The Cursed Beast Caught My Leash - Chapter 136

Islay gently placed a final kiss on Stella’s forehead, then turned to his subordinate.

“What is it?”

“A message just arrived from Calis.”

Mikel, breathless with excitement, panted as he spoke.

“A scout sent word—black beasts are dying en masse for unknown reasons.”

“Across the entire northern region?”

“As far as confirmed, yes.”

Meanwhile, Stella embraced Dora and the elderly priest as they approached the bed. While they broke into a flurry of emotion—laughter or tears, it was unclear—Islay took the letter Mikel handed him.

“Their base in the snow-covered mountains will need to be searched thoroughly, but no scouts have reported seeing a single one alive.”

Islay read the urgently scribbled message. His scouts were burning every monster carcass they found, but there were so many that it had become a struggle.

“There’s one more task to handle before disbanding the army.”

“Does this confirm it?”

Mikel, unable to contain his excitement, asked again. Islay nodded as he returned the letter.

“Yes.”

The fact that those cursed remnants no longer existed across the north was clear proof that the deep-rooted curse tied to Peruno and Calis had been fully lifted.

“Unbelievable. A feat no one has achieved in centuries… We must spread this great news far and wide.”

Mikel, forgetting even protocol, turned to leave—then bowed deeply to Islay.

“Thank you for all you’ve endured.”

Then, eyes gleaming, he seized both of Stella’s hands. It was a rare expression on Mikel’s usually stoic face.

“Calis owes a debt it can never repay to Your Highness. All of the north pledges to protect you with our lives, always.”

“Please, you’ve already done that all along.”

“Truly, thank you. To the noble benefactor of the North, we will forever…”

“Mikel.”

Islay’s voice came low as he narrowed his brow slightly and glanced at the hands Mikel was still holding.

“Yes, Captain! I’ll step out now.”

Mikel quickly released her hands and, gathering up Dora and Gabriel as if sweeping them into his arms, exited the room. The elderly priest, momentarily startled at being pulled into the large Northerner’s embrace, nonetheless quietly followed.

Once again, they were alone.

Stella, seated on the bed, beamed and reached out her arms. Without hesitation, Islay lifted her until her feet dangled midair and showered her cheeks and lips with kisses. Stella squirmed and nestled into his chest.

“Gabriel and the knights are all safe. And Alex will be here soon… Ah, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Her feet swung freely as she laughed lightheartedly. Holding her in one arm, Islay reached out with the other to draw the curtain fully open. Sitting by the window, bathed in bright sunlight, he locked eyes with Stella.

Smiling, Islay murmured sweetly, “But I still have many things I wish for.”

“Like what?”

Where should I begin?

“After we greet your brother, Estella…”

He playfully nipped the tip of her small, rosy nose.

“Shall we go home too?”

Blinking, Stella broke into a shy laugh, as if a flower bud had blossomed. Her cheeks flushed as she nodded without hesitation.

“Yes, let’s go home together.”

Now, not even the sky falling could ever tear them apart.

***

It was around noon a few days later when Alexio finally arrived at the inn in Nortelli.

Having been endlessly busy with official duties since the war’s end, he had noticeably lost weight compared to the last time they met. Though the workload was intense, it was also because he hadn’t been able to shake the worry for his sister, not even for a moment.

After rushing all the way to Nortelli, it wasn’t until he saw Stella safe and sound that he finally exhaled a breath of relief.

“My God… you reckless girl….”

The moment he stepped down from the carriage, Stella ran to him and threw herself into his arms. With a sigh, Alexio had no choice but to embrace his sister.

He had told her countless times not to go. And yet she had slipped out of the palace on her own—he still couldn’t believe it. She had walked straight into enemy territory. The Imperial Guard had chased her all the way to Metlica. The fact that she returned unharmed was nothing short of a miracle.

All the reproaches Alexio had once rehearsed scattered like smoke. It was because of the shine on his sister’s round cheeks, her healthy glow, and her dazzlingly bright smile.

“Sorry… You must have been so worried.”

“I thought my heart would stop. Do you have any idea how I felt when I got the message that you were headed to Metlica? And then hearing that cowardly emperor had sent men after you… God, and to think Gabriel didn’t stop you but actually helped—you’re telling me that’s true?”

“Don’t say that. He risked his life for me. He even said he’d stop me immediately if it looked like anything would go wrong… And if it hadn’t been for Gabriel, I never would’ve made it to the end.”

Alexio didn’t answer. Instead, he reached out and stroked her hair—the same color as his own.

“I was right, Brother. Now the Metlica temple, the gem, the Mind’s Eye I once possessed, even the monsters that tormented Calis for so long—they’re all gone.”

“I want to praise you, I really do, but my scorched heart won’t allow it. Are you truly not hurt anywhere?”

As Alexio examined her face from every angle, Stella nodded enthusiastically. Injuries aside, she had never felt so at peace in both body and mind in her entire life.

“As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”

“Thank heavens, you really do seem that way.”

His gaze drifted to Islay, who stood by the door with arms crossed. The green eyes that had brimmed with concern and affection while looking at Stella now dimmed with inevitable complexity.

It was an instinctive discomfort he felt as a brother. A man who still saw his sister as a little girl—and who, as a conservative, wasn’t fond of premarital relationships.

Still, that Northerner was a man who would leap into a burning fire without hesitation if it meant protecting Stella. Every hand he’d extended to Largo had been for her safety. He was a man who would rather carve his own flesh than see a single strand of her hair harmed.

“Come on in and unpack. It’s a pretty decent place to stay. I’ll have them prepare a meal, so let’s talk inside.”

Before he could even comment that he could’ve had someone else ask that, Stella had already turned on her heel toward the inn, full of delight at being surrounded by those she loved.

Just before entering, she stood on tiptoe and kissed Islay. The man, who had quietly watched the siblings reunite, bent to meet her kiss. His face relaxed at once.

“Are you planning to take Stella to Calis?”

As Alexio approached with heavy steps, Islay replied without hesitation, “She’s a woman who risked her life for me. I want to take responsibility for her for the rest of my life.”

“Wouldn’t it be proper to ask the permission of her only family first…?”

“You’ll have to grant it. We can’t live without each other anymore.”

It was a shamelessly bold answer. Alexio let out a dry laugh and rubbed his brow. Then again, if Stella felt the same way, maybe a brother’s opinion didn’t matter much.

When was it, he wondered—he suddenly recalled their mother’s funeral. Specifically, the unwritten rule: that seeing another’s blood during a royal funeral would lead to losing something precious.

Even if the others had drawn first, Alexio, too, had spilled their blood mercilessly onto the ground where his mother was buried in his quest to reclaim the throne. Maybe losing the sister he had wanted by his side all his life… was the price of that. A foolish thought, but one that wouldn’t leave him.

‘…Even so.’

Stella might be better off living in Calis than her homeland. No matter how many accommodations Alexio made, it would be hard for her to completely shed her duties as a princess in Largo. She suited a freer, more open life.

“Estella’s waiting inside.”

Islay’s words pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Shall we go in?”

Sure enough, Stella stood waiting on the first floor of the inn. Unbothered by the towering Northerners passing by her side, she looked radiantly cheerful.