Mihail lay back down on the bed, closed his eyes, and tried to sleep. From the direction of the fireplace near his feet came the steady, soft sound of breathing. It was unmistakably quiet, yet the sound clung to his ears and refused to fade. Mihail pushed back the blanket once more, climbed out of bed, and walked over to the hearth.
Perhaps because it was right in front of the fire and pleasantly warm, the thick fur blanket had been kicked aside. The creature lay on its side facing the fireplace, one leg hooked loosely over the displaced fur blanket. Its hands were gathered loosely in front of its chest, fingers curled into small fists like an infant’s.
The creature was small and compact. A body he had always thought of as scrawny and pitiful somehow looked different tonight. Its arms and legs were long and slender, and its slightly curled posture made its hips stand out, rounded and nicely raised. He couldn’t tell whether this was the result of having fed it diligently over the past few days, or if it simply looked that way tonight.
Sprawled out on soft, comfortable bedding in front of a warm fire, sleeping soundly without a care in the world—it was completely unlike the creature’s usual self. Perhaps this was the first time it had ever slept so warm and at ease. No, at the very least, it was the first time Mihail had ever seen it like this.
Standing right beside it, Mihail gazed down for a long moment before slowly bending his knees. A slender, pale neck came into view. The way the bone jutted out at the back of its neck made his fingers—and even his palm—itch. Mihail carefully reached out and laid his hand on the hair that half-covered the creature’s face. It felt just as coarse and dry as it looked.
A small chin, lips slightly parted as it breathed out soft, steady breaths….
If he brushed this hair aside, what kind of face would be revealed? Would the parts hidden beneath be just as small and pale as that chin, with eyes and a nose as neatly formed as those reddish, chapped lips? Or would it be as ugly as its desperate screams had suggested? If he saw its face, would this strange itching sensation disappear—or would it grow worse?
The fingers resting in its hair trembled faintly with hesitation. The muscles in his clenched jaw twitched. After a long moment of indecision, Mihail finally withdrew his hand and straightened up. Watching the creature sleep so peacefully by the warm fire made him let out a hollow laugh at himself, wondering what the hell he thought he was doing.
Mihail returned to the bed and greeted dawn with his eyes wide open. The creature, on the other hand, slept deeply all night, then woke up early in the morning, stretched long as if it had slept wonderfully, and tidied up its bedding. Thinking Mihail was still asleep, it dashed off briskly to fetch wash water. Smacking it once might have made him feel a little better, but doing that would probably crack its tiny head open, so he couldn’t.
“Good morning.”
Chaika returned with the wash water and greeted him in a bright voice. He looked thoroughly refreshed after a good night’s sleep. Mihail splashed water all over as he roughly washed his face, then threw on his clothes haphazardly and left the bedroom at once.
“Ilya!”
He flung open the door to Ilya’s bedroom, and the woman who had been lying in bed with him scrambled to grab her clothes and bolted out of the room.
“It’s not even breakfast yet….”
Ilya blinked sleepily and stretched, his lower half covered only by the blanket. Unconcerned with other people’s circumstances, Mihail went to one corner of the room, scooped up Ilya’s clothes scattered everywhere, and tossed them onto the bed.
“Let’s go hunting.”
At Mihail’s words, Ilya—who had been sprawled out without any intention of getting up—shot upright. That was how alphas were. If they didn’t vent their savage violence periodically, it became a problem.
“I was just thinking I needed to stretch a bit anyway. Sounds good.”
Ilya quickly pulled on the clothes Mihail had thrown onto the bed. Just imagining the thrill and exhilaration of the hunt made his whole body seem to bristle with excitement already.
There was no need for elaborate preparations. A dagger, a bow, and a single water skin were enough. The two took horses from the stable, passed straight through the castle gates, and galloped into the forest. From one of the mansion’s windows behind them, it felt as though someone was watching, but Mihail didn’t look back.
The vast, dense forest stretching west of Castiya Castle was Mihail’s territory and served as a hunting ground. It was so large and rich with wildlife that there was no need for the gamekeepers to bother releasing pheasants or the like to increase prey.
Once deep in the forest, the two immediately began hunting. Ilya, searching for prey from horseback, loosed an arrow first. Thwack. With the sound of hide and flesh being pierced, a bird that had been flapping desperately fell to the ground.
Mihail guided his horse slowly, bow in hand. Animals that sensed the sound of hooves and his presence either fled quickly or froze in silence. For Mihail, whose senses rivaled those of beasts, it was easy to detect the presence of a squirrel crouched in a tree or a rabbit hiding breathlessly in the grass. Yet instead of firing arrows, he merely continued to ride at an unhurried pace.
