Beastly savior ss5

Side story 5

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Read the whole story here https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-QGDczeoNAgToplIIKQN6Cd9pAxauGGP

"He seems to have become even more handsome, doesn't he? He will surely become more handsome than His Majesty the King in the future."

"My mother strictly forbade me from marrying a knight, but I don't care. With a face like that, I don't care if he's a knight or a commoner."

"Come on, he's mine, so don't even think about it!"

He seemed to be a knight assigned to guard the nobles participating in today's hunting festival. Judging by his youthful face, he was probably a knight in training.

The young ladies gathered there were all captivated by the knight with silver hair and purple eyes.

Even to Ihedia, he seemed young, but he was definitely extraordinary. Even the king, Evan, was often talked about by women for his good looks, but this silver-haired knight was even more handsome than him.

Ihedia smiled as she watched the young ladies fall in love, then turned her gaze to Adeline for a moment.

The tomboyish young lady is still interested in the opposite sex... isn't she?

"Adeline?"

Even when Ihedia called her name, Adeline was lost in thought and did not respond. Her eyes were fixed only on the knight.

Soon, Adeline's gaze shifted to the girls nearby who were chattering about the knight. Adeline's expression turned cold as ice. Like a predator whose prey had been snatched away by an enemy.

Just as Ihedia was about to say something, the bell signaling the start of the hunt rang.

"If His Majesty the Emperor participates, he will surely bring back a tremendous catch. It’d be a pity to miss such a spectacle."

Lady Lloyd made a joke as she sipped her tea.

Ihedia put her interest in Adeline aside for the moment and decided to continue her conversation with Lady Lloyd.  

"If that were the case, there wouldn't be any animals left in this forest."  

"Well, that's true."  

Lady Lloyd smiled softly.  

Kayan chose to watch the hunt instead of participating, despite Ihedia's objections.

In the Elmir hunting festival, the person who hunted the most unique animal by the set time would win.

There were no dangerous beasts such as lions or bears in the Adoling Forest, but there were rare animals such as rainbow foxes, one-eyed rabbits, and golden deer.

Though not dangerous, these creatures were extremely fast or skilled at camouflage, making them very difficult to catch.  

As a result, it was not uncommon for the hunting festival to end with participants only managing to catch ordinary animals like raccoons or pigeons.  

Of course, things would be different if it were Kayan.

"Above all, if someone who is an expert at hunting comes all the way here and steals the glory of unmarried men, how can they bear all that resentment?"

"The women's resentment would be no less. After all, all the game in the forest would become the empress's property."

Even if they didn't win, the hunting festival held great significance for the men of Elmir. There was a tradition of presenting the animals they had caught to the noblewomen they admired. For unmarried young men, this was an opportunity to express their feelings to the women they had long admired.

On the other hand, for the women, receiving the most game from the men was of great importance.

If Kayan were to join this gathering, everyone would undoubtedly feel uneasy.

While the men were busy moving their horses, Ihedia's gaze returned to Adeline.

"Where did she go?"

Adeline's seat was empty.

Perhaps she had grown bored and was wandering around the forest.

"Don't worry. She didn't go far. She said she was just going to play nearby for a while."

Kayan sensed Ihedia's concern and whispered softly.

Ihedia felt uneasy for some reason, but she could only nod her head after hearing Kayan's words.

***

The sky was beginning to darken. It was almost time.

The men who had gone hunting began to return one by one. They all had prey in their hands, but it was only the usual animals found in the forest. The disappointment on the men's faces was evident.

Almost everyone who had scattered had returned, but for some reason, Adeline was nowhere to be seen.

Ihedia gave Kayan a nod.

"It seems our puppy has decided to become a predator today."

When Kayan muttered something incomprehensible, a question mark appeared in Ihedia's eyes.

With about five minutes left until the end of the hunt, Adeline's figure appeared in the distance.

"Oh my, look over there!"

"Isn't that Princess Adeline?"

