Chapter 141 

“Why hasn’t the temple responded yet?”

“I apologize, Your Majesty.”

“Stop saying that and do something about it!”

Depier erupted in fury. To be officially recognized as Emperor, he needed the temple’s approval. That approval came in the form of a decree issued by the High Priest, formally acknowledging the Emperor of Temperchi.

Since Temperchi was a nation that worshipped the wolf god Dephensores, this process held great significance. Regardless of how the royal family felt about it, without the temple’s sanction, it was nearly impossible to be legitimized as Emperor.

With the civil war now in full swing, Depier couldn’t freely wield authority over the empire without the temple’s recognition. A legitimate Emperor could issue conscription orders to the citizens amid these desperate battles where their forces were steadily losing ground.

But Depier had no such right. The number of successful experimental subjects was limited. Half of them had been sent away with Ruella, while the rest were kept at the imperial capital.

Stories of thick-furred silver wolves were sweeping through the empire. They had never lost a single battle on their march to the capital, and strangely, for wolves, they seemed to avoid cruel slaughter.

This was diminishing the fear surrounding Thersion. On the contrary, more and more people had begun to idolize these creatures that resembled the wolf god. To Depier, it was an unbearable development.

‘What on earth is going on?’

Everything about this situation was completely off. Thersion, who had once obediently stayed low, was now plotting rebellion? Harboring humans? On top of that, he’d even taken over the Mage Tower! 

Amid all this, he had found time to exact belated revenge on the Red Clan, who had been hiding.

‘What are they thinking?’

Depier clenched the desk so hard that the wood twisted beneath his fingers. It had been three days since he sent knights to force a response from the temple, but still there was no result. It wasn’t as though the temple was remaining silent in protest, either! 

Granted, the relationship between the temple and the imperial family had never been smooth…

‘Could they have found out?’

If word had gotten out that he had captured Thersion’s descendants and conducted experiments on them, the temple, which revered Dephensores and protected Thersion, might have turned against him. 

And just when Depier was anxiously waiting for a reply, a message finally arrived.

“Your Majesty!!!”

“What is it? Still nothing from the temple?! Why?!”

“Private soldiers from the Blue Moon Merchant Company are guarding the front of the temple! They say no one from the capital will be allowed to enter!”

“That d**n guild!!!”

Depier swiped everything off his desk, sending objects crashing to the floor. After a long bout of cursing, he slammed his fist on the table.

“Just take the knights and mow them down! What are we hesitating for?!”

“Well…”

The knight standing before him, taking the full brunt of Depier’s fury, spoke in a tense voice.

“The temple has issued a formal statement declaring they will not recognize Your Majesty’s coronation… They say the statement will be distributed across the empire.”

“Godd**n it!”

Depier ground his teeth. Now, there was no other option. He would have to place all his hopes on Ruella! 

The other imperial bloodlines were already gone. Only Jeremiah remained and if he died, not even the temple would be able to stop what came next.

* * *

Jeremiah rested his chin in one hand and watched Alexa. Unlike the chaos unfolding outside, Thersion was a haven of perfect peace. There was not a trace of tension about the approaching enemy forces.

“Kyaa! Stop it!”

Following Carlisle’s command to keep Alexa too busy to feel gloomy, they had brought over the wolf pups raised by the knightly wolves. Alexa seemed to have a strange power to attract wolves because the fluffy pups followed her around in a chaotic bundle.

“You’re so cute! You’ll be Terrun… And you, you kind of look like Ysildus!”

As if they understood her, the puppies stuck out their pink tongues, panting happily as they rolled over to show their bellies in front of her. When Alexa gently rubbed one’s soft pink tummy, another pup shoved its face into her side, begging for attention. 

Overwhelmed by the three excited pups, Alexa burst into laughter.

“Okay, okay! I get it… hey! Don’t lick there, that’s a sensitive spot!”

“Kiing… kuung…”

One of the pups whined as it clambered into Alexa’s lap and let out a huge yawn.

“Tch.”

Sitting beside Jeremiah, Terrun clicked his tongue.

“Now even those little guys are stealing Alexa’s attention.”

His voice brimmed with discontent.

“If that bothers you, just go lie down too. That’ll do the trick.”

