The Cursed Beast Caught My Leash - Chapter 113

“How did you even get here…”

Stella’s voice trembled, dissolving into shaky breaths before she could finish. Even as she faced the man she had yearned for with aching heart each day—the one whose face she could only reconstruct in her imagination—she could hardly believe it.

“Estella.”

The voice that called her name brushed her ear like a caress. A sharply defined face looked down at her from up close. In those crimson eyes, she was reflected fully. Yet still, it didn’t feel real that Islay was here.

This can’t be. A single tear rolled down Stella’s rounded cheek from lips that moved soundlessly. Without hesitation, he raised his hand and gently caressed her wet face. Even the warmth and tenderness in his touch were unmistakably his.

Still, he felt like a mirage, one that could vanish at any moment. Stella reached out and threw her arms around him, burying her forehead in his firm chest and drawing a deep breath.

“Islay… Islay…”

“It’s all right now. I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”

His large hand naturally rose to stroke her round head, brushing through her hair with a rustle before holding the back of her head firmly. At last, joy and sorrow bloomed within her heart.

It truly was unbelievable. Just a moment ago, she had been wishing she could at least glimpse him from afar, praying that he was safe and unhurt…

“Hic…”

Ear-splitting noise continued to erupt from beyond Islay’s broad shoulders. Stella squeezed her eyes shut and buried herself deeper into his arms.

There was no need to check to know. Dora, Father Gabriel, and Sir Roderick Elgin were all safe. The Pantege soldiers who had tried to take their lives had all been subdued.

A wave of relief washed over her, overwhelming her with the realization that she had escaped hell. Her strength completely gave way, and the edges of her consciousness began to fade into black.

Hendrick Regan, still crawling on the ground, continued to shriek. As Mikel roughly grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked him up, Islay turned to the prince with a chilling look. Veins pulsed along the sharp line of his jaw.

Even as she slipped into unconsciousness, Stella held tightly to Islay’s hand.

“Don’t kill him. Not yet, at least…”

The prince held a key to a mystery that remained unsolved. Gasping, Stella forced herself to continue.

“There’s something I need to know from him. Something doesn’t add up…”

“…Estella!”

A gust of wind blew past, and her consciousness scattered like a candle flickering out. Her completely limp body crumpled.

But she didn’t collapse to the floor. Islay caught her in his arms and held her close to his wide chest as she drifted into unconsciousness.

15. The Fate That Bound Him and Her

There was no time to savor the long-awaited reunion. Stella had fainted—and not long after, her brother burst through the monastery doors.

Having brought every available soldier, Alexio was visibly shocked at the sight of Islay.

However, once he realized the crisis had passed and Stella was safe, he quickly stepped forward, intending to take his unconscious sister into his care.

Islay watched as an unfamiliar Largo knight received Stella from his arms, his mood souring. Even if he had sliced off a piece of his own flesh and offered it, he couldn’t have felt more bitter.

But he couldn’t let childish greed get in the way. If this was all it took to shake him, he never would’ve had the resolve to let her go in the first place.

Besides, he hadn’t come all this way for nothing. Even if it was only a diversion, the Pantege army had reached the palace gates. He couldn’t just let them walk away.

Without revealing his presence, Islay ordered the Northern forces stationed nearby to move in and surround the enemy, commanding them to cut down every last one.

Though he never raised his sword himself, it was a massacre. The enemy was annihilated, and Hendrick Regan was thrown like a beggar into the underground prison. Largo suffered nothing more than minor scratches to its tall walls, and peace was restored before the dawn even broke.

No news came from Stella, who had been moved to her bedchamber. Islay, suppressing the deep desire to see her even for a few seconds, followed Alexio to the council chamber.

There, with both their aides gathered, Alexio opened the meeting calmly.

“First, let me thank you on behalf of everyone.”

He glanced sharply at Mikel, who was smirking at Roderick Elgin as if to say, We’ve saved your skin twice now, and continued.

“Failing to discover the tunnel they had already dug was my mistake. It could’ve been a disaster. I sincerely thank you for your help, Grand Duke.”

Tunnel. It was an apt word.

