Chapter 22
“Who?”
“You, my lady.”
“Who?”
“The Grand Duke, of course.”
Leonhart let out a derisive laugh as if the question were absurd, glaring at Eins.
“So, you dare speak insolently? Feeling a bit peevish lately?”
“Absolutely not. No way. Just looking at the documents Your Grace has handed me makes me feel like I’m going to die.”
Eins spoke boldly despite his fear of Leonhart. He was afraid of repercussions, but keeping his words to himself felt suffocating.
Should he strike the head in front of him? Leonhart, who was about to rise from his seat, decided against it.
“Small as it is, it has a nasty temper, whines and complains, refuses to lose but gets defeated without a care.”
“…….”
“It’s a fragile creature I could crush in my hand anytime.”
“…….”
“Yet strangely, I can’t exert any force. I wondered why.”
He spoke such terrifying words with a laugh. This wasn’t a joke. If he wanted, he could do it anytime.
“Kali’s fur is pretty soft. Once you touch it, you can’t let go easily.”
“……Your Grace, is that something you enjoy? If you had said so, I would have brought it for you.”
“Eins. Don’t you want to live? Hm?”
Only then did the aide raise his head and see the Grand Duke’s expression. He seemed distant, somewhere else entirely.
“I think I understand why others keep smaller animals at home than I do.”
He muttered in a gentle voice.
“So I might as well pamper it as best I can.”
At least until I get moody.
Meanwhile, Kali, who had been wandering in the flower beds, flinched as her fur stood on end.
“My lady? Are you all right?”
Levi, who was explaining the types of flowers to her, was puzzled.
“Oh, no. It’s just… a bad feeling. It’s nothing.”
“My lady…”
Kali shivered.
‘It’s probably nothing.’
She felt like she had stepped into a trap she couldn’t escape, but it was probably just her imagination.
Yet Kali had no idea how accurate her premonition was.
Four days had passed since Leonhart and Kali’s second proposal had been finalized.
Leonhart was growing irritated. He could feel his blood beginning to boil.
Bang!
He slammed his fist onto the desk. The aide holding documents beside him flinched.
“Your Grace, if you’re tired, perhaps it would be best to rest today.”
“Ah… I’m angry.”
“Then it really would be best to rest.”
The familiar voice echoed simultaneously.
Kill. Kill the author.
Kill him immediately.
His blood began to surge again. Leonhart tugged at the corners of his lips and smiled.
Finally, the moment he had been waiting for had come.
Rising from his seat with a beautiful yet cruel smile, he said:
“Yes.”
Leonhart passed by Eins without doing anything.
“Let’s stop for today.”
His movements were swift and precise. He had only one goal in mind:
To get next to his master, quickly.
There was no hesitation in his movement. He headed straight toward his target.
By now, Kali would be walking in the garden. He already knew her daily schedule almost entirely.
Kill. Hurry and kill.
‘Shut up. I’m not killing anyone.’
The eerie voice in his head sought to dominate him. It might have worked when he was younger, but now, he refused to surrender his body.
Never. The curse would no longer let him kill with his own hands.
Even now, he felt a sudden impulse to kill, but he gritted his teeth and resisted.
“Ha…”
A hot sigh escaped his lips.
This curse was slowly killing him from the inside. It gnawed at his mind and spirit, eventually driving him insane to the point of losing control.
He had almost killed his own beloved mother because of it.
Kill. You want to kill, don’t you?
Do it now.
The metallic voice whispered seductively in his head, fogging his thoughts each time it appeared.
Ahead, he saw a small attendant walking with a squirrel perched on his head.
Leonhart reached out toward the attendant.
“Your Grace, the Grand Duke.”
Leonhart appeared, staggering with a stiff expression, clearly unwell.
Still, Levi maintained etiquette, holding Kali tightly to prevent her from falling and bowing his head.
Kali perched on Levi’s head, spine straight, gaze fixed on Leonhart.
‘Leon seems… strange. Almost like a different person…’
His hand, which reached out unusually, looked frightening. Kali froze, closing her eyes tightly in fear.
