Ch#200
200
The complexion of his sister, who had been spewing vitriol without restraint, turned pale in an instant.
Only after facing that terrified expression did Varkas realize he was gripping her by the scruff of her neck.
He could feel cold sweat seeping through her tanned, swarthy skin. He lightly pressed his thumb against her rapidly fluttering pulse and murmured lowly.
“It seems your ability to read the room is remarkably lacking.”
He hadn’t even applied much strength to his grip, yet his sister’s face was drained of color in seconds. It was a reaction typical of a spoiled noblewoman who had never experienced a physical threat in her entire life.
Varkas twisted his lips into a cynical sneer, his voice remaining dry and hollow.
“To think you could behave so recklessly, even after seeing with your own eyes exactly what your brother has done for the sake of that woman you so despise.”
“B-brother…”
“You should know there is a limit to my patience, even if I’ve been lenient, assuming your behavior was due to Father’s overindulgence.”
Her reddish-brown eyes, wide with shock, slowly filled with tears.
Looking down at her with an expression devoid of even a shred of sympathy, Varkas added softly.
“If you ever speak carelessly of my wife again, you will pay the price. You would do well to behave yourself while I am still treating you as kin.”
Laina swallowed hard. He could see goosebumps erupting over her neck, which had gone as stiff as stone.
He withdrew his hand and issued a cold command to the servants and inner castle guards gathered near the back gate.
“The Princess is also ordered to be confined. Take her to the annex immediately.”
The soldiers surrounded Laina at once.
Watching the scene with cold eyes, Varkas turned away abruptly. Just as he was about to step away, a resentful voice flew at his back.
“Why on earth are you taking her side to such an extent?”
When he turned his head back, he saw his sister’s face flushed red, sobbing as if she had been deeply wronged.
Unable to contain her fury, she raised her voice.
“You almost died because of that woman! Everyone said you wouldn’t wake up. You were horribly betrayed!”
Her shrill voice echoed loudly across the open ground.
He curled his fingers, which were twitching minutely, and stared silently at his sister’s face. Perhaps sensing the eerie rage lurking in that gaze, the huffing Laina flinched and took a step back.
Varkas exhaled a weary sigh.
“You really don’t understand a word I say.”
Muttering as if spitting out the words, Varkas gestured with his chin to the soldiers.
“Take her away now. Do not let her take a single step out of her room until I give permission.”
The soldiers hurried to restrain Laina as she tried to protest further. It seemed they were trying to prevent the Princess from receiving a harsher punishment. However, the girl, oblivious to their intentions, continued to scream at the top of her lungs.
Varkas crossed the open ground, leaving all the commotion behind him.
As he emerged from the rear garden, he saw his attendants waiting near the entrance to the inner castle wall. Only then did he remember that he was supposed to attend the Kalmor Council of Doctors.
Varkas looked up to gauge the position of the sun and soon issued an administrative command.
“Cancel all afternoon schedules. Send a messenger to the meeting hall.”
“Are you perhaps feeling unwell?”
The squad leader, well aware that Varkas was pushing himself through a demanding schedule before being fully recovered, cast a worried look toward him.
Varkas shook his head dismissively.
“I heard the Grand Duchess’s wolf has disappeared. It may have left the castle. Deploy the soldiers and search for it.”
The man blinked in surprise, then, seemingly realizing the gravity of the situation, ran toward his subordinates.
While the squad leader relayed his instructions, Varkas moved along the outer wall.
If that beast had truly evaded the guards and escaped the castle, it meant there was a secret passage hidden somewhere in the inner castle. Perhaps she, too, had been coming and going from the castle using that passage.
Thinking that far, Varkas clenched his fist tight.
If a hidden passage really were discovered, the suspicions of heresy against her would only deepen. The testimony of those who claimed to have seen the Grand Duchess attending pagan gatherings would also gain more weight.
He pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling the sensation of a hot iron searing his brain grow more intense.
Suddenly, a question surfaced: why was he going to such lengths?
That woman didn’t care about anything.
Not about him.
Not even about herself.
Nothing mattered to her except that wolf cub.
Varkas let out a dry laugh.
He wondered if it wouldn’t be better if the wolf disappeared forever.
Wouldn’t that be one less headache for him? Was there really a need to go out of his way to find the beast and hand it back to her?
Varkas looked up at the cloudy sky with weary eyes, but soon steadied his wavering heart.
Even if it wasn’t for her request, he couldn’t leave that magical beast be.
If Khan were to cause trouble, even by some slim chance, the blame would fall on her. And the task of cleaning up the mess would fall entirely back onto his shoulders.
With a self-deprecating laugh, Varkas resumed his interrupted steps. He intended to head out of the castle and scour the Armund Forest. If there was a place for that monster to hide, it could only be there.
He passed the inner wall and headed toward the North Gate. Just then, he sensed a strange presence nearby.
Instinctively placing his hand on the hilt of his sword, Varkas turned his head to scan the surroundings.
Between the small gardens landscaped near the castle chapel, he saw a massive shadow dart past like an arrow.
He immediately pursued the giant shadow. Pushing through the thick shrubs, a small clearing behind the chapel revealed itself.
Varkas, striding across the area, suddenly came to a halt. At the end of the well-tended backyard, he saw a small tombstone standing there.
Approaching it, Varkas furrowed his brow as he discovered a heap of withered flowers piled around the stone.
There was no inscription on the tombstone. However, it was smooth and polished, as if it were frequently tended.
As he leaned down to touch it quietly, he heard a rustling sound close by.
Varkas whipped his head around and stiffened as he found the gray wolf standing tall amidst the thick thicket.
The wolf was soaking wet, though from what, it was unclear. Its gray fur, heavy with moisture, appeared almost black, and clumps of mud were matted in its paws.
He cautiously straightened his body.
The wolf stared at him without moving. Sensing a powerful killing intent in those eyes, Varkas took a step back and tried calling the wolf’s name.
“Khan.”
At that, the wolf’s ears perked up, and it slowly lowered its head.
Varkas observed the wolf carefully and continued in a soothing tone.
“Your master is looking for you. It’s time to return to her side.”
Then, the wolf, which had been staring intently at him, turned its head toward the tombstone.
Varkas narrowed his eyes as he saw a shadow of sorrow flicker across the beast’s blue eyes for a moment. A momentary surge of intense doubt struck him at the sight of the creature appearing to feel joy and sorrow like a human, beyond merely being highly intelligent.
Is it really a direwolf?
Since there were few cases of magical beasts being domesticated like livestock, there was no way to know if this beast’s behavior was typical.
Varkas, watching the wolf with eyes full of suspicion, tentatively reached out a hand.
