Chapter 140 

There was a reason why Ysildus was striving for a bloodless conquest. It was because of one person who had lodged firmly in his heart, Alexa. The fact that Alexa was of the Red Clan shackled Ysildus’s nature.

“Haa…”

“What’s wrong?”

Violeta asked. Ysildus was sighing with a loose, almost goofy expression on his face, looking far from serious, even grinning faintly. Because of that, neither humans nor wolves dared approach within ten meters of him, paralyzed by fear.

Visten, in particular, was already having a hard time with Carlisle, and now that Ysildus was acting like this too, he claimed it was making his hair stand on end, and fled even farther away. As a result, the only one who could still come near him was Violeta, his direct blood relative.

“Violeta.”

She nodded and asked with her eyes why he was scaring everyone like this.

“I was thinking about Alexa,” Ysildus said with a soft smile.

“Of course you were.”

Violeta replied with a pout and sat down beside him, plopping herself down.

“Something was definitely off today. You’re the one who resembles Carlisle the most. Is there anyone whose wolf instincts are as sharply honed as yours? And yet now you’re saying you’ll spare those who surrender?”

Violeta scoffed. Wolves never forget a favor or a grudge. Those people had already earned the wolves’ enmity. And yet Ysildus had shown them mercy. Except for the lord and a few of his immediate family, who were crushed beneath the silver wolf’s massive paws, the rest had survived.

It was an outcome that could be described as nearly bloodless. A stark contrast to the Ysildus who had once swept through the Mage Tower and the Spire. Back then, he hadn’t hesitated to drench the earth in red. What was so different now?

“You’ve really changed.”

“Haha… Of course I have, Aunt. Back then, there was no one named Alexa to hear my story. But now she exists, doesn’t she? Everything I do will reach Alexa in real time.”

Violeta blinked in surprise.

“And… that changes things?”

In what way, exactly?

“There’s a difference between hearing about something after the fact and hearing about it as it’s happening. The latter is far more shocking, don’t you think? Even someone as kind and compassionate as Alexa would be rattled. That’s why I need to be cautious with my actions. If I want to marry her… I must be gentle and proper. That’s what I’ve learned is the demeanor of a groom preparing for marriage.”

Violeta looked dumbfounded. Who was supposed to be gentle and proper here? This was the tragic tale of those who learned about love and marriage from books. Her posture sagged with exhaustion. Lips trembling, she looked like she had no idea how to talk sense into her shameless nephew.

“Besides… when I look at the humans, all I see is Alexa.”

A tender look crossed Ysildus’s face.

“Is that so…? Have you come to feel compassion for them?”

“Compassion?” 

His firm rejection made Violeta tilt her head in confusion.

“That’s not the emotion I harbor toward them. They’re nothing more than vermin enjoying unearned favor simply for being of the same race as Alexa. Because of them, I’ve been forced to separate from her and stay here. Why should I pity them? I’m the one who deserves sympathy.”

Violeta was at a loss for words. Ysildus looked completely unrepentant, as if he believed every word he said.

“I finally confirmed Alexa’s feelings. Leaving her behind was… excruciating. I pitied myself to no end.”

You? Pity… yourself?

“Alexa was so incredibly cute… You should have seen her teary face as she clung to my cloak. No, if anyone else had seen it, I wouldn’t have let them live.”

This lunatic… Violeta thought.

Alexa had no idea what truly went on in Ysildus’s head. He’d surely put on a pitiful act in front of her, pretending to be a heartbroken lover heading off to war. But inside, he was probably already planning to devour her whole like a dangerous beast. 

Violeta suddenly felt dizzy. She, too, was a wolf and shared similar instincts, but even she found someone like him rare.

‘He’s just like Carlisle…!’

Self-centered… No, not quite. Their worlds revolved around their mates. For Ysildus, it was Alexa. For Carlisle, it was Essellia. In a world orbiting around their mates, they were always the protagonists, pathetic heroes begging for love from their beloveds. 

Good grief. Violeta stood up, watching Ysildus, who was the spitting image of her father.

There was just no saving him.

