The Cursed Beast Caught My Leash - Chapter 90

‘A secret appointment?’

Stella tried to calm her pounding heart. Islay, who had asked the question, didn’t seem to care much for the answer. Instead, he quietly observed her pale face, as if she had endured a great ordeal.

Then, reaching for the tray on the side table, he picked up a strawberry.

“Open your mouth.”

“I don’t want to eat anymore.”

“Just one more. After this, I’ll stop.”

Stella had no choice but to open her mouth and accept the fruit. She chewed and swallowed a few more sweet and tangy strawberries before Islay finally looked satisfied. The meal ended there.

After filling her stomach, Stella silently leaned her head against his shoulder. His hand naturally wrapped around her, softly kneading her chest. Even that slight contact was enough to make her nipples swell and a tingling pleasure to spread. Her sensitized body responded to his touch so easily.

“Does it hurt?”

His hand, which had been massaging her chest, slid down to rest on her lower abdomen. His cautious touch gently traced the pale skin of her belly.

If she claimed there was no pain in the area he had ravaged, it would be a lie. But Stella merely shook her head in silence.

“I’m fine. What about you?”

“…Are you asking if I’m in pain?”

“No. I’m asking if you regret it.”

Islay didn’t answer. He simply stared at her, his hand still resting on her abdomen, now lightly brushing over her mound and thighs. The areas where they had been constantly in contact were red and swollen, marred with visible marks.

Her body, covered in bruises and blood vessels on the verge of bursting, seemed fragile and far from unharmed. As he ran his hand over her bruised skin, Islay’s expression grew clouded with a complex mix of emotions.

Stella studied his face, trying to discern the hidden pieces of his heart.

‘He regrets it after all…’

Not long ago, Islay had left wounds on her, despite it being unintentional. Consumed by deep guilt, he had distanced himself from Stella, unable to bear the thought of causing her more pain.

But Stella had sought him out, walking willingly into his arms. She wanted to share love with him, and she had embraced him as much as she wished. Now, seeing his reluctance to look back on that time fondly, she couldn’t help but feel apologetic.

‘Even so….’

Time felt like sand slipping through an hourglass. Stella’s urgency stemmed from her desire to spend her final days beside the man she loved. Was that truly such a wrong decision?

The sorrow of unintentionally hurting each other since “that night” lingered like a shadow between them.

Cautiously, Stella gauged Islay’s mood. He continued to stare at her wordlessly. The sound of rain softly pattering outside filled the silence as their gazes met without a single word exchanged.

“…Aren’t you going to eat?”

Unable to endure the heavy atmosphere, Stella barely managed to change the subject. The breakfast prepared on the table had been meant for her alone.

Islay lightly shook his head. “I don’t have any appetite.”

“That’s ridiculous. How can anyone not eat? Even a little would be…”

“I’m not human, remember?”

Stella, about to argue that a man with a physique as solid as iron should eat twice as much as her, closed her mouth. Islay cast a brief glance out the window.

“Did you know? The monsters outside don’t feel hunger at all. They don’t need to eat, but they’re consumed by their destructive nature, driven to slaughter endlessly.”

His voice was flat and emotionless, like reading text from a page.

“I’m no different from their host. The closer I get to becoming like them, the less hunger I feel.”

The guilt of having hurt someone precious, driven by his baser instincts, lingered on his lips. Stella’s eyes widened at his raw words, holding her breath.

Wrapping one arm around her waist, Islay gently combed her hair with his fingers. His low voice continued, “So, don’t worry about trivial things. I’m far removed from what you think of as human.”

“Stop it.”

Stella clenched her trembling fists tightly.

“What?”

“Stop talking like that. I don’t want to hear it.”

“Why? Because it disgusts you?”

“You’re tearing yourself apart. I don’t want to see you like this. Stop it, please.”

Her voice, soft yet firm, startled even herself with its intensity. Undoubtedly, this was the most resolute Stella had ever been in her life.

