Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Moonlight Approaches
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‘Moonlight is coming soon. Good luck, then. With your little human bride, Young Master Theodor.’
Claude must have known that Lara would act as a variable during Moonlight, stirring not just the instincts of Wolfkin but all Beastkin.
And he had helped Lycan’s phantoms infiltrate Theodor’s mansion by exploiting the moment when Theodor couldn’t respond properly.
That was the moment when certainty about Claude’s family dawned on him.
“I never imagined the lofty Renar Family would end up wiping Lycan’s ass.”
Theodor muttered menacingly.
“Theodor. Calm down a bit. I can’t breathe. Do something about this ice.”
“You don’t seem all that eager to stay alive. Not with the crap you’ve been pulling.”
“What are you talking about? I’m innocent!”
Claude barely managed to raise both hands, but Theodor just stared at him coldly.
“Don’t insult my family. I can’t stand Lycan either!”
“That’s rich. You think you can walk away from this clean?”
Theodor let out a scoffing laugh. Claude’s face twisted into a complicated expression before he shouted.
“Hear me out. Put me down for a second and listen. How am I supposed to talk like this?!”
Theodor loosened his grip, and Claude slumped to the carriage floor.
“Three sentences. Make it quick.”
At the same time, the frost creeping up Claude’s neck vanished. Claude undid a few shirt buttons, coughed lightly, and looked up at Theodor.
“First, yeah, I made a deal with someone. But second, I’m not as dumb as I look. So third, count yourself lucky that Lycan only sent phantoms to your mansion.”
“Oh. So you did something amazing for me, huh.”
“Exactly. Time to be impressed by our friendship now.”
Rubbing his throat, Claude staggered halfway up before plopping back into the seat across from Theodor. With all the energy drained from his face, he muttered.
“Haa. That’s why you need to chill out. Where else are you gonna find a friend like me...?”
“How should I treat a guy who just confessed to selling out my bride’s info right in front of me?”
“Listen. Just watch and see. I’m not your enemy, at least. You have no idea how scary Lycan is.”
Claude buttoned his shirt properly again and narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“Your grandfather and my father were pretty tight. No way I’d trash that relationship on a whim. Use your common sense.”
“By common sense, what you did looks exactly like that.”
“Hey! I... Argh. You’re frustrating me to death.”
Claude was the one getting heated now. He raised his voice.
“Honestly, neither you nor I can take Lycan alone. So let’s team up. That guy’s been off lately. Like his head’s not screwed on right.”
“So you’re saying you’re playing double agent between Lycan and me?”
“Double agent? Come on. I’d never stab you in the back. I swear.”
Claude looked genuinely wronged—and a little anxious—as he said it.
Is Lycan blackmailing him or something?
Theodor had pieced together the situation.
The Diarc Family hadn’t dealt with Lycan in ages, but Claude Renar was different. His family had always built connections with anyone, anywhere, expanding their business and friendships. That was the way of Claude’s father, the head of the Renar Family.
No matter how free-spirited the second young master was, he couldn’t defy the family head.
The Renars were involved in that incident seventeen years ago, too.
Seventeen years prior, the Bride of the Wolf had vanished—pregnant at the time.
He didn’t know why she’d stayed with Claude’s family, but the woman the young Claude had seen was surely her.
The fact that Claude had met the “Bride of the Wolf” seventeen years ago hadn’t shown up in Theodor’s intelligence network. Which meant his father had undoubtedly pulled something shady in secret...
How much did this punk Claude really know? What was the price of the blackmail? What weakness did he have that made him pull this bold stunt? And what about Claude’s father, Count Renar?
“......”
Theodor was starting to see what to do with this wastrel young master.
He could end it right here—and for Theodor, that might be the cleaner option.
But information on the “Bride of the Wolf” was critically scarce right now. Theodor could tell Claude was testing the waters, doling out bits of info little by little.
