Chapter 116
First and last order, he said.
I wanted to say I couldn’t go alone, but when I saw Karden’s gaze directed at me, I couldn’t say anything.
Karden wrapped his arm around my shoulder and quietly held me against his chest.
“Y-Your Grace?”
While I was flustered, being held in his broad, warm embrace, Yudis playfully said from beside us.
“Brother, are you monopolizing Shushu again? I’m jealous.”
Yudis warmly embraced my back. Suddenly trapped in both their arms, I stood still, not knowing what to do.
Yudis whispered affectionately in my ear.
“Shushu, I’m sorry for making this decision without consulting you. But it was made to protect you. Just this once, trust and follow me and my brother.”
“Lady Yudis…”
Karden released me from his embrace, gently stroked my head, and turned away. Yudis also left an apologetic smile before following Karden.
I could only watch helplessly as they departed. I didn’t even have a chance to stop them.
***
A while later, Uncle James came out of the hospital room. Uncle examined my complexion with a worried expression.
“Shushu, are you alright?”
Not wanting to worry my uncle, I shook my head.
“Yes. The Grand Duke and Lady Yudis just left. Uncle, did you hear that we need to go to the northern castle tomorrow?”
“Yes. I found out when I received a letter from the Grand Duke a few days ago.”
Uncle knew too—it seemed everyone had prepared this without telling me.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“The Grand Duke said he would tell you himself. He must have known you would refuse.”
“But…”
Uncle gently patted my shoulder and said firmly.
“It’s already been decided. This time, let’s follow His Grace’s orders. I’ve already prepared for our trip to the northern castle, so you should pack your things too.”
When even Uncle insisted we should go to the northern castle, I had nothing to say.
I swallowed my sigh and changed the subject.
“Alright. How is Rena doing?”
“She’s regained consciousness, and her health condition is good. I need to make house calls to the shapeshifter village now. Would you look after Rena while I’m gone?”
“Yes. Don’t worry and go ahead.”
I saw Uncle and the nurse off, closed the clinic door, and turned around.
I stood in front of the hospital room door with some simple porridge and bread for Rena.
Rena had already transformed into a human. She sat in the bedroom, staring at me with cold eyes.
Did she still have hostile feelings toward me?
I cautiously tried speaking to her.
“…Rena, how are you feeling?”
Rena still had wounds on her cheeks, and her entire body was wrapped in bandages.
She was showing hostility and wariness toward me with her whole body.
What had happened to make her react so sharply?
I felt sorry for Rena, who must have struggled to survive alone after being separated from her pack.
“Aren’t you hungry? Would you like something to eat?”
I carefully offered Rena the tray of food, but she shook her head.
“More importantly, I have something to tell you.”
“I have many questions for you, too. Where did the Ulpes tribe go, leaving only you behind? Where are the others?”
Rena clenched her skinny fist tightly. She bit down hard on her dry, cracked lips.
“We arrived at the capital, but we fell into a trap and were scattered.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“The elder and some of our people were captured, while I and a few others barely escaped and scattered to find our own way to survive. I don’t know if they’re dead or alive. I was later caught by slave traders, and while escaping, you found me.”
“Ah…”
I understood the reason for the clear shackle marks on Rena’s limbs.
Imagining the cruel violence the shapeshifter slave traders must have inflicted on her, my heart felt like it was being torn apart.
“I’m sorry. For finding you so late. If I had known, I would have saved you somehow.”
I spoke with a sincere apology. But Rena twisted the corner of her mouth and sneered.
“How could you have saved me? You were living well in the Grand Duke’s care.”
I couldn’t understand why Rena was openly mocking me.
Why did she hate me so much?
“Rena, I don’t understand why you still resent me. What exactly happened?”
Rena bared her sharp teeth and ground them. Her ears shot up at once, boiling with anger.
“Because of you, Brother Franz betrayed our people!”
For a moment, I doubted my ears.
My head went blank, as if I’d been struck from behind by these unbelievable words.
“What are you saying? Why would Franz betray anyone?”
