MHWSW | Chapter 002

Chapter 2

“It’s too early to despair.”

Even if it’s an Alpha wolf, a newborn Alpha cannot take my position immediately.

‘If only my father would stand by my side.’

There was some hope.

The possibility of maintaining my position as the heiress and protecting my mother’s keepsakes.

At that moment, I believed in that possibility.

Without realizing it was merely my wishful thinking.

Leaving Mary behind, I immediately exited the room. I ran until my silver hair, always meticulously tied into a single braid, came loose and became disheveled. My previously disciplined appearance, buttoned up to the collar, vanished. In this scattered state, I arrived at my father’s office, Laszlo’s.

I steadied my breathing and, with what little decorum I had left, raised my hand to knock on the door.

At that moment—

The door suddenly swung open.

I hadn’t touched the handle, yet the door opened on its own. Rather, my father had opened it from the inside.

“Father! You’re here—”

I was about to call out to my father eagerly, but I froze in place.

I had expected my father to be alone in his office, but he was with someone else.

And of all people, it was Beyran, the head of the Regulus family, the black panther clan.

Beyran stood behind my father, and upon seeing me, he scanned me with his usual unsettling gaze. My father didn’t seem to notice, as he looked at me standing at the door with a grim expression, as if facing an awkward situation.

“…Erica, I was just about to summon you. But… what is this appearance? Haven’t I always told you to maintain dignity?”

“Heh, it’s fine. In fact, I like it. A girl with such spontaneity will surely please Kendrick.”

“Is that so, Head of the Regulus family?”

“Absolutely.”

Dark blue eyes, devoid of their distinctive purity, scanned me with a sticky gaze. Beyran, the head of the Regulus family, curled his lips into a repulsive smile.

“What a beauty.”

He was a disgusting person every time I met him. I openly ignored him and turned to my father.

“…Father, why is this man here?”

“Heh, you shouldn’t ignore me like that. You’ll soon be my son’s wife.”

“…What did you say?”

“Haven’t you heard? We’ve decided to move forward with your marriage to my son, Kendrick.”

Beyran’s words plunged me into an abyss deeper than the news of my Alpha brother’s birth.

The Regulus family.

One of the five families ruling the continent, controlling the southwest. They cannot be compared to the Guinevere family, which rules the northwest, as black panthers and wolves are beasts with different spheres of influence. Thus, the Regulus family was always wary of the Guinevere family. However, since Beyran became the head of the Regulus family, that rivalry had softened.

Rather, it had softened since Beyran heard of my birth.

The reason being that his son, Kendrick, the heir of the Regulus family, born a year before me, was a half-breed.

The problem was that Kendrick was Beyran’s only son.

Strong races often have rare offspring, and unfortunately, the black panther clan was one of those races. Thus, even if his son was a half-breed, Beyran had no choice but to grant him the position of heir.

But Beyran wanted to secure Kendrick’s future in another way.

Through Kendrick’s partner, the next heir.

‘Even if the head is a half-breed, if his partner is clever, there won’t be a problem.’

Beyran wanted a partner clever enough to support the unreliable Kendrick. But his eyes, seasoned by long experience, were extremely discerning.

And I was the only one who caught his eye.

Since then, Beyran had proposed a political marriage between me and Kendrick to my father. When my father first heard this proposal, he was angrier than anyone else. His veins bulged, his face turned red, and his wolf ears and tail emerged in a burst of rage.

‘I won’t sell my daughter to such a lowly half-breed!’

At family head meetings, my father rejected all of Beyran’s cunning proposals.

But Beyran was persistent. Even as I grew older and began attending family meetings as the heiress, he continued to push his proposals.

It even reached the point where my father nearly slapped his face, but Beyran laughed loudly, scanned me with a greedy gaze, and left.

My father had been that resolute.

But this father.

He gave up on me because of the birth of an Alpha wolf.

Because of an Alpha brother who hadn’t even been born a day.

Was my father’s refusal to sell me into a political marriage only because I was his daughter? Or because I was the most prominent member of the clan?

Or was it that his pride wouldn’t allow him to hand over his only daughter to the rival Regulus family?

My thoughts were in disarray. I hadn’t eaten anything yet, and I felt nauseous. I wanted to confront my father, but my mouth felt as if it were covered in cobwebs, unable to speak.

As I stood like a stone statue, it wasn’t anger at the rejection that I felt, but frustration at the fact that my life, lived trusting and following my father, had been shattered in an instant.

‘Was I just a card that could be discarded so easily to my father…?’

I looked at my father with empty eyes. Ignoring my gaze, he extended his hand to Beyran.

“Thank you for coming despite the sudden appointment. Let’s discuss the details later.”

That damned beast, Beyran, whether a panther or a snake, scanned me once more with a greedy gaze.

