Chapter 75

The Grand Duke, Hoshiel, entered right after the Prince and hurriedly came up to cover her hand.

“What happened?”

“It’s infuriating.”

“Yugatis…”

They felt the same way.

They suspected Austin. Normally, they would have skinned alive anyone who dared harm the youngest, whom they adored to no end.

But it was even more infuriating that they couldn’t touch him carelessly because he was of royal blood.

Still, instead of letting her emotions explode, the Grand Duchess quietly bottled them up.

“A glacier doesn’t form overnight.”

“And it doesn’t disappear overnight, either.”

Karnian never forgets a debt. At some point, the couple wore the same cold smile.

“That prince will cause trouble soon.”

“I know.”

“You’re not going to report it to His Majesty, are you?”

“We just need to save him.”

People living in lands with long winters should never be underestimated for their patience.

If Austin was smart enough to erase the evidence and they couldn’t go to the Emperor, then all they had to do was wait until he revealed his ambition. Judging by his talk of succession to Minuelle, that moment didn’t seem far off.

Before Austin’s group departed, someone secretly visited Minuelle’s bedroom.

Esadien, who was lying beside Minuelle, lifted his head slightly. After realizing how large and sturdy the bed was, he no longer left her side.

“Mother of—! You scared me…”

Lapheche, unaware that the small cat playing in Minuelle’s arms had suddenly grown, nearly collapsed when she locked eyes with Esadien and had to cling to the doorknob for support.

“What in the world is that…?”

Esadien briefly gave Lapheche an unwelcoming glance, then closed his eyes again.

If she had come to harm the sleeping Minuelle, she wouldn’t be hesitating like that. Still, the way his ears twitched showed that he hadn’t let his guard down.

Yet to Lapheche, not being pierced by that beastly gaze gave her just enough breathing room to move.

She hesitantly stepped closer. When Esadien didn’t respond further, she sighed in relief and sat on the chair beside Minuelle’s bed.

“Well, I’m leaving soon.”

She started, but fiddled with her fingers for a long time. Despite everything that had happened, seeing Minuelle lying there with a pale face and closed eyes made her feel unsettled.

“I thought about what you suggested last time… but I’m still going to Chitrum.”

Minuelle had asked whether she needed to learn only from the best to become a mage, but still, Lapheche wanted to succeed big—enough to make Brassidas regret not taking her in.

“You and the Prince both spoke about the Empire’s strength, but I’m not from here. It doesn’t matter to me which country prospers.”

As the tension loosened a little, her tone became more casual.

But Esadien’s ears froze when he heard what she said.

‘She’s not from here?’

That was strange. Lapheche’s original family, Baron Tempest, had roots in the southern region since the founding of the Empire. Even if the house had fallen.

Still, Lapheche didn’t elaborate further.

“More than anything, I just hate the cold.”

Her voice was firm, as if nailing it down. Then she stood up abruptly. Like someone being chased, she hurried to the door—but then paused and looked back.

“But still… thanks.”

Though he seemed to lounge around all day, Esadien’s condition wasn’t exactly good either.

A sharp pain ran between his muscles and bones, and he felt nauseated as if suffering from heatstroke. He couldn’t eat properly.

“Minuelle would be so proud of me for this.”

Ramande always clicked his tongue whenever Esadien left his meat untouched.

Still, Esadien only pretended not to hear and nestled his nose beside Minuelle’s shoulder. He knew the side effects were what Gabbie had warned him about.

Sometimes, a groan rose from deep within, but Esadien never regretted it. Even if the side effects had been worse, he would’ve made the same choice.

But no one knew the side effects weren’t over yet.

“Ugh… ha…”

It was a clear night after several days of snow. On the bed under the moonlight, Minuelle moaned faintly, and Esadien, lying beside her, opened his eyes too.

“Is her fever back?”

He sat up to check her temperature—but something felt off.

“My eyes…”

His vision blurred and wobbled. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. That helped a little, but his sight still wasn’t clear.

Maybe he was just too starved, he thought. But right now, Minuelle was more important.

Still, things kept feeling strange. When he leaned in to press his snout against her forehead, like usual—it didn’t reach.

“…”

Come to think of it, his field of view had shrunk quite a bit.

Only then did Esadien look down to examine his body.

“…!”

What touched Minuelle’s hair wasn’t a thick paw—but a human hand, gleaming pale under the moonlight.

