《Oh, I Have Never Abandoned That Tyrant》 Chapter 1 A shriek lifted me out of somewhere deep. ¡°Lari¡­ Open your eyes.¡± I blinked my heavy eyelids and opened my eyes to the cry of a young voice. ¡°¡­ Your Majesty?¡± It was a small whisper, but Thierry¡¯s head was lifted. He seemed to have been holding my hand all the time and resting his forehead on the back of my hand. The eyes were full of moisture, and even as a child, the beautiful appearance as if he had already grown up was pitiful. ¡°Your highness, how are you here?¡± I tried to raise my upper body up with a surprised face, but in the end, I gave up and barely uttered words. The more he spoke intermittently in a deeply submerged voice, the stronger the gripping hand became. ¡°I was worried¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Are you in a lot of pain?¡± All I had was just a cold. I stayed in the room for two days in case, but it seems that the young prince could not bear it and came to the place where I stayed. ¡°Not at all! I just don¡¯t have the energy. After tonight, it will be the same as usual.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t see you all the time, so I came here like this, but even when I called, you didn¡¯t wake up¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Were you surprised?¡± ¡°¡­Yes. I was afraid that Lari would not be able to open her eyes like this.¡± The white face contrasting with the black hair looked particularly pale today. Even though the corners of the eyes, which were soaked with water, were burning red. A face of desperation, thirsting for affection, drew closer to me. ¡°Lari. Did you not forget that you agreed to stay with me? Will you keep your promise?¡± The voice whispering urgently, in case someone heard it and interrupted it, was very painful. I couldn¡¯t help but smile and held the boy¡¯s hand tightly. The hand that used to be small was now as big as my hand. ¡°Absolutely. As long as Your Majesty wishes, I will keep that promise.¡± I didn¡¯t even know that would be the last time. *** Originally, I wasn¡¯t ¡®Lari¡¯. One day, I stumbled on the overpass and fell. When I opened my eyes, I was possessed in this body. It was about the body of a supporting actor in the novel ¡ºOne Wish¡», which I read right before my death. The male protagonist, Thierry Rainerio, was an unlucky prince. He lacked the power of fire that only appeared to the royal family of the Podia Empire, the guardian of fire, so he was living alone in a secluded villa. And my future was already bleak because Lari, a maid with the commoner background, who was roughly attached to him, later stole his mother¡¯s only keepsake, a necklace, broke it, and died at the hands of that man. You just kill people like that? Lari was just a stepping stone for the male lead to grow. It is the opportunity to awaken the power of fire when he finally became angry and felt emotions. That way, after that, he will be able to open his heart to the female lead and sit on the throne of the emperor against the empress and the crown prince. As I recalled Thierry, the man who was crying for me a while ago, I fell into a strange feeling. ¡®It was really hard. With a 12-year-old body, I swept and polished the large villa, treated the seven-year-old prince well both physically and mentally. I almost felt like a parent.¡¯ Of course, the desire to return to the original world was also there, but when I remembered the painful last moments of my previous life, my will was quickly shattered. So, I decided to live with it. ¡®Anyway, it¡¯s better to live than to die again.¡¯ At first, I wanted to sneak away. However, the place I stayed at was like my residential area, and ifI ran out of the Imperial Palace right away, I would only be roaming the streets forever. After all, there was only one way. Working hard to raise money with the male lead. Of course, there would be no death flag if I don¡¯t steal the necklace, so I decided to take good care of the male lead so that he wouldn¡¯t be crooked in order not to cause my neck to fly. I did my best with no regrets. The child with a closed heart treated me as if I was not there, but as if to repay the sincerity I had shown over the past 6 years, his gaze gradually began to dwell on me. Finally, today, to the point where he even shed tears for me. ¡®In the original, he was a ruthless and cold-hearted person, but Thierry is different now. It¡¯s like he¡¯s completely naive. The environment in which a child grows up is also important.¡¯ I was saving money to run away, but my future seemed safe enough that I didn¡¯t have to. I frowned as I thought that I should spend the whole day with Thierry, who would have been very surprised tomorrow with a happy mood. ¡®The only problem is that I¡¯m worried that Thierry won¡¯t trigger the power of fire¡­¡¯ Other imperial families naturally learned the power, but the author put a useless setting on why he had to realize that power based on anger. Maybe I should come up with a different method so that Thierry can realize the power¡­ ¡®Hmm, I don¡¯t know. Let¡¯s get well soon and get up.