Chapter 52 Is Calix Jealous?

Chapter 52 Is Calix Jealous?
Calix sensed something was off. It felt as though many eyes were secretly staring at him. When he finally looked around, he realized it wasn’t just his imagination. The maids were indeed stealing glances at him, and some of them even seemed to be whispering to one another.

"Don’t you want to work here anymore?" Calix asked, continuing on his way and ignoring the oddity.

The maids, who had been chatting suspiciously, immediately went back to their work.

"Why are they..."

Calix’s steps slowed as his eyes fell on something that explained everything. Amid the bustle of the pack house that afternoon, Ruella and Kyle were sitting at the edge of the terrace, chatting and occasionally laughing together.

Calix stood still.

His gaze wasn’t focused on anything in particular right now, but rather on one thing, or more precisely, those two people.

"Sir Kyle is very close to Lady Ruella. It seems she’s closer to Sir Kyle than to Alpha Calix," said a maid sweeping the courtyard, her back turned to the hallway where Calix was passing.

"Shh, don’t speak so loudly. Could there be something going on between Sir Kyle and Lady Ruella? I thought everyone hated him," replied the other.

Calix glanced briefly before returning his gaze to Ruella and Kyle. He had only just realized how close they were. Even since this morning, since Kyle’s return, Calix couldn’t count how many times he had seen them together.

In the backyard, on the garden bench where Calix had once sat with her.
In the hallway near the library, and now on the front porch of the pack house. And every time Calix found them together, he saw Ruella smiling, even laughing freely.

A strange feeling, an uneasy sensation, was enveloping Calix right now.

"Ignore all that, Cal," he told himself, then turned to find another way so he wouldn’t have to pass by Kyle and Ruella.

But suddenly, a call stopped him in his tracks, forcing him to stay put.

"Alpha Calix!"

It was Kyle’s voice. The very people he wanted to avoid were now walking side by side toward him.

Their steps looked so relaxed, and who knew what Kyle whispered that caused a carefree smile to appear on Ruella’s face. Kyle said something else, and now Ruella’s soft laughter could be heard clearly, even from a few steps away.

And for some reason, it bothered him. A lot.

Calix could only hold his breath quietly, waiting for the two of them to reach him.

"Can you both walk any faster? I’m busy. Don’t chat while walking," Calix said, his brow furrowed.

Until finally, they stopped in front of him.

"Alpha... ah, no, I’m going to say something as your friend," Kyle spoke first.

Calix nodded briefly. "Go ahead."

His gaze fell on Ruella, who was looking down more often, unlike when she was with Kyle.

For some reason, Calix was really bothered by such a small thing. He shouldn’t care what Ruella did as long as it didn’t cause any major problems.

"What’s up?" Calix asked.

Kyle gave a faint smile. "Actually, I wanted to ask for permission," he said. "I plan to take Ruella out for lunch."

Silence.

One second.

Two seconds.

Calix stared at him.

"Is that okay?"

"No," Calix replied quickly.

Ruella immediately reacted by lifting her face.

"What?" she frowned. "But why?"

Calix didn’t take his eyes off Kyle.

"It’s risky."

"It’s just lunch," Ruella retorted.

"If it’s just lunch, then you can do it in the dining room of this pack house," Calix said.

"I’m going with her, Cal," Kyle cut in quickly. "I’ll look after her."

Calix sighed softly. "No."

Ruella took a step forward.

"Calix," she said, trying to keep her voice soft, "I just want to go out for a bit. Kyle said there’s a famous bakery not far from here, and I’d like to try it."

Calix didn’t answer.

Ruella looked at him, pleading. "Please..."

But it was enough to make Kyle glance at Calix, curious to see how he would respond.

Calix fell silent, looking deep in thought, until finally he said, "Actually... actually, I have a task for Ruella."

The words came out of nowhere.

Ruella frowned. "A task? For me?"

Calix finally turned to face her, looking much more relieved, as if he had just found the perfect excuse to stop Ruella and Kyle from leaving together.

"There’s going to be a banquet at the pack house the day after the festival, and you’ll definitely be involved."

Ruella froze, half in disbelief.

"I... what? Really?"

"You need to know what to do and what not to do," Calix continued. "Preparations, welcoming guests, and other things."

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Right now?"

"Right now," Calix nodded. "Of course right now, before lunchtime."

Leaving no room for negotiation.

Ruella stared at Calix intently.

"So... am I really involved?" she asked softly.

Calix nodded. "Yes, you are."

Ruella’s eyes lit up at the confirmation.

"In that case, come on, tell me everything about the banquet," Ruella said excitedly.

Ruella bit her lower lip, then turned to Kyle.

Kyle smiled. "I understand. We can go another time."

"I’m sorry," Ruella said sincerely. "But I promise we’ll go to that bakery together later."

"Of course," he replied casually. "For now, the duty comes first."

Ruella nodded slightly.

Kyle shrugged. "I’ll look forward to it."

Ruella smiled.

Then she moved over to Calix’s side.

"We’ll be going now," said Calix, holding back a smile.

Ruella followed Calix, who had already started walking.

"Cal, is this a formal banquet?"

Calix nodded. "Yes, kinda. There will be important nobles and members of the pack council. They love to nitpick, so I need to tell you a few things."

Ruella felt both relieved and nervous at the same time because she would finally be playing a role in an official event organized by the pack.

Their footsteps were in sync. But the atmosphere was different—not like when Ruella was with Kyle. It felt much quieter and a little awkward; that’s how Ruella felt. Especially since they’d had a minor misunderstanding earlier.

A few seconds passed in silence until the sound of their footsteps became distinct.

Finally, Calix spoke up. “You seem really close with Kyle.”

Ruella glanced at him briefly. "We’re close but not that close, yeah. I mean he is the closest person to me here. Why?"

"Nothing, some of the maids were talking about how close you two are," Calix said.

Ruella frowned and stopped in her tracks for a moment.

”Is he mad?” Ruella wondered to herself, then broke into a light jog to catch up with Calix.