“I’m human again.”

As soon as that realization hit, Esadien lost all restraint. He ran his fingers through her hair, cupped her cheek—savoring the sensation like a dream.

“Minuelle, Minuelle.”

His voice cracked—whether from disuse or near-tears—but he kept calling her name.

How desperately he’d wanted to call her in human speech, not animal cries.

Even as he indulged, he carefully checked Minuelle’s condition, mimicking what he’d seen Ramande do.

“No fever. That’s a relief. Where does it hurt?”

He reached for the potion on the nightstand—only to freeze.

He was completely unclothed.

“W-what the…!”

He looked down. Naturally, he was completely naked.

“Ugh…”

Just then, Minuelle stirred and breathed out softly. That warm breath brushed across his bare skin—his shoulder, his forehead—and his whole body turned beet red.

“Mi-Minuelle…”

The shame nearly knocked him out. But oddly enough, that contact brought him back to his senses.

When he’d been a beast, no one paid much mind to him lying by her side. But as a man—it was a whole different matter.

If he had a daughter, and some man was naked in her bedroom?

The very thought made him grind his teeth.

“I’d kill him.”

But that man… was him.

“Ugh.”

While suffering from this maddening contradiction, Minuelle let out another groan and furrowed her brow. Her lashes quivered—she was about to wake up.

Esadien froze—then quickly rolled off the bed.

Thanks to the thick carpet, the thud wasn’t loud—but enough to rouse her.

“Esadien?”

The moment she opened her eyes, she called for him. Her hoarse voice stirred all kinds of emotions in him.

He rolled further under the bed, trying to disappear.

Then came the pain again.

Gasping, barely holding back a groan, he exhaled shakily.

Ghh…!

Then, as if all the pain until now had concentrated into one burst—his body flared with unbearable agony. It felt like he was burning alive.

“Don’t get caught.”

Even then, he clung to that one thought. Just in case, he covered his mouth—and golden fur began sprouting over his hand again.

“Minuelle.”

I sat blankly, spoon in my mouth, remembering a familiar voice.

Last night—or was it dawn?—I woke up feeling someone had called me. But no one was there.

“No fever, that’s a relief.”

At first, I thought it was a dream. But the more I thought about it, the more I remembered the sensation of a hand on my forehead.

It was definitely Esadien’s voice.

I was 100% sure. It had been rough, like someone who’d been through hell—but it was him.

Yes, I’m sure of that, but…

If it wasn’t a dream, that’s even weirder.

If it was real, that meant a supposedly missing man had come all the way to Karnian Castle and snuck into my bedroom. That’s… not normal. That’s stalker behavior.

“Haa…”

Anyway, why have I been thinking about Esadien so much lately?

When I got stabbed last time, too.

I always thought I had no lingering feelings—but maybe deep down, I never truly let go?

While I was still dazed and sighing, Ramande grabbed my wrist.

“Minuelle!”

“Wha—huh?”

Oh gosh, I snapped out of it.

Turns out I was about to pour red stew all over the table instead of eating it.

“Aah! Sorry!”

Seeing the mess snapped me out of the fog in my head. As he let go, Ramande sighed as well and asked: “What were you thinking about, zoning out like that?”

“Mm. I think I had a dream.”

Since waking up, I have heard all kinds of crazy stories.

I didn’t remember much after getting stabbed by Austin. I would open my eyes and be in my room. And again—my room. That was it.

I do recall one thing when I first saw the ceiling.

“Am I immortal or something?”

I decided I’d never again think “This is the end!” because apparently, I was hard to kill.

But then I heard stories like how I screamed at the Prince, how I vomited blood in front of everyone—I was shocked.

Most shocking of all? I had been unconscious for exactly a week.

Between brief moments of wakefulness, I dreamt I was in a world made entirely of fire, like Gabbie’s invitation.

The ground, buildings, trees—even the clouds in the sky—each burned with different temperatures.

“Fire is… beautiful?”

With my fear of fire gone, I suddenly recalled that in my old life, I used to play crackling fireplace videos in a dark room to relax.

Like that, I stared into that shimmering world like a campfire—sometimes alone, sometimes startled when Gabbie appeared.

Time felt irrelevant there. I truly thought I had just napped for a night.

‘But in the meantime, Austin and his group had already left for Roquate.’