Tame or Be Captured (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 009
While Asha was putting her outer garment back on, Jackal, having composed his emotions, quietly asked,
“…You said you had run away from the Emperor, right?”
“Yes.”
“But as far as I know, the current Emperor hasn’t found the butterfly yet.”
“That’s right. He doesn’t even know I exist.”
He asked, sounding utterly bewildered,
“What? But you just clearly said you ran away from the Emperor…”
“Because that event no longer exists anymore.”
Jackal couldn’t make sense of this situation at all.
He simply couldn’t understand what she was saying right now.
As his reason returned, the heat flushed from his face, leaving it cold.
Asha lowered her gaze and continued,
“They say every butterfly possesses a unique ability beyond merely blooming flowers. Mine appears to be regression. I fled desperately from the Emperor, only to be caught in the end—and at the very moment of my death, I was sent back to the past. The first thing I saw upon opening my eyes was you.”
Asha calmly told him the story of how she had once been sold to the Emperor.
She recounted the horrifying tale of that day when her minority tribe’s village was annihilated…
Jackal listened without uttering a single word in response.
Asha let out a small sigh and concluded her story.
“…That’s why I wanted to become Lycaon. My ability isn’t complete yet, and I don’t even know what other powers might still lie hidden within me—but if I keep honing it, I’m sure I’ll eventually be of help to Lycaon. Please don’t cast me out.”
A long silence hung heavily in the room.
Jackal slowly turned around and stared intently at her.
His deep blue eyes gave no hint of what he might be thinking.
Asha couldn’t be sure whether he believed her tale, so she kept her eyes fixed on the floor.
If he refused to believe her, she’d truly be in grave danger.
She’d already revealed the highly secret fact that she was a butterfly; he might very well banish her for the organization’s safety or even sell her directly to the Imperial Palace.
To Lycaon, she was nothing—just a dangerous liability, as Geb had said.
Thus, she resolved to accept calmly whatever decision he would make.
Coming with him had been her choice, but accepting her was his.
Jackal finally spoke, his voice heavy.
“…What’s your purpose?”
Asha looked up at him, not understanding his question.
His eyes were colder and more subdued than ever.
“If it’s truly possible for you to return to the past, why not simply hide and live quietly without drawing the Emperor’s attention? Why insist on becoming Lycaon and training your power? Could it be… to save your minority tribe?”
His words struck the bullseye.
Though she’d claimed she wanted to help Lycaon, her deeper motive was indeed to protect her people.
Knowing it would backfire to lie to him now, Asha admitted it honestly.
“…Yes.”
“You must’ve heard the rumors long ago that I left the minority tribe and formed my own group separately. That old man would’ve been shouting it to anyone who’d listen—man, woman, elder, child.”
He was referring to the chief of the minority tribe.
Asha had also heard tales of Jackal since she was a child.
“Do you know why I did that?”
Jackal asked, then immediately shook his head.
“…No. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. It’s not a particularly pleasant memory to revisit. In any case, to your village people, I’m nothing but a traitor. And yet you’ve come to me to help that same minority tribe?”
She’d somewhat anticipated this—he clearly had a very strained relationship with the chief.
Naturally, she wouldn’t appear favorably in his eyes for wanting to aid them.
“Yes. But I won’t shamelessly ask you to help me with that. When the time comes, I’ll leave Lycaon on my own to aid my village people and then disappear.”
Jackal fell silent for a moment before asking,
“Disappear… Then what about after that?”
“Hm?”
“After you save them, where will you go and what will you do with your life?”
“Oh…”
Asha was flustered by his unexpected question—and even more so by the realization that she’d never once considered her own future.
She stammered slightly as she replied,
“I… don’t really know yet. When I said I’d disappear, I meant it literally…”
“Why do you always speak so lightly of your own life?”
Asha’s eyes widened.
His voice now carried a faint note of agitation.
His unexpectedly sharp reaction made her earlier fear—that he might coldly sell her off—seem absurd.
Flustered, Asha carefully chose her words.
“Ahh… I’m sorry if what I said sounded unpleasant. It’s just that I only returned to the past recently… For now, I’ve set that as my sole purpose.”
“That’s a remarkably useless purpose.”
At his mocking tone, Asha frowned slightly as she replied,
“Saving lives isn’t a useless thing.”
“Oh? So the saying is true—that butterflies are sacred beings sent by heaven. We truly have a magnificent saintess before us.”
“Don’t mock me.”
“I’m not mocking you. I’m just stating facts. A woman who carelessly throws away her own life to save others is either a saintess or a fool. And honestly, I think those two are more or less the same.”
Asha opened her mouth to protest, but he took a sudden step closer, cutting her off.
Jackal looked down at her calmly with his blue eyes and said,
“One thing is clear now: you don’t belong with us. We never entrust the lives of our comrades to someone who doesn’t value their own.”
