The Strongest Daughter-In-Law Of The Black Lion Family [EN]: Chapter 24

#24.

Ella discovered the relic in Hebel’s central square. The square was dominated by a massive statue of the sacred beast, behind which sat a long-dry well.

While waiting for Heathcliff in front of the statue, Ella found herself in a predicament. Some mischievous beastmen, who usually fawned over Heathcliff, had lured Ella there with a fake note, intending to play a trick on her.

Thanks to their prank, Ella, trapped in the well, accidentally discovered a secret space. There was a hidden passage within the well.

It was a passage connected to the old Holy Water Road, so narrow that a human couldn’t possibly pass through.

However, it was just the right size for Ella, a small beastman, to navigate easily in her beast form. Eventually, to escape the well, Ella transformed and tried to dislodge something blocking the passage, only to be swept away by a surge of water.

As it happened, the obstruction was a relic called the ‘Pearl of Purification,’ which forcibly summoned her to the ‘Room of Choice.’

The Room of Choice was a space where the relic tested potential owners, and failure meant certain death.

Ella had passed the test and safely escaped the well.

Fortunately, the method was written in the original story, so as long as I found the relic, it would be mine.

I took advantage of Zerachiel being summoned by Zachari and headed to the central square, hiding my ferret ears under a hat.

I was worried that if Zerachiel followed me, he would question how I knew about the relic.

It was better to find the relic quickly and return than to have to explain about the original story.

It should be around here.

I followed the map Marina had given me and went straight to the well. There it was, the white statue and the closed well.

“Found it!”

I hurried past the statue and approached the well. It had been closed for a long time, left unused.

I struggled to open the well lid, but it wouldn’t budge. It seemed impossible for a child to lift this heavy thing.

What should I do?

While I was struggling, I heard a voice beside me.

“Need some help?”

“Kyaa!”

Surprised, I stumbled backward, and Heathcliff caught me.

Huh, why is he here?

As I clutched my pounding heart, Heathcliff said,

“Don’t misunderstand. I was here first this time.”

“Oh, I don’t misunderstand.”

Of course, he had a history of stalking me, but the male lead was notoriously bad at lying. Besides, this place was also one of Heathcliff’s usual haunts. That’s why Ella had fallen into the trap without suspicion.

As I warily distanced myself, Heathcliff touched his lips.

Come to think of it, it was the first time I had seen him since he had taken on his human form. And it was a little surprising that he recognized me right away. Surely, in this form, it would have been difficult to recognize me at once.

Eventually, unable to contain my curiosity, I cautiously asked,

“How did you recognize me?”

“The only beastman who goes around saturated with Zabishee’s little master’s pheromones is you.”

Hearthcliff answered as if it were obvious, narrowing his eyes.

“Come to think of it, it’s stronger than before. It’s like…….”

He trailed off, turning his gaze to my wrist. Following his gaze, I saw the lace bracelet Marina had tied there.

Maybe Heathcliff would tell me something?

The people of Zabishee had all been tight-lipped when they saw this pattern. It was clear that it meant something.

Zerachiel, who had given me the strange bite mark, just laughed, and Ivan looked at me with pity. And Marina was busy hiding it.

There’s definitely something to it.

Firmly resolved, I untied the ribbon around my wrist and showed it to Heathcliff. If the people of Zabishee wouldn’t tell me, I could just ask the male lead.

“Do you know what this means?”

“Ah…….”

“You know.”

As I stared intently, urging him to speak, Heathcliff hesitated and opened his mouth.

“It’s a kind of territory marking.”

“Territory marking?”

“As long as that mark is there, no one will be able to touch you. Because it’s the black rose that symbolizes Zabishee.”

It seemed my thought that it resembled a black rose was not a delusion. I quietly stroked my wrist.

The black flower blooming on my wrist emitted a clear color, captivating my gaze. I stared blankly at it and asked.

“Even if they touch me?”

“That family will become the target of Zabishee. Because attacking you means they will be considered to be attacking Zabishee.”

In the end, it meant he left the mark to protect me. As long as I had this mark, even if I returned to the wild, I might be able to avoid the threat of predators.

So, I received a huge buff [a beneficial effect or advantage]?

But even with the joy, an unresolved uneasiness remained.

Then why did Ivan and Marina react like that?

Puzzled by that, I tilted my head, and Heathcliff dropped a bombshell.

“Ah, in other words, it’s called an imprint.”

“!!”

I opened my mouth wide with a shocked expression.

An imprint! He should have told me that from the beginning!

I couldn’t even think of closing my mouth and froze like a stone.

For a beastman, an imprint was like an indelible brand. A mark that doesn’t disappear unless the imprinted target dies.

It was usually something done to a mate. Because once you imprint, you can’t undo it!

Why on earth would he do that to me!

“N, no way…….”

I already knew Zerachiel Rune Zabishee was crazy, but this was too much!

This wasn’t even something he did to the female lead in the original story. Why to me! Why! What am I?

“So, you really are in a special relationship?”

Heathcliff made a statement that firmly misunderstood the relationship between me and Zerachiel. But with the imprint, any words would only sound like excuses.

I murmured blankly.

“My perfect escape plan…….”

Vanished in an instant. As long as I had this mark, it would be a piece of cake for him to find me.

The imprint contained the other person’s pheromones, so it was easy to find them at close range, and even at long range, it would only take time.

The ominous feeling I had when he suddenly asked me became a reality, and I felt faint. As I clutched my head and struggled, Heathcliff said.

“I was curious because you left like that that day. I was wondering if you were okay.”

“Yeah, as you can see, I’m fine.”

Of course, thanks to your explanation, my mind is in tatters.

“I was worried that you might have been hurt because of me.”

“I almost died.”

I really thought I was going to end my ferret life like that back then. As I smiled awkwardly, Heathcliff pointed to the well and asked.

“But why are you trying to open this?”

“Ah.”

“There’s nothing inside anyway.”

Only then did I recall the purpose of coming here, and I somehow pieced together my fragmented mind and opened my mouth.

“Can you help me?”

Hearthcliff would be able to open this kind of lid easily.

* * *

Zachari let out a deep sigh as he looked at Zerachiel, who was smiling calmly. He looked too confident for someone who had been summoned to be scolded.

“Do you know what you’ve done to be so carefree?”

“I believe Ivan has already reported everything.”

“Yes. Let’s hear it. Explain it. Why on earth did you imprint that girl?”

When he first heard the news that Chi Chi had succeeded in humanizing, he thought that this crazy game would finally end. In the first place, it didn’t make sense to keep a humanized beastman as a pet.

But Zerachiel was an even more insane son than he thought. Who would have known he would imprint that beastman?

He had no idea what his son was thinking. Zachari looked at Zerachiel with a cold gaze, as if to say, ‘Say what you have to say.’ And he couldn’t help but grab the back of his neck at the words that followed.