Like a child for whom mother was everything in the world.

As if she had gone back into that tragedy of ten years ago.

“Please, Adel! Please!”

Christine hugged Adel to calm her down.

“Let go! Let go! Mother! Mother! Ahhh! Let go!”

Adel struggled mightily to break free from his arms, furiously hitting, scratching, and kicking him because she was angry that he was preventing her from going to her mother. But his arms and chest firmly held her, unmoving.

“No, Adel. No!”

Christine was as desperate as Adel. Guilt for not being there for her 10 years ago and anxiety that he would lose her forever now if he let her go overwhelmed him.

‘Was it really not me who did that to Adel’s mother?’

‘How would she react if she knew I was the Silver Wolf?’

‘Even if I didn’t kill her mother, can she fully accept me, a member of the Wolf clan?’

I, who am such a terrible beast…

Eventually, Adel fainted in his arms.

Christine quickly carried Adel to Marble Palace. Her thin dress was torn in the struggle, blood from her wounds stained various places, and her disheveled hair stuck to her wet face, giving her a miserable appearance.

But Christine stopped after not going far.

The restless and disgusting smell of blood…

(This is a time separator.)

“Jimmer.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“I entrust Adel to you.”

“Don’t worry.”

Having left Adel with Jimmer, he slowly turned around.

From a distance by the lakeside, Stone was approaching with people. Dressed neatly with a furlined jacket, silk hat, and holding a cane, he glanced curiously at the crime scene as if he had nothing to do with it.

But Christine glared at him, grinding his teeth.

This was certainly his doing.

The guard who died in the royal palace some time ago, perhaps even the killing of Adel’s mother…

“Wow, seems like something terrible happened this morning.”

Stone cheerfully whistled.

“What do you mean this morning, Count?”

“I came to clear up yesterday’s misunderstanding, but I didn’t expect to see such a tremendous incident.”

“You didn’t know, but you brought the reporters?”

The people with Stone were reporters. They rushed to the corpse and crime scene like a pack of hyenas but were all caught by the guards.

“I called them to report our reconciliation. But it seems the Silver Wolf is more popular than us.”

“The Silver Wolf, what are you talking about?”

Christine asked as if hearing it for the first time.

But Stone playfully elbowed him and laughed.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. The rumor has spread. The Silver Wolf roams and prowls the royal palace.”

Christine knew why Stone was doing this.

He was trying to provoke him. Having seen Christine with the wolves yesterday, he must suspect his identity. So he was stimulating him this way to gain certainty that he was the Silver Wolf.

By displaying such a horrific corpse in front of Marble Palace and attributing all of this to the deeds of the Silver Wolf.
Unable to contain Christine, male, revealing his true colors.

So he had to exercise patience and find serenity. If Stone found out who he was, it was only a matter of time before Adel, female, found out.

“I think it’s all a story made up by those journalist nobodies brought by the Duke.”

Stone clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Hiding isn’t the only skill. People have the right to know too.”

Christine’s lips turned cold.

“Is that so? Then I have a duty to protect the dignity of the royal family.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned to the guards with decorum.

“Arrest the Duke and all the journalists!”

No sooner had the quiet but clear command fallen,

“Yes, Captain!”

The guards quickly surrounded Stone and the journalists.

“What is this madness! Viscount Vise, how dare you!”

Stone cried out as he was tied with the guard’s rope.

Christine, who approached him, sternly declared,

“I cannot simply leave those who cause chaos with rumors as the captain of the guard protecting the royal family. Please understand, Duke.”

“You bastard! I will report all your misdeeds to His Majesty the Emperor! How dare you!”

“Take him away!”

“Yes, Captain!”

(This is a time separator.)

But …….

“Release Duke Oswald and the journalists.”

Yan spoke to Christine, who had come to report the incident with the security guard.

Of course, even if it was an imperial command, he could not comply easily.

“The Duke and journalists have undermined the royal authority with rumors, and disturbed the public sentiment. They will be released after investigation and appropriate action.”

Yan’s hand, signing documents at his desk, paused. He did not like the disobedience to his command, and his face frowned.

“Are you in your right mind? Duke Oswald is a member of the Noble Council.”

“Even if he’s a member of the Noble Council, we will handle the matter according to principles, Your Majesty.”

With a sound, Yan put down his pen and smiled thinly.

“Is the Duke’s word really a rumor?”

“Do you think I said it was?”

Yan interlocked his fingers and looked meaningfully.

“I saw the corpse. It’s similar to your handiwork. It was brutal.”

“I don’t harm people. Of course, it was an exception in wartime and when there was a command from the lord.”

“Do you really consider me your lord?”

“As I’ve said, a wolf doesn’t serve two masters. But if that master harbors other intentions, the story changes.”

Yan blushed and turned away, grabbing the pen again.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Bang!

Christine leaned on the desk, putting his face close to Yan’s.

“Don’t you understand? If you want to join hands with Stone, let go of my hand cleanly?”

“……!”

“You thought I didn’t know? What calculation you two had over my fiancée?”

He was smiling, but Yan felt a terror as if he was about to be attacked and bitten at any moment. Cold sweat flowed down his back.

But he slowly caught his breath and changed the subject.

“Stone seems to suspect you because of that day’s incident. It’s impossible for a human to lead a pack of wolves. Of course, I’ll try to hide your identity, but how long I can hide it …”

It was a threat to reveal Christine’s identity.

But he did not back down either.

“Will that be alright? If my identity is revealed, the truth about the death of the former emperor will be revealed too.”