The Cursed Beast Caught My Leash - Chapter 83

“You could have slapped me awake.”

“How could I do that… especially to a face as sculpted as yours.”

Stella deliberately joked as she rubbed her nose against his shoulder. In response, he planted a soft kiss between her ear and temple.

“I told you, everything I have is yours. If I don’t wake up next time, you can even use the firewood to wake me.”

“Don’t say such dreadful things.”

“I just don’t want to leave you alone. Promise me. If I lazily fall asleep in front of you again, slap me awake.”

“…Alright. I’ll do that next time.”

Lowering his head, Islay kissed Stella’s nape. His lips trailed upward from her chin to her lips, dotting her skin with kisses until they finally settled on her mouth. Stella closed her eyes softly.

Her chest tightened as warmth surged, leaving her throat constricted. She was grateful for his feelings, which prioritized her above everything else, despite her long-standing uselessness.

She tried to remain composed, but nestled in his warm embrace, she felt a growing desire to lean on him and indulge. Still, knowing she couldn’t, she merely stayed quiet, brushing her fingertips along the veins on his forearm.

The man, who had been patting her thin back, suddenly stopped. His hand moved abruptly and pulled up the fabric covering her chest.

“What’s this?”

“Uh…”

Stella, who had been resting her cheek against his broad chest, was awkwardly pulled back. Islay fixed his gaze on her now-exposed chest.

He had noticed the bruised, bluish marks. The traces of their earlier forced union stood out starkly against her pale, delicate skin.

…She thought she had hidden them well enough. Stella barely managed to suppress her embarrassment.

“I… I fell in the bathroom.”

“You got those from falling?”

“Uh-huh… But it’s okay. It doesn’t hurt that much.”

It was clear he didn’t believe her. Furrowing his dark eyebrows, Islay slowly shifted his gaze to her face. His calloused thumb brushed against the scratch on her cheekbone.

“You…”

Before he could ask how she had gotten such marks, a voice interrupted them from downstairs.

“Captain!”

Someone was knocking on the front door, urgently calling for him.

“You need to come out for a moment!”

It was Mikel’s anxious voice.

The loyal subordinate had wished for his master, who hadn’t rested in a long time, to spend a day with Stella without any interruptions. However, the fact that he had come before the sunset clearly indicated an emergency.

Islay looked as though he hadn’t heard anything. He stared intently at Stella, who fidgeted nervously under his gaze, before lowering his eyes in disbelief.

Unconsciously, Stella crossed her arms over her lower abdomen, but it wasn’t enough to evade his heightened senses.

The faint aroma, like that of a bruised peach crushed underfoot, lingered in the air. It was Stella’s distinct scent. Mixed faintly with it was an iron-like tang that Islay didn’t miss. He knew exactly what it was.

His crimson eyes, which glimmered like burning waves in the sunset, fixed sharply on Stella, as if piercing through her.

But their attention was drawn away again by the voice calling out once more.

“We’ve captured a suspicious individual at the Ice Lake! Immediate identification is required!”

The repeated urgency in the voice made Islay sigh deeply. This time, it seemed unavoidable as he grabbed his coat and slipped his arms into it.

“We’ll talk when I return. Don’t go anywhere; stay here.”

“Ah, I…”

“I’ll bring your maid back, so don’t stay alone again. I’ll be back before midnight.”

He gently cradled her round head in his large hand and planted a careful kiss on her cheek. After holding her gaze for a moment, he trudged out of the bedroom with heavy steps.

What should she do? What would happen if he found out the truth?

Left alone sitting on the bed, Stella couldn’t move for a long time.

***

Not long after Islay left, Dora arrived at the tower. The maid, who had recovered her health and no longer needed to stay in the infirmary, appeared bright and refreshed.

“So, you’ve been living here with him…”

Dora, who had brought an assortment of snacks, murmured as she looked around the first-floor hall.

