SCREEEECH—!
The magic-powered train ground to a halt with a piercing metallic shriek.
Outside the windows stretched an endless field of white snow.
Beyond it rose towering black walls like blades piercing the heavens.
The northernmost frontier of the Empire.
A land of death crawling with monsters and magical beasts.
The Duchy of Herzen.
"Ugh. It's freezing."
The moment I stepped off the train, an icy wind slapped me across the face.
Pulling my mink coat tightly around myself, I shivered.
Beside me, Damian looked perfectly fine despite wearing nothing more than a thin military uniform beneath a single overcoat.
"Lady Violetta, are you all right? Your lips have turned blue."
"No, I'm not all right."
Without hesitation, I linked my arm through his.
"Please provide me with a human heater immediately."
By now, Damian either had given up resisting or simply gotten used to me.
Without complaint, he slipped my hand into his coat pocket alongside his own.
Oh.
Warm.
Very warm.
"There should be a welcoming party from the Grand Duke's castle. His Majesty's letter was delivered in advance, so—"
Before Damian could finish, I spotted them.
Rows of knights clad in black armor stood waiting in the station square.
They radiated pure killing intent.
This wasn't the polished discipline of the Imperial Guard.
These were men who knew the smell of real blood.
Their commander removed his helmet and bowed.
"We have come to escort the Imperial Envoys."
His words were polite.
His eyes were not.
They practically screamed:
Great. More troublesome outsiders.
"His Grace is currently..."
The knight hesitated.
"...not in good condition. It may be difficult to arrange an audience. We ask that you wait in the guest residence."
"Not in good condition?"
Damian's voice sharpened immediately.
"We are here under direct imperial orders. We must see him at once."
The commander looked toward the castle with obvious discomfort.
"Well..."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"Today's... one of those days."
And then—
ROOOOOOOOAR!
A beastly howl erupted from the highest tower of the castle.
The earth seemed to shake.
Glass windows rattled.
Horses reared in panic.
"That sound—?!"
"What are you standing around for?!"
The knights' faces turned pale.
"His Grace is rampaging!"
They leapt onto their horses.
Damian and I exchanged glances.
Rampaging?
A beast's roar?
There was only one possibility.
The cursed bloodline.
The guardian of the Northern Rift.
The Grand Duke of Herzen.
I'd heard rumors he was a monster.
I just hadn't expected those rumors to be so literal.
"Sir, hurry!"
I grabbed Damian's sleeve.
"Our puppy must've missed feeding time!"
"Puppy?!"
Damian nearly choked.
"That was clearly a predator!"
The castle courtyard was utter chaos.
Dozens of knights stood in formation, armed with chains and tranquilizer spears.
At the center of the standoff loomed a massive black shadow.
"GRRRRR..."
The creature was enormous.
A werewolf.
No.
Calling it a wolf felt inadequate.
It was closer to the size of a bear.
Its body was covered in thick black fur.
Its crimson eyes burned with feral madness.
And thanks to my spirit sight, I could see something nobody else could.
Around the wolf's neck was a crimson collar lined with vicious spikes.
Every movement caused the collar to tighten.
The spikes dug deeper into its flesh.
Black poison leaked from the wounds.
The beast wasn't rampaging because it wanted to hurt people.
It was suffering.
Desperately trying to escape its pain.
At that moment, the knights shouted at us.
"Stay back!"
"It's dangerous!"
But the wolf suddenly broke through the encirclement.
Its eyes locked onto what appeared to be the weakest prey present.
Me.
"Violetta!"
Damian instantly drew his sword and stepped in front of me.
Blue holy power ignited along the blade.
If he swung that sword—
The wolf would die.
"No!"
I grabbed his arm.
"Don't cut him!"
"Move!"
Damian snapped.
"You'll be killed!"
"I won't die!"
I tightened my grip.
"And don't kill him! He's too precious!"
"...Excuse me?"
Damian stared at me in disbelief.
Unfortunately, we were out of time.
The giant wolf had already reached us.
Its jaws opened wide.
Strings of saliva dripped from dagger-like fangs.
To everyone watching, this looked like the exact moment I was about to be eaten alive.
But I simply looked straight into the wolf's eyes and shouted at the top of my lungs.
"Sit!"
My voice thundered across the courtyard.
The spiritual power infused within it rippled outward.
"...Whine?"
The charging wolf froze.
Its paws skidded through the snow.
It came to a complete stop right in front of me.
Blink.
Blink.
The giant beast stared down at me in confusion.
Instinct had spoken.
The tiny human female standing before it somehow radiated the aura of a superior predator.
"Good boy."
I gently set down my hammer and extended my hand.
The knights nearly fainted.
"Don't!"
"He'll tear your arm off!"
