14

The first thing Aurelia Delensar did after leaving the city of Lycan was to dig a hole.

The young princess directed her knight to carefully select a spot outside the city gates, beneath the most flourishing tree, and with a sense of ceremony, she buried her shoes.

"I've known for a long time that my brother and father don't have time to take me out," Aurelia said softly, watching as the knight knelt before the small pit, the last shovelful of dirt covering the wolf paw imprint on the sole. "They always have more important things to do."

More important than her.

But the young princess couldn't help but hope.

What if? What if, for just one day, her brother wasn't so busy?

Aurelia had always thought that when her brother gave her those shoes, he shared the same hope.

Now, it seemed, perhaps not.

Many of her beliefs, it seemed, might be wrong.

The princess began to waver.

Would the letter she wrote to her brother meet her expectations?

Would the crown prince stand by her side as a brother? Or would he join in persuading her to marry the Lycan leader she had never met?

Aurelia was too timid to confront her brother about her suspicions, so she retreated into her shell, fleeing to a place where he couldn't find her.

"Nini, we're going further this time!"

"Where would you like to go, Your Highness?" The knight stood loyally by her side, his deep voice laced with a hidden gentleness.

Aurelia looked up at the endless horizon and made her decision. "We're going to Vesperia Wastes!"

The city where the sun sets seventy-two times a day.

A place blessed by the Holy Light.

The journey to Vesperia Wastes was long. Even for a powerful knight like Caelum Valtaris, it would take seven days of non-stop travel. With a princess who refused to walk a single step, the journey was significantly prolonged.

But time was one thing Aurelia had in abundance.

As she reminisced about her brother's past kindness and the shoes enchanted with a wolf's tracking spell, she fell into a somber mood, uninterested in anything.

Caelum, however, found a thick travelogue from somewhere.

At first, Aurelia had no interest in it. But the knight's silent persistence, coupled with his previous good behavior, compelled her to flip through a few pages.

And that casual glance sparked her curiosity.

Peaks that turned cream-colored after snowfall, lakes greener than emeralds, waterfalls that turned pink in the sunlight, and unicorns said to appear only in the Mistwood Forest…

Aurelia was thrilled. She planned to visit every location marked in the book!

It was still midsummer. As long as they reached Vesperia Wastes before the winter storms, avoiding the Kingdom of Delensar's most severe blizzard, they would be fine.

Aurelia began to look forward to the journey!

"Are there really fireflies in this forest?"

Aurelia held up her skirt as she walked deep into the woods, frowning at the map in her hand, doubting the accuracy of the travelogue.

Caelum reached out to shield her from the low-hanging branches, ensuring the path ahead was clear. "Fireflies only come out at night."

"What about other animals? Do they also come out late?"

"…"

Caelum remained silent.

He couldn't tell her outright that his presence naturally intimidated most animals, forcing them to hide in the shadows, too afraid to appear before them.

Caelum cherished these moments alone with Aurelia, hoping she would focus more on him.

But if Aurelia wanted something…

The knight glanced at a nearby tree and asked, "Would you like a rabbit?"

"Roast rabbit?" Aurelia misunderstood.

Caelum's Delensarian was always slightly accented, and Aurelia had guessed he came from some remote land. But as her knight, his past didn't matter to her.

The princess nodded. "I'll have a roasted rabbit leg, not too charred."

Caelum: "…"

He had only spotted a female rabbit, testing whether the princess might like such a fluffy creature.

If Aurelia wasn't averse to soft, furry animals, Caelum could gradually reveal more of his Lycan traits to her.

Little by little, he would make her accustomed to his presence.

He observed her expression carefully and asked, "Do you like fluffy animals?"

—Caelum didn't know the reason Aurelia had left the palace. If he had, he wouldn't have asked so carelessly.

Sure enough, Aurelia slowly looked at him.

She found it strange that a knight would ask about her preferences. But Caelum's tone didn't offend her, so she decided to answer.

"Yes, I do. I have a very cute fluffy pillow in my bedchamber, but I forgot to bring it this time."

Caelum's heart raced, and he nearly wagged his tail right then and there, wanting to wrap himself around her, begging for her touch.

His belly, tail, and the sharp, fur-covered ears—all of him yearned for her.

But Caelum restrained himself.

A brutish beast like him was always afraid of frightening the delicate princess.

He couldn't be too greedy.

Patience, Caelum reminded himself.

The knight took a deep breath and said in a calm, low voice, "I'll find you the most comfortable pillow."

Aurelia smiled faintly.

She didn't say yes or no.

As a very particular princess, she didn't trust this clumsy, hulking knight to find her a suitable pillow.

But her good manners kept her from saying so outright.

Besides, she didn't need to tell Caelum.

—He was just her knight, after all.

Aurelia didn't get to see the fireflies.

She had excellent sleeping habits and by ten o'clock, she was already lying on the small blanket Caelum had prepared, her hair braided and coiled at the back of her head, her face half-buried in the pillow.

The princess yawned several times before finally succumbing to sleep.

Once Caelum was sure her breathing was steady, he slowly transformed.

The massive wolf stood on all fours, his fur thick and his body powerful. The moonlight bathed him, casting a large shadow that enveloped the sleeping princess.

The black wolf licked his paws, his golden eyes glowing brighter in the night.

He groomed his fur meticulously under the moonlight, ensuring not a single strand was out of place, then shook his body.

Then, out of habit, he tilted his head back: "Awoo—cough!"

The howl barely escaped before Caelum swallowed it back.

The black wolf's fur stood on end, his tail stiff.

He quickly raised a paw to cover his mouth, then slowly lowered it, glancing at Aurelia. Relieved that she hadn't woken, he sighed quietly.

His golden eyes flickered with regret.

His tail swished and relaxed.

The full moon was approaching.

Wolves loved to howl at the moon.

Even a Lycan like Caelum couldn't escape that instinct.

The next morning, Aurelia gazed at the moon, still lingering in the sky, and remarked, "The full moon is almost here."

Behind her, Caelum froze, his hands tightening around the blanket he was folding.

Had she heard him last night?

The knight's back stiffened, his fingers clenching.

Thoughts raced through his mind.

But Aurelia seemed to simply be making an observation, and she dropped the subject.

Caelum's heart remained suspended.

He wanted to ask but feared upsetting the princess.

"Let's go," Aurelia said, opening the map and eagerly searching for the next destination. "It's a shame we missed the fireflies, but it's not a big deal."

Aurelia had learned from a young age not to expect too much from anything. Disappointment was the more common outcome.

So she was adept at adjusting her expectations and finding new things to look forward to.

After studying the map for a while, she suddenly grew excited. "Ah—found it! We'll cut through the Solara Gorge, then take a small path to the entrance of the Mistwood Forest. This is the season when the unicorns migrate, and we'll just catch them halfway!"

She held the map up to Caelum, chattering away. "I've never seen a unicorn before! I've heard their calls are unique, like the whispers of forest spirits."

The knight never opposed the princess's decisions.

He nodded. "Very well, we'll go to the Mistwood Forest."

Caelum handed her a few fruits for breakfast, their skins thin and juicy.

As Aurelia nibbled on them, she asked, "By the way, Nini, did you hear anything strange last night?"

The knight, who was polishing his sword, paused.

His heart leapt into his throat.

After a moment, he replied calmly, "What do you mean?"

Aurelia was busy with the fruit, which was unusually large today. She was almost full.

After a while, she remembered her question. "Oh, I meant last night…"

"I thought I heard a dog howling."

Caelum: "?"

Aurelia couldn't help but add, "It sounded awful."

Caelum: "…"