The Cursed Beast Caught My Leash - Side Story 5

After finishing his bath, Islay walked heavily across the courtyard. Even though he had stood under the cold stream longer than usual, the heat in his body was still burning hot.

It wasn’t a new sensation, and yet it felt strangely fresh. Why was that? Perhaps it was because, unintentionally, his period of abstinence had gone on for too long.

But of course, it was only natural. Since they hadn’t reached a consensus on having children, Islay had refrained from sleeping with Stella ever since returning to the castle.

He had also stopped taking the contraceptive tea brewed from lily root and acacia. From the moment they discussed pregnancy, the possibility had become real. That didn’t mean he could recklessly initiate intimacy either.

For a fleeting moment, he felt like a man who’d never even held a woman’s hand before. Why was his heart pounding so hard, his whole body aching with anticipation…?

“Captain.”

Out of the darkness, Mikel appeared like a shadow and handed him a letter decorated with a gold-embossed border.

“It’s a handwritten letter from the King of Largo, addressed to you. It just arrived with a royal messenger.”

Islay took the letter in silence. The King of Largo—this meant a letter from Alexio, Estella’s brother.

Skimming past the elegant greeting, he quickly got to the point. Though Alexio was a conservative royal, perhaps due to his years of military service, he didn’t use overly indirect language.

Islay let out a deflated chuckle. “In short, he’s asking us to visit Largo together.”

“Ah, an invitation then.”

“He says it’s not easy for him to come to Calis twice a year to visit his sister, so he wants us to visit instead.”

“But our captain is also the great king of Calis.”

“I’m freer than he is, relatively speaking.”

Especially after disbanding the Elders’ Council of Hegir, Islay had become completely free from all those tedious formal gatherings and aristocratic social obligations.

Anyway, what an overly devoted brother. I should’ve known from the way he treats his grown-up sister like a child. Though, I suppose it makes sense—they were separated when they were very young.

At any rate, Islay had no plans to respond immediately. He tucked Alexio’s letter into his coat, intending to ask Stella’s opinion first and follow her wishes.

When he arrived in front of the tower, Islay lit a cigarette for the first time in a while before he could bring himself to open the door. Ironically, Alexio’s letter had tempered the lust that had been boiling within him.

The maid must have left already after helping with Stella’s bath—the inside was quiet. Islay passed through the softly lit hall, candlelight flickering along the walls, and climbed the stairs one by one.

At last, he reached the top floor where their bedroom was. Hearing the soft sound of steady breathing, he instinctively quieted his footsteps. Had she already fallen asleep?

“Estella?”

Only a long candlestick on the round table by the window faintly illuminated the bedroom. Through the slightly ajar window, a cool breeze flowed in along with the chirping of insects.

Stella was fast asleep atop the spacious bed, her eyes closed beneath the white blanket. Perhaps because she had bathed for a long time, she seemed to exude an especially sweet fragrance tonight…

‘I stayed out too long.’

Cutting off the increasingly sticky, useless thoughts directed at his sleeping wife, Islay pressed out the candle’s flame with his fingertip and closed the window. Then, as was his habit, he removed his shirt and slipped under the blanket beside the deeply asleep Stella.

“……”

Of course, there was no way he could fall asleep easily.

Islay quietly gazed at Stella’s face, bathed in clear moonlight. Her gleaming forehead, her delicate lashes, her soft nose, her rosy lips… her lips…

Looking at this beautiful, innocent face in silence always stirred up a nameless guilt, as if he were some villain who had kidnapped an innocent young princess and seduced her into wickedness.

“…Hmm.”

Well, it wasn’t entirely untrue. After all, he had whisked her away like a brute. Remembering the day he’d encountered Stella at Prince Hendrick’s villa, Islay let out a hollow laugh.

“I… I want to have a baby.”

It was a swirl of emotions. Knowing exactly what Stella must’ve felt when she said those words made it even more complicated. How lucky he must be to hesitate, to say he would ‘consider it’ when his own child was being wished for. If only the roots of his fate had been clean, he could have accepted her sincerity without restraint. That was all he wished.

