Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: The Empty Mansion
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There's still quite some time until full night falls.
Theodor slowly strolled through the mansion with Lara, where an eerie silence hung in the air due to the absence of everyone.
The sound of Theodor's shoes echoing through the empty mansion was a truly novel experience for Lara. In the vast space with its high ceilings and open expanses, his steady, pleasant footsteps reverberated rhythmically.
The mansion was large, so it normally bustled with servants. The areas Lara frequented weren't particularly crowded, but there was always some sign of life—unlike now, when everyone had vanished entirely.
'It's really empty.'
How could everyone disappear in an instant like this? And why wouldn't Theo tell her the reason?
'It's okay if he doesn't tell me...'
Just moments ago, Theodor had casually changed the subject. He had no obligation to explain everything to her. She was merely someone granted temporary shelter here, after all.
She knew that, but still...
"I think I told you before that you could wander freely. But until tomorrow, stay within the main building. You might get lost if you go off alone."
"Yes."
"You don't seem to enjoy wandering much anyway."
Lara hesitated, wondering if he disliked that she spent most of her time in her room, before speaking up.
"...Should I try walking around more diligently?"
Theodor chuckled softly at Lara's tentative, cautious question.
"If I told you to, would you end up loitering around in front of me all day?"
"I wouldn't mean to disturb you, Theo."
"That doesn't sound so bad. Why not?"
Lara took it as a joke. As she'd thought earlier, Theodor's sense of humor was hard to catch. Contrary to her assumptions, he was surprisingly good at joking.
But Lara didn't know how to joke. She'd never tried. So she made a mental note of his quip. Someday, it might be nice if she could joke back with him.
But right now, there was something more important than jokes.
"Theo."
When they reached the garden behind the main building, Lara called out to him. Theodor stopped and looked at her.
"That girl... Rin didn't steal anything."
"...Why do you think that?"
"Because Rin said so."
Lara knew her words lacked convincing power, but there was nothing she could do about it. She didn't know why Rin had been in her room either. Still, Lara believed her. She believed Rin's claim that she hadn't stolen anything.
Theodor gave a light laugh.
"You sure trust the word of a girl you've just met."
"Please forgive Breina and Rin, Theo."
Lara looked up at him calmly.
"I'm sorry for causing a fuss. It won't happen again. So please don't be angry with them."
"......"
So that's what she wanted to say.
Did she not remember how startled and terrified she'd been in that moment? Her trembling in his arms was still vivid in his mind.
This wasn't Lara's fault. Yet here she was, apologizing—for a girl she'd only met that morning.
'With a personality like that...'
He knew Lara was terribly timid. But she rarely showed it outright. In front of him, she would express joy or sadness to some degree, but even that was fleeting, barely more than a passing shadow.
And now, she was actually asking him for a favor.
'Well, it's better than her saying nothing.'
In a world where beastkin and humans alike had to be ruthlessly selfish to survive, at least it was fortunate that she could voice what she wanted.
This was one of the changes in Lara since she'd arrived. An unexpected one, for sure.
"You're my bride. I can't forgive anyone who touches my bride."
Theodor spoke in a somewhat cold voice. At his icy tone, Lara's gaze dropped dejectedly.
"......But I'll respect your opinion. Your choice matters most to me."
"......Really?"
"Yes. I won't pursue Breina or the girl's offenses any further."
Lara's eyes, which had lifted late, began to sparkle. Theodor watched her with an intrigued gaze.
'She's happy.'
He couldn't have imagined such an expression when they first met.
He could sense her fierce desire to 'live' back then, but everything else seemed unnaturally suppressed.
Now, though, Theodor could clearly tell when she was sad or happy. Unmistakably so.
"Thank you, Theo."
Lara spoke with a still-joyful expression.
What was she so happy about? Getting this thrilled over something so trivial.
Lara still didn't seem to grasp what it truly meant to be Theodor Diarc's bride.
'She fulfills her duties but claims no rights.'
Should he teach her every duty and right of a bride from start to finish? No, why should he bother with something so tedious?
"......"
It was strange.
Being with Lara always left him like this. He'd find himself thinking things he'd never consider otherwise, worrying over matters he'd normally ignore. It felt like constant clashes with his polar opposite.
For someone as cold, arrogant, and autocratic as Theodor, this was utterly unfamiliar. It was almost laughable how one fragile human girl—who barely seemed half the woman his true self would deem worthy—could unsettle him so.
The sun would set soon, and the full moon would fully awaken the instincts dormant within him.
Thanks to Lara, the Bride of the Wolf, even Theodor couldn't predict how this Moonlight period would unfold. The one certainty was that he couldn't face her for the next two days.
"...Let's head back."
Theodor draped the shawl he'd brought over Lara's shoulders. The wind was picking up unnaturally, and snowflakes had begun to fall.
Theodor hadn't told Lara why she absolutely mustn't seek him out, but he did explain how she should spend the next two days in this vast mansion empty save for the two of them.
Back in her room with her, he sketched a simple map of the mansion on paper, marking where things were, what to do, and the places they'd just visited.
"Your food is here. It's pre-prepared, so just eat that. It won't be warm, but endure for two days. And don't use the fire."
"...What about you, Theo?"
"Don't worry about me."
During Moonlight anyway, proper meals were impossible.
The lunar energy affected each clan differently—some wolfkin craved blood madly or hunted wildly. But not Theodor. His torment was the kind he had to endure entirely alone. Nothing could soothe it.
Lara looked a bit crestfallen at his words. Seeing it, Theodor continued.
"I'll be in another part of the mansion. Somewhere you couldn't find anyway."
"......"
"Don't disobey me, Lara. No matter what sounds you hear or what happens, return to your room. Close the door and get under the covers. Until it all passes."
Until it all passes...
The sudden absence of everyone in the mansion. Theodor's command never to seek him out.
As the sun sank lower, Lara grew gloomier. The time apart from Theo was approaching.
'I can handle being alone.'
Lara had always been alone at Laden Orphanage. She could endure it. But an ominous feeling kept creeping in. This was new. Her heart raced uneasily.
Lara tried not to show it as she looked up at Theodor.
"...You're not in danger, are you, Theo?"
She had many questions, but all the thoughts swirling in her mind boiled down to one.
'I just hope Theo stays safe.'
In Lara's heart, Theodor was always strong. He'd saved her from being sold to the old noble and from the Laden Director.
He was incredibly powerful, so maybe her worry was presumptuous. But right now, it gnawed at her unusually. Not knowing where he was or what he was doing filled her with dread.
"Worried about me?"
Reading her thoughts, Theodor asked. He approached her slowly enough not to startle her and gently brushed her hair back.
In her fully exposed eyes, he read her anxiety. Lara met his gaze without flinching and answered.
"Yes."
It was the truth. She was worried about Theodor. The thought of not seeing him for two days unsettled her. It felt like something bad was coming.
Theodor let out a soft breath and smiled faintly.
His hand trailed from her hair to her cheek.
Lara felt the cool sensation of his leather-gloved hand.
"Nice. My bride worrying about me too."
......Ah. Another of Theo's jokes.
Realizing it belatedly, Lara averted her eyes slightly.