Chapter 126
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Dear, I believe you may be misunderstanding.
Chapter 126
'...A whale.'
A colossal creature she had only ever seen in books now loomed directly before her.
Its overwhelming presence was so immense that she could not take it all in at a single glance.
Floating in waters beyond her reach, she now faced the mystical whale shimmering in silvery-gray—a moment that felt utterly unreal.
She could not discern whether it was sinking deeper or hovering suspended.
Time seemed to stretch in this subtle moment, as if only the whale and she existed in this blue expanse.
The whale's eyes were a pale blue, refracting into countless hues with each glimmer of light.
As she gazed, mesmerized, the whale's pupils suddenly rippled.
The creature, which had been watching her motionlessly, began to move slowly, circling around her in a wide arc.
With each movement of the whale, the sea itself seemed to shift.
Grace's body swayed and undulated with the currents.
Was this what it felt like when the ocean itself grew tense?
Countless fish vanished from sight, and sound and light rippled in rhythm with the whale's movements.
After completing its circuit around her, the whale came to a halt.
Then, in an instant, its pointed snout jabbed sharply against her abdomen.
"...!"
That was the beginning.
The whale began to push her.
At first gently, but then with terrifying speed, it thrust her forward.
'No, stop!'
Grace thrashed in panic, attempting to resist.
But the water rushed past with such velocity, and the resistance against her back pressed down so heavily that movement became nearly impossible.
The pressure from the whale's snout pushing against her, the weight of seawater crushing her back, and the staggering speed that made her body lurch—
Grace trembled with inexplicable terror, desperately struggling to move.
Then the whale, which had been watching her calmly, bared its teeth.
Though no words were spoken, she understood perfectly that this was a threat to remain still.
When a whale larger than most buildings revealed its teeth, it evoked a terror comparable to the fiercest predators known on land.
Was this what it meant to be overwhelmed?
Grace felt her entire body stiffen.
But then, the cursed wrist suddenly grew hot.
The heat was so vivid she could feel each character distinctly.
Grace recognized this sensation.
She had experienced it before.
When Trisha had transformed into a wolf and threatened her.
'Could it be....'
Lucas had said that Wale Contana was also one of the Seven Great Families.
And each family's emblem represented the beast form into which they could transform.
What shape was the Contana seal?
The moment she recalled it, her mind became crystal clear.
But translating thought into action proved far more difficult.
Especially when she was forcibly dragged above the water's surface.
"Pshhhh—!"
The whale moved with such terrifying speed that it had already reached the vicinity of the island.
My back, which had cut through the water's current, throbbed with pain.
The whale was carrying her toward the beach at an enormous velocity.
It was then that the pattern crawling across the back of my hand grew even hotter.
"Stop, stop... please!"
Water droplets lashed savagely across my cheeks and the nape of my neck.
I pushed back against the violent whale, and in doing so, brought my throbbing palm down hard against its body.
Crack—splash!
Because both of us were soaked, my palm adhered coldly to the whale's slick, glistening skin.
Compared to the whale's colossal size, the impact of my palm strike was little more than an insect bite—yet it was enough to shock the creature.
"...!"
Given its massive frame, the light enveloping the whale was equally immense.
So brilliant that it could be seen from a great distance.
The undulating light suddenly contracted, shrinking to the size of a single person.
At the same moment, the resistance pushing against me diminished sharply.
Only then could I finally breathe properly.
"Gasp, gasp..."
A pale-faced man glared down at me as I gasped for breath.
I glared back at him, my own breathing ragged.
"You..."
The man muttered something incoherent before seizing my wrist.
Then he dragged me toward the shore and swam for land.
Though no longer a whale, the man moved with such graceful, otherworldly agility—like a merman—that he reached the beach in mere moments.
We arrived at the place where white sand crumbled and waves rose and fell in gentle rhythm.
I regained my senses belatedly and tried to move my heavy legs to escape from him.
But after floating in the water for so long, my body suddenly felt impossibly heavy the moment my feet touched solid ground.
My dress was soaked through, and the white sand clung stubbornly to my feet, refusing to release them, making it all the worse.
"...!"
