Chapter 3
I nodded without thinking, but he had already pulled out a chair and sat down.
It felt like our eyes had just met…
Was that my imagination after all?
Right. If he had really seen me, there’s no way he would have been so calm. He even greeted thin air. What a polite young man.
Relieved, I watched him eat.
Except for the occasional tightening at the corners of his mouth, his movements were so smooth that it was hard to believe he was injured.
My mouth itched with the urge to speak to him. But…
Not yet. Not yet.
If I acted rashly, I could ruin everything. I had to approach him slowly.
Before he returned to the guest room, I went ahead and placed a card there that read, “You may stay as long as you wish.”
Thankfully, just as I had hoped, he remained in the castle.
Judging by how he applied medicine to his wounds and rewrapped the bandages every day, it seemed he intended to leave as soon as he recovered.
If only it would snow heavily—this was midwinter, after all. If the roads were blocked, he wouldn’t be able to leave.
“Pii.”
Lost in such wicked thoughts, I jumped at the voice near my feet.
As if amused by my attempt to hide my large body behind a flowerpot, the baby rabbit perched on my foot and trembled.
“Shh!”
In case the man heard, I flattened myself beneath the pot.
“Pi, pip.”
He’s handsome.
At the rabbit’s whisper, I nodded in agreement.
He stood out even among the flowers created by the magic garden—like a being shaped from warm spring sunlight.
The way he admired the purple lisianthus was so beautiful that my tail spun wildly.
I want to talk to him!
For a whole week, I circled around him without managing to say a single word, growing increasingly impatient. I had fussed over him in every way possible, building up an enormous mountain of one-sided intimacy all by myself.
“Ha…”
But whenever I gathered the courage to speak, I remembered the people who had run for their lives the moment they saw me. My resolve crumbled.
And so I hesitated. And retreated. Hundreds of times.
A week passed without a single result.
“Pii! Pii!”
I was practicing steady breathing in front of the mirror, trying to make peace with the beast reflected there, when the rabbit called out. I grabbed the doorknob and twisted it.
“What is it? Do you want to know what’s for breakfast tomorrow?”
But instead of answering, the baby rabbit rolled wildly on the floor.
“Piip! Kurang, kuwang!”
“What?”
It kept shouting that something terrible had happened. I peeled the note attached to its body and read the neat handwriting.
Thank you for your hospitality. May good fortune always be with you.
My mind went blank.
By the time I came to my senses, I was already running toward the door.
One thought dominated me—I had to catch him.
And then what? If I just reveal myself, I know exactly what kind of disaster that would cause.
Even so, I couldn’t give up.
I don’t want to live here just waiting for the day I die.
I flung the door open.
Under the orange-tinted sky, the flowers that embroidered the garden shimmered in the glow of sunset.
Anxiously heading toward the front gate, I caught sight of blond hair that did not fade even beneath the blazing sunset.
He was standing before a rose bush.
…Now. I have to speak now.
Though my heart urged me on, my body refused to move. My throat was dry, my palms slick with sweat.
By the time I managed a single step, his hand had already reached toward the lush roses.
His graceful fingers traced the red petals, then slid downward to the stem—
In that moment, my body moved faster than my thoughts.
Before I knew it, I was standing in front of him.
Wearing the fiercest expression I could muster.
“What do you think you’re doing in my garden?”
A beastly roar burst from my throat.
I even bared sharp fangs that looked capable of tearing a man apart. Even if he tried to run, I had every intention of stopping him.
If he’s going to be afraid anyway, I might as well be frightening from the start.
But contrary to my expectations, he showed no reaction. He simply gazed into my eyes with a calm expression.
It was I who grew flustered.
W-what? Am I not scary enough? Why isn’t he afraid?
Look at me. I’m far larger than you—a beast. I can even speak like a human. Why aren’t you startled?
And up close, his face was devastating.
Meeting those clear, flawless eyes, guilt slowly crept up from somewhere deep inside me.
I almost felt like I should drop to my knees and apologize for bursting out so abruptly.
No. Get a hold of yourself.
I consciously forced my drooping brows back up.
Scowling again, I tried to look terrifying, when his pleasant voice slipped between his lips.
“The roses were so beautiful that I couldn’t help but touch them. Are you the master of this castle?”
“Ahem. I am.”
As frightening as possible. As frightening as possible.
“I wanted to properly thank you. I’m glad I could see your face before I leave.”
His blue-green eyes, filled with warmth, looked at me.
Faced with a smile that disarmed everything, I couldn’t help but feel flustered.
How long had it been since someone looked at me with warmth instead of disgust and fear?
The desire to smile back and greet him rose to the very top of my head.
But that wouldn’t do.
