Chapter 8: Sudden Marriage Proposal – Part 3 

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I had asked the same question earlier but my memory was hazy at best so I asked him again for confirmation. If the Fenrir family had beastman blood flowing through them, then it made sense how my parents could come in contact with the head of the Fenrir family of that time. 

But to my surprise, Dietrich-sama’s answer was a ‘no’. 

“I’m not a beastman. I was cursed by the ‘Wolf Witch’ so I’m stuck in this form all day long. The Wolf Witch is a malicious entity who uses wolves for her sinister purposes.”

“Witch, you said?”

“Yes.”

When I heard the word ‘witch’, my heart began to pound furiously with bad feelings. It must be because I remembered the message from my late parents, beware of witches. 

Maybe my parents were killed by the Wolf Witch?

That thought crossed my mind. I felt a sudden chill in my stomach and I became dizzy. 

“Melodia, are you alright?”

“Ye-Yes.”

I shook my head, trying to clear my head. 

“My apologies. Please continue your story.”

Dietrich-sama then began to slowly tell me his story. 

“Our house, the Fenrir family, had been fighting against the Wolf Witch for a thousand years already. The Fenrir Knight is also a private knight unit dedicated to bringing the Wolf Witch down.”

“I-Is that so…”

The kidnapping case and the search for the missing person that the Fenrir Knight solved were actually cases that involved the Wolf Witch. 

“It pains me to say it but unfortunately my father was killed by the Wolf Witch.”

“So that was what happened…”

“And then-… No, it’s nothing.”

Dietrich-sama was about to say something but he stopped. He looked like he was in great pain just by mentioning it so I didn’t question it any further. 

“The wolves used by the Wolf Witch were originally human beings. The witch cursed them, turned them into a wolf and forced them to do her bidding.”

“So the people who went missing and were about to get kidnapped, were the people who almost fell prey to the Wolf Witch’s evil deed?”

“That’s right. If you’re lucky, the Wolf Witch is going to only turn you into a wolf but if you’re not… The Wolf Witch might eat you alive. The Wolf Witch is definitely an unforgivable existence.”

A shiver ran through me. I had no idea incidents like those would be happening behind the scenes of the peaceful royal capital. 

“Umm… So the Wolf Witch still keeps doing her evil deeds over and over again?”

“As for that, I’m not entirely sure either.”

“……..”

For a thousand years, the Wolf Witch had been turning people into wolves to enslave them and ate their flesh alive. It seemed Duke Fenrir had been waging a lonely and long war against the Wolf Witch for generations. 

“As of now, there are only two people in the First Cavalry Unit. My younger brother and I.”

“I see…”

“Yes. My father, my uncles and my cousins… They are all already dead.”

“Is that so…”

“I will introduce you to my younger brother. Gilbert!”

The door opened the moment called for his younger brother’s name. A young man who looked like he was in his 20s with short, gray hair and blue eyes entered the room. His back was so straight that you’d thought he had some sort of stick on his back. He slightly gave off the sense of innocence, maybe due to his droopy eyes. His face looked well defined and somehow he gave off the impression of someone who was straight-laced. 

“This is my younger brother and the second in command of the First Cavalry Unit, Gilbert.”

“Nice to meet you, my name is Gilbert. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“Nice to meet you, my name is Melodia. Please treat me well.”

He greeted me politely so I also offered the same courtesy to him. 

“Gilbert, this is Melodia Nonoire. She’s the new member of the First Cavalry Unit and also my fiancée.”

The unexpected introduction startled me. I quickly corrected Dietrich-sama so no one would misunderstand. 

“Wait a minute! I haven’t accepted your proposal yet!”

“What?”

“What did you say?”

Both Dietrich-sama and Gilbert-sama reacted simultaneously. 

“How dare you refuse my marriage proposal?”

“How dare you refuse my brother’s marriage proposal?”

“I’m truly grateful for the honor but the marriage proposal came out of the blue so I’m feeling troubled because of it.”

