Hurriedly leaving that house and running down the road, the men continued to chase me.

How far did I run like that?

‘Could it be up to now?’

The sound of footsteps seemed to echo right behind me. Worried that they might catch me, I looked back. Fortunately, they were far behind me.

‘Heh! It’s not easy chasing someone with four legs using only two, after all.’

At that moment, someone unexpectedly hugged me from the front.

“Kkyu!”

Startled, I screamed, but I quickly recognized who it was and gave a bright smile. The moment our bodies touched, I felt the surging flame mana.

‘Hadel!’

Hadel had come all the way here to find me. Overjoyed, I lifted my front legs, and Hadel’s eyes narrowed.

“You, let’s talk later.”

“Kkyu!”

Why is that? It’s scary.

As I cautiously observed Hadel’s reaction, the men chasing me stopped, breathing heavily, with rough expressions.

“Oops, Your Highness.”

“My Lord.”

Hadel gently embraced me with both hands, pulling me towards his body. It was a clear attitude of caution toward them.

“This guy is a jokjeibi I’m raising, what’s the matter?”

“Huh? I-I didn’t know…”

When Hadel appeared, they immediately lowered their tails. It seemed like things would end warmly, but…

‘If they release me now, I’ll run away.’

That won’t do! Why did I go through all this trouble?

“Kkyu-kkyu! Kkyu-kkyu-kkyu! Kkyu-kkyu!”

I told them urgently to catch and confine those guys. Since Hadel seemed not to understand, he even pretended to act sleepy with his short front legs.

‘Even though I said this much, if you can’t understand, we’re not on any terms!’

So, quickly catch and confine them, Hadel!

Fortunately, Hadel understood my words.

“…It seems my jokjeibi has something to say to you.”

“Huh? A jokjeibi?”

The men wore expressions as if asking what nonsense Hadel was talking about. Hadel cleared his throat.

“First, let’s go to the castle. My jokjeibi has been very lonely since disappearing, and I appreciate your care.”

“No, it’s nothing.”

“Oh, you don’t have to be like that.”

Since the lord was going to treat them, the men didn’t refuse and followed obediently. I made crying sounds.

“Kkyuing.”

A little, just a little, dissatisfied.

‘Although I said to catch them… it’s a relief that they brought them to the castle.’

Yes, as long as the result is the same, it doesn’t matter how.

‘If I go to the castle, I can turn back into a human and talk to Hadel again.’

I thought positively and nodded my head. At that moment, Hadel lifted me and turned around.

“We’ll take the carriage.”

“Kkyu?”

You came by carriage, Hadel?

You’re good at riding horses, so why did you take a carriage?

The carriage was also a stuffy one without windows, completely sealed. As soon as I got on the carriage, Hadel tightly held my small body and kissed my mouth. There was no room for me to push Hadel away, and it was a momentary kiss.

“Uh.”
Continuing to shiver in the cold outside, when Hadel’s mana flowed in, it felt unusually warm.

‘Why suddenly kiss me so hastily?’

The hand that was on the jokjeibi’s side suddenly gripped my round shoulder tightly. It was unlike Hadel in many ways, with the force extending to the fingertips, as if an eagle had caught its prey.

‘Does he have something urgent to tell me?’

The only reason I could think of was that.

“Haah.”

After the long kiss, Hadel slowly stepped back. Belatedly, I realized that the carriage had already started moving. I had been so focused on Hadel that I didn’t even feel the sway.

As Hadel draped a cloak over me, now transformed into a human, I grinned and asked him.

“Why did you come by carriage?”

“Just a moment.”

Instead of an answer, Hadel pulled me close. His rough breath sounded like a wounded beast trying to forget the pain.

“Hadel…”

Um, it’s embarrassing for me, can you let go for a moment?

I wasn’t properly dressed, and being snugly held in Hadel’s arms made me feel extremely embarrassed.

Hadel held me so tightly that I could only wiggle my fingers. After a while, Hadel spoke in a small voice.

“I couldn’t control the flames without you.”

“Huh?”

Suddenly? Even though he had been controlling them well recently?

I wanted to check Hadel’s face to see if something was wrong, but he didn’t allow it. While still holding me tightly, he only let me hear his voice.

“I thought you were gone… I was worried.”

“Oh, dear.”

In the end, because I ran out of the castle after leaving a letter, Hadel became anxious.

I faced Hadel’s chest. Since I was wearing only a cloak, I couldn’t open my hands wide to pat him.

I patted his back to reassure him.

“Why would I go anywhere leaving Hadel behind?”

“Still.”

Hadel’s broad shoulders trembled. If there were more leisure, I would have comforted Hadel, but now was not the time for us to relax. I brought up the main topic.

“The person who created the ice creature in the territory, those men from earlier.”

“What?”

Only then did Hadel release my hand and face me. I smiled slightly.

“Before the evidence disappears, let’s confiscate it quickly.”