Chapter 7 (Part 2)

She glared sharply at her daughter-in-law, but Therese showed no sign of fear.  

Rather, she looked at Maria as if she were pathetic.  

‘How dare the blood of a merchant look down on me?’  

Maria clenched her teeth tightly and let out a low growl.  

‘This is truly tiresome.’  

Therese was growing weary of the insults that were so repetitive they were almost yawn-inducing.  

“Why don’t you take this opportunity to confront His Majesty about it, Mother?”  

With the Emperor present, it seemed a fitting time for Maria Richard to air her grievances.  

“…What, what did you say?”  

As Maria trembled with anger, Therese shrugged.  

“This marriage was decreed by His Majesty, after all.”  

If Maria truly wanted to complain, she should take it up with the Emperor.  

While the two women exchanged sharp words, a noblewoman eager to gain Maria’s favor approached.  

“How wonderful it is to see such harmony between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law!”  

Taking advantage of the moment, Therese quietly rose from her seat.  

“Please take care of my mother-in-law for me. I must go to His Grace.”  

At that moment, Therese looked every bit the obedient daughter-in-law, leaving Maria unable to express her anger further.  

“The relationship between His Grace Duke Richard and the Duchess is truly enviable.”  

Leaving behind such absurd compliments, Therese hurried outside.  

‘Enviable, my foot.’  

Grumbling internally, she removed her red cloak. It was far too conspicuous to keep wearing.  

As she draped the cloak over her arm, she recalled the large hands of the Duke who had helped her put it on earlier.  

What had happened to him, and where had he gone?  

She couldn’t help but worry.  

Her heart felt as dark as a night where even the moon was hidden by clouds.  

Therese anxiously tapped her foot when a carriage approached and stopped in front of her.  

“…Master.”  

Opening the carriage door to greet her was Roshan, dressed in black attire.  

“Did you bring a change of clothes?”  

“Of course.”  

While Roshan kept watch outside, Therese quickly changed out of her dress and into more practical clothing.  

“Roshan, get in.”  

Once inside the carriage, the noblewoman in her elegant dress was gone, replaced by a boy who looked barely past adolescence.  

“…”  

“Well, let’s hear your report.”  

When Therese asked, Roshan simply stared at her without saying a word.  

“Roshan, why are you staring blankly?”  

“It’s nothing. The outfit suits you well.”  

At Roshan’s words, Therese shrugged.  

“I know. Dresses like that don’t suit me much. But Cecilia made it so beautifully that I only stepped on His Grace’s feet twice tonight.”  

“…”  

Watching Therese’s embarrassed expression, Roshan slowly blinked his red eyes.  

Therese had completely misunderstood him.  

‘I was talking about the dress.’  

The sight of Therese descending the stairs in her white dress had been as perfect as the day they first met.  

So breathtaking that it felt as though his heart had stopped.  

‘How pathetic.’  

Lowering his head, Roshan once again buried these feelings deep within his heart.  

“Count Pablo was coming from the gambling den, you say?”  

As she examined the records left by her informants, Therese fell into thought.  

She had assigned someone to follow the Count, who had briefly appeared at the ballroom. Tracking his movements now wouldn’t be difficult.  

Perhaps tonight, she might finally discover their base of operations.  

But she couldn’t shake the thoughts that had been troubling her.  

“Have you also assigned someone to watch Duke Richard?”  

After a brief pause, Roshan replied.  

“His Grace headed toward the harbor, but there’s been no news since.”  

Though Roshan couldn’t personally escort Therese at the ball, he had stationed people nearby to maintain vigilance.  

And he himself had been waiting near the Richard ducal residence since the previous evening.  

So that he could rush to her side if anything happened.  

It wasn’t something he wanted her to know.  

He had resolved to live as a shadow for Therese.  

‘But am I invisible to her?’  

Even with him right in front of her, she only worried about Duke Richard.  

It made him feel a little bitter.  

Roshan clenched his fist against his thigh, trying to suppress his emotions.  

‘I must think only of serving my master.’  

As he emptied his heart of the painful, burning feelings that filled it, his face twitched slightly.  

At that moment, Therese placed some documents on the seat and gave an order.  

“Roshan, I’ll leave dealing with Count Pablo to you.”  

“Where will you be going, Master?”  

Though he already knew the answer, Roshan still asked.  

Looking into his red eyes, Therese replied in a trembling voice.  

“I must go to where His Grace is. I believe this may be related to the current situation.”  

The encounter with Count Pablo outside the club and at the gambling house was surely no coincidence. Either he had been tailing her, or they shared the same objective.

