Chapter 50
The emptiness weighed on Leonhardt just as much.
The warm little presence he always kept in his pocket was gone, and the absence left him feeling hollow. He never realized how comforting it was to slip his hand in and feel that soft, fluffy fur.
Still, her human form is nice too.
Hair as red as a sunset sky, and eyes that shimmered like a night full of stars—
He liked Kali’s human form as well. She was beautiful, warm, gentle.
Heat gathered in his lower belly just thinking about her.
“My lord, are you all right?”
At Gerald’s question, Leonhardt merely shrugged.
“What would I not be all right about?”
“The madness—has it subsided?”
“Seems like it’s gone for good, seeing how I’ve been fine so far.”
Still, his heart thumped uneasily. Perhaps it was only because he missed Kali.
It was the first time he’d ever felt like this. The Spencer curse had never left him any room for emotions. Women had been nothing more than pebbles on the road.
But now, wanting to keep someone by his side, to lock her away and have her to himself, to crave her with such desperation—
All of it was new and confusing.
That frail woman might get scared and run away if I lose control.
The “madness” made his blood boil and drove him to crave blood.
Now that same heat was rising again, but this time, it made him crave Kali.
Was this a curse—or had Kali placed some kind of spell on him?
“I should finish this quickly and go back.”
At his muttered words, Peter, riding to his right, grinned.
“That’s it, isn’t it? My lord, you’re dying to see the lady, huh? Hahaha!”
“Peter, shut up, you tactless fool.”
Gerald jabbed Peter in the arm with the end of his scabbard. The big man wobbled in his saddle, grabbing his reins in a panic.
“I almost fell!”
“That was the point.”
Gerald sighed deeply. Peter muttered under his breath that his lieutenant was all brawn and no brains, sneaking a glance at Leonhardt.
Normally, Leonhardt would’ve shot him a glare, but today he merely smirked. His mood was obviously better—perhaps thanks to the lady of the house.
“The Poisoned Forest!”
One of the knights shouted.
The Poisoned Forest was a place thick with miasma from monsters. Anyone who entered risked being corrupted and turning into a monster themselves.
They all stopped before the forest. Turning his horse to face them, Leonhardt unsheathed his sword.
“I won’t have my men turning into beasts.”
His slender yet solid blade glimmered with golden light. The glow spread into round shields around each knight’s head.
Leonhardt, being able to use magic, protected his soldiers this way.
“Let’s go.”
He urged his horse forward, having shielded the beasts as well.
Before long, a monster with stone-like skin leapt at them. Leonhardt swung down from his horse and drove his sword through it.
“A mutated one.”
As if waiting, the rest of the monsters swarmed. The knights fought with practiced precision.
Their horses, however, were soon either mauled or eaten.
Great. Looks like we’ll be walking back.
“What a welcome sight,” Leonhardt muttered.
He drew the other sword from his belt. He was ambidextrous—though he usually fought one-handed, today he wanted to finish quickly and return to Kali’s side.
“Ah… beautiful blood.”
He stabbed, slashed, again and again.
He killed and killed, drenched in blood yet unfazed. It rained crimson, and he only smiled serenely.
Kali. My sweet little squirrel.
He didn’t want her to see him like this.
Killing living things had never bothered him. The family bloodline that rejoiced in slaughter—the maddening thirst for blood—it was all in him.
But something feels wrong.
Thud.
He pierced a monster clean through and crouched atop its body, scratching the back of his head.
“Why does my blood feel like it’s boiling?”
He stared blankly at the sea of corpses and blood before him.
Wiping the blood from his face, he found his black gloves slick and sticky. The dark red of the blood blended right in.
“Why?”
His chest had been restless for a while. It felt like he hadn’t had enough blood—like he wanted more.
Why? Hadn’t his curse been lifted when Kali’s was broken?
The Spencer curse should’ve ended with hers.
