I Became the Cure for the Cursed Prince - Chapter 122

Leon held his breath and focused on the sounds coming from outside.
He hoped it was just the wind blowing through the trees, rustling the leaves. But the noise that followed sounded more like the movement of a wild animal.

“This is such a bother,” Leon muttered in a rough voice as he stepped outside.
Sensing that something was wrong, Lucas quickly followed him.

A sharp, scraping sound cut through the silence.
As they followed the unsettling noise along the forest path, they spotted a creature digging at the ground beneath a tree.

“Is that a monster?” Leon asked, narrowing his eyes.

“It certainly seems that way.”

Leon immediately transformed into a tiger, while Lucas gripped the dagger he had hurriedly brought with him.
A troublesome monster like this just needed to be taken down quickly.

With his front paw raised, Leon lunged straight at the creature.

“Kiyaaang!”

The monster spun around, let out a shriek, and fell backward in shock.
It had four long legs, a red mane, and a slender, agile body.
The creature looked exactly like Rai.

After confirming that it was a half-monster, Leon shifted back into his human form.

“It’s a half-monster.”

“Is it the same species as Rai?” Lucas asked.

Leon examined the monster’s body closely.
It was trembling all over, completely terrified.

“Hey, lion.”

Lion?

The monster’s trembling stopped, as if it liked being called “lion,” just like Rai.

“Is it female?” Leon asked.

Why? Why are you doing this? Are you planning to kill me?

“No, I’m not going to kill you. I’m taking you with us. You might be useful later.”

Take me with you? No. Please don’t. Don’t do this.

Clat crouched low, her body curled tightly as she glanced around, searching for a way to escape.
It had only been two days since she ran away from the circus where she had been forced to perform for humans.
She had made a mistake by coming down from the deep mountains because of hunger.
If she had known this would happen, she would have rather starved to death.
She never wanted to be laughed at by humans again.

The tiger—no, the man with the form of a tiger was slowly approaching her.
Clat raised her fur and let out a loud cry.

If you are going to take me, then just kill me instead.

The man stopped in his tracks and tilted his head slightly.

“Why? I said I would let you live. Why are you asking me to kill you?”

Clat took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. When she turned her head, she saw a dark-skinned man murmuring something as he looked at the tiger.
She couldn’t make out the words clearly because of the wind, but his tone didn’t feel threatening.
Even the tiger, who had looked so terrifying just moments ago, now seemed more relaxed.

Maybe they’re a little different from the others.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, Clat shook her head firmly and steeled her heart.
She remembered how she had once trusted people who claimed to help her, only to end up suffering in the circus.
She had no intention of ever trusting humans again.

Leave me alone. I said just kill me already.

Her voice came out in a furious scream, and the dark man raised his voice in response.

“I don’t know if you can understand me, but calm down. We’re not trying to hurt you.”

Hmph. As if I would believe that.

Clat stayed on guard, her muscles tense. If they tried to grab her, she would run.
But just then, the tiger sprinted forward and tackled her to the ground.

“After all the effort we went through to find a bride for Rai, we can’t just let her go now.”

“Leon, you are going to scare her,” Lucas said gently.

Clat, still frozen and curled up tightly, looked at Leon with wide, startled eyes.
A bride? Her ears twitched at the unfamiliar word.

Was this just another trick to capture her?
But still, calling a half-monster a bride? These people were strange.

The tiger held her firmly by the waist and spoke.

“Lioness, listen closely. I am the crown prince of the Theian Empire.”

Leon calmly explained who he was, the half-monster friends living in Rion Castle, and the existence of Rai.
It all sounded too detailed to be a lie.
She could also sense a faint scent from both of them, something that reminded her of her own kind.

Clat’s heart slowly began to ease.

So, what are you saying? That you want to marry me off to that guy?

“If possible, yes.”

And what about what I want?

After giving Clat some delicious food and fresh water and making sure she felt safe, the two men returned to their tent.
Leon, who had been calm and logical while persuading Clat just moments ago, began to grumble now that he was alone with Lucas inside the tent.

“So much for a quiet trip with just the two of us. Now we have an unexpected guest. What even is this?”

Lucas gently wrapped his arm around Leon’s shoulder and gave him a reassuring pat.

“I’m just glad we could keep the promise we made to Rai. Thinking about how happy he’ll be makes me feel good too.”

Leon gazed at Lucas with soft, longing eyes.
He leaned in and whispered, “Let’s just pick up where we left off.”

The warmth of his breath brushed against Lucas’s ear, sending a flutter through his chest.
But Lucas turned away and slipped out of Leon’s hold.

“That lioness outside seems to understand everything we say. She’ll probably hear us.”

Leon narrowed his eyes slightly.
“So what?”

“I mean we should wait until we reach the southern lands.”

Leon didn’t respond. He looked annoyed, but kept his mouth shut, pretending not to care.
It was just one more day. He didn’t want to lose points with Lucas over something like this.

Lucas glanced at him in silence, as if surprised by how easily Leon gave up.
Without another word, he lay down on the bedding.

Leon lay beside him, quietly watching and waiting for Lucas to fall asleep.
He knew that once Lucas drifted off beside him, he would fall into a deep sleep.
And when that happened, Leon planned to touch him gently and satisfy the desire he had held back.

“You want to go to the market? Right now?”

Leon, who had just started unpacking in their lodging, paused and looked back at Lucas with disbelief.
The suggestion was completely unexpected.
They had just arrived, and all Leon wanted was to strip down and sprawl out with him, not head back outside.

Sensing what was on Leon’s mind, Lucas pointed toward the window.
Bright sunlight was pouring in, making it clear that it was still the middle of the day.

“It’s still far from evening, and we need to eat,” Lucas said calmly.

“We can eat here just fine. I could call for a servant right now and have them bring us—”

“I want to go to the market. In Theian, unlike at Rion Castle, we can’t move freely outside the palace. I missed the food from outside.”

Leon stayed quiet.
Hearing Lucas say he missed ordinary food made him feel a bit guilty.
There was nothing he could say.
He kept thinking about last night, when he had to deal with everything alone. Selfish thoughts kept slipping into his mind no matter how hard he tried to push them away.

“We never really had a normal date.”

With that, Leon gave in.
He roughly finished putting the bags in place, stood up, and reached for Lucas’s hand, his lips slightly pursed in reluctant acceptance.

“How could I ever win against you? If you want to go, then we go.”

“Thank you.”

Lucas smiled and pulled Leon out of the room.
The weather was warm and bright, a refreshing change from the northern climate.
Even the air felt lighter.
What Leon didn’t know was that Lucas had something special planned just for him.

That morning, while preparing breakfast in the forest, Lucas had put on the underwear Michelle had given him.
His plan was to wear it tonight and surprise Leon, letting him see and love him freely.
He hadn’t expected they would arrive at the lodging in the middle of the day, which had thrown his plan off completely.

Even though they knew everything about each other by now, Lucas couldn’t bring himself to show such a revealing side of himself to Leon in broad daylight.
Embarrassed, he suggested going to the market instead.
Still, the market date turned out to be enjoyable.

There were dazzling accessories that couldn’t be found in Theian or Rion, oddly shaped fruits, and lively conversations from passionate vendors.
Every now and then, Lucas found himself worrying about the children they had left at Rion Castle, and about Michelle too.
But he reminded himself that chances like this were rare.
He planned to enjoy every moment of it while he could.

“Look at this, Leon.”

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