The Cursed Beast Caught My Leash - Chapter 58

slay was hesitating. Hesitation—Stella thought that this, too, didn’t suit him. When he spoke in the tavern on the first floor, saying he missed the presence of others, it had felt the same way.

The man, whose expression was hardened with an unfamiliar look, turned his gaze to the window and let his voice flow.

“Though they say the prophecy descended upon my time, in truth, it also came during my father’s lifetime. He must have felt the same. He must have believed that at last, he could break free from the curse and live like a human.”

A prophecy heard for the first time in centuries—who could resist hoping?

“‘It will stop the disaster!’ At last, the time has come. Has there ever been such a direct revelation in Calis?”

The voice filled with excitement resounded loudly in the ice castle, shaded by the night’s shadows. That night, Islay stood silently on the landing of the stairs, watching the man who had returned to the inner keep after receiving the prophecy.

The man, with red eyes in long, slanted eyes just like his own, and pitch-black hair, was the ruler of Calis at the time and Islay’s father.

“At last, this wretched curse will be lifted. At last…”

Murmuring with a joy close to madness, he hadn’t even noticed the presence of his young son standing nearby. Nor did he realize that the hope he held so tightly in his arms would soon shatter in vain.

“But you couldn’t find the star’s clue mentioned in the prophecy, nor the ancient gem.”

“So he deemed it hopeless and ran away. Maybe he wanted to live freely, even if just for a fleeting moment, escaping from the duty of the clan.”

It was said that Islay’s father fled the ice castle when Islay was about ten years old. Coincidentally, it was the same age when Stella’s misfortunes began.

Moreover, Islay had to find and kill his father when he turned fifteen, and around that time, Stella, too, had grown into a ‘woman,’ forced to maintain her purity and endure all kinds of persecution, all under the guise of it being for her and Largo.

Islay also bore the weight of immense responsibility. From a young age, stripped of desires, he had lived with the obligation that only he could restore the north. And with the miraculous prophecy, all of Calis must have held high expectations for him.

“I can’t shake the thought that I’m repeating his footsteps. I think I can finally put an end to this wretched thing, and yet… I don’t see an end.”

Even with the one explicitly pointed out by the prophecy right beside him, it meant the light of hope had gone out. Stella, listening quietly, moved her lips.

She had never hated herself more than she did now. The self-loathing and despair that had plagued her all this time surged like a flame.

She was certainly the key, and yet she couldn’t help him at all.

“But unlike him, I won’t run away from Calis. Since my fate is already set, I figured, at the very least, I could indulge in some small desires during the time I have left.”

Lowering his gaze, Islay traced the small bandaged cut on Stella’s hand. His careful touch seemed as if he feared she might feel pain even from such a minor wound. The warmth from his fingertips, touching her down to her knuckles, was almost tender.

“Don’t say that. The tribute from Nortelli might have what we’re looking for this time.”

Instead of answering, Islay lifted the corner of his lips in a slanted smile. It was clear he didn’t expect anything, merely fulfilling his duty as far as it could reach. Did he truly believe they wouldn’t find the gem?

“Or do you think there’s another way?”

“Maybe.”

Stella bit her dry lips, afraid to hear what came next. His calm voice, as if it were no big deal, made it even harder to listen.

As a faint taste of blood spread from her lips, he moved his hand from her fingers and pressed her lower lip to stop her from biting.

“As you know, it wasn’t the founder who was cursed but the Peruno bloodline. That’s why we’ve turned into monsters for generations.”

“But…”

“What do you think will happen if I live through the twenty-eighth winter without continuing the bloodline?”

“What do you mean…”

“I think I might die as a human without becoming a monster.  And the curse that exists across the northern lands will be lifted.”

If the curse couldn’t be broken, Islay believed it would be better to die without leaving an heir. He thought he could at least try that approach—if he met his fate without passing on the bloodline, perhaps the curse binding Peruno could be lifted.

None of his predecessors had ever considered such an extreme path. A hint of self-mockery crossed Islay’s lips.

Yes, it could all end simply by dying, and yet, for a thousand years, his family had stubbornly perpetuated the curse, bearing offspring generation after generation.

More than anything, it was a simpler method than scouring the continent for some gem of unknown origin. It wasn’t even about the gem anymore—the prophecy demanded the sacrifice of a woman. Their fates could not coexist.

Islay wished to live as an ordinary human, but he didn’t think it was worth sacrificing Stella for. Yet, abandoning the curse his family had brought upon Calis wasn’t an option either. The only remaining choice was clear.

Suddenly, four or five colorful fireworks bloomed simultaneously beyond the glass window. They burst continuously, crossing the sky as if marking the finale. They were impossibly beautiful.

The rapidly blooming lights illuminated Stella’s face. Her reddened eyes glistened with tears.

“Why are you crying?”

He wiped away her falling tears with his thumb, which had been touching her lips. Still, her tears didn’t stop. As he cupped her chin, her small face fit entirely within his hand.

“Because it sounds absurd.”

“I told you, I have a pretty good sense for these things.”

“Then, are you just going to wait for death like it’s inevitable?”

“No, I’ll wait while indulging myself a bit, like now.”

Islay smiled playfully, caressing Stella’s face with his knuckles. But this was where his greed stopped—touching her tear-streaked face, making her look at him with those wavering eyes. This was as far as it could go.

Stella said nothing. She looked up at his calmly smiling red eyes, silently accepting his warm touch for a while. Then, she slowly reached out. Her small hand wrapped around his face, just as he had done to her, her thumb stroking his smooth cheek.

Not accustomed to such warmth, Islay paused for a moment, seemingly frozen. Stella looked just as she had that time in his bedroom at the top of the tower.

The moment he felt a faint sense of déjà vu, the distance between them, collided in the air, grew closer. He called out to her, as if to stop her.

“Estella.”

“I want to be greedy too.”

“……”

“How could I leave you alone? Hold me. I don’t want to leave you by yourself. Please, hold me too.”

Stella’s face, as she spoke, seemed almost desperate. Islay’s chest swelled as he took a deep breath, nearly touching her.

He had never intended to have anything to do with a woman his entire life. The aversion deeply rooted within him was so intense and profound that he believed, without a doubt, it would never change, not even in death.

But the mere words that she wouldn’t leave him alone, asking him to hold her, shook his firm resolve like reeds swaying by the riverbank in an autumn breeze.

Without a doubt, Stella’s idea of greed was vastly different from his. Therefore, if he were not to push her away, if he were to accept her approach to some extent, he would need to establish boundaries.

But could he really maintain those boundaries without crossing them?

He knew now that medicinal herbs were no longer effective. His heart, which he had barely managed to suppress in front of her, was pounding wildly.

So, what could stop him now?

Stella finally took a step closer to him. And Islay did not stop her.

Her slender arms wrapped around his neck, and their lips met. Though he had once laughed at her inexperience, Stella gently took his lower lip between her soft lips, soothing him. Then, imitating what he had done to her, she clumsily mixed her breath with his, her small tongue crossing between his lips, venturing deeper.

Islay slowly wrapped one hand around her back, drawing her closer. Tilting his chin, he parted his lips, accepting her awkward movements.

What made every cell in Islay’s body surge at this moment was not mere lust, nor the primal instincts awakened by his monstrous nature. It was something far beyond that.

It was the desire not to hurt someone precious. Islay now knew that with certainty.

And so, while he clenched his fists to contain the rush of heat, he couldn’t help but pull the woman in his arms even closer. Outside the window, the final burst of fireworks bloomed across the night sky.