The Cursed Beast Caught My Leash - Chapter 2

“Can’t you drink at all?”

Lost in thought, Stella realized a beat too late that Hendrick had asked her a question. He was smirking as he noticed she hadn’t touched her wine glass.

“I can drink, though I’m not very strong.”

“Then try a sip.”

“……”

“Go on. It’s a top-quality wine made from high-sugar grapes.”

Having been nauseated all the way there, Stella wanted to avoid drinking. If she drank on an empty stomach, she’d get drunk quickly, and she feared making a mistake in front of the prince. She responded with a vague smile and pretended to take a sip. Hendrick watched her intently, his eyes following the glass she set down.

“Your Highness,” Stella spoke cautiously, “I heard that Largo and Pantege might enter into an important agreement.”

“Ah, so they say,” Hendrick replied, seeming indifferent to a topic that had never interested him. Stella’s eyes sparkled with rare enthusiasm.

“It would be an honor for our small nation of Largo to actively engage with Pantege, which holds real power on the central continent.”

“Well, we’ll see how it goes.”

“You must already know, but Largo, though small, has the most fertile granaries in the south…”

“Forgive me, but this isn’t an appropriate topic for the moment. Especially for a princess.”

Hendrick, who had been smiling, suddenly furrowed his brows and interrupted her. The unexpected rebuke made Stella’s face flush with embarrassment.

“…I’m sorry. I spoke out of turn.”

“Well, everyone makes mistakes.”

Hendrick quickly forgave Stella, who had bowed her head. He then cast a lingering glance at her wine glass.

“It’s a significant occasion, yet I find myself drinking alone, which is a bit lonely.”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m saying it’s disappointing that the princess hasn’t touched this precious wine.”

Hendrick leaned closer, whispering. Stella’s face showed reluctance as she looked at the wine.

Eventually, Stella swallowed the red wine. A sly smile crept onto Hendrick’s lips.

Despite being dissatisfied with the princess’s lack of enthusiasm for drinking due to her low alcohol tolerance, Hendrick was willing to show some leniency.

Small but more radiant and dazzling than a full moon, the Star of Largo. Her beauty was such that anyone who saw her, be they man or woman, would be captivated. The rumors were exaggerated, but anyone who had seen her in person agreed on her beauty.

Before she appeared, Largo was an unremarkable country. About ten years ago, there had been a slight commotion over the succession to the throne, but it wasn’t anything extraordinary. Stella’s biological father, the former king, had died early, and the legitimate prince had gone to the western defense line. The current king, a distant relative, then ascended the throne.

Many whispered about him taking on the role of consort to the widowed queen. But since neither the ascension of a distant relative nor levirate marriage was unusual, the scandal soon faded.

However, not long after, the princess, who had been hidden away like a treasure, began to emerge. Drawn by the rumors of her beauty, Hendrick had led a delegation to Largo years ago. Unlike the strict former king, the current king sought reconciliation, murmuring that Largo had once been a vassal state of Pantege and would offer anything to the powerful empire. Be it fertile granaries, small mines, or even the princess, who was as good as a stranger.

Suppressing a laugh, Hendrick scrutinized Stella thoroughly, as if she were a ripe fruit ready to be harvested. The sight of her curvaceous body, even beneath her dress, aroused him. He had been waiting for this moment for so long.

The villa in the secluded forest was perfect. Tonight, and for many nights to come, he would take her. Unable to restrain himself, he reached out, caressing Stella’s exposed shoulder over her dress.

“…Your Highness!”

Startled, Stella twisted her body away from him. It was a sharp reaction, but Hendrick continued to grope her arm.

“Such a coy little kitten. Why don’t you take off the mask and be honest?”

“…What do you mean?”

“Stop pretending. Surely, a princess of marriageable age knows what I mean.”

Stella’s delicate eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She hadn’t come prepared for marriage, despite overhearing her uncle’s ominous words. She had just recently reached adulthood, making it premature to say she was of marriageable age.

