Chapter 15
“…I told him that I’ll keep the fact that he’s a beast-kin a secret, so he should keep pretending to be just a normal beast in front of my sister.”
“What?”
Lillia opened her eyes wide.
“I thought you would kick him out right away, Captain. That’s unexpected.”
“I want to, honestly. But I can’t forcefully take away Cici’s gift.”
Elliot shrugged lightly. His answer was blunt, but his affection for his sister showed through.
Lillia stared at him for a moment, then said,
“Just as I thought. You really are a sister-obsessed idiot.”
“…Was that supposed to be an insult?”
“No. I just wish I had an older brother who cared about me like you do.”
She responded playfully and stood up.
“Well, I’ll go continue my investigation. Captain, don’t overwork yourself. Please rest a little too.”
Smiling, Lillia bowed and walked toward the window. Before Elliot could stop her, she jumped out of it and disappeared.
…He definitely remembered telling her not to jump out the window.
Elliot sighed deeply at the empty space she left behind.
After she was gone, silence filled the office.
Elliot brushed his hair back and looked again at the portrait she had left. No matter how many times he looked at it, the only identifiable features were black hair and gold eyes.
Eventually, he gave up and put the drawing back on his desk.
“A black wolf, huh…”
He glanced toward the window. The sky outside was turning red with sunset.
He closed his eyes.
Memories he had long buried came rushing back —
A fox bleeding on the ground,
A completely black wolf standing over it,
And his own younger sibling lying unconscious beside them.
It was all so vivid, as if it had happened only yesterday.
“…I’ll never repeat that mistake again.”
With that vow, he silently clenched his fist.
Meanwhile
Late at night.
After Cynthia left, Michael remained alone in the banquet hall. He glanced down at his front paw.
Between the golden fur, he saw the bracelet she had given him.
…Only someone from House Everglow would give such an expensive gift to a mere wolf.
He let out a small laugh.
There was an Everglow branch in his territory too. He had bought items there before, so he could roughly guess how much the bracelet cost.
Two of them together… probably worth a whole mansion.
And with the size-adjusting magic added, the price would be multiplied by at least one and a half.
So much money to waste.
Even as he mocked it inwardly, he couldn’t take his eyes off the bracelet.
He kept remembering her smile when she told him not to get hurt anymore.
…She seemed troubled earlier.
Michael frowned slightly. Cynthia always acted calm in front of him, so he couldn’t help but notice when something was off.
It’s probably because of that veterinarian — Eren.
He had heard her mutter that name earlier.
He didn’t know the details, but something was clearly wrong between them.
Even last time they looked awkward. They still haven’t made up.
Michael snorted quietly.
It’s definitely that Eren guy’s fault.
He suddenly remembered Cynthia’s joking remark:
“I shouldn’t have befriended someone like Eren. I should’ve befriended my puppy instead.”
Michael coughed once and closed his eyes.
She probably said it without thinking.
But for some reason, the words lingered in his ears.
Friend, huh…
He looked at the bracelet again and fell silent.
After losing his parents at age 13, he had lived as if he were completely alone.
He had trusted no one but himself, so isolation was his only choice.
Over time, he had drawn lines between himself and everyone around him, leaving him with no friends… not even someone to speak comfortably with.
I thought I was used to being alone. Maybe I wasn’t.
He closed his eyes.
Tonight, the silence felt colder than usual.
A Few Days Later
Several days passed after the trip to the city.
During that time, Cynthia finished preparing to release Michael back into the wild.
Originally, she planned to let him go as soon as she received permission from her family, but her father had left the estate for urgent business, so she had no choice but to delay things.
He said he’ll return by tomorrow at the latest. I should tell Michael beforehand.
He needed time to prepare himself emotionally, so she planned to talk to him during today’s visit.
Thinking that, Cynthia scooped a spoonful of soup into her mouth.
She was currently eating breakfast with all her family members except her father.
The long table was filled with bacon, scrambled eggs, soup — the usual morning dishes.
“Lately, I barely see my daughter except during meals,” her mother muttered, sounding a bit hurt.
Elliot cut his bread and casually added,
“Well, she spends all her free time with that wolf.”
“Cynthia,” her mother said in a stern tone, “caring for another living being is admirable, but you must not neglect your family.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Cynthia nodded politely without arguing. Her mother was unquestionably the most authoritative figure in the house, so arguing would be pointless.
But Elliot was a different story.
Cynthia eyed the bread on his plate and quickly snatched it the moment he cut it.
It was a small act of revenge for his earlier comment.
“Eat slowly. You’ll choke,” he said with a smile, handing her butter instead of getting angry.
Cynthia mentally shook her head.
He really is a sister-obsessed fool.
If she asked for all his money instead of bread, he would probably give it with the same smile.
“Cynthia,” her mother called again.
Cynthia looked up.
“Mind your table manners.”
“Yes…”
She nodded again, and her mother’s stern expression softened.
“By the way, I heard the eldest son of the Rainer family returned from studying abroad. Did you know?”
“The eldest…?”
Cynthia froze for a moment.
…Right, Eren has an older brother. Was his name Berlot?
He wasn’t mentioned in the original story.
All she knew was that he and Eren were biological siblings…
…and that the two didn’t get along well.
I think he went abroad about ten years ago.
It matched the timing of when she first became close to Eren.
What did he look like again…?
She was sure she had seen him once before, yet she couldn’t recall his face at all.
It was as if that memory alone had been erased.
Maybe it’s just been too long.
She shrugged lightly.
Probably just her memory acting up.
“Yes, it’s Berlot. I knew he had left to study, but I never heard he came back.”
“I thought Eren would’ve told you when you met him. He said nothing?”
“…Eren?”
Hearing his name again made her hesitate slightly.
“…We only met twice — veterinarian and client. We’re not even close anymore, so he probably didn’t think there was any reason to mention it.”
“Oh dear. I thought you two reconciled after seeing each other again. I guess I was mistaken.”
Her mother sighed softly.
Cynthia didn’t respond. She simply dabbed her mouth with a napkin.
It was the truth, yet somehow it left a bitter taste.
“Then… I’ll excuse myself.”
Not wanting to continue the topic, Cynthia stood up and left her seat.
Her mother didn’t stop her this time.
“Don’t stay too long in the west annex.”
“I won’t. I’ll return before sunset.”
With that, Cynthia left the dining room quickly.
