By Zephyria 
My arms and legs, which had been running non-stop alone without a carriage to avoid leaving traces, felt as though they were drooping all the way to the end of the earth due to accumulated fatigue, even when I was still. But Carlisle didn’t stop. Rather, he became even more sensitive.
The distance from Graham’s townhouse to Count Hamilton’s residence was nothing compared to the journey from the north to the capital. My heart was pounding. A throb filled with excitement rang out, infusing new strength into my tired head and body.
“……”
Late at night, or rather, early in the morning, just as dawn was about to break. Carlisle took a moment to catch his breath, hiding his presence in a large ornamental tree planted like a painting. In his cautious view, the front gate of the Hamilton mansion, which he had become accustomed to, stood firm. The faces of the two soldiers guarding the firmly closed gate were full of sleepiness. Superficially, it was a lax security posture.
Well, considering that the external strife had almost ended and the capital was peaceful, who would dare to invade the mansion where the Crown Prince’s prospective fiancée, who was at the pinnacle of power, resided? This level of security would be sufficient. But as always, everything is more than it seems. The security of the Hamilton mansion was the same. The presences of those hiding in unseen places and guarding every corner of the mansion were all skilled beyond a certain level. Carlisle Graham felt it vividly, as if he could grasp it in his hand.
If it hadn’t been for the help of the magician who had decided to join forces, it would have been difficult to even deliver a letter to him once a week.
What should I do…? Carlisle pondered carefully. It wouldn’t be difficult to simply defeat them and enter. But the current goal wasn’t to invade the enemy camp and behead the enemy. Half of those guarding the mansion were knights carefully raised by Andrew Hamilton and Frederick Hamilton to protect Noah Hamilton’s safety, and the other half were the Crown Prince’s henchmen, whom the suspicious Crown Prince had personally pushed in. He didn’t want to harm the former if he could help it, and he knew that touching the latter would only create more trouble.
…I can’t help it. I wanted to greet him as cheerfully as possible in a neat appearance, since it’s been a while.
He sighed softly and concentrated. His five senses, which had already far surpassed the level of ordinary humans, once again crossed that boundary. His eye level lowered. The muscles in his limbs tensed. The strong scent of roses began to permeate the tip of his nose.
Tap, tap.
A small noise, too small for anyone to hear, brushed through the garden of the Count’s residence.
“…Hmm? Just now, was that some kind of wind…?”
“Are you dreaming on your feet? What wind?”
“Hehe, is that so? I must have felt something in my sleep.”
The large beast, resembling pitch-black darkness, easily deceived everyone’s attention and climbed the outer wall of the mansion. Click, the window opens.
“…Eung.”
In the room he entered, one person was sleeping soundly, unaware that someone had broken in. The greedy beast smiled inwardly. The innocent face of his beloved, sleeping peacefully. Ah, it was indeed a sight worth all this effort.
\
Strangely, the sensation on my cheek was soft. Did Nicole change the bedding to something else while I was sleeping? I should give him a compliment when I wake up. The warm and soft sensation that wrapped around my body was so satisfying. If I kept my eyes closed while buried in it, I felt like I could sleep forever.
While I was half-asleep and lost in such thoughts, I suddenly heard a hot panting sound near my ear.
…Panting?
“……!”
The moment I realized that, my eyes automatically snapped open. I jumped up as if bouncing away, but alas. Before I could even fully raise my body, my waist was pulled down again. Wrapped in an overly familiar, luscious, and soft… long wolf tail.
“Ca…!”
I reflexively clamped my mouth shut, about to shout, Carlisle! The room was safe, but I didn’t know who might be listening outside the door.
“Hek, hek hek…!”
As if he had guessed correctly, or as if he was glad, the beast’s panting sound tickled my ear once more.
“No way… Is this not a dream…?”
Unable to believe it, I tried to pinch my cheek, but this time, he was one step faster. A warm tongue touched my face before my fingers could. And then, as if grooming me, he licked me very meticulously.
“Okay, okay, I get it, st, stop!”