A smirk played on Hendrick’s lips.

“You didn’t come here just for dinner, did you? Didn’t the king of Largo give you any message?”

“……”

“I made it clear that there was something else I wanted to eat.”

Shock flashed across Stella’s face like lightning.

“Submit to him. Whatever the prince demands, comply quietly like a proper lady. That is your sole role in this meeting.”

Her uncle’s voice echoed in her mind.

“Be obedient. That’s the virtue of a good princess. Isn’t it?”

“P-please, stop…!”

Pale as a ghost, Stella pushed back her chair and stood up. Hendrick rose with a grin.

“Where do you think you’re going? This villa is guarded tightly by my knights.”

At that moment, a blood-curdling scream pierced the air from outside the closed dining room door. Stella’s eyes darted to the source of the sound.

More screams followed, mingled with the sounds of glass shattering and blades clashing.

“What’s going on out there?” Hendrick shouted, but no answer came from the servants. Stella looked around in terror.

The heavy door burst open with a bang. Stella’s legs gave way, and she fell to the floor. Stepping over the door was a group of men clad in black metal armor.

They were intimidatingly large, wielding sharp swords stained with blood. Judging by their emotionless faces, the blood wasn’t theirs. Stella’s gaze landed on the scattered bodies of knights outside the dining room.

An attack. The villa of the Prince of Pantege was under attack.

Stella crawled towards the corner of the wall, curling up with a face as pale as a sheet. She was paralyzed with fear.

“We’ve found him.”

A man with cold eyes, who had been staring at Hendrick, turned and reported. Simultaneously, a group of men who looked like assassins stepped back, clearing a path.

Footsteps echoed slowly on the marble floor. Stella held her breath.

A very tall man with a black cloak entered, his presence as commanding as the hero of a grand entrance. Despite the bloodbath, his demeanor was composed. But as he approached, Stella felt increasingly cornered. She shivered as if caught in an icy wind.

The only color on the man dressed entirely in black was his fiery red eyes.

He’s the leader.

Instinctively, Stella hugged her knees tightly. Her hands, cold as ice, were clammy with sweat.

“G-Grand Duke Peruno,” Hendrick stammered. The man, who had reached the table, raised an eyebrow and looked at Hendrick with a smile.

“Prince Hendrick.”

His tone was so gentle it could be mistaken for a greeting to an old friend. If not for Hendrick’s pale face, it might have seemed believable.

“Or should I call you a damned swindler?”

Hendrick twisted his body and tried to run. He aimed for another door in the dining room, cleverly disguised as part of the wall decor.

But Hendrick didn’t get far. The man grabbed his neck with ease and dragged him back to the table, smashing his head down hard.

“Argh…!”

With a loud crash, glasses and plates clattered to the floor. Stella held her breath, watching as Hendrick, who had seemed so imposing, was now being tossed around like a toy.

“What did I say?” The man leaned over, pressing Hendrick’s head down and whispering in his ear. “I told you I’d gut anyone who lied to me.”

“G-Grand Duke! Please, let’s talk this out….”

“Bring it here.”

Ignoring Hendrick’s plea, the man gestured to one of his subordinates, who quickly handed over a silk pouch. The man roughly grabbed something from it.

The pouch was filled with colorful gemstones.

“Half of the gems you sent were fake.”

“That’s impossible…!”

“Some were so cheap they dissolved like sugar.”

As the man showed the gems, they slipped from his hand and fell onto the table in front of Hendrick.

“This is a misunderstanding! Please, let’s talk…!”

“Shall we test whether it’s a misunderstanding?”

The man’s red eyes gleamed with madness. He began shoving the gemstones into Hendrick’s mouth.

“Mmff…! Mmff!”

“Swallow them all. When I cut your belly open, I’ll take back any undamaged gems.”

Hendrick struggled violently, choking as the gems blocked his throat. Stella trembled like a leaf, horrified by the scene unfolding before her.

“I’ll… I’ll make it up to you…!”