08. "I Will Kill Her."

Kian felt utterly uncomfortable as his brothers clung to him, sniffing at his body like curious animals. Even Ryuu and Lucian, who were usually the most composed among them, were acting the same way.

"There's no scent at all," Lucian stated, his brows furrowing.

"Could Rose be part of the wolf race?" Rein questioned, looking equally confused.

Hearing that, Elio sniffed Kian again, shaking his head. "Impossible. I don't smell anything on him either."

Unable to bear the commotion any longer, Kian pushed his six brothers away. "What the hell are you guys doing?"

"Are you using some kind of perfume that only humans can smell, Kian? What kind of perfume is that?" Lorien asked curiously.

The rest of his brothers sharpened their senses, waiting for an answer.

Instead, Kian let out a harsh sigh. "Why are you all acting so weird all of a sudden?"

Lucian scoffed. "Aren't you the weirdest one among us? Why do you keep hiding from Rose? What exactly are you keeping from us?"

Kian fell silent. Again, Lucian had cornered him. His dark eyes flickered toward the glass of thick red liquid in front of him. The dim lighting of the room only heightened the tension.

Lorien took a sip from his drink, leaving a slight red stain at the corner of his lips. "Did you see something with your power?"

"You used your power?" Ryuu, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke up.

Kian exhaled sharply once more. "It wasn't intentional. Besides, there were no side effects."

"Then, what did you see?"

Lucian's question felt almost impossible to answer. It was as if his words were stuck in his throat, refusing to come out.

Kian's gaze shifted to the fireplace. The flickering flames reflected in his dark irises, which slowly turned the color of fresh blood.

"I…" He hesitated. Saying it out loud felt unbearably difficult. There was an unwillingness deep inside him to resist the very thought.

"I'm going to kill her."

—

Time passed quickly. It had already been two weeks since Rosella found herself trapped in this old castle, surrounded by seven impossibly handsome men with vastly different personalities.

In that time, she had grown closer to most of them—except for Zale and Kian.

She had no idea why Kian was so difficult to find. As for Zale, that was a different story. The white-haired man was easy to locate, but every time they met, Rosella either ended up frustrated or scared out of her mind.

Today, she was finally going hunting with Elio, just as promised. This was what she had been waiting for—the chance to leave this suffocating castle and enjoy a little freedom. Even if it was still within the castle grounds, it was better than nothing.

She had tried to escape before, but just as Lorien had warned her, she couldn't leave. The moment she stepped beyond the castle's borders, her entire body was consumed by excruciating pain, as if she were being torn apart.

Just thinking about it made her shiver.

"Stay positive, Rose," she muttered to herself. "Koen won't just sit back and do nothing if I disappear. And I don't have to just accept being trapped here either. My magic… my magic is about never giving up."

With renewed determination, Rosella left her lavish bedroom.

She wore a white blouse paired with khaki trousers and sturdy boots—a gift from Elio since she didn't own any proper footwear.

Most of her clothes had been given to her by Lorien and Lucian, while Rein occasionally brought her small gifts, like the coral bracelet she was wearing. She had no idea where the kid even found coral, considering there was no ocean nearby.

"What are we hunting?" Rosella asked excitedly, slinging her bow over her shoulder. It was light but sturdy—another gift, this time from Ryuu.

Elio eagerly explained the various animals they could find around the castle. While Elio, Rein, and Ryuu were dressed in practical hunting attire, Zale, Lucian, and Lorien had chosen completely inappropriate outfits.

Zale and Lucian wore their usual crisp, formal suits, while Lorien looked like he was ready for a casual stroll in the garden, complete with his favorite small purple bag.

"I can't wait to catch a rabbit for Rose," Lorien mused happily.

Among all of them, Lorien was the one she was closest to. He was open and affectionate toward her, but despite that, Rosella couldn't shake the feeling that he was hiding something.

"Should we split into groups?" she suggested.

Elio nodded in agreement. "Let's do it."

"In that case, I'll go with Rosella," Rein declared casually.

The other five brothers immediately shot him a look of disapproval.

"You can't just decide that on your own," Zale snapped.

Rosella flinched. What was his problem? Did he not want her near Rein?

To Zale, she was nothing more than an intruder, so it was obvious that he wouldn't be happy about her getting close to his brothers.

He was probably only here to keep an eye on her.

Honestly, she was tempted to "accidentally" fire an arrow in his direction.

"Let's settle this with rock-paper-scissors," Lucian suggested.

The seven of them played, and the teams were soon decided.

"Yes! Whoever catches the rarest animal wins!" Elio cheered, running circles around them.

Lucian and Zale clicked their tongues in annoyance, waving him off.

Rosella wasn't sure why, but they all suddenly looked disappointed—except for Elio, of course.

"I wanted to be on a team with Rosella," Lorien pouted.

Rosella smiled awkwardly. Wait… why did she feel guilty about this?

"Make sure Rosella doesn't get hurt," Ryuu warned, finally dragging Lorien and Rein away.

"Come on, we should go too," Elio said, grabbing Rosella's free hand.

Two pairs of eyes immediately darkened at the sight of their hands touching.

"Do you have to hold hands like that?" Lucian asked flatly.

Rosella glanced down at their hands, then back at Lucian's disapproving expression.

"Are you jealous?" Elio teased.

For some reason, the air around them suddenly turned ice-cold.

Not wanting to get involved in another unnecessary fight, Rosella quickly pulled Elio away.

Before they left, she turned back to Lucian and offered a small wave. "See you later."

Rosella trailed behind Elio as they walked deeper into the woods. The silver-haired man had stopped to sniff the air, his brows knitting together in confusion.

He looked like a dog.

"What is it?" she asked, stepping closer out of curiosity.

"There's a scent here…" Elio murmured.

Rosella inhaled deeply, trying to pick up whatever he was sensing.

Nothing.

All she could smell was damp earth and the fresh scent of trees. It was the usual smell of a forest—nothing strange at all.

"What scent?"

Elio lifted his head, stray strands of hair falling into his face.

For a moment, he was silent. Then, he shook his head.

"It's nothing important. Come on, I know a good place nearby."