Asteria had calmed herself down after some time. Even though the reality was hard to be accepted, it was still a fact. Knowing less may also lessen your caution, so she thought that with this new knowledge in mind, she had a better chance to survive. Knowing one’s enemy’s strength was the first step to defeat them. Here, Asteria only needed to survive.
Nevertheless, though her mind was still as clear as the day, Asteria was more cautious than ever. She often rested on the tree, vigilantly looking around to make sure that the area was safe before continuing to proceed forward.
Now that she knew wolves had the same intelligence as humans and could turn into one, how could she not be worried? She would suspect anyone that crossed the path with her as one of those creatures.
Asteria looked at left and right. She had been running around in the woods for some time. A day had passed just like that. She could only eat anything edible n
Asteria seemed to be quiet and rarely voiced out her complaints about things arranged to her, even if it was to her dislike. However, under this seemingly docile nature of hers, laid what seemed like a raging volcano. One should know that she wouldn’t be easily angered. Once she did, it was the time for the fiery lava to explode.“What a damned pervert!” Asteria grabbed the branches near her and fiercely throw them at the man who was on all fours naked. Even though he had turned around so that Asteria wouldn’t see his front, the sight of his butt was still appalling.It was not wrong that Asteria suddenly referred to him as a pervert. There were a lot of trees that could cover his body before he changed his clothes. Yet, he just transformed on the spot like that. Did that smack from the man beside her had turned his brain into a mush, or was it a deliberate act?“Wait, let me explain.” The man hastily sa
Asteria had woken up around an hour ago, feeling rather awkward. The man had brought her a roasted rabbit to eat. She had lost her appetite all of a sudden, yet she couldn’t find it in her to refuse his goodwill.It was not without a reason that she was willingly to eat this. She did not doubt that this food must be edible. In case wanted to kill her, that fragile body of hers would’ve turned into a bloody mess a long time ago just by the slap of his hand.A complex feeling showed on her face. But all of this, for what reason?“No need to feel so tangled. From now on we can be considered as friends.” The noble-like man let out a light chuckle. Somehow it sounded slightly eerie, yet not to the point of being disturbing. At least not for Asteria.“What’s your name?” Asteria suddenly spoke.“Ah, I haven’t told you my name yet. You can call me Kaizer.” He said lightly.
They were originally wasn’t this hostile toward her. Those people around the village border would only stare and usually ignore her to mind their own business. Yet, this time, the dislike and hostility on their faces couldn’t be concealed anymore.A woman in her thirties suddenly spoke. “Here I thought she was one like us, stranded in the forest with none to help.”“Mrs. Ford is right. She can’t be like us. It’s impossible to survive in the forest over three days once you got out.” Someone piped in. More people voicing out their opinions resonated in the small gathering.Asteria’s expression didn’t change at all since she had seen Mrs. Ford appearing. She knew that this old lady must’ve been seeking trouble the moment she opened her mouth.A flash of understanding appeared in Asteria’s eyes, however, it changed nothing within her mood. She was still standing the
It was the voice of a dazzling woman in a blue dress. Her melodious voice coupled with an eye-catching outfit that didn’t match the place simultaneously caught everyone’s attention. Even Asteria looked up, instantly startled.The woman in the long blue dress that went below her knee; looked so out of place that it was baffling why did she suddenly just appeared here. However, that wasn’t what caught Asteria’s attention. But that style of fashion. She looked almost like a noblewoman in the European middle ages.Mrs. Ford’s expression turned rigid. Complexity seemed to brim in her eyes. She said nothing. Even she seemed to shrink away, hoping the woman wouldn’t put her attention to her.Annie looked up briefly to the woman, then looked away as if she hadn’t just seen her. She turned to Mrs. Ford. “Mrs. Ford. I hope this commotion ends here today. If you want to take this accusation to the villa
