♥︎ 𝑩𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒂 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚 ♥︎

Chapter ten

"Pay attention! Wolves! We must be close to the hunted castle!" Jean and Marco, who were sitting in the back of Jean's carriage, were shocked by Erwin's shout. For quite some time, the three men had been making their way through the forest. Once Jean made it clear that he was heading into the woods, the rest of the crowd had turned around, ready to return to the comfort of the tavern. Although the forest wasn't exactly picture-perfect, it wasn't nearly as dangerous as Erwin's wild tavern story had led Jean to believe.

"Enough is enough, Erwin," Jean said as she turned to face the older man. His wild blonde hair had become even more disheveled from the carriage ride, and his eyes were whipping back and forth as he desperately looked around the trees. "We have to turn back," Jean said, unsure whether Erwin had understood a word he said.

He quickly shook his head, indicating that he had. "No way! Take a look!" Erwin indicated the direction of travel.

Jean noticed a tree on the side of the road after following the old man's finger. It had withered, its branches bent at strange angles, and its trunk had smoothed out with age. Erwin had been telling them more about how he discovered the magical castle during their journey. Jean narrowed his eyes as he cocked his head to the side and suggested something about a tree that looked like a cane and a secret road. It had the appearance of a cane, but there was no route behind it.

"That's the tree!" says the narrator. Erwin exclaimed, as though he sensed Jean's skepticism. "I'm certain of it. It was, of course, struck by lightning at the time, but it has since been returned to its upright position. It seems to be by magic..."

Marco tapped Jean on the shoulder as he leaned forward. He rolled his eyes and whispered, "Do you really want to marry into this family?"

Jean was well aware that the smaller man was making fun of him, but Marco had a valid point. It was time to call it quits. He'd let Erwin lead them out there for the express purpose of blackmailing him into marrying Y/N. But what good was it if they couldn't find Y/N? "I'm done with this game of yours," Jean yelled, pulling the carriage to a halt. He jumped down and put his hands on his hips. "Can you tell me where Y/N is?"

"The beast took her!" Erwin said again.

Jean's pupils constricted. He was attempting to keep his cool, but the old man was making things difficult. "Beasts, talking teacups, or...whatever you want to call them, don't exist." His voice became louder as he spoke, and his hands started to clench and unclench at his sides. "However, there are wolves, frostbite, and starvation to contend with."

Marco dashed from the carriage and dashed over to his friend's side. He said, "Deep breaths, Jean. Deep breaths."

Jean's jaw clenched, and for a brief moment, it appeared that he was about to strike something. But then, as Marco had said, he took a deep breath. And then another. And then one more, just for good measure. "Why don't we just turn around and go back to Shiganshina?" he began again when he was calmer. " Y/N is most likely at home, preparing a delicious meal..."

"Do you think I'm making it up?" Erwin inquired, oblivious to the fact that Jean was on the verge of collapsing. He was perplexed as he looked up at the big man. "Why did you agree to help if you didn't believe me?"

"Because I want to marry your daughter," Jean explained, no longer trying to conceal his intentions. "Let's go home now," 

"I told you! She's not a home, she's with the -"

Jean's rage overtook him, and he exploded. He yelled, his composure gone, "If you say beast' one more time, I'll feed you to the wolves!" He approached Erwin with his fists raised.