
True enough. Since my dress was still in the prison, I trusted Sir Ante was cleverly wearing it and pretending to be a maid. Romance novels always had episodes like that. Nodding, I looked around.
“...A forest?”
We had arrived in a dense forest. Pudding must have teleported after finding Tenebrey, but she was nowhere in sight—had she fled again?
Of all places, a forest…. Tenebrey must have escaped the imperial palace in that short time.
I was about to lament that such impressive escape skills should have been used for a runaway heroine rather than killing her father when a familiar castle spire came into view at the edge of my vision.
She hadn't escaped the palace; it was just the forest in the backyard. Take back what I said about her being a runaway heroine. Escaping only to the backyard? She's getting caught by the male lead in less than a day.
So Tenebrey was gone, and Pudding…? Had he chased after her too? With Jelly leading, we followed Pudding's trail. The forest was vast, making it hard to find him, but fortunately, we spotted him soon enough.
“Pudding.”
“Don't come closer.”
As I approached, asking if he'd found Tenebrey, Pudding cut me off firmly. He vanished alone just moments ago, and now he tells me not to approach? Is our cat going through puberty! I didn't even give birth to him, yet I felt so aggrieved tears welled up.
Pets raised with utmost care end up useless anyway. Hurt, I clamped my mouth shut and stayed quiet when footsteps approached from the bushes—not just Pudding alone.
I thought it might be Tenebrey, but a tall man emerged instead. Dressed similarly to Gabriel, he seemed like a holy knight.
“I wondered where that cute bell sound was coming from, and it was you after all. You managed to find me well.”
The man smiled brightly at Pudding. He looked like a kind church brother when still, but his smile revealed sharp fangs and a forked tongue inside, flipping his impression 180 degrees. His neat, handsome face transformed completely.
“You're the idiot who couldn't notice the fishy stench radiating from you.”
Pudding bared his teeth warily too. Had I said something unnecessary? With the man's appearance, I caught a whiff of the stench too. Blood dripped from his sword, clearly the source. Eek, who did he just slice up?
“You reek of beast just as much. And whatever you ate, you even smell rotten.”
I bristled at his words. Rotten smell? What nonsense! Our kids are groomed with souls by the Rohanson Mansion servants, fragrant as can be! Pudding and Jelly are living solid perfumes! Scared of his sword, I argued furiously in my head, but Pudding, still young and fearless, kept mocking him.
“Shut your mouth. Rotten