¡¯ Suddenly, it was late in the morning. I was so thirsty that I opened my eyes for a moment while I was sleeping, but the sound of rain coming through the window somehow reminded me of Thierry¡¯s crying, so my contemplation became longer. ¡®Let¡¯s go to sleep.¡¯ I tried to clear my head to fall asleep again. Squeak! But at that moment, the squeaky sound of the hinge rang quietly. I opened my closed eyes again and carefully looked toward the open door. ¡®Did Thierry come again? Huh?¡¯ Darkness settled in the room, but the size of the incoming person could be seen, so I could soon see that my guess was wrong. ¡°Who is it?¡± In an instant, only black shadows filled my view, and a towel covered my nose and mouth. ¡°Ugh!¡± A tremendous force weighed down on me. An unidentified strong smell paralyzed my senses and blurred my mind. ¡®I¡¯m going to die again? Why?¡¯ I was discouraged by the fact that this life would be lost in vain again, feeling the increasingly blocked breath and a distant spirit. ¡®Who on earth¡­¡¯ Eventually, I lost sight and stopped breathing. It was a perfect dark battle. ¡°Hah!¡± However, I felt that my breath, which had not rested due to tightness, returned. ¡°There¡¯s a reaction!¡± ¡°What? Are you saying that her consciousness is back?¡± I opened my eyes wide like a person who was rescued from falling into water. ¡°The princess really opened her eyes!¡± ¡°Gasp¡­¡± There was a commotion around. I was just busy trying to breathe, so I didn¡¯t have the time to look around the fuss. ¡°What?¡± I thought I was dead. I definitely felt a sense of suffocation. To say that I was paralyzed by sleep paralysis, everything was too vivid, and I felt like I almost lost my mind for a moment, but I opened my eyes quickly. But strangely, the surroundings were so bright and strange. ¡®¡­It¡¯s not my room. Is this a dream? Or the afterlife? Something like that?¡¯ I rolled my eyes. The people surrounding the high ceiling, the colorful bedroom, and the bed I was lying on were staring at me with pressure. ¡°Alicia! Are you awake?¡± ¡°¡­Me? Are you sure you¡¯re asking me right now? I barely spoke a word in a voice that seemed so different. ¡®What situation is this?¡¯ There were many things I wanted to ask. One, as if I had not played my part for a long time, my neck was stuffy as if it had been stuck in something, and when I made a sound, it hurted as if it were about to be torn. ¡°Alicia. I can¡¯t believe you opened your eyes¡­¡± The middle-aged man looked into my eyes and gently swept my hair. His trembling fingertips touched me for a while and then fell off. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry about this as your father. I¡¯m just thankful.¡± Soon after, people bowed their heads deeply toward the middle-aged man while I frowned and suppressed intense emotions. ¡­No, something¡¯s wrong with this. I looked faintly around with a speechless look. Then, thinking that I couldn¡¯t do it, I secretly pinched my thigh under the blanket. ¡°Ow!¡± It hurted so much. Tears came out from the pain. ¡°Princess! Are you okay?¡± ¡°What are you doing? Check the condition quickly.¡± ¡°Princess, excuse me for a second. Can you look at this light for a second?¡± I crouched to the side, rubbed my thighs quickly, and opened my closed eyes. If it¡¯s not a dream, what is this? Why do you keep¡­ Who is this Alicia? Only then did the words that I heard slipped into my ears. The hand rubbing my thigh stopped. At that moment, an unknown sense of sight crossed my mind. ¡°Princess?¡± ¡°Alicia?¡± Me, who woke up in a strange place after realizing death, and those who call me a strange name. These situations are different, but I definitely seem to have experienced it one day. As the hidden field of view opened, blonde hair and thin white hands that were scattered on the bed caught my eyes. ¡®It¡¯s not my body.¡¯ My hands trembled in front of me as if they were agitated like my feelings. I stare at the noise around me. Soon, I closed my eyes tightly. *** As expected, it was the second possession. ¡°Oh my¡­ You¡¯ve been lying down for 7 years, and you¡¯re so healthy. This is a miracle!¡± It¡¯s been a month since I opened my eyes from this body. I thought it would take a long time to recover because I had been lying down for a long time, but I¡¯m already healthy enough to live a normal life. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to everyone¡¯s sincere care for me.¡± ¡°Haha, princess¡­¡± ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t it time to stop crying?¡± At first, every time I opened my mouth, I trembled with contemplation, but now I looked awkwardly at Norman, who shed tears with an emotional face whenever I said something. ¡°This old man is always making a fuss and apologizing. Even though the memory of the princess is not intact, the way you try to get along makes me feel emotional¡­!¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± ¡°If it were in the past, you would have asked me to get rid of my tears right away, but you even listened to me like this. This old man, even if I die tomorrow, I have no regrets!¡± I swallowed laughter as if I knew what I had been suppressing was bursting. The more Norman talked today, the more I couldn¡¯t hide my feelings. ¡®I heard that a person becomes nice after he/she dies and comes back to life.¡¯ Chapter 2 This princess has been notorious since she was young. It was understandable that the courtiers were trembling from a distance, and the families who gave a lot of love gradually gave up, so it was worth knowing even if they didn¡¯t listen carefully. ¡°You can¡¯t die. Why don¡¯t you go out and calm yourself?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe the princess cares about my heart¡­! I¡¯m truly going to die in peace.¡± I nodded as if I knew and got up from my seat. ¡°I¡¯ll leave now. If you need it, please call me anytime.¡± Norman quickly stepped down at the same speed as the light, wiping away tears, perhaps noticing that it was really time to get out. There was a careful sound of the door closing. The sound of the dress following my steps filled the room. Soon my steps stopped in front of a large mirror. The sight was still full of unfamiliar appearances. Long, wavy platinum-colored hair and big eyes as if holding a sparkling emerald sea. A beautiful girl full of freshness was looking back at me. ¡®Alicia Astad.¡¯ The youngest princess of the Kingdom of Astad, who was struck by lightning seven years ago. Her heart suddenly stopped beating and this year when she turned 18, it started beating again when I opened my eyes in her body. A stranger that was not even mentioned in the original. But what shocked me more than that was that the year of Lari¡¯s death was seven years ago. ¡®I can¡¯t believe seven years have passed since I died and came back to life in another body.¡¯ At first, I couldn¡¯t feel the seven-year gap at all. While I was curious about Thierry, the news made my shock grow even bigger. The boy, who is already 20 years old now, exterminated the imperial family three years ago and ascended to the throne to become a ruthless tyrant. ¡®That gentle kid¡­ He used to hold my hand tightly at night because he was scared¡­¡¯ Did he meet the female lead? That¡¯s why you became emperor? Was the original like this? I didn¡¯t think so. ¡°Yeah. If it went as it was, I wouldn¡¯t have been questioned. In the first place, the villa is difficult for outsiders to visit, so it doesn¡¯t make sense to infiltrate it unless you intend to.¡± During the six years there, no one was interested in us, let alone Thierry¡¯s father, the emperor. The villa that no one was looking for was like our own fortress, but out of nowhere, someone came and killed me. Seeing that Thierry grew up safely, it was clear that they were aiming for a maid, not a prince from the beginning. I opened my eyes from another body now to see what kind of harmony it was, but as a result, my death was too dubious to say that I was fortunate to be revived. What do you mean, the second possession? This strange phenomenon should also be pointed out seriously, but I was at a loss where to start looking into it. ¡®¡­Hoo, I¡¯m getting a headache.¡¯ It¡¯s too much right now, but I think I¡¯ll have to secretly find out about the villa situation someday, but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s possible now. Who was the intruder who killed me seven years ago, and what happened to the villa after that? I was just at a loss because these were problems that I couldn¡¯t recognize by myself. But there was only one thing that was clear. That my life now is completely out of the original content. ¡°Should I say that it¡¯s a relief?¡± It was a feast of question marks for a while, but when I thought about it carefully, I thought it was not a bad way to end my relationship with Thierry. I maintained a good relationship with Thierry, but it was to keep me alive. ¡®Although that last promise to be together¡­ In fact, that was also a promise that would naturally not have existed when Thierry grew up. If he meets the original female protagonist, he will be busy loving her regardless of whether I was a maid or not.¡¯ I am now a princess of the kingdom irrelevant to the original plot, and Thierry established his empire with his own power. Time has changed a lot, so it was right not to look back on the relationship that ended by drawing a new future in each place. ¡®I¡¯m going to be fine.¡¯ However, as if this was not the end, the relationship with Thierry continued horribly after that. *** ¡°There might be a war?¡± ¡°Last year, the Tahel Kingdom collapsed. But the next place that was pointed out was our kingdom.¡± ¡°How could he come this far¡­¡± ¡°I guess the Emperor of Podia is looking for something.¡± I was on my way to the restaurant. The maid¡¯s chatter heard in the corner hallway attracted my ears. ¡®If Podia, Thierry?¡¯ I slowed down and moved toward the corner. ¡°What is he looking for?