Chapter 23. How He Protects the Girl

The post office employee couldn’t even breathe properly under the overwhelming force and fell to his knees on the floor.

“I, I, I……”

The employee trembled violently as he opened his mouth, trying somehow to overcome this situation while practically prostrating himself on the floor.

However, Rapellian had no intention of listening to such a trembling voice in the first place.

He pressed down on the employee’s shoulder with the tip of his umbrella and commanded Jane.

“Jane, explain.”

“That rude person accused Miss Rasiel of being a stamp thief.”

His eyebrow twitched slightly, and the corner of his mouth rose fantastically.

On his way to the meeting place after finishing his work, he thought he heard a familiar voice along with a refreshing energy, so he came to check—only to find this situation unfolding.

Rapellian, drawing a smooth arc with his lips, looked down at the employee flattened on the floor as if he were looking at an insect.

“You didn’t know she was a member of our family. Right?”

“Yes. Yes. Of, of course. There was a misunderstanding.”

“But how could you not know?”

“Pardon?”

The employee’s face, which had momentarily relaxed at Rapellian’s pleasant smile, turned corpse-like pale again.

“Are your nostrils just decorations you wear?”

“Th-that……”

“Or perhaps you find our family amusing.”

“I’m, I’m sorry, I’m……”

Pure white coldness rose from Rapellian’s hand.

“What’s the use of having something useless. I might as well personally remove……”

As Rapellian muttered in a low voice, his eyes caught sight of Rasiel trembling in terror. He immediately let his words trail off.

He wanted to tear these insufferably arrogant people to shreds right then and there, but he couldn’t.

Seeing Rasiel huddled up, unable to even lift her head and only picking at her fingertips, he had to change his priorities.

To him, the state of his person was more important than these creatures lower than insects.

“Rasiel.”

The icy voice of Rapellian, which until now had been dry and devoid of any trace of emotion, instantly became warm.

The cold, chilly smile lingering at the corners of his mouth transformed in an instant to something like a warm spring day.

However, Rasiel, gripped by fear, couldn’t hear his voice.

Rapellian patiently called the small girl’s name without rushing.

“Rasiel.”

At the repeated call, Rasiel’s hunched shoulders gradually relaxed.

Soon after, her gaze lifted from looking at her toes, revealing eyes brimming with moisture.

“Y-Young Duke.”

“Rasiel, come here.”

Rapellian extended his hand to Rasiel as he always did.

At his bright smile and gentle gesture, no different from usual, Rasiel finally shed silent tears.

She who didn’t cry even when beaten now trembled anxiously as large teardrops fell one after another.

Rapellian felt like he was going crazy at the sight of Rasiel’s tears.

The pheromones emanating from his body became even more intimidating.

“I, I didn’t steal……”

“Of course not. You’re not that kind of person.”

“I really didn’t steal, but they kept, they kept……”

Despite his affectionate voice, Rasiel remained trapped by her past and couldn’t move, falling into a state close to panic.

As Rasiel kept repeating the same words, large teardrops fell from her and shattered upon hitting the floor.

It was like her heart, broken countless times.

“I believe you. I, not anyone else, believe you. Who dares to doubt you, whom I believe in.”

Rapellian, who had been whispering in an extremely affectionate voice, turned his head threateningly to look behind him as he spat out the last words.

For a fleeting moment, his eyes changed brilliantly, and his pheromones, which seemed impossible to become any stronger, raged even more viciously.

But when he turned his gaze back to Rasiel, as if it had never happened, both his eyes and the pheromones that seemed ready to kill everyone present changed to gentleness.

“No matter what, I believe you. You don’t need to tremble in fear alone anymore. You don’t have to be afraid. I believe in you.”

Rapellian did not withdraw his extended hand and calmly waited for Rasiel to approach.

He neither tried to touch Rasiel hastily nor thought to bring her urgently.