Asteria couldn’t hide her surprise. She was tempted. Looking for information in a city under the influence of a kingdom definitely would be easier than simply staying here in this remote village. However, from her peripheral vision, Asteria caught Annie’s expression.She didn’t immediately answer Selena’s question. A trace of hesitation could be seen in her eyes.Selena had caught the sight of it. She was about to open her mouth when someone beat it first. “Go, Asteria. Why are you still hesitating? I don’t know what happened to you, but I can already see from your initial clothes that you are no villager.”It was Uncle Han. He was in his work clothes, had just returned from the field, as he put that hoe into the ground. Annie’s expression changed slightly, revealing a hint of hesitation, however, she didn’t speak.Selene seemed a bit surprised. “You do not come from the vi
The journey to the capital of Razor Kingdom, City of Citrus, took approximately three months. At first, the ten-team people that comprise, anyway, Selena, Elias, Asteria, and the guards, passed the forest by walking.It surprised Asteria that Selena, who seemed like she was a noble in that kingdom, wouldn’t mind walking on foot. However, instantly, she remembered that Selena used to be a villager. But mannerism and one’s bearing were two insubstantial things that weren’t easy to change, so perhaps, she had been living in the capital since she was young.Selena’s situation, coupled with the villagers’ apparent behaviour toward an outsider, it was still quite puzzling to her.Along the way, another thing that caught Asteria by surprise was that none of the wolves dared to attack them. Some wild animals, like tigers or bears, occasionally provoked them, though those guards ended up scaring them away.Aster
The question uttered by Selena made her mind spin, then went blank. She felt so shocked that something seemed to have crashed down and shattered — her hope. She was dizzy from the additional information she had just received.Until now, even she regards the werewolves’ existence as a mere dream, yet there was another one that sounded as inconceivable as werewolves? How could a human who had lived her entire life in modern technology accept such things? Fantasy beings, although they were told in legends, legends, after all, were anything but stories that might not even be true.Seeing Asteria’s pale face. Elias gave Selena a look.“Ah, I am sorry.” Selena’s voice was filled with guilt as Elias’ eyes jolted her back to reality. She stood up, walking to approach Asteria, and sat down beside her. Her hand rubbing on Asteria’s shoulder.“I shouldn’t have accused you like that,&r
Asteria had adapted to this place. Though it was hard, she somehow had done it little by little. Seeing an enormous wolf in the street wasn’t an uncommon sight, although it was quite rare; sometimes there were two or three werewolves who showed themselves in wolf form in public.No matter how Asteria tried to control herself, she can still fall into a panic whenever they got too close to her. Usually, she would just go avoid them, finishing her business as fast as possible.After a month and a half of time passed, Asteria had been adjusting herself. She didn’t forget her ultimate intention of looking for a job.Selena had been too kind to her she even helped her to register as a citizen for the Razor Kingdom. Now, she had officially become one. With the request from a noble, naturally, the registration process could speed up.The Razor Kingdom was a place mixed with werewolves and humans. There were a lot of kingdoms lik
"Did they bully you?" Asher asked, glancing briefly at the pair of brothers, Nox and Josh, who jolted as soon as Asher's gaze landed on them.Josh and Nox looked at Asteria hopefully, as if she was the savior of both of them. However, Asteria threw them a mischievous glance, causing the two's hearts to almost sink and melt into the ground."No," Asteria said.Asher smiled, said nothing. The pair of brothers who were about to sigh in relief upon hearing Asteria's answer could felt their hearts tightened again, discovering that there was something wrong with the atmosphere."I can ask them to perform some moves right?" Asteria asked Asher mysteriously. "I wonder how their ability compares to Elias right now."
Selena seemed to have known about Asher's confession to Asteria, perhaps Elias did too. There was some hint of teasing in her eyes whenever she spoke about him.Josh and Nox naturally weren't fools. They caught the meaning behind Selena's words, which also can be served as an indirect warning. The two were the ones who suffered the most here. After they received the news, they felt as if they'd been struck by a lightning. It made sense why Asher was so furious and punished them badly.The two brothers had explained everything to Asteria as to make her believe in them."No, it's not like that." Nox hurriedly explained, shaking his head. "Actually, it's not that we were deliberately holding back, but we are weak at the moment. Our power will slowly recover, along with the control over the wolf form."