I’m a beast right now.
In his eyes, I was still a hideous monster.
Suppressing my gloom, I continued.
“And this is how you repay kindness? I fed you, gave you shelter, even treated your wounds—and you pluck the rose I cherish most. If that isn’t repaying kindness with enmity, then what is it?”
Was that too illogical? Making such a fuss over one rose. It wasn’t even something I’d grown myself—the magic garden had done all the work.
My lines sounded awkward, as if I were reciting from a script. I cautiously studied his reaction.
Thankfully, he seemed not to notice.
“I see.”
Instead, he lowered his lashes, his expression turning serious.
“What can I do to ease your anger?”
His slightly lowered eyes conveyed apology, yet his polite expression and considerate gaze never appeared servile.
I’m already not angry.
As the wind stirred his golden hair, my heart felt ticklish.
Spellbound, I stared at the first man in this world who had looked straight at me.
My lips moved on their own.
“Come visit again. Stay here for three days.”
I just wanted to be together a little longer.
To see his face. To meet his eyes. To be ordinary.
…He’ll refuse, won’t he?
“Understood.”
Contrary to my fears, he nodded readily, lips curving neatly upward. I even wondered if I had misheard.
“……If you don’t come, I won’t forgive you. I’ll find you myself, no matter what.”
After hearing my terrifying threat, he briefly lowered his head and his shoulders trembled.
Is he scared? Was I too harsh?
Unable to retract my words, I floundered—until he raised his head again.
His steady, courteous gaze met mine without hesitation, making my whole body feel strangely light.
“I will visit before May ends. If you see a black carriage bearing a rose pierced by a sword, please open the gates.”
A rose pierced by a sword.
It suited the man before me—and yet felt faintly ominous.
But what did a carriage emblem matter?
Unable to suppress the smile tugging at my lips, I asked the question I had most wanted to know.
“Ahem. And your name?”
Embarrassed, I clasped my hands behind my back and looked away, though all my attention was on him.
As if reading my thoughts, he opened his lips without hesitation.
“Valentin Junois Berenice.”
I repeated his name several times.
Valentin Junois Berenice.
Why does it sound so familiar? A foreign name like that shouldn’t be familiar to me at all.
Searching for the reason behind the strange sense of déjà vu, I finally found a plausible answer.
Is it because of Saint Valentine?
If so, even his name was sweet.
Then he asked me,
“If it is not impolite, may I know the name of my benefactor?”
Enchanted by his voice brushing my ears, I nodded—then hesitated.
Whose name should I give?
But the 고민 didn’t last long.
Whoever’s name I gave wouldn’t make much difference anyway.
“Nathan Raphelia.”
With the name written on the short note, I saw Valentin off.
When his figure grew distant and vanished into a mere dot—
“……I did it. I really did it!”
I cheered with joy.
I felt grateful to the magic garden for blooming roses beautiful enough to stop Valentin in his tracks.
“You lovely things.”
Grinning, I gazed affectionately at the spot where he had stood.
Only a green leaf lay on the ground.
Where’s the rose Valentin picked? Did he take it already?
After lingering before the rose bush for a while, I finally turned away.
“Well, it ended well. That’s what matters.”
My steps felt lighter than ever as I went inside.
Time crawled.
Worn down by anticipation, I began to resent Valentin.
“I will visit before May ends.”
Yes, I was grateful he had given a clear timeframe. But for someone waiting only for him, it was torment.
“There are thirty-one days in May.”
Valentin had left at the end of April, and now it was already well past mid-May.
The sunlight grew warmer, and the flowers of the magic garden bloomed more richly.
Though it truly was a magical garden that blossomed even in winter, under spring sunlight the colors were far more vibrant.
Since meeting Valentin, I had regained some vitality and spent much of my time in the garden.
Being alone inside the castle felt suffocating, and I kept breaking furniture in my restlessness—my already small temper couldn’t endure it.
After sunset, I searched the library. I needed to know, at least roughly, what kind of world this was.
At first, I wondered if I had transmigrated into a novel.
But I had completely ruled that out.
I don’t remember ever reading a novel where a beast appears.
So where exactly was this place?
From the books, I learned that this world consisted of the Oman’s Continent and the Lisvan Continent.
Where I was belonged to the Oman’s Continent—specifically in the northwest of the Richard Empire, the dominant power of the continent.
Not far from here, marked on the map as the Latlante Forest, was the “Black Swamp,” said to be the habitat of demonic beasts.
Demonic beasts.
No wonder people called me a monster and fled whenever they saw me.
“Come to think of it, Valentin really is impressive for not reacting that way.”
My lips curled up on their own.
I want to see him.
“When is he coming?”
