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Chapter 20
It was a huge relief that she hadn’t fallen off the ladder.
But why did it have to be Eselian of all people…! Schwen screamed inwardly and forced an awkward smile.
“Are you planning to raise a beast?”
Schwen nodded hesitantly.
By now, Eselian had already set her down on the ground and was looking at her with mild curiosity. However, apparently lacking much interest, he soon withdrew his gaze.
“Well, if you keep even a dog, you won’t be lonely.”
“……”
“Do as you please.”
Eselian had no idea that Schwen intended to use that training manual on him.
That was fortunate. If he had known, he might have gotten angry, accusing her of treating him like a dog.
“It’s not a dog. If I had to be precise, it’s more like a ferocious predator.”
“It makes no difference to me.”
Just as he was turning away indifferently, Eselian suddenly looked back at Schwen, as if something had occurred to him.
“How about a wolf?”
“Pardon?”
“A wolf cub should be manageable. It’s been about two weeks since the litter was born, so taming it shouldn’t be a problem.”
The way Eselian spoke, it seemed he had already decided to give her a wolf cub.
Not a wolf—Eselian, it’s you…
Schwen swallowed her words and trotted after Eselian when he motioned for her to follow.
Just before leaving the library, she didn’t forget to ask the librarian to tell Sophie that she had gone ahead first.
The place Eselian led her to was the forest he had already described.
The forest, so dense with trees it looked almost pitch-black, was a restricted area.
After hearing rumors that terrifying beasts lived there, Schwen had ranked it first on her list of places never to go.
She hesitated for a moment, but thought she’d be fine as long as Eselian was with her. And indeed, she was—mostly.
“…A direwolf?”
The problem was that the “wolf” Eselian mentioned was not an ordinary one.
Schwen stared at the direwolf in front of her in shock. She had only ever seen gray direwolves—creatures said to live exclusively in the North—in picture books as a child.
Even though Eselian picked up the cub with his bare hands, the presumed mother direwolf remained seated calmly.
Schwen reflexively hid behind Eselian. The mother direwolf was enormous. If it stood on its hind legs, it would easily tower over her.
Eselian held the cub out toward Schwen. She shook her head and pulled her hands back.
“…Just give it back to its mother. What if it bites me?”
“As long as you don’t harm the cub, it will stay calm.”
“I don’t intend to hurt it, but… I’m scared. Let’s just go.”
Her voice, thick with fear, grew smaller by the second.
Terrified that the mother might pounce at any moment, Schwen timidly tugged on Eselian’s lapel.
“Honestly, I never planned on raising an animal.”
Though she finally admitted the truth, Eselian still forced the direwolf cub into her arms.
Schwen froze, trembling, as she carefully accepted the cub. She rolled her eyes nervously. The mother direwolf’s gray eyes were fixed on her.
“How do I tell the direwolf that I’m not going to hurt it?”
She looked up at Eselian desperately. But he merely stroked his chin with his index finger and watched her flail about helplessly.
You utterly useless man…!
Schwen cautiously tried giving the mother an “eye kiss.” In her previous life, she had raised a puppy, and she liked cats too.
In truth, she liked animals of all kinds. But this direwolf was simply terrifying.
Even if it was small enough to hold now, one day it would grow large enough to eat her.
Only then did she remember that wolves belonged to the canine family. Cursing her own stupidity, Schwen reached out to Eselian again for help.
“Really, I don’t need to raise it. I was just… just saying it.”
“For someone who didn’t mean it, you searched for that book quite seriously.”
“R-really… the truth is…”
She couldn’t put the cub down for fear the mother would bite her. She couldn’t run away either, afraid the mother would chase her down demanding the cub back.
Unable to do anything, Schwen’s lips had turned pale blue.
“Oh dear. You seem cold.”
“Huh? Ah—yes, yes! I’m cold! So let’s go inside quickly!”
Eselian took off his coat and draped it over Schwen’s shoulders.
Schwen timidly offered the direwolf cub back to him. Thankfully, Eselian accepted it.
The cub returned to its mother’s embrace.
“Let’s go. Quickly!”
Schwen grabbed Eselian’s hand and practically dragged him along. Eselian followed without resistance.
“Phew…”
When she looked back after they’d put some distance between themselves and the forest, the direwolves were gone.
Schwen finally let out a breath of relief and patted her chest.
“By the way, Your Highness… aren’t you cold?”
Only then did she realize she had stolen his coat.
Although Eselian had taken it off willingly, the weather wasn’t something one could endure without a coat.
“I have my own coat. You should wear this, Your Highness.”
As Schwen, now wearing two coats, tried to slip off the outer one, Eselian stopped her and carefully fastened the buttons of the coat she was wearing.
“I’ve lived here my entire life. Please don’t worry about me.”
“Ah… I’m jealous.”
The words slipped out sincerely.
Schwen truly envied Eselian. Since coming to the North, the hardest thing for her to endure had been the climate.
Everything around them was blanketed in snow, as though powdered with sugar.
At first, she’d liked it. Now, it was just cold.
“Honestly, I’m a little—no, very cold. I’ve always been sensitive to the cold. Of course, it’s warm inside the castle.”