Blood trickled from the corner of Rena’s mouth where she had bitten her lip.
Rena shuddered with an expression that suggested just remembering that day was too horrific to bear.
“The day we arrived at the capital, slave traders attacked our tribe. As if they had been expecting our arrival.”
“Ah…!”
“I fought the slave traders until the end to protect Brother Franz. Even as our people were captured while crying out, I thought if only our leader was safe, we could rescue them later. But then!”
The blood vessels in Rena’s clear eyes burst.
From her mouth came not a human sound, but the howl of an enraged beast.
“Brother was with the leader of the slave traders. He just stood there watching as our people were trampled and captured!”
“I-I can’t believe it. Franz would never do such a thing!”
The thought of Franz betraying the people he cherished was a terrible nightmare.
Rena trembled, laughing faintly like someone who had lost her mind.
“Hehe, I thought so too at first. That surely there was some problem, that our leader would never betray our tribe. So I deliberately got captured. Because I needed to know the leader’s intentions.”
“Ah…”
“Avoiding the eyes of those slave traders, I asked him. Why are you doing this, leader? Did you really betray us?”
Rena leaned her body toward me. Her eyes flashed fiercely through her tangled hair.
She stretched out her bony hand and grabbed my nape. There was no time to avoid it, and her strength was too powerful to resist.
Her fingers dug deep enough to leave marks on my neck.
I couldn’t move under Rena’s strong grip. I pleaded with her while grabbing her wrist.
“Ugh, Rena… let go.”
“So, do you know what our leader, Franz, said?”
Rena ignored my words and pulled my neck closer.
She ground her teeth near my ear and spat out with the rage of someone vomiting blood.
“He said it wasn’t betrayal. It was a sacrifice for the greater good. A holy sacrifice to make you queen.”
My head felt dizzy from the tremendous shock that overwhelmed me.
My legs almost gave out, but I couldn’t move because Rena was holding my neck.
“W-what nonsense is that? That’s a lie…”
Rena shook her shoulders, letting out a cold sneer.
“I thought Brother had gone mad, too. But he didn’t rescue us, who were captured by the slave traders, and went somewhere. He betrayed us. All for you! Ruel!”
I couldn’t believe it. My whole body trembled like an aspen tree.
“N-no. I know nothing about this. Franz wouldn’t do that… why would he betray everyone for me?”
Rena’s eyes, glaring at me as if she wanted to kill me, rolled with rage.
“That’s why you need to go and see for yourself. Brother wants that precious power of yours. Go see with your own eyes what Brother is plotting now!”
Rena released my neck. I staggered and collapsed onto the floor.
My neck was stinging and painful, but I had no time to worry about that.
“Are you saying you know where Franz is?”
“Yes. Only I know.”
Rena glared at me with contemptuous eyes, her arms crossed. I spoke desperately, feeling like I wanted to cling to her legs.
“Tell me. Where is he? I’ll go and change Franz’s mind. There must be some circumstances.”
Rena narrowed her eyes and stared at me intently, clearly attempting to confirm my sincerity.
A suffocating silence fell. It was so quiet that even the ticking of the clock’s second hand could be heard clearly.
Rena’s wounded, dry lips moved.
“Tomorrow at dawn. In front of the east gate. Don’t run away like a coward. Coward queen.”
After finishing her words, Rena spun around nimbly on the spot.
In an instant, she transformed into a silver fox.
Before I could stop her, she escaped from the hospital room at the speed of light and jumped out the clinic window.
“Rena, wait!”
I rushed out of the clinic urgently, but the silver fox had already leaped onto the brick rooftops and disappeared into the distance.
T/N: Wait, I need to dust off my memory archives and reread that chapter where the Ulpes tribe left! My brain is currently experiencing a Franz-loyalty-404-error. Last I checked, the guy chose his fluffy fox family over her, not the other way around. Either my memory is more scrambled than breakfast eggs, or this plot twist just gave me emotional whiplash! I am CONFUSION INCARNATE right now! ⊙▂⊙
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