Winter Wolf - Chapter 17. Side Story 2

Side Story. Part 2

***

“Ian?”

Suddenly hearing her voice, Ian opened his eyes.

He saw a familiar ceiling. The sunlight streaming through the window was clear and bright. A fresh autumn breeze was gently blowing into the bedroom. Blinking through his drowsiness, he turned his eyes to the side.

Her violet eyes were looking down at him with warmth.

“Are you going to keep sleeping?”

Having already been up for some time, Lysithea was dressed in simple loungewear. Ian stared at her in a daze before reaching out to gently caress her soft, delicate cheek.

It was warm and tender.

“Lysithea.”

“Why? Did you have a nightmare or something?”

That was a question I always asked myself. Ian closed his eyes and felt the soft touch of her hand on his face. For the first time in a long time, he was reliving a dream from so long ago.

The time when he had longed for her desperately. The time when he had been afraid that he would not receive love in return.

“It wasn’t a nightmare.”

Ian held her soft hand and kissed the back of it. Lysithea giggled, feeling ticklish.

“Get up quickly. Rowena is outside right now…”

“Daddy!”

Just then, the door swung open and a little girl burst onto their bed. Ian expertly braced himself for his daughter’s enthusiastic attack. More importantly, his reaction was crucial.

“Oof, Rowena… Daddy’s dying here…”

“Really? Daddy, am I strong now?”

Rowena, perched on his sturdy belly, beamed with joy. Ian looked at his four-year-old daughter with a warm smile.

The child had red hair tied into pigtails and beautiful golden eyes. It was clear to anyone that she was their daughter.

“Daddy, guess what! We’re going to Joseph’s today. I’m going to ride a colt!”

“Really? That’s why you woke up so early?”

Ian picked up Rowena and gave her a light kiss on the cheek. The stubble on his face must have felt rough, as Rowena rubbed her cheek and gave a shy smile before returning to her mother. Lysithea, holding Rowena, reminded him gently:

“I’ll head to the outpost by evening. We can meet there and go back together.”

“Are you sure? I’m fine with it, but…”

“I want to go to Daddy’s house too!”

“Rowena, the outpost isn’t Daddy’s house.”

It was autumn, and the wild animals were starting to come down to the village. As a sheriff, Ian sometimes had to spend nights at the outpost.

There was a time when he and Lysithea used to stand guard together in peace, but things had changed now. They had Rowena.

“I’ll see you later.”

Lysithea kissed him on the cheek and left the bedroom with Rowena. Left alone, Ian looked at the pair of pillows and the spot where she had been sleeping, smiling to himself.

He had intended to make her happy, but the happiness she gave him was so overwhelming that he could only feel grateful for each day.

“It’s getting late.”

Ian said this cheerfully as he got ready for work.

***

The sun had set early. Ian went out of the outpost to make his last patrol around the woods below the hill.

The tall trees made it dark. But with a gun in his hand, he felt no fear.

Once he finished this patrol, his shift would be over. He remembered that Lysithea had prepared a barbecue in the morning. He was looking forward to dinner. The thought of sitting around the fire with his family already made him happy.

‘Wow… I’ve become a softie.’

Loving a wife and daughter—it was a life he had never imagined. It felt strangely new as if dreaming of old hopes made it all the more surreal.

Ian looked at the rifle in his hands, thinking about the day he had pointed it at Lysithea. What if it had been loaded with bullets? What if he had shot her?

Could he have handled that? A life left alone on that snowy field.

‘The one I shot that day wasn’t her… it was me.’

As he thought about the Phantom, who had disappeared in the face of love, Ian put the rifle over his shoulder and came around the last corner of the forest path.

Bang!

A gunshot echoed from deep within the dark forest. Ian immediately loaded his rifle and took up a shooting stance. The sharp, eagle-eyed muzzle pointed into the woods.

He looked into the black forest with unblinking eyes, as still as a crouched predator. At last, a figure appeared through the layers of darkness, pushing through the underbrush. Ian carefully placed his finger on the trigger.

‘Unarmed?’

It was a bit strange, but it looked like the moving figure wasn’t armed. Ian kept his rifle pointed and hid behind a thick tree.

The mysterious figure stumbled towards him, making loud rustling noises as they drew closer.

‘Is he running away?’

It was midnight, and someone was trying to get away from something in the forest. Ian knew the gravity of the situation as he waited for the person who was trying to escape to come into view.

“Ugh!”

The person ran towards the light but stumbled over some branches and fell forward. Ian looked down at the man who had fallen at his feet, frowning.

He was familiar.

“Hey.”

“Oh, could you help me… Croce?”

The blue eyes widened in surprise. With his golden hair tied back, Ian’s expression clearly showed his annoyance.

“You’re always such a nuisance.”

He grumbled as he fired his gun into the forest. There was a loud bang! The two warning shots echoed, and the gunfire that had been chasing the man stopped.

Ian, still looking into the darkness, relaxed his guard and looked at Gray Hoplander. The detective stood up and dusted off his clothes with a playful smile.

“Well, well, a sheriff now. You’ve made quite a career for yourself.”

“Career? It’s just something I ended up doing.”

“I envy the life of a salaried worker. I’m still stuck in this mess.”

“I can imagine.”

Ian clicked his tongue and turned away. Gray naturally followed, speaking to him as if they were old friends catching up.

