Annoyed by his demeanor, Kennard lowered his eyelids and glared at Serin. “What are you trying to do?”
“You’re curious about her condition,” Serin pointed out.
“I told you not to talk nonsense. Don’t irritate me, just leave.”
“Even though she regained consciousness, it will take some time for the wounds to heal completely.”
“Serin Elus!”
“Yes. I am Serin Elus. I am telling you that I am prepared to be torn to shreds by His Highness for conveying his displeasure. I am conveying greetings from a disliked woman, and I’m even prepared to die. That’s what I’m saying.”
“I said it’s enough,” Kennard warned, the tension in the room escalating as their voices growled at each other.
“I can’t stand this anymore. How long are you going to continue like this? I can’t understand why you’re acting like this because of just one woman.”
“I’ve told you countless times it’s not like that!”
“Do I not know His Highness? I probably know you better than you do.”
In an abrupt surge of frustration, Kennard shot to his feet, seizing Serin by the neck. With Kennard’s strength, Serin’s body careened backward, chair and all, crashing to the floor. The table between them toppled with a resounding noise, sending food and dishes sprawling.
Kennard, looming over Serin, was on the brink of an explosive confrontation. As Serin’s face turned blood red from the pressure, Kennard released his grip, allowing him to gasp for breath and cough.
“Don’t make me create a situation where I have to kill you with my own hands.” Kennard glared at Serin once again before regaining his composure and standing up.
Despite the warning, Serin, still struggling to rise, persisted in questioning, “Why did you take Elena into the forest in the middle of the night, despite my warning?”
Kennard gripped his waist with one hand, the other running across his forehead. Serin’s resilience, akin to tenacious determination, served as his strength, yet in moments like these, it was deemed her most significant flaw.
“How did Elena end up injured? Wouldn’t she have been severely hurt like that with His Highness by her side?” Serin pressed on.
Kennard sighed and returned to the sofa, leaning forward with his upper body, elbows on his knees. The memory of the forest scene that unfolded that night flooded his mind, causing his blood to surge once more.
Taking Elena into the forest had been impulsive initially. The captive enemy, resistant even under torture, had driven him to the top of the tower with the intent of venturing into the forest.
There, on the terrace, he had stumbled upon Elena, gazing at the night sky. Observing her for an extended moment, he realized that her face, aglow with the distant stars, outshone the celestial bodies themselves.
Their eyes met, and he felt an instinctive urge to rush toward her. Startled by the sight of him in wolf form yet intrigued, she climbed onto Kennard’s back.
As Kennard sprinted into the forest, a hope flickered that this rush might finally unravel the mysteries lingering since the day he discovered her among the trees.
Acknowledging the risk of putting her in harm’s way, Kennard couldn’t conceive an alternative to addressing the persistent questions haunting him.
Within the forest, the unmistakable pheromones of the White Fox Tribe pervaded the air, raising speculation about their potential presence. Purposefully traversing different areas, Kennard sought to ensure that both Elena’s and his own pheromones were detectable.
Having positioned Elena in front of the rock where he had first found her, Kennard distanced himself strategically. The intention was to draw away his pheromones, possibly luring the White Fox Tribe to appear before Elena.
Uncertain of whether they would engage in dialogue or resort to aggression, Kennard recognized that any action from them could shed light on why they pursued Elena that fateful night. The meaning behind the blood-stained magical symbols scattered in the forest remained a mystery.
In the event the White Fox Tribe approached Elena, Kennard resolved to ruthlessly eliminate them, erasing their pheromones entirely and redirecting their pursuit after ensuring their thorough removal. Closing the distance would only take a short while.
However, defying his expectations, the White Fox Tribe relentlessly pursued Kennard. Observing the bold horde tailing him, Kennard found himself in a state of bewilderment. A dozen members of the White Fox Tribe, whether in their human or animal forms, launched an attack on Kennard, notably refraining from the use of magic.
Dispatching them one by one, Kennard suddenly felt a shiver down his spine. It dawned on him that the pheromones targeting Elena were not emanating from his assailants, but from other entities. In a fleeting moment, he had felt a sense of relief that they had chosen to pursue him instead of Elena. It was only then that he realized these creatures had risked their lives, breaking away from the group trailing Elena to chase him away.
