I Would Rather Be a Rogue [BL]
Chapter 168: Chase

Chapter 168: Chase

When Remi came back around two hours later, Felix was sitting by the table, sipping some tea. Dinner was ready, but not served - Felix had quickly finished it up after Agnes had left, and even had eaten already. Not much, since he didn’t have an appetite, he just forced himself to swallow something to have the energy. Then, he checked the ’health tonics’ he had, and after sniffing them all and comparing them with Agnes’ recipe, he picked the one that seemed the most suitable for his current condition. It worked well, and he had recovered...

Well, at least recovered physically. His heart and mind were still in turmoil.

The refreshing scent of Agnes’ magic was gone from the house. Before the woman left, she cleaned up her scent and the traces of the spells she had used. Since she didn’t use that much magic to begin with, it wasn’t a difficult task. Even Felix could no longer pick up on that fresh floral fragrance, even though wolves had a better sense of smell than foxes...

But it seemed that Agnes had underestimated Remi a bit. Her son’s ability as a witch was much better than she might have expected. The moment he stepped into the house, he noticed that something was wrong.

"Was... Was someone there?" he asked hesitantly, throwing Felix a furtive glance.

Well, if he noticed the faint remnants of magic, then even better. At least Felix didn’t have to feel guilty about breaking his promise. After all, how could he possibly hide Agnes’ visit if Remi had realized it himself? It wasn’t his fault, the woman should have concealed it better!

Without looking at Remi, Felix took a sip of his tea. "Yes."

The room fell into silence. Remi stood rooted in place at the door, while Felix just kept on sipping his tea, neither saying anything.

How long did they stay that way, Felix didn’t know. Probably no more than a few minutes, as the tea in his cup still stayed warm. But no matter how long it actually was, it felt like forever.

Eventually, Felix put his cup down. He still didn’t look at Remi, he could only see the man from the corner of his eyes. Dressed in his usual black clothes, mysterious and elegant. And revealing - even though it was the middle of winter, his chest was still exposed. He was no longer in the dress and the spiky hat he wore as a witch. He must have changed before coming back home.

Not that any of that was important right now.

"Your mother came to visit," Felix was the first one to break the silence.

"Ye-yeah?"

"Yes. She was very surprised by my golden eyes."

Remi gulped loudly, without saying anything.

"She had also drew some of my blood. From my neck, with a very interesting spell," Felix continued casually.

Remi’s face turned pale, as if he was the one having his blood drained.

"It made my neck very itchy," Felix complained. He finally turned his head to look at Remi.

Their eyes met for a moment. Just for a moment...

Because right after, Remi turned around on the spot, and ran away. The front door shut right behind him.

Felix didn’t wait. The moment Remi ran out of the room, he shot up from his seat, and rushed after him. He opened the front door just in time to see the red tail disappearing around the corner. He swore inwardly, and jumped down from the porch, chasing after the fox. Luckily, he had considered the possibility that Remi might try to flee, so he had put the shoes on ahead of the time. As for the door... There were protective spells cast on the house, which were far better than the lock in the door, so there was no need to bother with that!

He ran as fast as he could, following the scent. Remi had a head start, and on top of that, he had already transformed...

Felix quickly glanced around, but there was no one around. It was late, and they had already entered the forest, naturally there weren’t many people who might wander around here at night, especially not when it was so cold...

Felix’s feet hitting the snow shifted into paws, scraps of clothing fluttering around him in the air, and falling on the ground like confetti. His heart ached a bit at the loss, but luckily, he was only wearing a pair of cheap joggers and a jumper from the second-hand shop. It was still a shame to ruin them, of course, but Felix didn’t have time to undress, or else it would be harder for him to catch up with the fox. As for the shoes... They should still be fine, as long as he came back to pick them up later.

With the change of form, his sensitive nose became even sharper. It wasn’t difficult for him to pick up the scent of the fox. The air was crisp and fresh, and with no rain or snow falling, there was nothing in the way of his hunt. He ran through the forest, fast and graceful.

And it didn’t took long before he saw the red tail flashing between the trees ahead of him. Although Felix had been delayed at the start, he was still a wolf. How could Remi, a fox, compete with him?

He couldn’t, that’s how. Within the space of a few breaths, Felix caught up, jumping right on top of Remi, and pinning the deceitful and lying fox onto the ground. Remi whimpered and whined, struggling to free himself, but it was no use. No matter how much he trashed, he was only throwing the snow around.

Felix waited for a while, until Remi finally quietened down, only whimpering softly. Then, he bit onto the back of Remi’s neck, and lifted him up. Remi looked around, as if he was still looking for a way to escape... But Felix tightened his bite as a warning, causing the fox’s small body to shudder. If he tried to free himself now, his neck might end up ripped apart...

So, he had no choice but to stay quiet and obedient, as Felix carried him through the forest, all the way to back to the house.