The Cursed Beast Caught My Leash - Chapter 118

Islay barely swallowed the urge to ask what plan she was cooking up in that little head of hers.

There was no stopping Stella, who sparkled with excitement and complete focus, so all he could do was sigh and push back his hair.

She said she had seen the past in the form of a dream? That she planned to find clues there to break Peruno’s curse? Whatever it was, just moments ago she’d looked like she was about to be strangled.

He had been startled to see the woman who had finally fallen asleep in his arms tremble all over, as if she couldn’t breathe, as though a gaping hole had opened in her chest. And that had all happened while she slept.

It was his habit to watch her face until dawn, and thank goodness for it… No, it was truly fortunate that she had asked him to stay with her until morning. If not, Stella would have had to endure that agonizing dawn alone.

And it didn’t even seem like it was the first time she’d had such dreams. Where had her so-called brother been while this happened?

It didn’t matter if Alexio was busy trying to restore a declining kingdom. Islay swallowed curses he couldn’t bring himself to say aloud as he looked down at Stella, troubled.

“It’s done.”

She had just finished two drawings. One was of a hidden underground entrance covered with overgrown weeds and moss, and the other appeared to be the inside of the temple.

“And what do you plan to do with these?”

“I’m going to show them to someone who might recognize the location of the temple. I thought I’d start by meeting with the priest.”

Islay stared at her in silence for a moment. She clearly hadn’t taken his earlier words to heart—that finding the gem wasn’t their top priority.

“Are you serious?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? Anyway, don’t you have a strategy meeting coming up?”

Stella cast an innocent look at Islay, who stood tall.

Just then, a knock came from outside the door. Stella gave permission to enter, and the ones who stepped in were Alexio and the elder priest.

“Ah… Alex. And Father Gabriel, what brings you here?”

“I had some time before the meeting, so I dropped by.”

Alexio couldn’t hide his disapproving gaze as he looked at Islay, who had clearly spent the night in Stella’s room as dawn broke.

He tried not to show it, but he knew just how much Stella had missed the Northerner—and how much she had suffered because of it.

So he had planned to overlook a single night, but as her brother, there was no denying that this situation rubbed him the wrong way.

“The ruler of Calis has been in my sister’s bedroom all this time, I see.”

“So you’ve come to check on your sister’s safety, then?”

Despite having broken his promise to Alexio twice, Islay shamelessly replied. After all, he’d just seen Stella thrashing from nightmares—not for a second did he regret staying by her side.

“I never suspected you’d harm her.” Alexio averted his bitter gaze. “That’s not what this is about, Stella. The priest has something he wishes to tell you.”

“Father Gabriel?”

“Yes, I wished to tell you personally, so I took the liberty of visiting. I figured your huband would be here as well.”

The elder priest began pulling out his spectacles and a rolled-up parchment from his robes. At that moment, all three froze like statues.

Who? Whose…? What did he just say?

“…Husband?”

Alexio let out a bewildered breath. Stella mouthed soundlessly like a fish, and Islay looked completely dumbfounded—an expression rare for him. Gabriel, putting on his glasses, glanced at the three young people as if wondering if he’d said something wrong.

It was a misunderstanding born from the chaos of recent events.

After all, the royal siblings had returned overnight, deposed Maurice who had long clung to the throne, and before Alexio could even be crowned, Pantege had launched an invasion. Then, a battle had broken out with the Northern reinforcements. Even though they had won overwhelmingly, the skirmish had taken place right at the castle gates.

Amidst all this, all the priest had heard was that the Northern leader had sent Stella off with great care, and upon hearing she was in danger, had come to rescue her.

So whatever the original intent was, he simply assumed the two had fallen in love in the North and gotten married. Hadn’t they just spent the night in the same room?

“Uh… well, anyway, what exactly are you trying to say?”

Stella reflexively pulled her robe tighter over her dress and changed the subject. She couldn’t possibly reveal to the elderly priest, who had known her since childhood, that she had spent the night with a man who wasn’t even her husband. Yet she couldn’t hide the flush of peach-pink rising on her pale cheeks.

