The Wolf Lord is Enduring (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
Michaela and Raphelian, who had moved from the dining room to the study, faced each other.
“Are you serious?”
“There’s no reason for me not to be. Cherishing kindness received is the Mosteros family tradition. I’ve been taught so since childhood. I don’t understand why you oppose the adoption.”
Michaela was exasperated by his indifferent tone.
‘What is this child thinking? Doesn’t he realize at all that this is excessive?’
Raphelian had always been a rational child since young.
Had it been the usual Raphelian, he would have first considered the problems arising from placing a human child into the family lineage.
Yet, judging by what he was saying now, he seemed utterly unconcerned about such matters—even convinced his own judgment was remarkably rational.
Today, more than ever, Michaela found Raphelian’s ever-calm, lake-like expression strangely vexing. Suppressing a hollow laugh, she poured water into the glass beside her and drank deeply.
“Why adoption, of all things? The child is still young—couldn’t they simply stay here until adulthood?”
“That would be half-hearted. El is an orphan from a thieves’ den. To ensure El receives proper treatment both within and outside our home, this much is necessary, in my judgment. It would also make protecting El fully much easier.”
Raphelian briefly met Michaela’s gaze—she sat in the seat of honor—then looked straight ahead, interlacing his fingers and resting his hands on his lap.
“I understand what you’re saying. But even if our clan is known for being human-friendly, suddenly placing a human into our lineage isn’t easy.”
“We aren’t so weak as to be swayed easily by others, and our succession is secure. Thus, I don’t believe it will cause major issues.”
Michaela watched Raphelian with a subtly probing look.
“It’s not that simple. There are many factors to consider from various angles.”
Remembering all the troublesome complications that would inevitably follow once rumors of the adoption spread, Michaela leaned back against the chair, pressing her fingers to her temples.
“If El truly wishes for it, perhaps I wouldn’t know—but I have no intention of stepping forward myself.”
“I merely offered El many options. Nor do I intend to force this matter aggressively. Still, if it must happen, I’d prefer it be done properly.”
“Imperial approval is required to add someone to the lineage.”
“If His Majesty knew it was your wish, Sister, he’d personally bring his seal all the way to the North—and still have energy to spare.”
Raphelian raised one eyebrow slightly, as if asking what the problem was, then lowered it again.
Michaela wanted to deny it, but knowing the Emperor was precisely the sort of person who would do just that, she couldn’t bring herself to speak.
After refilling her glass and taking another sip, she took a small breath and continued.
“Our household employs not only beastkin but also human staff. Can you honestly guarantee no one will feel envy or resentment?”
“Anyone who fails to understand our intentions is someone we must remove ourselves.”
“Let’s assume we can manage our own household. But what about the burdens El will face, suddenly thrust into noble society? It won’t be easy to endure—whether due to beastkin or fellow humans.”
“That’s precisely why we mustn’t leave El in an ambiguous position. Only by attaching the Mosteros name to El’s will we gain the justification needed to protect them.”
Raphelian’s expression was more resolute than ever, as if his decision were firmly set.
She kept glancing at her younger brother’s face as she explained her reasons for opposing the adoption.
“Don’t you consider what will happen the moment it becomes known that a human has been adopted into a beastkin family—especially one of the Empire’s foremost noble houses?”
Michaela squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, as if the mere thought were horrifying.
“People will surely appear, using the child’s origins as an excuse to exploit them. El will have to bear burdens they never should have had to carry.”
“The Mosteros family is not so weak as to fail protecting someone to that extent.”
His tone was firm, driven by strong conviction toward his house.
Michaela agreed with his statement, yet she also thought that if this were the usual Raphelian, he would have relented after saying this much.
Tapping her fingernail lightly against the empty glass, she finally spoke.
“The North isn’t an easy place for a human child to settle. Ah—the South. It would be better to send them to the South, where humans outnumber beastkin. We do have an estate there, after all, and managing the territory…”
“Sister, we aren’t trying to bring in a servant for the household.”
Raphelian, who never acted impolitely, cut off Michaela mid-sentence.
His interlaced fingers tapped restlessly against the back of his hand.
‘Look at this one.’
Michaela’s eyes briefly flickered toward his hands before she let out a deep sigh and murmured quietly.
“I have a feeling you’ll regret this.”
At her low murmur, Raphelian narrowed his eyes, puzzled by her intent.
He sharpened his focus, trying to decipher her true thoughts.
His keen, alert gaze fixed on Michaela, but she skillfully concealed her expression.
“Could it be that you, like other houses, pursue pure bloodlines? That would be an extremely outdated notion.”
“Yes. That is indeed an outdated notion.”
“Then why…? Are you perhaps worried that adding a human to our lineage might lead other houses to ostracize us?”
Michaela wanted to exclaim, “Who would dare!” but instead maintained her silence.
“Sister!”