Both of the Fenrir brothers looked flabbergasted at my answer. 

“I don’t really know how the marriage between nobles works but for us, commoner, we need to establish an emotional connection and get to know each other first before we marry one another.”

“If that’s the case then the solution is simple. You just need to establish an emotional connection with me.”

“Yes. Once you know how wonderful my big brother is, you can’t help but want to get married to him.”

…. Just what’s with these very positive brothers? 

I almost couldn’t stop myself from saying that outloud. 

“Umm.. In the first place, I heard you were having trouble with the onslaught of suitors coming your way so I thought you didn’t want to get married?”

Besides, I’m a commoner. There’s no way I could be allowed to marry such an influential noble like him. Not only is he from the Fenrir family, he’s also the current head of the family. 

“If it’s with Melodia, then I want to get married. I’m the head of the family. Who dares to go against my decision?”

“If it’s the woman that my brother chooses, then I’m sure she’s the right one.”

“………….”

I really couldn’t get any decent answer from them. 

“But why me? You must have plenty of beautiful women from good families to choose from.”

“Tha-That’s……… The moment I met Melodia, the desire to marry just exploded in my heart.”

“Brother, that feeling is called ‘fate’.”

“………..”

Isn’t that called love at first sight? Though I’m not really sure myself. 

“She suddenly hugged me so I thought Melodia also wanted to marry me.”

“Suddenly hugging someone of the opposite gender is basically an act of courting.”

“……..”

I deeply apologize for that. Really, I truly regretted my action. 

“Umm… Actually, Dietrich-sama looked similar to a dog I used to have.”

“The one you called ‘Fulmoff’?”

“Yes.”

“Was he someone important to you?”

“Yes. Even now, I still hold him dear to my heart.”

“Then starting as a beloved pet dog is fine by me. I still want you to consider a relationship with me on the premise of marriage.”

“………..”

Starting a relationship from a beloved dog stage. It was the first time I ever heard of such a relationship. It was really a brand new thing for me. 

“I’m not going to force you to agree.”

When he looked at me with a dejected look like that, it made me feel like I had done something terrible to him. However, at times like these, I needed to be firm. I couldn’t display any behavior that made people mistake my intention. 

“Umm, it pains me to say this but-”

Dietrich-sama’s eyes became moist with unshed tears. That sight immediately pierced my heart. How could I decline the wish of such an adorable dog like him? 

“Umm… Putting the ‘beloved dog’ part aside, please treat me well from now on.”

“Why of course!”

“Please treat me well.”

And so, I started associating myself with the Fenrir brothers. 

“By the way, there’s one thing I would like to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Have you ever heard of a family called Lou Garou?”

“No, I never heard anything about them.”

“I see…”

“What is a Lou Garou?”

Gilbert-sama was the one who answered Dietrich-sama’s question. 

“Brother, Lou Garou is a wolf beastman family. They’re a family that will turn into a wolf when exposed to the magic power of the moon.”

“I see. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard about them. So, what’s the matter with them?”

“No, I was just curious if Lou Garou has some sort of connection with the Wolf Witch.”

“There’s no connection between them but you’ve piqued my interest. I will look into them for a bit.”

Only the previous head of the family had studied about the wolf beastman and they never heard anything special about it. But it was thanks to my beastman blood that I could come under the Fenrir Knight’s wing. Perhaps this was also a guidance bestowed from my parents in heaven. I thanked both of my parents from the bottom of my heart. 

I tried to tell them about my wolf transformation but it was difficult for me to put those words in my mouth. I didn’t know why but whenever I tried to speak, this anxiety in my heart suddenly became stronger, making me unable to speak. 

For the time being, I should keep my mouth shut for today. 

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T/N: Well it’s understandable. Being a beastman comes with a very huge negative stereotype in that world. Being cursed into a dog is different than being a beastman and not to mention, they don’t know each other long enough.