* * *

A Red Clan survivor held his breath, forcing himself to cover his nose and mouth, lungs on the verge of bursting. He rolled his eyes anxiously, trying to avoid making a sound. Just ahead of the haystack where he was hiding, knights wearing cloaks with the Thersion crest passed by. The heavy thuds of their boots felt like they were pounding against his chest.

Thump. Thump. Thump!

At any moment, they might flip over the straw and take his life. He couldn’t forget the sight of blood splattering before his eyes. Everyone else had been killed, only he had barely escaped. Everyone who dared utter the name Alexa Eneroff of the Red Clan had died.

What had saved him was simply that he had kept his mouth shut and curled into himself. Tears and snot streamed freely down his face. Suffocated by terror, it wouldn’t have been strange if he had died right then and there. He only crawled out once night had fallen deep and the knights had long withdrawn.

‘I survived.’

A ragged breath escaped him.

“Hhk… I’m the only one left…”

His hands and body trembled violently. There had been whispers of Thersion’s delayed retaliation. But those who encountered them came to realize a new truth. What Thersion sought to erase wasn’t the past, it was a prophecy.

A prophecy that declared the curse placed upon the Red Clan could only be broken by killing Alexa Eneroff. There were those who cited it, insisting she must die. They had even considered traveling to Thersion to do the deed.

But before the Red Clan could move, Thersion struck first. Their blades weren’t aimed at Alexa but were turned on the remaining members of the Red Clan. Just speaking her name was enough to be killed. With death and terror, Thersion had carved their warning deep.

[“Never speak the name Alexa.”]

[“Never dream of her death!”]

Alexa Eneroff was becoming a taboo among the Red Clan. The survivor staggered to his feet.

“That woman… she’s a witch…”

He muttered deliriously, face pale.

“A terrifying witch… who tamed the wolves…”

His body trembled. Before the Red Clan could raise their swords to her, the massacre had already begun. And so, the rumors began to spread that of the witch Alexa Eneroff, whose name must never be uttered. Just as Carlisle had intended.

He’d judged that fear of Thersion alone wasn’t enough to smother their murderous intent. But if fear of Alexa could be instilled? If she could become an inviolable being? If Alexa could be made… the one who commanded the wolves? Then they wouldn’t dare raise a blade against her. The lesson was clear: to speak her name was to die. From a distance, a Thersion knight watching the last of the Red Clan disappear straightened up.

“It’s almost finished.”

“Yeah. But… is this really okay?”

“It’s the Grand Duke’s command, so of course it’s okay.”

The wolves grinned.

* * *

Unaware of any of this, Alexa was winding down another pleasant day. It seemed true that Ysildus was gaining victory after victory. She received letters from him every day.

[To Alexa.

How was your day today? I spent the whole day thinking about you.]

Blushing, Alexa fidgeted with her toes. 

Ysildus was so straightforward. He expressed his feelings without hesitation. Why did she have to be the one embarrassed? After making sure no one was around to read it, Alexa cleared her throat.

[I should be arriving in the capital soon. Alexa, I can’t wait to return to where you are. And then… I’m going to kiss you.]

K-kiss…?

Alexa quickly covered her lips with the letter. Her eyes darted around, as if Ysildus might pop up out of nowhere.

“Wh-Why would you write that in a letter…”

You could just do it when you’re here… She coughed awkwardly, placed the letter on her desk, and covered that part with her palm.

[I miss you, Alexa. I don’t know why I even have to be here. Every moment spent away from you feels like a loss… and you’re not here. Of course, I don’t mean to abandon my duty, but…]

“I miss you too…”

Alexa murmured, lips moving softly. She had never been apart from Ysildus for this long before. Looking a little downcast, she read the very last line of the letter.

[All I’m doing is waiting for the day I can return to you. You’re thinking about me too, aren’t you? Say that you are, Alexa.]

She nodded.

[…I love you. Truly.]

Me too, Alexa whispered.

……

T/N: Ysildus be like ‘I’ll paint our wedding red… of course with the blood of these people’ with a gentle smile on his face hahahahaha