Chapter – 29
He must be hurting himself, thinking he has nothing while Una was loved. Heinrich’s emotions sank at the thought, his brow knitting on its own.
Solitaire, who had been quietly accepting his touch, asked,
“Not going? Lady Sophia and Lord Eremus must be waiting.”
“I should. But right now I just want to grab you and run away.”
“Wow, you really do have a talent for saying outrageous things like they’re nothing.”
At her remark, Heinrich finally smiled a little. Seeing that he seemed even more upset than she was, Solitaire tugged at him.
“Why do you look like you’re about to cry more than me?”
“Why would I cry? On such a good day.”
“Then smile. Ah—don’t smile too brightly. You’re too pretty.”
“I’d rather hear I look handsome than pretty.”
Heinrich matched her pace as they walked slowly toward the center of the hall. Even as they climbed the stairs step by step, his eyes never left her.
It felt as though the grand banquet hall held only the two of them.
At last they reached the highest platform. Sophia and Eremus greeted Solitaire—the one and only partner of Heinrich and the person who would walk with him as his Hiruphus—with bright smiles. They introduced her and declared the party officially opened.
A great cheer rose from the crowd.
Yet even as she watched the reactions of the beastfolk, Solitaire could not bring herself to smile easily. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was deceiving them.
“They’re here to celebrate you. And I’ll be someone who celebrates you forever.”
Heinrich pulled up her hand and pressed his lips firmly to the back of it.
The sight drew another wave of cheers. Solitaire’s mind filled with Heinrich, pushing out all other thoughts.
“Sol.”
“Yes.”
“Happy 20th birthday. You’re an adult now.”
Meeting Heinrich’s golden eyes, Solitaire froze.
Not with fear—something more dangerous. Her eyes trembled as emotions began leaking through the cracks in the dam she had built inside her.
Noticing, Heinrich bared his white teeth in a smile.
“It’s fine. Like you said, I won’t devour you yet.”
It was hardly a reassuring statement.
Startled, Solitaire turned to look at him, but Heinrich simply placed a hand on her shoulder and told her to face forward and smile.
For some reason, the places he touched grew hot—but she didn’t dislike it.
The moment the party began, countless beastfolk lined up to greet Solitaire.
Unfamiliar faces kept approaching, and she grew dizzy, her eyes darting around. How many had passed by already?
Then a voice dragged her back into her past.
“Silver rabbit?”
A girl with striking hair color—the one who had given Solitaire nightmares—stood there. Beside her were the boy from that day and Una.
“Ha. Hiruphus’s partner? Don’t make me laugh.”
“Jizia.”
A low, chilling voice called her name.
At being addressed, Jizia bit her lip, smoothed her expression, and offered Solitaire a handshake—her vicious expression from seconds ago erased.
“Nice to meet you, Lady. I’m Jizia of the Tigris family.”
But Solitaire could only see the massive figure standing behind her. The one who dragged her into nightmares.
Mers Tigris.
He was looking at her.
As though she were a particularly appetizing dessert.
Unable to even respond to Jizia’s gesture, Solitaire hid behind Heinrich’s back.
Jizia blinked, then let out an incredulous laugh.
“Huh? Are you ignoring me?”
But Solitaire felt less concern for Jizia’s irritation than the terror seated behind her. Noticing something wrong, Heinrich and Eremus told the Tigris group that they could leave now if they wished.
But Mers had no intention of doing so. He smiled faintly and greeted Solitaire.
“Hello.”
The head of the Tigris family—known as the second most powerful on land—bowed and met her eyes, and the entire hall turned its attention to them.
“You seem startled. My apologies. Tiger beastfolk don’t have good eyesight, so we need to get close to distinguish things.”
Solitaire flinched, and Mers gave a pleasant smile, making a loud joke for all to hear. With that announcement, she suddenly became the only one in the hall who seemed unable to understand the man’s kind demeanor.
Unable to bear it, Eremus stepped between them.
“What do you think you’re doing? It would be best if you left now. You’ve greeted her enough.”
“Oh dear, leaving without a proper introduction? Lord Hiruphus… you must care quite a lot for your son’s partner.”
His voice held a prickling edge.
Then Mers straightened and raised both hands as if to say he meant no harm.
Heinrich smiled thinly and hid Solitaire firmly behind him.
His gaze, even his breath, shielding her from Mers.
“A rather timid partner, is she? Perhaps it’s because I’m from the predator line… If it makes her uncomfortable, what about greeting my successor’s fiancée instead? Una Lepus is herbivore-type, so she should feel less threatened.”
Solitaire realized.
He knew—the silver rabbit he saw at the Lepus estate seven years ago was her. That was why he was acting like this.
Sally Tigris took Una’s hand and approached. Solitaire grabbed Heinrich’s clothes and stepped back.
Sally let out a breathless laugh at the sight. Only Una, unaware of anything, continued smiling brightly.
“That’s far enough. If you don’t want your throat torn open, I’d stop right there.”
At Heinrich’s low warning, Sally froze mid-step.
From afar, Jizia—watching the scene—bit her lip so hard it bled, then turned and stormed off. Sally sighed seeing her disappear.
“My sister seems quite upset. We’ll take our leave.”
Una hesitated, bowed politely, and followed. Left alone, Mers shrugged gracefully, bowed elegantly, and left with the others.
The Tigris family’s passing left many questions behind.
Solitaire’s overly sensitive reaction.
Her refusing to accept the bow of the Tigris head.
Why would a partner of the Hiruphus be afraid of predator beastfolk?
Then an unexpected question arose among them.
What is she? And where is her family from? They assumed her family simply wasn’t invited because she would soon join the Hiruphus household. But there wasn’t a single piece of information about her.
By then, murmurs filled the hall.
“Why is she reacting so dramatically?”
“They won’t even tell us what kind of beastfolk she is…”
“Is she even truly his partner?”
Solitaire anxiously tugged Heinrich’s collar.
Just before entering the hall, she had felt like she could do anything as long as he was beside her. The feeling of floating in the sky had sunk to the deepest part of the earth.
Trying to cut through the chaotic atmosphere, Sophia clapped loudly to draw attention.
Descending the stairs, Mers brushed his lips with amusement and greeted more beastfolk.
They assured him not to take the Hiruphus’s rude partner too much to heart.
“The young partner made a mistake.”
“Good thing Lord Tigris is so forgiving. How could she behave so uncouthly?”
“Hahaha. It’s fine. A stranger approaching too closely might have made her uncomfortable.”
His response only earned him more praise.
After some time mingling, Mers excused himself to gather his thoughts.
Reaching the terrace alone at last, he brushed at his clothes with a completely different expression.
“Filth got on me.”
He removed his outer coat and tossed it onto the floor.
Finding even his own foot touching it unpleasant, he stepped far away and lit a cigar.
“Hah… I thought I’d lost her forever. And now I finally have a chance to get her back.”
Mers closed his eyes and dug through his memory. Until he found the day he first met Solitaire.
He had visited the Lepus estate without much thought—yet he saw it there. Something impossible on land: silver fur, and green eyes that no one could possess except the one person he knew.
The moment that beastfolk fell right before his eyes… No one would ever understand what he felt.