Was it right to raise her eyebrows like this to someone she loved? Yet, seeing the malice and self-reproach hidden in his monotonous tone, she couldn’t just stay silent.

“I want you to value yourself more.”

“The same goes for you, Estella.”

“……”

“I also don’t want you to do anything as reckless as carving your flesh for something worthless.”

Stella stared blankly, her mouth slightly open. The conversation, skirting around the core issue, didn’t continue further. Islay quietly toyed with her soft golden hair.

When his fingers, light as a child’s idle play, began to carry a trace of lingering tenderness, he slowly withdrew his hand. Then, he picked up a teacup placed beside the plate and brought it to her lips.

“Drink.”

It was a tea of deep crimson rose color. Stella gazed at it, noting its resemblance to black tea.

“…What kind of tea is this?”

“It’s brewed from lily roots and acacia. Drink it.”

His eyes, urging her repeatedly, were darkly subdued.

Stella, who had always meekly accepted whatever he offered, didn’t bring her lips to the teacup he held so close. For some reason, she felt a strange aversion to it.

“No, I don’t want it. I’ve had enough.”

“I’m not giving it to you to rinse your palate.”

“Then why should I drink this?”

“Because it would be problematic if you got pregnant.”

At his unexpected words, Stella’s eyes widened. It was something a womanizing rake would say, but she knew Islay didn’t mean it that way.

“It’s a tea with contraceptive effects. If you take it in time, it won’t harm your body, and it’s said to be effective. Don’t leave a drop and drink it all.”

Stella’s wavering eyes fell to the teacup. Pregnancy and contraception—things she hadn’t even considered. Knowing her limited time, she had never thought to plan that far ahead.

She would ascend the altar for him in just a couple of days. She had never even considered the possibility of something taking root in her womb—not even after their first union, which she had managed on her own afterward.

Stella hesitated for a moment. Whether she drank it or not, her future wouldn’t change much, but the sight of the crimson tea swirling in the cup unsettled her. An inexplicable unease crept over her.

“If something takes root within you…”

His knotted fingers pressed firmly against her lower abdomen.

“Even after my death, this accursed cycle won’t break.”

His soft breath scattered against her ear as Islay whispered from mere inches away.

“You don’t wish for a futile death either, do you, Estella?”

It wasn’t entirely unconvincing. Islay believed that if he died without leaving behind any descendants, the curse carried through Peruno’s bloodline would finally be broken. For that hypothesis to hold, it was essential she didn’t conceive.

“……”

…She understood it in her mind.

But why did it hurt so much?

Though Stella accepted the teacup, she still didn’t bring it to her lips. With deeply sunken eyes, she stared at his hand resting on her lower abdomen. The flesh, which had shown its distinct contours with every movement he made the night before, now lay utterly flat.

What if she could build a family with him, like ordinary people? When she imagined a baby with sleek black hair, a wistful, breathy laugh escaped her. A child with ruby-like red eyes and sharp features would undoubtedly be beautiful.

Thinking of it as an impossible dream only magnified her sadness. Stella shook the illusion from her mind and lifted her head. Islay patiently waited for her to drink the tea.

You know, I would actually love to bear your child.

The genuine feeling circled her mind but couldn’t escape her lips. It lingered as a faint breath, slipping away quietly.

After hesitating, Stella finally brought the teacup to her lips. The bitter tea slid down her throat as her neck trembled faintly. Slowly, steadily, she drank without pause. Along with her unspoken confession, she swallowed it all.

Only after Stella drank every drop of the tea did Islay’s expression lighten slightly. Setting the empty cup aside, he used his thumb to wipe the tea lingering on her lips. He didn’t forget to kiss her cheek gently, as if to commend her.

Then, carefully lifting her, he laid her down beside him on the bed before beginning to pick up his clothes one by one. Stella watched his back as he dressed himself.