Witches: Starting as a Lord Marrying a Wife

Awooo—

The Snow Wolf's eyes snapped wide open, filled with fear.

No matter how it struggled, it found itself unable to escape the frost giant wolf phantom in its consciousness, leaving it completely under its control.

In the end, the Snow Wolf let out a low whimper and slowly lowered its head.

Facing the frost giant wolf, it gave up resisting and chose to submit.

"Is this… mental control?" David murmured in surprise.

He had only intended to use the Frost Wolf Soul to attack the Snow Wolf's mind, weakening its consciousness further in preparation for taming it.

Initially, he had prepared himself for a prolonged battle of attrition, but the Frost Wolf Soul appeared to exert an extraordinary level of dominance over lesser wolves!

David could sense that the Frost Wolf Soul had left a spiritual mark in the Snow Wolf's mind. With just a single thought, he could suppress its consciousness entirely.

He even had a feeling that if the Frost Wolf Soul grew stronger, it could completely possess the Snow Wolf and control its actions entirely.

This ability felt akin to the mental control spells used by mages, who could tame magical beasts through spiritual contracts. David's situation seemed quite similar.

"This ability… I'll call it the Frost Wolf Pact," David decided.

This capability wasn't recorded in the Snow Demon Breathing Technique. It seemed to be a mutation of the Frost Wolf Snow Demon Soul, effective specifically on wolf species.

For David, this spell-like ability was an unexpected boon.

Awooo—

The Snow Wolf, now fully subdued, lay obediently at his feet.

When David reached out to stroke its head, it didn't show the slightest sign of resistance, only wagging its tail submissively.

"Master David, have you truly tamed the Snow Wolf?"

The Grey Wolf Knight stood to the side, stunned and incredulous.

This Snow Wolf, which had just displayed immense aggression, was now completely docile, leaving the knight in awe of his lord's power.

"Yes, it's been tamed," David confirmed.

The Snow Wolf now resembled a magical pet under his control, far more reliable than the Ice Wolf family's traditional taming methods. Betrayal was almost impossible.

Under the reverent gaze of the other knight squires, David led the Snow Wolf out of the prison. He mounted the creature's back in one swift motion.

"Let's go," David commanded.

Awooo—

The Snow Wolf let out a powerful howl and began to run swiftly.

This Tier 3 extraordinary beast was incredibly fast, gliding over snow-covered terrain as if it were solid ground—a perfect land mount.

Eventually, David rode the Snow Wolf back to the castle, startling the patrolling Roman Knight.

Upon recognizing the Frost Wolf Duke, Roman let out a breath of relief before turning his astonished gaze to the subdued Snow Wolf.

The Ice Wolf family's wolf-taming techniques were famous throughout the Kingdom of Crystal Song, relying on raising the wolves from a young age. Once tamed, the wolves would never betray their masters.

However, the Frost Wolf Duke had successfully tamed the Snow Wolf mount of the late Great Knight Hobbs. Roman couldn't help but marvel at the feat.

Could the Frost Wolf family possess an even more advanced wolf-taming technique, far superior to that of the Ice Wolf family?

"Roman Knight, how is your recovery?" David asked with a smile.

He admired this Snow Eagle Knight who had risked his life to save the Crystal Song Princess. If Roman had any requests, David would do his best to fulfill them.

"Thank you for your concern, Duke. I've mostly recovered," Roman replied respectfully.

As a vassal of the Crystal Song family, Roman viewed the Frost Wolf Duke as the prospective consort of the princess, despite the marriage not yet taking place.

Moreover, the Frost Wolf Duke's strength as an Earth Knight commanded great respect—a reverence owed to a powerful figure.

"Then I'll leave the castle's security to you," David said with a nod.

Afterward, he rode the Snow Wolf back to the castle, settling the creature in a forested area behind the manor. He instructed the steward to provide it with quality meat daily.

---

In the castle's rear garden, Amy quietly read a book as usual.

Huo Wu and Shui Lian busied themselves with arranging tea and snacks.

Leah was practicing the Frost Wolf Breathing Technique, her movements as graceful as a butterfly in the snow, every motion exuding an otherworldly beauty.

This was Rena's first time participating in a gathering among the women.

She knew that having chosen to accept the Duke, she must also accept everything about him—including the two women who served him alongside her.

Her gaze first fell on Leah, who was diligently practicing the Frost Wolf Breathing Technique.

During their earlier battle, Rena had been shocked to learn that Leah, too, was an official knight with an awakened Frost Wolf bloodline. She understood how rare such a feat was.

Hearing from the castle maids that Leah had been a mere commoner before meeting the Frost Wolf Duke had surprised her further. Leah's signature gray hair, a trait of the Frost Wolf family, had led to her being sent to the castle in hopes of producing heirs with the Frost Wolf bloodline.

Under such circumstances, Leah had risen from an ordinary person to someone who awakened the Frost Wolf bloodline, surpassing the squire level to become an official knight. Leah's talent seemed even greater than Rena's, despite her royal lineage.

Seeing Leah using Frost Wolf Potions to aid her cultivation, a glimmer of hope appeared in Rena's eyes. She recalled the Duke's earlier promise.

The Frost Wolf Duke had vowed to help her find the materials for Snow Demon Potions and assist her in cultivating the Snow Demon Breathing Technique.

How foolish she had been not to believe him at first, mocking his promises as mere ploys to win her favor.

Now, she harbored no doubts about the Duke's sincerity. Her eyes lit up with hope. She firmly believed that the Duke would help her acquire the necessary materials and that she, too, would become stronger!

Shifting her gaze, Rena looked toward Amy, who was quietly reading. It was hard to imagine that this serene woman was a witch wielding icy powers—and that the Duke had not only married her but also protected her from the Church's threats.

Rena now understood why Leah and Amy, both exceptional in their own right, willingly stayed by the Duke's side, even without formal titles, and desired to bear his children.

Perhaps this was also why the Duke had initially refused an alliance through marriage with her.

"Was I wrong all along?"

Thinking of the Duke's kindness, a relieved smile spread across Rena's face.

The knot in

her heart that had troubled her for so long finally unraveled. She took a deep breath and whispered softly, "You win."