"I'll come and get you later." He winked at me and smacked his lips before sprinting ahead.
"…"
"Get him!!!"
"Get that bastard!!"
As Hugo sprinted away, angry shouts resonated in the air as men and wolves alike run past us all. I blinked twice before my eyes fell on where Mitch and Winter were.
"Ah! So freaking hot!!" Mitch danced on the hot surface of the stage. How they freed themselves was a mystery to me, but they were now being surrounded.
"Alpha Hugo! It's cold, you should wear something warm!" Meanwhile, Winter yelled with his hands on either side of his lips. Out of instinct, I turned my eyes to where Hugo ran off to. As soon as I did, Hugo suddenly halted and shivered.
"Ah! Damn it!" Hugo cursed loudly, running towards one knight and snatched the fur around him. In a second, Hugo started running away again while covering his top with the fur he stole. The knights and wolves were still after him, and then the others also ran in different directions as Winter and Mitch also fled.
In the midst of this chaos, I noticed something huge in the dark. I turned my head in it and froze. There, in the dark, Tito was hiding. He raised his finger up to his lips as if telling me not to speak where he was hiding. Since everyone was busy, he managed to hide but... it was not like he was unnoticeable!
"...."
My mouth opened and closed as everything was just... chaotic. I gazed at the Emperor and he scrunched his nose up in dismay.
"Those mad wolves are at it again!" he huffed as if this wasn't the first time this happened. "They better catch at least one of them this time, or I will break everyone's bones."
"His highness, the tenth prince is here!" I heard someone yell and glanced in Tito's direction. I knew it. He would be found out easily.
"Let that child go!" the emperor roared as he glared at the knights surrounding Tito. "If any of you lay a hand on that child, I will rip you all apart! Get that shameless Hugo and offer his head to me! That insolent! He's the one who is influencing my youngest to be mischievous!"
I pressed my lips into a thin line as the emperor panted after shouting angrily. The knights lowered their heads and frowned, but they left Tito alone. The latter covered his face with both his palms as if that would help him hide. I wanted to tell Tito this disguise wasn't enough because his body was the biggest I had ever seen.
As this all happened in a matter of minutes, I came to a conclusion. Ronmin Empire was... a strange place with strange people. Just earlier, I was trembling in fear since the air was too thick as if they would kill each other. But now, it was just... chaotic. I didn't even know what to think anymore.
All the pack said about Ronmin Empire... sounded like lies. Of course, I didn't mean they lied since there must be some truth in it. But somehow, it didn't look like a scary place to be in it anymore. It was just... baffling in many ways.
"Your Majesty?" I called when I finally found my voice to speak, gazing up at the upset emperor. "Please forgive me if this offends you, but why did you ask me to marry Hugo when you think he abducts me?"
I mustered a lifetime of courage to ask this question. There were a lot of questions I had in mind, but this naturally left my mouth. The emperor's brows elevated as he gazed down at me. It seemed he also forgot about my existence momentarily with the chaos that ensued.
He looked confused about my question, so I explained. "If His Majesty thinks Hugo abducted me, why did you ask me to marry your son? Please forgive me for this insolence in raising a question to the sovereign."
"Ah... because my son will not ask you." My brows furrowed at the response I received. "That brat just does what he wants, so it's better if someone asks this question for him. In this case, you wouldn't be surprised on your wedding day."
My brain went blank for a moment as I stared at him for a few seconds. If I was actually abducted, the emperor wouldn't do anything about it? He only spoke such things to be polite? Since he believed his son was rude?
"You will marry him, correct?" he asked me and tilted his head, eyebrows arched.
I pressed my lips into a thin line. It wasn't like my answer to that question was a 'no.' But it would be better if Hugo was the person who will propose to me. Ronmin Empire was surely a strange place.
I hung my head low. "Your Majesty, is that an order?" I slowly raised my head, knowing full well that I was pushing my luck too far for asking him another question. But... I knew Hugo would also feel irked if I told him I would marry him because I was ordered to.
To my surprise, the emperor smiled before patting my head. "It is not. If you refused, I can't do anything about it. The least I can do is stop my son from obsessing over a precious daughter of someone else's child."
I looked at the warm sovereign and his eyes told me he was speaking the truth. A subtle smile resurfaced on my face, thinking how foolish I was to be afraid of this man because of other people's words. He didn't seem like an unreasonable man. Maybe I was only confused about what was going on in this place since it was my first time.
My overall impression of the werewolves remained the same. Just like the pact and Hugo, everyone seemed… they were all kind and warm by nature.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." I gazed down with the same gentle smile on my face.. "Thank you for welcoming an outsider warmly in your land."