The Cursed Beast Caught My Leash - Chapter 7

Islay’s gaze darkened as he looked at the woman standing before him in her thin undergarments. Many flowery phrases could describe exceptional beauty, but now he understood why she was called the “Star” of Largo.

Princess Stella had a precarious beauty, as if it could vanish at any moment. It was a brilliance that could blind the observer, yet disappear if one reached out to touch it.

Fixing his unwavering gaze on her, Islay reached out and slowly lifted her chemise. Stella, panting, raised her arms to help him. The delicate silk fabric fluttered and fell away, revealing the dazzling curves of her body in the early dawn light.

At the moment Islay almost stopped breathing, Stella stepped directly into the bathtub. The splashing sound echoed as she exhaled a long breath, the cool water soothing her fevered body.

With her eyes closed, Stella slowly curled into herself, burying her face in her knees, her expression hidden. She remained motionless in that position.

Is she embarrassed now tha? she’s regained her senses? Or perhaps she, a royalty, considers this a kind of bath and expects the help of a lowly man like him?

Islay ran a large hand down his face.

“This is driving me crazy,” he muttered in a low voice. He knelt beside the tub and, using a deep wooden bowl, poured water over her shoulders.

After repeating the action a few times, a chuckle escaped him. Here he was, the monster of Calis, suddenly acting as the princess’s bath attendant. The absurdity of the situation was laughable.

And yet, his own survival was at stake.

…Prince Hendrick. When they met again, Islay would break both his hands. There was no way the bastard would get away with causing such a ridiculous mess.

“Hey,” Islay spoke quietly to the woman’s head. “You owe me for this. Don’t forget, even when you regain your senses.”

The woman flinched. Her wildly racing pulse began to calm, and the fever that had consumed her body slowly subsided.

***

How much time had passed since then?

After sitting in the bathtub for a long while, Stella finally regained her normal body temperature and, fortunately or unfortunately, her senses. She couldn’t bear to lift her face.

“If you’ve come to your senses, put this on,” Islay said, handing her some women’s clothes and a towel he had fetched from somewhere. Stella, lifting her head, took the clothes and glanced at the man warily.

He looked extremely displeased, clearly not happy about the situation of tending to her needs. However, as she dried herself and dressed in the room without any partition, Islay turned his back and closed the window. He didn’t go as far as to leave the room, though.

‘I must be crazy. I must be,’ Stella thought, hurriedly slipping her arms into the plain dress. She still couldn’t believe what had just happened to her.

She had stripped naked in front of a complete stranger, showing her bare body without a thread on. Worse, this man was supposedly turning into a monstrous beast! It was a miracle that nothing horrible had happened.

‘…A miracle.’

Was it really okay for an unmarried woman to show her naked body to a strange man? At that moment, her uncle’s stern face flashed through her mind like a bolt of lightning.

Having lost her father early, her uncle had been like a new father and an absolute ruler to Stella. He had emphasized the importance of chastity with harsh discipline, insisting that even a scratched apple is shunned by everyone.

He would say that no one wanted a blemished apple, which would rot and become food for worms, emphasizing that Stella was no different. Only red, plump, and seasonal apples could be chosen, he would add.

And her mother? In Stella’s childhood memories, her mother seemed precarious at times but was generally happy. However, after the death of her husband, the late king, her mother remarried overnight to a much less significant man and drowned herself in alcohol daily.

“I was the eldest daughter of a beautiful duchy,” her mother used to say, “but unlike my virgin sisters, I was sent to marry into a minor country because I was ‘damaged goods.’ Had I been flawless, I would have become the Empress of Pantege, and I wouldn’t have had to watch the ember of Largo fade away.”

Because of this, her mother also relentlessly taught Stella about a woman’s chastity. She repeatedly told Stella that she must correct everyone’s fate, distorted by the king’s death, as if the survival of Largo depended solely on the purity of its only princess.

Thus, when a dinner with Prince Hendrick was arranged, no one was more overjoyed than her mother, knowing that Prince Hendrick would inherit Pantege’s power.

Stella cast her eyes down sorrowfully. How would the king and queen of Largo react to hearing that their daughter had been kidnapped by a beast like the Grand Duke of Peruno? They would surely think she was defiled.

Islay hadn’t committed any indecent acts towards her yet, but it was misleading to say nothing had happened.

“Come and sit,” came a voice from behind, cutting off her thoughts. The man, who had the instincts of a beast, had sensed she had finished dressing and was now looking at her.

Islay gestured towards the table with his head, and Stella, with trembling hands, straightened her dress and complied. Although the heat that enveloped her had dissipated, she still felt naked.

As she sat at the table, the door burst open. Men entered, making the wooden floorboards thud as they cleared the dishes. They placed seven glass bottles in a row on the now clean table.

The bottles, all the same size with cork stoppers, had round bodies tapering towards the top, each filled with a colorless, transparent liquid.

Once the men finished their task, they left the room, closing the door behind them. Stella’s face showed a hint of confusion.

What’s this about?

Islay stood opposite her, arms crossed, his gaze serious and devoid of any amusement.

“What… what is this?” Stella stammered, still struggling with her emotions.

“Just as it looks. Seven glass bottles filled with a transparent liquid,” Islay replied simply. “To be precise, three of these bottles contain a deadly poison that can burn your insides with just one drop.”

“Poison…?”

“The other three contain Lobid, the same herb that tormented you earlier. That amount would make even me lose my sanity. Lobid is an aphrodisiac, after all.”

Stella’s mouth dropped open in shock.

“The last bottle contains clean, harmless water.”

Finishing his explanation, Islay made an unexpected demand. “Now, identify the bottle with water.”

“…What?”

Stella was taken aback by the bizarre test, but Islay continued nonchalantly, “Hurry up. I’m in a hurry and don’t have time to waste.”

Stella couldn’t speak for a moment. Each identical glass bottle contained a colorless, odorless liquid. There was no way she could pick out the water.

A sudden surge of anxiety made her think of another disaster.

“What happens next?” she asked in a trembling voice. “After I make my choice, you’re going to make me drink it?”

“Of course not. Do you think someone like me would risk doing something that foolish?”

“Then…”

“I will drink it. You can see the results for yourself.”

You’re not in your right mind. Stella barely swallowed the thought lingering on her tongue.

“Why are you making me do this? What kind of ability do you think I have…?”

“Hey,” Islay interrupted, leaning forward on the table with both hands. His flawless face drew closer, causing Stella to instinctively pull back.

“There’s no need for unnecessary explanations. Do you want to stay with a monster like Peruno for even longer?”

“But… but you said you would take me to Calis once you confirmed my usefulness.”

Despite her fear, her questions kept pouring out. Even in her feverish state, she had clearly heard his words.

“I don’t care about the outcome. Just make your choice. If I’m wrong, I’ll let you go peacefully.”

She couldn’t trust him. Despite trembling, Stella voiced her concern, “What if I pick the Lobid? You’ll lose your sanity and how will you return me to Largo without harming me?”