The Cursed Beast Caught My Leash - Chapter 10

Stella swallowed hard, meeting his gaze. The black beast and this man certainly had similarities, but Islay was not a monster. After encountering the true creatures of nightmare, she was even more convinced.

His striking white features, his tall, muscular build that made him seem extraordinary—these were things that set him apart. Realizing she was staring at him, Stella felt a flush of embarrassment and quickly spoke.

“Dora just fell asleep,” she blurted out.

“I noticed,” Islay replied with a nod. “Since there’s no one else watching, why don’t we spend some quality time together?”

“What?” Stella asked, startled.

“Just kidding. If you weren’t planning to sleep without a blanket, step outside for a moment,” Islay said, lifting the tent flap. Stella glanced at Dora, snuggled under two blankets, before stepping outside.

Late in the night, under the guidance of Islay, Stella walked to a large lake illuminated by a bright full moon. There were no torches, but the moonlight reflected off the water, lighting up everything around them.

Reaching the water’s edge, Stella knelt and dipped her blood-stained hands into the lake. The sounds of insects and the rippling water combined into a soothing symphony. She gathered water in her hands and washed her face, feeling a sense of relief as the grime and blood washed away. Islay, leaning against a tree, watched her quietly.

Stella gazed down at her reflection in the rippling water. She saw her haggard face and disheveled hair clearly for the first time. Her wide, golden eyes scanned her own features in disbelief. No matter how she looked, she couldn’t find a trace of the dignified princess she once was. Before she had washed her face, she must have looked even more bedraggled.

It seemed odd that Islay kept addressing her as “princess” given her current state. Perhaps that was why he had brought her to the lake. As she thought about this, a flush of warmth spread to her earlobes.

“Why don’t you take a bath?” Islay’s familiar teasing voice broke her thoughts. She turned to see him smiling lazily.

Despite the ordeal, he seemed unfazed. Unlike her, there was no sign of fatigue or disarray.

Had he always been like this? Stella wondered. Somehow, she thought, even with blood splattered on his face and his hair in disarray, he would still look strikingly fitting.

“I don’t want to bathe in front of you,” she said.

“Why not? I don’t mind. It’s not like it’s the first time,” he replied with a mischievous grin, reminding her of the time she had been naked in front of him.

“…That wasn’t a bath,” she retorted.

“Really? I remember helping you wash thoroughly in the tub,” Islay said, his teasing causing her to blush. She turned her gaze back to the water, adjusting her clothes nervously.

“What were those things earlier?” she asked, trying to change the subject.

“The ‘Black Beasts,’” Islay replied without hesitation. “My men call them that. They don’t like naming such creatures after those they serve.”

The sound of his footsteps, slow and deliberate, approached her. Stella glanced sideways at the approaching figure.

“They are my half-brothers, technically,” Islay said, sitting down beside her and dipping his fingers into the lake.

“Half-brothers? What do you mean?” Stella asked, shocked.

“We share the same father. The difference is, I was born while he was still human. Those things are the result of a monster impregnating anything that moved,” Islay explained.

Stella was as shocked as when she had heard tales of mythical creatures and curses.

A monster can impregnate a human?

“Is that even possible?”

“As long as it ejaculates inside. They grow by consuming the mother’s blood and flesh and are born in a few months, like animals,” Islay explained.

Stella turned pale, recalling the beast that had stared down at her from the ripped carriage roof.

“Those you saw are hybrids and infertile. They only want to tear apart anything in their path, be it human or carriage.”

Stella hugged her knees tighter, horrified by the idea of such creatures.

The pure-blooded Peruno can reproduce, but their offspring are infertile, like mules born from horses and donkeys. The real problem lies with the host, Peruno himself.

“Where is your father now?” she asked cautiously.

“He’s dead. I’m the only Peruno left capable of reproduction,” Islay said matter-of-factly. Stella held her breath, watching him. His detached expression made her regret asking.

She remembered the seven black beasts she had seen today. Islay’s men had fought them so efficiently, indicating they had dealt with many such creatures before. It meant his father had impregnated many northern women, creating these monsters.

The thought was horrifying. Stella shuddered, goosebumps rose on the nape of her neck.

“Peruno is a lineage that has existed for a thousand years. As a human, he fathered many children and left behind his cursed bloodline,” Islay continued. “I have no intention of continuing that cursed lineage.”

His voice was firm.

“This ends with me.”

The wind rippled across the lake, creating a quiet moment of peace. Stella curled up, hugging her knees.

“When do you transform? Is there a specific time?” she asked.

“Peruno becomes a full monster at the age of twenty-eight. When he corrupted the priest’s daughter, he was twenty-eight,” Islay replied.

“…How old are you?” she asked cautiously.

Islay looked at her, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Important matters are being discussed, and the young princess is flirting.”

Flirting? Stella blushed, even though she knew he was teasing.

“I just want to know how much time you have left,” she said.

“I have one year left,” Islay replied.

“Only one year…” she murmured in surprise.

Islay watched her silently. As the clouds shifted, moonlight bathed his sharp features and red eyes, making him appear almost ethereal.

Stella didn’t look away, captivated by his beauty. It was hard to believe that he would turn into a hideous monster within a year.

Then, an unsettling presence made itself known. Both Islay and Stella turned simultaneously toward the opposite shore of the lake.

A black creature, similar to those that attacked the carriage, stood watching them.

Stella gasped, instinctively grabbing Islay’s wrist. Despite the distance, the sight of the beast made her skin crawl.

“…That monster is watching us,” she whispered.

“It won’t come here.”

“Can it not swim?”

“No. It’s afraid of me.”

The creature lowered itself and quickly disappeared into the bushes.

“It knows it will be killed if it comes closer. Without a host to expand their numbers, they will try to survive,” Islay explained.

A chill ran down her spine. Its face was that of a black beast, but sometimes it walked on two legs and behaved as if it had intelligence; the incongruity gave her goosebumps.

The eerie calm returned, and Stella’s heartbeat gradually slowed. She released her grip on Islay’s wrist, but the warmth of his skin lingered.

Even in her terror, she had instinctively sought his touch. This man, more dangerous than any monster, had become her anchor.