"Lady Envoy!"
The wolf didn't bite.
In fact, it couldn't stop sniffing.
The holy power lingering on my fingertips—the power I'd borrowed from Damian—tickled its nose.
For a creature tormented by a curse, that cool, pure energy was like a drug.
Feels good...
It doesn't hurt...
More...
Give me more...
The wolf's crimson eyes gradually cleared.
Its giant tail began wagging.
Slowly at first.
Then enthusiastically.
"Oh, you poor thing."
I smiled.
"Your neck hurt a lot, didn't it?"
My hand disappeared into the thick fur around its neck.
There.
I found it.
The cursed collar.
Invisible to everyone else.
Disgusting to me.
The thing practically reeked of malice.
"Putting something like this on an animal..."
I frowned.
"Bunch of animal-abusing bastards."
Grabbing the collar with both hands, I pulled.
"Hup!"
CRACK!
The crimson collar snapped apart.
Instantly, the black poison surrounding the wolf burst apart with a shriek.
"YELP!"
The wolf let out a strange sound somewhere between pain and relief.
Then it collapsed directly onto me.
"GAH!"
I landed flat on my back in the snow.
The wolf weighed a ton.
Unfortunately, it had no intention of moving.
Instead, it rested its chin on my stomach and began enthusiastically licking my face.
Love it!
Love it!
Smells good!
Love big sister!
"Stop!"
I burst out laughing.
"You're drooling everywhere! That tickles!"
My hands buried themselves in the wolf's fluffy fur.
Good heavens.
What an incredible coat.
The warmth.
The weight.
The sheer fluffiness.
For someone who adored giant dogs, this was basically heaven.
Silence descended upon the courtyard.
The knights stared with mouths hanging open.
Their terrifying lord—the same man who had sent entire squads flying moments ago—was currently lying belly-up and demanding affection from a complete stranger.
And among them all—
The most shocked person was Damian.
"...Lady Violetta?"
His face had gone pale.
His voice trembled slightly.
He looked like he'd almost suffered cardiac arrest watching me nearly get mauled.
Meanwhile, I was rolling around in the snow with the happiest expression imaginable.
Honestly, he might've been more disturbed by the fact that I looked like I was having more fun with the wolf than I ever did with him.
Completely oblivious, I grabbed one of the wolf's giant paws.
"Sir!"
I excitedly waved at Damian.
"Look!"
I squeezed the enormous paw pads.
"They're pink! And squishy!"
The wolf rumbled happily.
"Wuff. Wuff."
Damian's eye twitched.
Then he marched over.
His gaze fixed on the giant beast sprawled across my body.
"Move."
His voice was icy.
"That creature is dangerous."
"He's not dangerous."
I squeezed the paw again.
"Look how sweet he is."
"Sweet?"
Damian's eyebrow twitched.
"He sent five knights flying less than ten minutes ago."
As if hearing the criticism, the wolf lifted its head.
"GRRRRR..."
It bared its teeth directly at Damian.
The expression was unmistakable.
She's mine. Don't touch her.
A vein bulged on Damian's forehead.
"This mutt..."
The tension between Holy Knight and giant wolf crackled through the air.
Two males.
One territory.
One very confused woman in the middle.
And then—
A brilliant white light erupted from the wolf's body.
"Oh?"
I blinked.
"He's changing!"
The curse was breaking.
The transformation began to reverse.
The massive body gradually shrank.
Black fur disappeared.
Limbs shifted.
Bones cracked and reformed.
Until—
A man was lying on top of me.
A very muscular man.
A very naked muscular man.
"...Oh my."
I blinked.
Wet-looking black hair.
Crimson eyes still carrying traces of wild instinct.
A physique that looked carved from marble.
This was the true appearance of the Grand Duke of the North.
Kairic von Herzen.
Still dazed, he lowered his face toward my neck and sniffed.
"...You smell nice."
"Your Grace?"
I poked his shoulder.
"Are you awake now?"
"Don't go."
His arms wrapped around my waist.
"Warm."
Like a child seeking comfort, he rubbed his face against my chest.
Hmm.
The muscles were impressive.
Very impressive.
Acting on pure instinct—and perhaps a tiny bit of personal interest—I began patting his back appreciatively.
The next instant, my entire vision went dark.
A black coat had been thrown over both of us.
There was only one person who would do that.
Damian.
He had removed his overcoat and used it to cover the Grand Duke's naked body.
As well as me.
His voice sounded like something dragged straight out of the depths of hell.
"Do not look."
Then he grabbed the Grand Duke by the scruff of the neck through the coat.
Not that it actually did much—the man was enormous.
Still, Damian growled with terrifying menace.
"And you."
His blue eyes narrowed.
"Get off my partner. Right now."
