Chapter 25 - Prince Red Riding Hood

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Chapter 25

 

 

They must think it's meaningless to avoid frostbite if I'm just going to be drained of blood anyway… That's what it feels like they're telling me. But I can't give up. I have to survive. I have to return and change the sacrificial system. I know I can't break the covenant with the Wolf King, but still…

 

Shivering in the endless cold and darkness, Lil tried to picture the Wolf King.

 

In the storybooks he'd seen as a child, the Wolf King was a monstrous, black beast—larger than a bear, with a hundred fangs as sharp as knives. It was said he could open his mouth so wide it seemed ready to tear apart his own jaw, his long tongue coiling around women and children before swallowing them whole.

 

Wait… Even if he truly is terrifying, the Wolf King is a creature made more cunning by magic. Which means… he has intelligence. If he has wisdom, maybe—just maybe—I could speak to him. Reason with him in human language.

 

Hundreds of years ago, a saint had covered all of Vallcent's lands in a sacred barrier, marking its perimeter with a soft crimson line now known as Strawberry Snow. That very saint was said to have forged a pact with the Wolf King.

 

Though the monsters could not be eradicated entirely, the saint had brokered a truce—one that protected the kingdom in exchange for a sacrifice under the full moon. It was a pact that had saved this realm.

 

Lil had no special powers like the chosen saint of legend. He had no offering or leverage to bring to the table. But at least… he still wore the forbidden-color cloak—a symbol of the royal bloodline.

 

When the Wolf King comes, I'll try to speak with him. I'll tell him who I am—that I am a prince—and swear that I will fulfill my role as sacrifice. But in return… I will ask for just one day of grace. I'll ask him to use his fangs to remove this blindfold. The snow isn't too deep, and the slope is gentle—I can move, even with my limbs bound. If I can reach a patch without snow, I might avoid frostbite. And if I survive until morning, someone will come for me. The soldiers will arrive, certain they'll find me dead. But I'll be alive… I'll meet Grandmother again in one piece. I'll tell her how cruelly the sacrificial rites are carried out, and I'll beg her to change them. Then I'll return here tomorrow night. Not hurled like garbage from a sled—but delivered with dignity and care. Whether they are a prince or a commoner, every sacrifice deserves the same. Because a sacrifice… is a benefactor to all the people of Vallcent. An honored soul fulfilling a noble duty.

 

Lil made up his mind. He would negotiate with the Wolf King for the sake of all future sacrifices.

 

But of course, there was no gain for the Wolf King in such a delay. To ask for a day's grace meant offering something in return. He would need a fitting gift—something that might appeal to the beast.

 

Would he accept a cow or a sheep in exchange? Lil wondered. Or what if he demands something worse—like an extra sacrifice in return for the delay?

 

And what if the Wolf King didn't like him at all? What if he raged, "A child like you won't satisfy me—there's not enough blood!"

 

There must be something… something that costs little on our end, but that the Wolf King would find irresistible…

 

Like… Klaus's favorite treat: white butter.

 

Even if the Wolf King was intelligent, there was no way he could make white butter himself—not something so delicious. And if he was a wolf at heart, he'd surely love butter. Rich in fat and flavor, full of nutrients… Maybe, just maybe, he'd smile like Klaus did and grant that one day's grace.

 

If only I had a jar of white butter here now, Lil thought. It would be the perfect bargaining chip.

 

If the Wolf King knew how it tasted, perhaps he'd say: "Bring me more of this, and I'll delay devouring you for one day."

 

And so, in the dark, in the cold, Lil wept… longing for white butter.

 

Every step had come too late, and it was all his own fault.

 

If only he'd shown more interest—attended the drawing of lots at the church, accompanied the sacrifices, visited the homes of those who survived—he could've started reform long ago.

 

Though born into privilege, he had chosen ignorance. That made him more guilty than anyone.

 

And on top of that… he had given his heart to someone of the same gender, indulged in feelings that distracted him from the people's suffering.