¡± ¡°I heard they are digging for information about elves.¡± ¡°Elves? Haven¡¯t the elf races been gone for a long time?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I thought, but wouldn¡¯t it be a secret seeing that he¡¯s digging everywhere? Anyway, I¡¯m worried that the war buff will really come all the way here.¡± To say that it was just gossiping, there was sincere fear and deep sigh in the maid¡¯s voice. ¡°I heard he¡¯s a tyrant who will remain in history for a long time, but it¡¯s scary just to hear it.¡± ¡°There are all kinds of rumors. When he was young, he suddenly went crazy, and when he lived with blood instead of bread¡­¡± The sound of the maids¡¯ words gradually grew farther away. In an instant, it became quiet. ¡®Thierry will come here? To fight a war¡­?¡¯ I stared at the air as a stiff person. ¡®It¡¯s probably a false rumor, right? There¡¯s gossip everywhere. It¡¯s overflowing. Haha¡­¡¯ I tried to laugh it off, but unlike my heart, my face gradually became teary. ¡®What the hell happened? Why did the cute Thierry grow up like this?¡¯ I know well that Thierry was not destined to live a great life. However, to accept the comments about him casually now, the image of a child with steadily shining eyes while we have been together for six years since the age of seven was vivid in my mind. And even our first meeting. ¡°My name is Lari. I will be serving your Majesty in the future.¡± Although he is from a royal family, Thierry has been alone since birth. Crumpled clothes, untidy hair, and pitifully slender cheeks. At first, I was anxious to know that the future where Thierry would kill me, but as soon as I saw the fragile child, the thought flew away. I looked at Thierry staring at me with an emotionless face and smiled with a bent eye. ¡°Can I hold your hand?¡± After slowly getting down on my knees and looking at Thierry, I asked carefully, and waited patiently for an answer. With both hands outstretched, I held the palm-opening position for a while. ¡°¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know how much time had passed. About the time my legs were numb, Thierry¡¯s hand brushed against mine. ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± I tried to break his boundaries, but the reaction was quicker than I expected. I was prepared to be ignored for some time. I squeezed that little hand. As if waking up in the novel to let me know that this place was real, the warmth of the child¡¯s hand was transmitted. At that moment, I could feel it. That I couldn¡¯t go back to where I used to live. And that I was truly alone. From now on, this will be my reality. Feeling like I was about to cry for some reason, I wrinkled my eyes slightly and muttered. ¡°Warm.¡± It was the warm body temperature of another person that I felt for the first time when I opened my eyes in an unfamiliar world. The eyes staring intently at me reflected my crying face. There was an emptiness in the child¡¯s eyes that reflected on me. I impulsively whispered to the child. ¡°Your Majesty, you are with me now.¡± Thierry, who was staring blankly at my face smiling broadly while hiding my trembling lips, soon nodded weakly. *** I rubbed my forehead with one hand and tried to erase the blurred memory. ¡°At this rate, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll recognize each other even if we run into each other.¡± Because we¡¯ve become so different from what we knew. I took a step, spitting out a small sigh. But I stopped in front of the carpeted central staircase shortly after. ¡®Whew, why are there so many stairs here?¡¯ Perhaps because of a previous death, there has been a trauma on the stairs since I lived as Lari. It¡¯s okay to go up, but I¡¯m scared and anxious because I think I¡¯ll lose my footing when I go down. So when I went down, I had to hold the handle and go down slowly. The villa I used to live with Thierry was on the first floor, so it was okay, but here, the bedroom is on the second floor¡­ ¡°Your highness, are you holding my hand so that I don¡¯t fall down?¡± Suddenly, the cute boy, who nodded, crossed my mind. I couldn¡¯t go often, but sometimes I went up and down the stairs to clean the second floor. But maybe he noticed that I was anxious about the stairs, and at some point, when I stood in front of the stairs, Thierry approached and held my hand first. ¡®He was so cute¡­ I¡¯m sure he grew up to be a really handsome guy, right?¡¯ My heart melted into the afterglow of repeated memories. It wasn¡¯t to this extent as soon as I woke up, but it seemed like this because of the rumors that I might encounter him again. ¡®No, no! Get a hold of yourself. Even if we encounter each other, we will reunite in the worst situation. It¡¯s good for us to live without encountering each other.¡¯ I shook my head from side to side, shaking my thoughts. Then, after taking a big breath, I held the stair handle tightly and carefully lowered one foot down the stairs. *** A month has passed, but the dining table was still awkward. Neither the feast I saw for the first time in this world nor the noble sitting at the table and eating food with several people have been adapted. Besides, my family, who reacts burdensome-ly to every step I take, made this place even more burdensome. ¡°Alicia.