“Ah, I see,” Elena replied, her voice a mix of relief and disappointment.
Feeling foolish for her wavering emotions, she lay down on the soft, down-filled mattress.
“Shall I bring you some warm tea?” Cura asked, her voice gentle.
“No, I’ll just sleep,” Elena replied, pulling the covers up to her chin.
After a relaxing bath in warm, fragrant water, her body felt even more languid. As she lay still, she had the strange sensation that the bed was opening its mouth wide, ready to swallow her whole.
“Then, please rest early tonight,” Cura said, adding another layer of sheets and fur blankets over Elena. She dimmed the room’s lights, added a few more logs to the fireplace, and drew the curtains before finally leaving.
Although Elena was alone in the room after Cura left, she wasn’t entirely by herself. While Kennard wasn’t within her sight, it seemed he hadn’t granted her complete freedom. She couldn’t see them, but she could sense Kennard’s knights lingering nearby through their pheromones.
Does he still think I might try to leave? Elena thought, swallowing her words before they escaped her lips.
The unfamiliar, vast room made her feel smaller and more fragile, as if she were no longer its occupant. She tossed and turned several times, but sleep wouldn’t come. Her eyes stung, and her eyelids felt heavy, but her mind raced with worries.
Staring blankly into the dark room, her gaze finally settled on something that caught her attention. For some reason, the small, shadowy corner seemed more comforting than this large, imposing bed.
Elena lowered her legs off the side of the bed, her toes gently brushing against the soft, plush carpet. Since her feet couldn’t touch the ground while sitting, she slid down the edge of the bed, measuring the height with her toes. The soft texture of the carpet beneath her feet brought a small sense of relief.
Elena pulled the fur blanket from the bed, wrapping it around herself as she crossed the room. The blanket, as large as her, dragged along the floor behind her.
“Haah…” A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she sank into the deep cushions of the high-backed armchair. The chair was so deep that, even when she pressed her back and hips firmly against it, her knees barely bent.
The chair had plenty of space on both sides, with a soft, curved backrest that seemed to wrap around her body. The high armrests also followed a gentle curve. The chair’s rich brown wood was upholstered in thick, soft golden velvet, with intricate floral and leaf patterns embroidered in gold and red threads, perfectly complementing its elegant design.
Elena pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her head against the back of the chair. Spreading the fur blanket she had brought from the bed, she tucked it under her chin, finally feeling at ease.
While the bed and the room had been suffused with Kennard’s pheromones, the scent seemed even stronger on this sofa. Listening to the crackling of the logs in the fireplace, Elena closed her eyes, her body relaxing into the soft cushions. As the warmth of the fire enveloped her, she drifted off to sleep.
***
As Kennard, in his black wolf form, entered the garden and shifted back to his human form, the knights guarding the castle were startled, their weapons drawn. Lassino, still in his nightclothes and holding only a single lantern, rushed out to meet him, having sensed his pheromones.
“Your Grace, at this hour…?” Lassino trailed off, quickly glancing behind Kennard, searching for Serin.
Not feeling Serin’s presence, Lassino must have realized that he wasn’t here, which surprised him even more. For Kennard to arrive at the castle alone at such a late hour was certainly unexpected.
“Elena?” Kennard asked, handing his gloves and coat to Lassino. He ran his fingers through his disheveled hair, his gaze already fixed on the spiral staircase leading further into the castle.
“She’s resting in your chambers, Your Grace,” Lassino replied, his voice filled with a mix of relief and concern.
Without wasting a moment, Kennard strode across the lobby.
“Nothing happened, right?” he asked, his voice laced with urgency. He suspected she might have refused to move to his room, insisting on staying where she was.
“No, thankfully, nothing happened,” Lassino answered in a calm voice, as if he had read Kennard’s thoughts. He followed closely behind him, his eyes darting around the room.
“I’ll go alone. You can go rest,” Kennard said, waving him off. He hurried up the stairs two steps at a time, his heart pounding in his chest. Lassino following him would only slow him down, and Kennard didn’t want to waste any time returning to his chambers.
The closer he got to his room, the more clearly he could sense Elena’s pheromones. By now, she should have been fast asleep. Opening the door carefully to avoid waking her, he stepped into the room, which was dimly lit by only a few lamps and the flickering fireplace.
