It had been a week since Chloe arrived in Bergen when Calcus came to visit her. Unaware that she had already returned to her hometown a week prior, he visited her house on the originally scheduled vacation date.

“You quit your job?”

“Yes, Mother repaid not only the salary but also the penalty. Even though I revealed that I’m a woman, I have no intention of going back anytime soon.”

“That’s a relief. Yes, you made the right decision. You really made the right decision.”

Calcus welcomed her decision with a broad smile. Chloe gave a bitter smile. Suddenly, she recalled what Calcus had said before. That the Duke is a difficult person to handle, and that her mother wouldn’t like the Duke.

“Calcus, do you happen to know something?”

“What…, well… I wonder. Anyway, it’s fortunate that you managed to get the money.”

Seeing Calcus obviously trying to change the subject, Chloe instantly realized that he also knew everything. Perhaps even the fact that the Duke is a werewolf.

How does he know?

The world surrounding her felt like a different world from before. In the world she knew, there were no beast people, but it seemed like it suddenly changed to a world where everyone was a beast person.

Her mother had been living by selling the jewels she brought when escaping from the Tigrium Kingdom, but after selling all of them, she had been living with the support of her father’s family. Chloe’s debt was also received from her father’s family.

The reason for leaving the house was because there were still Tigrium Kingdom citizens who supported her mother’s legitimacy, so she went to meet the Tigrium King in person to formally protest about killing Clyne and tell him to never interfere with her life again. Of course, in the meantime, she also received the necessary money from her father’s family.

Tuscan Staxton, the King of Tigrium and her mother’s nephew, couldn’t bring himself to kill his aunt, conscious of public opinion, so he let her live, and this time, he pretended to meekly accept her mother’s warning.

Of course, the real reason her mother went to see Tuscan was to protect Chloe. By superficially showing anger over the killing of her only son, it was to conceal the existence of Chloe, the real beast person.

Her mother’s intention worked well. The Tigrium King thought that since her mother’s beast child was already dead anyway, he could apologize as much as needed.

By the way, how much does Calcus know? And how does he know?

Questions arose, but before she could ask about them, Calcus’s questions poured out.

“How did you end up revealing that you’re a woman? What did the Duke say to you? Did nothing happen with the Duke? Are you really not going back?”

“Ask one at a time, Calcus.”

“Then I’ll just ask one. You’re not going back?”

“…Probably not.”

“Then Chloe, no, no… never mind.”

Calcus, who was about to ask something more in response to Chloe’s answer, shut his mouth. However, Chloe already knew what question he was going to ask.

“Calcus, remember what you said before. When you said you liked me.”

“No, I don’t think it’s good to answer you yet. Tell me when you come to like me.”

“That’s…”

However, Calcus abruptly stood up from his seat and changed the subject. He clearly showed his intention of not wanting to hear her answer anymore. The reason Calcus is acting like this is probably because he also knows her heart, but he’s not ready to hear the words of rejection directly from her yet. But just because she’s not going back to the Duke doesn’t mean she can accept Calcus’s feelings.

“Calcus, listen now.”

Even if it feels a bit cruel now, it would be right to reject him for Calcus’s sake. That way, he can also leave her behind and move forward.

“Don’t do that.”

Calcus’s face hardened.

“No, I have to say it now. I only like you as a friend, not as a man. I already love another man, and no matter what happens with that man in the future, I will never come to like you as a man. So if you still have feelings for me left, get over them. Meet a woman who can like and love you. That’s not me, Calcus.”

The hardened face now began to contort.

“I’m sorry.”

I’m sorry I can’t accept your feelings. But it seems there’s no room for another man to enter my heart. That’s… really impossible. My heart already feels like it’s going to burst just with my feelings for Your Grace.

Even at this moment, as she was saying these words to Calcus, she felt sorry for him as she was heartbroken thinking about His Grace.

But she decided not to say she’s sorry anymore. Leaving no room for any misunderstanding was the least courtesy and conscience she could show Calcus.

On the fourth day since the discovery of the tunnel, and the seventh day since Hugrey came to this area, the war finally began. The two sides started the battle on the Planeris Plains, with the ownership of the mountain at stake. The Schneider side poured out a tremendous amount of firepower, perhaps because they had prepared for a long time. It was not easy to even approach due to the endlessly flying fire arrows.

