I Became the Cure for the Cursed Prince - Chapter 74

“If it weren’t for Draco’s involvement, it might have been possible… but it’s too dangerous, Your Highness.”

Exer looked at Leon with a dazed expression. Though his lips were slightly curved in a smile, his eyes were filled with grim determination. It was clear that nothing could shake Leon’s resolve to uproot Vilter this time.

“Your job isn’t to stop Vilter’s schemes, but to give him enough rope to reveal himself — and be ready for it. Remember, the most important thing is not my safety, but the safety of the nobles attending the coming-of-age ceremony, and the citizens living near the palace.”

Exer knelt down on one knee and bowed his head. Knowing this was an order he could not refuse, he had no choice but to obey.

“Yes, I understand.”

Exer rose to his feet after answering. As he turned to leave, Leon grabbed his shoulder.

“Make sure you do it quietly. Not even Ermon can find out.”

“Of course, Your Highness. I will handle it silently.”

Leon watched Exer’s swiftly disappearing back and thought to himself.
In truth, the one who really must not find out wasn’t Ermon — it was Lucas.

Lucas was probably still planning to leave. Once the coming-of-age ceremony was over, Leon would have no more excuses to keep him.
But if Leon put himself in danger, Lucas would definitely return.

So, during the ceremony, Leon had to get rid of Vilter — and find a way to bind Lucas firmly by his side.

“If Vilter is gone, nothing will be left to hold us back. So don’t even think about leaving.”

At Leon’s whispered words, Rai, who was nearby, let out a rumbling laugh.

A grand hunt is coming.

Leon stroked Rai’s back and replied,

“We can’t afford to miss this prey. I’ll need your help.”

And what’s my reward?

“I’ll serve you the best meat for the rest of your life.”

Even now, the meat is excellent.

“Then tell me what you want.”

Once you’re married… I want— “No freedom!”

Rai chuckled deeply and said in an exaggeratedly exasperated voice,

No lion would abandon such a good home. All I want… is a beautiful lioness to live with me.

Leon’s face stiffened. Finding a mate for Rai — who genuinely believed he was a lion — wouldn’t be easy.
Still, Leon firmly promised he would.
Only then did Rai, satisfied, stretch out on the ground with his belly to the floor.

After a good night’s sleep, Lucas, feeling much better, opened the window for the first time in a long while and let the fresh air in. The crisp, clean air filled his lungs and cleared his head.

“It’s strange. Just being around Leon made me feel better.”

It was a lightness he hadn’t felt once in the past five years.
Until now, he had only received reports through Sion while staying shut indoors, but now that he was feeling stronger, he thought he should see things for himself.

Just as he opened the door, he saw Ermon approaching from afar.

“Lord Lucas.”

“Ermon, is something wrong? Has His Highness summoned me?”

Ermon answered in his usual calm voice.

“The Emperor and Empress have asked to see you in private.”

“…I understand.”

Lucas could easily guess what “in private” meant. After all, during the last meeting, Leon had dropped an unexpected bombshell.
It was only natural they wanted to speak with him now.
Lucas could already picture what they were going to say.

“Shall we go now, or would you prefer another time?”

Lucas hesitated for a moment.
If he wanted to slip away from Leon’s side, now was the perfect chance.
He wasn’t in perfect shape to meet the Emperor and Empress yet, but there was no other choice.

“Now would be best.”

Following quietly behind Ermon, Lucas began to prepare the words he would say to Leon’s parents.

It was cruel and unfair, but it had to be done.
For Leon’s bright future, Lucas would have to pretend that Leon’s feelings were completely one-sided.

When Lucas entered the audience chamber, he approached the Emperor and Empress.
There was a chair set up at a respectful distance from their seats.

He bowed deeply to the Emperor, who gave a small nod, indicating he could sit.
Sitting up straight, Lucas met Asilia’s gaze — as she looked him over from head to toe.

Her eyes were filled with betrayal and disgust — directed at someone she once trusted.
Lucas calmly accepted that painful gaze until the Emperor opened his mouth first.

“Let’s get straight to the point.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Please speak.”

“We would like you to return to the North before the coming-of-age ceremony ends.”

Asilia quickly added,

“Duke, how did it come to this? You were once so kind… so warm… you even used to write me letters. How could you… how could you do this to our Leon…?”