Her heart had been pounding relentlessly since earlier.

‘Tonight is a perfect night for hunting, wouldn’t you agree?’

The Emperor’s solitary remark made Therese feel as though every hair on her body was standing on end.

She had used this situation as an excuse with Roshan, but in truth, she simply wanted to confirm with her own eyes that the Duke was safe.

At Therese’s words, Roshan lowered his head and spoke.

“I will follow you, my lady.”

“Then who will capture Count Pablo?”

“Victor can handle it.”

Though Victor was indeed skilled, entrusting such an important task to him still seemed premature.

“I think it would be better if you took care of it. Besides, you’ll have your subordinates with you, so it should be fine.”

At Therese’s response, Roshan lifted his head, his brow deeply furrowed.

“My Lady, a very dangerous adversary might appear.”

Roshan’s nagging was unusually persistent tonight.

“Don’t worry. I’ll just be tailing them from behind.”

“If you encounter anyone suspicious, do not engage under any circumstances. Flee immediately.”

Only after making her promise this several times did Roshan rise from his seat.

“I’ll do exactly as you say.”

She understood how deeply Roshan cared for her.

‘Roshan, I’m sorry.’

But right now, her mind was so consumed by one person that there was no room for any other thoughts.

“I’ll see you in a bit!”

Leaving those words behind, Therese spurred her horse toward the harbor. As she disappeared into the distance, Victor emerged from the shadows and asked,

“Captain, what are we going to do?”

Roshan pulled down the cloth covering his face. His crimson eyes stared endlessly toward the harbor where she had vanished.

***

When Therese arrived at the harbor, an unidentified black bird was circling chaotically in the dark night sky.

…Caw, caw.

Leading her subordinates, Therese crouched low and began walking through the shadows. At her arrival, a guild lookout hiding behind a wooden crate revealed himself.

“Guild Leader, you’ve arrived.”

“Any suspicious movements?”

“It’s been quiet so far.”

The once rowdy drinking party had long since dispersed. The remnants of a burned-out bonfire emitted a faint, acrid smoke, while the guards at the harbor were dozing off.

The harbor was peaceful, yet eerily silent, creating a sinister atmosphere.

Hiding her unease, Therese asked, 

“Have you seen His Grace, the Duke?”

She was anxious to know whether Duke Richard was here and, if so, whether he was safe. At her question, the lookout replied,

“He definitely headed this way, but I lost track of him midway. I haven’t seen him here yet.”

As they wandered aimlessly, a noise came from somewhere nearby. Following the sound, they saw a faint light emanating from a tent.

“Is someone in there?”

As they approached, shadows within the tent moved violently, as if a fight had broken out. It looked like a pack of wild dogs attacking a single figure.

“Something’s off.”

The attackers were unnaturally tall, with long arms and incredibly fast movements.

Therese’s eyes locked onto the man fending off the onslaught.

‘Surely, that’s not the Duke, right?’

From the shadows, she couldn’t be certain, but the figure’s build and height were similar enough to make her uneasy.

“I’ll go check it out.”

Said one of her subordinates, known for his speed, as he silently approached the tent.

And then it happened.

…Heh, heh, heh.

The tent’s fabric tore, and something emerged.

It was not human.

“…It’s a monster.”

Therese’s blue eyes filled with terror.

The creature had a human-like face but a hunched back, with claw-like nails extending from its fingers.

The monster grabbed the subordinate by the nape of his neck with its claws and began dripping thick saliva.

“…Ah.”

Witnessing such a horrifying scene, Therese was reminded of the gruesome deaths at the gambling den and Roshan’s injuries.

It was now clear that Roshan must have faced a monster back then.

‘My Lady, do not engage under any circumstances. Flee immediately.’

Roshan’s warning echoed in her ears, but she couldn’t abandon her subordinate to die.

“What should I do?”

Faced with a life-or-death crisis, Therese was overwhelmed with confusion.

‘Why is there a monster inside the capital?’

It was impossible.

Creatures with malevolent energy couldn’t pass through the barrier protected by the magic stone.

But the thing before her was undeniably a monster, and she had to do something to save her subordinate.

“I’ll take the lead, so cover me from behind.”

As Therese prepared to charge with her dagger, a large man appeared through the torn tent.

He struck the monster’s back, causing it to drop the subordinate. The fallen subordinate quickly fled, and Therese finally got a clear look at the man fighting the monster.

‘No, that man is…?’

The crescent moon insignia embroidered in silver on his mask made Therese’s eyes widen. The man she thought might be the Duke was, in fact, the Night Wolf.