Thalia was completely at a loss for words. The only thing she could do in response to his question was blink.
William chuckled softly and gently set her back down on the floor.
Feeling like her legs had weakened, she almost stumbled to the side, but William was quick to steady her, his hand firm as he helped her regain her balance.
"Be careful… You need to be a healthy future wife…" William smiled once again.
And that smile completely captivated that poor eight-tailed fox, leaving her frozen in place.
"You are not human, right?" The question slipped out of her mouth before she could stop herself.
The moment the words left her, Thalia's eyes widened. 'What did I just say?'
Her hand immediately flew up to her mouth, as if she could somehow catch the words and shove them back in.
A second too late.
William didn't react right away. He simply looked at her before he leaned down slightly toward her. "Hmm… if I am not human, then what would I be?"
Thalia froze. Again.
Her brain, which had already betrayed her once, now completely refused to cooperate.
"I—uh…" she stuttered, her eyes darting around as if the answer might magically appear somewhere on the wall behind him.
'Think. Think. Think! Stupid fox brain!'
"What would be best to match a cute little fox?" he smiled teasingly. "A big bad wolf?"
"Wait…" Her eyes widened instantly when she heard his words. "You're a wolf?!"
William laughed out loud. It was so natural that the assistant, who had been waiting behind the corner of the wall, blinked in surprise.
Thalia stared at him, still processing her own conclusion as if it made perfect sense in her head, her brows slowly furrowing as she tried to connect everything together.
"That explains it…" she muttered under her breath, nodding slightly to herself. "The height, the vibe, the weird pressure… Yes, that makes sense."
William gradually stopped laughing, though the amusement still lingered on his face as he looked at her like she was something unexpectedly entertaining.
"A wolf," he repeated, clearly humoring her now.
Thalia nodded immediately. "Yes."
"So, I'm a werewolf?" he asked again, looking oddly entertained to continue the whole wolf conversation.
"No, not a werewolf, but a wolf," she said, her eyes dimming slightly in suspicion. "Just for your information, werewolves do not exist."
She paused for a second, then added, as if she suddenly needed to justify that statement, "I mean… biologically, it doesn't make sense," she frowned slightly, trying to sound convincing while clearly making it up on the spot.
"Like, how do you even transform like that? Bones don't just rearrange themselves overnight, and fur doesn't grow that fast…" Her voice slowed a little as she realized she was going too far, but she still pushed through it anyway.
"And the moon thing? That's even worse. The moon is too far away to have that kind of direct effect unless you're talking about tides, but humans are not… water…"
She stopped, feeling like she was over explaining.
"So, yeah. Not real," she concluded, nodding once as if that had been a solid and well-thought explanation.
He blinked, then chuckled. "Really? They don't? Then… how about a nine-tailed fox?"
Thalia froze as her frown deepened. 'Is he trying to test me or he really knows who I am?'
Her fingers stiffened slightly, her gaze flickering for just a second before she forced herself to stay still, her expression carefully blank as if that would somehow help her recover.
"I—" she started, then stopped, her throat suddenly feeling dry. "No! What fox?"
"You know, the tales… a nine-tailed fox." His voice lowered slightly.
"No! I don't know." The answer came out instantly, earning a raised brow from William.
She immediately cleared her throat, realizing how fast that came out, and quickly tried to patch it up before it sounded even more suspicious.
"I mean…" she cleared her throat, started again, waving her hand slightly as if dismissing the entire concept. "Nine-tailed foxes are just… stories. Old stories. Very exaggerated ones."
Her brows furrowed as she tried to sound logical again, even though her thoughts were already running ahead of her words.
"Like… have you ever seen a fox in real life? They're already small. Imagine adding eight more tails… how would that even work? The balance would be completely off. It wouldn't even be able to walk properly, let alone… exist normally."
She nodded slightly to herself, as if that made perfect sense.
"And the transformation thing is even worse," she continued, gaining a bit of confidence now that she had started talking. "Turning into a human? That's… that's not scientifically possible. There's no structure for that. You can't just switch species like changing clothes."
She paused for a second, nodded confidently, 'That sounded smart, right?'
"So yeah," she concluded, crossing her arms slightly as if she had just proven something important. "Definitely not real."
William didn't interrupt her, didn't even question her. He simply watched her the entire time.
"Uh… never mind. I'm sorry for taking your time, Mr. William Carter." Thalia averted her eyes from him as she found his gaze unbearable, even though he was wearing those freaking sunglasses.
"Thanks for the new information, Miss Thalia Kim." He suddenly took off his sunglasses and smiled once again. "Hope to hear more from you…"
'Thank God… Thank God… my time is coming…'
Thalia took a step forward and tiptoed.
"Mr. Carter…" She gulped, then cupped his cheeks, pulling him to lean closer to her before forcing him to look directly at her.
The moment their eyes locked, her voice dropped, softer, slower and no longer rushed.
"Listen to me…" Her thumbs pressed lightly against his skin as her gaze locked onto his, steady this time, no hesitation left.
"Everything that has happened…" she murmured, her words slipping out like a quiet thread wrapping around his thoughts, "from the moment you stepped out of that elevator… none of it matters."
A small pause, "You don't remember it." Her voice softened further as she continued, "It didn't happen."
Her fingers tightened just slightly. "You just arrived… to meet Mrs. Tiara Kim."