Chapter 1: The Berkshire Family Became Her Lifeline Part 12

“If something happens to Marien alone, that’d be trouble. I just meant we should pair up, so why take it the wrong way? You say go back, but wouldn’t it be better if I went with Marien….”

“Why are you so dense, Emma? Is that how you worked in Hampshire? Did you argue with your superiors there too?”

Marien, feeling that Emma might be resented because of her, stepped forward. If she was to be hated anyway, it was better to direct the attention to herself. After all, the relationship between her and Sarah seemed irreparable.

“That’s enough, Sarah. Even others would think your behavior is too much. No matter how much of a leader you are, is it right to single out and bully one person?”

“What did you just say?”

“I’ll go alone at the fork, so don’t take it out on anyone else. And when we get back, today’s events…”

Sarah stepped closer to Marien in a threatening manner.

“Why, are you planning to tattle to the head maid? So this is your true colors, Marien Reed. I wondered when you’d drop the act.”

“I’ve never pretended.”

“Never, huh? You don’t seem to get it, so let me spell it out—nobody in Berkshire likes tattletales, so go ahead and try it. See what happens.”

Marien stared at her in disbelief, wondering if Sarah really intended to escalate things.

Emma, who had been standing nearby with an exasperated look, intervened and waved her hands, pushing them apart.

“Enough already. This kind of thing really gets on my nerves. And why should Marien even say anything?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You told me to go back, so I’ll tell the head maid. I have to explain why I returned, don’t I? Let’s see how things turn out, just as you said.”

Emma turned around, clearly upset.

“……”

Sarah glared at Marien, her eyes full of fury, as Emma stormed off.

Does she really think all this is my fault?

Not wanting to exchange any more words, Marien silently took the other path.

Though confronting Sarah was exhausting, the summer breeze at the trail’s entrance gently caressed her face, offering a brief respite.

Walking alone along the dirt path, Marien thought of the familiar trails in Middelheim and felt a bit of comfort. As she leisurely strolled down the small forest path, she looked up at the sky.

The air was damp and heavy.

It might rain soon.

I should hurry.

***

Fully recovered, Tamilan had decided to spar with the apprentice knights in the morning and go hunting in the afternoon. After he’d been injured, the wolves, having lost their alpha, had initially retreated but had started reappearing.

“It seems the wolves are searching for you, Young Lord. They watch the knights closely but flee when they get close.”

“They must be waiting for me. They have to avenge their lost mate. How much damage has been done to the villages?”

“Twenty farmers injured and three more dead.”

“Disrespectful beasts.”

“Would you like me to accompany you? My absence for a day won’t raise suspicion with the Lord.”

“What for? Forget it. If I can’t handle a pack of wolves on my own, I’ll be considered a fool.”

“But if you get hurt again…”

“I wasn’t familiar with them before. There were too many to handle effectively, but now I know how to deal with them.”

Although Tamilan’s reply was resolute, Haint still worried. Tamilan’s swordsmanship was unmatched in Berkshire, but his experience with unpredictable beasts, unlike the knights he sparred with or the caged game of the nobility, was limited.

Haint handed him a small pouch.

“What’s this?”

“Emergency supplies.”

“……”

“Please, take it with you.”

Tamilan watched the expressionless face of the knight commander and accepted the pouch with a hollow laugh.

“What, are you cursing me to get hurt?”

“Of course not.”

“Don’t assign anyone else to me. The one who followed me last time was just a nuisance. He’d only just shed his apprentice badge.”

“You got hurt because you were alone.”

“If he’d been with me, there would have been two injured people.”

Tamilan stood up, showing his refusal to compromise, and Haint nodded.

“I only assigned him to you for your convenience, but as you wish. Why not take this with you?”

Haint handed him a bow and quiver.

“……”

Facing wolves in close combat, what use would a bow be? It was even a little insulting. After all, bows were for cowards who fired from a distance.

Seeing Tamilan’s dissatisfied expression, Haint pushed the bow towards him again, and Tamilan snatched it up.

“Don’t underestimate the pack mentality and intelligence of wolves. In a way, this is a good opportunity. We rarely get to see wolves in Berkshire, so consider it experience.”

Weren’t you just saying you’d come with me because you were worried?

Tamilan grudgingly took all the gear Haint had packed for him. His body felt heavier—not just from the equipment.

As he stepped into the forest, the wolves gradually revealed themselves. It seemed they had indeed been waiting for him; their behavior had changed.

Instead of moving in pairs, when one wolf spotted him, it retreated while the other lingered. Tamilan guessed they were reporting his location to the pack’s alpha.

Though it was unappealing to see them sacrifice one of their own, if the alpha had lost its mate and was unbalanced, it wasn’t too hard to understand.

One by one, Tamilan dispatched the wolves. But he soon noticed something odd. It was going too smoothly, and the wolves were all coming from one direction.