“I’m surprised there isn’t any dust…”

Though she didn’t say it outright, it seemed she found the prison-like tower dreary. Despite Stella’s efforts to light fireplaces throughout, adding a semblance of warmth to the space, it still failed to mask its cold atmosphere.

Unwilling to explain, Stella nervously bit her nails. After pacing the hall restlessly, she finally made a firm decision and clenched her fist.

“Dora, I have a favor to ask. Will you help me?”

12. Crossroads

“Captured outside the lake?”

“Yes.”

The sound of footsteps echoed heavily through the underground prison as Islay walked. Following behind him, Mikel quietly reported.

“We haven’t determined their exact origin, but it appears they were scouting the castle.”

That likely meant infiltration was their goal. Even the impenetrable Ice Castle had weak points, known as rat holes. One such place was the Frozen Lake.

Reaching the inner castle required passing numerous barriers: the city of Elrod, the outer castle, the drawbridges, and the heavy gates in between.

However, behind these impenetrable defenses lay a direct passage to the inner castle via the Frozen Lake. As the site where the Resting Festival was traditionally held with the Millennium Tree, the Ice Castle had been constructed around this central location.

The surrounding canyon served as a natural defensive wall. Its rugged terrain, combined with deadly traps scattered throughout, made it a place even locals avoided. Not even monsters had ever breached the path to reach the lake.

This one must be a bold little rat, Islay thought, clicking his tongue lightly.

“They couldn’t have come alone.”

“That was my assessment as well. When asked about their companions, they refused to answer.”

“I suppose you haven’t tortured them yet.”

Mikel fell silent for a moment at Islay’s dry remark. Standing a few steps from the cell, the subordinate held something out.

“We searched them thoroughly after bringing them into the prison and found this among their belongings.”

Without moving a muscle, Islay glanced down. A frosty chill glimmered in his crimson eyes.

It was a necklace—a locket designed to hold a portrait. Made of worn platinum, it was unremarkable, except that it was identical to the one Stella possessed.

It wasn’t hers. He had just seen the necklace hanging from her delicate neck not long ago. While his gaze had been focused more on the bruises near her collarbone, he had clearly noticed it.

Therefore, this could only mean one thing.

“This necklace comes as a pair. The late king gave one to each of us siblings.”

Sibling. It belonged to her only older brother.

“My brother always wore the pendant with my portrait in it from the moment he received it.”

Click. Islay slowly opened the locket. Inside was a portrait of a golden-haired girl, though the details of her features had blurred from frequent handling. It was strikingly similar to the image in Stella’s locket.

When Stella had spoken of her brother, her voice had been tinged with poignant longing, like someone reminiscing about a loved one long gone.

Yet the person carrying this pendant had been caught scouting the Ice Castle?

Finishing his thoughts quickly, Islay turned his gaze toward the cell. He didn’t even realize how tightly he was gripping the pendant.

“They put up quite a fight,” Mikel added quietly.

Without hesitation, Islay opened the cell door and stepped inside, his boots echoing against the stone floor.

The man, kneeling with his hands bound, lifted his head. His face bore no resemblance to Stella’s.

“Name and affiliation.”

Islay’s cold voice dropped above the man’s head. The prisoner, his body marked with scars like badges of honor, kept his mouth firmly shut.

Mikel kicked him sharply. “Stop being stubborn and answer. We’re asking to save time, not because we don’t know.”

Blood trickled from the man’s clenched mouth as he spat out his response.

“Roderick Elgin. From Haverport.”

“Where is that supposed to be?”

“Why don’t you mighty northern savages figure that out yourselves?”

Roderick sneered, undeterred. Mikel struck him hard with a clenched fist. Islay stared down at the intruder, who bled freely but showed no sign of fear.

Northern savages? So he’s from the southern continent.

The blood that had cooled in Islay’s veins began to boil irrationally. Though he knew why, he couldn’t stop himself from asking.

“Why were you skulking around my castle like a rat?”

Roderick bared his bloodied teeth in a grin, glaring up at Islay.

“To rescue the one and only princess of Largo, you filthy savages.”