The Strongest Daughter-In-Law Of The Black Lion Family [EN]: Chapter 136

#136.

Ivan harbored a certain pride in his lifelong bachelorhood. He believed that maintaining proper conduct for the sake of a future partner was a fundamental principle for any man.

…or so Ivan liked to think.

The reality was likely closer to the truth: no sane woman would willingly subject herself to Ivan’s chaotic daily life.

Realizing this, Ivan felt a strange pang of emotion.

It stung especially to hear such words from Ayla. It was obvious that she, like him, had never been in a relationship.

She had become much more docile since taking care of Chelsia.

Before being entrusted with Chelsia, Ayla was a fearsome warrior who made the beastkin of nearby territories tremble.

Even now, some beastkin were said to soil themselves at the mere mention of her name.

So, it seemed unlikely any man could handle such a violent lioness beastkin.

Ivan crossed his arms and said,

“Well, you’re a lifelong bachelor too.”

“No, I’m not.”

“……You’re not?”

That couldn’t be possible.

There couldn’t have been time for that, could there?

Ivan’s thoughts froze at the unexpected answer. To think that someone he had naturally assumed to be a fellow lifelong bachelor had secretly been in a relationship behind his back!

This was a betrayal!

Ivan muttered darkly, a wounded expression on his face.

“A war fiend who only roamed battlefields somehow managed to date.”

“Love blooms even better in wartime, didn’t you know?”

“You dated behind my back! If you were going to, you should have found me a partner too!”

“Well, they say every pot has its lid, but maybe your lid is lost.”

“What? Is that all you have to say?”

“Do you really want to hear more?”

“Is this lioness crazy?”

Ivan sputtered, flustered by Ayla’s retort.

It was a losing battle for Ivan, as anyone could see from his overly sensitive reaction. The reason he was more flustered than usual was that he was feeling the effects of spring. There were times when his loneliness grew particularly strong.

As the argument escalated, Chelsia spoke up.

“Shall we leave you two behind?”

“I was just about to suggest that.”

As if waiting for this, Zerachiel left Ayla and Ivan in the room and closed the door.

* * *

The atmosphere in the banquet hall was convivial. Sarvan, the family head, led me around, urging me to try various delicacies and showing me the utmost care.

On the other hand, Eve simply trailed beside him, not speaking to me or acting friendly. She was likely being cautious in front of the family head.

On the surface, it looked like a touching family reunion, but beneath it all, there was a tense battle of wills.

In particular, the Northern nobles were quite wary of Zerachiel. The level of scrutiny was so intense that even I, as an outsider, found it tiresome.

Fortunately, Zerachiel didn’t seem affected at all. He even subtly criticized Zavis, delivering a scathing remark to an otter beastkin who was trying to belittle him.

‘Is otter hide durable? I’ve never eaten it before, so I’m curious.’

The otter beastkin tucked his tail and scurried away after hearing that.

After the exhausting Northern noble initiation ceremony, I took refuge in the garden for a while.

Zerachiel had left his seat after being summoned by Zachari.

Left alone for the first time in a while, I strolled through the garden, sorting out my thoughts.

My head was already complicated enough with the matters of Ella and Heathcliff, but the unsettling dreams made it even more of a headache.

“Sigh.”

A sigh escaped me, and I idly touched a tree branch.

Unfortunately, the snow piled on the branch came pouring down.

“Wah!”

I screamed at the sudden downpour of snow and shook myself off. At that moment, the pheromone that Zerachiel had given me seemed to dissipate.

Whirr—

A gust of wind, coming from who knows where, brushed past my skin, and a chill washed over me.

“Ugh.”

Even though I was wearing winter attire, I was only wearing a dress underneath, so my body trembled.

Looking like a drowned rat, I shook off the remaining snow from my clothes.

Then, as I was about to head back to the banquet hall, someone blocked my path.

“Are you alright?”

The person who spoke to me kindly offered me a blanket.

“Even if it’s a greenhouse, the garden in the North is cold.”

