KFBRV Ch 92

Before the rain fully subsided, Zion summoned his carriage. He intended to let the bloodless Odette find some measure of rest.

She must be in shock.

After a long, heavy silence, the woman spoke, her voice thick with exhaustion.

[Odette] "Did you report the truth about my parents to His Majesty the Emperor?"

[Zion] "No. Only you and I know."

[Odette] "Do you plan to?"

[Zion] "Not at all."

He grappled with a simmering anxiety—a fear that his feelings might be something as pointlessly grand as "love."

He and Odette shared a history of hatred, an "impure" connection. His meticulous nature dictated that one couldn't harbor the filthiest desires and the purest affections for the same person.

He had tried to label it as mere lust. Impure feelings belonged with other impure feelings.

But the conclusion he had reached—that he was her only answer—clarified everything. Whether this was love or lust no longer mattered.

If it were Odette, he didn't mind the filth. He didn't mind the confusion. Placing the most pristine thing alongside the most debased no longer made him gag.

[Odette] "......Is it alright not to report this to the Emperor?"

[Zion] "It is better to keep information from a man like Gregory. That dimwit thinks the appearance of three S-class Transcendents during his reign is a personal achievement."

[Odette] "Are you...... insane? Is the Emperor your friend?"

Her eyes widened, and she scanned the carriage interior frantically.

[Odette] "How can you speak his name so casually? Calling him a dimwit? Someone might hear, and I'll lose my head for insulting the Imperial family!"

[Zion] "We are inside a carriage. Who exactly is listening?"

[Odette] "You are the Emperor's watchdog. How can you be so insolent toward—"

[Zion] "Isn't 'watchdog' more insolent? Especially to my face. At least I use formal speech in front of Gregory."

[Odette] "Ah...... my apologies. It slipped out."

She seemed less intimidated by him now than during their first encounter or their spat over the handkerchief.

Zion usually loathed hearing others call him a "watchdog," yet hearing it from her felt acceptable—a sign that she was becoming comfortable with him.

A chuckle, a sound foreign even to his own ears, bubbled up.

Let it be a dirty love. He could live with love and hate, love and desire, existing in the same space.

It was laughable that he had once feared this murky mass of emotion would destroy him.

Logic always triumphed over love, and love over desire. No emotion could ever actually harm the most brilliant Marquis in the history of the Kleist line.

[Zion] "Nothing good comes from reporting this. Gregory lacks both intelligence and character, but he excels at political maneuvering. If he finds a weakness, he'll find a way to exploit it."

He suppressed his smile and reached for a cigar, a reflex he quickly aborted. He remembered the reports of her weak lungs and the way she had once coughed up blood.

[Zion] "Do you know the last task the Emperor gave his watchdog? He ordered me to kill the victims of Corporal Marco, the man I caught."

[Odette] "What?"

[Zion] "He claimed his dignity would suffer if the man he awarded the highest medal turned out to be a blackmailer. I found five victims, and he ordered their executions."

[Odette] "Even for an Emperor...... that is......"

[Zion] "I had to find twelve more before he finally stripped Marco of his title."

[Odette] "......I understand. He deserves the name you gave him."

[Zion] "Indeed."

He looked at her bewildered expression and laughed inwardly again.

Odette asked to be taken to the cargo storage at the port of Athena Island. He obliged, escorting her to the very edge of the docks.

[Zion] "......Are you looking for something? Why did you want to come—"

He stepped out of the carriage and froze, his brow furrowing. A familiar, revolting scent of a wolf hung heavy around the Köndel carriage.

[Zion] "This smell...... it's that wolf cub."

[Odette] "I trust you will keep this secret. I need him for my revenge."

[Zion] "I heard the slave escaped the Albrecht manor."

He placed a fresh cigar between his lips, a spike of irritation blooming. He struck a match, looking at the woman before him, he couldn't bring himself to light it. He spat the unlit cigar onto the ground and crushed it under his boot.

To wash away this wolf stench, he needed a deep, lung-filling pull of tobacco, but he was stuck.

His mood soured instantly.

Odette was currently sliding a key into the lock of the Köndel cargo carriage.

What does Viscount Köndel have to do with this? Is there another man helping her?

He knew the man masquerading as the Viscount in social circles was a fraud. He hadn't cared because the Köndel family was insignificant, but if that handsome face were connected to Odette, the situation changed.

[Zion] "Does that slave treat you well?"

[Odette] "What?"

[Zion] "You said you liked his face. Is he your favorite pet for the bedroom?"

Frustration flashed in her teal eyes. Her gaze screamed: What disgusting thoughts are you having? You wretched bastard.

He felt a wave of relief at the expression. At least she wasn't using the wolf for that.

[Odette] "Nothing of the sort. Karl is a precious existence to me."

The relief vanished, and his mood hit rock bottom again. He glared at Karl, who was currently staring back with lethal intent.

So, her hand was behind that dog's escape all along.

[Zion] "And here I thought I was the only one you communed with through revenge. I thought I was your only answer."

The petty words tumbled out before he could stop them. She replied with cool indifference.

[Odette] "That is correct. Only the two of us have shared such experiences."

She was being careless with her words, yet Zion's irritation vanished at her affirmation. He felt like a mangy cur, pathetically desperate for a scrap of his master's affection.

A momentary sting of self-loathing hit him.

[Odette] "Since that is the case, I have a request, Your Excellency."

Even now, his attention remained fixed on her hands as she adjusted the light restraints on Karl's wrists.

[Odette] "Ensure the Emperor doesn't sense Karl's Transcendent pressure."

[Zion] "......Why bother?"

[Odette] "Everyone finds his aura unsettling. Like a beast. I need the Emperor for today's plan, and it will be troublesome if he fears Karl."

It was a logical concern. The strength of a Fenrir clan head usually rivaled a B-class Transcendent. Karl, however, surpassed that. He possessed the crushing pressure of an S-class.

All Transcendents were born with a talent for suppressing their aura—an instinct developed because of Purifiers. Because Purifiers were as fragile as commoners, Transcendents learned to hide their power to avoid frightening them.

But this wolf cub has never felt the need to hide.

Suppressing such massive pressure required effort and experience. This beast had spent his life without needing either.

Yet, he hides it in front of Odette.

Compared to the look in the wolf's eyes when the slave brand was burned into his back, he was currently quite restrained. That specific deference grated on Zion's nerves more than anything.

[Zion] "I shall do it. But you must step away, Odette. My methods require absolute focus."

She looked suspicious, but he spun a web of sophisticated excuses. He spoke of mind control abilities and the potential psychological side effects for bystanders. He piled lie upon plausible lie until he successfully ushered her away.

Left alone with Karl, he finally lit his cigar and took a long, punishing drag.

[Zion] "Listen, mongrel. You can't control that pressure of yours, can you?"

[Karl] "......"

Zion didn't lose his composure despite the blatant silence.

[Zion] "If you can't control it, your master is going to discard you. Shall I suggest she get rid of you?"

Murderous intent flared in Karl's eyes. He remained silent, but the way he bit his lip proved he feared being abandoned.

The realization only fueled Zion's irritation. He offered a thin, mocking smile.

[Zion] "There is no way to master aura control in a single day. Especially not for someone with zero social graces. People like you take much longer to learn."

[Karl] "......"

[Zion] "Say it. Say, 'Please teach me.'"

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