That evening, Roderick brought more ice springs over.
Catriona stood on the balcony as usual, letting the breeze brush past her. Initially, she'd sensed that Roderick wasn't comfortable with them being too close, so she'd gradually started standing farther away each time he came to give the child the spring water. Eventually, she found herself all the way out on the balcony.
Tonight, after feeding the ice springs, Roderick didn't leave. He must've wanted to spend time with his son.
Her phone chimed. She opened the message and was slightly taken aback.
It was a message from Lucian, who she hadn't heard from in over a month.
[Lucian]: "Pardon me for asking, but do you like him?"
If she answered "yes," it would be the best way to completely turn Lucian down.
Adults have many harmless lies, but this was one that Catriona truly didn't want to lie about.
After experiencing so much at Luna Palace, both good and bad, Catriona found herself feeling fairly neutral toward Roderick—neither liking nor disliking him. However, when it came to the idea of being romantically involved with him, she felt a strong sense of resistance.
Roderick was always worried she'd have feelings for him, which had become a mental block for her.
Forget about no love sparks at the beginning; now the entire area was frozen solid.
Using this reason to say "yes" and leave Lucian with no hope? No, she genuinely didn't want any misunderstandings with Roderick.
So she replied, "No, I don't like him. We're just interacting temporarily for the child's sake."
His response came quickly: "Alright. If you ever need anything, I hope you'll reach out to me. Whatever he can help you with, I should be able to as well, right?"
Catriona thought for a moment; actually, maybe he couldn't...
The cold spring, apart from that mysterious distant snowy mountain, was only found in Roderick's underground ice chamber.
Slowly, she typed, "Thank you."
Sometimes, as Eulalia often scolded her, she thought she really must have the brains of a mule. What was wrong with Lucian? Why didn't she feel anything for him?
He was flawless—kind, dependable, courteous. If they were together, he'd surely treat Cedric well too. So why was she completely unmoved?
Maybe it was her childhood experiences that had made her so guarded.
She didn't consider love a necessity.
As long as she had money and could raise her son well, that was enough.
She had no expectations of others; her sense of security came from herself.
Just like the recent incident with Grey, when the werewolves' attitudes shifted back and forth, she calmly accepted their apologies with warmth instead of glaring at them unforgivingly and lashing out.
Because, she felt it was unnecessary.
Maybe, at the start, she had felt a bit surrounded by their warmth and let her guard down, but after this, she closed herself off again.
In truth, it was easy to see—the werewolves of Luna Palace weren't of her kind, and naturally, they would stand together when one of their own was hurt. She was just a passerby in Luna Palace. She always thought of herself as a passerby at Luna Palace.
For now, they just needed to coexist peacefully for half a year.
Her philosophy in dealing with people was simple: if they could interact amicably, why create a daily atmosphere of tension and awkwardness?
As for bringing genuine feelings into the mix, well, she'd pass on that.
She couldn't be as easygoing, carefree, and open as the werewolves.
She knew all too well the hardships she had endured to get here.
The only happiness she had managed to find was her own cub.
In the room.
Roderick took out a small gift, letting the cub play with it, while his gaze involuntarily drifted to the figure on the balcony.
He looked away, clearing his throat softly, lowering his voice as he asked the cub, "Do you know Lucian?"
Cedric nodded and replied, "He likes my mom."
Roderick's hand tightened at his side involuntarily. He had suspected as much, but hearing it from the cub was still a stab to his heart.
"And your mom? She doesn't like him, right?"
Cedric thought for a moment, "I don't know."
But he was sure of one thing—Mommy didn't like Dad.
In the end, he didn't say it out loud.
"A lot of people like my mommy. They all want to be my dad."
Roderick:?
He reached out, ruffling the cub's hair with a hint of gritted teeth in his tone. "Ignore them. I'm your real dad."
Cedric nodded, "I know."
Meanwhile.
Eulalia's house.
Eulalia yawned as she walked out of her room, having just finished updating her comic. She was so hungry her head felt light, and she was utterly drained.
Halfway through her yawn, she froze, noticing a man who had somehow appeared in her living room.
He turned around at the sound of her voice.
A bristly head, sharp eyes, and a face that looked no older than twenty.
A cloth covered his waist, with no other clothing on him.
"You—you're that big gray wolf??" Eulalia was dumbfounded.
"You turned human?"
Grey looked away and nodded.
His wounds had healed a lot, allowing him to shift; before, he could only stay in his full-wolf form.
"I'm leaving."
With that, he headed for the door.
Eulalia snapped back, surprised, "You're leaving like this? What about your clothes?"
"I don't have any."
Grey had come to this woman's place in full wolf form; his clothes had long been torn to shreds.
"Wait, let me find you some clothes."
Grey ignored her. "No need."
As he spoke, he reached the entrance.
Eulalia stood there, surprised at his sudden departure, feeling a bit complicated, "Well... goodbye then."
They were from two different worlds. Now that he was healed, it was time for him to go.
For some reason, hearing her words, Grey paused.
Eulalia slowly walked toward him.
With concern, she said, "Be careful on the road, and stay away from those bad things in the future. You're alone, or rather, a lone wolf—not their match."
She thought this werewolf seemed so young. She was twenty-five, and looking at this boy, he felt like a little brother.
Grey said nothing, didn't look back, and pulled the door open as he walked out.
Eulalia was truly too hungry to stand properly, her head spinning, and cold sweat forming on her forehead. She had to steady herself on the wall, standing by the door to see him off.
"Goodbye, and thank you for that day."
Grey didn't turn back, unaware of her pale face. In the end, he said nothing, heading downstairs.
Eulalia couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed with a thud.
She was hit by low blood sugar.
Lately, she had been eating less to lose weight and staying up late to finish her work.
There was honey water on the table; all she needed was to crawl over and get it.
She let out a heavy sigh, and the next second, someone grabbed her roughly, flipping her over. An annoyed, youthful voice asked, "Hey, what's wrong with you? Are you dead?"
"..."
No, you're dead!
Stupid boy, can't you speak properly?
"The honey water... on the table. Get it for me," she murmured weakly.
Then, she was abruptly dropped onto the floor, leaving her dazed for a moment.
The next second, she was picked up again, her hair pushed aside as the cup was pressed to her lips. "Here. Drink up!"
"..."
So, after hearing her request, he had just let go, letting her drop, and then brought the honey water back to hold her?
"..."
What kind of person is he?!
Eulalia was speechless. She focused on survival, reaching out to grip the cup, but ended up holding onto a broad, slender hand. It tensed, but she ignored it, gulping down the drink.
As soon as she finished, the hand she was holding pulled away abruptly.
She felt herself lifted up again, only to be placed on the couch, while the figure darted to the doorway.
Eulalia opened her eyes to see the tall, slender boy leaning against the door, head down, ears red to the point of bleeding.
