I Became the Cure for the Cursed Prince - Chapter 53

On the first day of the festival, the party was in full swing. In the banquet hall, young people danced to lively music, and Michelle, half-drunk, hummed along with a gentle smile on her lips.

The heat rising from the hall reached all the way to the terrace where Lucas and Leon sat. The sound of instruments mixed with bursts of laughter, and for the first time in a long while, the Castle of Rion was alive with joy.

Lucas drained the remaining liquor in his glass in a single gulp. Warmth flushed his cheeks from the alcohol, but a cool breeze quickly cooled his skin.

“No matter how much I drink, I don’t feel drunk…”

He wouldn’t have minded getting a little tipsy on a day like this. Yet perhaps because he was in high spirits, the more he drank, the clearer his head felt. As Lucas continued to drink, Leon quietly sipped his grape juice, watching him intently.

Lucas was breathtaking as he drank. His porcelain skin had taken on a soft blush, and his lips, glistening with wine, seemed almost too beautiful. Leon stared, captivated.

Meanwhile, Lucas kept drinking, trying to settle the strange fluttering in his chest. Leon, once a small boy, had grown up to the point of slaying a gargoyle. Was this what a parent might feel?

He also couldn’t help but feel older. Lucas worried over things Leon likely didn’t even notice that in Leon’s eyes, he was still simply beautiful, unchanged.

When the third bottle ran dry, Lucas stood and retrieved another from inside, returning with it in hand. As he reached to pour himself another glass, Leon gently took hold of his wrist.

“If you drink more, you’ll really get drunk.”

“And so what if I do? It’s a day worth celebrating.”

Lucas thought Leon would let go at that, but the boy didn’t budge. Only then did Lucas lower the glass and meet his gaze.

Leon’s golden eyes trembled faintly, his lashes quivering. After years together, Lucas knew that expression well it meant Leon had something he wanted to ask.

As expected, Leon finally spoke, his voice low.

“Luca, do you remember what you said back in the village?”

Lucas nodded.

“Yes. I said I’d grant you one wish if we captured the gargoyle.”

“You promised you’d grant it no matter what.”

Leon’s breath caught as he spoke, his face flushed and his chest rising and falling with visible tension. Lucas had been the one drinking, yet Leon seemed more affected.

“I… Lucas.”

Suddenly dizzy, Lucas swayed and caught hold of the terrace railing to steady himself. Leon took a step forward, now close enough that their foreheads nearly touched.

“So I…”

Was it the strong drink? Heat rushed through Lucas’s body. His vision dimmed, his mind grew hazy, it was hard just to remain standing. He leaned his forehead against Leon’s shoulder, struggling to stay upright. He could hear Leon’s voice above him, though the words blurred together.

Still, Leon continued.

“When I grow up into a fine man someday… would it be all right if I stayed by your side?”

Leon swallowed hard. Just moments ago, Lucas had been so beautiful that Leon nearly blurted out I love you, please marry me, it had been that overwhelming.

Lucas blinked, trying to focus. What had Leon just said? His foggy mind struggled to process it.

Stay by my side when he grows up? But Leon has to return to the Empire. What does he mean by that? Ah…

“Luca, answer me. Can I stay with you? That’s all I want for my wish.”

“…”

“Why won’t you answer? You promised to grant my wish.”

As he spoke, Leon gripped Lucas’s hand, his fingers trembling slightly with care. The touch reminded Lucas of the little boy who used to cling to him after waking from nightmares, trembling in fear.

A surge of emotion welled up. The thought of this beloved boy returning to his homeland and leaving him alone weighed heavily on Lucas’s heart. He had tried to console himself by accepting it as fate. And yet, Leon was now the one reaching out first.

Yes, even if distance separates us, it doesn’t mean our bond will vanish. To Leon, I’m his guardian, his foster parent. I’m grateful that he’s the one reaching out when I couldn’t.

