Chapter 38
Her heart thumped loudly.
Something related to Hayang…? What could it be?
Since she couldn’t even guess, she stiffened in place, while Ishuel rubbed his chin with a thoughtful “Hmm.”
“Young Lady, you know about Hayang, don’t you?”
Of course she did. She could even say she knew better than anyone else in the world.
“Well, considering how much fuss Zenox made, I suppose it’s only natural you’d know…”
Muttering to himself, Ishuel scratched his cheek in a troubled way.
“Anyway, it’s something related to Hayang, but since Zenox isn’t responding to any messages, this is rather troublesome.”
He never explained the matter properly.
She felt like grabbing him by the collar and demanding an answer.
Zenox must have felt the same way, because the bag shook violently.
Worried the knights or Ishuel might notice, Laria hastily clutched the bag and pleaded.
“Your Highness, could you please dismiss the knights for a moment?”
“That’s impossible!”
Even before he could answer, the knights objected firmly.
Just the fact that she was Zenox’s fiancée-to-be was more than enough reason for them to stay on guard.
Ishuel glanced back at them and uttered a single line.
“Don’t be discourteous to the young lady. She’s Sir Herdin’s only sister.”
Sir Herdin’s…?
The knights’ eyes spun in their sockets and then they quickly retreated.
Almost as effective as Zenox himself.
What kind of things has my brother been doing out there?
Truly, he was an embarrassment to present in public.
Once the distance was far enough that they couldn’t overhear, Zenox poked his head out.
“Explain quickly.”
“Eek!”
Startled enough to nearly topple backward, Ishuel let out a short scream.
Hearing the cry, the knights moved to rush over, but Ishuel waved them off.
“I just saw a bug!”
The knights froze.
Apparently used to such things, they returned to their posts without question.
Clutching his pounding chest, Ishuel peered at Zenox.
“A talking dog…? Wait, I could’ve sworn I just heard Zenox’s voice!”
“That’s correct.”
When the wolf pup answered, Ishuel’s eyes shook violently.
For a moment, he was completely dazed, glancing between Laria and Zenox with a what on earth is going on expression.
“Don’t tell me… Zenox…? No, no, that’s ridiculous. It can’t be.”
Since Ishuel refused to believe it, Zenox opened his mouth.
“Your Highness, when you were about ten years old, you went to the lake behind the palace and saw a girl there—”
“Wait! So it IS you!”
As if to silence him, Ishuel flung out a hand.
His face turned bright red, whereas Zenox remained composed, continuing the explanation.
“Due to unavoidable circumstances, I temporarily became a wolf.”
“A wolf…?”
Ishuel scrutinized him from every angle before nodding.
“Now that I look closely, you do resemble a wolf… But how in the world did you end up like this!”
“Don’t mind that. Tell me about Hayang.”
Since Ishuel kept dodging, Zenox’s gaze sharpened.
A chill ran down Ishuel’s spine, and he hurried to explain.
“Recently, I heard rumors that smugglers were gathering rare animals.”
“And?”
“And I think the one you’re looking for—Hayang—might be among them.”
Zenox fell silent.
For the past three years, he had searched every smuggler in the capital for Hayang.
If word spread of a white fox being sold, or appearing at an auction, he investigated every time without fail.
But never once had he found her.
So he wasn’t expecting much this time either.
Yet his attitude completely shifted at Ishuel’s next words.
“A few days ago, I dreamed of you hugging a white fox. And the next morning, when I woke up, I had antlers.”
“Where is it?”
Zenox’s voice carried unmistakable urgency. Laria, on the other hand, was just baffled.
Dreams…?
Noticing her confusion, Ishuel elaborated.
“It’s a trait connected to the imperial bloodline.”
The royal family, who inherited the blood of the Golden Elk tribe, had long possessed prophetic ability.
They couldn’t see everything with perfect clarity, but it was enough to avoid great disasters.
He had never known it manifested through dreams until now.
Zenox… hugging a white fox?
Impossible.
Laria couldn’t fully transform into Hayang anymore.
