Chapter 19
I wanted to protest and say that wasn’t true, but instead I gripped the fork with both hands and stabbed the innocent cake.
‘How did he know?’
Recently, Valentin had been going out more often. Berenice was vast, and Valentin was far too busy for me to think, Isn’t a duke supposed to just handle paperwork?
Even though I trained with many people during the day, whenever night came and Valentin wasn’t there, I would naturally grow depressed.
As his late returns became more frequent, so did my sleepless nights.
“Nathan.”
Valentin’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
When I turned my head, I saw a strangely twisted smile.
“You caused trouble again.”
Then I noticed a white lump of cotton caught between his long, beautiful fingers.
Cotton? Didn’t I clean everything up?
I tried not to look toward the bed and lowered my brows.
What are you talking about? I don’t know anything. Don’t blame me.
A normal person would have run away from a beast making such a frightening expression, but the man in front of me had nerves of steel.
A helpless laugh slipped from between Valentin’s pretty lips.
“I can buy you as many cushions as you want. But lying isn’t allowed.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
I denied it to the end, not wanting to be treated like some reckless pet. But his cool hand finally grabbed my muzzle.
He tightened his grip slowly—just enough that it didn’t hurt—and forced me to look at him.
Beneath his long lashes, his deep green eyes were so dark they made me shrink back.
Reluctantly, muffled words slipped out between my lips.
“Im sowwy… I teawed it apawt and hid it…”
For someone with my large build, it was humiliating enough to make me want to cry. But what could I do? How could I ever win against this man?
Only after hearing my answer did he release my chin and rub my black nose with his thumb.
‘I know my nose is soft and feels nice, but why does he keep touching it!’
He touches it every single day. I’m worried it’ll dry out at this rate. He should at least pay for it.
I couldn’t avoid his touch, so I just wrinkled the tip of my nose.
‘I don’t even know why I’m acting like this! I’m only doing it to get out of this “pet” position.’
Cursing the heartless Valentin in my head, I lifted my eyes.
Being upset is one thing. Seduction is another.
“There’s something I’m curious about.”
Valentin looked at me as if telling me to go on.
“What’s your ideal type?”
Surely it wasn’t some beast-like woman?
If I at least knew his general preference, I could increase my chances.
Valentin tilted his head slightly, raising a brow with interest. For a moment, I felt like I had just given him something to tease me about.
“Well.”
As if holding back laughter, he rested his chin on his hand and let his gaze drift downward.
Looking at him—like a painting—I began thinking too.
‘What was the original heroine, Lucy, like?’
First of all, she wasn’t a beast.
And she was beautiful.
She had blue hair like a water fairy and clear sky-colored eyes.
Even when she wasn’t using healing magic, a warm and refreshing energy naturally flowed from her, calming those around her.
‘And she was talented too.’
That was one reason Valentin became interested in Lucy.
Maybe the first impression didn’t matter.
They kept meeting. She was strong-minded, pure, capable—and pretty. Of course he fell in love with her.
‘Even I would have liked her.’
But Valentin’s answer completely surpassed my expectations.
“A woman who can’t see.”
“…What?”
Did I hear that wrong?
I tilted my head as if I had misheard, but he smirked and repeated himself.
“A woman who can’t see.”
I hadn’t misheard.
What? What does that even mean!?
There’s a crazy man in this world.
My hands covered my mouth in shock.
“R-Really…?”
Even while I looked stunned, Valentin calmly fed me a piece of cake.
“Then what about you?”
As the rich butter flavor spread in my mouth, my thoughts raced.
To win his heart, do I have to gouge out my eyes? Do I need to sacrifice a body part to capture the heart of the world’s most handsome man?
When I failed to answer and simply covered my eyes, Valentin brushed the white powder from around my lips.
“Your ideal type is me. Why are you thinking so hard?”
What is he talking about now?
“No, it isn’t.”
“Of course it is. As long as you have eyes, there’s no way I wouldn’t be your ideal type.”
What an unbelievable statement. Truly the male lead.
I lowered my hand to argue back—but when I saw his face right in front of mine, my words disappeared.
