51 Subtle and Gentle Guidance - Three

You, I, this... you—" 

The guard stammered and stumbled, speaking in fragments: "Are you, L-lord Lord Hydral...?"

Ansel smiled and pointed to the scepter beside the chair: "I don't think who would have the courage and ability to impersonate me."

Without waiting for the rigid guard to speak, he sighed: "I couldn't sleep tonight, so I went for a walk and saw a group of sneaky thieves. Having nothing better to do, I followed them here."

Although Ansel was hiding in the dimly lit room, he managed to assume the demeanor of a manor lord, leaving the guard nodding in agreement, too afraid to speak:

"Then, I witnessed an interesting scene." The young Hydral looked at the two guards with a faint smile, "They easily bypassed your watch and stole most of the treasury. If I hadn't caught them, you would have been in trouble."

"You..." The guard's eyes widened, "You caught them?"

"Sixty meters west of the manor, in a small alley."

Ansel waved his hand: "I left them there. As for the items in the treasury, they will be returned in full after the inventory is completed tomorrow."

He casually flipped through the pages of a book with one hand, speaking indifferently: "I'm still somewhat bored, so I plan to wander around the manor. That won't be a problem, will it?"

"O-of course not! Please, please, feel free to do as you wish! We won't disturb you any further!"

The guards dared not say a word of refusal. 

After all, the manor's lord was hanging there, dried by the north wind.

Fearing that their earlier words had angered Ansel, they hastily retreated, making sure to close the door behind them.

About ten seconds later, a muffled voice came from beneath Ansel's slightly puffed wolf fur cloak.

"Are they gone?"

"Do they have the guts to come back?" Ansel raised an eyebrow, "I thought you, Seraphina, wanted to stay a bit longer."

"Go to hell!"

Seraphina finally stopped controlling her volume, shouting in extreme anger, followed by a howl.

"..." Ansel's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he pulled out the hand he had been using to stroke the puppy's head beneath the cloak. Neat rows of bite marks, some drawing blood, appeared on his wrist.

Ansel didn't get angry, but merely expressed mild surprise: "You have this much strength now... Is your recovery speed that fast?"

Seraphina, on the other hand, threw off the wolf fur cloak, gasping for breath while still curled up in Ansel's arms, as if that single bite had drained all her energy.

"Damn it... Hydral... I won't... I won't play with you anymore."

Seraphina tried to move her body away from Ansel, but he wrapped his arm around her waist.

The young Hydral enjoyed the shape and feel of the young wolf's waist, which appeared delicate and fragile but was actually firm and strong.

"... Do as you please." Seraphina, giving up resistance, lowered her head and sat on his lap, "I'm exhausted... You heartless man."

Her head rested against Ansel's chest, her tone slightly aggrieved.

"After all, it's a punishment. It wouldn't be called a punishment if it were heartwarming." Ansel twirled Seraphina's short hair with his fingers, discovering another lovely aspect of the young wolf.

"So... that's why I'm enduring it!"

Seraphina couldn't help but punch Ansel again, her weak blow landing on his shoulder: "Otherwise, you'd see me... fighting you all the time."

Seraphina Marlowe always made mistakes, even the same ones repeatedly.

But she never made excuses for her foolishness and errors, just as Ansel always forgave her. No matter how "harsh" Ansel's punishments were, Seraphina always accepted them obediently.

"So, my dear Seraphina, do you know where you went wrong?"

Ansel rested his chin on Seraphina's head, asking softly.

"I went wrong... Don't press on me! I'm already exhausted!" Seraphina pushed Ansel's chin away, "I went wrong by not crippling those two bastards first!"

"Close." Ansel lifted his chin with a smile, "But not enough. You went wrong by not being fully prepared for your actions, which ultimately led to this outcome, forcing me to clean up after you."

"... Are you serious?" Seraphina stared for two seconds, "I thought you'd tell me not to steal."

"What? Now you think I'm some kind of decent, good person?"

The young Hydral laughed at his foolish little wolf: "You don't usually see me that way, Seraphina."

"I... I just... You don't understand!" Seraphina weakly defended herself, "You said it yourself in the cell, not to indulge me in recklessness... Weren't those your words?"