“But…”
Asha’s face fell emptily—but he simply turned and strode out of the cabin with heavy steps.
“But did you know this?”
Suddenly defiant, Asha called out toward his retreating back.
“You called my purpose useless—but without my help, you’ll lose not just your life’s purpose, but your very life! Because that year, when I’m crowned Empress, Lycaon is forcibly disbanded, and you’re captured by the Emperor and beheaded!”
Jackal stopped abruptly at the doorway at her words.
Only after blurting it out did Asha realize her mistake.
In her anger, she’d revealed something she shouldn’t have.
In her past life, she’d learned this news through Karaf; though imprisoned in the palace and unable to witness it herself, she’d heard that his head was publicly displayed in the square for all the Empire to see.
Now that he’d heard he was destined to die, he was surely shocked as well.
Her heart ached bitterly.
Yet Jackal left without another word, closing the door behind him.
For a moment, his face, lit by the flickering lamplight, looked strangely desolate—like someone abandoned by love.
The instant the door shut with a thud, Asha’s strength gave out, and she sank heavily onto the floor.
Jackal walked forward with a grave expression, eyes fixed ahead.
Beneath his boots, the snow softly crunched—quietly, steadily.
He wanted to find Sosa immediately to discuss this matter, yet somehow hesitated.
He wasn’t certain whether she would truly become a danger to Lycaon—or their savior from peril.
No, even before that, he needed to verify whether her words were true, and if so, precisely when and how those events would unfold.
Jackal wiped his lips with a conflicted expression.
He decided it would be best to consult Sosa only after gathering more concrete information.
Sosa always offered objective counsel—but if Jackal now pressed his own subjective viewpoint, Sosa would have no choice but to follow his lead.
As Lycaon’s leader, he absolutely couldn’t afford to make a flawed judgment—not when the entire organization was at stake.
His shoulders felt infinitely heavy; he couldn’t simply let a woman settle comfortably into his heart.
Just then, lost deep in thought as he walked—
“…Chief!”
Naji suddenly appeared from somewhere, bounding after him like an eager puppy.
“I’ve got the bathwater nice and warm now—hurry up and go take a bath!”
Distracted and troubled, Jackal found himself unknowingly led by Naji straight to the bathhouse.
A large wooden tub was filled with hot water, steam curling gently from its surface.
Naji turned to him with a bright, beaming smile—like a little pup waiting for praise.
If he’d had a tail, it surely would’ve been wagging furiously behind him.
Jackal’s expression softened as he ruffled Naji’s hair with his big hand.
“Thanks, Naji.”
He swiftly stripped off his clothes and stepped into the tub.
His taut, breath-taking muscles glistened vividly as they drank in the water.
Naji gathered his clothes and scampered cheerfully out of the bathhouse.
As the warm water enveloped him, his tense muscles relaxed, and his chaotic thoughts began to settle slightly.
Jackal washed his face with water, closed his eyes tightly, and tried to clear his mind for a moment.
But the instant he shut his eyes, Asha’s face immediately appeared before him, startling him.
Separate from the serious issue just discussed, memories surfaced one by one—her eating like a rabbit back at the hideout, her smiling gently…
Especially the way she quietly covered her mouth with one hand when she laughed—that image stubbornly refused to fade.
Her smile had been utterly pure and innocent.
That, he thought, must be her true nature.
Then, the image of her slightly flushed face from the wine, the soft fragility of her body when he’d held her, and even the brief glimpse of her pale bare chest when she’d shown him the butterfly mark—all flooded back into his mind, causing him to snap his eyes open.
Suddenly, the bathhouse felt unbearably stiflingly hot.
Jackal decided to finish his bath early and rose from the tub.
But at that moment, he realized he hadn’t brought fresh clothes to change into.
He called out for Naji—but the boy, probably expecting a long soak, had already left.
Jackal gripped his head with one hand, muttering in exasperation,
“This is driving me mad…”
Asha felt drowsy from the alcohol, nodding off repeatedly—but she forced herself to stay alert.
She absolutely wouldn’t fall asleep until Jackal returned.
She felt she had to apologize to him, explain things further—do something.
Just then, she sensed someone approaching, and the door slowly opened with a soft creak.
Assuming it was Jackal, Asha steeled herself and quickly sat up in bed.
But at that exact moment, her eyes met directly with those of a slate-gray horse that had just slipped cautiously into the room.
“…”
“…”
Asha was left utterly speechless by this bizarre situation.
The horse, equally startled, froze mid-step, one hoof suspended in the air, its large eyes blinking rapidly.
It looked as though it had halted halfway through entering the room.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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No way…did Karaf set up this situation with the assassin or kidnapping attempt to earn points?
Not practically, it is a form of torture. Jackel didn’t jump into the water on his own while tied to the boulder.
It seems backward that the Empress is invited to a Duchess’ tea party.