Rishi stared at the perfectly positioned back of the black wolf, contemplating that she had never imagined riding a wolf.

“Then if your back gets broken…”

The wolf lying down chuckled with a growling sound.

“Are you worried that I won’t be able to hold you at night?”

“It’s not that.”

The wolf’s tail wagged like a puppy’s.

“Hurry up and ride, Rishi. I have a sturdier back than you think.”
With an anxious heart, Rishi quietly climbed onto Kei’s back. There was a surprising comfort around the middle of his waist.

Once Rishi settled, Kei slowly stood up.

“Eek!”

Rishi let out a small scream as she firmly grabbed the fur on Kei’s neck.

“Good grip, Rishi.”

Kei moved with a deliberate pace. Rishi struggled to maintain balance and clung to Kei’s neck. Kei’s steps gradually quickened.

“Hey, Kei.”

“I’ll run, Rishi.”

Before she could say a word, the massive black wolf cut through the wind.

It felt completely different from riding a horse.

His sturdy waist muscles, which touched her bottom, bounced, and his entire body moved smoothly and swiftly.

Between the densely packed trees in the forest, Kei skillfully twisted his body to move forward.

Each time a tree seemed about to collide, Rishi screamed several times. However, after some time passed, she came to trust that he wouldn’t hit a tree.

Trusting him, she held his neck tightly, able to take in the rapidly passing scenery.

It was fantastic.

It felt like experiencing an amazing dream.

After a while, they were back where they started. Rishi dismounted Kei, stood facing him, and stroked the black wolf’s face. Even after running so much, Kei showed no signs of fatigue.

Rishi caressed the face of the black wolf. He closed his eyes, seemingly enjoying Rishi’s touch.

“It was amazing, Kei.”

“Anytime you want.”

His response, sounding completely natural, was genuinely warm.

Tonight, it seemed like she could have a good dream even without the Sleeves Stone.

+++

The moment Kei was carrying Rishi on his back and running.

A deer stood before a large lion with a gloomy expression.

The gigantic lion, as if bored, lay down with its front paws resting on its chin, yawning.

“Not the time to yawn, Nathan!”

“Wallace, I couldn’t care less if my sister-in-law mocks you or not.”

“You can be so relaxed because you’re a lion. Lions are impressive even if they get caught.”

“I don’t care whether my sister-in-law knows we’re werewolves or that you’re a deer more than the other.”

“We’re werewolves, you know. The commander already revealed he’s a wolf. It’s obvious you’d notice. He’s a smart guy. Oh, really. Stop yawning.”

“I’m sleepy.”

Nathan closed his eyes.

Wallace envied Nathan, who could transform into a lion, the king of the beasts.

When human, he looked like a little girl, but when transformed into a lion, he became a splendid creature.

Wallace poked the side of the lion, which was trying to fall asleep, with his long and magnificent antlers.

“Kyaaah! That hurts!”

The lion jumped up, opening its mouth, revealing large and fearsome fangs, but the deer struck the ground with its front paw without any sign of fear.

“Do you think my sister-in-law believed that deer was me earlier?”
“What’s with that sound again? Whether you think it’s me or not, I don’t care. Shut up before I rip apart that thin and fragile neck of yours!”

The lion growled as if it could bite the deer at any moment, but the deer murmured sadly while digging the ground with its antlers.

“Sigh. My sister-in-law shouldn’t notice that I’m a deer….”

“Hah, really persistent little deer.”

+++

At the second pre-party, the Crown Prince did not attend.

The noble ladies were still busy gossiping about the Crown Prince asking Rishi to dance yesterday.

Britney’s blood boiled as everyone seemed to be mocking her.

“This is absurd. Iris must have played some tricks.”

Perhaps she paid a large sum to the Crown Prince and asked him to dance with her. Of course, it was inappropriate for the Crown Prince to accept money and request a dance from a bride, but Britney wasn’t in her right mind.

She directly asked the Crown Prince to dance and was rejected. It was unusual for a lady to make the first dance request, and getting rejected would be talked about for a long time.

She couldn’t lift her face due to the sense of humiliation, but if she didn’t attend the party, the rumors would probably spread even more. So she reluctantly attended. She put more effort into wearing a more splendid dress than yesterday and behaving more confidently.

However, no matter how hard Britney tried, yesterday’s incident was not forgotten.

“Look at Britney. She’s pretending to be fine, but it’s pathetic.”

“She was rejected after making the first dance request… Did you see Britney’s expression back then?”

“Oh, if it were me, I would have died on the spot. But she still attends the party. She’s shameless.”

“Even Lady Green’s behavior was inappropriate. Seeing her sister treated like that, she might face the same treatment. How embarrassing.”

Although she didn’t actually hear these conversations, it was evident that such stories were circulating.

“It’s all because of Iris. She played some tricks….”

Britney glared at Rishi. Rishi, wearing a dress with a different, elegant atmosphere than yesterday, was sitting next to Kei.

Their eyes met, and a smile appeared on Rishi’s lips.

“She’s mocking me!”

Her mind was in disarray from yesterday’s shock, making it impossible to think rationally. It felt like tearing apart that girl’s head might calm the bubbling turmoil inside her head.

Britney raised her fingernails and rushed toward Rishi.