“Even if you were to rob a bank vault right before my eyes, if you said it wasn’t you, I would believe it. Because when you do such things, there must be a good reason. I believe you. Even if the whole world doesn’t believe you, I believe in you.”

“Young Duke……”

Rasiel had lived thinking it was natural for her life to be filled with misunderstandings.

But after experiencing that this wasn’t natural, she found it difficult to hide her feelings of injustice and sorrow.

Because of him, who repeatedly expressed his belief in her, her trembling heart wouldn’t easily calm down.

Rasiel, after dropping tear after tear, finally burst into loud sobs and approached him to grasp his hand.

She who would quickly get up even when beaten to the ground, who had to endure even when wronged, who had to swallow her screams even when surprised and terrified.

In countless situations where tears should have fallen, she endured and endured and endured again, at most shedding a few silent tears.

In her life where enduring was the norm, Rapellian caused a massive ripple.

“Rasiel.”

“Ugh.”

Rasiel could now finally cry while leaning on someone.

The loud sobs that erupted were inconsolably sorrowful.

It felt as if all the resentment that had been suppressed burst out at once.

Rapellian desperately held back the curses trying to escape his lips as he lifted Rasiel into his arms.

The weight in his arms was incredibly light, crushing his insides.

He did his best to hold onto the thread of reason as he patted Rasiel’s back.

Her shoulders and back, heaving with sobs, were so slender and fragile that they seemed like they might break if handled wrongly.

‘Damn it.’

Rapellian swallowed his curse inwardly and moved his feet.

The sound of his shoes echoing on the floor sounded to the people in the post office like the arrival of the grim reaper.

“Y-Young Duke.”

The postmaster came running hurriedly, as if he had just arrived from somewhere.

His sparse hair swayed precariously.

Rapellian continued to pat Rasiel’s back as he lifted his lips into a beautiful smile.

“We need to have a discussion.”

At his dry, low voice, the postmaster turned deathly pale.

At that moment, a voice that turned the postmaster’s already pale complexion even darker intervened.

“Which ballsy bastard made our child cry tears? Hmm?”

It was the arrival of Michaela and the twins, who had finished their business.

The post office was engulfed by four white wolves spreading an ominous aura, and eventually the postmaster rolled his eyes back and collapsed with a thud.

⁕⁕⁕

Immediately after the post office incident, newspapers with titles like [Human Girl Under the Protection of Four White Wolves. What is Her Identity?] spread throughout the Empire.

This news also reached the Emperor of Aserion, Ian Relian Askard.

“A human girl?”

Ian narrowed his brow while looking at the newspaper.

“I don’t know what wind has blown for the Mosteros Duchy to take in a human girl.”

“A human girl with white wolves…… It’s really intriguing.”

Ian’s expression was quite serious as he rolled a capped fountain pen back and forth between his fingers.

“I’m curious too.”

Despite the agreement from the Chief Chamberlain, Count Boras, Ian kept his gaze fixed only on the newspaper while repeatedly turning the fountain pen.

“I want to see her. What kind of girl has these terrifying white wolves wrapped around her finger.”

Ian didn’t hide his curiosity as his eyes flashed.

Count Boras felt anxious at the Emperor’s display of tremendous curiosity, his mouth becoming increasingly dry.

“But you know. Am I…… right to feel hurt about this?”

The mysterious purple jewel-like eyes lost their curiosity and interest, becoming tinged with hurt feelings.

The Count felt that the inevitable had come but pretended not to know and put on a blank face.

“I talked to him today, but I have to find out about this from the newspaper? Me?”

“He must have forgotten……”

“I should go.”

“Pardon?!”

“I should go to Abelon to check on this girl and other matters.”

Ian put down the fountain pen with a clack and rose without delay.

“N-no, you can’t.”

Count Boras swallowed hard and risked death by blocking the Emperor’s path. His outstretched arms trembled pitifully.

“Who are you blocking right now?”

“I, I’m doing this all for Your Majesty.”

“What nonsense is this?”

