Chapter 2
Enormous blue wolves, the size of houses, fixed their bright yellow eyes on me as if scrutinizing their prey.
Then, all at once, they lunged.
“Kyaa…!”
Flat on my back, I squeezed my eyes shut—only to burst into laughter at the sudden wet sensation brushing across my face.
“That tickles!”
“Yip! Yip!”
The wolves that had been licking my cheeks barked cheerfully and began bouncing in place.
Oh, my adorable sweeties.
I petted them all over, indulging their frantic excitement.
Maybe it was because my holy power far surpassed any human’s—animals had always adored me.
Even the fiercest wild beasts would wag their tails like puppies and follow me around.
‘It’s just a hunch, but… I think we can kind of communicate too.’
From what I remember, the original Asha also preferred animals over people.
If it weren’t for that damn William keeping such close watch, she probably would’ve spent even more time outside the temple.
“Woof!”
Just then, the largest wolf with the darkest fur pushed through the pack, walking toward me with slow, heavy steps.
The charisma radiating from it left no doubt—this was the alpha.
“Hello.”
When I greeted it, the alpha pressed its forehead against mine.
I rubbed back against the warm, soft fur before pulling away.
“Hey, cutie. By any chance, do you know the Bastion Ducal House?”
I asked without much hope—then blinked when the alpha nodded.
Eyes wide, I pressed further.
“Really? How do you know them?”
“Whine…”
“Oh, you mean they’re terrifying, so you know them very well…”
I patted the suddenly dejected alpha’s rear.
That’s okay. Totally understandable.
“You’re not a bad wolf. I mean, it’s the Bastion Ducal House we’re talking about!”
Descendants of the Demon God! The Devil of the North! The Fearsome Demon Duke!
As I rattled off their infamous titles one by one, the wolves nodded along like they agreed.
Still, their tails were tucked tight between their legs.
Wow. They’re really that scary, huh? What to do…
After gauging their mood, I clasped my hands together and made a desperate plea.
“So, sweeties… I’m really, really sorry, but… could you take me there?”
“AwooOOO!”
That was a howl of pure despair. Or maybe profanity.
The Bastion family’s townhouse sat at the very edge of the capital.
Considering that the more powerful the family, the closer they tended to live to the Imperial Palace, this was… unexpected.
One of the most prestigious ducal houses in the Empire. A founding family, even the Imperial Family couldn’t ignore. And yet…
‘This is practically the middle of nowhere.’
The back of their estate literally bordered a mountain.
Clicking my tongue, I looked down from the alpha’s back at the dark, sprawling rooftops below.
The Bastion family’s position made their attitude toward the Empire crystal clear.
‘Yeah… “Supreme and untouchable.” Figures.’
Even the tiny crumbs of content in the original story had made it obvious—they never cared about anyone’s opinion.
Born never to bow, never to compromise.
Well, whatever. At least it made sneaking in this far with the wolves a lot easier.
“Thanks for bringing me here, babies. I think I can take it from here.”
I hopped down from the alpha’s back. The wolves whined and tugged at the sheet I had wrapped around myself like a robe.
They clearly wanted me to go back with them.
I petted their heads fondly.
“Thank you for worrying about me. But I really thought this through before coming.”
“Whine…”
“This is the only way. I have to survive first.”
Even now, my holy power was still growing stronger inside me.
And soon, that same power would kill me.
‘They say the stronger your holy power, the healthier and longer you live—but I’m the exception.’
Too much of anything is bad.
Even if it’s holy water, if you try to pour an ocean into a tiny cup, eventually the cup will shatter.
‘Basically, I’m so ridiculously overpowered that I’m going to die from it!’
Ha. Ridiculous.
Anyway, that’s why my prescription is simple:
An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth.
‘A monster for a monster.’
And here I am, standing before the biggest monster of them all.
I was just taking a deep breath before making my bold entrance when—
“Grrr!”
Suddenly, the wolves bristled, baring their fangs, their bodies taut with fear and aggression.
“What’s wrong—”
“First a kid, now even beasts are flocking here?”
The unfamiliar voice froze me in place.
This presence.
I’d never felt it before, but I knew instantly.
This was what I came for.
‘So this is magic.’
Magic so pure and intense it made my fingertips tingle and my skin prickle.
Slowly, I turned toward the source of that demonic aura.
“Well, my yard’s more popular than I thought.”
His voice was deep, like a cavern plunging into the abyss.
Black hair. Black eyes. An air as cold and sharp as a northern gale.
And the gall to call this entire mountain “his yard.”
‘No way…’
My eyes widened as I scanned him from head to toe.
Was this man—the infamous Demon Duke, Bastion?
‘But… no one said he was this handsome, author!’
Negligence! Criminal negligence for failing to describe that face.
There are two types of handsome men in this world:
Those like spring, who melt everything… and those like winter, who freeze everything.