And above all, there was no way she’d transform in front of Zenox.
So… was he destined to find another fox?
After chasing her all this time because of the fox bead, could he suddenly be embracing someone else?
Her chest tangled with conflicting emotions.
Shrugging lightly, Ishuel offered a suggestion.
“As it happens, there’s an auction today. Want to come with me?”
“Of course—”
Without hesitation, Zenox nodded. Then belatedly realized his mistake.
He was still in wolf pup form.
“Well, that makes sneaking in even easier, doesn’t it?”
Eyeing Zenox up and down, Ishuel smirked with satisfaction.
“A black wolf like you counts as rare game. The smugglers will go crazy.”
“I must go.”
Zenox signaled to Laria with his eyes, asking to be put down.
But instead, she clutched the bag tightly.
She didn’t feel right letting him go alone.
No matter how formidable his true self, right now he was just a wolf pup.
And besides, she was dying to know what kind of fox Zenox would end up hugging.
“Then I’ll go too.”
“…The Young Lady as well?”
“It may be dangerous,” Zenox interjected.
“But I’m the only one here who fully understands Your Highness’s situation. I have to go, just in case.”
“Hmm.”
After pondering, Ishuel clapped his hands as though reaching a decision.
“Then you can come as my guest.”
When Zenox glared at him, Ishuel quickly backed down.
“Or… perhaps you’d rather return home, Lady Rohan?”
“You decide, Your Grace. Shall we go home, or to the auction?”
The moment she looked ready to cast a teleportation spell, Zenox surrendered.
“…Fine. But you must not do anything reckless.”
“Ohh…”
Ishuel let out a small exclamation of admiration.
“To think you can rein Zenox in like that. As expected of his fiancée…” he muttered.
“Then shall we share a carriage?”
At the suggestion, Laria sighed inwardly.
Teleportation couldn’t take them somewhere the caster had never been.
And finding another carriage would be troublesome.
So hitching a ride in the Crown Prince’s carriage was the most practical option.
Still, how awkward…
Until her matchmaking with Zenox, Laria had felt nothing in particular toward the Crown Prince.
Even when Herdin occasionally cursed him, she hadn’t cared.
But after learning from Zenox that the Crown Prince was the one who pushed for the fox-wolf alliance and their arranged meeting, her opinion soured.
He had even tried to force marriage for political gain without asking their consent.
That was why she had entered into this contractual engagement with Zenox in the first place—to escape it.
So in the end, all the trouble stemmed from the Crown Prince.
Shameless man.
His ability to act friendly while hiding his schemes was detestable.
Barely concealing her distaste, Laria climbed into Ishuel’s carriage with Zenox.
The knights followed in another carriage.
“This is my first time doing something like this.”
Ishuel’s excitement made him look like a boy heading out on an adventure.
This man is supposed to be the future emperor? The empire’s future is pitch black…
Laria stared at him across the seat before speaking.
“Your Highness, don’t you think you need to disguise yourself a little better for an illegal auction?”
“What? Isn’t it hard to recognize me already?”
“I recognized you instantly, even on the street.”
Awkwardly, Ishuel scratched the back of his neck.
A robe wasn’t available right now… so there was no choice.
Laria pulled out a vial of emergency potion she always carried and held it out.
“This will change your appearance. It lasts about half a day.”
“I know I shouldn’t accept things from others… but since it’s from you, Lady Rohan, I’ll take it gladly.”
His words of trust made Laria click her tongue inwardly.
Such a sly prince. He even acted the part well enough to fool someone, if Zenox hadn’t already warned her.
Ishuel drained the vial to the last drop.
A short while later, he took out a small mirror and gasped in astonishment.
“What! This is way better than the potion the palace sorcerer gave me!”
He kept touching his face, marveling at how different he looked.
He now seemed about ten years older, with subtly altered features.
“Who made this potion?”
“I did.”
Ishuel dropped the mirror.
Instead of picking it up, he stared at Laria in shock.
Leaning forward suddenly, he closed the distance between them with a serious expression.
