#90. As the Wolf Wishes
“You couldn’t even wait for Niki and tried to sneak a look at the secret, didn’t you? Plotting together with that priest, Arkansas.”
He dangled a copper monocle in front of me—
like a piece of bait meant to tempt me.
“What do you think Niki would say if he found out?”
“……”
“He’d probably be shaking with betrayal, don’t you think?”
His voice, soaked in triumph, made my stomach turn.
“Who are you?”
“You really don’t know who I am? After charging at me like that? All that acting smart was for nothing, huh.”
He clicked his tongue in mock disappointment.
I wasn’t about to fall for such a cheap provocation.
“Why would I bother to know the name of a lowly beast like you?”
Folding my arms, I curled my lips into a taunting smile.
His right eyebrow twitched—
then he burst into laughter.
“Hah. Don’t try to play clever games, Elizabeth. That might work on Niki, but not on me.”
“So you’re saying you’re more competent than His Majesty?”
“Being compared to that brat Nikolai is offensive, to say the least.”
“Well, it makes sense. You’ve probably been leeching off the royal family since the reign of the previous emperor.”
He swept his eyes over me with an amused look.
He was smiling, but his turquoise eyes glinted coldly, like sharpened blades.
For a brief moment, the image of a wolf—like the ones always drawn beside Franz in his sketches—overlapped with the one I’d seen beside the statue of Goddess Morasincia.
“A lowly human dares to presume…?”
He slowly circled around me.
That predatory movement alone made goosebumps rise on my arms.
Each time he smiled, his fangs gleamed, sharp and menacing.
But I refused to show weakness—
especially not to some beast wearing Nikolai’s face.
“Be careful, Elizabeth. I’m not like Niki.”
His hot breath brushed the edge of my ear.
Oh? So that’s how you want to play?
I bit down lightly on the inside of my cheek,
then jabbed my finger against his chest.
“You be careful, wolf.”
His turquoise eyes widened in surprise.
But the shock quickly melted into delighted laughter.
“Hah! You knew, didn’t you?”
He seemed both amazed and pleased that I had recognized him—
like a child discovering a new toy.
“How did you find out? Since when did you know?”
As the wolf pranced around me in excitement, my suspicions solidified.
So he’s the type—full of pride and self-awareness. He pretends to look down on Nikolai, but he’s actually competing with him.
What kind of villainess would I be if I couldn’t handle someone like that?
I tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear and smiled sweetly.
“Next to the Goddess Morasincia, there’s always a wolf, isn’t there?
You have the power to track and contain the ‘flowers of the underworld.’
The goddess’s wolf—that’s you, right?”
“Impressive. I’ll give you that!”
He clapped his hands in mock praise.
But it was too soon to feel proud.
“Do you know why I tried to use the relic on you?”
“Because that priest Arkansas lured you into it.”
“As if a saintess like me would ever be swayed by a lowly priest—especially against the goddess’s wolf? How blasphemous.”
I gently shook my head, flattering him in the process.
Leaning in close, I looked up at him with sly eyes.
“I just wanted to check if you were healthy.”
“…Healthy?”
“You’ve been trapped in a weak human body for so long. I worried something might’ve gone wrong. You carry a heavy burden, after all.”
It was all for you, dear wolf.
He seemed skeptical, yet oddly pleased that I claimed to worry about him.
“Even a saintess is no exception, huh? But I never fall ill. Because…”
The wolf, who had been boasting, abruptly closed his mouth.
Had he realized I was leading him on?
“Anyway, there’s no need for you to worry, fragrant Elizabeth.”
His eyes gleamed oddly under the moonlight.
I swallowed a twinge of unease and reached out my hand.
“Then give back the goddess’s eye.”
“What if I refuse?”
“Then I can only think you’re a coward.”
The wolf pressed his lips together, visibly annoyed.
He was straightforward and simple—a perfect combination to manipulate.
“How strange. A superior being like you afraid of a mere relic? You’re the goddess’s apostle, and the relic is just an accessory.”
“……”
“I’m curious about everything about you. You can’t blame me for that, can you?”
I teased him, deliberately scratching at his pride.
After a moment’s thought, the wolf held out the copper monocle.
“Fine, Saintess. I’ll return the relic to you.”
Got him.
Suppressing my triumph, I reached out—
but he pulled it back at the last second.
“What are you doing?”
“I never said I’d give it for free.”
“What?”
“There’s a condition, Elizabeth.”
So he was like Nikolai after all.
“Go on.”
“Let me breathe in your scent.”
“…My scent?”
“I want to smell the sweet fragrance that flows from you. Not through Nikolai—directly, myself.”
“How do I do that?”
“You don’t have to do anything. Just stay beside me.”
The wolf grinned, flashing his perfectly white teeth.
It was such an innocent smile that it only made him more suspicious.
A wave of longing for Nikolai washed over me.
Arkansas, you should’ve told me how to bring him back too!
I bit my molars in frustration.
I’d only given in to curiosity—
and now I had to deal with the consequences myself.
“Fine. But I’ll use the relic first.”
“As you wish, Saintess.”
The wolf bowed theatrically, like an actor on stage.