Asher had confessed everything before Asteria. Naturally, this would affect how he act in front of her. Now, he no longer restrained himself and had even gotten more attentive to her.Asteria didn't reject him, or she could say that she couldn't. There was always some guilt in her heart, yet she was unable to extricate herself from this comfort."Alright then, take care of yourself," Asher said after Asteria told her plan to go to the count's mansion. His face showed a bit reluctant to part, which was rather cute.Asteria giggled and strolled away, climbing the stairs to prepare herself. It was true that she had been enjoying herself for the past few days. However, she also didn't forget to once a while thought about other problems when her mind was clear.
It was dark, with the only moonlight shining down through the gaps in the windows. Asteria wasn't fond of the dark. She lit the lamp, instantly the sight of the room entered her eyes.She threw herself on the bed, careful not to squash her right arm in the process. The left hand reached for the pillow, hugging it to her body while sighing."Lady Asteria, the dinner has been prepared." A maid informed her, followed by the knocking on the door.Asteria, who had just laid down her body and closed her eyes, frowning. She groaned, feeling tired. Opening her eyes, she told the maid in loud voice. "Coming."Changing into the new clothes, a leathered knight outfit, Asteria came out of the room and descended the stairs. Asher had been waiting in the dining hal
Asteria swung her sword forward, successfully slashing the targeted falling leaves, cutting them into two. She inhaled, stabbing and slashing while testing her agility.She had improved quite a lot since the incident where she nearly had gotten killed. After a few days of venting the bottled up frustration by practicing her swordsmanship in Asher's place, she finally regained her calm.Wiping the sweat, Asteria sat down and took large gulps of water. While she fanned herself, her mind wandered.Asteria wasn't sure whether Asher knew or not, but she had actually caught a glimpse of familiar figures among the prisoners besides the so-called princess Adrina.It was Nox and Josh. Their wolf form wasn't that eye-catching, however, she still remembered the
"Enough," Asher stated, not wanting to play along with any longer. "If you still have some dissatisfaction. Just report it to His Majesty."The two guards jolted, maintaining the respectful and fearful expression as Asher and the rest walked away. Their figures disappearing as the door to the next room slammed close.The guards exchanged glances. They were just guards, how could they have the privilege of reporting straight to His Majesty? However, the princess was another problem now. They didn't know what she had done to land herself in this predicament. Judging how Asher didn't even spare her another glance, they seemed not to be on good terms.Currently, that stunning face of Princess Adrina was filled with fury. Glaring at the two guards, making the two hurriedly walked away. When no one was there anymor
Asher brought Asteria out of the room, realizing that the girl had been trembling slightly. She didn't have her sword to defend herself. Even if her body condition had improved somehow, it was still nothing in front of a half-transformed werewolf. Strengthening the body needed a lot of time and patient effort.That blow from that man had blasted the metal bars apart. The room wasn't created like the ones for werewolves, which contained a lot of traps and restraining force toward their bloodline.Annie's body was smashed to a wall due to the shockwave. She was currently unconscious. Thanks to Selena's persuasion that the guard finally allowed them to bring a doctor in."There's no benefit in curing the prisoner who was about to die." Elias shook his head as he explained to Asteria. "If not for us bringing our
Asteria was startled by Selena's straightforward question. She wasn't asking about whether it was true that she had poisoned Bryan, Viscount Raphael's son. The question implied that Selena had already known Annie was the one committing the crime.A complicated mood surged in Asteria's heart. Looking at the previously sweet Annie reduced into such an indifferent state. A moment of silence enveloped the whole room."You already know." A low, raspy voice answered. When Annie looked up, her apathetic eyes gazed straight ahead. The outline of her body had gotten thinner from the last time Asteria met her. It was three weeks ago."You'll be dead," Selena said rather harshly, glaring at Annie. However, there was no malice in those words. Annie's punishment could only be one indeed; execution.
"Do you want to visit her?" Asher suddenly said."Can I?" Asteria asked him with a hopeful look. She wanted to get to the bottom of this."Let's go then." Asher suddenly stopped. "Prepare yourself first."Asteria understood what he meant and hurriedly changed into one of the comfortable dress Selena had brought during her visit. As someone who was slightly tomboy, Asteria prefer the comfortable dress more than the fancy, heavily decorated one. Selena knew better about this.The long-sleeved dress went past her waist, but she combined it with long black trousers. The current style made her look like a modern girl."Let's go." Asteria urged.