Chapter 16 : In Pursuit of The Wolf Witch Part 6

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Looking at the scene before him, His Majesty sighed. He knew he didn’t have any other choice. 

“Up until now, I’ve been keeping my lips shut because of the promise I made with my younger brother.”

“With father? Why?”

“I promised him that I won’t tell you, Dietrich, the incident related to the Wolf Witch.”

“!!!”

I was at a loss for words, just like Dietrich-sama. As I suspected, my parents were killed by the Wolf Witch. I held my chest as my heart throbbed in pain. My vision became distorted, it felt like I was going to lose my consciousness any second now but then, I was pulled back to reality by a supporting figure beside me. 

“Melodia, it’s alright. I’m right here.”

“Dietrich-sama…”

“For the time being, you should lean against me.”

“Yes.”

“If it’s too painful for you, we can listen about this incident another day. We can meet with the king anytime you’re ready.”

“Dietrich-sama… What a discourteous thing to say….”

I rested my body against Dietrich-sama and began to slowly, slowly breathe. As I felt Dietrich-sama’s warmth against me, I could feel the pain dissipated. After I regained my composure, we finally started to hear the story in detail. 

“As you’ve already know, the Fenrir family has been chasing after the Wolf Witch for a long time already──”

Dietrich-sama’s father also died at the hand of the Wolf Witch. 

“My younger brother, he already had his heart set out to pursue the Wolf Witch but… He didn’t want his son, Dietrich, to walk the same path as him.”

With each incident with the Wolf Witch, the hatred the Fenrir family bore against the Wolf Witch grew even stronger. 

“He told me how he began to lose what was important to him as a human as he kept on pursuing the Wolf Witch.”

“…………”

Dietrich-sama hung his head down, as if he understood what the king meant. 

“So at the very least, he wanted every incident related to the Wolf Witch that was handled by the Royal Knight to be hidden from the public.”

“Uncle… I see, so that’s why.”

“Dietrich and Melodia-sama too, my apologies.”

Had I known the perpetrator was the Wolf Witch, I must be burning with the flame of vengeance by now. I guess, it was a good thing the details of the incident were hidden from me.

Of course. Even now, I still felt like I couldn’t forgive the Wolf Witch but still, my opponent  was someone the Fenrir family couldn’t defeat even after fighting against them for thousands of years. Now that I already knew what kind of opponent the Wolf Witch was, the flame of vengeance in me wasn’t burning like hell fire. Of course, it didn’t mean I had completely gotten rid of my desire for vengeance…

 “Melodia-sama, is there anything else you want to hear from me?”

“Umm… I already knew my parents and the previous head of Fenrir family knew each other but do you know what kind of relationship they really have?”

“Oh, he did mention something. He said there was this couple, the Nonoire. They came from a pretty unusual family and they had a clue on how to defeat the Wolf Witch.”

“!!!”

Dietrich-sama immediately showed a reaction to His Majesty’s words.

“And what was it?!”

“No, I don’t know about the details either….”

So my parents, the Lou Garou family, hold the key to defeat the Wolf Witch?

That must be why they killed my parents. It seemed Dietrich-sama also didn’t know about this fact. 

“Melodia, have you heard anything from your parents?”

“No….. In the letter my parents left for me, they only wrote that I need to be wary of the witch.”

“I see….”

“Umm… Dietrich-sama. Maybe there’s a clue left behind in my parents’ belongings. Would you like to look further into it?”

“Is it really alright for you?”

“Yes. Although I said ‘belongings’, they all can fit into a single bag.”

There were my parents’ diaries, my father’s tool as a shoemaker, my mother’s sewing box, a few books and a map but I didn’t recall there was any clue on how to defeat the Wolf Witch between them. 

. 

“I’ve brought everything with me to the mansion.”

“Thank you, Melodia.”

“No, I’m not really sure myself the thing I brought can be of any help in the first place.”

When my conversation with Dietrich-sama stopped, I realized the king had been staring at me. Flustered, I immediately straightened my posture and bowed at the king. 

“Uncle, I’m sorry. I got too carried away.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Nevertheless, it’s really a delightful thing to see such a lovely young lady beside Dietrich.”

At His Majesty’s remark, Dietrich-sama immediately jumped into the subject. 

“That’s right! Uncle, so you understand how lovely Melodia is too!”

Just.. What is he talking about? Though I can’t snap back since the king himself also said I was ‘lovely’. 

Feeling embarrassed, I drank down my black tea, which had since long cooled down, to cool my flushed face. 

“All these years, I’ve never even seen a glimpse of a woman beside you and now, you’re stuck in this appearance. It made me wonder, will I ever get to see you marry someone…? Dietrich, do you have any thought of getting married?”

“I want to marry Melodia.”

I almost spilled the tea in my mouth. Just what was he talking about in front of His Majesty?!

“Oh… I see. Well, you guys really look good together.”

I couldn’t feel happy knowing I looked good with a dog. Just what was going on with His Majesty’s eyes exactly?

“So Dietrich, when are you going to marry her?”

“She already politely rejected me.”

“Huh?!”

“Melodia has no intention of marrying me.”

“Wh-What? She refused to marry a lovely and wonderfully chivalrous young man like you?!”

His Majesty’s eyes widened as he stared at me in disbelief. 

“Melodia-sama, just what part of Dietrich do you not like? His lovely ears? Or is it his fluffy fur?  Or his irresistible tail that you just can’t help but to rub your cheeks against?”

“…………………… No, it’s not about his appearance. Well, I do find his appearance to be lovely too.”

“I know, right? Then is it his personality? Maybe you don’t like how overly confident he is and how he can be a little bit pushy?”

“…. No, it’s not because of his personality. Dietrich-sama, he is…Umm, he’s a very kind person.”

“Then why do you not want to marry him?”

“First, I’m just an ordinary commoner. I don’t know the manner or the etiquette in high society. We won’t look good together.”

“I don’t really care about your parentage. I’m sure Dietrich already told you the same. I’ve seen many men marrying a woman for a political marriage and they’re not living a happy married life. That’s why I think the most important thing in marriage is love. Of course, you can’t keep a marriage with love alone but I’m sure the Fenrir family has the capability to make the marriage between someone they love happen.”

The Fenrir family didn’t really participate in the gathering of high society and they didn’t really mind anyone’s lineage. That was why I was told to not be worried about my commoner blood either. But still, that was not the biggest reason why I couldn’t marry Dietrich-sama. 

Everyone I loved, they all disappeared from my life. I was afraid if I were to marry someone, I would eventually be left alone again. I couldn’t lie to His Majesty and so, I told him the reason outright. 

“So you’re planning to live the rest of your life all by yourself?”

“That’s the most painless way for me.”

“……………….”

The mood then turned somewhat gloomy.

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