CH 23.1

Cherryl got out of the carriage with a picnic basket containing snacks.

In front of her was the main Castle, which rose to the sky’s end.

The main castle was located in District 1 but it couldn’t be compared to the spire where Cherryl lived.

Despite having visited the place since last night’s dinner, the spacious interior was hard to get used to.

She moved slowly through the century-old castle and stepped further up the stairs toward the second floor where Cade’s office was located.

Faded square spots lined up the walls as if large frames were hung there for a long time.

Perhaps, the walls were adorned with portraits of the Blkanovs in the past.

“Cade must have cleaned everything up.”

The royal family’s bloodline had long since occupied the Blkanov’s rightful place.

It was reasonable to clean it up now that their enemy, Cade, became the lord.

It could be a coincidence, but…

While looking at the spacious yet empty wall, Cherryl shifted the heavy basket to her other hand.

She also brought chocolates from the Marquis’ Mansion and placed them inside.

It was the same chocolate that she wanted to feed Cade.

“Where is the office?”

When Cherryl came up to the second floor, she was so confused at the countless doors in the long hallway.

After taking a few steps, she realized that the long hallway was connected to another corridor somewhere.

She got flustered at the numerous paths in front of her.

She shouldn’t have refused Mrs. Bailey when she offered to accompany her since the main castle had a complicated internal structure.

How embarrassing!

The maidservant instructed her earlier on how to get to Cade’s office. But right now, she wasn’t even sure where she was and where she was supposed to go.

There were no servants nearby so she couldn’t ask.

It was just then—-

“What is that?”

After hearing a beast’s growl, a huge shadow glimmered at the end of the dim hallway.

Cherryl narrowed her eyes to identify the animal.

“A dog?”

No.

It wasn’t a dog but a wolf.

A wolf the size of a house was walking slowly towards her with his nostrils flaring, ready to attack.

Surprised, Cherryl held her breath and shuddered back.

“Oh no! Please don’t come near me.”

That dreadful beast must have recognized her as an intruder.

“Huh? Wait a minute.”

Cherryl frowned when she found something familiar.

The wolf’s fur reminded her of someone’s hair.

His hair was black and his eyes were shining gold.

“Grand Duke?” She whisper-shouted at the big, black wolf but the beast narrowed the distance between them regardless.

“No!”

No matter how afraid she was at the moment, Cade couldn’t have turned into an animal.

The Balkan Tribe might have a mix of ‘wolf blood’ running through their veins, but that didn’t mean they could turn into wolves.

The wolf, who stood a few steps away, threatened her fiercely by exposing his sharp canines.

“Don’t do this. I’m your master’s girlfriend.”

The wolf’s front foot, the size of a human thigh, scratched the floor.

He didn’t seem to believe it.

“No. No. No.” Horrified, she blurted out. “I’m not your master’s girlfriend, but his wife.”

She almost released the picnic basket from her grip due to its weight when she suddenly recalled she was still carrying it.

Slowly, she reached into the basket and pulled out a sausage.

“Do you want some?”

The wolf stayed still as he sniffed the food with his shiny black nose.

“It looks good, right? I’ll give this to you.”

She put the sausage on the floor and slid it towards the wolf.

The beast swallowed the sausage ferociously and stared at Cherryl with a slightly benign gaze.

“Do you want one more?”

This time, she handed her croissant with a trembling hand.

Sandwiches, blueberry cookies, and muffins came next.

Just like that, the snacks in the picnic basket ran out one by one.

Cherryl was stunned to see only one chocolate left on the floor.

The black wolf sniffed the basket for more.

“I only have the chocolate left, so I don’t have anything else to give you. This is for the Grand Duke. Besides, dogs can’t eat chocolate.”

Well, technically, he wasn’t a dog but a wolf.

Still, it was bad for the beast to eat the chocolate.

Cherryl forced a smile. “You won’t bite me, will you?”

At once, the wolf’s nostrils crumpled and began to growl.

“How can you get mad at me after eating everything?”

Cherryl, who was driven into the corner without knowing it, wept.

What if she couldn’t marry Cade because she had died from an animal bite in the North?

As she looked sideways and around her, she saw a heavy wooden door a couple of steps away.

She should open that door quickly and run away before this wolf attacked her.

With that thought, Cherryl ran and grabbed the doorknob.

Before that, the heavy door opened wide due to an unknown force from the inside.

“AHHHHH!” Cherryl screamed.

The shocking sight made her knees tremble.

The man, who was about to come out of the door, quickly hugged her before she fell.

“Cherryl?” The man glancing down at her in surprise was Cade. “What are you doing here?”

She didn’t expect to feel glad at seeing a man who looked as fierce as a beast.

When Cherryl found her savior, she hurriedly grabbed him by the forearm.

“Dog! No. The wolf is going to attack me!”

Fortunately, that black wolf wasn’t Cade who transformed into an animal.

She knew it wasn’t, but she was starting to get suspicious in the back of her mind.

Startled at the sudden contact, Cade followed the direction of where her trembling fingers pointed at.

“Ah.”

The wolf quickly shifted into a loyal dog, wagging his tail the instant he saw Cade.

The beast, who was as tall as a calf, was now lying down on the floor and acting all cute.

Wearing a blank look, Cade told her calmly. “This wolf was raised on the breeding ground. He didn’t intend to attack you.”

“It seemed to me like he was ready to attack anytime. It was so scary, Your Grace.”

Cade grinned at Cherryl, who was hiding behind him and hanging unto his shoulder.

Then, he grabbed her hand and led her forward.

“It’s all right. It won’t bite.”

“Oh, my!”

The wolf became gentle at once as if it was a dog.