The wheel of fate had returned to its rightful place, and at last, an age of peace had arrived. Yet Islay still could not fully shake his anxiety. Just how much more time would have to pass before he could comfortably plant the seed—once the very embodiment of his self-loathing—into the body of the woman he loved more than his own life?

Islay brought her sleeping hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the pale back of it. So long as even a speck of unease lingered in his heart, it was difficult to engage in intimacy for the sake of an heir. He feared that the warmth he barely held in his hand might vanish into thin air.

As Stella had said, had he only wrapped her in layers of anxious protection, he would never have been able to seize this peaceful moment. He knew that—and yet.

‘It’s all because you’re precious to me. Even if I gathered all things in the world, they could never surpass my love for you.’ Whispering such tender confessions, he kissed the back of her hand again and again.

And at that very moment, Stella slowly lifted her eyelids.

“……”

“…Islay.”

“Did I wake you?”

“Mmh.”

With a soft sound like a kitten stretching, Stella burrowed into his arms as if seeking warmth. He embraced her gently, her soft body melting into him, and exhaled a heavy breath.

“I’ll put you back to sleep.”

“I’m already awake.”

“Close your eyes. You always fall asleep easily when you’re next to me.”

“I only fall asleep quickly when you touch me, Islay.”

…That was true. Accepting it, Islay silently raised his hand and slowly stroked the small of Stella’s back. With the rustling of fabric, the sensuous curves beneath her thin chemise came through clearly. Though it was just a routine act when they lay in bed together, he suddenly felt like he was losing his mind.

To make matters worse, Stella didn’t fall asleep so easily that night. Islay was the one who had to speak up first.

“The King of Largo sent a letter.”

“My brother?”

“Yes. Seems he misses his sister very much. He says if we’re free this year, he’d like us to visit Largo. What do you think?”

After a moment of thought, Stella lifted her head and looked up at him.

“If we have the chance, of course I’d love to go with you.”

“All right. Let’s go together before winter comes.”

With her answer, Islay nodded without a hint of hesitation. Stella smiled, the corners of her mouth lifting gently.

“Say, do you remember the youngest daughter of Duke Belluccini, the one supposed to be betrothed to Alexio?”

Duke Belluccini—a name he had heard during wartime.

A powerful noble who commanded Largo’s largest military force. He had once tried to marry off his daughter to Estella or his son to her in exchange for lending his troops, but Alexio had rejected the offer outright. Instead, he proposed marrying the duke’s only daughter himself, which allowed him to borrow the army.

“Apparently, since it’s a royal engagement, my brother added one small condition. The young lady is still a minor, so once she comes of age in a few months, her will should be respected.”

Islay immediately understood Alexio’s intention in setting that condition.

While Alexio was the most powerful man in Largo, blessed with beauty, brilliance, and eloquence, he had tragically lost one of his hands during military service.

Would a young noblewoman of high birth—someone who could freely choose her spouse—really want a man with only one hand?

In other words, Alexio had borrowed the Belluccini army and was now quietly maneuvering his way out of the engagement.

“Classic politics.”

Islay let out a quiet laugh at Alexio’s cunning, and Stella giggled along.

“Seems he was never fond of younger women to begin with. But amazingly, the Duke’s daughter has been secretly in love with my brother for a long time. Since both of us were still in the royal palace, in fact.”

“So now he’s stuck with no way out, huh?”

“Yes. After half a year of passionate pursuit, he can’t delay the engagement any longer. I think he wants to introduce her to us before the ceremony, too.”

“Sounds entertaining.”

Stella stretched out her arms and hugged Islay. “Love really is something, isn’t it? No matter what the other person looks like, you just want to embrace them as they are.”

“True. But I’m a lucky man. I fell in love with a perfect woman.”

“Ah, maybe love is a kind of magic that makes the other person look perfect.”