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± I lifted my eyes and looked at a handsome man sitting opposite me. The first of my two older brothers with platinum blonde and emerald eyes was Padel Astad. ¡°These days, your walk time is longer than usual. Aren¡¯t you overdoing it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m controlling it properly so that it doesn¡¯t strain my body.¡± When I answered with a light smile, Padel stared at me with a curious expression. Chapter 3 The unfamiliarity underlying Padel¡¯s eyes was revealed momentarily. At first, I was asleep for a long time. I had memories of Alicia¡¯s childhood, so I wondered if I should act like her. However, I thought it would be difficult for me to handle the personality of being reckless, so I was pushing ahead with the concept of being spiteful and mature as I died and woke up. Originally, I became a different person in the eyes of my family overnight, so I understand why they are looking at me like that, but my smile toward him became increasingly awkward because I couldn¡¯t hide what was burdensome. ¡°What¡¯s on my face?¡± I rubbed my cheek and asked. ¡°Sorry. I just feel a sense of distance because you speak so politely.¡± ¡°Right. While lying down, you received etiquette education in your dream and became a completely different person.¡± The second prince, Harrison, who was sitting next to him, smiled and added a word. Unlike the calm first child, the second child, who has a similar appearance but is free-spirited, was different from others who treated me like a glass doll that would break when touched. ¡°Yeah. I realized something¡­I can¡¯t act like a child forever. Oh, I¡¯ve gotten a lot older, right? I want to be comfortable.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not forcing you. I just want you to talk as comfortably as before.¡± ¡°You look uncomfortable now that I see it. Haha, why are you so awkward talking informally?¡± ¡°Haha- What book are you reading? But honestly, I think you look better now. It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t get used to it, but it¡¯s nothing weird.¡± ¡°I rather like it a lot. Before, I thought it¡¯d be better to talk to the wall than to you, but now we can talk very well.¡± It was a very acrimonious evaluation. Harrison revealed his expressions and thoughts without hiding them like that. For me, Harrison¡¯s honesty was pleasant because it was more comfortable for me. However, the problem was my parents. ¡°Harrison, watch what you say.¡± ¡°Alicia is just Alicia. What are you doing comparing the past and the present?¡± As expected, my father and mother, who were still listening, opened their mouths with a determined look. They were worried if I was hurt. It was an uncomfortable topic, but I laughed as if nothing had happened. ¡°Harrison¡¯s conclusion is that he likes me like this. Right?¡± ¡°What? What do you mean? It¡¯s a good thing, but it doesn¡¯t mean anything grandiose.¡± ¡°What do you mean no? Like Alicia said, I think I like you it very much.¡± Padel responded and laughed skillfully, perhaps because he read my mind to ease the atmosphere. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Harrison looked at the two of us alternately and rubbed his arms as if he was getting goosebumps, and then frowned as if he was dumbfounded. He looked fierce, but he didn¡¯t seem to be offended sincerely. ¡°Ha, yeah. Let¡¯s say that¡¯s it.¡± Harrison was a person who played with his words. ¡®Phew, that¡¯s a relief.¡¯ I breathed out relief inside and welcomed the topic of naturally moving on with the dessert being set. As it was time to slowly break up, the men talked about state affairs as usual. Most of the time, it was their route to go to the office after meal time. ¡°We have strengthened surveillance near the border.¡± ¡°Any suspicious moves?¡± ¡°Yes. There was a report that they saw a suspicious person a few days ago, but it was not related to the Podia Empire.¡± Podia? My eyes opened wide. ¡°Okay. Continue to be vigilant. If the Emperor of Podia has something he wants to gain, he¡¯s the type to tell others to make it happen. Otherwise, we might even have to fight a war.¡± ¡°Father, shouldn¡¯t we then decide to be more accommodating to his demands? Realistically, it would be too reckless to fight the Podia Empire.¡± ¡°This is not an acceptable request.¡± ¡°What kind of request is it? Rumor has it that he¡¯s digging around about elves, is this related to that part?¡± Yeah. Is it because of the elves? In the original story, it was briefly described that Thierry¡¯s mother was an elf, and it was never taken seriously. ¡®Like this again, the original is getting farther away¡­ As far as I know, Thierry met the female lead and fell in love with her, and he became the emperor at the age of twenty, but he became the emperor at the age of seventeen this time. Anyways, he¡¯s so different.