"Your understanding of my 'recklessness' is somewhat skewed, Seraphina."

Ansel gently stroked Seraphina's back, making the increasingly exhausted girl feel slightly more comfortable: "The mistake you made back then was due to your senseless venting of anger and using power you shouldn't have."

"That's what I consider recklessness."

"But if." He lifted Seraphina's chin, forcing her to look into his eyes, devoid of any mockery or teasing, and spoke with utmost seriousness:

"If you have a goal, a purpose, and are truly determined to do something, and take action for it, I will approve of everything you do."

"As long as you know what you're doing and what you want."

In those sea-blue eyes brewed pure tenderness:

"Then, in my eyes, you are innocent."

"..."

Seraphina, gazing into Ansel's eyes, couldn't help but tremble.

She involuntarily averted her gaze, falling silent for a while before whispering: "Even if... even if I'm opposing you?"

"If that's what you want." Ansel smiled, "Then continue to oppose me."

"I've accepted you, Seraphina. From the moment we signed that pact, I've considered you my sibling, a part of me."

He leaned his chin on Seraphina's shoulder, completely relaxed and unguarded: "So I'm willing to forgive everything you do, and I'll never lie to you."

Seraphina felt the warmth beside her cheek.

It was a different kind of warmth from Ansel's fiery chest… a somewhat ethereal sense of comfort and peace.

This warmth reignited the passionate flames in her heart that she had been trying to suppress.

Today's Hydral was different.

He reminded her of the snowy night when she and her parents and sister sat around the fireplace, chatting until they fell asleep, and her mother covered her with a blanket.

In Seraphina's not-so-long and not-so-eventful sixteen years of life, only her family had shown her such tenderness and patience. Even her family… had never been as genuinely free of anger and resentment towards her as Ansel had been.

She had endured countless angers and hatreds, and the raging flames in her heart never subsided. She despised most of the world, and the world rarely offered her kindness and warmth.

In just a short time, Hydral had given her a feeling she couldn't refuse or resist.

A feeling of understanding, caring, and empathizing with her, of absolute tolerance and kindness, a feeling she wanted to immerse herself in forever.

A feeling more real than anything else: a sense of belonging.

"Hey, I mean... Hydral." 

Seraphina no longer resisted Ansel's touch, speaking softly.

"What is it?" Ansel responded gently.

"In the future..." Young wolf hesitated for a long time before finally biting her lip and whispering somewhat shyly:

"In the future, don't deceive people anymore… As long as you're honest and upright... no matter what you want, I'll help you, and I promise not to oppose you anymore, alright?"

Her cheeks grew hotter and redder, and as she spoke, the clumsy yet determined girl weakly wrapped her arms around Ansel's waist.

But there was no response; all she received was silence.

"You really... really never lie to me." 

The inhuman physique rapidly neutralized the neurotoxin from the Sting at a terrifying speed. In contrast, an increasingly intense sense of fatigue dominated Seraphina's body, causing her eyelids to gradually droop and her body to weaken.

"At this moment, even if you lied to me... wouldn't it be... less... bothersome?"

She gently, gently bumped Ansel's chest.

"I'm sorry, I can't do that, Seraphina."

"Damn it... pervert, freak... go to hell..."

The girl, who could no longer hear Ansel's words, weakly vented her final dissatisfaction as she succumbed to overwhelming exhaustion, resting her head on Ansel's shoulder and falling into a deep sleep.

"Hydral... Ansel..."

The no longer angry young wolf murmured softly in her sleep:

"If you were a good person... if you were kinder to me..."

"How wonderful… that would be."

Ansel picked up Seraphina and placed her on the soft, warm bed, gently covering her with a blanket. He sat beside her, silently gazing at her delicate, pitiable sleeping face.

His expression changed noticeably, a vivid emotional fluctuation that rarely appeared on Ansel's face.

The young man's fingers lightly touched the girl's tender cheek, appearing both hesitant to touch and to withdraw.

After a long time, he seemed to make up his mind and withdrew his hand.

"Good and evil, right and wrong... under the watchful eye of that merciless fate, what difference does it make, Seraphina?"

Hydral whispered softly, "You will eventually understand this, and I will make you understand."

The indifference in his eyes devoured any warmth that might have once existed.