He had thought that coming on a hunt would change his mood somewhat. Firing arrows, slitting throats with a dagger, tearing out the raw liver of freshly killed prey to stave off hunger…. He had believed that venting the violence he’d been unable to release for so long would make him feel lighter. But once he arrived, he found he couldn’t even muster the desire to loose a single arrow.
“Hey!”
Ilya shouted. Looking over, Mihail saw a rabbit being chased by Ilya, sprinting straight toward him. The plump creature tried to veer away when it spotted Mihail, but that only gave Mihail the perfect angle to shoot.
Mihail raised the bow he had been holding all along and set an arrow to the string. He drew the bowstring taut. The rabbit running for its life was a deep brown—and small.
Ping—.
He fired, but the arrow missed. No, he missed on purpose.
“What are you doing?”
Ilya rode up beside him, frowning. Several pieces of game already hung from his saddle, strung together and swaying.
“You didn’t miss that by accident. What was that?”
Ilya pressed again.
“What would I even do with something that small?”
Mihail lowered his bow as he spoke, and Ilya let out a disbelieving laugh.
“Eat it, obviously? That’s why we came out here with nothing but hunting gear.”
Ilya was right. They had come in with only a water skin and their weapons, as always, intending to source their meal on site.
Even after that, they wandered the forest, but Mihail let rabbits, birds, and small deer go. The reason was always the same: they were too small. Eventually, he found a large stag and killed it instantly with a single arrow. That was the end of the hunt for the day.
Night falls early in the forest. As darkness descended, the two headed for a hunting cabin deep within the woods. It was a place they used often, fully stocked with basic necessities.
They lit a campfire in front of the cabin, dressed the animals, and skewered the meat. Soon, the rich smell of roasting flesh rose thickly into the air.
Instead of dressing the stag he had killed, Mihail tossed it aside and sat in front of the fire, drinking liquor he’d brought out from the cabin. Ilya, having caught so much game, busied himself slitting bellies, removing entrails, and skinning hides.
In the pitch-black night without even moonlight, the campfire before the cabin was the only source of illumination. As Mihail stared into the flames, the image of the creature sprawled by the hearth the night before, breathing softly in sleep, surfaced in his mind. Immediately, his palms, fingers, and the back of his neck began to itch again. Tsk. Clicking his tongue, Mihail gulped down his drink.
Just as the meat over the fire began to sizzle, fat dripping down with a hiss, small footsteps approached from the edge of the darkness beyond the firelight. They advanced cautiously, paused, then crept closer again until they finally entered the circle of light.
Kyaaang—.
Whimpering softly as if pleading, it was a red fox. It looked like a young adult, not long separated from its mother, not yet fully grown. Wild animals that sense humans—especially alphas—normally flee without exception. But this one, seemingly starved for days and unable to ignore the smell of meat, crept closer little by little despite its terror.
One step, then another. Mihail silently watched the fox inch forward, wary and hesitant. From time to time, it let out pitiful whines, pleading for its circumstances. Ilya snorted in disbelief at the sight, and the fox flinched, freezing in place.
As he looked at the fox gazing at them with desperate, hungry eyes, an image came to mind. Mihail drew his dagger, cut off one of the stag’s hind legs he’d tossed aside, and threw it toward the fox. When the sizable piece of meat landed with a heavy thud in front of it, the fox clamped it firmly in its jaws, turned, and vanished swiftly into the darkness.
“You… you’re really strange these days.”
Ilya said, staring at him as if dumbfounded. Mihail remained silent. It was as good as an admission. Ilya let out a sharp, incredulous laugh.
Crackle. Pop.
The sound of the burning fire echoed through the dark forest.
“It’s because of that one… Chaika, right?”
Sitting and watching the fire, Ilya asked quietly. The moment Chaika’s name left his mouth, Mihail’s face twisted sharply.
“…He gets on my nerves so badly I can’t stand it.”
The words he spat out were saturated with irritation, as if he were right on the verge of exploding.
“What about him irritates you that much? If his clothes are dirty, change them. If his hair’s dirty, wash it clean, oil it, and groom it properly. If he still bothers you, just send him back to Nile, or dump him in the servants’ quarters.”
Though it wasn’t exactly slander or cruelty, Mihail’s jaw muscles twitched. Seeing that, Ilya laughed in disbelief and tipped back his bottle, gulping down the liquor.
“You’re supposed to be producing an heir, but instead it looks like you’re about to take a concubine.”
Ilya sneered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand after draining nearly half the bottle in one go. Mihail showed little reaction to the blatant jab.
“You’re not denying it?”
Ilya asked, staring at him incredulously. Mihail stayed silent once again.
“Ha! This is… ha, seriously!”
Ilya burst out with alternating hollow laughter and incredulous chuckles.
“A beta concubine, huh….”
Ilya muttered, clicking his tongue.
