Chapter 27

Iris was washing the dishes in the kitchen.

Even though she was the daughter of a Duke, there was no one to clean up the dirty dishes in front of her.

Having lived like this even before she grew up, she didn’t even think it was unfair.

Only calling Duke Whittle and his wife father and mother in front of guests.

Only wearing pretty clothes and pretending to have been raised preciously in front of guests.

“Mooom!”

She heard Britney’s scream from outside.

“My necklace is gone!”

As soon as she heard that, her back cooled and she broke into a cold sweat.

Recently, Britney was taught an interesting game by her personal maid, Eva.

It was a game of finding the criminal after pretending as if something had been stolen.

The criminal was often Iris.

“Again? Where’s Iris?”

At the sound of Duchess Denise Whittle rising tone, Iris became suffocated.

It wasn’t known whether Denise believed Britney’s words that things had disappeared each time. However, she didn’t miss the opportunity to harm the child her husband had fathered with another woman.

The skinny little girl, frozen, was dragged away by a burly servant.

Britney was glued to Denise and smiling triumphantly.

Then, when Iris made eye contact with her, Britney grabbed Denise’s skirt and hid behind her.

“She’s glaring at me…I’m scared, mom.”

At Britney’s complaint, Denise hit Iris on the head with the fan she was holding.

“How can you glare at someone after stealing their things?”

Iris was only seven years old, but she knew there was no one here who would take her side.

Even if Duke Whittle, who is Iris’ biological father, was here, she knew he would turn a blind eye.

“I didn’t steal it.”

Still, Iris protested.

She still had hope.

Hope that one day, if she says this, someone will believe her.

It was a time when her flames of hope hadn’t been extinguished.

“I didn’t steal anything.”

Everyone watched as Iris spoke with a sob.

Among them, there were people who looked sympathetic and people who thought she looked unseemly.

“Lady Denise!”

Then Eva, Britney’s personal maid, came running.

Eva had a necklace in her hand.

“I found it.”

“Where did you find it?”

Iris could guess the answer.

“In Iris’ room. It was hidden under her pillow.”

It was Iris’ first time seeing such a necklace.

“I’ve never seen anything like that.”

Even though she knew it wasn’t going to work, Iris shouted.

“I didn’t steal it.”

The thin little girl’s voice couldn’t reach anyone’s ears.

Iris was placed in a dark warehouse where no light entered. More than the terrible darkness, she felt the anguish of hunger. It was only three days later that she was released.

* * *

“Heuk!”

Iris opened her eyes, gasping for air.

The musty air inside a warehouse. The rustling sound of small beasts moving. The feeling of starvation from not having eaten in days.

A very vivid sensation came upon her.

It was a terrible nightmare.

Trapped in a warehouse where there is no light. Crying to be let out. Begging for forgiveness even though she did nothing wrong. No one answering her call for help.

It was a frightening thing for a child to endure.

Her body instinctively tried to curl up as if she had gone back to that time, but she couldn’t.

Only then did she realize that a pair of heavy arms were hugging her, and that her face was buried in someone’s chest.

The musty smell that lingered from her dream disappeared, and a familiar scent tickled the tip of her nose.

It was the scent of the forest and field under the night sky and starlight.

Keivrand Green’s body odor.

Her heart, which was panting with fear, regained its calm. Warmth returned to the tips of her cold fingers.

However, it was still cold, so she squirmed into Keivrand’s arms.

In his sleep, Keivrand hugged Iris and asked in a dazed voice.

“Are you cold, Irie?”

“A little bit.”

Keivrand’s arm tightened.

Then he nestled her with his firm arms and thighs, as if he didn’t want Iris to go anywhere.

His body temperature permeated into her.

“It’s okay, Irie.”

Keivrand whispered and stroked her back.

“It’s okay.”

‘What does he mean it’s okay? He doesn’t know.’

But his whispers were nice to hear.

The hand that was stroking her head grew intense and then stopped.

Keivrand was in a deep sleep again and breathing softly, but Iris couldn’t fall asleep.

She stayed up all night listening to his breathing, melting into his body temperature.

As the break of dawn leaked through the curtains, Iris closed her eyes. It wasn’t because she was sleepy, but because Keivrand had let out a small groan as if he’s about to wake up.

Iris didn’t want to be caught awake because she was afraid that he might think she had a nightmare again.

Keivrand held Iris in his arms for a moment and then kissed her on the head.

Pa-pa-pa.

And after a while, one more time.

Pa.

As if that’s not enough, two more times.

Pa-pa.

Then he groaned as if he was not satisfied with something.

Keivrand, who carefully pulled out his arms so as to not wake Iris up, raised his upper body and looked down at her for a while.

Her eyes were closed, but she felt his eyes, so her cheeks were burning. She thought he had noticed that she was awake.

‘Should I pretend to wake up?’

With that in mind, Keivrand held onto the tip of Iris’ hair and spoke.

“You have a beautiful sleeping face, wife.”

Her body stiffened by his words.

“What am I saying…”

Keivrand muttered and went down the bed.

Iris almost burst into laughter.

Keivrand always wakes up first, so she didn’t know what he did when he woke up.

‘Don’t tell me…he does this every day?’

Thinking that he had moved away from the bed, she squinted her eyes.

There was a black wolf sitting where Keivrand was supposed to be.

Having turned into a wolf, he was looking back and forth in front of the mirror in the bedroom.

