The Cursed Beast Caught My Leash - Chapter 26

Stella, surprised that she had slept without dreaming in such an unfamiliar environment, set the cloak aside and inched towards him. Over the flickering flames, chicken drumsticks were roasting to a golden brown.

Saliva involuntarily gathered in her mouth. She hadn’t eaten much since yesterday morning, and she was starving, having essentially fasted for an entire day.

Islay handed her a skewer with a large piece of meat. Stella accepted it and took a big bite. The crispy skin and juicy meat made her close her eyes in delight. It was delicious.

“I didn’t know there were chickens this deep in the forest.”

“There aren’t. This is wild turkey.”

“…I see. Thank you. You must have been busy since early this morning.”

“Busy, indeed.” He stirred the fire with ease. “While you were asleep, I went out, burned the corpse again, set traps around, and caught the turkey.”

Stella paused, mid-bite into the tender meat.

“I felt like a hunter providing for his family.”

“……”

Islay chuckled, flipping the meat over. “I’m joking. I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad, so go ahead and eat.”

Stella shot him a sidelong glance and resumed eating. Of course, he shouldn’t make her feel guilty. Who had brought her to this cave in the first place? Still, despite her thoughts, she didn’t feel any resentment toward him, given how he had taken care of her. Although it wasn’t easy for her to express her gratitude openly.

Regardless, being famished, Stella devoured three turkey legs. She also gulped down the water Islay handed her in a canteen. While she filled her belly, Islay waited calmly. Occasionally, he sighed quietly or cast a troubled glance into the air, but Stella couldn’t decipher what it meant.

As soon as she finished eating, Islay firmly spoke up. “Now that you’ve finished eating, change your clothes.”

“……?”

Stella looked in the direction he indicated. Her dress and cloak, thoroughly dried overnight, were laid out near the campfire. Staring blankly at the clothes, she saw Islay rise to his feet.

“I’ll wait outside. Come out when you’re ready.”

She belatedly realized she was only wearing a men’s tunic. The clothes he had given her last night were so large that without adjusting them, parts of her body could be exposed. Her shoulders, the swell of her chest, and perhaps even more…

…My goodness. Did I keep my legs together? In hindsight, the loose fabric had constantly slipped below her shoulders. She had been too focused on eating to bother fixing it. The princess’s decorous demeanor, ingrained through nearly ten years of rigorous training, had vanished like smoke since arriving in Calis. Always in front of this man.

“If you take too long, I’ll leave without you.” Islay tersely remarked and walked out without hesitation.

Having fed her and completed all his tasks, he clearly wanted to escape the space that tested his extreme patience.

“Wait, don’t go ahead…!”

Blushing furiously, Stella quickly put on the dry dress and stepped out. As Islay had said, the rain had stopped, and the faint light of dawn was breaking outside the cave.

05. Resting Festival

Time flowed gently like a serene river. Stella found herself surrendering to its soft current, yet harboring a fear that a sudden, crashing waterfall might appear. However, with no immediate threats in sight, she gradually adapted to the slow passage of time.

Since the incident in the cave, Stella had become more diligent in examining the gems. She couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason for this change. Perhaps, subconsciously, she had decided to make the most of the three-month period and help Islay as much as she could.

The Mind’s Eye, they said, could distinguish truth from falsehood and find whatever one sought. There were legends of a person with the Mind’s Eye who, tested by the gods, was trapped in a labyrinth. This person found the one true key among a mountain of false ones and escaped.

Except for Dora, everyone in the Ice Castle believed Stella to possess the Mind’s Eye. She, too, began to hope that there might be some truth to it and that she could find something amidst the vibrant, glowing basement.

However, the more she worked, the more she realized she was just an ordinary person who couldn’t help Islay. Despite the lack of progress, no one pressured or threatened her. She wasn’t living in a damp, suffocating environment that reminded her of her abduction and captivity.

Feeling a creeping sense of helplessness, Stella finished her meal in her bedroom as usual. With Dora’s help, she changed her clothes and was about to put on her cloak when a knock came at the door, as if on cue.

“That alarm clock of a Northerner must have arrived. We don’t need a clock with him around,” Dora grumbled as she hurried to open the bedroom door. Stella, adjusting her cloak, turned her attention to the startled presence at the door.

It wasn’t Mikel who had come to visit.

“Estella.”

She stared wide-eyed at Islay standing at the doorway. “What brings you here so early in the morning?”

“I thought I’d show you around the festival. Would you like to step out for a bit?”

Stella glanced around, taken aback by his straightforward proposal. Dora also looked around, holding her breath.

Islay, patiently waiting for an answer, added an explanation, “Today is the first day of the Resting Festival. It’s going to be noisy in many ways, and I thought you might find it lonely in the basement by yourself.”

“Oh.”

Lonely… well, it wasn’t entirely incorrect.

Lonely… it wasn’t entirely incorrect, but still…

“If you prefer to go down to the basement, you can. I won’t stop you.”

Stella hesitated, touching her neck. Truthfully, she wanted to go outside rather than continue the fruitless task. She couldn’t immediately respond in front of the man who had given her the task, but he had also promised to treat her as a guest, not a hostage.

“Then, could we make it a short trip?”

“Of course.” A gentle smile spread across Islay’s face. Keeping that smile, he let his gaze slide down a bit before stepping into the bedroom. Dora gasped as he showed no hesitation entering a woman’s room.

Islay closed the distance with steady steps, raising his hand toward Stella’s neck. The man, a head taller than her, made her tense up and raise her shoulders. She let out a silent sigh.

His rough hand, with prominent veins, adjusted her open collar. Her exposed neck was now wrapped in a soft wool cloak. Stella cautiously looked up at him.

As he pinned the front to keep the cold air out, he looked up and met her gaze. His red eyes, which had shone even in the darkness, didn’t seem as intimidating now. Perhaps it was the bright morning light streaming in.

“I could have done this myself….”

Islay ignored her murmur. He even smoothed down the right side of her hair that had been ruffled by her collar. When his unusually warm fingertips brushed her ear, Stella felt a wave of discomfort.

It felt as if his warmth spread to her face, making her blush. She ended up averting her gaze, which had been bravely meeting his.

“Shall we go?”

Islay offered his arm. When she lightly placed her hand on it, Mikel appeared like a ghost from nowhere and looked at Dora, who had nowhere to go. It was a sight she was slowly getting used to.

As they stepped outside the castle, a cold, dry wind greeted them. Stella exhaled white breath as she slowly walked.

Having been accustomed to indoor life both in Calis and Largo, she didn’t entirely dislike the cold wind. The winter decorations hung around the castle to wish for peace, and even the fluttering snowflakes were fascinating.

Though it was her first time walking the streets to see a festival, it was also her first time seeing snow since she was a child.

“It’s amazing. I thought it would be very cold on snowy days.” Stella reached out her hand, catching the falling snowflakes. “I don’t find it that cold. Strangely, it feels warm. Is it because of the cloak?”

Her near-soliloquy seemed innocent and charming, making Islay laugh out loud. The low rumble of his laughter was transmitted through their linked arms.

Stella, who had been looking around in a daze, suddenly found her attention drifting to the man beside her.