He took Laszlo’s outstretched hand, smiling a wicked smile.

“For me, this is a long-awaited proposal, so I’m the one who should be grateful. And since my son’s wife has been informed, I hope we can expedite things. Kendrick is eagerly awaiting her.”

“…Then, we can arrange for them to meet on the day you prefer, Head.”

“The sooner, the better. Of course, at the convenience of my future daughter-in-law. We’ll follow her choice.”

When Beyran released my father’s hand, he shifted his gaze to me. I frowned slightly, so subtly that only someone paying close attention would notice.

“Then, let’s meet in a week. We have a grand festival in our family, so it would be good to meet after it’s over. Now, I need to speak with my daughter, so you may leave today.”

“Indeed, she must be shocked. I trust you’ll reassure her. I’ll await the appointment.”

With those words, Beyran flashed his unsettling smile once more and left. My father and I stood in front of the office door in complete silence. Neither of us could easily open our mouths.

When the second hand of the clock ticked thirty times, my father finally spoke.

“Fix your appearance first, then return to my office.”

Contrary to my optimistic expectations, there was no apology or emotion in his words, only a sense that he had done something natural.

***

My father’s office was eerily quiet.

The sound of the second hand on the clock adorning one of the walls was the only thing filling that vast space. In this stifling atmosphere, my father and I sat facing each other, waiting for the other to speak first. It was clear that my father should speak, but he kept his mouth tightly shut, staring at the teacup in front of him, prolonging the unwanted silence.

‘…If we stay like this without speaking.’

After fixing my appearance with Mary’s help and returning directly to my father’s office, I hadn’t had time to organize my thoughts. Of course, the information about the events that had transpired was enough to overwhelm my mind, so even if I’d had time, the situation would have been the same.

My father rubbed the bitter teacup with his fingers. When the hot steam faded, he finally spoke.

“…As you heard, we’re proceeding with a marriage to the Regulus family.”

My father’s voice was excessively monotonous.

“…I didn’t hear anything, Father.”

Unlike my father, my voice trembled. Far from his lifelong teachings to act confidently as the heiress.

“Then listen now.”

“I won’t listen.”

“Are you going to make me repeat myself?”

His tone was calm, but I recognized the suppression hidden within it. My father raised his hand to cover his forehead and sighed deeply.

“I’m sorry for not telling you beforehand. It was urgent, so I ask for your understanding. But this is clearly a good opportunity for you.”

A good opportunity?

Giving up my position as heiress and being cast out through a political marriage is a good opportunity?

How could this situation be a good opportunity?

I couldn’t ask, so I bit my lips until they turned pale, clinging to the hope that there might be a chance to change the situation, as my father said.

“As you know, the heir of the Regulus family is a half-breed. Closer to an incomplete beast. So it will be easy for you to control him. If you succeed, the Guinevere family will also control the Regulus family. That is your value now, as you are no longer the heiress.”

“…”

“Didn’t you come to me because you were clinging to the position of head? You may not become the head of Guinevere, but this is a good opportunity for you. So be grateful.”

My father’s words depended on how optimistic I could be. Yes, it was like a shiny fruit on the outside only. He pretended to care for me, but his true intentions were like a poisoned chalice.

As if cold water had been poured over my head in winter, I organized my chaotic thoughts. Strangely, in this chaotic situation, I maintained my composure, sitting calmly without revealing my wolf ears or tail.

“…Father, is this opportunity truly for my benefit? Do I have any choice?”

My father looked at me with displeased eyes. On other occasions, he would have scolded me for my audacity, but he changed his mind and opened his tightly closed lips.

“…Fine, I understand you’re confused. I’ll give you time. But the political marriage will proceed as planned, so during this period, think about how to control that half-breed.”

Don’t think about useless things.

Words my father didn’t say, but they rang in my ears.

Useless things?

What did he consider useless?

I, who had lived my life like a dog obeying the family and my father’s orders, if I rebelled, wouldn’t my father’s stern face crumble? If everything was going to happen as he wished, didn’t I have the right to revolt at least once?

My thoughts moved in a direction I wouldn’t normally consider. Yet, I felt no contradiction. It was as if I were programmed to act this way. It was akin to the instinct of recognizing the leader with authority from birth.

When I realized this, the stifling atmosphere didn’t feel so bad anymore. I looked directly at my father, who was still pressing his forehead with his hand. My golden eyes gleamed like a beast’s. For the first time since entering this room, no, since hearing this news today.

“Very well, Father.”

“Good, now leave.”

“Before that, I have one request.”

“Speak.”

My father, who hated me asking him for anything, allowed me to voice my “request” with a hint of mercy, as if it were his final gesture of kindness.

“I want to move my mother’s belongings from the inner palace to my room.”

“…Do it.”