I Became the Cure for the Cursed Prince - Chapter 58

Several times a day, Lucas was overwhelmed by the urge to hold Leon as he cried and beg for forgiveness.

I’m sorry for hurting you. I don’t know what someone like me is doing, making you suffer like this. But that’s exactly why you should be loved by someone better, somewhere brighter. Not by someone like me.

And yet, in the midst of a situation where Leon’s life was being threatened, his heart was wavering so dangerously unstable.

To steady himself again, Lucas opened the desk drawer and took out the dagger he had hidden deep inside. When he imagined Leon trapped inside the gaping jaws of the dragon carved on the hilt, a jolt of fear snapped him back to clarity.

“Just hold out until we get a reply from the Theian Empire.”

The next morning, before dawn, a sudden snowstorm had begun to blow across the land. Lucas bundled himself tightly in warm clothes and quietly stepped out of the castle. He had to leave before Leon woke up.

He’d already told Sion yesterday that he’d be away for a while, so there was no need for concern.

Although he was leaving under the pretense of patrolling, the truth was simple: he needed to distance himself from Leon. Still, even as he mounted his horse, Lucas kept glancing back. The image of Leon crying in despair wouldn’t leave his mind.

“Whoa, easy.”

The wind was strong at that hour, pushing the horse sideways. Lucas stroked its mane gently, trying to calm the creature.

“I want to stay in the castle too.”

There weren’t many days left to see Leon’s face. If anything, it would’ve been comforting to spend at least one more day near him. But Lucas buried that desire deep within and gripped the reins tighter.

The snow was falling heavier now. If it continued like this, he wouldn’t be able to move soon. He urged his horse forward, trying to put as much distance as he could before it became impossible to travel.

Boom. Crack.

Dark clouds blanketed the sky. The snow thickened, and visibility dropped rapidly. Lucas pulled his heavy cloak closer. Even the horse struggled against the cold, tossing its head with a frustrated snort. The snow looked ready to pile up fast.

Scanning his surroundings, Lucas estimated his location. Fortunately, there was a temporary shelter nearby—a hut built for weather like this. He calmed his horse and directed it toward the structure.

The area was densely forested, and few people passed by. It would be a quiet place to rest. But just as he raised his hand to pat the horse and urge it forward—

Rustle. Rustle.

A suspicious sound echoed from nearby. A chill of unease crawled up Lucas’s spine. His horse, too, sensed the tension and stood rigid, fur bristling. Lucas paused, scanning his surroundings with sharp, wary eyes.

Then—whoosh!—something brushed past his shoulder.

The fierce wind had thrown it slightly off course, but he knew what it was: an arrow.

Without hesitation, Lucas raised his bow. He narrowed his eyes in the direction the arrow had come from, and without pause, fired.

A groan barely audible rose from the mist. Lucas spurred his horse forward in that direction, but by the time he reached the spot, only bloodstains dotted the snow. There were no footprints, no trace of a person.

The only relief was that no further attackers appeared. But still, a deep sense of unease gnawed at him.

Leon woke to the sound of snow hitting the window. As he stirred, he caught the distant noise of a horse outside the castle.

At this hour…? Before sunrise?

Something wasn’t right.

He quickly got out of bed and rushed to the window. In the falling snow, he saw Lucas on horseback, leaving.

“Luca…”

Leon hadn’t said anything, not wanting to make Lucas worry but he had quietly taken care of several intruders himself. And they might still be lurking around Rion Castle. There was no way he could let Lucas go off alone.

He dressed quickly and slipped out of his room. Then he headed to the greenhouse and woke Raika, the horse, gently mounting and following Lucas at a distance.

Lucas, far ahead, eventually turned toward the shelter in the woods. Leon followed, staying out of sight, hiding behind the trees.

The snow was falling so hard now it was almost impossible to see but even with his eyes closed, Leon could feel Lucas’s every movement.

Rustle. Rustle. Whoosh.

“…!”

An arrow flew and grazed Lucas’s shoulder.

Leon wanted to run to him right then, but fear held him back. If Lucas realized he’d followed, would he grow to hate him even more?

Fortunately, Lucas didn’t seem hurt. He drew his bow immediately. A few more arrows came flying, but he dodged them with ease. Then—his arrow struck its mark.

