Lina sighed in relief when she realized the fox had no intention of rebelling.
She had been worried that their contract was still unstable and that the fox might attempt to break it by force.
“I need your help.
Of course, I won’t force you, but I truly have no other choice.
I will set you free once my business here is finished.”
The fox’s ears twitched upright, and a pleased smile spread across his face.
“Go on.
What kind of help do you need?”
Even a child could tell that the fox was eager to regain his freedom.
“I want you to protect my child until he is strong enough to protect himself.”
“Child?” The fox frowned, recalling the little girl who had once forced a contract upon him.
“Since when do little children have children of their own?”
If Lina had still been Selene of the past, she would have used the contract to suppress him without hesitation, no matter how fiercely the cunning fox resisted.
After all, she had already reached the rank of a True Mage and possessed countless high-level restraining spells capable of subduing a sacred beast.
But after eight years of living as Lina, she had learned patience and restraint.
She no longer wished to rely on force or intimidation.
“You’ve been inside my contracted space for over ten years,” Lina replied flatly.
“Isn’t it only natural that I’ve grown up?”
“What a pity,” the fox muttered.
“You were far more pleasing to look at when you were little.”
Realizing the fox was provoking her on purpose, Lina didn’t pay much mind to what he said.
“So, are you willing to help me or not?”
“Is he really your son?” The sacred beast had already sensed another presence within the room.
He turned toward the bed, where Claude lay fast asleep.
Strangely, he sensed a very familiar aura—something long buried deep in his memory.
He followed Lina to the bed, and that was when he saw a small angel sleeping peacefully.
“…Klaude?”
“That’s right.
His name is Claude.”
The fox’s expression stiffened.
This child’s name is Klaude?
No… it couldn’t be the same person he once knew.
And yet, the resemblance was uncanny, only this little one was like a younger version.
The sacred beast frowned, then turned toward Lina in disbelief.
“You married Sir Klaude?”
“Sir Claude?” Lina shook her head.
“Are we talking about the same person?”
“What about his father?” The fox paused, then spoke firmly.
“No.
Use the contract bond to share your memories with me.”
Lina sighed softly.
“Are you sure?
Sharing my memories will strengthen our contract.
It will be much harder for you to break free later.
And I will also be able to see your memories.” You are reading on g.com, the official source.
The sacred beast hesitated.
I don’t want to be bound to this sneaky human… but if that child is truly his descendant…
“At least tell me what his father is like,” he said at last.
“Do you know him?”
“I can only be sure if I see his face.”
Lina raised her hand and touched her forehead.
A small orb of light emerged and floated gently toward the fox.
As the thought crossed his mind, his eyes widened, then slowly softened.
“Share everything,” he said quietly.
“I don’t mind strengthening our contract.
After all… I’ll be free when you die.”
“Keep dreaming,” Lina replied lightly.
Instead of anger, she simply smiled with quiet patience.
Through their contract, Lina shared her life experiences with the fox.
When the fox read Lina’s memories, the same thing happened in reverse.
Lina now learned that the sacred beast’s name was Elric.
She also realized that Elric had met Klain before the sacred beast was fatally wounded.
“Have you met Klain before?” Lina asked immediately after the exchange ended.
“I suspect that man used an alias when he approached your sister,” Elric replied.
“Do you know his real identity?” Lina frowned.
“From your memories, I saw that he once saved you from a trap set by mages.”
Elric shook his head.
“I only know that he is incredibly powerful.
Even five High Mages and a True Mage working together were no match for him.
He was a wanderer.
I followed him for several years, but we eventually parted ways when I went to pursue my own enemies.”
“Let me guess,” Lina said quietly.
“You were gravely injured and ended up meeting me.”
Elric looked away, slightly embarrassed that she had guessed correctly.
“And after that?” Lina pressed.
“Did you ever see Klain again… I mean…
Klaude?”
Elric shook his head.
“No.
I searched for him at the Magic Tower, but there was no one by that name—nor anyone with such an extreme ice attribute.
I gave up in the end.
The poison in my body had already destroyed my beast core, so I hid myself in the forest… and that’s when you found me.”
Lina sat beside the bed, gazing at her son with a gentle expression, while stroking his crown without waking the little boy.
Elric believed Klain to be a mage from the Magic Tower, but Lina was certain of something else.
“He is not a mage,” Lina said slowly.
“He is from the Dragon Clan.”
“Dragon Clan?” Elric narrowed his eyes.
“Then that means… Are we in the Northern Dukedom?”
“To be precise, we are inside the Valerian Palace,” Lina replied.
The Lord of the North has offered me a contract marriage.”
Elric crossed his arms.
“Are you serious about marrying him?
Do you no longer value your life?
Since ancient times, the relationship between the beast clans and mages has never been good.”
The mages hunted monsters relentlessly, harvesting their essence and blood to forge powerful magic artifacts.
The stronger the beast, the more valuable the materials.
Not to mention, they often hunted for the beast’s core to elevate their strength.
It was no wonder the beast clans despised mages so deeply.
And the stronger the mage, the greater the hatred directed toward them.
“I know,” Lina answered simply.
Caelis only believed Lina to be a weak, low-level mage.
He did not see her as a threat.
But if he discovered that she was the White Calamity… the Mistress of the Moonlit Path… the Lady Lunar Frost Sovereign…
Everything would change.
“You knew all that… and still agreed to this marriage?”
“I will do anything if it means ending his suffering,” Lina said softly, gently stroking Claude’s platinum-gold hair.
Elric let out a long breath.
“Very well.
I will help you protect him.
And I will protect you as well, should assassins come for your life.
Besides… I have nothing to do in my free time.”
Lina smiled faintly, her eyes filled with gratitude.
“Thank you.”
At last, the first obstacle in taming this sacred beast had been resolved.
She had not expected things to proceed so smoothly.
From this, she also came to understand just how powerful her brother-in-law had been.
“Caelis already knows about Fatty,” Lina muttered.
“He will become suspicious if he learns that you are also one of my contracted beasts.”
“Does he not believe you are the child’s biological mother?” Elric replied.
“He will not suspect you.”
“Why not?”
Elric explained that it was nearly impossible for an ordinary human to survive after mating with a high-ranking beast.
The higher the beast’s rank, the greater the risk of death.
Even if the human survives, it means they’re not normal.
The fact that Claude’s mother had survived—despite giving birth to a dragon descendant—meant that she was no ordinary woman.
Hearing this, Lina’s expression darkened slightly.
Something she had overlooked until now suddenly resurfaced in her thoughts.
Wasn’t Rhea… just an ordinary girl?
And yet—
Her sister had died with every drop of blood drained from her veins.
What was so special about her… that the killer had only wanted her blood?