When the cursed bride’s curse is lifted, so too is the husband’s. Thus, love her sincerely, Spencer.
That was what he’d always been told.
But it seemed that was wrong.
“…This isn’t the time to be thinking about that.”
He frowned. At this rate, he might kill everyone—man or monster alike.
“Get back!”
He smiled beautifully—terrifyingly—and shoved his knights away. They trembled in fear.
The madness was back.
Over thirty knights huddled together, unable to stop him as he cut down everything in sight, drenched in blood like a storm.
“Something’s wrong, isn’t it?”
“Yeah… We thought he was cured.”
“Our lord… still has the madness.”
Leonhardt rampaged uncontrollably. No one could stop him now.
They could only watch until their lord’s bloody frenzy ended.
Kali’s eyes shot open.
Empty.
It had been four days already.
She hadn’t slept properly once without Leonhardt beside her.
It’s just… too empty.
The space next to her was cool as the breeze. She used to find his bare torso uncomfortably close—but now, she missed it.
Who knew she’d feel this lonely after just a few days?
“Ugh…”
She grabbed her head and slumped forward, then flopped onto the bed, thumping her pillow.
Tonight, the bed felt impossibly wide.
“I can’t sleep.”
For a few nights she’d managed, but not tonight.
Even with all his teasing and arrogance, she hadn’t realized how large his absence would loom.
Kali sat up again, hugged her blanket tight, and curled into a ball.
“Leon… what are you doing right now?”
Were there really that many monsters?
Sometimes he’d be gone a week, sometimes just two days.
He’d left in a hurry this time, so she’d expected it to take longer—but still, she couldn’t shake the unease.
I guess I’ve gotten used to him.
That awful man. What did he do to me to make me this restless?
Groaning softly, she rose and pulled a shawl from the wardrobe.
A walk should help.
When you can’t sleep, exercise is best.
The mansion was silent. Lanterns lit the hallways at even intervals, keeping the emptiness from feeling eerie.
Creak—
She opened the door quietly and stepped outside, careful not to wake anyone.
Ah… there are so many stars tonight.
The night sky glittered brilliantly, taking her breath away.
She walked beneath it, smiling faintly at the sight of the garden, the flowers glowing softly in the dark.
“Those who read the future by the stars… the Asteri clan.”
She whispered to herself, slowing her steps as she reached a spot where the stars shone brightest.
Tilting her head back, she stared in awe. Looking around, she spotted a bench nearby.
“…Ah, there.”
She went to it and sat down, then lay back fully. It was a two-seater bench—plenty of room for one.
I want to know the secret of the Asteri clan. And… Kali’s past, too.
Reaching toward the sky, she wondered what it would feel like to touch a star.
“…Huh?”
Suddenly, the stars shimmered all at once. Her eyes widened.
It felt as if they were speaking to her—though she couldn’t hear them.
“What are you… saying?”
They flickered again, still soundless.
She sighed softly, disappointed, and lowered her gaze to the flowers before her—
“…Now it’s the flowers?”
The flowerbeds were glowing too. She gasped and stood up.
They were just roses—yet they gleamed like starlight, swaying as if waving to her.
“What… what is this…?”
The blossoms rippled like waves. She hesitated, then stepped closer. The light was so bright it almost hurt to look.
Without thinking, she reached out and brushed a petal. Instantly, light scattered like tiny particles into the air.
“Wow…”
Fireflies? No—nothing was there.
It was too beautiful for words. Her mouth hung open.
— …found you.
A voice echoed from somewhere.
It sounded both young and old, male and female at once—so strange she stopped trying to define it, just listening.
— Come…
— I missed you.
— Can you hear me?
The voice grew clearer. Kali listened closely.
— Kali.
— I’ve missed you, Kali.
The stars all began to speak at once.
“I can hear you… but I’m sorry. I don’t remember anything.”
At her whisper, one of the stars replied—
— Before he notices, remember quickly.