“…All right. Stay with me, just as you are now. Just like this…”

There was no reason to reject the earnest wish of a boy speaking from the heart. Closing his eyes against the fading light, Lucas answered softly. As his head began to fall forward, Leon gently supported him with a large, steady hand.

“Yes. I’ll stay by your side. I…”

Even if we return to the Empire and things change between us… at the very least, we can still share a drink together.

With that thought bringing him comfort, Lucas slipped into unconsciousness. Leon gazed at him in silence, watching his peaceful, sleeping face.

“…You promised.”

Leon murmured, then carried Lucas to bed and gently laid him down.

The festival was still in full swing, and through the open door, the bard’s song drifted in. It was a beautiful voice, but tinged with a faint melancholy.

But in Leon’s future, there would be no such bitterness. He would be with the one he loved.

“He kisses the lips of the one who lies by his side.”

As the ballad played, Leon lowered his head.

“Sleep well, Luca.”

Night deepened.

Flash. Lucas’s eyes snapped open. He sat up quickly and glanced out the window. Seeing the sun high in the sky, he pressed a hand to his forehead, then shifted his gaze to Leon, who was beside him.

“I must have lost consciousness again.”

Leon offered a gentle smile.

“You’re not even a strong drinker, yet every time you do, you drink too much.”

“…I know. I didn’t used to be this weak to alcohol.”

Something had felt off yesterday, he’d gotten drunk far too easily, to the point where his memory was blurry. Lucas removed his hand from his forehead and pointed toward the terrace.

“I remember being out there, but after that, everything’s hazy. Did I make a fool of myself?”

…Yes, it’s better he doesn’t remember. Even though Leon had failed to hold back the rising emotions and had confessed, it hadn’t been the kind of proper confession he had hoped for.

“Nothing happened. You walked back in just fine and went straight to sleep.”

Lucas narrowed his eyes.

“Is that so? Then why did you sleep here?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I got drunk from the grape juice.”

“…Good grief.”

Leon grinned shamelessly, dodging the crisis, and clenched his fist in secret. His first confession had ended without even being remembered but next time would be different.

Yes, I’ll grow up, become a dignified adult Alpha. Then I’ll propose to Lucas properly and make him my mate. Just thinking about it made his heart race.

Leon could wait for that day.

In the Teian Empire, tension hung thick in the air at the Duke of Keaton’s mansion from early morning.

After the death of the first imperial prince, Leon, Duke Keaton had pressed the Emperor to appoint his grandson, Viltor, as the official crown prince, with support from the reformist nobles. However, he had been told yet again that “the time is not right.”

If it were just the hollow Emperor and those conservative nobles, they could be swept away by force but Duke Keaton wanted his grandson to ascend as the rightful ruler, backed by solid justification.

However, as time passed, his patience wore dangerously thin.

“Still… still ‘not yet,’ is it!?”

Now, his only remaining hope lay in a covert spy he had placed in the North. One of those spies was reportedly returning with significant news. Barring any incident during the journey, he should have arrived already but it was past noon, and still, there was no sign of him.

The Duke paced restlessly in the study, back and forth, until finally, a servant came running.

“Lord Zephar has arrived!”

“Bring him in, quickly!”

Moments later, Zephar entered the study, breathless.

“My lord!”

“Skip the greetings. Report everything you’ve seen and heard.”

Zephar bowed briefly and handed over a parchment scroll. It was filled with detailed notes about the North’s geography, the size of their knightly forces, and Leon’s current situation.

As Duke Keaton scanned through the parchment, his expression twisted further with every line.

Upon finishing, he let out a furious roar and flung the parchment aside.

“Leon is alive!? In enemy territory!? And what his illness is cured?!”

“Yes, that’s how it appeared. Prince Leon seemed to have no difficulty controlling his transformation into a beast.”

“Impossible! No royal has ever overcome that illness!”

Duke Keaton had never truly expected much from his spies in the North. First, because he believed that even if Leon was alive, the disease would eventually consume him and second, because if Leon was alive, he would be in the Duchy of Rion, a nation bound to the Empire by deep-rooted hostility.

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