Chapter 161: A Marriage Proposal
Laila fell silent for a long moment, her eyes moving back and forth between her boss and the enormous black wolf in the room. In a single instant, her entire worldview had been shattered. The creatures she once believed only existed in fantasy novels had revealed themselves... and she had fallen in love with one.
She could hardly believe it.
The boss she deeply respected... whom she admired as an extraordinary human... was not even human at all. And now she realized that she had been surrounded by werewolves the entire time she had been living in the Kingdom. If someone had told her just a few hours ago that werewolves were real... and that she was about to marry one... she would have laughed.
But now, staring directly at that reality, there was no laughter. No joy. Only a gnawing dread settling deep in her stomach. A sharp, twisting tension that made her feel like the ground had disappeared beneath her feet.
Suddenly, long-buried memories surged up from within: Her father’s photograph hanging on the wall of their tiny home... Her mother cooking breakfast before work, getting ready to leave for the factory... The horrifying sight of her mother’s lifeless body... A young boy’s corpse, his organs missing... And so many others, just like him. So much grief. So much loss.
A life stripped of warmth, replaced by cold self-loathing and endless loneliness.
Her entire life flashed before her eyes, leaving her hollow inside. A shell. She had no one left in the world.
And now... the only person who wanted her... the only person who had dared to love her... was looking at her with glowing eyes full of pity, not pride. A majestic creature seemingly trembling with fear of losing her.
She turned her eyes to Eleanor, who sat with a calm, unreadable expression. As though none of this had anything to do with her.
Laila stood abruptly and walked toward the wolf... well, toward Raphael. His eyes fluttered shut, as if bracing himself for rejection. But instead, she gently reached out and touched his head, like a woman stroking her beloved pet.
Raphael flinched. He expected rejection... perhaps even hatred. But what he felt instead... was acceptance.