 

A foolish prince who neglected his duty.

 

Of course this was divine punishment. Of course.

 

Klaus… If the Wolf King comes, I'll try to speak with him. But maybe it's already too late. He might bite off my head before I even get a word out. Or sink his teeth into my throat and drain me dry. I'm not proud of who I am—I could never expect you to love me. But still… I wanted to be loved by you. I wanted you to desire me so fiercely that it would strip you of reason. If I have to die by the Wolf King's fangs, then… let it be you who takes me. Let it be you who claims me first—even as a wolf.

 

Time flowed quietly on, indifferent to Lil's sobs.

 

In a world of nothing but snow and shadow, silence reigned with terrifying stillness.

 

He could no longer tell how much time had passed. Feeling in his legs had faded. The words he wanted to say to the Wolf King tangled in his mind with his aching desire to see Klaus—and the noise of it all inside him was unbearable.

 

If I had seen Klaus tonight like always… would I have had the courage to ask him to become a wolf? Could we have shared this love… would it have been real?

 

In the end, Lil could think of nothing else but him.

 

And then—he heard something. A faint sound.

 

The soft crunch of footsteps in snow. No wolf would walk like that.

 

There was no bestial panting, no guttural breath—whoever it was, they walked upright.

 

"Klaus? Klaus… If you're there, turn into a wolf… and eat me."

 

Half-lost in a dream of longing, Lil wept as he pleaded.

 

If only Klaus stood just beyond this blindfold… if only this moment were real.

 

Maybe it was all just a dream. Maybe he would be torn to pieces by the Wolf King without a word, without a chance. But if he had to die, then at least… he wanted to belong to Klaus before it ended.

 

"...Who's there? Klaus? Or… are you the Wolf King?"

 

If Klaus had arrived before the moon turned red, and claimed his purity—how blessed that would be. Lil couldn't quite give up on that hope.

 

The person drew closer.

 

Lil couldn't stand, only lift his upper body. The figure seemed to kneel before him.

 

He could hear them breathing—faint, but quick.

 

Maybe they've come far through the snow. Or maybe… they're excited?

 

"Who are you? If you're the Wolf King, please… don't kill me right away. Listen to me. Just for a moment."

 

They felt human—but perhaps the Wolf King, as terrible as he was, could take human shape.

 

Clinging to that fragile hope, Lil gathered his courage and spoke.

 

"I want… to negotiate with you."

 

"—Ah…"

 

As he waited for a response, a hand gently touched the top of his head, through the red hood.

 

The fabric was thick—satin and lining—but Lil could tell. It was a human hand.

 

There's a familiar scent... Why...?

 

As the hand stroked his head, Lil's nose picked up a scent he knew well.

 

He had never asked if it was perfume or powder, but it was elegant, gentle... a noble fragrance. It couldn't be, not on such an ominous night—no noblewoman would venture out at a time like this. And yet, the image of a certain esteemed lady floated to Lil's mind.

 

"...Grandmother?"

 

There was no mistaking it. It was the scent of lilies—not the kind found in wild fields, but something more seductive.

 

To describe it accurately: it was a scent nearly identical to lilies, yet subtly different.

 

As far as Lil knew, only Queen Cyndia carried that fragrance.

 

"It is you, isn't it, Grandmother? Oh... that you would come all this way, through the cold... It is more than I deserve. I had resolved myself to become the cornerstone of peace for the kingdom. But you thought I was afraid... and worried for me, didn't you."

 

Overwhelmed by surprise, Lil felt a pang of guilt for the joy that burst from him.

 

That was why he couldn't bring himself to say, "Please save me," or "You came to rescue me."

 

Even if she were to say, "I came to save you," he had already decided in his heart that he would not cling to her.

 

If the Queen disrupted order out of affection for her grandson, the people would lose faith in her.

 

If the trust in the monarchy wavered, so too might the stability of the nation.

 

"Oh my... even without seeing, you still knew."

 

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