In contrast, the word “husband” brought a strangely blissful gleam to Islay’s face. Alexio, wearing a dazed expression of disbelief, shook his head.

Gabriel, unaware of the peculiar tension among them, asked quietly, “Do you recall, Your Highness? That long ago, there was once an oracle delivered even here in Largo.”

Stella nodded. “Ah… I remember. It happened a few months before I was born, right? But they never told us what it said.”

“That’s right.”

Gabriel hesitated to continue. Seeing the sorrow on his face, Stella turned her gaze to Alexio. He, too, said nothing, a shadow of gloom settling over his face—perhaps he had already heard about it.

“You’ve come to tell me that prophecy now, haven’t you? What is it, Father Gabriel?”

The priest hesitated, then unrolled the parchment in his hand and spread it on the desk. Its edges were old and frayed, but the writing within was still legible.

Stella quietly read through the short oracle.

The light that breaks the darkness has sprouted with new life. When the time comes, starlight shall ripen and bring back the peace that was stolen through tribulation.

Her heart began pounding. Though couched entirely in metaphor, it was obvious to anyone that the “light” referred to Stella. The prophecy had been received while she was still in the womb—there could be no doubt.

“As you may have guessed, this was indeed a prophecy about Your Highness. At the time, no one could understand why it spoke of you as the light that breaks the darkness.”

“……”

“His Majesty the late king was deeply concerned and instructed us to raise you beneath the holy sanctuary’s roof.”

“Father did…”

Indeed, Stella’s childhood had been spent far removed from royal life. Surrounded by kind priests, she had known a time free of worry—until her uncle revealed his dark ambitions and everything went awry.

“After hearing this from Gabriel, I debated whether or not I should share it with you. I thought perhaps the prophecy referred to this very situation, but I had a terribly ominous feeling…”

Alexio trailed off, rubbing his face with a heavy expression.

Even with Calis’s help, they had only barely managed to fend off the attack. There was no doubt Pantege had not yet abandoned its ambition for Largo. And peace, more often than not, came at the cost of someone’s sacrifice. Alexio’s concern was not misplaced.

“I don’t think any further interpretation is necessary.”

Islay, who had taken the parchment and was nearly crumpling its corner in his grip, muttered in a cold tone.

“Estella, I came here because I want the country you’ll live in to be safe. You’re the reason I came, and the North will gladly support Largo until it regains its sovereignty.”

In other words, peace would come through her. There was no need to dwell on such ambiguous phrasing.

Stella stared at the man who had no intention of considering any fate that involved her as a predetermined role.

‘Then what about your fate?’

The bitter question rose to her lips. Stella forced down a surge of breath and said, “But there was a similar prophecy in Calis. The only difference was that the Northern oracle was more specific. It said the ‘light within the eye’ must be extinguished to break the binding.”

“The North has already decided not to follow that prophecy. Even if it’s an oracle, whether to obey it or not is ultimately a human choice.”

Islay cut her off coldly. His tone left no room for doubt—her sacrifice wasn’t even worth considering.

Stella lowered her gaze and took a deep breath. She had to explain why they had to act according to the prophecy—calmly, rationally. Letting emotions lead the conversation wouldn’t persuade anyone.

Just then, a voice from the past echoed in her mind, one she had once heard in a vision:

In the abandoned temple remains the sacred relic once used by a foolish devotee. If pure power is poured into it, your wish shall be granted.

A gem that had lost the power once used to cast a curse—an empty shell. If she used that as a vessel and poured the Mind’s Eye into it, her wish would be fulfilled. It was a revelation.

Wasn’t this similar to the prophecy from Calis?

Theia, who had lost her power, had failed to fulfill her wish. But the Mind’s Eye had returned—passed down until it reached Stella. The prophecies had been repeating all along, merely expressed differently.

Perhaps as long as the Mind’s Eye existed, this cycle would never end.

Stella’s lips, sealed tight until now, slowly parted. “While I still possess this power, I must extinguish it. Only then can we break free of all these shackles.”