Diana, who returned to the castle, visited the library after a long time. It had been a while since she had such leisure.

She leaned against the window alcove, which had changed to fit her perfectly, with her feet almost touching the wall, and listened to the sound crossing the corridor.

Thump. Thump.

The footsteps, heavier than before, stopped in front of the library. Diana’s cheeks flushed even before the door opened.

“Have you been well?”

“Raoul! I almost forgot your face.”

It was Raoul, who had returned to the castle after several weeks.

Diana put down the book she was reading on her lap and reached out happily. The knuckles of his fingers, which naturally intertwined with hers, were thick.

“You grow every time I see you.”

The black tunic he had recently fitted suited him like a second skin.

He approached Diana’s side and naturally leaned down.

His hands touched widely beside her hips, and Diana found herself trapped between them, looking up at Raoul.

“I had it made with extra room on purpose, so I’m glad it fits perfectly.”

Diana smiled softly as she tightened the tunic strings around Raoul’s neck.

It had already been three years since then.

Raoul had undergone explosive growth during that time. He was different from one week to the next, from yesterday to today.

Now his height and build were comparable to those of an ordinary knight.

But if his growth stopped here, he wouldn’t be a Lycan.

A full-grown Lycan boasted an enormous build that could easily cover two adult women.

‘Even now he’s so perfect… if he gets any bigger…’

Just thinking about it sent shivers through her entire body.

After completing the adult ceremony and the final awakening, Raoul was truly a walking beast like no other.

There were times when she felt like suffocating from the manly scent he exuded just by approaching.

Of course, compared to then, Raoul was still young now.

Raoul closed his eyes obediently, waiting for Diana’s touch. Feeling embarrassed, Diana pulled her hips back.

“Raoul… you’re not a baby anymore.”

“Then am I an adult?”

Raoul lowered his eyes and slowly bowed his head.

Amidst the precarious tension, Diana grabbed Raoul’s cheeks and shook her head.

“You haven’t even had your adult awakening yet, how can you be an adult?”

“Then why do you treat me differently?”

His hot forehead touched her shoulder like a complaint. Raoul didn’t move, waiting for Diana’s next action.

‘Pet me right now.’

Faced with his bold, demanding gesture, Diana finally surrendered.

As she gently stroked his still-soft hair, Raoul wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled his head affectionately.

“I missed you.”

“Mm…”

“…What about you?”

“Um… me too.”

Raoul lifted his forehead from her shoulder and looked into Diana’s eyes. The gaze meeting her at close range was quite piercing.

His features, which had become more pronounced, exuded a chilly atmosphere like the north wind in midwinter, even without making big expressions.

However, if there was one thing that remained the same, it was his gentle downturned eyes.

“Why are you being evasive?”

His straight, neat eyes, which usually looked sharp, turned gentle when looking at Diana. That’s how she could tell.

‘He’s throwing a tantrum right now.’

When Diana just blinked her eyes, Raoul gripped the window alcove tightly and bumped his forehead against hers.

Diana took small breaths, trapped between the glass window and Raoul.

“Hurry up and give me a proper answer.”

“I missed you too… Happy now?”

Diana, who had never had a friend or a lover before, was sometimes confused by Raoul’s attitude.

‘Are childhood friends always this close regardless of gender?’

She had once suspected Raoul’s puppy love, but after he went through his first awakening with Ayla, she realized it was a misunderstanding.

The current relationship between Raoul and Diana was difficult to define in one word.

Closer than childhood friends, yet more distant than lovers… It was a very strange relationship.

‘I guess I should see myself as Raoul’s attachment figure? I was the only one in Raoul’s world after all.’

“Raoul… I can’t breathe.”

Only then did Raoul remove his arms and lean back on the sofa. Diana got up from the window alcove to put the book she was reading back on the shelf.

“Since you’ve just returned after a long time, wouldn’t it be better to rest properly? That way you can recharge before hunting monsters again.”

“This is resting.”

“Reading a swordsmanship manual isn’t exactly resting, you know.”

“Then I’ll read something else today.”

Raoul followed Diana’s back with his eyes, and suddenly became interested in the book she was reading.

Recently, the time he spent with Diana had decreased, so they didn’t share many common interests.

In the past, they used to share their daily routines every day, but now they only met face to face two or three times a month.

“The Monster Duke and the Illegitimate Child of the Count’s Family?”

At that moment, a book that Diana hadn’t put away caught Raoul’s attention.

While Diana was searching the bookshelf, Raoul opened the hard book cover decorated with rose vines.

As soon as he read the first line, the readable and stimulating sentences caught his eye.

Margot wept, wearing an ornate veil.

A bride as thin as a skeleton on her wedding day, it was obvious the guests would whisper.

Not only that, but a freckled face, dull brown hair without a trace of loveliness, and equally dark eyes.

