Winter Wolf - Chapter 4. Part 1

Chapter 4. Part 1

They arrived back at the mansion at midday, with the sun high in the sky.

After having s*x for the first time, Lysithea’s entire body was sore and feverish, making it difficult for her to walk properly. Terrence carried her tired body up the stairs.

“Terrence, is there something wrong with me? I am so tired.”

Lysithea asked hesitantly. He smiled and shook his head.

“It may be because this is your first time having s*x. Don’t worry; with experience, it will likely improve next time.”

“Next time? What comes next? Is there anything else to do?”

Lysithea asked, “Is there anything else to do next time?”

“You don’t know that.”

Terrence entered her room and laughed. When Lysithea saw that the scene in her room was still as it had been the moment she had rushed out, she blushed.

The room was very quiet, with only the sound of the wind hitting the window. She was so embarrassed that she ran off like the crazy person she was.

Terrence said as he slowly lowered her body onto the bed.

“You must be tired. Get some rest. It’s evening soon, so I can’t let you sleep too long. I’ll come to wake you up in about two hours.”

Lysithea asked him as she tried to turn around.

“Terrence, I have a favor to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Can you teach me how to shoot a gun?”

Terrence paused at the surprising suggestion and turned to face her. His eyes narrowed slightly.

“It appears that the contract did not include everything.”

Lysithea worked hard to persuade him, despite his skepticism.

“Safety before smuggling is essential to our contract. It’s no use if I’m not safe before smuggling. Yesterday, I may have encountered a wolf-like animal. I don’t know what other dangers may come.”

It was not a mistake.  Lysithea was threatened by many people before coming here. However, she only shot Bran, the son of the leader of the Revolutionary Party, in the forehead, killing him.

She solved the rest by pointing the gun. However, this was not a guarantee that this method would continue to work. Yesterday’s wolf was too dangerous for her clumsy shooting skills. She could have only injured it and made it angrier.

Terrence noticed her serious expression and spoke as if it were a natural procedure.

“What is the price?”

“The price?”

“There must be a price. Something not included in the contract is being added,” he said.

“You didn’t ask me for anything in return yesterday. What we did wasn’t in the contract… .”

“If both sides agree, they can do it without compensation, like we did yesterday.”

Lysithea’s ears turned red when he mentioned it directly. She asked calmly, “Well then, what would you

like in return, besides money?”

When Lysithea asked again, Terrence gently smiled, as if he were interested. She saw the look in his eyes and became even more frightened, as if he were enjoying the moment of choice.

“What do you want? Are you suggesting something ridiculous, like a ghost bet?”

As expected, Terrence wanted something surprising.

“Prepare a meal for me. Cook for me properly, just once.”

“If it’s a meal… “Are you asking me to cook?”

“Of course. Do you need separate cooking lessons?”

Lysithea barely nodded. She felt incompetent in front of Terrence.

He raised his hands in disappointment and looked at her frustrated face as if there was nothing he could do.

“I cannot help it. Learn to cook for free. This will not harm me.”

“Thank you.”

Learning how to cook is always beneficial. Lysithea felt both shame and relief when she saw him in her snowfield again last night.

“Well, I’ll come to wake you up in two hours.”

Terrence requested before closing the door.

“Don’t run away this time.”

Lysithea nodded with embarrassment. Terrence closed the door quietly and left. She could barely move her aching limbs to change her clothes.

She lay down on the bed, feeling tired, and fell asleep quickly. Lysithea took a short nap and had a dream she didn’t want to wake up from.

***

‘I feel dizzy.’

Lysithea woke up before Terrence and touched her forehead before heading down to the first floor. Terrence’s words were true. Instead of being haunted by nightmares, she found herself haunted by him in her dreams.

In her dream, he was both cold and kind, gentle yet rough. Just like when he tossed and turned last night.

‘I must be crazy… Why do I keep thinking about it?’

She has never had a proper first kiss.  She had to deal with yesterday’s happenings overnight so…

‘It was impulsive. Terrence and I were both impulsive.’

The image of him kissing her came back even more clearly in her dream.