Arriving in Largo just in time, Islay had caught sight of the tail end of Hendrick’s knights disappearing before a hidden door.

Dusty and narrow, the passageway led to the underground of the Largo court—hastily dug, it seemed. Tracking their traces from there was no difficult task, and naturally, it had led him to the monastery doors.

Islay, never one to boast of his own achievements, replied quietly, “No thanks are needed. I didn’t do it for you.”

“…Still, many people received your help.”

Yet despite his tone of gratitude, Alexio still could not drop his wariness. Islay understood what her brother was concerned about.

“I’m sorry, but as Estella’s brother, there’s something I must address, Grand Duke Peruno.”

“……”

“We are certainly grateful that you helped us avoid disaster—but you’ve broken the vow not to see her again. So I must ask your true intent in coming all the way here.”

Mikel, who had been prodding Roderick with a smirk, turned to face them with a serious expression. The Northerners who had stood like shadows against the wall all cast a steady gaze toward Alexio. It was no way to treat someone who had come down from Calis to offer aid.

Yet Alexio showed not a trace of fear as he asked, “Why did you help us?”

Islay, leaning back casually in his chair, met his gaze without a word.

“Of course, I remember well that you generously released Stella from the North. But I also know what you intended to do with her there. Did you regret it, and change your mind only now?”

“Let’s stop with the delusions. From the beginning, all we sought was a single gem.”

Unable to contain his irritation, Mikel cut in.

“But then came the oracle, declaring the princess’s sacrifice inevitable. That’s when we changed our plans to save her and send her out of the Ice Castle. Don’t paint our lord as some lunatic making human sacrifices without knowing a damn thing.”

“Northerner, mind your words before His Majesty the King!”

Count Bruno, nobility through and through, scolded Mikel’s insolent tone. Though Mikel raised his voice in anger, calling them thankless wretches, he fell silent under Islay’s cold gaze.

“Then are you saying Calis has no desire for anything in return?”

“That’s right. I only feared for her safety.”

A reward? He had never sought one. He had only desperately wished to see her with his own eyes—only longed to hold her one last time, to embrace her until she broke. Now that those wishes had been granted, he wanted nothing more.

…No. More accurately, he shouldn’t want anything more.

Islay’s voice continued.

“In preparation for a full-scale war with Pantege, I’ve also sent word to recall the Calis troops scattered across the southern continent. We’ve promised to support Largo with Northern forces.”

A heavy silence settled over the council room. Alexio narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Even now, you want nothing in return?”

“I’d rather not have to answer that question again.”

A curt reply. It was almost strange to ask further. Alexio stayed silent, lost in thought.

Though the words “gem” and “sacrifice” were unusual, they matched what Stella had once said at the inn. If everything the Northerners said was true, then Calis could become a great force against Pantege.

Pantege was without question Largo’s greatest enemy. Today’s attack alone had proven how easily they could dispatch troops. Northern support would be nothing short of vital.

Though he had just been accused of something, Islay didn’t attempt to defend himself and instead turned his gaze out the window. He seemed to have only one thing on his mind, and Alexio, noticing this, tilted his head slightly and studied him.

His face, with little change in expression, seemed hardened by time. His sharp eyes bore a faint blue tinge, like someone who hadn’t slept in days.

It took careful observation to see it—but there was no doubt that his crimson eyes were filled with longing for someone.

No matter how suspicious he might be, one thing was clear: this man would never harm Stella.

“As it happens, there is one thing I’d like in return…”

That was when Islay posed an unexpected question.

“Can you grant it?”

His level voice carried weight. The Largo nobles seated around the round table exchanged silent glances. Didn’t he say earlier he wanted nothing?—that was the look in their eyes.

And what could such a rough, imposing Northerner possibly desire? Each of them sensed danger and swallowed dryly.

It was a request they could not easily refuse. The fragile peace they now clung to was thanks to him. With the undefeated Northern army to be treated as guests for the time being, maintaining a good relationship with their leader was crucial.

“…What is it that you want?” Alexio asked reluctantly.

Islay didn’t answer. Instead, he turned again to the window, his eyes searching, as if reaching for Stella’s bedchamber in the distance.