HRTC 28

The commotion had finally ended.

Once Kendrick left the mansion, a deep calm settled in. Carly welcomed the quiet with relief—she liked the house best when it was still.

“Carly. I have good news.”

After a simple breakfast, Leonhardt looked at her with a broad smile. Carly narrowed her eyes in thought before replying.

“What is it?”

“I finally fixed the gondola.”

“Really? That’s amazing! Does that mean we can ride it today?”

“You really like gondolas, don’t you? Why?”

“Well… they’re fascinating. I’ve always wanted to try one, but never had the chance.”

“Is that so? Then let’s go now.”

Leonhardt offered his hand. With no reason to refuse, Carly hopped onto his palm.

The spot had become cozy and familiar. She settled onto his warm hand, her eyes glittering with excitement.

“Is it really that exciting for you?”
He tilted his head, puzzled.

“Maybe not for someone like you, who’s ridden them often. But for a commoner like me, things like that always cost money.”

“Cost money? Wait—Carly, were you a commoner? Didn’t you say you couldn’t remember your past?”

“Ah, well…”

She hadn’t meant to speak as Carly, but rather as Seo Arin, the woman inside this squirrel’s body. But explaining that was impossible.

So she thought quickly. She couldn’t pause too long or he’d get suspicious.

“I remember just a little—like my name. Fragments.”

“Hmm…”

“You don’t believe me, do you?”

Leonhardt’s eyes narrowed. Carly glanced at him, then deliberately turned her gaze forward.

“Anyway, it’s been about ninety days, and the curse still isn’t broken.”

“A curse like this isn’t easily undone.”

“Why so pessimistic? Don’t you want it broken?”

“Of course it would be good if it were.”

Carly longed for the curse to end as soon as possible. She’d grown used to her squirrel body, but nothing compared to being human.

It was frustrating to be so small, unable even to open a door.

Does Leon really have to fall in love with me for real? Is that too much to hope for?

Her half-lidded eyes stared straight ahead. As she studied him, a new thought struck her.

Could it be… he can’t love anyone else because he’s destined to love the heroine?

But Carly believed love didn’t have to be romantic. The witch hadn’t specified the type of love required.

Or maybe I’m wrong…

The witch’s words were: “Marry the cursed bride.” Fueled by her hatred of Arthur Spencer, who betrayed her love, the witch had cursed him to meet someone he would truly love.

That much Carly knew from the original novel.

“What are you thinking about?”

Leonhardt’s finger tapped her cheek, halting her thoughts.

“As your… master, you should love me sincerely.”

“What a sudden request.”

He gave a low laugh and toyed with her ear.

“I already love you plenty, Carly. Is my love not enough?”

Hearing the word love directly from him felt oddly awkward. Carly immediately regretted bringing it up.

“I suppose this is enough,” she muttered.

“Hmm…”

“Or maybe,” he said lazily, “you’re mistaken.”

The words pricked her heart.

After all, she’d begun to doubt her own method.

“Maybe the witch really meant romantic love—between a man and a woman.”

His voice fell to a quiet chill.

Silence lingered.

Carly knew she couldn’t stay passive. If time passed and their bond deepened only as friendship or family, would that be enough for the curse? She had hoped so, which was why she’d sought his cooperation in the first place.

I see now… the witch’s curse was never simple.

She had thought that if “time heals all,” then even another form of love might suffice.

Carly swallowed a bitter smile. She had been far too naïve.

“Don’t be so gloomy.”

Leonhardt’s hand gently patted her head—so tender it surprised her.

“Carly. To break the curse, it really might require true love.”

They had reached the hidden path to the secret garden. The surroundings were silent except for his footsteps.

“That’s…”

“Troublesome, isn’t it.”

“Maybe… maybe not. Listen—”

Through the confusion, a thought came to her.

“Leon, here’s what I know: the witch was betrayed and cursed your family for revenge.”

“That’s right.”

“And the key to breaking the curse is for the duke to love his cursed bride sincerely.”

“That’s what’s been told. Why?”

By then they had arrived at the gondola dock, where a lone boatman waited.

Leonhardt stepped aboard, and the gondola rocked gently.

After he sat, he set Carly beside him. The boatman began to push off.

“What exactly happened in the past? I want to know.”

Mindful of the boatman, she whispered. Leonhardt lightly tapped her head with a finger.

“You can speak normally. He can’t hear.”

“Oh…”

Leonhardt gazed at the sky for a moment, then looked back at her, curiosity in his eyes.

“I can tell you. But why do you ask?”

“Because we need to know what the witch really wanted to break the curse.”

“Hmm…”

“Right? We have to understand her exact desire.”

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, his eyes narrowed slightly, studying her.

“Why that look?”

Finally, his lips curved. “No one else has ever tried to break the curse like you. It’s… intriguing.”

His gaze was like someone seeing a new creature for the first time. Carly blinked.

So no one else had tried? Or had they simply believed the curse unbreakable?

“My grandfather didn’t even realize the cursed bride had arrived before he died young.”

“…He died young?”

“That’s when the family finally admitted the curse was real. Before that, everyone was complacent.”

Leonhardt leaned forward, elbows on his thighs, hands partly covering his mouth as he sank into thought.

Only the soft splash of oars broke the silence. Carly waited without a word.

One careless mistake, and generations would suffer.

And what exactly is a cursed bride, anyway?

It was never clearly detailed in the original story. She hadn’t given it much thought—until she became one herself.

To stay alive, she had to break the witch’s curse.

Her head throbbed; she pressed her small paws to her temples. A quiet voice drew her attention.

“One day, a deer appeared, wandering at the mansion’s gate.”

A deer? Her hunting-loving great-grandfather shot it immediately. But when it fell, the deer transformed into a beautiful woman.

Only then did they realize the witch’s curse had begun, a result of Arthur Spencer’s deeds.

The mansion erupted in chaos. All the servants who witnessed it were killed. If the world learned that the mighty ducal house was cursed, its reputation would crumble.

“My grandfather died a month later, with no apparent cause.”

“That’s… terrible.”

“And soon after my father inherited the title, his own cursed bride arrived. Like the deer, she waited outside the mansion.”

The next cursed bride was Rita Elizer. In every way she was perfect—except her face.

Graceful movements, a lovely voice, a goddess-like figure—she was every inch a noble lady. But her disfigured face made her appear monstrous.

They forced her to wear a mask as soon as she entered the mansion. Even the wedding was held with her face concealed.

“My grandfather ignored the curse, and so did my parents. Honestly, so did I.”

“…But you can’t live like this forever.”

“That’s true.”

His faintly lonely smile left Carly speechless.

“I don’t know all the details of those early days. My father only told me once I was old enough to understand—the story of the witch’s curse and the cursed brides.”

Leonhardt finally spoke the tale Carly most wanted to hear.

“My great-great-grandfather, Arthur Spencer, was a founding hero. Thanks to him, the Spencer family became a ducal house.”

He possessed unmatched power and striking looks. Wealth, fame—he had it all, and women flocked to him.

But even he harbored boundless ambition. He sought what no human should—immortality.

“They say the witch possessed an elixir of eternal life. Arthur coveted it.”

“So he approached her?”

“Yes. And he whispered words of love. With his charm, he easily won her heart.”

The witch fell deeply in love with Arthur Spencer. But it was all a lie—he only desired the elixir.

After he obtained it, he could have simply fled. Instead, he killed her, fearing the retribution of someone with real magical power.

“Arthur Spencer was cursed and died early. Before he passed, he warned my grandfather: beware the witch’s curse.”

Leonhardt’s voice faded into the quiet rhythm of the water as the gondola drifted on.