The Cursed Beast Caught My Leash - Chapter 62

“Halt the horses!”

Hendrick, seeing the black-clad northerners guarding the inn, raised his right arm. The knights who had been galloping fiercely hastily pulled on their reins.

They stood facing each other. Stella cautiously peeked out, casting her gaze beyond the windowpane.

“I am Hendrick Regan, the great successor of Pantege! I’ve come seeking the northerners on important business!”

“Our lord is currently out.”

“Even if the Grand Duke of Peruno isn’t here, I can still deliver my message, can’t I?”

“Considering you know our lord is away, you must have been watching like a rat.”

Hendrick’s expression crumpled like a sheet of paper. It was a comment that trampled on his pride.

Simultaneously, a vivid red hue spread across the prince’s face like a wave. The shade was so intense it resembled fresh blood, causing Stella to gasp in surprise, her eyes widening.

It wasn’t just anger turning his face red. It was Hendrick Regan’s true feelings, as seen through her sixth sense.

Malice. Blazing malice that would cut down the person in front of him without hesitation.

Hendrick remained on his horse, shouting in a resounding voice, “I’ve not come to fight, so I request that you lay down your arms!”

“That’s impossible. However, rest assured, we won’t be the first to draw our swords.”

“These arrogant savages…”

Hendrick turned his head to the side, spitting out a derisive laugh, then glared directly at Mikel.

“Fine, let’s get to the point. I want the grand duke to return my fiancée.”

“The second prince of Pantege does not have a fiancée, does he?”

“I’m talking about the woman you took from my villa! Princess Estella Lassa de Largo! Since her marriage discussions with King Maurice took place, she’s practically my fiancée!”

Amusingly, Stella herself hadn’t been informed of this engagement.

However, there was no hint of falsehood on Hendrick’s face as he declared it. Stella realized the prince was telling the truth—that her uncle had truly tried to sell her off to Pantege.

Given what nearly happened to her at that villa, “marriage discussion” was an overly polite term.

“I’ll say it again: I do not wish for bloodshed, northerners. I am making a civilized request for you to return what you took from me.”

“I’ll convey your message to my lord.”

“Does that mean you’ll return the princess?”

“It means I have heard your request. Now, kindly leave.”

“What did you say?!”

Furious at the blatant dismissal, Hendrick flared up, prompting the knights of Pantege to grasp their sword hilts. The clinking of armor made Stella clasp her hand over her mouth.

The northerners, meanwhile, remained motionless, standing calmly in place. They were half the number of the Pantege cavalry, and none of them were mounted, yet they didn’t yield an inch.

Grinding his teeth, Hendrick’s gaze suddenly turned to the inn’s only open window. Shocked, Stella quickly moved away, not wanting to meet his eyes. Her heart pounded as if it would shatter her ribs.

Seeing movement, Hendrick narrowed his eyes and then raised his voice.

“Estella Lassa!”

He had realized she was hiding inside the inn.

“If you’re here, come out immediately! I don’t know what lies these wicked northerners have whispered to you, but don’t be deceived by their sweet words!”

As Hendrick shouted, Mikel turned to look at the window, his face hardened.

Stella frowned deeply. Who was deceiving whom here? It was the northerners who had saved her from Hendrick’s clutches.

“Did Grand Duke Peruno ever tell you what he plans to do once he finds that damned jewel?”

“Silence.”

“I’ve looked into everything! They will never let you go until they’ve sacrificed you! You are nothing but a sacrifice for his goal! So stop this foolishness and come with me immediately!”

…What was this nonsense? Stella blinked, still half-hidden behind the window curtain.

She had already heard about how the curse could be broken. She had been the most curious about it, so she asked Islay directly, and he had answered without hesitation.

To restore everything to its rightful place required immense power—the power of Peruno’s blood. Stella had only been tasked with helping him find the needed gem.

But now, suddenly, Hendrick spoke of her being sacrificed… a pawn?

Hendrick’s face, spewing nonsense, didn’t show any telltale signs of deceit. That only confused Stella further. Was her sixth sense not functioning?

The sixth sense was an unexplored ability. Even Stella, who possessed it, knew very little about its workings. It wasn’t something she could use at will.

But if she was still doubting her ability when the fate of the north depended on finding the gem, what was she doing?

Regardless of what Hendrick shouted—whether it was the truth or not—Stella realized what had been bothering her since the Ice Castle.

It was the final prophecy she had not yet heard.

‘Did Islay… not tell me?’

Even though he knew everything?

Despite her confusion, her belief that he wouldn’t harm her remained unwavering.

She couldn’t even imagine those gentle hands that had softly brushed through her sweat-drenched hair strangling her.

But at this moment, Stella couldn’t fully accept Islay’s silence. As anxiety abruptly rose within her, Hendrick’s almost-screaming voice rang in her ears.

“This is your last chance, princess! I won’t question your chastity, so come back to me right now—”

“Your Highness!”

The shout came from one of the Pantege knights. The knight yanked on his reins, clearly alarmed, as he looked at something.

“It’s the Grand Duke of Peruno!”

Islay had returned sooner than expected.

Hendrick had managed to keep up appearances while facing Mikel and the few northerners standing at the inn’s entrance. However, the moment he heard the name “Peruno,” his face paled as though he were on the brink of death.

In the distance, beyond the village entrance, a man on a black horse appeared. Recognizing him immediately, Hendrick twisted his reins as if to flee.

Islay’s subordinates never acted on their own, especially not when it came to violent confrontations.

But Islay Peruno was not restricted by anyone. He was ruthless enough to harm even the crown prince of a grand empire without hesitation. He was the ruler of the north, who had deeply embedded his military might across the entire continent under the pretext of searching for gems.

Recalling the indifferent face of the man who had made him swallow a gemstone without a moment’s hesitation, Hendrick was visibly terrified.

“If you so much as put a scratch on my fiancée—”

“Your Highness!”

The knights, remembering the time at the villa when they were completely overwhelmed without a single act of resistance, called out. Hendrick couldn’t finish his sentence and instead spurred his horse forward.

Stella stared blankly at them as they tucked tail and ran. Beside her, Dora was gazing at her, her face pale.

As the knights in their ornate armor disappeared from the inn’s front yard, a group of black-clad men entered, casting a massive shadow over the area.

Islay glanced briefly in the direction where Hendrick had fled, as if watching a swarm of insignificant bugs fly away. Then, he lightly jumped off his horse. His disheveled hair was swept back as he wore a face devoid of emotion.

Mikel approached him as if he had been waiting, seemingly intending to share the situation, including what Hendrick had shouted.

One of Islay’s men, who had accompanied him, took a jewelry box as large as a child’s torso out of the cart. It was the tribute they had brought from Nortelli.

Stella, watching everything from the window, quietly stepped back.

She needed some time to collect her thoughts. Before she faced him, before she asked him about the prophecy, she needed time to steady herself.

Without a word, Stella climbed the stairs. Dora, at a loss, silently followed her.

***

“Estella.”

It wasn’t long before Islay came to the room where Stella and Dora were. They both froze at the sound of a low voice accompanied by a knock on the door. Dora, sensing the atmosphere, opened the door.

Stella met Islay’s gaze directly. He looked at her with calm eyes, then stepped inside, crossing the threshold into the stillness of the room.

Islay glanced over his shoulder. At that moment, one of his subordinates brought in the large box of stones. He placed it on the table with a heavy thud before leaving the room.

“I’d like to be alone with Estella.”

Islay kept his eyes on Stella as he spoke to Dora. The maid quickly bowed her head and likewise stepped out of the room.