"But what is that?"

Ihedia was so surprised that she jumped up from her seat, her face pale.

Adeline was carrying five silver foxes and three one-eyed rabbits in her hands and a huge golden deer on her shoulder. The sight of a slender young girl carrying dead animals was eerie.

Adeline stopped right in front of Daniel and placed the animals she had brought down in front of him.

"Here, these are yours."

"Princess..."

Daniel was speechless, unable to close his mouth.  

Why was this princess he had never seen before doing this to him?  

Everyone in the room began to murmur at the princess's sudden action.  

Kayan, who had been watching indifferently, finally realized that his daughter's heart was in a difficult place and frowned.  

"Adeline!"

Ihedia jumped up from her seat and rushed toward Adeline.  

"Are you hurt? What's going on here!"  

"I'm fine, Mother. It was a bit tough fighting with bare hands without a weapon, but I won anyway."  

"Are you serious…?"

Ihedia pressed her forehead and sighed.

At the same time, Adeline turned back toward Daniel.

"You said you liked strong women. Is this proof enough?"

"No, surely not..."

That wolf is the Princess of Anut?

Daniel was so overwhelmed that he couldn't tell if it was a dream or reality.

Among those present, only Adeline maintained her composure, wearing a haughty smile.

***

Adeline went to the Lante Forest to meet Daniel one last time.

Her father was displeased, but since she was about to leave Elmir, he decided to overlook it this time.

Her mother scolded her harshly for turning the hunting festival into chaos, but she did not criticize her pure feelings for Daniel.

If she left now, it would be a long time before she could see him again.

So today, Adeline took on the form of a human, not a wolf.

Adeline arrived at the spring and hummed a tune as she waited for Daniel.

She had sent him a letter in advance saying she would meet him here today, but there was no reply.

She wanted to go directly to Daniel's residence, but due to her mother's curfew, she couldn't leave the castle for a while.

‘Surely he doesn't dislike me?’

She had shown him her strong side at the hunting festival, but his face, which had turned as white as a ghost, kept bothering her.

It didn't seem like a sign of affection.

Tired of waiting for Daniel, Adeline sat down on the ground, not caring if her dress got dirty.

Then, as she dozed off in the warm sunlight,

"Princess."

When she opened her eyes, she saw the face she had longed to see.

Adeline felt her heart skip a beat once again.

She jumped up and smiled brightly.

"I was worried you wouldn't come."

"Something urgent came up, so I was a little late. I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

Adeline smiled brightly.

Daniel looked dazed for a moment, then blushed.

"I really didn't know you were the princess. Please forgive my rudeness."

Daniel bowed his head and apologized for his rude behavior.

Adeline didn't like Daniel's sudden change in attitude.

"You can treat me casually like before."

"That's not possible."

When Daniel refused, Adeline pouted slightly.

"By the way, why did you call me here?"

"Don't you know why? Because I wanted to see you."

Unlike other noble ladies, Adeline's straightforward manner of speaking left Daniel feeling extremely embarrassed.

Seeing Daniel's flushed face, Adeline smiled.

"I have to go back to Anut now. I wanted to see you one last time."

"You're leaving now?"  

When Adeline nodded, Daniel's pupils trembled.  

"I don't know when I'll be able to come back here again, but I'll write often. And promise me you'll wait for me."  

"What?"  

"When the time comes for me to have my coming-of-age ceremony and find a partner, I'll definitely come back for you."

“….”

"So don't stray until then."  

Adeline stepped closer to Daniel. The distance between them narrowed to just a few inches. Adeline gently kissed Daniel's cheek.  

Daniel's body stiffened, but his eyelids fluttered rapidly.

Her eyes, as fresh and green as the Lante Forest, lingered on the silver-haired boy for a long time. She wanted to imprint his image as clearly as possible in her mind. It was the moment when she finally understood her father’s story about meeting an angel so beautiful it was dazzling.

****

The end! ❤️❤️