“If I were to make excuses, at that time, I was too shocked and bewildered. It felt like some kind of accident.”

“I understand. When people are too hungry, they lose their reason and cause accidents.”

“I don’t know who the hungry person was. I just intended to touch lips, but someone fiercely rushed at me.”

Feeling embarrassed and awkward, Adel blamed him unnecessarily.

“I was the hungry one. I’ve been unintentionally fasting lately because I’ve been busy.”

Gasp!

“Don’t say that so casually, please?”

“It’s true. No matter when you lose your reason and run wild, it’s not unusual.”

His gaze looking at Adel was intense. It was like a warning that he might run wild and charge at any moment.

Adel subtly moved her body on the bed to adjust the distance between them.

“No, it’s not allowed. The monthly event is underway.”

Snap!

He chuckled and flicked Adel’s forehead with his finger.

“It’s a joke. Give me your arm.”

Then, he pulled a chair beside the bed and sat down.

“Your expression was too serious for a joke.”

Muttering, Adel extended her pale arm towards him. The delicate, white arm was slightly swollen and red at the wrist.

Kristin’s brow twitched slightly as he observed it.

“It must have hurt a lot.”

“Thanks to someone.”

He applied an ointment made of herbs on Adel’s wrist, carefully wrapping it with a bandage. Then, he gently applied a warm compress with an ice pack.

“You can continue regular shooting practice within reasonable limits. But I will deal with Stone. So, don’t venture into danger.”

“No, I want to do what I can.”

Adel’s green eyes stubbornly glowed.

Kristin sighed softly.

“Well, if the scoundrel who killed your mother is him, I’ll leave it to you to cut off his last breath.”

“It’s not an if; it’s definitely him.”

It had to be that way.

“Yeah, he’s definitely the one.”

After a while, he finished organizing the medicine and bandages and stood up.

“I’ll be going then.”

“Where…?”

When Adel looked at him in surprise, he smiled faintly.

“It’s the monthly event. It’s torturous to lie next to you without doing anything. Especially in such an impassioned state in broad daylight, where everything is wide open.”

Adel, with a somewhat embarrassed expression, decided to send him off.

“Alright, good night.”

“Yeah, sweet dreams.”

He was so polite and courteous. He kissed her forehead, then turned around coolly.

He probably knew. That the words “monthly event” were a lie. He knew more about Adel than she did, especially when it came to matters concerning her.

So, he probably accepted it as a refusal of sharing a bed.

“I’m afraid of having a child who resembles me.”

Adel now seemed to understand the meaning of those words.

The real reason he didn’t want to have a child.

Is he really… a member of the Wolf Tribe?

Leaving Adel’s bedroom, Kristin’s expression darkened as if he had removed a mask.

“It’s too horrifying for beasts to mix in among people and pretend to be human.”
The words Adel spoke during the day continued to linger in her mind.

Yes, a beast.

Wouldn’t she be no different from those beasts who killed her mother?

So, she couldn’t bring herself to reveal her true identity.

Jimmer quickly approached from the end of the corridor.

“Report from Osworth.”

“Report.”

“So far, no one has entered the necropolis. Stone is absent, and the door is securely locked, making it not easy to enter recklessly.”

“The pursuers following Stone?”

“That… we lost him in Hell Valley. It seems like he noticed.”

“He might commit another crime, so find him quickly!”

“Yes, Commander!”

The next morning.

Kristin, dressed in guard uniform, strode through the royal corridors. A thick stack of documents was wedged at his side.

The feared event had occurred. The murder case that had been quiet for the past few days happened again yesterday. This time, a merchant delivering supplies to the palace was killed.

Because of that, an emergency meeting was convened early in the morning before dawn.

“Ah, it’s been a while, Vice Viscount.”

Stone approached, shaking hands from a distance. To an observer, it might seem like he was delighted to meet an old friend.

Of course, Kristin stared at him with an icy expression.

“What’s going on so early in the morning, Marquis.”

Stone, who returned after completing his term as a diplomat, still didn’t have a specific position. Therefore, he wasn’t a subject for the emergency meeting.

“Isn’t it the duty of the viscount to assist the monarch in managing the overall state affairs?”

“Viscount… We’ll see if it comes to that.”

“Why, are you trying to undermine this marriage?”

“Undermine?”

Even now, Stone emitted a terrible stench of blood.

To utter such words!

“Aren’t you investigating the murders in Orbis? Do you think I’ll blame everything on your doings?”

“I merely present evidence; the judgment is up to you and Her Majesty.”

Stone touched his lips, chuckling.

“Unfortunately, people are not so indifferent. Even you and Her Majesty.”