“Raila, let’s go!”

If he couldn’t reach Lucas, then catching the intruder would be the next best thing. Leon focused all his senses, tracking the assassin’s trail with precision before making his move.

There behind a tree he spotted the figure hiding. Dressed exactly like the others he’d caught before.

<You planning to tear him apart?>

At Raila’s low growl, Leon shook his head.

“No. I’m going to capture him alive. I need to find out who’s behind this, who’s targeting Lucas and why. That way… I’ll have something to say to him.”

With firm resolve, Leon chased after the intruder.

They must have worn black to stay hidden, but they had miscalculated. This was the North—if they’d really wanted to blend in, white would have worked better.

Thanks to that mistake, finding the intruder wasn’t difficult.

Raila closed the distance in an instant. As they caught up, Leon leapt from her back and slammed the assassin to the ground in one swift motion.

“Ugh!”

Having captured several assassins before, Leon knew exactly what to expect. The moment the man opened his mouth, Leon forced a gag in to prevent any suicide attempt.

“Trying anything won’t end well for you. I’m not in the mood today.”

“Mmph… mmph…”

Looking down at the struggling man, Leon’s lips curled into a dark grin. He didn’t know who this person was or why he’d come but one thing was clear: these men were highly trained for this task. Which meant the usual methods wouldn’t work on them.

So Leon transformed into a tiger.

A massive white tiger bared its gleaming fangs, its piercing blue eyes glowing in the snow. The assassin’s face turned ghostly pale, his body trembling uncontrollably.

The killing intent Leon exuded would send even a battle-hardened warrior fleeing in fear. The deep, primal growl rumbling from his throat activated the prey’s instinct buried in every living creature. The man’s pants began to soak with urine.

Only then did Leon remove the gag with one large paw.

Letting out a pained cry, the man collapsed to his knees and began to grovel.

“Please! Please spare me!”

“Talk. Who sent you?”

“I… I’m from Draco…”

“I didn’t ask for your organization’s name. Who ordered the hit?”

“…”

“Was it Keaton, head of the Reformist faction? Or Prince Vilter?”

“I-I was never told who made the request. It’s protocol, we don’t learn client identities. I swear,  Just kill me instead.”

Faced with a fear worse than death, the man finally broke. Given he’d already revealed the name of his group, it likely wasn’t a lie.

“Do you even know who I am? Maybe the client’s identity was kept secret—but they must’ve given you detailed information about your target.”

“Yes… Prince Leon of the Theian Empire… I was given a portrait and a summary. So I simply assumed… the request came from someone within the Empire…”

Leon had hoped foolishly that the truth might be something else. Even as he asked whether Keaton or Vilter had sent the assassins, part of him wished the attackers had nothing to do with him. That they were targeting Rion Castle for some other reason like dissent against the North.

That way, at least, the guilt wouldn’t cut so deep.

But just as he feared, the assassin had clearly come at the orders of the Keaton family.

And worse still there was another truth, even harder to face.

“So I was the target. Fine. But why go after the Duke?”

“B-Because the missions kept failing. They said if we couldn’t reach you, we should wait for an opening—and if necessary, strike someone close to you. The Duke,  looked like a good target.”

Leon felt his blood run cold.

Lucas had almost been killed because of him.

Raila gave a low growl.

<Commander. What should we do?>

“You’re not supposed to kill people so easily, but…”

Leon’s golden eyes had turned icy. No alpha would ever forgive someone for threatening the one they love.

“Listen carefully.”

A scream tore through the snow-covered forest. Blood dripped from the assassin’s severed hand, but Leon didn’t even flinch. He grabbed the man by the hair and forced his head up, golden eyes glowing with terrifying light.

“You should be thankful it ended with just your hand. The only reason you’re still breathing is because I have a message for you to deliver. Go back to your people and tell them everything you saw here today. If you don’t, if I even sense you’ve held something back, I will find you, and you’ll beg for the mercy you didn’t show.”

As Raila stepped back, the man staggered to his feet and took off in terror, stumbling away as fast as he could.

By then, the sun had already risen high, its cold light falling across Leon’s hardened expression.

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