"I'd like you to refrain from leaving the castle until we've eliminated them."
"...How long?"
Still gazing at her wolf with shadowed blue eyes, she asked quietly.
Without realizing it, both her arms had wrapped protectively around the wolf's neck.
Watching the sight for a moment, Varkas answered,
"It shouldn't take long."
"It can't be more than two months."
She gently stroked the beast.
"Khan gets restless if he's forced to stay inside the castle."
The wolf's feelings meant nothing to him.
Only her safety mattered.
Keeping that thought hidden, he nodded calmly.
"I'll finish everything before then."
"...After that..."
She hesitated.
"...I'll be free to take Khan anywhere I want?"
After a brief silence, Varkas slowly nodded.
A soft smile appeared on her lips.
"Then that's enough."
She added quietly,
"I'll trust you."
For an instant...
It felt as though an icy blade had sliced through his chest.
"I'll never trust you again."
The words she had once spat at him like a curse echoed inside his ears.
He looked away, swallowing against the sudden tightness in his throat.
Despite the turmoil churning inside him, his voice emerged astonishingly steady.
"Even in early summer, the evenings are chilly."
"Let's go inside."
"...My leg hurts."
She idly toyed with the hem of her skirt before suddenly complaining like a sulking child.
His expression immediately grew serious.
"I'll summon a healing mage at once."
He turned toward the castle—
Only for her to grab the hem of his coat.
When he looked back, she glared at him.
"I don't want to wait."
"I want to lie down right now."
"So carry me."
His entire body stiffened.
At this point...
There was no longer any other way to interpret her intentions.
She was trying to seduce him.
But...
Why?
Had his retainers been pressuring her about producing an heir?
As unpleasant possibilities flashed through his mind, she tugged on his clothes a little harder.
"What?"
She looked up at him.
"You don't want to?"