“Hmm…”

Thinking for a moment, Tamilan realized this must be a trap. The alpha likely wanted to lure him into a vulnerable spot. He decided to play along, moving carefully while preparing for what lay ahead.

At the place where Tamilan arrived, he unexpectedly saw a group of Berkshire maids gathered on a small hill.

“……”

It seemed the alpha wolf’s true aim was yet another victim. Having lost its mate, it likely sought human blood as retribution.

The location was no coincidence—a clearing on a gentle hill rather than a dense forest path favored by wild beasts.

Tamilan scanned the surroundings and nocked an arrow, ready to shoot at any moment as he approached the maids.

He hadn’t expected to use the gear Haint had provided, but now a ranged weapon was essential.

“What are you all doing here?”

The maids, startled by his sudden appearance, let out small screams.

“Oh my!”

“It’s the young master…!”

“My goodness, why is Tamilan here…?”

When they didn’t offer an immediate explanation, Tamilan furrowed his brow.

He glanced at the baskets lying beside the maids and deduced why they had gathered here.

Whatever the reason, he had drawn all their attention and issued a terse command.

“There may be wolves nearby. Pack up immediately and return. I will escort you, so hurry.”

Upon seeing Tamilan’s stern expression, the maids hastily gathered their baskets and stood up.

As Tamilan hurried the fussing maids toward the castle, he began putting away his bow when one of the maids whispered nearby.

“But what about Marien? She’s still in the woods.”

The words struck Tamilan’s ear, and he fiercely grabbed the maid’s arm.

“Wait. What did you just say? There’s another maid still in the woods?”

Overwhelmed by Tamilan’s intense gaze, the maid stammered as she pointed toward the forest.

“She… she went on another path when we split at the fork…”

He didn’t ask twice—Tamilan sprinted into the forest at full speed. A maid had been left behind in the woods, and that maid being Marien Reed was simply unacceptable.

***

Thud.

A few raspberries rolled across the ground from Marien’s dropped basket.

“Ah……”

It was her first time seeing a wolf.

It appeared two to three times larger than a dog, and when fully stretched out, it looked even bigger than her.

Why was such a massive wolf here on this small hill?

What was even more terrifying was that among the enormous beasts, one stood out with a noticeably larger head, exuding the air of a leader.

With that dominant wolf in the center, a total of five wolves circled Marien, growling lowly as they gradually closed in.

Marien glanced behind her.

Unluckily, the path behind her led away from the castle.

Her knees trembled, rendering her almost unable to move, but as the wolves approached, she instinctively took a step backward.

If she couldn’t flee toward the castle…

How fast were these wolves?

She turned toward the right, where the trees were denser.

It seemed a better place to hide rather than the wide-open clearing.

Maintaining distance from the castle, she planned to escape when the opportunity arose—though whether that plan would succeed was uncertain.

As she hesitated and stepped back, something solid abruptly pressed against her back.

Ah… could something even more shocking be behind her?

She’d been so focused on the wolves in front of her that she hadn’t noticed anything behind her or even heard its approach.

Now her body froze entirely, and she couldn’t muster the courage to turn around.

All she could do was hope that it was just a tree behind her.

But the wolves’ gazes were fixed above her head, and they suddenly howled wildly.

They seemed extremely agitated. Their mouths opened wide, displaying aggression, and Marien felt goosebumps rise all over her skin.

If they bit down with those jaws…

It’s amazing that she didn’t faint here as her body trembled with fear, and then a low, deep voice flowed above her head.

“Shhh, don’t move.”

At the sound of those words, Marien almost burst into tears.

Along with the man’s voice, his strong arms came down as if to encircle her, and the arrow, fitted to the bowstring, aimed at the leader-like wolf.

Feeling reassured by the warm body heat coming from behind her, she finally gasped for breath that she had been holding in.

“Young Master…”

She could tell he had run over as his chest rose and fell rapidly, pressed against her back.

The wolves, which seemed about to pounce at any moment, growled as they focused on the tip of his arrow.

It was a situation where, at the slightest movement from beast or person, chaos would surely ensue.

“Coming here was lucky.”

He murmured in a very low voice, his speech mixed with rough breaths. Marien couldn’t even nod, but he didn’t care and continued speaking.

“Just think of one thing. The moment the arrow leaves the string, get out of here. Don’t look back, just run.”

Marien bit her trembling lips and focused only on the arrow.

“Now.”

Twaang—!

At the sound of the arrow being released, Marien burst from his embrace and ran hard into the right side of the forest.

Kaegagaeng—!

The arrow aimed at the leader wolf struck another wolf’s side that had stepped in front of it.

Seeing this, Tamilan discarded his bow and quickly drew his sword, while the wolves gathered around the leader and took a defensive posture.

As the wolves bared their sharp teeth, glaring at Tamilan as if to kill him, his lips twisted coldly.

“If you’ve wreaked havoc on someone else’s land, you should pay the price.”