¡¯ My father seemed worried about whether he should continue talking. However, after worrying for a while, looking at his family member one by one, he opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind. ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°The Emperor demanded the location of the elves.¡± ¡°That¡¯s absurd! Elves are extinct!¡± ¡°So, war may become even more inevitable because all the countries that could not give the answer the emperor wanted have disappeared.¡± *** Astad Kingdom was a quiet country surrounded by snow-capped mountains and blue lakes. Although it was difficult to reach outsiders at the northern edge, there was another reason why Astad, a small country, was able to keep peace without being invaded by other countries. It could also be because the country was very nature-friendly. Was that why Thierry was convinced that there might be elves in Astad? Since the royals here have a highly nature-friendly lineage, maybe there was a secret interaction with the elf race. ¡°Why does he want to find elves?¡± To find traces of his late mother? But if that¡¯s the reason, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s unnecessary to turn the whole country into a shaggy field? Even if you approach peacefully, the elves will want to hide themselves deeper if you use such a brutal method. ¡®Why am I here among so many countries? When I woke up this time, I thought I was completely out of the original, but that¡¯s not it either.¡¯ I thought it was a terribly bad relationship. In fact, the most terrible thing may be me who keeps moving from body to body, but¡­ ¡®Even if I try to search about it in a book, I haven¡¯t found a book that explains possession. If I want to get a clue about being possessed, I need to meet Thierry at least¡­ If a real elf exists, shouldn¡¯t I be more desperate to find and meet them than Thierry?¡¯ In order to organize my thoughts, I even came to a trail where people rarely visited, but my mind became more complicated. ¡®I¡¯m not born again. This is just¡­ It¡¯s frustrating, really.¡¯ Soon I muttered something else to change my mind. ¡°By the way, Alicia couldn¡¯t wake up because of her low affinity? I heard that the first was the spirit of the wind, and the second was the spirit of the earth.¡± I wonder if my parents spoiled me more because they felt sorry for their youngest daughter, who couldn¡¯t wake up. I repeatedly grabbed and unfolded the empty palm as I lowered it. Then soon, I dropped my hand and raised my head, wondering what I was doing. ¡°Did I go too deep? I can only see trees everywhere.¡± Was there a place like this? Obviously, at first, it was a road with flowers with a wide view, but as I walked along the road blankly, it seemed that I came to the forest road connected to the back gate. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and go back. Everyone must be worried.¡± Crunch. ¡®Huh? I think I heard something just now¡­¡¯ Crunch. ¡°¡­¡± My mouth closed automatically. I looked everywhere as my pupils shook. Tap, tap. The unknown sound got faster and closer to this side. It was clear that something was running to me. I faltered down and turned toward the road I had come. ¡°Ahh!¡± At that moment, a black object blocked my view and attacked me. I closed my eyes tightly. The crying sound of the beast in front of me made my heart flutter. ¡®What should I do? What should I do? Should I pretend to be dead?¡¯ I was shaking while lying on the ground, and then I opened only one eye in the quiet atmosphere to check my opponent. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± A big dog covered with black fur was staring down at me. ¡®What dog is it? Is it a dog? It¡¯s too big.¡¯ It was when our eyes met, the black dog cried sadly and carefully rubbed its nose against my cheek. ¡®Will it be okay?¡¯ I blinked with a puzzled look and moved my hand. Rather, the dog actively put its face into mine as my hand hesitated in the air as if it was about to touch its head. ¡®Unlike how it looks, he¡¯s very gentle.¡¯ It was quite overwhelming because it was large enough to completely cover me from above, but the sparkling yellow eyes somehow loosened my bad thoughts. ¡°Where are you from? You look like you have an owner, but the owner is alone somewhere.¡± I whispered softly as if to soothe the black dog. The dog couldn¡¯t understand, but it was just an act to loosen each other¡¯s boundaries even a little. ¡°Awoo¡­¡± However, as if strangely understood what I was saying, the black dog cried helplessly and rubbed his head on my hand, and soon began to lick it. ¡°Haha, it tickles. You¡¯re cute when I keep looking at you. It feels very familiar.¡± I petted a black dog and recalled the wolf I was taking care of with Thierry. In the beginning, to narrow the psychological distance with Thierry, I sometimes secretly went on a picnic with a lunch box, where I met a baby wolf who collapsed after being hurt on the forest road. We hid behind the tree and watched for a long time in case the mother wolf appeared, but the forest was cool and still. ¡°Your highness, shall we take him?