Before I could take a single step, my wrist was seized again.
In an instant, both our bodies crashed to the ground.
My hands were pinned beneath his, completely immobilized against the sand.
Salty seawater dripped steadily from the man's silver-gray hair as he pressed down on me.
I stared up at him with wide, startled eyes.
"Who are you? Are you a witch? Where did you come from?"
The man demanded fiercely.
The pale blue eyes I had glimpsed beneath the sea moments ago now swirled with confusion.
He was a man with such refined features that it was hard to believe he had once been a massive beast.
While Hiess Cerviente gave off an air of decadence and frailty, this man possessed a more androgynous, exotic quality.
"Tell me...! Did he send you?"
The man's lips twisted in agony as he uttered those words—more painfully than ever before.
His wavering eyes seemed to have lost all reason.
"I...."
I parted my lips to respond, but then I caught sight of something glimmering within his eyes.
'What is that...?'
It was like a small spark flickering in the depths of his gaze.
I stared intently at his eyes, trying to trace the barely visible form of that mysterious light.
The man grew flustered by my unwavering stare, my silence speaking volumes.
And in that moment, he too noticed something as he gazed into my eyes.
'Those pristine violet eyes....'
They were eyes he knew far too well. The man's composure shattered.
Because he had seen eyes like these—eyes he hadn't encountered in an eternity.
"...You, surely not."
His wet, cold hand reached toward the corner of my eye.
The chill of his touch snapped me back to clarity.
"Step aside, please."
I grasped the hand that had been touching my eye and spoke with firm resolve.
"...."
I exhaled softly as I watched his eyes continue to waver erratically, then spoke once more.
"Duke Wale Contana, sir—please step aside."
"...!"
My words, which had pinpointed his identity with precision, caused him to stiffen in shock.
Seizing that moment, I stepped back slightly.
But then, in that very instant.
Thud, thud, thud, thud....
I felt the ground trembling beneath me.
It was the sound of something charging forward with an oddly frantic gait.
Both my head and Wale Contana's turned in unison toward the source.
A black silhouette was rapidly approaching us.
Our expressions diverged sharply.
'Lucas!'
My face broke into a smile suffused with relief and joy....
"A black horse...? Surely not."
Meanwhile, Wale's expression betrayed clear alarm as he raised himself slightly.
As one of the Seven Great Families, he could not possibly fail to recognize such an exceptional steed.
Its massive frame that dominated ordinary horses, its astonishing speed, and those brilliant blue eyes that gleamed with intelligence.
Lucas had drawn near.
Before Grace could call out to him in her delight, he called to her first.
—Lie back down, Grace.
'...What?'
—Now!
I didn't understand what was happening, but the moment I heard his shout, I lowered myself back down.
In that instant, Lucas, who had been charging forward by mere inches, collided directly into Wale Contana instead.
"Gasp!"
"Ugh...!"
I watched Wale's body launch into the air right before my eyes.
I couldn't believe a human body could be sent flying so lightly, like a sheet of paper....
Though he was hurled away in an instant, I somehow caught every detail—his expression, the look in his eyes, even the way his body moved.
But in that moment, Lucas shouted.
—Grace, close your eyes!
'Eek!'
His voice was so desperate and urgent that I flinched and squeezed my eyes shut.
Only then did it belatedly occur to me that Wale was completely naked.
It was fortunate.
In my shock, I had only glimpsed his muscular upper body.
I thought I caught sight of numerous large and small scars scattered across that pale skin....
But it had all happened so quickly that I couldn't be certain.
After some distance, I heard the heavy thud of something hitting the ground.
For a brief moment, I was concerned about the man who had been struck by Lucas—a massive black horse with such exceptional strength that it was almost a supernatural ability.
But before I could even check if he was all right, my body was suddenly lifted into the air.
"Wh-what...kyaaaah!"
'D-did he just pick me up in his mouth?'
With my eyes clamped shut, I couldn't confirm it, but the fabric pulling taut across my back and the wind rushing past my cheek were unmistakable.
"Ah, wait, Lucas! Kyaaaah!"
Screaming, I was being carried away from that place by Lucas in an instant.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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