Hooking the copper monocle over my right ear, I looked toward him.
What—? Green smoke?!
Through the Goddess’s Eye, I saw it—
green smoke writhing and moving like a living thing.
It looked almost identical to what I’d seen around Susan,
but darker. Denser.
At least three times more than hers.
What could it mean?
There was nothing before. Why now? Why the same as Susan? It’s like Nikolai’s entire body is being consumed by the green mist…
I barely managed to suppress a groan.
The wolf narrowed his eyes.
“Now it’s my turn, Elizabeth.”
What harm could come from letting him smell me? I thought.
My head was still spinning with thoughts and theories about the green smoke.
“Don’t touch me. Not even a strand of hair.”
I closed my eyes and let my arms hang loosely.
And for a fleeting moment, I trembled—
with the sense that I might regret this for the rest of my life.
Claudia’s day had been filled to the brim—
knight selection, training drills, interrogating Marquis Brendan, and digging into the corruption of the Four Great Noble Houses.
Even the trivial tasks piled on endlessly.
Rejecting the avalanche of party invitations was one of them.
After her bath, she wrapped her wet hair in a towel and sighed as heavy fatigue sank into her limbs.
Meditation and stretching aren’t enough anymore. The best way to ease a weary body and mind is…
After confirming she was alone, Claudia knelt and pulled out a box hidden beneath her bed.
Inside lay her secret treasure—
a hardcover copy of Douglas’s romance novel, The Crimson Star of the Empire.
No matter how many times I read it, it’s wonderful. The prose is clean, and the emotional depth—just exquisite!
Carefully, she turned the pages, afraid they might tear or crease.
She had a separate collector’s copy, but even her “reading” copy was treated like a relic.
Her face, as she read, glowed with the innocent smile of a schoolgirl.
If her subordinates saw her now, they would have screamed in disbelief:
“That’s not our commander! Return her at once, you ghost!”
But Claudia didn’t care.
She was too absorbed in the scene—
the moment the male lead leaned in to kiss the heroine.
—Knock, knock.
The sound jolted her shoulders.
Then came a familiar voice.
“Radia. May I come in?”
“…Dougie?”
“Sorry for dropping by unannounced. If you’re busy, I can come back tomorrow.”
“No, it’s fine. Just give me a moment.”
Her tone was calm, but her face had gone pale.
She shoved the book under the bed and straightened her clothes in a flash—
faster, perhaps, than when charging into enemy lines.
“Okay, you can come in.”
A bead of cold sweat slid down her neck beneath her loose shirt.
Douglas opened the door, looking apologetic.
“Pardon the intrusion.”
It was his first time visiting the knights’ commander’s quarters—
and his first time coming this late without an appointment.
Claudia steadied her breath, reminding herself to stay composed.
“Would you like some water?” she asked, glancing at the armchair he sat in.
She instantly regretted not having prepared tea—or even a few biscuits.
“That’s all right. I came to ask a favor.”
Douglas’s expression turned grave.
Claudia leaned forward, serious and poised—the very image of the Empire’s strongest knight.
“What is it?”
“I’d like you to protect His Highness the Crown Prince.”
So it was about work.
Of course he wouldn’t visit just to see me.
Suppressing the pang in her chest, Claudia replied evenly.
“I doubt my intervention will be necessary.”
“Do you know about Sir Shade, Radia?”
“How could I not? He wields a hidden but brutal sword.”
“And what exactly is he?”
“Don’t bother. He’s a shadow—one you can’t see. Unless…”
Claudia frowned.
Douglas exhaled, as if confirming her suspicion.
“His Highness was attacked. If not for Sir Shade, it would’ve been dire.”
“That’s not particularly surprising.”
“The Minister of the Interior went to His Highness and demanded he hand over the Imperial Seal.”
“The Seal? Why would the Crown Prince have it?”
Douglas gave a bitter smile and briefly explained what had happened at Owen’s atelier.
As she listened, Claudia stroked her chin.
“So when His Highness denied possessing it, the minister backed down quietly…”
“What’s your take on it, Radia?”
“I never sensed killing intent from him. That doesn’t prove loyalty, though.”
“I fear something might happen before His Majesty returns to the capital.”
His composed face darkened like a clouded sky.
As he rubbed his face in exhaustion, Claudia asked gently:
“When did you become so close to the Crown Prince, Dougie?”
“I thought I’d try to get ahead in life—maybe restore my family’s old reputation as one of the Five Great Houses.”
“Don’t joke.”
“Maybe it’s because Susan follows him so loyally. Or maybe it’s because he’s still so young and trying so hard on his own. I’m not sure. I just… want to help him.”
That was the kind of man Douglas was.
He couldn’t walk past the lonely, the wounded, or the weak.
And Elizabeth’s alliance with Franz must have influenced him too.
You once said Elizabeth seemed pitiful—lonely beneath all her splendor.
But you don’t see me, do you, Douglas? To you, I’m always the strong one.
With a bitter smile, Claudia said quietly,
“You needn’t worry about His Highness’s safety. The Shade clan is far stronger than they appear.”
“Clan?”
“There’s a story I once heard on the Inted Isles. Would you like to hear it?”
