The old wolf guarding the mansion prowled the main building all day, her steps slow and measured.
When the master of the mansion finally returned, she—waiting at the entrance as usual—noticed something different. Through the carriage window, his gaze was fixed on a single point. Oscar was normally the sort to read documents in the carriage, or to sink into thought while staring into empty space. Today, however, unlike his usual demeanor his eyes remained locked on one place with unusual persistence.
It was the room where the stranger had stayed.
That suspicion became certainty when Oscar could not simply pass by the woman hiding at the corner of the wall, waiting for him.
“See me for a moment.”
Barbara pushed the woman—tense and rigid with anxiety—into the Marquis’s quarters and closed the door.
That door did not open again until the sun, hidden behind clouds, sank beyond the horizon and the moon rose to take its place.
Barbara dealt with every wolf stationed in the main building. In the midst of it, Abel Sting—who, despite his frivolous appearance, possessed an unexpectedly strong sense of duty—came looking for the stranger once more.
“She still hasn’t woken up? Did you kill her?”
“……”
“If not, I really don’t understand why you’re acting like this. If you go in at a time like this, she’ll fall for you immediately!”
“Be quiet. Follow orders.”
Barbara suppressed him with her rank. Abel threw a fit, but in the end, he did not get to see the stranger.
The rain continued through the night, stopping only after dawn had fully broken.
Barbara waited for either the stranger or the master to summon her. Neither did. After spending the night in the office listening for the bell, she left once the morning had completely arrived.
She was about to head straight upstairs when she paused. After a brief moment of consideration, she took a contraceptive pill.
The Marquis’s quarters, emptied at her command, were steeped in silence. Entering the central hall out of habit, Barbara immediately turned away. She crossed the corridor and opened the door to the study.
Her steps carried her directly to the stranger’s room.
Knock, knock.
She knocked softly. There was no response. Barbara opened the door without hesitation.
“……”
It was already the second time.
The old wolf—unshaken by most situations—found herself at a loss again, just as she had been the day before.
The Marquis’s blanket was here again.
The blanket, clearly brought in haste, lay atop the bed. Meanwhile, the blanket that should have belonged to this room was missing.
Barbara walked to the bathroom and opened the door. The stranger was not there.
As she stepped back out of the empty bathroom, the door opened.
“……”
“Ah… Madam Barbara…”
Once again, Barbara was left without words.
The woman’s hair was in disarray. She was dressed only in an outer garment, unable to put on anything else. Her pale face looked as though it might crumble at the slightest touch.
“What…”
The question—What happened?—rose instinctively, then died on Barbara’s lips.
The woman standing before her looked on the verge of collapse. Her eyes were brimming with tears.
“Uh… well… that…”
Even if Barbara asked, it was clear she would not get a coherent answer. The woman did not seem to possess the mental capacity to respond.
Barbara steadied her expression, which had wavered for just a moment, and straightened her posture. Instead of questioning her, she took out the medicine she had brought.
“…Would you like to take this?”
The woman, standing uncertainly, lowered her gaze to the medicine in Barbara’s hand. A flush spread across her face, which had moments ago been pale enough to shatter.
She looked as though she might flee if given the chance.
But there was nowhere to run. Realizing that hesitation was pointless, she shuffled closer with a reddened face and cautiously extended her hand.
Barbara poured water into a glass without a word. Handing over the water first, she said,
“It isn’t meant to be chewed. Swallow it with water. Take a sip first.”
“Ah…”
As if only realizing it now, she released a small sigh and took a sip of water as instructed. Barbara then placed the white pill into her palm. It seemed to be her first time swallowing medicine with water. After several more sips, she finally managed to swallow it.
After confirming that the stranger had taken the contraceptive pill, Barbara turned away. She walked toward the bed to tidy the Marquis’s blanket, but the stranger called out to her.
“Um… Madam Barbara.”
Barbara turned back. The woman, who had just swallowed the pill, appeared to be choosing her words, hesitating over what she wanted to say.
“What is it?”
Barbara had no reason to wait and prompted her curtly.
However, as if wanting to say something, the woman’s flushed face darkened further, turning almost entirely red.
“Miss?”
Prompted a second time, she finally spoke.
“…What are the efficacy standards for the medicine?”
“Efficacy standards?”
Barbara’s confusion shifted instantly into bewilderment.
“So… is the number of pills determined by time, or…”
“……”
“By… number of… times…”
“……”
“……”
For what felt like the umpteenth time, Barbara was rendered speechless. Tears finally spilled from the woman’s eyes, which looked on the verge of bursting, her voice trailing off.
“C-could you give me just one more pill…?”
It seemed that this peculiar stranger possessed a remarkable talent for leaving the old wolf completely at a loss.
—
Meanwhile, around the same time.
Abel, who had risen at dawn and devoted considerable effort to his grooming, was walking toward the main building. A heavy, earthy scent rose from the rain-soaked garden. As he moved carefully to avoid splashing mud onto his trouser cuffs, one of the combat wolves passing through the garden approached and spoke quietly.
“What’s this? You’re going casually today?”
Abel ignored him, deciding he wasn’t worth responding to. What did these idiots even mean by casually?
“Giving up?”
“If you don’t know, then shut up.”
“No, really. Why didn’t you use pomade? And your jacket—why are you in just a shirt?”
“That’s why. If you don’t know, shut up.”
“Giving up?”
Abel stopped responding altogether. No matter how thoroughly he explained that grooming depended on timing and context, muscle-brained fools like these would never understand.
“Looks like Abel Sting’s given up.”
“The backup team said he already messed up yesterday.”
Abel ignored their snickering.
Damn those pathetic combat wolves.
Arrogant bastards, convinced they embodied the true essence of Reinhardt’s wolves.
Gritting his teeth, Abel stepped onto the stone staircase leading to the main building. Passing the wolf statues, he reached the entrance and glanced at his reflection in the glass.
There stood a man who was incredibly sexy, even right after waking up.
This was it.
Good.
Abel deliberately let a few strands of his naturally golden hair fall over his forehead, having skipped pomade, and strode into the main building.
The arrogant wolves weren’t only outside.
Barbara Valt.
In rank and experience, he could not compare to her. But she came from a different lineage. Their duties were not the same, and this time, the order he had received came directly from Oscar.
He could not disregard Barbara, nor openly disobey her, simply because they belonged to different branches. Still, there was no reason he should quietly tolerate her interference with his work.
The target appeared unwell.
That was understandable. She had scoured the markets from dawn—and not only markets. She had even gone to the department store after visiting the cemetery.
If she hadn’t already been undone by Barbara, she was surely running a fever. And if that were the case, there was no better opportunity.
He would tend to her gently. Check her temperature under the pretense of concern. Let his hand brush her forehead, then slip to her cheek. And if their eyes met—
It would be over.
The more he thought about it, the hotter his irritation burned. That wasted opportunity—
“……”
“……”
As the saying went, enemies met on narrow bridges.
Climbing the stairs in long, irritated strides, Abel encountered Barbara on the landing.
Behind her, several of her direct wolves were descending, their arms filled with something wrapped in black cloth.
Blankets.
Abel’s gaze flicked briefly to the items in the wolves’ arms, then returned to Barbara.
—