“If you insist so stubbornly on adoption, the best course—for both the house and El—is to place El with another suitable human family.”
Setting down the empty glass she’d been holding, Michaela spoke deliberately, testing Raphelian.
“How could you possibly reach such a conclusion?”
His fingers moved in an unmistakably agitated manner.
“Let me be honest. I dislike the harm El’s adoption into our family would bring. People will surely appear who deliberately orchestrate incidents like today’s. I cannot put Briel and Riello in danger.”
Michaela glanced fleetingly at Raphelian’s fingers, then instantly donned the perfect mask—not as someone’s elder sister, but as the head of a noble house.
After a brief pause to steady her breath, she continued.
“No matter how great the kindness we’ve received, my blood relatives come first. Sending El to a respectable human family would let us avoid all this. We’d protect the house, and El would grow up under proper guardianship. Isn’t that quite reasonable?”
Michaela tilted her head slightly and asked gently.
“……”
Raphelian couldn’t bring himself to deny it—it simply wasn’t wrong.
Yet even if his mind accepted it, his heart refused to yield so readily. His fingers tapped busily.
“Even so, sending El to another house feels like shirking responsibility.”
“Then the most I can offer is raising El here as well as any noble daughter—nothing beyond that. Adoption is out of the question.”
“……”
“Adding a single human name to our lineage would cause too much damage. As head of House Mosteros—and as someone indebted to El—I have the duty to protect both.”
Raphelian had nothing more to say.
When she claimed it was for the sake of both the house and El, what further argument could he make? Thus, he could no longer press his point.
“I believed El needed a proper position to be treated well anywhere. But if that poses a threat to both El and the house, there’s no helping it. I understand your wishes, Sister.”
Perhaps because things hadn’t gone his way, his voice—previously so firm—now carried a hint of weariness.
Finding Raphelian’s dejected demeanor oddly endearing and mischievous, Michaela pressed harder once more.
“That’s what it means to be the head of a house. After all, I am the head of Mosteros, and I have much to protect. Should you mention this matter again, I’ll consider it a challenge to my authority.”
Until now, warmth had lingered in Michaela’s voice, but now it turned icy cold.
Since Michaela had invoked her authority as house head, he truly could discuss the matter no further.
His tapping fingers stilled.
“……Understood. My apologies.”
Though dissatisfied with this outcome, Raphelian rose obediently.
As soon as he fully left the study, Michaela immediately stood as well.
She opened the door to the library on the left side of the study. A nostalgic scent drifted from the densely packed bookshelves.
Standing before the shelf in the farthest corner, Michaela manipulated several mechanisms.
A hidden vault then appeared.
Quickly inputting the correct code, she opened the door and pulled a thick book from a wooden box weathered by time, flipping through its pages rapidly.
“I simply can’t let this go so easily.”
The first Duchess possessed genuine black hair and ruby-colored eyes… [omitted]… The first Duke had to spill countless lives to realize his love for her. Yet he willingly risked his life for her sake… [omitted]… Due to the unavoidable lifespan difference between humans and beastkin, the first Duke… [omitted]…
It was Raphelian, said to resemble the first Duke most closely and inherit his abilities to the greatest extent. Beside him stood a girl bearing the exact same appearance as the first Duchess.
‘I once thought it excessive to form such notions based solely on looks—but that boy, who always kept even the finest noble ladies at arm’s length, was clearly flustered earlier.’
Raphelian was paying unusually close attention to El, unlike his usual self.
Earlier, Raphelian’s hands had been exceptionally restless.
From the moment she’d deliberately suggested sending the child to the South or elsewhere to test him, his hands had grown unbearably fidgety.
It was Raphelian’s habit.
Whenever anxious, when things didn’t go his way, or when stubbornly insisting on something, he always interlaced his fingers and tapped them restlessly.
Michaela carefully recalled Raphelian’s demeanor during their conversation in the study.
‘Which reason could it be?’
It was certain Raphelian felt interest toward El.
But she still couldn’t pinpoint it clearly.
Was it a strong protective instinct toward someone who’d done him a kindness—or was there another reason entirely for his interest in El?
And was Raphelian’s newfound agitation—so unlike his usual extreme composure—merely because he couldn’t enforce his will, or because he felt he absolutely must not lose El for some deeper reason?
All she knew for sure was that Raphelian seemed determined to keep El firmly within this household.
‘He’s different. So very different. If this meeting between them is fate, and their bond inevitable—causing Raphelian to act on instinct like this…’
“Then adoption absolutely must not happen.”
This was precisely why Michaela had opposed El’s adoption with every argument she could muster.
Especially since she herself had experienced failed love, she wished for her younger brother to find happiness smoothly with someone he loved. She hoped Raphelian—who struggled to trust others—would finally find someone he could rely on and trust in return.
Thus, Michaela couldn’t possibly let this chance meeting slip away over trivial concerns.
Her grip on the book tightened instinctively.
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
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