“I need a place to stay tonight.”

“Try digging a hole. I’ll put you up there.”

“Alright, alright. I’m a bit too young to go into a coffin just yet.”

“So, how old are you now?”

“I’m thirty-five.”

…Older than me? Ian cleared his throat and changed the subject.

“So, who was chasing you? It didn’t seem like there were many.”

“Oh, it’s not someone worth your concern, Sheriff. Just a killer after me.”

“A killer? They couldn’t shoot worth a damn.”

“Probably because they’re not trying to kill me. The client wants to see me die personally.”

Ian seemed a bit uneasy and deep in thought.

‘What’s he involved in now? This could become complicated. Should I just send him away?’

As he was thinking it over, he heard a familiar, light pattern of footsteps.

“Daddy!”

They were near the outpost now. Ian smiled as he saw his daughter running towards him with the outpost lights glowing in the background.

“Did you have fun, Rowena?”

“Yeah!”

As Ian sat down with his arms wide open, Rowena rushed into his embrace. While he happily hugged his beloved daughter and received her kisses, he completely forgot about Gray’s presence.

“Who’s this uncle?”

It was Rowena who drew everyone’s attention back to the detective, who had been lost in thought. Gray, coming to his senses, looked at Rowena’s red hair and gave a meaningful smile.

“Uncle is a friend of Mommy.”

Rowena looked very surprised.

“Mommy had a boyfriend too?”

Ian wondered if there was a shovel at the station.

“Oh my… Mr. Hop—lan-der?”

At that moment, both men’s eyes turned simultaneously towards the station.

With eyes sparkling like the twilight sky, Lysithea greeted the unexpected visitor with a bright smile.

“Lady Arman, it’s been a while.”

Gray responded cheerfully.

“Now, it’s Mrs. Croce.”

Her appearance was as bright and healthy as a blazing flame. Seeing her approach, Rowena, chattering away and clutching her father, seemed to remember something.

Gray brushed off the moment’s feeling with a simple remark.

“Ah, life.”

Like a hearty autumn night’s feast.

***

It was a night with the roasted pig turning golden brown. Rowena had fallen head over heels for Gray, who was like a playful uncle.

“Hey, then are you in any books? Since you’re a detective? Are you the main character?”

“Huh? If I were in a book, I’d be in a lot of danger. There would be too many enemies.”

“Wow! Enemies?”

The detective and the little girl were having a lively time near the barbecue in the backyard. The Croce couple sat together on a bench a little distance from the fire, sharing a glass of wine and watching them.

“Those two seem to get along surprisingly well.”

As Lysithea whispered with a laugh, Ian’s brow furrowed seriously.

“He’s going to be kicked out of the village by dawn. Who carries around a killer label these days? It’s dangerous.”

Lysithea gave a playful smile at his industry criticism.

“You still don’t like him, Terrence.”

Ian looked at her, startled. Lysithea, holding her wine glass, smiled mischievously and enjoyed his attention. Once he regained his composure, he gently wrapped his arm around her waist under the table and pulled her close.

“It’s better if you don’t provoke me, Lysithea.”

Even if it was a jest, his whisper was soft and sweet. Lysithea, nestled in his embrace, responded.

“If you provoke me….”

Her hand, drifting downward, softly caressed his firm thigh. As she instinctively tightened her grip on his leg, her purple eyes glinted provocatively.

“What are you going to do to me?”

Ian looked at her flushed cheeks and lips, now red from the wine. The child and the guest were focused on having fun in their way. He took the chance to kiss her lips without a moment’s hesitation.

Lysithea, expecting a light kiss, was startled and drew back when his tongue explored her lips. Looking down at her lovingly, Ian whispered.

“What I’m going to do? I’m going to devour you.”

Lysithea’s cheeks flushed at his low, rumbling voice. Though she sometimes forgot while taking care of their daughter, her husband was always a man who made her heart race. Her heartbeat quickened.

“Mommy!”

At the loud call from their daughter, Lysithea quickly turned her head. The child was poking at the meat with a stick, exclaiming,

“This one is burned!”

“I’m coming, Ro-wena.”

Lysithea hurriedly stood up and headed toward the campfire. Ian watched his wife and daughter with loving eyes, then met the gaze of Gray, who was approaching the bench.

“Your face is overflowing with happiness.”

“If you’re envious, why don’t you get married too?”

Ian laughed with a relaxed smile. Gray, sitting across from him, poured himself a drink and shook his head.

“Love is about timing, and my timing has long passed.”

“Lady Caroline?”

Ian casually brought up the name, causing Gray to look at him with surprised eyes.

“…When did you know?”

“I only guessed. When you gave me that blueprint.”

Lady Caroline, the daughter of the Duke family involved in the revolution. With her exceptional charisma and political skill, she quickly became a central figure in the revolutionary party.

As a formidable second-in-command, she took over leadership immediately after the previous leader’s death.

“So, you used me to elevate her. But who sent the killer after you now?”

“That too is Lady Caroline. We have a rather complicated relationship.”

“A turbulent love, it seems.”

“Well, even so, you can’t compare to my wife. After all, she’s the one who managed to capture the Phantom.”

Gray poured more wine with a smile. Ian didn’t pry into the detective’s story of unfulfilled love any further. Instead, he extended his glass.

“I hated you, though.”