CH 23.2

However, his cries were so loud and his exposed teeth were full, so she didn’t think he was cute at all.

“He’s smarter than the other wolves so he can recognize intruders. In addition to that, he is more sensitive than usual due to the wolf cub he’s taking care of.”

“Wolf cubs? This wolf has babies?”

Sera bent down and checked the beast’s belly.

How mysterious~

“He’s male, right?”

“Male wolves have a strong sense of paternal love. Balkan wolves, in particular, are faithful to their pack and take charge of both parenting and hunting.”

“All my snacks were taken away, but….”

“Maybe he was planning to go back to his cub and vomit them.”

“I see.”

“Unlike its scary appearance, the beast is also loyal to only one female in its lifetime.”

“Well…”

Why did it feel like he was appealing to himself when he was praising the wolf?

“What is the name of this wolf, Your Grace?”

“No. Hundreds of people fed and raise them, so I won’t name them one by one.”

Cade patted the wolf on the head.

“She will be your master from now on. Don’t make any trouble and give your life to protect her wherever she goes.”

“Woof!”

The wolf barked enthusiastically while rubbing his rough forehead against Cherryl’s knee as if to emphasize her loyalty.

Then, he turned coyly and ran somewhere.

He was probably going to check up on his cub.

“Come inside.”

Cade took Cherryl’s hand and led her inside his office.

It appeared like Cherryl didn’t veer off far from her destination.

The office was spacious, but overall it felt dark and hard.

The dark brown bookshelves on both walls with numerous books in them were so high that Cherryl’s arms couldn’t even reach them.

There was a sofa for the guests near the wooden door and a mahogany coffee table, but they appeared like they weren’t used for a long time.

The desk with its back to the huge window seemed to be Cade’s working area.

“I planned to treat you to something. But there are few visitors, so I haven’t prepared anything. I’ll call the butler and tell him to prepare something for you.”

“No. You don’t have to do that.” Cherryl, who was looking around the office, stopped him. “I promised to spend time with you together, but I overslept. I brought some snacks for us but ended up giving them all to the wolf. It’s like I came here, empty-handed.”

Laughing awkwardly, she passed Cade and approached the desk.

She could tell that he had a busy schedule just by looking at various books, documents, and correspondences.

She roamed around instead of looking at them with interest.

“If you still have work, I’ll return to my residence. I came here because I was worried about our date, but you seem busy.”

“No. It’s alright.” Cade scrambled through a pile of documents. “I wanted to give you something.”

He handed her a small square piece of paper.

“What’s this?”

The  material looked like paper but it was thick enough to not bend easily.

The wolf, the symbol of the Blkanovs, was carefully engraved at the middle, shining like brilliant gold.

“It looks like a card, too.”

As Cherryl tilted  the item, he told her how to use it.

“It’s a credit card that you can use to buy things instead of paying cash. Please feel free to use this if you want some items from the shops. I’ll pay for the accumulation of costs, afterward.”

“Wow.”

This credit card didn’t have a limit too.

Because of this token, the walls around Cherryl all crumbled down.

It was a symbol of great wealth.

“Are you giving this to me, Your Grace?”

“Who else would I give it to if this wasn’t for you, Lady Cherryl?” Cade continued in a subtle yet soothing tone. “I know it frustrates you to be in my castle all the time so I’m going to escort you every time you want to go out of the fortress. Just give me your word. Don’t hesitate if you want to buy something for  yourself.”

“Thank you, Your Grace. Fortunately, I have something to give you in return.”

Cherryl searched through her empty basket and took out the chocolate.

“I think you’ll like sweet things. I brought it from the Marquis’ Mansion, but I actually intended to give this to you.”

Cade accepted the chocolate in silence as a strange smile spread on his handsome, chiseled face.

Cherryl wasn’t aware that he, whom she thought had no appetite, disliked sweets, too.

“I don’t know what to do when you care about me this much.”

“This is insignificant compared to what you have given me. I’ve been wanting to tell you that.”

“You’re welcome. Your gift is worth a lot more than a piece of paper.“

Did he just consider his unlimited credit card as a simple piece of paper?

“By the way, how’s your hangover?”

“When I woke up this afternoon, I felt nauseous from a splitting headache. Thanks to Mrs. Bailey, I’m feeling much better. I even took the medicine she gave me to make me feel energized.”

” I expected you to suffer since you drank too much. I’m glad you’re feeling better.” Cade said harshly.

Chagrined, Cherryl shut her mouth.

It wasn’t that she was proud of drinking too much from the dinner party’s excitement.

“So—-”

Cade leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, slowly scanning her face as if to gauge her expression.

“Do you remember last night?”

There seemed to be an intention behind the query he’d been hinting at.