“The, the Duke of Mosteros hates people who don’t fulfill their duties. Hate? He extremely, very, tremendously, greatly, considerably abhors them. You have a lot of accumulated work, Your Majesty.”

The imposing aura with which Ian was about to leave his office subsided.

The Chief Chamberlain’s choice to mention ‘Mosteros Duke’ before ‘accumulated work’ was indeed the right one.

“If the ducal family took her in, she might become a talent for the country? I want to check on someone who might become my person?”

“If it’s the Mos-Mosteros Duke, he’ll quickly determine the truth when he comes to Abelon.”

“……”

Ian was left speechless.

It’s not that he wasn’t curious about the girl, but that was just an excuse.

He slumped back into his chair and stared blankly at the newspaper.

The newspaper had Michaela’s face prominently displayed instead of the mysterious girl.

‘I thought it was a good excuse to go see her…..’

Ian sighed deeply as he brushed back his magnificent golden hair.

His eyes, which had been filled with hurt feelings, were now full of thick longing and loneliness.

However, not wanting to be disliked by Michaela, he picked up the receiver instead of heading north.

Ian thought about what to say to Michaela while waiting for the call to connect.

His mind was soon filled with 20% curiosity about Rasiel, 70% longing for Michaela, and 10% hurt feelings.

Regardless of Ian’s level of interest in Rasiel, the fact that even the Emperor was interested meant that the attention of Aserion’s nobles naturally focused on her.

⁕⁕⁕

Rapellian casually flipped through invitation cards and letters with obvious intentions before tossing them into the trash can.

Already, countless people were desperate to cling to Rasiel and extract something from her.

“Leeches, all of them. Rasiel isn’t some spectacle.”

“But you’ll have to introduce her someday.”

“Not like this, being pushed into it. Especially not now when Sister is at the ducal residence preparing for our parents’ death anniversary. The timing is entirely our decision. Not these people’s.”

Rapellian gazed into the trash can with cold eyes.

The stacked envelopes seemed to be screaming, demanding that Rasiel be brought out immediately.

“Maintain a non-response policy until the memorial banquet for our parents. I need to check the mansion security. There will be swarms of people desperate for a scoop.”

Rapellian immediately left the room and headed to the garden.

“Oh! Young Duke.”

Rasiel, with her arms full of various flowers, spotted him and quickly turned to Jane.

“Do I look clean?”

Wanting to appear neat and presentable, Rasiel whispered softly.

“Ah, here.”

Jane took out a handkerchief to wipe away moisture from the flower petals and also tidied Rasiel’s slightly disheveled hair.

“Now you’re ready.”

“Young Duke!”

As soon as Jane finished her confirmation, Rasiel hastened her steps.

“Don’t run.”

Rapellian took large strides to close the distance. Thanks to this, Rasiel could walk at her original pace.

“Did you come out for a walk?”

Although there had been a difficult incident at the post office, because of that event, Rasiel now looked at Rapellian with even more trusting eyes.

Rasiel looked up at him with eyes full of trust and gently curved her eyes into a smile.

Her red eyes sparkled, full of vitality.

Rapellian lowered his body to match Rasiel’s eye level as he continued the conversation.

“Just some business. I see you’ve been to the greenhouse.”

“Yes. Thank you for arranging for me to see flowers in my room too.”

As Rasiel bowed her head while holding the flowers, a few blossoms fell to the ground.

When Jane tried to pick them up, Rapellian raised his hand to stop her and picked them up himself.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you back.”

Rapellian took the flowers from Rasiel’s arms, holding them with one arm and extending his other hand to her.

Rasiel took his hand and said.

“You said you had business……”

“I have enough time for this.”

“Since you’re taking me to my room, I’ll be your walking companion later.”

“It would be my honor, Lady.”

Rapellian playfully gave an eye greeting and naturally tightened his grip on their joined hands.

While escorting her, he covered Rasiel with quite strong protective pheromones.

So that even if something were to happen, no one would dare touch Rasiel.