The Wolf King 1

 Chapter 1. Karlos, King of the Black Wolf North

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“Even if I crawled, it would be faster than this.”

The Northern King's voice cut through the cold air. Even from a distance, his towering chest visibly heaved. His hostility was palpable, even though this was their first face-to-face encounter.

Princess Trisha clenched her fists as hard as she could, hidden by her thick wool cloak. She could feel how much he resented her late arrival.

She may be a princess, but she must not forget that she was one. No one, especially not Flora, would go out like this. So she must act like the princess they knew, the defiant princess Flora.

The princess that the young northern king had asked to send was her sister, Princess Flora. Trisha must never let it be known that she was not Princess Flora.

"I have come as fast as I could, but the snow was harder than I expected, so please forgive my delay."

Her voice fell silent again. The plain, toneless sound of her voice against the growling, harsh voice of the king added to the invisible tension.

Her apologetic words, subtly pointing out the icy roads of Tasar, made the king scowl. The atmosphere grew more murderous.

Princess Trisha gritted her teeth. Her clenched fists trembled.

It was winter, and the entire kingdom of Tasar was covered in snow. Within the solid, majestic walls of the castle, in the courtyard, a cold wind whistled through the flesh like ale, a cold she had never experienced in the warmer kingdom of Izef.

The spacious court was surrounded by walls on all sides. The cold wind blew over the walls and into the courtyard. The ground beneath her feet was covered with snow, up to her ankles. The five maids and servants lined up behind her, shivering despite their thick robes.

She knew not just the cold that had them shivering. It was more likely due to the overwhelming sense of intimidation and freezing atmosphere they felt the moment they stepped through the gates and into the courtyard.

Whereas the castle in the Kingdom of Izef was sunny and warm, the castle in the Kingdom of Tasar was gray, rainy, and chilling. Everything around them felt cold and icy.

And with rows of gruesome-looking soldiers and deputies on either side of them, it was like being trapped in a cage. The men of this kingdom were all quite large. They looked so intimidating, like fierce hunting dogs.

At the top of the line was the northern king.

He was called the Wolf King because he was the largest of them all, and he looked like a single black wolf, exuding power and intimidation. His black eyebrows lined beneath his black hair. His eyes were inexplicably powerful, mercilessly pushing the very air out of the room and pulling it back in again. His stare could make a man's body tremble.

The king's gaze was like a well-sharpened cypheran blade as he stared back at her. That look alone could kill a man.

Nevertheless, she remained steadfast, her posture unflinching.

To them, she might look serene, but inside, she was trembling with anxiety, like being swept away by a tidal wave. Preventing others from realizing what was going on inside her shouldn't have been too difficult for her, having been raised as a royal. The real challenge was sitting right in front of her.

Kalos, King of the Black Wolf North.

"What are you doing without getting started?"

He growled menacingly, as if he would eat her at this right moment. The Northern King was not a man, but a great beast, a terrifying beast.

At his command, the others suddenly stood at attention, and to her astonishment, she saw the soldiers at the front of the line on either side of him raise their great shields, quickly forming a high wall. The wall of shields stretched all the way to where the Wolf King sat. She couldn't even guess what they were doing.

The shield walls on either side blocked the view of all the soldiers, and she could see only the Northern King in front of her. The maids standing behind her froze, even more alarmed. Only the front and back of the room were open to her. Behind her, a high priest approached.

"It is time for you to leave everything you have brought with you from the kingdom of Izef and take the steps to become a princess of the kingdom of Tasar."

Princess Trisha turned her head and stared at the High Priest in disbelief. So what was she supposed to do?

"Take off what you are wearing and walk respectfully to His Majesty. Put on the cloak over there and the formalities will be completed.”

Ha!

She curled her lips tightly to keep the humorless laughter from escaping her mouth.

She was about to be consecrated as a princess, so there was no one to welcome her. Moreover, it was clear from the moment she arrived that they wanted to discourage her from the start.

Even heavily armed soldiers would have frozen their hands and feet in this cold, and now she was being asked to walk across this snow in her undergarments, which was impossible. The cold was cold, but anyone could see that he was trying to humiliate her as a princess.

"I should warn you, the princess of the Kingdom of Alta collapsed in the middle and was carried away, her cries heartbreaking. She was eventually replaced by another princess."

Trisha clenched her fists even tighter.

Heartbreaking howl? They must have laughed their hearts out. To them, it's just a game.

But the laughter didn't bother her; what mattered to her was that if she failed the procedure, she would have to go home, and Flora, the daughter of her stepmother, would have to come back. That would mean the death of Trisha’s younger brother, Prince Aaron.

"That's mean."

Immediately at her words, the High Priest’s eyebrows rose in displeasure.

"Are you speaking to His Majesty?"

This High Priest seemed to have a lot of authority. If her words were blasphemous, he would have her executed in an instant. The king replied.

"No, I meant that you're mean.”

Her words, still spoken calmly, made him furious. Fury that she dared to speak such words to him.

"I don't know your status, so I'll skip it, and you can leave now."

He still didn't seem to understand her meaning.

"You seem to think you can watch me, and that's what I mean by uncivilized. Now step back, and cover you with your shield."

The High Priest finally understood. She may be a princess, but she was a princess of a kingdom. He realized that she had a point, but he couldn't hide the trepidation on his face.

The shields right behind her were blocked, and now it was just the king and her on the snowy road, flanked on either side and behind.

"How long must we wait, can't you see my soldiers are out in the cold?"

The king's fierce, harsh words made her position clear. How insignificant she was.

Princess Trisha scrutinized the king's fearsome black eyes, which she could see clearly even from a distance. She must keep her wits about her. She needed to get her act together and figure out how to make this work out the way she wanted it to.

Whoosh.

Trisha quietly removed her thick cloak and let it fall to the snow.

The King's eyes, piercing and focused in the distance, made her legs tremble. Go ahead, howl. Lay down where everyone can laugh at you. The king's eyes pierced her, anticipating the pleasure she would give him.

You must do it. You can do it.

Dressed in a silvery gown, her brown hair tied up in a subdued bun, she turned to face the dark, stern northern king.

The way they looked at each other was like they were fighting an invisible war.

She had already taken off her robe, so she should have been shivering. But she didn't tremble. The king seemed to believe so, and one of his eyebrows twitched upward in surprise.

She moved her hand silently, tugging at the long base of the necklace she always wore.

The end of the necklace was a sharp knife. In an instant, it had become a dagger. His eyes widened as she held the dagger in one hand. She recognized the surprise in his expression, and a hint of amusement.

We haven't even begun yet. Get ready for more surprises.

Without hesitation, she brought the dagger to her throat.

His eyes narrowed, more surprised by the action.

Click.

With that sound, his narrowed eyes widened again. It was unexpected, no wonder.

What? Did he think she was going to stab herself in the throat? He would take a million years to get to know her.

Her dagger was slicing down her silver dress. All the way down to the bustle inside. It was not a dress worth tearing. In fact, the silver gown was the first dress her stepmother had ever tailored for her.

They say that the kernel is not cool, so you have to wrap it well to deceive it. With a dress like that, there was no mistaking it.

[Never be found out, never go wrong, never come back].

It was a cruel order from her stepmother, the queen. If she failed, she was not to return, but to commit suicide somewhere. No, the Queen would send a foxhound to kill her if she became useless. Therefore, she must risk her life now.

If I live, my brother will live. I didn't grit my teeth all this time just to die like this.

So she must go through the process now and pretend to be Princess Flora and pass safely.

The clothes that had been wrapped around her were ripped in half, revealing only her body.

As if shedding her skin.

***

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