Chapter 155
At the news that his territory had already been invaded, Aesir twisted his lips. The faster-than-expected response made him revise his evaluation of Duke Blois. He had thought the duke was incompetent for failing to properly stop the wolf tribe’s invasions, but it seemed he had been tolerating their behavior to some extent.
“…Marcel, I’ll leave the command to you.”
Even so, he could not leave the estate. Partly because Sia still hadn’t woken, but also because his instincts seemed to be warning him not to leave. No, wasn’t this the very tactic he himself had used? A diversion.
Duke Blois would surely come directly to his estate.
Mounting his horse, Marcel answered Aesir in a firm voice.
“Do not worry, Your Excellency. Our forces have always maintained full readiness.”
“Yes, of course they should.”
“In accordance with Your Excellency’s will, I will stake my life on this battle and return victorious!”
From atop his horse, he declared his departure in a ringing voice. After watching his troops leave, Aesir entered the estate alone.
Just as he was about to return to his office to attend to other matters, he caught a scent that was unfamiliar yet familiar. It was extremely faint, but he could not fail to recognize it.
After all, it was the scent he had smelled the entire time he carried Sia.
“…Damn it.”
His pride was wounded at the realization that he had failed to detect the intruder entering his estate. He hurried toward his bedroom where Sia was.
Bang! He reached the room in an instant and saw the curtains flutter as a gust of wind blew through the wide-open window.
More precisely, he saw the massive figure reflected against the curtain.
Aesir, now facing the intruder with Sia between them, quickly glanced over to check on her. She was still unconscious.
In that brief moment, the light dimmed and a shadow fell.
With a single leap, Nox appeared above Aesir and extended his leg, bringing it down in a powerful kick.
BOOM!
Aesir swiftly avoided the attack and let out a short laugh when he saw the floor where he had stood collapse inward. He had thought the cat tribe were only agile and lacked strength, but that was clearly not the case.
Aesir drew a dagger hidden inside his jacket and threw it at Nox. It was coated with snake venom, and even a scratch would be fatal.
But Nox dodged it easily.
He did not merely evade. Twisting his body fluidly into a strange posture, he leapt again. Faced with the unpredictable and irregular movement, Aesir broke into a cold sweat without realizing it. Even so, he slid back smoothly, avoiding all of Nox’s attacks.
Though they exchanged fierce and lethal blows, neither of them made a sound. That silence only heightened the tension between them, because the intent behind it was unmistakable.
“…If you want a duel, shouldn’t we move to the training grounds?”
Curling his lips into a smile, Aesir spoke first, then added immediately,
“If the sick Sia happens to wake up, will you take responsibility?”
Nox had intended not to respond, but the moment his female’s name left Aesir’s lips, the veins in his forehead bulged. Gritting his teeth hard enough for his jaw to stand out, he answered coldly.
“If she wakes, she’ll be relieved to see her male.”
“…You certainly covered her in pheromones thoroughly. Do you think that alone proves ownership of a female?”
“Shut it…”
Though Aesir responded smoothly to Nox’s bold claim that Sia was his female, his insides boiled. Why had he not found her first? If she had come to him, he would have cherished her far more than this cat bastard.
The thought that the man before him had taken Sia’s first time caused a cold light to gather in Aesir’s green eyes. Then he tilted his head slightly, as if considering something.
Duke Blois had come alone, secretly, into his estate.
Perhaps this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Stretching his red lips into a long smile, Aesir pulled out all the daggers he had hidden, hooking them around his fingers and spinning them as he spoke softly,
“If you were to disappear, Duke Blois, I would devote myself wholeheartedly to cherishing Sia. They say first love never comes true, don’t they?”
He smiled wickedly as he watched Nox’s face distort violently.
But only for a moment.
He quickly threw the daggers. Nox dodged them and leapt lightly into the air.
As if waiting for that very moment, Aesir hurled another dagger upward from his other hand.
He had calculated that there would be no way to evade while airborne.
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