¡± ¡°¡­Us?¡± ¡°Yes. To the house. Of course, I¡¯m going to take care of it! I will never let your highness suffer. I just want to take him home because I think he¡¯ll be lonely if he¡¯s left alone like that. Can¡¯t I?¡± ¡°¡­We can do it.¡± Thierry, who was staring at me, mumbled a little and nodded his head. Then he grabbed my hand and dragged me to the wolf cub. Chapter 4 Fortunately, the wolf cub did not avoid my hand. I thought it was an unspoken permission and tried to hug the wolf, but Thierry was faster. Although it was a young wolf, it looked quite heavy, but Thierry took the wolf to the villa without much effort with a smaller body than me, despite my concerns. While I was treating it with all my heart, Thierry just watched from the side without saying anything. ¡°I thought it was going to leave when it got better, but I guess it just wanted to stay. Would you like to name it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If it¡¯s difficult, can I name it?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Um- Then how about Rud?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, Rud.¡± So we grew from two to three living things in the villa. ¡°Rud was very kind, and he listened very well, and when it was cold, he snuggled me softly¡­¡± ¡°Oh-!¡± As if answering my words, the big dog cried for a long time. ¡°Yes, yes. Rud looked just like you. He was a little smaller than you, but his eyes¡­¡± Wait a minute. Are you really a dog? Come to think of it, it looked too big to be a hunting dog, and I think it¡¯s acting a bit strange. ¡°Are you a wolf too?¡± ¡°Awoo¡­¡± ¡°Huh, I guess that¡¯s right? The more I look at it, the more it resembles Rud. These big claws are a little too much for dog claws. Hmm.¡± How miraculous. I thought Rud was the only gentle wolf in my life, but do all wolves in this country like people? He also follows others well. And it was because I was thinking of Rud, the more I looked at it, the more it looked like Rud. I know it was hard to tell because it actually looks like a beast, but it felt like Rud was constantly appearing in front of me because of my mood. ¡°Hey¡­ I want to see Rud.¡± I muttered gloomy and fearlessly hugged the wolf I had mistaken for a black dog. I thought it would be avoided because it was an emotional act for a moment, but unexpectedly, the wolf could not quietly put his neck on my arm and buried his snout in the nape of my neck. Somehow, I felt like it was heartbroken. I dug into his rough but warm fur and closed my eyes vaguely. ¡°¡­¡± But it was that moment. Another shadow fell over my head. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± A low voice fell. I opened my eyes and got up. ¡°Oh!¡± As I tried to raise my upper body vigorously, I felt like I became a fish that fluttered helplessly because of the wolf who didn¡¯t even move. ¡°Hey, can you get off of me for a second¡­?¡± I grunted and pushed the wolf away, but I did not take my eyes off the unidentified man whose face was not visible due to the lighting on his back. The man stood still and looked down at me as I struggled. He seemed to have a dark aura emanating from him, perhaps because of his dark hair and black frock coat. ¡®Please!!¡¯ Feeling my desperate struggle, the wolf finally retreated, growling low. For some reason, it sounded like a complaint. ¡°Who are you?¡± I wiped my dress and stood up. I staggered slightly from getting up in a hurry, but in the meantime my eyes did not fall from the man. He was a handsome man with a cool impression, with a sharp jawline. What stood out in particular was the sparkling red eyes, and unlike their brilliant color, his eyes were just ruthless and dry, as if they were about to hit their opponents with contempt at any moment. ¡°¡­¡± The suffocating silence slowly tightened my throat. The man seemed unwilling to answer my question. He just stared intently at the wolf, which was slowly circling me. ¡°¡­¡±¡± How long has it been? Finally, the man slowly moved his arrogant-looking reddish lips. ¡°¡­I guess he didn¡¯t mean to kill you.¡± Killing me? So when you asked the wolf if he was hungry, did you mean that he would eat me? The man tilted his head with a curious look. ¡°No way! He was good.¡± I leaned against my leg, stroked the wolf¡¯s head, and looked at the man with vigilant eyes. The gaze of the man who had been focused only on the wolf reached me for the first time. One corner of the man¡¯s mouth went up obliquely as if following the raised eyebrow. ¡°He was good?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I didn¡¯t think it would harm anyone.¡± I wondered if this man was trying to harm the wolf, so I gently lowered my eyes and covered the wolf. ¡®Why are people so scary?