🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 36
Why was Kellic at the Ashilonia estate?
To understand that, we have to go back a few days.
A few days earlier, at dawn.
Kellic, who had been sleeping soundly without a care in the world, woke up to a commotion.
“Ugh… what is it…?”
He was exhausted from making up multiple classes he had skipped while going out to play.
On days like this, he should be sleeping in without a care.
So Kellic covered his ears with a pillow and tried to fall back asleep.
But not long after—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Young master! Young master!”
“Are you inside? Young Master Aselt!”
At the frantic knocking on Aselt’s door, Kellic’s eyes snapped open again.
Since his room was right next to Aselt’s, the noise made it impossible to sleep.
“Yaaawn… what is going on… at this hour…?”
Unable to take it anymore, Kellic stepped out of his room, yawning lazily.
The moment Rundwell saw him, he rushed over with a face that looked like his heart had dropped.
“Ah—thank goodness! You were sleeping, young master!”
“Of course I was. Do you even know what time it is…? Yawn.”
As if truly relieved, Rundwell suddenly pulled Kellic into a tight hug.
“Huh? W-what’s wrong with you?”
Rundwell was usually scolding him to stop causing trouble, so this was rare.
Feeling awkward, Kellic looked around.
Only then did he notice something was wrong.
“Why is everyone out here…? What happened?”
“Well, that is…”
Rundwell hesitated, unusually.
His face darkened instantly at Kellic’s question.
But it wasn’t just him.
Ella, who should have been in Maybel’s room, was nearby with a grave expression.
And beneath her gently curved eyes, Kellic noticed dried tear marks.
“…What?”
“Young master, perhaps you should return to your room first—”
“Something happened. No—something did happen.”
Kellic brushed off Rundwell’s grip and immediately flung open Aselt’s door.
Aselt wasn’t inside.
“Where did hyung go?”
When Kellic turned and asked, everyone hesitated.
Something was off.
Then it hit him—there were too many people here.
“Wait… why is no one going to Maybel? She must’ve woken up from all this noise.”
It was loud enough that she definitely should have come out.
So why wasn’t anyone checking on her?
“…No way.”
“Young master!”
A terrifying thought crossed his mind.
Before Rundwell could stop him, Kellic ran toward Maybel’s room.
From afar, he could already see—
Her door was wide open.
Inside was a mess.
It looked like someone had packed in a hurry.
Kellic’s legs suddenly froze mid-run.
“…Uh…”
Her room was right there.
She should be inside.
But his body refused to move.
Sometimes, the body knows before the mind does.
“Where is Maybel?”
“….”
“I said—WHERE IS MAYBEL?!”
His roar echoed through the corridor.
It was so fierce that even the adults flinched.
Crack… crack…
His nails sharpened like a beast’s, and the grinding of his fangs sent chills through the air.
Overcome with rage, Kellic grabbed Rundwell by the collar.
His claws tore fabric and scratched skin.
But Rundwell didn’t even feel the pain.
Seeing Kellic crying with wide, trembling eyes hurt far more.
He bit the inside of his cheek before forcing himself to speak.
“She… has returned to Ashilonia.”
At that moment, Kellic’s legs gave out, and he collapsed.
“Young master!”
Rundwell caught him, but Kellic couldn’t stand.
“…Why?”
His eyes trembled violently in shock.
“Maybel’s home is here. Her family is me! So why…?”
He knew she was a princess of Ashilonia.
But he couldn’t understand why she had to leave.
He had believed they would stay together.
Just like how he had lived with Aselt despite their different species.
So why?
“…Did Maybel want to go?”
There was a faint trace of betrayal in his voice.
Rundwell hesitated.
Since Maybel likely wouldn’t return, perhaps it would be kinder to lie—
But before he could speak, Ella stepped forward.
“No! The young lady wanted to stay here!”
Even for Kellic’s sake, she couldn’t twist Maybel’s feelings.
Realizing that, Rundwell flinched internally.
He had almost done something unforgivable.
“She’s right. But… it couldn’t be helped.”
Rundwell carefully explained the situation between the families.
“Miss Maybel must have understood that as well… which is why she went.”
As Kellic listened, he slowly calmed down.
His claws and fangs returned to normal.
“…I see.”
He answered weakly.
Rundwell thought he had accepted it.
Never imagining Kellic would disappear without a trace.
After leaving the Grand Duke’s residence
Kellic immediately transformed into a fox.
As a canine, his sense of smell was sharp—he planned to track Maybel by scent.
He didn’t even know where the Ashilonia estate was.
So for days, he followed her scent without rest.
And yet—
The moment he arrived, he got caught in a trap!
“Let go! Let go of me!”
Caught by the scruff of his neck by Lander, Kellic transformed back into a human and struggled wildly.
He was so strong that Lander staggered.
Finally breaking free and landing on the ground, Kellic charged straight at Caesar.
“Where is Maybel?!”
But no matter how strong he was—
He was still just a child.
“You brat!”
Lander grabbed him again.
“Catch him!”
“Don’t let him get near the master!”
More adults joined in, even binding his legs.
“Let go! I said let go!”
Still, Kellic continued to thrash and snarl at Caesar.
“Where’s my little sister, you kidnapper?!”
“…Your little sister?”
Caesar scoffed.
Kellic’s face flushed red with rage.
“You better not have touched her! I won’t let you get away with it!”
Yap! Yap!
Kellic roared with all his strength, but Caesar ignored him completely.
Looking down at him with disdain, he asked,
“Was he the only one lurking around? Or are there more?”
Caesar hadn’t seen a mere beast.
There had to be another.
“Yes. There may still be someone hiding in the estate.”
Lander answered, wiping blood from his cheek where Kellic had clawed him.
Clicking his tongue, Caesar gave an order,
“Lock this one in the underground dungeon. Search the entire estate. And if Maybel finds out he’s here, it’ll be troublesome—give her a sleeping drug.”
“Yes, sir.”
At that, Kellic’s yellow eyes widened.
“…Sleeping drug?”
Even adults like Sigmund hesitated to take such a strong medicine!
And they were going to give it to Maybel?!
“Stop! What are you going to do to Maybel?!”
He struggled again, but the adults gagged and restrained him.
“Mmph! Mmph!”
“Take him to the dungeon.”
Even as Kellic continued shouting through the gag, Caesar coldly gave the order.
Meanwhile, Maybel stood on tiptoe, watching everything.
“What do we do? Oppa Kellic got caught!”
“Looks like he did.”
Unlike her panic, Aselt remained calm.
“Well then, I’ll be going ‘alone’ now.”
“What?! What about Oppa Kellic?!”
“Well… someone has to inform the Grand Duke’s side, right? Since he’s already here.”
Maybel looked at him like he was joking.
But Aselt was serious.
“See you at the Grand Duke’s residence.”
“W-wait, oppa!”
She tried to grab him—
But it was too late.
Aselt had already turned into a snake and slipped out through the window.
‘You’ve got to be kidding me!’
She rushed to the window, but he was already gone.
What is this supposed to be?! Is this even real?!
She was so stunned she could barely breathe.
But she didn’t have time to panic.
Knock, knock.
“My lady, it’s time for your medicine.”
The maid had arrived.
