Chapter 122

It was a sensation even Ysildus had never felt before. Of course, he was aware that such a feeling existed. It was only natural, since he had inherited all the memories passed down by the wolves.

This sensation was like a tiny pearl of stillness, discovered amidst the wolves’ chronic sense of emptiness and ennui. But knowing about a feeling was not the same as truly experiencing it.

Alexa’s small body trembled beneath him. Her eyelids, veiling sapphire-like eyes, fluttered delicately.

The dainty fists resting on his shoulders, the slender fingers digging into them, every detail stirred Ysildus. A faint smile played on his lips as he wrapped his arm around Alexa’s waist.

Drawing her uncertain, restless body closer, he pressed his lips firmly onto hers. They were soft, supple. The fresh tang of salt from her toothpaste lingered between her lips.

Alexa felt like a perfectly ripened fruit, just waiting to be peeled with sharp fangs to reveal its sweet flesh inside. Ysildus slipped his warm tongue between her lips. Alexa’s clenched fists gripped him tighter, not out of pain, but…

‘Sweet.’

Ysildus’ eyes gleamed sharply in the dark. He ran his palm along Alexa’s tense back, crumpling her rustling nightgown in his grasp.

“S-Stop… Ysu… stop…”

Tears welling in her eyes, Alexa pushed him away. She buried her forehead into his shoulder and whispered in a trembling voice.

“It’s too hot… I can’t breathe…”

With a satisfied smile, Ysildus embraced her again. The fact that she didn’t push him away this time. Whatever her reason for accepting it, she didn’t reject him. It felt as if the door to Alexa’s heart, once slightly ajar, had finally swung open for him.

He tilted his head and placed a brief kiss on the nape of her neck. A wolf’s mark appeared faintly on her skin before fading again.

The way she shrank back made her all the more endearing. If he could preserve this moment forever, he felt like he could do anything. If Alexa wanted it, he could snap the neck of Emperor Temperchi and lay it at her feet. Perhaps he was more… consumed by Alexa than he had realized.

* * *

The sight of the strawberry pudding on her spoon sent a storm swirling through Alexa’s gaze. She could practically taste its sweet and tart flavor. But Alexa now knew of other things that were just as sweet and tart. Moist, tender… As she lifted the spoon in a daze, the pudding dropped onto her dress.

Plop!

“Oh my! Lady!”

Startled, the maid attending her quickly reached for a napkin.

“Ah!”

Alexa lowered her spoon and dabbed at her mouth, her fingers brushing against her lips in the process.

“Eek!”

More startled than before, she dropped the napkin she had just picked up. Everyone’s eyes turned to her. Alexa lowered her head like a trembling baby bird.

‘Calm down, Alexa! Get a grip!’

She wasn’t a child, yet here she was, overreacting to that. Just that… Closing her eyes tight, the darkness from last night crept back in. Ysildus’ lips smiling in the dark, the heat, the sweetness and sharpness of it all, everything resurfaced on the thin skin of her lips.

In her previous life, she’d been too busy surviving to experience love properly. She had no idea that such tender, heated, unforgettable sensations even existed. Alexa clenched the hem of her dress.

‘No one ever told me it would be like this…!’

While Alexa was still lost for words, the maid quickly wiped the stain from her dress.

“Lady, are you all right? Are you feeling unwell today… Should I call a doctor?”

“No…”

Alexa quickly shook her head at the maid’s concerned whisper. The maid looked at her with worried eyes. The silence that had fallen over the breakfast table was broken by Ysildus.

“Alexa.”

That voice, it was the same one that had whispered into her ear the night before. Alexa’s head snapped up like a puppy caught misbehaving.

“Y-Yes?”

“Are you feeling unwell? Or… did something happen?”

Ysildus smiled softly. His red lips reflected in her pupils. Alexa inhaled sharply, exhaled once, then stood up suddenly with tear-filled eyes. Her voice jumped an octave.

“I-I-I’m sorry, but I’ll excuse myself! I think… I think I have a stomachache!”

She fled like a startled rabbit, maids rushing after her.

“Quick, fetch the doctor!”

Their panicked voices faded into the distance. Ysildus sat calmly, dabbing the corners of his mouth with a napkin. Now it was his turn to become the focus of everyone’s attention. Terrun, seated beside him, slammed his fork down in annoyance and spoke with a scowl.