Lysithea sighed deeply, gathering herself and attempting to push away her lust. He was tall and handsome, so it was natural for her to be attracted to him, regardless of his profession.

She was only attracted to his body. She’s not hoping for things like hearts or love.

“Terrence’s top priority is to complete our contract safely. So me too. I have to rely on him a lot.”’

She is given just enough to feel accompanied and unafraid.

Terrence greeted Lysithea as she entered the kitchen.

“You woke up quickly, Lysithea. “I was just about to wake you up.”

He had finished preparing dinner and placed a large pot and a basket of warm bread on the table. As Lysithea sat down, he served her small pieces of butter and opened the steaming tomato stew.

The table was simple yet mouth-watering. Lysithea wondered what had caused him to improve his cooking.

“Terrence, you are a good cook.”

“Does it suit your taste? Thank God.” I always ate alone, so there was no one to judge me.”

“Do you have any family? You always seem to be alone?”

“No. I wouldn’t do this if I had.”

Being a broker is an illegal and risky job. Lysithea was sure. However, she continued to ask,

“But you can get married. You’re not even married?”

Terrence laughed, stunned by her question.

“It’s too late to ask questions like that,” he said. “You should have asked me yesterday if you were curious.”

“Oh! Yesterday, it happened a bit suddenly.”

Lysithea bit into the bread. She had a shy expression. Terrence answered.

“I am not currently in a relationship. That doesn’t work for me.”

“But… you can build a family of your own by doing everything you need to do.”

“No, I enjoy being alone. That’s it.”

The reply was calm and straightforward. Lysithea could finally understand the reason behind the strange aloofness she had always sensed in him.

He is kind but not generous, indifferent but not malicious.

‘”That’s why he can make such casual remarks: ‘Take advantage of myself..’

Lysithea looked at his calm face and remembered yesterday’s incident.  Upon reconsideration, she realized that the proposal was ideal for her current situation.

He did not care about friends or lovers while on the run. He couldn’t get deeper, he just needed someone he could rely on and rest for a while.

Terrence always made irresistible offers.

“I feel like I keep getting swept away.”

Lysithea bit her lip quietly at that moment.

“By the way, Lysithea.”

Terrence was the first to finish eating. He looked at her face and spoke.

“Are your cheeks red when you wake up, or do you have a fever?”

“No, my checks do not redden after sleeping.”

As she touched her cheek with her hand, she sensed a slight fever.

“I have a slight fever, maybe because I spent too much time walking outside yesterday.”

“A cold?”

“Maybe so. Even when I was young, I always got sick like this.”

“If your fever gets worse, I’m in trouble. I have to go to the village to get medicine.”

The nearest village was the one Lysithea had left, and a round trip on horseback would take half a day. Feeling like she was causing trouble again, Lysithea quickly waved her hand.

“No, I’m fine. It will get better soon, as long as I get a good night’s sleep.”

Terrence lightly laughed at her reluctant gesture.

“There’s no need to decline like that. I’m just going for a day; it’s not a big deal.”

“But you suffered for no reason last night because of me.”

“Don’t hide the pain. I can’t call a doctor because it would be a big problem if your fever got so high that I couldn’t treat it with medicine.”

“All right. If it gets worse, I’ll tell you right away.”

Terrence’s behavior was stubborn, and it seemed that his attitude had changed. He was no longer content to simply let go and leave her alone. Instead, he began actively engaging in her well-being and thoughts. If Lysithea had been like this from the beginning, he might have been more cautious. However, the current Lysithea didn’t mind his involvement.

‘It’s because of the contract… It seems like he’s worried about me.’

When he mentioned being willing to go get the medicine, she genuinely felt happy. It was the first emotion she had experienced since fleeing the castle—the sensation of someone naturally caring for her and expressing genuine concern.

“Thank you, Terrence.”

“…suddenly?”

Puzzled, he looked at Lysithea, who smiled with an awkward expression.

“I just wanted to keep talking.”

Terrence glanced at her, then smiled and looked at her plate.

“Finish and eat. Don’t get sick.”

Lysithea did as he told them and finished her meal. It was a very satisfying meal after a long time.