Chapter 3
My course of action was clear.
But I couldn’t act recklessly. Father was a suspicious man, and if I tried to challenge him without preparation, I might end up the one caught.
‘I need to plan carefully and meticulously.’
So that he wouldn’t suspect I was scheming. So that when everything came to light, Father would be helplessly swept up in my plans.
Given the situation, I had only one strategy.
‘Another political marriage.’
In other words, a contract staked on my own body.
In any other circumstance, it would have been utterly humiliating. As the heir of the Ginevere Clan, I had always carried myself with great pride.
That pride hadn’t vanished overnight.
‘But… there’s no other way now.’
Even if I wanted to reclaim my position as heir, no one would support me, a non-alpha, over an alpha wolf. And which other clan would come to my aid?
A discarded heir like me?
Once again, I bit my lip, confronting the harsh reality. The sharp pain cleared my mind.
‘Now’s not the time to dwell on humiliation.’
I had already endured enough disgrace in that earlier moment. It had even awakened a grim realization.
If I submitted to this situation, I would continue to face such indignities.
‘I’ll escape this clan before that happens.’
I hadn’t struggled all this time to live like that. If my clan had turned its back on me, I would forge my own path, even if it meant offering myself up or borrowing another clan’s power.
With that resolve, the political marriage Father had first mentioned no longer felt so repulsive.
‘If it means escaping this clan.’
Yes, if I could escape this clan, I was willing to do anything. My determination wasn’t so weak as to falter now.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Returning what was done to me, that was my goal.
‘If I secure a political marriage before Father does…’
It would be a fitting act of revenge.
It would shatter Father’s plan to gain control over the Regulus Clan through me. And I, too, would escape this clan.
So, my task was clear.
Before the marriage talks with Regulus progressed, I needed to approach another clan and secure a political marriage with them.
‘The problem is how to pull it off.’
Knowing Father, he was likely keeping a close watch on me, expecting some reckless move. It was so predictable it almost made me yawn.
But Father needed to understand.
What he discarded was a masterpiece crafted by his own hands.
I already had a way to evade his surveillance.
‘The perfect opportunity is coming.’
In two days, the Ginevere Clan would host its grandest festival.
‘That’s when I can move alone.’
For now, that was the best method, and the best choice.
All I had to do was wait for the day to arrive.
While preparing thoroughly.
* * *
Two days later, the sun shone brightly, the sky was clear, and a gentle breeze blew.
The lands governed by the Ginevere Clan were filled with vibrant energy.
Inside the clan’s castle, elders and all the wolves had gathered, while outside, beastmen from various clans stood united, their gazes fixed on one point.
On Father, standing atop a black altar on the castle grounds. Perhaps because it was only two days after an alpha’s birth, everyone wore solemn expressions.
Their faces were filled with hope, as if wishing for a miracle like the alpha’s birth to bless them too. Father, though pretending otherwise, seemed quite pleased as he observed them.
Then it happened.
Dong!
A deafening bell rang, silencing the noisy estate. Scanning the quieted crowd, Father filled his eyes with authority and spread his arms wide.
“Let the Ferutius begin!”
His commanding voice reached the gathered crowd, who threw black roses into the air and cheered. After the cheers, they paired off, holding hands, dancing, or singing.
The Festival of Black Roses and Songs, Ferutius.
It was a celebration honoring something at the northernmost part of the Ginevere lands, in the snow-covered Anrendri Mountains.
The festival was always held on the cusp of spring and summer. There was no fixed date, only the day after the brightest night when the mountain’s peak shone most vividly. It was an odd calculation, but the Ginevere estate took it so seriously that there were even people whose job was to watch the mountain each night during this season.
Because Ferutius was no mere festival. It was an act of reverence for Ferutius itself.
Ferutius, the greatest being in these lands. To the beastmen, it was a divine creature, one of the last living dragons. Its mere presence, sleeping in the mountains, was a blessing to the land.
Indeed, the Ferutius Festival was a ritual, transformed over time, to pray for prosperity to the dragon sleeping in the Anrendri Mountains.
‘A dragon that may not even exist.’
An old tale. A single sighting of the dragon taking its true form in the Anrendri Mountains.
Thus, few believed Ferutius still existed. Yet, because the festival was a tradition born the moment the Ginevere Clan began ruling these lands, everyone enjoyed it regardless.