I muffled my voice as much as possible and barely stopped the beast, who was innocently excited. The tail that had been pulling my waist was now wagging like a propeller.
“What is this… No, when did you arrive in the capital? I heard that the Crown Prince hasn’t yet granted permission to enter Graham.”
The tail still wagged innocently.
“…Don’t tell me, just? Without permission?”
Swish, swish.
“…….”
Swish, swish.
It must be my imagination, right? It must be. The corners of the wolf’s mouth, who was innocently wagging his tail, seemed to be slightly raised.
First of all, I had to get him to understand me before I could ask or demand anything… I was about to scold him to turn back into a human right away.
“……!”
The wolf, with his ears perked up, suddenly jumped away from me without me even having a chance to react, and then skillfully crumpled his large body and disappeared as if he was being stuffed under the bed. No sooner had the shadow of his dark, shaggy tail disappeared without a trace than I heard a knock, knock. And then, without a moment’s rest, the door burst open, with Nicole saying, “Young Master, it’s me.”
“Oh? What brings you here today? Did you have another nightmare?”
“…No. I just woke up early. Did you sleep well, Nicole?”
Oh, my heart. While answering as if nothing was wrong, my heart was pounding. Nicole, who had opened the curtains and half-opened the window for ventilation and then approached me, wiped my face and neck with a warm, damp towel, wearing a somewhat suspicious expression.
“Hmm… That’s strange, isn’t this cold sweat? You’re not lying again because you don’t want to worry me, are you?”
“No, no. I was just a little hot. That’s why I woke up early.”
“Oh my. Really? Then I’ll change the bedding to something lighter. It’s about time to change it anyway.”
After nodding and finishing his words, Nicole told me about the schedule for today and immediately asked if I wanted to have a meal. I shook my chin from side to side. There was still plenty of time until the next schedule, and…
“I want to sleep a little more. Can you wake me up in three hours? I’ll have the meal in the bedroom then.”
“Yes, I understand.”
First of all, I had to deal with that worrywart who had settled under the bed somehow.
I told them that I wanted to sleep deeply without being disturbed since I had woken up early, and ordered all the guards near my room to move at least 100 meters away. Since I wasn’t going out anywhere and was just sleeping in the room, Nicole followed the instructions without complaint. Since my position as the Crown Prince’s prospective fiancée was formalized, I had been having a headache because of the guards who were always hanging around. When I talked to Lennox, he would take care of it without me even having to say anything, so I didn’t have to worry about it.
“Okay, come out now.”
“Woof!”
It was impossible to expect Carlisle, who was a wolf but cutely barking like a puppy, to do that.
“You should have given me a warning before coming. If you had, I would have prepared to welcome you, or rather, what if the Crown Prince finds out!”
“Whimper, whimper…”
The house-sized wolf crawled out from under the bed and looked up at me with a pitiful expression, whimpering. I don’t know why I found that so funny. The room I was currently using was originally Andrew’s room as the Little Count, so the bed was twice as high and large as the one I used to use. If that wasn’t the case, Carlisle wouldn’t have been able to crawl in and hide underneath like this. Eventually, I burst out laughing. If the Crown Prince found out, how much trouble would he be in? It looked like he had come alone with difficulty, and I wondered if it would be a problem that he had strained his injured body like this… There were still so many things I wanted to say.
“Okay, come here. I’m glad to see you too… I’m glad…”
“Whim, whimper.”
“Show me your face quickly. I missed you too.”
The ripe longing overcame all the worries. I hugged the face of the beast, whose ferocious fangs were aggressively showing their presence. Large front paws with retracted claws rested on my back. The fur of the beast that was hugging my whole body was just soft and endlessly warm.
“…Carlisle.”
When I called his name, his gray eyes smiled brightly. I called him again, Carlisle.
“Yes, Noah.”
“…….”
“I… missed you very much too.”
Finally, the affectionate voice returned.
“So deeply that I couldn’t bear it unless I rushed over like this.”
It was my Carlisle.