Judy's POV:
Nick's smile made my heart skip a beat. I was just about to place my hand in his when the chaotic thunder of hooves tore through the calm like a sharp gust of wind. A male voice rang out, soft, yet carrying an inexplicable agitation.
"Miss Johnston!"
Before I could react, a runaway horse charged straight toward me, dust billowing into the air. The rider was panting, desperately hauling on the reins; the horse reared out of control, its hooves bearing down on me. Screams erupted all around and in that instant, Nick vanished from the saddle like a streak of black shadow.
He landed on the ground in front of me, fast and precise, a movement only a seasoned Alpha wolf, one who had trained countless times on the arena could execute. A powerful force yanked me into his chest; his scent flooded my senses, so familiar that my body instinctively relaxed. At the same time, his left hand flicked backward, and a fistful of cold, sharp throwing needles burst from his sleeve an assassin's reflex carved by training.
The runaway horse skidded and crashed onto the grass; its rider was flung violently aside. But I saw nothing beyond Nick's broad shoulder. He pressed my head against his chest as if shielding me from the entire world, his heartbeat pounding against my bones fast, fierce, saturated with the adrenaline of an Alpha who had nearly lost control.
I heard servants shouting, but the only sound I truly registered… was Nick's breathing. In this modern world, the wolf mate-bond still worked the same way, moments of danger made the instinctive connection between two souls blaze with painful clarity.
Nick tightened his grip around my waist and turned, placing himself squarely between me and the threat. His eyes darkened, as if ready to tear someone apart. When he recognized the man, Idris, the killing intent in his black eyes flared like fire.
Despite the pain wracking his body, Idris forced himself upright, carrying the blazing fury of a young man as he stepped forward. Nick read his intention at once. He raised an eyebrow and smiled, lowering his voice to a dangerous murmur.
"Do you want to die?"
He turned fully to face Idris, keeping me hidden behind him. His tall, youthful frame looked like a wolf on the grasslands, disdainfully gazing down at a guard dog half a head shorter, his mocking smile paired with an overwhelming aura of possessive dominance.
Idris staggered to his feet. "I'm sorry… Miss Johnston. I didn't mean to frighten you."
He stopped instinctively, then pleaded carefully, humbly, "I had no ill intent either, Miss Johnston. Could you… could you look at me, just once?"
As he spoke, he hurriedly straightened his clothes, trying not to appear too disheveled. Remembering how close he'd come to causing a disaster, he lowered his head in distress. Ever since meeting her again after rebirth, each time he recalled the words Octavia had once said to him, he lost sleep and appetite. Early that morning, he had gone to the Marquis residence and was told they were at the riding grounds outside the city. He'd spurred his horse nonstop to get here, just to see her once. In his haste, he had forgotten to ask who else would be with her.
I saw Nick's neck muscles tense. The faint smile on his lips turned so dangerous that Idris froze.
"Do you really want to die?" Nick said softly, every syllable sharp as a blade.
Idris instinctively took half a step back. But he still forced out the words, "I… I just want to see her. Just a little."
He looked at me imploringly, as if searching for something irretrievably lost.
I rested my forehead against Nick's back, my fingers unconsciously gripping his clothes, trying to soothe the boiling instincts inside him. I spoke clearly.
"No."
Idris stared, stunned. "What?"
"I said, no."
Nick reached back and clasped my hand behind him, so satisfied that the corners of his eyes curved faintly. "All right then," he said to Idris, his voice short and cold as steel. "Disappear."
…
On the way back, I couldn't calm myself. The leather seat was soft enough to swallow any vibration, yet my head still felt unbearably heavy. Why had Idris appeared there? And why so early?
According to everything I remembered from my previous life, we shouldn't have met at this point. The first time was supposed to be at Luna Helia's birthday banquet still half a month away. Idris now… was completely different. Less carefree. More haunted. And the way he looked at me… as if searching for something even he couldn't explain.
Idris was the son of the current Chief Minister; the Martin and Anderson families had been close for generations. Octavia had admired him since childhood, yet he had been slow to respond. From the perspective of an outsider like me, Idris treated all noble young ladies with the same gentle attentiveness, a kind of "balanced" kindness that easily led people into believing he held special feelings.
In my previous life, I hadn't understood him well either. Most of what I knew came from others, especially after the engagement was settled, when noble ladies would boast about how kindly Idris treated them. Only Octavia would soothe me, telling me not to overthink it.
But the incident I remembered most clearly… was a conflict over a piece of jewelry.
A noble young lady, the daughter of one of Idris's old family acquaintances and I both took a liking to the same bracelet. She had been spoiled since childhood and always got what she wanted, so naturally she refused to give way. But I truly liked it as well; I had even planned to wear it on my wedding day.
Idris had been right there. He urged me to yield a little, to endure a little, promising he would make it up to me later. He begged me to give the jewelry to her. "Brother Idris, you've changed. In the past, whatever Hannie wanted, you'd always help her get it. Why would you compete with her today?"
Idris was helpless. He looked to me for help. I forced a faint smile, clinging to the last shreds of my reserve and dignity. As expected, the jewelry ended up in that noble girl's hands. Before leaving, she cast me a contemptuous glance mocking, flaunting her victory. I remained calm as still water, my expression unmoved, while Idris kept comforting me.
"Hannie is still young. It's fine for us to give in to her. Otherwise she'll go complain to her father again. She's loved tattling on me since childhood, I really don't dare provoke her."
I looked him straight in the eyes. In that man's gaze was the same familiar gentle smile, as if he truly saw nothing wrong. Any expectation I once held had long since run dry; with the engagement approaching, I grew even less inclined to dwell on those vague emotions. Still… deep down, there lingered a faint sense of loss, a fleeting thought that perhaps this life would simply pass by like this.
I told myself not to care anymore. Yet when night fell and the world grew quiet, I couldn't deceive myself, there was still pain. Not because of Idris, but because of regret: regret that I had never met someone whose heart held only me; regret that I had never known mutual love, the feeling of being someone's singular priority, of being cherished, of both people placing each other in a fixed place in their hearts.
In Idris's eyes, perhaps all women connected to him were the same including me. The only difference… was a single sheet of an engagement contract.
When it came to romance, I too had once hoped. But those hopes had been worn away by rumors, by witnessing with my own eyes how evenly he treated every woman until almost nothing remained.
Yet no matter how disappointed I was, I couldn't refuse this engagement. Not because I lacked the courage to regret it, but because the Martin family truly suited me: a status neither too high nor too low, enough to protect the Marquis family's dignity without drawing excessive attention.
I had weighed it clearly. If I couldn't find someone I truly loved, then marrying anyone was the same. In that case, shouldn't I choose the one that benefited the family most?
If there was no love, then all that remained… was utility.