“Ha… How’s that?”
“…….”
“Come on, Kali. Check quickly.”
“Eh… yes?”
“You promised.”
Kali finally opened her eyes. Leonhart’s frowning face was right in front of her.
Blinking, she tilted her head. Earlier, he had looked strange and precarious, like someone else.
“What am I supposed to check? Oh… did you just…”
“That’s right.”
Taking a deep breath, Leonhart ran the other hand through his hair. Kali, firmly held, barely managed to place her arm atop his hand.
“That look earlier…”
“I almost killed that creature.”
“Gah.”
Levi gasped behind them, visibly trembling.
“Why scare me?”
“I’m serious.”
“You’re mean.”
Slap!
He tapped the back of her hand gently, then studied her face closely.
Her expression was much calmer than when he first appeared. For the first time, she had been genuinely scared of him.
That tension vanished, and he returned to the man she knew. Kali looked at her own hand.
‘Am I really a human talisman?’
A talisman that repels the demon of a curse?
While Kali pondered, Leonhart sent Levi away. The time for the attendant to walk with her had ended.
Levi slumped like a wet puppy, returning to the mansion.
Kali, finished with her thoughts, looked around when Levi disappeared.
“Huh? Where’s Levi?”
“He sent him away.”
“Eek? He’s my attendant! I made him my attendant! How can he just be sent away!”
“From now on, I’ll be the one walking you.”
“Uh…”
Leonhart walked toward the pavilion. He had something to do with Kali and needed a place to sit and talk.
Kali tightly shut her eyes at the thought of sharing a bed with him again. She pounded her head with both hands.
‘My freedom…!’
Sleeping in the same bed as Leonhart made her strangely unable to calm down. It was uncomfortable.
She even tried imagining him as a mere doll on the bed, but that was impossible. Seeing that face from morning would unsettle any woman.
‘And he sleeps without clothes!’
In her twenty years, she had never seen a man naked. Of course, it was unfamiliar. And it wasn’t just thin; it was a body that made it impossible to look away.
“Kali. I’ve confirmed you calm my mania.”
“Oh… I see. I suppose so.”
She had to admit it. Somehow, she helped with his curse.
Leonhart set her down on a flat area below the railing.
“Do you know what this means?”
“…I don’t.”
“I thought you might not, so I’ll kindly explain.”
“Ha ha! How kind of you.”
Though she teased him, he nodded and smiled in gratitude. It was so annoying that her fists clenched on their own.
“You and I can never be apart again.”
“…….”
“Aren’t you happy? You can’t be separated from your master for even a moment.”
“Why does it sound like that? If you lose control for a bit, I can stop you!”
“Then it’s too late. Kali, are you dumb?”
Thud!
He slammed his arm down. The squirrel-sized fist was no match, not even moving his collar.
“I’m so mad… if only I were human…”
“No chance, Kali. What could you do with such a pathetic fist?”
Pressing her head with his fingers, he pushed her down. She tried to resist, but it was useless.
Exhausted, Kali lay on her side.
“Kali. You can never leave me. Not even for a second.”
“Don’t I have a choice? I have the right to choose too!”
“Nope. Too bad.”
Leonhart clicked his tongue pityingly. Shocked, Kali lay flat, tail and ears drooping.
Resting his chin, Leonhart reached out, gently stroking her round ears with his thumb and forefinger.
“Pouting?”
“No, not pouting! It’s great! Ha ha! We need to become closer anyway.”
Yes. Since they had agreed on a master-pet relationship, they might as well do it properly.
Kali considered her mindset. Though not suited to it, being a squirrel made it easier.
‘You treat me fully like a squirrel, so I’ll treat you completely like a master.’
The more Leonhart cared for her, the quicker the curse would lift.
Kali intended to exploit that. It was strategy after all.
“Hmph. If you don’t pamper me the way I like, I’ll bite.”
“Hrm…”
Narrowing his eyes, Leonhart ran his fingers along Kali’s back. The squirrel’s tail twitched slightly. He repeated the motion, enjoying the view.
“Kali. I like your proactive attitude. But don’t forget…”