“Oh, thank you……”

I unknowingly expressed my gratitude and was about to accept the blanket when I met the woman’s eyes, and I froze.

“Huh?”

The moment I saw the woman, the face I vaguely remembered from my dream became clear.

I couldn’t remember the details of the dream. But I was certain that the woman in front of me looked exactly like the woman I had seen in my dream.

‘What is this?’

I was stunned by the unexpected encounter with the strange woman. My heart was pounding when I suddenly felt a pain in my chest and collapsed to the ground.

“Hah.”

I was out of breath, and cold sweat streamed down my face. The cold was secondary; my chest felt like it was being torn apart. It felt like pheromones were swirling inside my body.

The woman seemed to look down at me, then leaned over and whispered softly.

“It seems like it’s hard to endure.”

“Hic, hng……”

“How pitiful.”

Even if it was a stranger, one would be worried if someone was panting in pain in front of them. But the woman looked very calm. The thought that she looked like an emotionless doll made me look up at her with tears in my eyes.

For some reason, the Guardians [protective spirits] showed no reaction at this time. It felt as if they were blocked by something and couldn’t manifest.

That woman is no ordinary beastkin.

Realizing that, I felt a chill down my spine. I couldn’t move, as if my feet were glued to the floor.

When I met those black eyes, I felt like I was falling into a deep swamp. It was like falling endlessly into an abyss with no end in sight.

Unable to do anything, I panted, and the woman touched my cheek.

“Just wait a little longer. I’ll make you comfortable soon.”

With those words, the woman passed by me. I glared at her back and then fainted.

* * *

There was an emergency at Zavis’s residence. Chelsia, who had gone for a walk in the garden, was found unconscious.

The first to discover her was Heathcliff. Because of that, there was a commotion about whether Heathcliff had attacked Chelsia.

But the commotion was settled when Zachari, who received a late report, took Chelsia away.

It was because her condition improved noticeably after he fed her something.

‘It was definitely Alreu [a type of potion or remedy].’

Hearthcliff was lost in thought, recalling the urgent situation at the time.

In fact, he had followed Chelsia after seeing her head to the garden alone. He wanted to tell her about the Ebensev myth.

But coincidentally, it wasn’t a situation where he could tell her. Chelsia was stiff and didn’t move at all.

Remembering that Ella had asked him to keep her visit to the North a secret, Heathcliff secretly took Chelsia to Zavis’s residence.

He thought they would know why Chelsia was suddenly like this.

As a result, there was a slight misunderstanding, but it ended with Zachari’s gag order.

‘I know it’s not your fault, so go back. And thank you for quietly bringing her here. About today’s events, to your father…….’

‘Don’t worry. I won’t report to my father.’

‘Thank you. I won’t see you off.’

‘Is Chelsia sick somewhere? Is the reason she hasn’t been out for the past three years also because of a chronic illness…….’

‘Go back.’

The answer he wanted didn’t come back, but Heathcliff got the answer in that he didn’t deny it.

Then he couldn’t just stand still.

He stopped and hesitated as he was about to head somewhere.

‘It hurts so much every time I see you, I feel like I’m going crazy.’

Remembering Ella crying and shouting, he couldn’t bring himself to leave.

Could he go to someone who is in pain just by seeing him?

But the more time he wasted, the worse it would be for each other.

Torn between the two, he made up his mind. Then he headed straight somewhere.

* * *

I had a dream.

A dream where Zavis’s secret garden was wide open and all the Frenzy Flowers were burning.

I didn’t know who opened the door to the secret garden or how. One thing was certain: Zerachiel’s flowers were burning.

Zerachiel went crazy when the Frenzy Flowers burned. I tried to stop him, but for some reason, my strength didn’t work as well as it did with Zachari.

I tried my best to bring Zerachiel back, but I failed every time.

Was it because of the anxiety in my subconscious? I screamed at the shockingly realistic dream.

‘I hate it, I hate this!’

And I woke up from the dream. Remembering everything.