¡¯ I¡¯ve never seen anything in my entire life exuding such a good-natured atmosphere. I felt like it would be dangerous to get close, so I wanted to run away right away, but I became more careful because I was afraid that it would provoke my opponent. ¡°That sounds funny.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Come on.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± My eyes widened at his attitude of calling the wolf. ¡°Growl¡­¡± The wolf¡¯s back, walking towards him with his tail drooping and howling like a scolding dog, looked very pitiful. ¡°Are you the owner of this wolf?¡± Does anyone else have wolves? I felt a little strange and forgot what I was afraid of. ¡°Yes.¡± It caught my attention at the man¡¯s short answer. I blinked, startled by the man¡¯s red eyes, whether he was still looking at me. ¡®Now I just need to turn around and go, but why don¡¯t my feet follow my thoughts? Is it because of the wolf?¡¯ I licked my lips with a hint of hesitation and finally let out some words. ¡°¡­Does the wolf have a name?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°He lost his owner, so he lost his name.¡± The man looked like someone from the lower-ranking side. At least, there was some etiquette lacking. A shirt with a couple of buttons unbuttoned and a tight neckline without a tie that didn¡¯t look like a formal aristocratic attire, but everything he wore looked expensive at first glance, and it exuded an aura like a high-ranking aristocrat. I had a foreboding feeling that I shouldn¡¯t get involved. ¡®He just said he was the owner¡­ Oh, did he mean the second owner?¡¯ I didn¡¯t understand, but I took a step back, pretending to understand roughly, nodding my head. The more I talked to him, the more dangerous I felt, so I wanted to leave this place quickly. ¡°I see. Then I¡¯ll get going.¡± ¡°Why is it crazy about you?¡± Crazy?! I almost showed a sign of disgust for a moment when I hated the man¡¯s outspoken words and actions. The man was approaching this way as if he had no intention of letting me go. ¡°¡­ I do not know. Maybe he just follows people well for fun.¡± My pupils trembled relentlessly in the narrowing distance. I lowered my anxious eyes and tried to avoid his gaze. ¡°It¡¯s not fun.¡± I didn¡¯t mean to say it was fun¡­ I pursed my lips and glanced at him again. The red eyes flashed terrifyingly as he was still staring at me. ¡®Hah¡­ Even seeing a ghost is less scary than this.¡¯ I felt like tears were about to come out, so I lowered my eyebrows. ¡®I can¡¯t. Am I prepared to be caught? Should I run away pretending to be crazy?¡¯ It was still before I could run, but the sound of my heart beating already made my eardrums pound. It was when I tried to put strength on my legs with such firm determination, the man suddenly rubbed his forehead and frowned in pain. ¡°Ugh.¡± Confused, I stared at him as he grinded his teeth. His tightly closed eyelids were still sharply raised, but it was because he looked sick, and somehow it felt a little pathetic- ¡°¡­It¡¯s like a dog.¡± ¨C Never mind. I backed away from him very slowly, as if dodging a mine. At the same time, his eyes lit up. The gleaming red eyes were fully exposed. My body stiffened at the bloody gaze that looked at me as if it would burn me at any moment. I really couldn¡¯t stand it. It felt like someone grabbed my ankle. ¡®It¡¯s driving me crazy.¡¯ I should have ran away sooner. Why the hell are you doing this to me? Fortunately, the man turned his back first. A wide back view filled my vision. Soon the wolf whined a little and followed the man who was moving away quickly. The wolf paused for a moment and glanced back at me, and soon followed the second master again vigorously. ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± I muttered absurdly as I relaxed my tensed body later. Come to think of it, I realized that we hadn¡¯t even learned each other¡¯s name. *** That stranger gave me deep fatigue. I returned to my room and asked my maid to search around if there was a suspicious person, and then quickly washed my body. My body soaked in the hot water became drowsy, and my exhausted mind quickly called for sleep. ¡°¡­Alicia!¡± When I opened my eyes to a voice calling me urgently, it was early morning. ¡°Brother?¡± ¡°Get up, put on this cloak.¡± Harrison¡¯s face hardened. He hastily lifted me up and put the cloak around my shoulders. I rubbed my eyes with a gloomy face. ¡®Am I dreaming or have I slept too long?¡¯ I looked out the window, feeling Harrison¡¯s hand wrapped around my shoulder. There was not a single star in the dark blue sky. ¡°What is going on at this hour? Where are we going?¡± I asked in a muffled voice. Harrison clicked his tongue briefly, as if he was shocked to see me like this. ¡°Are you able to sleep despite this commotion?¡± ¡°A commotion¡­ Huh? What are you all doing?¡± When the door was opened, several attendants bowed their heads with pale faces. And after that, the soldiers and other servants running around caught my eyes. I was then fully awake. The castle, which would normally have been quiet, was filled with heightened tension with lights lit here and there.