Side story 3
***
"Kee-ee-ing..."
Adeline, who was in a state of confusion, let out a squeaking sound without realizing it.
Upon hearing this, the knight put the sword he had drawn back into its sheath.
"It seems to be bigger than a dog but a little smaller than a wolf..."
The knight stroked his chin, looking puzzled. After a moment, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly as he looked at Adeline.
At that moment, Adeline's mind cleared. This was undoubtedly the expression of humans who found her cute.
Adeline seized the moment, wagging her tail like a windmill and hopping around the knight.
Surprised by the unexpected welcome, the knight knelt down on the ground. He stroked the silver-haired wolf, who was so delighted to see him that he didn't know what to do, and smiled brightly.
"How beautiful."
How could there be someone so beautiful in the world besides her mother?
"How did you end up here?"
Adeline hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should answer in human language, but quickly changed her mind. She didn't want the boy to be startled and run away.
"Your fur is clean, and you don't seem afraid of people, so you must be a pet dog owned by a nobleman."
How dare he mistake the descendant of Hirpus for a dog.
If it were anyone else, she would have bared her teeth and growled, but Adeline decided to let it go this time.
‘Come to think of it, I do look a bit like a dog. He probably didn't mean to insult me.’
Having rationalized it to herself, Adeline began licking the knight's wrist and ear like a well-trained pet dog. It was one of her signature moves to disarm the hearts of those who faced her true self. Adeline was more affectionate than ever before.
The knight laughed heartily and embraced Adeline.
Adeline felt the vibrations coming from his heart and lay quietly in his arms.
***
After returning from the Lante Forest, Ihedia noticed that Adeline seemed somehow subdued and tilted her head in confusion.
She barely touched her food at the dinner table.
Although she was the princess of Anut, Adeline ignored the food of her homeland and only ate Elmir’s food. Such a child, even when faced with a table full of Elmir’s rare delicacies, showed no interest. Ihedia was filled with questions about why she had lost her appetite.
The same was true for Evan, who had not seen Adeline in a long time. He glanced at his niece and spoke.
"Adeline, have you lost your appetite?"
"No, everything here is really delicious."
Adeline shook her head lightly and put a piece of meat in her mouth.
"Hmm, maybe it's because you haven't been able to practice sword fighting for a while and your body is itching to move. If you're that bored, I'll spar with you with my left hand."
"Come on, Father, you always go through the motions because you're afraid I'll get hurt. That's not sparring, it's deception."
"Oh no, you caught me."
Kayan said a few playful words, but Adeline's gloomy expression remained unchanged.
Ihedia noticed that Adeline didn't want to continue the conversation and naturally changed the subject.
"There are so many foods here that are hard to find in Anut. Especially the ingredients used in this rolandtul, which I hear are now difficult to obtain. I am truly grateful that the queen has taken such care for our family."
"Your praise makes me a little embarrassed. I just wanted to treat you with extra care since you traveled such a long way."
Queen Celine smiled slightly at Ihedia.
It had already been three years since Evan had married her.
Celine was a woman with a saintly, innocent aura and a beautiful voice like a harp. She was the daughter of a prestigious family who could offer Evan political support.
Though their relationship was politically motivated, it seemed stronger than expected. Every time Ihedia received a letter from Even, she could clearly see the deep love he had for his wife. Seeing the deep affection in their eyes as they looked at each other, Ihedia felt a sense of peace.
She looked at Celine's swollen belly and asked,
"I heard that the due date is coming soon. How are you feeling?"
"I feel heavy, but I can handle it."
"Maybe you’ll be able to see your niece before you leave."
Evan said to Ihedia.
"Then there's nothing more to wish for. I'm already excited thinking about having a niece. I can't wait to see how cute the two of you's child will be."
"That's exactly how I felt when I first saw Adeline. She looked so much like her mother that it was amazing."
Evan glanced at his niece, who resembled his sister, and smiled.
"She only looks like me. Her behavior is completely..."
"I was well-behaved at this age."
When Ihedia trailed off and looked at Kayan, he replied casually.
Such a warm conversation went on for a while, but Adeline's mind was occupied by only one person.
***
After the pleasant dinner party, Adeline was walking with her parents in the palace garden of Elmir.
Adeline seemed to have something to say, but Ihedia decided to wait quietly until the child opened the conversation first. She wasn't the type to keep her thoughts bottled up for long anyway.
Ihedia was talking about the blessings of the sun, which was similar to Kayan and Elmir.
As she had expected, Adeline looked solemn as she glanced back and forth between her parents, then opened her mouth.
"Father, how did you feel when you first met Mother?"
"I've answered that question many times."
“You’ve never properly explained it, saying it’s impossible to put into words, which just makes me more curious. Please answer seriously this time.”
Kayan, sensing something different from usual, glanced at Adeline.
“Why is my puppy suddenly curious about that?”
"Just... I'm grown up now, so it's time to think seriously about imprinting."
When Adeline said the word "imprinting," Kayan's eyebrows twitched slightly.
However, Adeline, who was completely absorbed in her thoughts about the knight, did not notice the faint chill in her father's expression.
“If anyone dares to mark my daughter before she’s even had her coming-of-age ceremony, I’ll tear them limb from limb…”
Kayan was about to say something even harsher, but when Ihedia frowned, he clenched his teeth and trailed off.
“It’s not that person’s fault.”
“It’s a sin for him to dare to linger near you.”
Adeline slightly furrowed her brow at Kayan’s stubbornness.
“But Father met Mother when he was my age, and that’s how he became like this.”
"That was because she was your mother, so it couldn't be helped. It has nothing to do with the wolf's mark. If there's a man who can look at this beautiful woman and not lose his mind, he must be blind or….”
"Kayan."
"Ha, anyway."
Kayan’s blunt words made Ihedia bite her lip slightly and roll her eyes.
“Anyway, if I had to describe the feeling I had when I first saw the pure white angel in the Lante forest in one word…”
Adeline held her breath and waited for Kayan to continue.
“It was ecstatic.”
“What does that feel like?”
Adeline asked, having never given much thought to that word before. She knew its dictionary meaning, but she had never uttered it aloud.
Then Kayan glanced at Ihedia and smiled.
“It was a moment when all the background faded away, leaving only one person in sight, and the world was enveloped in silence. All I could hear was the sound of my heart beating, and I was so overwhelmed by the awe-inspiring shock that I forgot to breathe, as if I were intoxicated by the light."
"...."
"That's roughly what it means when a wolf feels ecstasy the moment they see someone special, Adeline."
How could he casually utter such embarrassing words in front of his young daughter?
Kayan's sly reply made Ihedia's face flush red.
He simply smiled innocently, finding his wife's reaction even more amusing.
"If I didn’t end up with that person, I’d spend the rest of my life in the shadows and suffer emotionally. As a father, I can only hope that such a time comes as late as possible for my daughter."
"So... that's what imprinting is."
Adeline took a deep breath and suppressed her tension after hearing Kayan's explanation. The symptoms of imprinting her father described were not much different from the feelings she had experienced yesterday. She had thought imprinting was something far removed from her own life, but here it was happening in the southern lands, far from Anut.
“I heard from Uncle Doa, Father. Is it true that if you can’t be with the person you’re imprinted with, you’ll suffer for the rest of your life and die young?”
"Well, there is such a legend."
"It can't be true, can it?"
"Well, I didn't believe it either, but if I hadn't married your mother, that might have been my fate."
Kayan answered casually, as if it were no big deal, but Adeline felt a sudden darkness descend before her eyes.
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