Though she had begun speaking, Asilia couldn’t finish.
Seeing her struggle, Lucas looked at her with sorrow in his eyes, and then spoke carefully.

“This is all my fault. I should have been more careful.
His Highness Leon is still young and warm-hearted, and he simply gave his affections easily.
Please, there’s nothing for you to worry about.”

This time, the Emperor asked firmly,

“Can we trust you on that?”

The Emperor’s gaze was sharp.
Lucas answered in a deliberately calm tone, feeling as if his true feelings might be exposed.

“Please trust me. I will return to the North before the coming-of-age ceremony ends — and I will never set foot in this place again.”

“In that case, we will trust you, Duke.”

The brief audience ended there.

A flood of words threatened to spill from Lucas’s chest, but he forced himself to hold them back.

It’s enough… he thought, that I met an angel like Leon and experienced even a brief moment of happiness in an otherwise miserable life.
Clutching that thought tightly, Lucas turned to walk back to his room.

But strangely, every step felt heavier.
Only a short while ago, he had felt fine — yet now his body seemed to be betraying him.
His skin suddenly burned hot, while at the same time chills ran down his spine. Shivering at the unfamiliar sensation, Lucas stumbled slightly.

This isn’t…

It wasn’t the familiar curse he had carried for five long years.
He knew it feeling better than anyone.

Could it be…? No, impossible.
There was no way the heat cycle — something that hadn’t shown itself once in five years — would suddenly emerge now.

As the ominous thought crossed his mind, a searing heat began to spread across his skin.
The fire, rising from the soles of his feet, rushed all the way to his head, clouding his mind in an instant.

His body nearly collapsed.
Desperately clinging to the wall, Lucas struggled to stay conscious.
He fought to slow his labored breathing and dragged his heavy body, step by step, back to his room.

He was soaked in sweat by the time he reached it.
If Leon saw him like this, he would notice immediately — he was far too perceptive.
Suddenly, Lucas remembered the medicine Michel had slipped into his pocket just in case.
Without hesitation, Lucas pulled it out and swallowed it dry, without even reaching for water.
Having no strength left to stand, he stumbled to the bed and collapsed.

He prayed for the fever to subside, but the heat only grew fiercer.
The faint scent of Leon lingering on the sheets stirred up vivid memories — memories of their passionate kiss.

“Haa… haa… ha…”

Breathless, Lucas squeezed his eyes shut.
In his mind, the sensations came rushing back:
The sweet taste of Leon’s tongue, the comforting scent of warm wood wrapping around his wounds, the strong arms around his waist — and the hands that had touched him lower down.

The thoughts spiraled out of control, and Lucas knew it was useless to fight them.
In the face of a heat cycle, willpower meant nothing.

Almost instinctively, he grabbed the blanket that Leon had once covered him with and buried his nose in it.

Leon’s scent filled his lungs, reaching deep inside him.
Even though breathing was painful, he couldn’t stop inhaling.
He needed it — craved it — with an urgency he couldn’t control.

Please… let the medicine work quickly…

But the more he breathed in the lingering scent, the more dazed he became.

His body burned hotter and hotter.
Even as his mind screamed that this wasn’t right, he couldn’t stop himself.
Lucas twisted and writhed on the bed, his hands trailing downward almost on their own.
No matter how much he touched himself, the fever showed no signs of leaving.

Biting his lip, Lucas clamped his eyes shut — and remembered Leon’s touch.

Rough, yet gentle. Firm, yet tender.
He could almost feel Leon’s big hands covering his body, and with that vivid sensation, Lucas tightened his grip on the sheets and climaxed.

It was his first time pleasuring himself — and it was for someone he might never see again.

Moments later, as his breathing slowed and the fever finally ebbed away, shame washed over him.

Lucas buried his face in the damp sheets.

Now, he thought bitterly, there’s yet another reason why I have to leave.

Several days passed.

Whether it was thanks to the medicine, or the aftermath of that desperate release, the signs of the heat cycle subsided — though not without lingering unease.

Had Leon stayed close, Lucas might not have survived it.
But with the coming-of-age ceremony approaching, Leon was far too busy to visit him often.

Still, wherever Leon had been, his scent remained.

Lucas clung to that faint trace of him for days — perhaps it was the only thing that kept him going.

Finally, after those anxious days, the day of Leon’s coming-of-age ceremony arrived.

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