Jeremiah egged him on, but Terrun glared at him and puffed out his cheeks.

“I’m not a kid anymore, okay? I’m an adult now! I’m even the one in charge of those troops slowly making their way down here.”

Terrun raised his chin proudly. 

In fact, he did have a role in maintaining this strangely tensionless atmosphere in Thersion. As he said, he was responsible for confronting the enemy. And with their commander lounging around like this, it was no wonder there wasn’t a trace of anxiety.

“…Hey, Jeremiah.”

“Hm?”

“Didn’t you say you were going to confess? Why haven’t you?”

Terrun looked at him curiously.

“Oh, that…”

Jeremiah gave a bitter smile. Terrun had confessed to Alexa and come back thoroughly rejected. No, more accurately, it wasn’t quite a rejection. More like… a realization? Bright and cheerful on the surface, Alexa had surprising emotional depth. She had seen through Terrun’s feelings in an instant. And if she had done that, she might have already seen through Jeremiah’s as well.

[“We’re good friends, right, Jeremiah?”]

Alexa’s voice, when she’d said that, pierced Jeremiah like a dagger. He started to wonder if that had been her gentle way of drawing a line. He had to consider whether his confession would only burden her. 

It was clear she cared for him. But she had already drawn that line between them. If he chose to ignore it and cross over… 

“Ugh! All three of you at once?! I only have two arms, you know!”

… he might never see her smile like that again. Jeremiah’s heart shrank with doubt.

‘Sorry, but pushing Terrun to go first might’ve been the right move.’

He patted Terrun’s shoulder, who had turned out to be a perfect test subject.

“I think… I’m fine just like this.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I mean, I like you, Terrun.”

“Ugh, what the heck?!”

Terrun brushed Jeremiah’s hand off in disgust but then, seeming a little self-conscious, he cleared his throat.

“Ahem! I like you too. You’re not bad… for a human.”

The flush on Terrun’s ears made Jeremiah smile. Terrun really was the perfect dance partner.

* * *

Ysildus had also received a letter from Alexa. Violeta had let it slip to others that it was best not to be around him, and as a result, he spent most of his time alone.

[To Ysildus. Are you hurt anywhere? You’re doing okay, right? You’re not sick or struggling?]

It felt like her voice was being played aloud. If she were right in front of him, she would’ve grabbed him by the shoulders and fired off these questions nonstop.

“I’m fine. Other than missing you.”

[I’m doing well. Lately I’ve been kind of busy… What I’ve been up to, well… ahem, it’s kind of embarrassing.]

Ysildus already knew Alexa was busy with wedding preparations. Carlisle and Essellia were doing everything they could to keep her mind occupied. Normally, that was his job distracting Alexa, but now others had taken it on. Alexa was a smart and perceptive person.

But being intelligent wasn’t the same as being guarded. She was surprisingly easy to sway. If Ysildus so much as tilted his smile a little or undid a button, she’d turn red and start pacing in a flustered panic. No one but Ysildus could know just how adorable that was. His particular way of disarming her certainly played a part, too.

For example:

[“Why are you still trying to sleep in my bed? Ysu, you’re an adult now!”]

To which he’d reply, not by answering directly, but with something else entirely.

[“You don’t need me anymore?”]

[“What? Where did that come from?”]

[“Just yesterday, you said you were cold and clung to me to fall asleep. Oh, I get it. Now that the weather’s warmer, you don’t need me anymore.”]

Then he’d put on a pitiful expression, and she’d melt on the spot. Alexa had a soft spot for things that were small, helpless, and cute. Just like the day she first picked him up as a child.

Ysildus hadn’t left the Thersion estate on a whim. No matter how clumsy Thersion had been at raising him, it wouldn’t have driven him to run away.

Such a noble soul!

Of course, if anyone else heard him say that, they’d probably smack him in the head and yell, ‘You lunatic!’ In any case, what had lured him out of Thersion was some kind of unseen magic. Looking back now, it had the stench of the Red Clan’s unpleasant spells. Whatever their aim was, it had led him to Alexa, so in the end, it had all worked out. 

Even back then, Alexa had fallen for him easily.

[“Whine…”]

He had feigned injury, scratching at her feet with his paw.

Of course… that had all been deliberate.

……

T/N: It had been Alexa right from the start