“So the rumors were true,” Ophelia gasped.
“You’re the last Phoenix.”
“Yes?” Vivianne tilted her head.
[Ding!]
[Host has activated (Flame Brand). Husband Status is now available.]
Vivianne’s eyes immediately lit up.
Husband Status?
That might be useful.
She mentally opened the new menu, and the moment she did, everything around her stopped.
Ophelia froze mid-breath, the flames in the hearth stopped flickering, and even a tiny piece of ash suspended in the air remained perfectly still.
Vivianne slowly waved a hand in front of Ophelia’s face.
Nothing.
“What?”
She turned slowly, taking in the frozen den.
Did the System just pause the entire world?
She had never opened the menu in front of anyone before.
Now she knew what happened whenever she did.
“Let’s check it out.”
[Husband Status]
[Name: Oswald Theodolf]
[Race: Wolf Clan
[Rank: Alpha]
[Element: Dark]
[Affection: 12/100]
[Bond: Flame Brand — Active]
[Collection: Unavailable]
Vivianne’s mouth twitched.
Twelve percent?
After everything she had just done for him?
This man sure was stingy with affection.
The system did mention that she needed to reach a certain level of affection to be able to collect a husband.
“Let’s see how much affection I need before I can adopt this oversized puppy.”
[Husband Collection Requirement: Target’s Affection must reach 30%.]
Thirty percent?
That was a lot of work for one oversized dog.
Vivianne closed the menu.
Ophelia immediately blinked.
“…and that’s why everyone in this village has been talking about you.”
She didn’t notice anything.
Interesting.
[Ding!]
[Main Story Quest Unlocked: Protect the Wolf’s Happiness]
[Reward: ???]
Protect the wolf’s happiness?
Which wolf?
The System hadn’t specified whether it meant Oswald or Ophelia.
Vivianne glanced at Ophelia.
The young woman was still staring at her with a mixture of curiosity and amazement.
Then another window appeared.
[Side Quest: A Wolf’s Heart]
[Objective: Help Ophelia pursue her true love without letting her overprotective brother interfere.]
[Reward: 50,000 Gold + ???]
[Failure Penalty: None]
Vivianne’s eyes sparkled.
Fifty thousand gold?
This was easy!
She accepted the quest without a second thought.
Besides, how difficult could helping someone fall in love be?
She just had to play Cupid.
Get two people together, give them a little push, and wait for the love to happen.
Even Cupid couldn’t have a harder job than that.
Obviously, the first step was getting to know everyone.
How else was she supposed to figure out who liked whom?
And that was why Vivianne decided to be more active around the Canavar Pack.
She joined their daily chores, offered a hand whenever someone needed it, and spent more time among the villagers.
The adults remained cautious, some watching her whenever she passed while others kept their distance.
Vivianne didn’t blame them.
A strange Phoenix suddenly appearing in their village probably wasn’t something they saw every day.
The pups, however, were another matter.
Children had always been easier to get along with.
By the afternoon, Vivianne had found herself surrounded by half a dozen pups.
She tossed a small leather ball stuffed with wool across the clearing, and the pups immediately scrambled after it.
“I got it!”
The smallest pup came running back with the ball clutched between his teeth.
“Good boy!”
Vivianne scooped him up and hugged him until he squealed.
“Again! Again!”
Vivianne laughed and threw the ball once more.
But the one who caught it wasn’t a pup now.
“You really seem to enjoy playing with them.”
Vivianne turned.
Samantha stood a few steps away with the ball in her hands.
She was wearing a polite smile.
The Elder Miles’s daughter was dressed too neatly for a casual afternoon, her posture perfect as she watched the pups crowd around Vivianne.
“They’re fun,” Vivianne said.
“I can see that.” Samantha’s smile tightened.
“They’ve certainly taken to you.”
“They have.”
Samantha reached for the ball.
“My turn.”
She tossed it toward the pups, and they scrambled after it.
The smallest one returned with it between his teeth, earning a delighted laugh from Vivianne.
“Awesome!”
Samantha threw it farther.
Vivianne ran after it with the pups and kicked it back.
Samantha caught it, then sent it rolling toward her.
“You’re getting competitive,” Vivianne teased.
Samantha smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Maybe you are.”
What started as a game with the pups slowly became a competition between the two women.
The children still cheered, but neither woman paid them much attention anymore.
Vivianne blocked another kick.
Samantha’s smile disappeared.
“Again.”
She kicked harder but Vivianne stopped the ball with her foot and sent it back.
“If you’re not going to shoot, pass the ball!” one of the pups complained.
Vivianne laughed.
But Samantha didn’t.
She backed away with the ball beneath her foot.
“I’m going to kick it.”
“Then kick it.”
Samantha’s eyes hardened.
“You might want to move.”
Vivianne barely had time to frown before Samantha kicked hard.
The ball shot across the clearing and slammed straight into Vivianne’s nose.
She stumbled back, one hand flying to her nose.
Warm blood immediately coated her fingers.
The pups went silent.
Samantha’s eyes widened.
“Oh, dear. I misjudged the distance.”
Vivianne slowly lowered her hand.
Blood dripped between her fingers.
She stared at Samantha for a long moment.
“You rabies bitch.”
Samantha’s mouth fell open at Vivianne’s colorful choice of words.
Vivianne kicked the ball back.
CRACK!
It slammed into the wooden gate less than an inch from Samantha’s face, splitting the thick plank in half.
She gaped as Vivianne pointed at the shattered wood.
“Ahh my bad. I slipped.”
Samantha’s face went pale when Vivianne sauntered toward her.
She flinched back when she saw Vivianne’s deadly smile.
She could almost see the fire burning behind the Phoenix’s eyes.
“You—”
Vivianne’s fingers curled at her sides.
She could easily teach Samantha a lesson, but that would only create another problem.
The villagers already saw her as a threat; hurting Elder Miles’s daughter would only give them another reason to turn against her.
She wasn’t going to hand them one.
Samantha’s lips pressed into a thin line.
She clearly wanted to argue, but the cracked gate beside her face seemed to change her mind.
She turned on her heels and stormed away.
Vivianne wiped the blood beneath her nose and turned back to the pups.
“Who’s ready for another round?”
The pups erupted into cheers.
None of them noticed the tall figure standing beneath the trees, watching the terrifying catfight with an unreadable expression.
[+4% Affection]
Fuck.
So he was watching and not even bothering to help me?
Vivianne decided Oswald was officially useless and went back to playing with the pups.
It was almost evening when Vivianne returned to the den and helped Ophelia prepare dinner.
Afterward, she drank one of the Healing Potions from her inventory rather than wasting her Healing skill on a stupid nosebleed.
By the time dinner was over, exhaustion had settled heavily into her bones.
Ophelia had prepared a thick fur pallet for Vivianne beside the hearth, and Vivianne curled beneath the heavy pelts, letting their warmth lull her toward sleep.
She was almost asleep when a faint rustle pulled her back to awareness.
Vivianne opened her eyes.
For a moment, she couldn’t make out anything in the darkness.
Then came another sound.
A soft creak.
Someone was moving around.
She held her breath as a shadow crept toward the door at this ungodly hour.
For real?
It’s almost midnight.
Vivianne pushed herself up on one elbow.
The figure eased the door open, slipped through the gap, and quietly pulled it shut behind them.
Who the hell was sneaking out of the den at midnight?