It was an ugly appearance that her glamorous father hated.

And today was the day she was being sold as a bride to the monster Duke Cartel in place of her pretty elder sister Mari.

‘I’ll be devoured by that man before I even spend my wedding night!’

‘A body swollen ferociously, fur covering his entire body like a beast, sharp teeth. Ah, his fangs will tear into my neck!’

“What are you doing?”

Diana approached and waved her hand in front of Raoul’s eyes.

“…”

“Raoul?”

He awkwardly hid his hands behind his back and looked up at Diana.

“Why are you sweating so much?”

Diana slipped her fingers through his bangs and fanned them. Raoul flinched as he received her affectionate gaze.

‘How much longer until the adult awakening?’

He bit his lip anxiously. Recently, his heart beat too fast whenever he saw Diana.

In Lycan terms, the greater the love for one’s mate, the faster the adult awakening progresses.

Raoul wanted to become an adult quickly just by inhaling Diana’s scent.

An unquenchable thirst rose in his throat, and sometimes being together felt like a happy imprisonment.

‘Diana…’

His insides boiled when he was on guard duty at the outer fortress.

Recently, Diana had been covered in the scent of other males. Was it volunteer work at the monastery?

Young children would constantly snuggle into the folds of Diana’s kind skirt.

Even without seeing it, he could vividly imagine the situation.

Although he knew it was childish, Raoul grew anxious. He wanted Diana’s love and attention to be his alone.

However, a Lycan who had completed the adult awakening was far from the pretty appearance Diana spoke of.

It was not only far from small and petite, but not delicate at all.

If anything, it was closer to the monster duke described in the book.

Especially during the adult awakening, they often lost their reason and couldn’t hide their true form, making them look even more beastly.

“Diana…”

“Yes. What’s wrong? You look pale… Are you hurt somewhere?”

“Hug me.”

“What? Suddenly?”

For some reason, Raoul stretched out his arms like a baby and sent a pleading look towards Diana.

It was something he hadn’t done even when he was young, except when he was really anxious.

‘Why is he being so childish all of a sudden…? Did something really happen?’

Diana hesitantly entered Raoul’s arms. His cheek felt warm against her stomach.

As she combed through his hair with both hands, Raoul closed his eyes with a growl.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“No.”

Today, Raoul was acting strangely.

Diana playfully stretched his cheeks before removing her arms and sitting back on the window alcove.

Delilah asked Anya to read a passage from the scripture in a voice imbued with dignity.

“Would Lady Anya please read from Chapter 7, Verse 5.”

“Yes.”

“The earth splits, and the sea rises. Yet the foolish children of the gods never notice these signs, and in the end, the selfishness and greed of life make them destitute. The goddess spoke long ago. Truly, peace comes from harmony. But when the herd of beasts that harm this run rampant, the world falls into chaos.”

“Would Lady Diana please read from there?”

“The beast that crawled out of the deep pit covers its hideous appearance with sunlight. As it steals the light of the heavens, the earth is stained with darkness and life suffers from famine. All things in the world lose their light, and only the children of the beast wrapped in a golden cloak live in luxury. To this, the goddess imparts one method to the prophet Versein. As the power of evil is rampant, seek a pure soul to counter it. Only an uncorrupted, sincere heart can save the world.”

Diana finished reading the last verse and put down the scripture.

“Is the end really approaching?”

Lady Anya asked anxiously as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

Fenice, who had put down the prophecy book beside her, answered instead.

“It’s not polite to question the authenticity of the prophecy in front of the Saint, Lady Anya.”

Anya shut her mouth tightly and glanced at Delilah.

“I’m sorry. In my anxiety, I just…”

The purple eyes of the prim young lady trembled. Delilah answered with a composed face.

“There is only one answer I can give you. That a saint with the ability of foresight can never tell a lie. We are, after all, the mediums of the gods.”

“Is it because the end is approaching that monsters have been rampant for years?”

“Perhaps.”

Anya clutched her cheeks in frustration.

“Who on earth is the beast wrapped in golden clothes, and when will the one to save the world appear?”

Everyone kept their mouths shut at the question that could easily be interpreted as an insult to the imperial family.

The empire interpreted ‘gold’ as a symbol of wealth and prosperity, saying it was a general term for the bourgeoisie who indulged in luxury, but it was an open secret that the beast appearing in the prophecy referred to the imperial family of the Hamel Empire.

‘The controversy is so fierce that there’s even debate about the qualifications of the late Saint Versein.’

Fenice summarized the situation.

“Being able to interpret the meaning of the prophecy on your own is true scripture study. Let’s stop here for today and go to the monastery.”

Anya’s eyes, which quietly closed the scripture, held an unusual gleam.

“Alright. Let’s go.”