Seeing him sitting in a straight posture, raising his front feet, and turning his head to look at his side, Iris couldn’t hold back her laughter.

Iris wriggled the quilt all the way to the top of her head.

She bit her lower lip and held back her laughter, but Keivrand, who had turned back into a human, came up to the bed in a gown and lifted the blanket.

“When did you wake up, Irie?”

“Just now…”

Keivrand noticed that Iris was holding back a smile.

His face turned red.

“Since when, Irie?”

“Since you turned into a big wolf and were grooming yourself in front of the mirror.”

Keivrand’s face grew redder.

He opened his mouth and closed them several times as if he didn’t know how to explain it.

“You don’t have to be so embarrassed, Kei. It’s only natural to groom yourself before you leave the bedroom. Of course…for a wolf’s…coat, no. I’m sorry. It’s just… it’s my first time seeing a wolf grooming and showing off…keuk…”

“I wasn’t showing off.”

“But…sitting up straight with your chin slightly up… It’s like you’re showing off…Oh, I’m sorry. I’m not really laughing at you…It’s fascinating…”

“That’s enough. Just laugh if you want to. Don’t hold it in.”

Iris decided to laugh to her heart’s content.

“Hahahaha.”

A smile also spread across Keivrand’s lips, who looked as if he was unhappy with his arms folded.

“Was it that funny?”

“Once again, it’s fascinating.”

“My wife laughs when she’s fascinated. Then I’ll have to show you a lot of fascinating things from now on.”

Keivrand sounded sulky, but his eyes were smiling.

Iris’ nightmares from last night were completely gone from her mind.

“I’ll look forward to it.”

“Now that you mention it.”

Keivrand reached out to Iris. She naturally placed her hand over his big hand.

He grabbed her hand and pulled it gently.

“Let’s go out. We’ll eat in the garden while I show you something interesting.”

* * *

It was a fine day without a cloud in sight.

Iris walked through the garden using the parasol Christina had brought her.

It was early, and dew could still be seen on the grass.

Iris reached out and swept the grass.

The cold dew on her fingertips felt good.

“You’re coming down with a cold, Irie.”

Keivrand, who was walking next to her, said.

“I’m not so frail as to catch a cold from a little water on my fingertips.”

“You look frail to me. You’re too small and skinny.”

“You’re just too big.”

There was already a table and breakfast prepared in the garden.

Next to the table stood Jamie in neat clothes waiting for them.

‘He’s really hard working.’

Iris knew Jamie worked until dawn like Keivrand. Neither Jamie nor Keivrand seems to sleep very much.

She greeted Jamie lightly and sat down in the chair. Keivrand whispered something to Jamie, and he nodded and disappeared somewhere.

The meal was excellent even though it was sudden.

Fresh salad, savory soup, freshly baked bacon, fluffy bread, and soft cheese.

Keivrand cut the bread in half and put cheese and bacon on Iris’ plate. Then cutting his share of bread in half, he asked.

“Do you have nightmares often when you sleep?”

“A little bit.”

“I don’t think it’s a little bit.”

“Just a little bit.”

Nightmares made no difference to her. As long as the nightmares weren’t real, Iris could hold on as long as she wanted.

Keivrand stared at Iris and lowered his gaze to the bread he was holding.

“Among the sacred relics, there’s one called a Sleep Stone.”

“Sleep Stone!”

Iris knew this sacred relic.

In her previous life, this sacred relic left Keivrand’s younger brother, Edward, in an eternal sleep.

Keivrand tried everything to wake Edward up but failed.

“Have you heard of it?”

Because of Iris’ reaction, Keivrand asked suspiciously.

“No. I thought it would be more exciting if I reacted like this.”

Keivrand smiled as if he believed Iris’ excuse.

“A lively audience. Okay. Sleep Stone is a rock that makes you have a good dream if you use it properly. It’s a blue stone about this size.”

Keivrand lifted up his thumb.

“If you use it incorrectly, you may fall asleep forever. Dreams are better than reality, so you might not want to come back. I know where the stone is.”

In her previous life, Edward fled to his dream in anguish at the reality he faced.

Keivrand wouldn’t have known how much pain Edward was in.

No, maybe he knew, but pretended he didn’t know Edward was secretly using the stone.

‘It must have been too much to bear. The death of his parents and sister.’

Three years from now.

Wyvern, Helena and Celestine will die.

A year later, Edward falls into eternal sleep.

Keivrand, who lost his family, lives on thanks to his shadows. However, he was like a shell of his former self.

“There are a few unreported relics in the Divine Kingdom. I left the sacred relics that I didn’t need to handle. I was going to collect them when I’m a little stronger.”

The power of the guardian was needed to prevent the power of the sacred object from harming the surroundings.

Keivrand wasn’t strong enough to contain all the sacred relics yet.

“I don’t mind having another sacred relic. I’ll get you the Sleep Stone if you want. I can suppress its power a few times and make you have a good dream.”

Iris only had nightmares, so Keivrand wanted to make her feel comfortable by using a sacred relic.

Her heart ached at the lengths he would go for her.

Iris knew what kind of eyes Keivrand would have after losing his family.

Hollow eyes.

Eyes of eternal nothingness and devoid of anything.

Iris nodded her head.

“Bring it to me.”

She was going to have to destroy that damn stone.

== Translator’s Note ==

1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc…in the comment section .