The Huntress is the Wolf's Bride - Part 2

“Wolf? What are you talking about?”

“No, forget it. But why were you chasing after me?”

If he had chased Leti to attack, he would have retaliated when the arrow was shot, or he might have ambushed her from behind before she could draw her bow.

As a skilled hunter, Leti was familiar with the hunting techniques of animals and their instincts. Thus, she could be certain that this young man wouldn’t harm her.

“… I don’t know anything!”

“What? Hey, wait!”

Ignoring her question, the man fled.

He disappeared in an instant, just like a wild animal, leaving no trace. Leti wanted to chase after him, but she had something else she needed to do.

‘Damn errands.’

Muttering inwardly, she reluctantly left the spot, but she didn’t give up on finding the young man.

* * *

“Grandma seems quite uneasy about the strange occurrences in the forest. It would be good to reassure her, so I’ll check on her every day.”

From the next day on, Leti voluntarily headed to her grandmother’s house. Her mother was pleased with her daughter’s filial piety and saw her off with joy. However, reality was different from her mother’s expectations.

Her daily visits to her grandmother were merely a pretense to search for the young man she had met in the forest. But even as Leti kept the idea in her mind, the unnamed young man didn’t approach her at all.

‘Seriously, how frustrating!’

During the week of going back and forth to her grandmother’s place, Leti could sense a presence that seemed to be the young man following her around.

There were times when it felt like he would approach and start a conversation at any moment, and other times when he seemed to be observing from afar, moving slowly.

However, no matter the situation, the young man never revealed himself. Leti waited patiently, but eventually, unable to hold back any longer, she took the initiative.

“Hey.”

Today, Leti didn’t go to her grandmother’s house. After entering the forest, she waited, anxiously anticipating the familiar presence of the young man, and he approached her from a terrifyingly close distance and spoke.

“Why do you keep following me? Do you have something to say to me?”

Having navigated through the thick bushes to find the young man, Leti asked, but there was no response in return.

The young man remained crouched, unmoving. He gazed fixedly at Leti as she spoke to him, but he didn’t utter a sound or attempt to run away.

He resembled a wary wild animal. That’s what Leti thought.

“I’m Leti. Other hunters call me Red Cloaked Leti.”

“Leti.”

To ease the tension, Leti introduced herself, and the young man repeated her name softly.

“I’m Aiden.”

Good. The introductions were going smoothly so far, but there was still a mountain to climb.

“Hmm. Alright, Aiden. Will you tell me why you’ve been following me?”

She asked the most pressing question first, but Aiden remained silent.

I guess I need to reassure him more. It’s a bit bothersome, but wild animals are naturally wary.

Leti patiently asked again.

“I’m not trying to scold or reprimand you. I’m just curious. Honestly, part of the reason I approached you is that I want to get to know you better,”

“Really?”

Simple-minded Aiden didn’t doubt her words.

Is the idea of getting to know each other making him happy? Aiden stood up abruptly and closed the distance between them.

“Well, the truth is…”

He shyly fiddled with his hair, emitting a faint scent of blood.

“I want to marry you.”

“… Huh?”

“Will you be my wife? I’m good at hunting, and I’m strong enough to be a good father.”

What is this man saying?

Leti was at a loss for words due to the absurdity, but Aiden’s proposal didn’t stop.

“I came from a far northern region. My father told me to find a bride that he approves of, so I traveled here in search of a suitable candidate. However, when I saw you, I made up my mind. I want to marry you.”

“Wait a minute. Marriage all of a sudden? What makes you want to marry me?”

“Umm, you’re strong and beautiful.”

A truly simple reason. But Leti didn’t dislike his honest answer.

“I have no intention of getting married, though.”

“Why? How do you plan to have children then?”

“Humans don’t live just to have children. I prefer to live freely, hunting and all.”

“Oh! Don’t worry about that. If you become my wife, you can still live freely and go hunting every day!”

That’s not the issue. Even though it’s true that there are people who marry without even seeing each other’s faces in this world of arranged marriages, how can I be married to a man I just met?

Leti found it amusing how Aiden smoothly brushed off the obvious concern, and without realizing it, she laughed too.

“People often tell you that you’re strange, right?”

“Not at all. My father, mother, and older brother all found me reliable.”

“What about people other than your family?”

“Other people? Well, I grew up with just my family, so I wouldn’t know.”

“…..”

Why does the more they talk, the more confused she becomes? This conversation was supposed to help her get to know him, but instead, it only deepened her confusion.

“You mentioned that you were on a journey to find a bride. So where are you staying right now?”

“I eat and sleep in this forest.”

“… Here?”

Even if he hunts and eats wild animals in this forest, sleeping here as well seemed really strange to Leti, who was reluctant to camp outside despite being a hunter herself.

‘Sleeping outside makes him so messy.’

His clothes were stained with blood, his skin covered in dirt, and there was even the lingering smell of blood coming from various places.

In spite of his handsome face, his current appearance was a shame. Eventually, Leti dragged Aiden to a nearby stream.

“Come with me for now. You look like a mess!”

* * *

Aiden is truly a strange and attractive man. As Leti scanned him after he cleaned up nicely, she thought so.

Even when he was covered in dirt and dried blood, he still looked handsome enough, but after washing all of that away, Aiden looked several times more handsome than before. ‘What about clothes?’

At first, he tried to wash himself while still wearing his clothes, but in the end, he ended up completely naked. It couldn’t be helped. Aiden took off his clothes first, making Leti unable to stop him as she was taken aback by the suddenness of it.

‘Of course, it’s more convenient to take everything off to wash….’