Chapter 15 : In Pursuit of The Wolf Witch Part 5

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Thinking of meeting the Freezing King made me terrified but when I remembered he was a big dog lover, I felt a sense of kinship with him. 

“Come to think of it, Melodia, you did mention you had a dog before, right?”

“Yes.”

“Fulmoff, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“After Fulmoff, you never thought of getting another dog?”

“Fulmoff is my family and he’s my one and only dog I consider as family. When your family is gone, you don’t think of getting a new one, don’t you? That’s how important Fulmoff was to me.”

“I see. I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“Ah, no…. I mean, I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Oh, I see. Well, please don’t worry about it.”

Fulmoff was my one and only beloved dog. Maybe not many people had the same mindset as me but I just couldn’t bring myself to have any other dog than Fulmoff. 

“Melodia is supposed to be a dog lover but I guess that’s the reason why you haven’t fallen for my charm yet.”

“Even if you’re a dog or not, it’s not like I will say yes to everything you said.”

“I like that firm part of you as well.”

“Why, thank you very much.”

I couldn’t return Dietrich-sama’s love proclamation. For now, the only thing I could do was appreciate his feeling with a thank you.

And so, while we were spending our time chattering like this, we finally arrived at the royal castle. Although Dietrich-sama went to the castle in the form of a dog, he was treated as a guest of honor. As the king’s favorite dog, people were staring at him with respect. They didn’t treat him like just any ordinary dog. 

This place was a strange one indeed! The knight led us down the long, long hallway. The walls were practically spotless, it was shining like a pearl even. Portraits of the past generation queens adorned the walls and I couldn’t stop myself from letting out a sigh of amazement everytime I looked up. 

We went up the stairs and once again, we went through another long hallway. At the end of this long hallway, there was the king’s office. It seemed although their schedule was jam packed, they still took their time to have a tea party. 

I stood in front of the big door, breathing in and out but I still couldn’t calm myself down. Suddenly, I felt a soft and fluffy sensation. I glanced down and saw Dietrich-sama rubbing his cheeks against my hand. He looked up and gave me a determined gaze. It was as if he was trying to tell me everything would be alright and there was nothing to be worried about. In just a second, I could feel my nervousness dissipated from Dietrich-sama’s wordless encouragement. 

The door was opened, the time for me to meet the king had finally arrived. It seemed His Majesty was still finishing his official duty but because of the backlight coming from the window, I couldn’t catch a glance of his visage. We went inside and the door was immediately closed behind us. Only after that Dietrich-sama began to talk. 

“It’s been a while, uncle.”

“Oooh! Dietrich!”

His Majesty stood up from his seat and walked toward Dietrich-sama.

This was the first time I actually met with the king. He appeared to be in his mid 50s. He had gray hair and sharp eyes. The wrinkles around his eyes looked very apparent and he had a sharp nose bridge. Completed with the curly upturned beard of his, he looked like a very dignified man. The name ‘Freezing King’ really suited him. He gave me the impression of someone ruthless, without any ounce of human compassion-

“What a good boy! Oh yes, you are a good boy! Such a good boy!”

“U-Uncle….”

The moment His Majesty stood in front of Dietrich-sama, his stiff face broke into a smile. He crouched down and began to pet Dietrich-sama adoringly while muttering what a good boy Dietrich-sama was. 

Is this… Is this really that fearsome Freezing King? No matter how you look at him now, he looks like an ordinary dog loving uncle. 

He must have really liked dogs. His eyes were squinting together, almost looking as thin as a thread as he stroked Dietrich-sama’s fur. On the other hand, Dietrich-sama had a far-away look on his eyes. 

“Excuse me, uncle.”

‘What is it, my cute little thing?”

“I have a companion with me today.”

“!!!!”

The moment His Majesty understood what Dietrich-sama was talking about, he flinched back. After that, he slowly stood up. He stroked his beard, adjusting them properly and cleared his throat a few times before he looked at me. 

“I didn’t realize you were here. My apologies.”

I bowed my body just like a lady in return.

“Dietrich, introduce her to me.”

“Yes. This is Melodia Nonoire.”

“Nonoire, you said?”

His Majesty muttered and then, he made an expression that practically said,”OH NO!” for a split second but Dietrich-sama didn’t miss it. 

“Uncle, the details regarding his parents’ incident are only available to you. Why is that?”

“Th-That’s-”

“Melodia, she wants to know what happened. She’s the immediate family member of the victims. I believe she has the right to know.”

Dietrich-sama bowed his head before His Majesty the king, begging for his request to be heard. 

“I beg you, please. Will you please tell us what happened? I also want to know. Is this case related to the Wolf Witch? Or not?”

His Majesty kept his lips tightly shut, not letting a single sound out. Then I also kneeled beside Dietrich-sama. I bowed my head until my forehead touched the floor. 

“Your Majesty, please.”

“Melodia, you don’t need to go that far.”

Dietrich-sama said that to me but I doubt I would get another chance to meet with the king. This might be my only chance, that was why I was so desperate. I begged the king so desperately and earnestly. Knowing he wouldn’t be able to stop me, Dietrich-sama also got down on his knees and bowed his head.