She laughed sheepishly as she fastened the remaining buttons of the coat herself.
Watching her carefully button up to the very last one, Eselian thought she looked foolish.
“Starting tomorrow, come see the cub regularly. That way, it’ll at least know who its owner is.”
Schwen understood his words half a beat too late.
“No! I don’t even have a hobby of raising animals, and I’m not confident I can tame one!”
“Madam.”
Eselian cut her off sharply, calling her in a low but unmistakable voice.
The title—once “Princess,” then “Grand Duchess,” and now “Madam”—felt unfamiliar.
“Do you remember the wedding day?”
“The wedding day? What about it?”
“The day you were almost kidnapped.”
“Oh, yes. I remember. Why?”
As Eselian casually pulled her hair out from where it was caught inside the coat, he added,
“Something like that could happen again. You’re quite special, Madam.”
“……”
“I’ll protect you, but if you ever find yourself alone, you must protect yourself. So tame the direwolf cub. It will be the fastest and most reliable way.”
He’s not wrong.
If Schwen had a tamed direwolf by her side when she was alone, she might avoid serious danger.
Though she agreed, she looked at the man who might one day threaten her own safety.
Concern from Eselian—the original male lead and the villain.
It wasn’t unpleasant, but she knew his concern wasn’t purely altruistic.
Eselian regarded Titiana as his possession. His “medicine.” Something he didn’t want others laying hands on.
Hmm… what should I do?
Direwolves were scary. And Eselian Ranied was just as frightening.
Still, Schwen made up her mind—to try taming the beast known as Eselian.
As she followed Eselian toward the forest, she recalled the training manual she’d been reading in bits and pieces.
Rules of Taming.
First: Become close to the target. To do so, use every method available.
Pushing down the fear rising in her chest, Schwen nodded.
“All right. I’ll do it.”
It would be good practice for taming Eselian, and earning points by listening to him wasn’t a bad idea either.
Yes. If she was going to do it, she’d do it properly…!
Schwen turned her back, trying to hide her sly thoughts. She wasn’t confident in her ability to manage her expression.
Two days later.
After spending two days with the direwolf, Schwen wanted to retract her decision.
“It’s still too scary…”
The cub was cute. The problem was the mother. Every time Schwen approached, the way it stared made it seem as though it might leap forward and clamp down on her neck at any moment.
“Your Highness, you must steel your heart.”
Eselian had assigned a professional trainer to Schwen—someone she knew well.
“If you’re afraid, the beast senses it as well. Relax. It’s still a cub, so even if it bites, it won’t hurt.”
“Sir Sion…”
The cub isn’t the problem. Don’t you see the mother glaring at us from behind you…?
Schwen wanted to argue like that. As if sensing her thoughts, Sion turned around.
He nodded as if he understood. After apologizing for his rudeness on the first day, he had become her personal guard.
Though he had only taken that role after they arrived in the North.
Unfortunately, Sion offered little comfort.
“Rox follows only His Grace the Grand Duke. I can’t control Rox, but I won’t let it bite you.”
“That’s… not very reassuring…”
“……”
“I’m even more scared now…”
As Schwen trembled, Sion’s expression darkened rapidly. What should I do? was written all over his face.
“B-but still, maybe I should try—”
She was about to say she’d approach when—
Sion suddenly straightened and bowed his head. When Schwen turned around in surprise, Eselian was approaching.
“I was worried about how you were doing, Madam.”
“……”
In other words, he’d come to watch.
Eselian knelt in front of the direwolf, which had been sitting proudly before ambling toward its master.
Seemingly unafraid, Eselian stroked the mother’s chin and looked at Schwen.
Feeling she had to show something, Schwen stepped forward.
Thankfully, Eselian was holding the mother in place.
Schwen approached the cub and cautiously extended her hand.
The cub pressed its nose to her hand, as if sniffing her scent. All her tension felt pointless—on its side, too, there was only caution.
Right. It’s still just a baby.
Even though it was a predator, it was a weak, young creature barely two weeks old. Realizing that made it far less frightening.
When she finally worked up the courage to stroke the cub’s head, Schwen felt overwhelmed with emotion. She then looked proudly at Eselian.
“Well done.”
Eselian spoke as their eyes met.
His tone was roughly, That’s enough, now get lost.
The moment she was praised, a good idea flashed through Schwen’s mind.
She decided to act on it immediately.
“You did well too, Your Highness.”
Eselian tilted his head slightly, brow furrowing as if he didn’t understand.
“Yesterday, even though I couldn’t keep my promise, you still got through the night safely.”
The day before, Schwen had been unwell from staying out in the cold too long. Because of that, she hadn’t been able to give Eselian his medicine.
Eselian hadn’t forced a sick person to recite trigger words.
Thinking about it now, it was a little funny. He usually spent nights alone anyway.
Well, they say even a whale dances when praised.
She couldn’t make Eselian dance, but building a good image couldn’t hurt. That too was something she’d learned from the training manual.
At this point, she should give him a carrot.
“Today, I’ll give you a special hug.”
Not long after, Schwen immediately regretted saying those words.