Both are perfection—but if I had to choose, I’d pick the latter.
Why am I saying this?
Because my taste just got headshotted without warning.
‘God, how is this man not even a male lead? Not even a proper supporting role?’
In the original, the Duke of Bastion was practically an extra.
Sure, he exuded weighty presence and dropped key hints in the prologue and mid-story when I rage-quit the book, but still…
‘Hardly what you’d call a main appearance.’
And the story dealt a cruel blow to his family, too.
‘But I know about it. And I can stop it.’
Which means… a mutually beneficial arrangement is totally possible.
I inhaled deeply and folded my hands over my stomach.
“Hello!”
My prim little bow stunned both the Duke and the wolves into silence.
Standing tall among their confusion, I enunciated clearly:
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Asha.”
“…Sure, suspicious little miss.”
Clearly, he had zero intention of using my name.
The Duke eyed my appearance with thinly veiled disdain.
To him, I was nothing but a strange little intruder who’d invaded his yard with a pack of wolves.
“You know where you are, right?”
“A magic hotspot!”
“…What?”
Oops. That slipped out.
I shook my head quickly.
“I mean, the Bastion estate!”
“So you came here on purpose. Which means you want something.”
“That’s right.”
“An assassination attempt, maybe? Using wolves?”
“What? That’s a bit of a leap.”
I laughed awkwardly, waving my hands. His expression said, Is this girl for real?
Ah. Not a joke then. My bad for being a primitive creature who couldn’t keep up with the Demon Duke’s conversational level.
I straightened, erasing my smile, and spoke politely.
“Ahem. I apologize for barging in. But there’s something I absolutely must tell you.”
“What is it?”
Good question. Where do I start? With the future disaster looming ahead?
No, that would sound insane.
But if I drag this out, he might decide, The wolves were just a distraction while she plotted to bore me to death. Off with her head.
Think, Asha. Something that sums up why I came here—and grabs his full attention in one blow.
…That’s it!
My eyes lit up. I pointed a finger at him like an arrow and declared:
“Please give me your son!”
“….”
“Ow.”
Turns out the Demon Duke can hit people with his gaze.
My sternum hurts. Pretty sure he cracked a rib with that glare.
While I silently checked for internal injuries, the Duke folded his arms and asked:
“How old are you, little miss?”
“N… Nine.”
Whew. Almost said twenty-two. Gotta watch my mouth unless I want another psychic beatdown.
“Nine? Same age as Franz?”
He tilted his head, murmuring, and stared at me like he was appraising merchandise.
His pitch-black gaze slid lower and lower, past the sheet I’d wrapped like a robe, until it locked onto my bare feet.
As my toes wiggled nervously, the towering man crouched down.
With his height leveled to mine, I nearly gawked.
‘Wow. So even a lazy street pose looks good when a face like that does it.’
The Duke crouched in front of me, resting his elbows on his knees in a way that should’ve looked thuggish—but on him, it was sculpture-worthy.
As I almost zoned out, he jerked his chin.
“Why don’t you take off that rag for a second?”
“W-Why…?”
I yanked the sheet tighter around my head and backed away.
If this is some I’ll remember your face before I kill you kind of courtesy, I’ll pass, thanks.
“At the very least, I should know the face of the girl who wants to marry into my family, shouldn’t I?”
…Fair point.
Hesitating, I peeled off the dingy sheet that had gotten filthy during my wolf-back mountain ride.
With no barrier left between us, his beauty was even more overwhelming—and his intimidation ten times worse.
‘I get why people say the faint of heart would wet themselves in front of him.’
Even without magic, his sheer presence was suffocating.
His epithets flitted through my mind.
Descendant of the Demon God. Devil of the North. Fearsome Demon Duke…
‘Every one of them fits like a glove.’
And here I was, locking eyes with him for the first time.
Instinct had me hunching my shoulders—but I forced them back.
I couldn’t afford to look weak now.
The Duke studied my face intently—especially my amber eyes and curly silver hair.
Then, out of nowhere, he asked:
“Which temple did you escape from?”
“H-How did you…”
Not a demon, a psychic?
Startled, I gawked at him as he tapped his chest.
“Your holy power isn’t just leaking—it’s spilling out everywhere. At that level, you were probably taken to a temple at birth.”
“Oh.”
Just like I sensed his magic, he sensed my power.
Guess it makes sense—holy power and magic are polar opposites, so detecting each other is easy.
‘Still… for him to figure out I ran from the temple already…’
That’s… inconvenient.
I’d planned to reveal my holy power, sure, but not the part about fleeing the temple.
What now? Is he going to send me back?
He has every reason to. Letting me in could earn him a world of trouble if the temple picks a fight.
I was about to insist I faked my death so it’s fine when—
“So, does the temple not feed kids these days?”
