Side story 4
****
Adeline begged her mother again today to take her to the Lante Forest.
‘It's ridiculous to say that I'm short-lived.’
As Uncle Doa said, imprinting was truly a terrible disease.
Born as a descendant of Hirpus, Adeline, who had been filled with pride, felt for the first time that her fate was truly cruel. How could the great Hirpus have such a fatal weakness!
In any case, Adeline came to a conclusion. Perhaps all of this was just her imagination, so she decided to meet that person one more time.
It was fortunate that she could stay in Elmir until her uncle's child, her cousin, was born. If she returned to her home country with this feeling, she would feel very uneasy.
Adeline hurriedly transformed into a wolf and made her way to the place where she had met him.
As she walked through the forest, she was unaware that she was excited and wagging her tail vigorously.
As soon as she arrived at the spring, Adeline looked around. There was still no sign of anyone nearby. Since they hadn't set a specific time, she had no choice but to wait.
However, even after a long time had passed, there was no sign of the knight.
It would be nightfall soon.
If she didn't return on time, her mother would certainly not allow her to roam alone in the Forest.
‘I guess I won't be able to meet him today.’
Adeline's eyes instantly filled with regret.
She should have at least tried to talk to him then. Since he seemed to like her, he might have been a little surprised, but he wouldn't have been scared and run away.
A wave of regret washed over Adeline’s heart.
Just as she was about to leave with her shoulders slumped, she heard a rustling sound.
‘It’s him.’
A sound similar to the one from last time came from nearby.
Adeline’s eyes lit up, and she dashed toward the source of the sound.
"I came just in case. You're really here."
The knight greeted Adeline with a warm smile like sunshine.
Ah, those sparkling eyes and sweet voice.
As soon as Adeline saw his face, she was once again intoxicated by fantasy and her mind went blank. Her heart was racing wildly like a lost colt.
‘Father was right after all. All I can see now is that man!’
Adeline began to jump around at his feet like an excited puppy reunited with its owner after a long time.
"Haha, you really aren't afraid of people, are you? It's lucky this is a royal-only area. If you did this somewhere else, you might get hurt by bad people, so be careful."
The knight stroked Adeline's head and muttered softly.
"Though I suppose you can't understand what I'm saying."
Adeline stared blankly at the knight, who was smiling brightly at her.
She hesitated for a moment before answering.
-I understand.
"Huh?"
The knight was startled and looked around.
"It was you?”
The knight turned his gaze back to Adeline.
"You just spoke to me?"
-Yes.
"Am I losing my mind?"
As the knight muttered to himself in a daze, Adeline barked briefly as if to snap him out of it.
He spoke with a face still frozen in shock.
"Are you really talking like a human? That's impossible."
-Such impossible things often happen in this world.
"Even so, a talking dog is..."
-You've always thought of me as a dog, but unfortunately, I'm a wolf. A very fearsome beast.
The knight burst out laughing.
-Are you mocking me?
"No, it's not that. It's just that you're not at all like a predator, yet you're trying to act like one, so I couldn't help but laugh."
-Acting like a predator? How weak do you think I am!
"Okay, okay. I understand."
The knight gently stroked Adeline's neck with a tender gaze.
At his gentle touch, Adeline, who had been about to growl, suddenly became as docile as a lamb.
As the knight seemed to relax his guard, Adeline blurted out all the questions she had been curious about.
-What's your name? How old are you? Do you guard this place every day?
"You have so many questions. I'd believe you even if you said you were a human, not a wolf."
While Adeline hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should reveal her identity, the knight continued.
"My name is Daniel Luke. I'm fifteen years old. I'm an apprentice knight in the royal knight order, and my duty is to patrol the Lante Forest. Is that enough? And you...?"
-It's not enough yet.
"Huh?"
-Do you have a lover? Or a fiancé?
Adeline, unable to contain her impatience, casually asked Daniel a question that would put him on the spot.
Caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events, Daniel's eyes darted around nervously.
"………………Lover? Fiancé?"
-Yeah. You don't have one, do you?
The thought that Daniel might have such a person made Adeline feel very down.
"Why do you even care?"
The knight laughed and asked Adeline back.
-It's a matter of life and death for me.
"I don't get it."
-Anyway, is there one or not?