And Claude’s offer—he claimed to know humans far better than Theodor did, and there was truth to that.
Lara was human first, before she was the Bride of the Wolf. The thought of keeping this guy close to her made Theodor’s gut twist, but maybe Claude could be more help than harm for Lara.
Lycan’s phantoms had already infiltrated the Aren mansion. In this mess, he couldn’t just let Claude—who clearly had ties to Lycan—walk free.
“Theodor. So? Done thinking?”
Claude grinned and asked. Theodor stared at him impassively.
“You walked into my mansion on your own two feet. Don’t regret it.”
“Sweet! Contract signed. Starting today, I’m Lara’s tutor, and you hired me. Let’s get the paperwork done the second we arrive!”
Claude bounced back to his usual self, full of vim and vigor.
“What’s got you so happy? If Lara says no, you’re fired on the spot.”
“Haha! No way that kid hates me. Don’t worry about it.”
Theodor stared blankly at this fearlessly idiotic Wolfkin. Her unfounded confidence didn’t even draw a hollow laugh anymore.
“Master, you’re finally back.”
“Lara?”
“She’s in her room. Her knee’s much better; she can walk without issue.”
Marsha stood straight and couldn’t help glancing at the other guest grinning beside Theodor.
“......Greetings, Claude Renar.”
“Hey, Marsha. Been well? Whew, Aren sure is chilly.”
She had no idea why Young Master Theodor had brought Claude here, but as butler, it wasn’t her place to ask. Still, their last encounter had been so awful that Marsha stayed on guard. Claude chatted casually as if nothing had happened.
Noticing Marsha’s wariness, Theodor spoke up.
“Have dinner with Lara. We’ll all eat together, so prepare accordingly.”
“Understood, Master.”
With those words, Marsha realized Claude was here as a proper guest and assigned maids to him.
“This way, Claude.”
“Thanks, Marsha. See you later, Theodor.”
As Marsha led him to the drawing room, Claude stretched out his stiff body from the carriage ride and followed.
Even then, Marsha checked Theodor’s expression, but seeing him snort shortly and head to his private bath only deepened her questions.
Inviting Claude as a guest? What’s Master thinking?
But a loyal Diarc butler had no choice but to follow her master’s will.
Lara’s eyes sparkled at the news that Theodor had returned to the mansion after three days away.
After falling asleep in front of him that day, Theodor had watched over her until she woke—then left for several days.
He was always busy, so it couldn’t be helped, but this time it seemed like quite a distance. It was the first time he’d been gone for three whole days straight.
Still, Lara found these three days easier to bear than the two before.
“Miss Lara, how about changing into this dress?”
Rin was still under house arrest for one more day, so as usual, Marsha and Breina took turns attending to Lara.
Breina pulled out a dress that would suit Lara perfectly. Lara thought it was pretty too, but it felt a bit overwhelming, so she hesitated without answering right away.
“It won’t suit me.”
“Nonsense, miss. It’ll look wonderful on you. Your skin is so fair and radiant.”
“If it doesn’t suit me...”
“Then we’ll just change into something else. No worries.”
With Breina’s encouragement, Lara finally tried on the dress.
The pale blue-tinged gown gave her a far more elegant and mature air than her usual look.
Breina clapped in satisfaction.
“My goodness, it suits you perfectly. I knew it would.”
But Lara seemed a little awkward with the dress exposing her arms.
It had been nearly a month since Lara left Laden Orphanage. Thanks to Breina’s dedicated treatment, the scars on her limbs were fading more each day.
No one in the mansion—including Theodor—saw Lara’s scars as ugly, and Breina, as chief physician, focused solely on treatment without batting an eye. Only Lara felt a bit shy about them.
Noticing that, Breina gently draped a matching shawl over Lara’s shoulders.
“There, now you won’t be cold. Young Master Theodor is waiting. Come on, Miss Lara, let’s head down.”
Lara nodded.
She missed Theodor terribly after three days apart.