…If Valentin decided to pursue someone seriously, no one could resist.
Man or woman.
‘So unfair.’
As my hands trembled, he lifted the corner of his lips and smiled with his eyes.
He was so annoyingly charming that I wanted to hit him and hug him at the same time.
I quickly changed tactics.
“You’re right.”
When I admitted it and picked up my fork again, Valentin raised a brow.
“To be precise, it’s the fact that you’re not afraid of me.”
If it weren’t for Valentin, I would still be trapped in Lafellia Castle.
Maybe I would have forgotten how to speak. Maybe I would have died alone.
With the sound of wind slipping through the window as background music, I told him everything that had happened in Lafellia Castle.
The people who ran away the moment they saw me.
The cruel words they spat at me.
The desperate days when I wished anyone would just come to the castle.
“When you smiled at me, Duke, I was so happy.”
Now I know that was just his public smile. But it doesn’t change the fact that he treated me like a normal person.
I’m glad I didn’t know back then that he was that Valentin Junoah Berenice.
If I had known, I wouldn’t have opened the door.
…Or maybe I would have, even knowing I’d burn like a moth flying into fire.
“And when you said you’d come back, I waited every single day.”
Holding onto that hope filled my lonely, chaotic life with warmth.
“They say when you finally meet someone you’ve desperately waited for, they shine with a halo. It was true. When you stepped down from the carriage, everything else faded.”
Here, where I had been rejected by everyone, Valentin was my savior.
After I finished, I felt extremely embarrassed.
But no answer came.
When I turned my head in confusion, I dropped the fork in my hand.
Clang.
His deep green eyes were fixed on me with an intense, persistent light—as if he were looking beneath my skin.
The strength of his gaze made my body freeze like an animal caught in a trap.
After a moment, he calmly bent down and picked up the fork.
The tension eased, but the strange atmosphere remained.
Did I say something wrong?
With the sunset casting shadows over his face, I couldn’t read his thoughts.
In the end, Valentin said nothing. He only told me to go to bed early to prepare for the subjugation and then left.
The room suddenly felt cold.
I wrapped a blanket around myself.
“…Is he worried about the subjugation?”
He must know the Empress would consider it the perfect opportunity to harm him.
If he’s worried…
“I’ll protect him.”
But things don’t always go as we wish.
No matter how hard I tried to protect Valentin, events didn’t unfold easily.
I looked up at the dark sky.
Rain poured down, striking my entire body.
With a heavy weight pressing on my back, all I could do was run.
Every step brought the sound of labored breathing near my ear.
“Duke, just hold on a little longer!”
Instead of an answer, hot red liquid spilled over my shoulder.
Valentin’s arm, which had been gripping my neck, fell limp.
‘Please. Don’t die. Please.’
Rain or tears blurred my vision.
How did things end up like this?
Maybe it would have been better if I had never met Valentin.
All that remained was blackened self-blame.
At last, the morning of the monster subjugation arrived.
The annual event, hosted by the imperial family, had originally been more like a festive hunt. But as the number of monsters increased over the past five years, it became a true subjugation.
Still, it retained a festival-like atmosphere—perfect for major characters to gather.
“George, are you okay?”
I asked George, who was riding closely beside me.
As we approached Ban Palla, far east of Shamandra, the temperature dropped sharply.
“It’s fine. Sir Nathan looks warm—I’m jealous.”
He glanced at my black fur covering my whole body.
After chatting about the weather and food, we arrived at the Berenice family’s camp.
While helping the servants set things up, I searched the area.
‘My task now is to find Lucy.’
In Cliff Flower, this subjugation was the crucial event where Lucy and Valentin first truly recognized each other.
Lucy healed Valentin after he fell into Cordelia’s trap.
Their subtle feelings began there.
But there was a problem.
Mages who participated for healing usually stayed in the camp.
‘In the original story, Lucy left the camp and joined Valentin because she had saved him once before.’
Valentin, interested in her healing power, invited her to join him during the subjugation.
‘But that’s already ruined.’
Because of me, their first meeting never happened.