"No."
When the answer she had been waiting for came back, Adeline cheered inwardly.
-Alright. One more thing.
"Is there still more?"
-I don't have time right now, so I'm only asking what I need to know. If I wanted to ask everything I wanted to know about you, it would take all night.
Daniel was taken aback by her prying questions about his personal life, but he didn't mind dealing with her curious nature.
"What do you want to know?"
-What kind of woman do you like?
Adeline, who knew nothing about romance, didn't realize how direct her question was.
"Um... Well... I've never really thought about it that deeply."
-Then start thinking about it now.
Daniel was at a loss for how to respond to her unexpected question.
After waiting for Daniel to hesitate for a while, Adeline, apparently growing impatient, tapped his wrist with her paw, urging him to answer.
What am I doing, being held captive by this puppy-like wolf?
Daniel was baffled by this perplexing situation, but at the same time, he felt compelled to obey her words.
"Um."
Adeline swallowed hard as she watched Daniel’s mouth.
It would be awkward if he liked women who were as dignified and refined as her mother.
No matter how much she thought about it, the only way for her to become that kind of woman would be to be reborn.
"Um... I like strong women."
Adeline couldn't believe her ears.
-Really?
"Yes, really."
Daniel nodded lightly, and Adeline's excited tail wagged even faster.
-I've heard that most men like women who are well-behaved and elegant, so this is surprising.
"Well, I don't really care about that kind of thing."
Her father had always told her that it was impossible for a man not to fall in love with her mother. So Adeline had vaguely assumed that men naturally preferred women like her mother.
If Daniel had answered that way, she would have felt even more depressed, imagining the moment when she would die at a young age due to the aftereffects of the imprinting. No matter how much she resembled her mother, she could never become a woman like her mother.
But a strong woman? That's me!
Seeing that Daniel had an unusual way of looking at women, Adeline thought that he was definitely her destined partner.
-If that's the case, it's not a difficult condition.
The strong woman Daniel was referring to was someone with the courage to fight against injustice under righteous beliefs. However, that meaning didn't quite get through to Adeline.
Daniel felt like she had misunderstood what he said, but it seemed silly to explain it to a wolf, so he kept his mouth shut.
"Why are you asking that?"
-Because I want to be your lover.
"What? Ahaha."
Daniel laughed heartily at the wolf's bold answer.
"You're really funny, wolf."
-Hey, I'm not joking. Just wait and see. I'll make it happen.
Then Daniel hugged the cute wolf tightly and continued the conversation.
"It's quite strange for a human and a wolf to be like this, but I think we'll become very close in the future."
When Adeline was held in Daniel's arms, her heart, which had regained its composure for a moment, began to race again.
'Wait a minute. Didn't they say that a grand hunting festival was about to begin in Elmir?'
She resolved to create an opportunity to show Daniel her charm as soon as possible.
***
Today was the day of the hunting festival, the second largest royal event in Elmir. It was a gathering where the major nobles of Elmir came together to hunt and strengthen their bonds. The venue was the Adoling Forest, which boasted a much grander scale than the Lante Forest.
The men present carried bows, while the women held parasols or fans.
The nobles of Elmir paid their respects to the Emperor and Empress of Anut one by one, stamping their faces. Among them were the Lloyd couple.
“It is an honor to meet you again, Your Majesty, the Emperor and Empress of the great Anut Empire.”
Time had left its mark on the Lloyd couple's faces, but their kind expressions remained unchanged.
Ihedia stood up and embraced Marchioness Lloyd.
"It's been a long time, Lord Lloyd, Lady Lloyd. Was the journey here difficult?"
"Not at all. It's like a dream to see you both here in Elmir. The baby princess has grown into such a beautiful young lady. I am overwhelmed with emotion."
Marquis Lloyd had retired from politics and was enjoying a quiet retirement with his wife in a secluded place.
Therefore, he had not appeared at official events for a long time under the king's consideration, but he had come here upon hearing the news that Ihedia's family had come to the capital.
While Ihedia sat at the prepared seat and engaged in a warm conversation with Lady Lloyd, a commotion could be heard from somewhere. It was a group of young ladies around Adeline's age, chattering excitedly about someone.
Ihedia's gaze naturally turned toward them.
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