As the festival was steeped in tradition, one particular custom had persisted tenaciously. The most important event: a direct descendant of the Ginevere Clan offering tribute at Ferutius’s lair in the mountains. Though its meaning had long faded, the practice endured.
“And now…”
In the Ginevere Clan, I was the direct descendant tasked with climbing the mountain. And the journey to offer tribute would give me a week, the perfect time to execute my plan.
It was an unparalleled opportunity.
‘Of course, I’ll have company.’
I planned to slip away from my companions mid-journey and head beyond the Anrendri Mountains to the Snow Leopard Clan. They were as powerful as the Regulus Clan and fiercely independent.
More importantly, they had a custom of newlyweds living separately from their clan after marriage.
This was a stark contrast to the wolves, who lived together even after marriage, and it was a feature I particularly liked.
‘It’s an ideal condition for me. And I’ve prepared what I can offer them.’
Myself included. I had prepared extensively over the past two days.
‘Though preparing for the festival as acting head was exhausting.’
It had taken a toll, but I wasn’t in a position to complain.
As I reviewed my plan once more, another bell rang.
Dong!
Father descended from the altar and looked at me. I quickly caught the intent in his gaze, he had something to say before I left. I moved to his side, waiting for him to speak.
“Go, and afterward, we’ll proceed with the political marriage.”
At first glance, it seemed like a statement for my sake, but it carried the unspoken order to devise a plan to control the Regulus Clan within the week.
“I understand, Father.”
I replied as usual. If he grew suspicious and blocked my path now, it would derail everything.
Father glanced at me, seemingly satisfied with my unchanged demeanor, then turned and entered the manor. I, too, turned and headed to where my belongings were packed.
* * *
The Anrendri Mountains.
The path started gently but soon grew treacherous. Beyond the incline, the route to Ferutius’s lair was covered in cliffs and snow, making it perilous. Even I, who had made this journey annually, always prepared thoroughly.
Of course, I wasn’t going alone. With me were my trusted companions: my maid, Mary, and the knights, Rell and Aren. Mary, as always, was fussing over my clothing, securing it tightly. Rell and Aren were bickering over who would carry the luggage but were reliable allies I could trust with my back.
My gaze fell on Rell and Aren, and they turned to me. With wide eyes and flexing their burly arms, they approached the luggage behind me. The brothers always competed over trivial matters like this.
“Milady, I’ll carry it!” Rell said.
“No, I’ll do it!” Aren countered.
With their brown hair and bear beastman strength, they were unfazed by cold and immensely powerful. They could carry a week’s worth of supplies and tribute through this harsh terrain without issue.
“Fine, sort it out yourselves. I’ll focus on keeping myself together,” I said.
“Of course! Don’t worry about us, just head up!” Rell replied.
“Please, do so,” Aren added.
With that, they hefted the heavy luggage and started moving. Even with their strength, the weight slowed them, so they went ahead. Their massive, bear-like frames left faint footprints in the snow, and I couldn’t help but marvel at how effortlessly they carried such burdens.
Watching them go, Mary finally let go of my clothes and spoke.
“Milady, we should start climbing too.”
“Wait a moment, Mary.”
“Huh?”
Mary looked puzzled. Ignoring her, I glanced back at the clan.
Part of my plan was there.
Before leaving, I had ordered my loyal subordinate to keep watch over the clan. Anyone else might have made me uneasy, but this was my secret weapon, unknown even to Father.
My familiar, Cove.
‘I hope Cove does well.’
Cove was a magical crow-like creature, a gift secretly left to me by my mother before she passed.
And right now, it was hidden in Father’s study.
‘Did Mother foresee all this?’
That I’d need a trusted ally to stand against Father.
In hindsight, Cove wasn’t raised within the clan. Mother had entrusted it to a place she knew, keeping it hidden. I met it during training in a small forest near the clan.
Back then, I hadn’t thought much of it, but perhaps Mother had anticipated a situation like this.
‘I told it to contact me via the magic stone if anything happens.’
The magic stone was the only device linking Cove and me, allowing us to communicate over distances.
It was invaluable in this situation. With Cove watching the clan, it was time for me to execute my plan.
“Mary, let’s go.”
“Yes!”
The journey began smoothly, no different from past trips. The weather was clearer than in previous years.
‘This might be easier than I thought.’
With that optimistic thought, I started the climb.
But the gods had surely forsaken me.
Who could have imagined I’d get lost?
And that I’d encounter a sheep living in the snowy mountains, of all things.