“What did you do to Alexa?”

“What do you think I did?”

“I told you not to answer a question with a question!!”

Terrun huffed. If Ysildus responded with a question, it meant he had to do the thinking. But he couldn’t just let Alexa’s strange behavior go, so he racked his brain with effort.

“…Did you hit her?”

“Do I seem like someone who would?”

“Then… did you threaten her?”

“Hardly.”

“…Then I honestly have no idea.”

Ysildus looked at him with an expression that said, ‘That’s exactly why you’re hopeless.’ Watching the exchange, Jeremiah sighed quietly. This conversation laid bare exactly how Terrun perceived Ysildus. But when it came to Alexa, Ysildus never showed his true nature or thoughts. Like a cunning, sly fox, he kept his intentions hidden and only offered sweet temptations. Asking if someone like Ysildus had hit or threatened Alexa was absurd. Especially when Alexa’s reaction had clearly been embarrassment. 

That was why no one at the table dared to say anything outright. After some thought, Jeremiah spoke.

“…Did you hold hands?”

Ysildus let out a languid laugh. That was the closest guess so far, but still far from the truth. 

Tilting his head, he replied, “We’re not children, Jeremiah.”

Leaving behind a remark heavy with implication, Ysildus stood from his seat. Carlisle and Essellia, quick to pick up on his meaning, followed him with their eyes.

“Who on earth did that child take after?”

Carlisle muttered disapprovingly and returned to his meal. Who else? Essellia smiled faintly. The answer was obvious; he was just like Carlisle in his younger days.

* * *

While spring had enveloped Thersion, a bitter winter had settled over the imperial palace of Temperch. The once-bustling halls were growing emptier by the day. The Emperor, driven by his deep-seated inferiority complex, had begun to ruthlessly cull his servants. With lives taken for no reason, two or three bodies carried out each day, people were resigning of their own accord. Everyone held their breath, desperate not to provoke the Emperor.

“Your father is beginning to show signs of madness,” the Empress clicked her tongue.

“…At this rate, the Empire will turn its back on us, Mother. We must subjugate that insolent Thersion and usher in a new era.”

The young man with golden hair and green eyes spoke with force. He was Depier Temperch, the 26-year-old Crown Prince of the empire.

“Depier. What do you suggest we do?”

“The nobles are beginning to turn away from Father. We must make an example of those who’ve lost their way and rebuild our base of power. The ones who’ve already defected to Thersion are beyond saving, but we can’t afford to lose anyone else.”

“You’re right. But isn’t the Blue Moon Merchant Company stirring up trouble? They’ve been saying Thersion is the rightful heir to the throne. That the wolf god granted the throne to Temperchi, only for Thersion to covet it now. The people are starting to waver.”

“Then we must arrest the Blue Moon Merchant Guild first.”

“On what grounds?”

“For sowing social unrest. The charge is more than justified, Mother. There’s only one thing I need from you.”

The Empress gazed at her grown son with pride. Depier was her only child, and one of the few of the Emperor’s sons who had survived intact. One son belonged to Thersion, the other to her. She believed Depier would succeed the throne and crush Thersion beneath his feet.

“Whatever you wish, I’ll grant it, Depier.”

“Please kill the Emperor, Mother.”

The inferiority complex embedded deep in the Emperor’s bones was beyond repair. Of course, Depier bore a similar complex toward Thersion, but unlike the Emperor, he didn’t stake his life on hopeless causes. 

The witch of the Spire, Ruella, had said:

[“…Thersion and the Blue Moon belong to the race of darkness. Their power can be transferred to humans. Kill that girl, Alexa Eneroff, and you will lift the curse of the Red Clan and awaken its power.”]

[“That would break the oath protecting the imperial palace.”]

[“Then wipe out Thersion first. Transferring the dark race’s power to humans isn’t difficult. You only need to refine and drink their blood.”]

[“You must want something in return for helping me.”]

[“Freedom. That’s all I need.”]

Depier’s eyes gleamed with dangerous intent. That night, rumors of a special potion began circulating among the knights recruited by the palace, an offer of reward to anyone willing to volunteer to drink a physical-enhancement elixir.