However, Hugrey, who restrained the knights and soldiers trying to rush out every time the fire arrow attack entered a lull, finally surrounded the Schneider side with the troops spread out like wings on both sides when the Schneider side began to charge.

The Schneider side denied the arson by the slaves until the end and shifted the responsibility for the child’s death to the Ulpaz side. Therefore, the Schneider side fought fiercely with a false cause. However, as time passed, the skills of the Ulpaz ducal knights began to overwhelm Schneider. In the end, they began to retreat, breaking through the siege of the Ulpaz knights. The fight was a certain victory for Ulpaz.

However, a problem arose. Nathan, vowing to kill every single one of them, chased the retreating enemy, only to end up surrounded. The boy, who grew fast and was full of enthusiasm but lacked experience, eventually caused an accident.

“We have to give up.”

Joyce, the head of the knights, judged that Nathan should be abandoned.

It was already a won war. It was Nathan’s rashness and impulsiveness to disobey Hugrey’s order to stop pursuing further, so it was a proper decision as the head of the knights.

“I’ll go save him.”

However, Hugrey was already spurring his horse and riding out. Abandoning a subordinate right in front of his eyes was not his way. The crime of disobeying orders would be dealt with after saving the subordinate. After bringing him back alive.

“That damn bastard.”

Joyce cursed at Nathan, who couldn’t control his temper and created a troublesome situation, and followed Hugrey. As the head of the knights, he had given his candid advice, but it was obvious that Hugrey, his lord, would go to save Nathan. In the end, all the members of the knights followed behind Hugrey.

However, what even Joyce didn’t expect was that Hugrey’s body had not been normal for the past few hours. Hugrey was in heat, and his body had already begun to burn with fever.

Calcus had been visiting Chloe’s house in the forest every day without fail.

“Don’t you work? How can you play around like this every time? Is it okay for a servant to just play around like this?”

After her mother returned, he said he went back to being a live-in servant, but she was puzzled as to whether it was okay for him to wander around during the day like this.

“I also work at night, so it’s okay to wander around a bit during the day.”

Chloe thought it was strange, but she let it slide, thinking if he says it’s okay, then it must be okay.

“Chloe, by the way, I have something to ask you.”

“Yes, what?”

“Are you perhaps also like your mother…?”

Neigh. Just as Calcus was carefully trying to ask something, the sound of a horse neighing was heard outside the house. Chloe jumped up. It had been five days since she sent a letter to the Duke. Perhaps it was a reply from the Duke.

Even though she had decided not to go back to the Duke, it was funny that she was waiting for a letter from him, but her feet were already running towards the door. However, when she opened the door, Chloe was met not by a postman, but by a knight belonging to the Ulpaz ducal knights.

She had seen his face in passing a few times, but she didn’t know his name. The knight got off his horse and came straight to her front door.

“Ms. Chloe Liden, I am Sir Macle of the Ulpaz ducal knights.”

“Ah, yes. We’ve seen each other before.”

Chloe’s eyes went to his hands, wondering if the Duke had sent a reply by messenger, but he was empty-handed.

“Sir Joyce has instructed me to bring you, Ms. Chloe.”

“…Sir Joyce?”

Chloe was puzzled that it was Sir Joyce, not the Duke.

“Yes. He told me to bring you as quickly as possible. We need to go to the border area with Schneider, so I would appreciate it if you could depart right now.”

“To Schneider? What happened?”

Come to think of it, the knight named Macle looked very tired. If it was an 8-hour one-way trip from Bergen to Roisen, it was a 4-hour distance from Roisen to the Schneider territory. With Roisen in the center, the Bergen and Schneider territories were on opposite sides, so it was a 12-hour distance from Bergen to Schneider.

Did this knight ride nonstop for 12 hours?

“There was a battle there. The Ulpaz side was victorious, but…”

Goosebumps rose on Chloe’s neck. Calcus was standing next to her at some point.

“Chloe has quit her job there. No matter what happens to the Ulpaz ducal family, it has nothing to do with Chloe. Please go back.”

“Ah…”

A troubled look appeared on Macle’s face.