Chapter 148: Side Story 4 

Alexa wandered through the garden, unable to fall asleep.

After a whirlwind of days, she found herself alone again. And as always, that meant thoughts of Ysildus began to surface. With a gloomy expression, Alexa gently tapped her toes against the ground. 

Ever since she had come here, she had never spent a single moment without Ysildus. The unfamiliar loneliness slowly consumed her. She wanted to tell him everything that had happened today.

She longed to hear his voice, to talk to him. Ysildus might have seemed like he always did as he pleased, but in the end, he always yielded to Alexa’s wishes. She liked that unassuming kindness of his.

“You said you’d be back soon…”

Alexa pouted.

She knew full well that the journey to the capital wasn’t exactly a short one. It hadn’t even been that long since the news of victory had reached them, so how could Ysildus possibly have arrived in Thersion already? And yet, the heart doesn’t obey reason. Without meaning to, she found herself wishing for the impossible.

Wishing that Ysildus would appear right in front of her this very moment.

“I’m being stupid…” Alexa muttered. 

Seeing the wounded up close at the infirmary had made her realize, more than ever, how brutal and dangerous war truly was. The wolves of Thersion, and Ysildus too, they only had one life to live. Believing he would surely return unharmed just because he was born a Thersion wolf, that had been pure arrogance.

They could have died. They could have come back maimed. So really, she should be grateful… grateful that Ysildus was still on his way back to her, safe and sound.

Alexa let out a faint sigh.

‘How could I have believed so recklessly that Ysildus would return unscathed?’

Even after reading in the original story how the Grand Duke and his wife met a tragic end. That could have been Ysildus. The terrifying thought made her stop in her tracks.

“Ysildus… I miss you.”

Rustle.

Was it the magic of the moonlight? Or perhaps a vision conjured by the depth of Alexa’s longing?

A massive silver wolf approached her in utter silence, not even the sound of its footsteps betraying its presence. With every slow step of its broad front paws, it felt as if footprints were being left behind on Alexa’s heart. Her eyes trembled.

The silver wolf, now right in front of her, gently nudged her hand. The damp warmth of its nose told her this was no dream, this was real. Alexa swallowed hard and spoke in a voice barely held together.

“Ysildus?”

“Alexa.”

His voice came, laced with laughter.

“This… this isn’t a dream, right?”

Just like the time he had suddenly appeared before her in the form of a wolf pup, Ysildus had once again shown up without warning. He rubbed his head against her waist.

“I missed you too.”

“Ysu…”

“Very much.”

Unable to hold back any longer, Alexa threw her arms around the great wolf’s head and broke into tears. It really was him. Her Ysildus. She didn’t even know why she was crying so much. Still bent over, she buried her face in his fur.

The comforting scent of wind and forest that lingered in his fur was so familiar. It was the Ysildus she knew.

Slowly, Ysildus lay down on the ground, making it easier for her to rest against him. Then he gently licked her cheek. Alexa’s soft sobs echoed through the quiet garden.

* * *

Alexa had no idea that the wolves of the estate were attuned to her every movement. From the way she tiptoed her way out to the garden, to the moment Ysildus returned, carried on the wind into Thersion… 

They knew everything.

“…So he’s returned safely.”

It wasn’t just Alexa who couldn’t sleep. Neither Essellia nor Carlisle had managed to close their eyes. Essellia closed the thick book she’d been reading. Carlisle, who had been resting against the bed with his eyes shut, gave a faint chuckle.

“Seems he was worried we’d steal his mate or something.”

Essellia shot him a sharp look. She knew he didn’t mean it, and that was exactly why he said it like that. 

Setting the book down on the table, she rubbed her eyes. She’d acted calm and composed, but in truth, she hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep since Ysildus left. Carlisle hadn’t slept much either.

Even for someone like him, never the most affectionate father, sending Ysildus into a place teeming with death had been far from easy. Essellia let out a drowsy sigh and glanced out the window.

“It’s a relief he’s not hurt.”

They hadn’t been told the full story yet. But Ysildus would fill them in himself tomorrow morning, walking in like he’d never been gone at all. That would be enough.

For now, all they could hope for was that, just for tonight, Ysildus, who had ridden day and night to return, could finally rest. With his beloved Alexa.

“A wolf who takes after me wouldn’t get hurt so easily.”

“You were worried too. Why pretend otherwise?”

“For Ysildus, even the idea that I was worried would probably feel like an insult.”

“Men…”

Essellia shook her head and finally laid down in bed, properly, for the first time in a long while. Carlisle pulled her into his arms.

Everything was finally back in its place. Ysildus had returned. Temperchi had met its end. Thersion now held the power to sway the empire.

Thersion had thrown itself headlong into the empire’s tangled politics. Tomorrow would surely be different from today. Thersion might have to cast aside its long-standing isolation and face the world once more.

Temperchi had been unable to let go of Thersion and had dragged things out this long. The end result was inevitable. But now, the curse that had bound Thersion to the Red Clan had been broken, and the barrier over Temperchi had been lifted.

Nothing could stop Thersion anymore. A heavier burden had landed on Ysildus’s shoulders than anyone had expected. A time of upheaval was coming. And it was the new generation’s turn to carry that weight.

Still, even if a new sun were to rise tomorrow, at least for tonight… 

Everyone could sleep in peace.

* * *

Violeta stood with her arms crossed, looking out. The capital blazed with dazzling lights. Thersion was likely already cloaked in darkness, but this city, always writhing with insatiable ambition, remained wide awake.

News that the imperial city had fallen to Thersion must have spread like wildfire. Compared to the vast expanse of the empire, the capital was just a tiny speck of land. And yet, people crammed themselves into this small space, clinging to the belief that it was the whole world. Struggling and scrambling for power.

“So diligent,” Violeta muttered.

She despised the capital’s suffocating gloom. She missed Thersion’s green woods. She missed the wolves and their honest, unpretentious ways.

Violeta sighed. The duties she’d taken on, more out of obligation than anything, were what kept her rooted here.

[“…Then does that mean Jeremiah will become Emperor?”]

It had been a woman, pale and trembling, who had barely managed to get the words out. Just pronouncing the word ‘Emperor’ had taken everything she had.

[“Is that so strange?”]

[“I never even imagined it… Honestly, I’d have been content just knowing he was alive.”]

The small woman, her hands clasped tightly, looked utterly terrified.

[“P-Please… don’t tell Jeremiah about me. I just know… I’ll only be a burden to him. I’d rather he think of me as someone who’s already dead.”]

Violeta couldn’t understand her.

Didn’t she know? That just knowing your parent is alive could be a source of comfort to a child?

“Well… I guess. How could a wolf possibly understand a human heart?”

They were far too complicated. Far harder to understand than she’d expected. Not like the innocent, smiling Alexa.

Violeta shook her head and stepped away from the balcony, as if escaping the stench of rot rising from it. She knew she’d never get used to those dazzling lights.

If the Emperor could be crowned safely and she returned to Thersion, she vowed never to look back at this place again.

“What’s taking that little brat so long?”

She clicked her tongue.

“You have to know when to let go.”

Violeta let out a heavy sigh, her face twisted in frustration. The disgruntled breaths of the wolves echoed faintly all around her.

She wasn’t the only one who felt like she was wearing ill-fitting clothes here. This was why strength mattered. She should have overpowered Ysildus and dragged him back to Thersion. No, she should have started with Carlisle…

“Ugh.”

This was the sorrow of those born weak.

……

T/N: Ysildus is back safe and sound while Violeta was stuck in the capital