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Chapter 30
Kali ran as fast as she could and clung to Leonhardt’s shoulder. From there she scrambled up until she was perched right on top of his head.
Tap tap—she smacked the crown of his head with both hands.
“You grump. What are you sulking about this time?”
“I wanted you to look only at me, but you said you wanted to talk to other people too.”
“Don’t give me childish excuses. Something better than that! Say something that actually makes sense.”
“I’m serious, Kali. I wanted to keep your cute side all to myself.”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Leonhardt tilted his head slightly, and Kali tightened her grip on his black hair to keep from sliding off. She edged forward until she was over his forehead and gave it a sharp little smack.
A nice, crisp sound. Very satisfying.
Even his forehead was ridiculously handsome. She found herself whispering in awe, “I can never tell which of your words are true and which are lies, Leon.”
“What do you mean, Kali?”
He straightened his head again, and she slid down, nearly falling—until he caught her safely in his open palm.
“I’m always sincere.”
“Liar. Not once have you ever been truly sincere. That’s why my curse isn’t breaking.”
“That’s harsh.”
He gave a lazy, almost seductive smile, and Kali turned aside to escape the spell of his half-lidded eyes.
Honestly. Such an unreadable man.
A fox in human form—playful and teasing, yet every offhand remark somehow landed like a quiet temptation.
Kali suddenly wondered where his real feelings lay.
“You flirt as naturally as breathing,” she muttered, lips jutting in a pout. The words slipped out before she even realized.
Since she was lying on her stomach with her back to him, she couldn’t see the startled look on Leonhardt’s face.
“Do you think just because I look like a squirrel, I’m a squirrel all the way through?”
“……”
“Just wait until I’m back in human form.”
Poke, poke—
A finger jabbed at her backside. Kali twitched and scooted sideways as if to say stop that.
But the finger followed, relentless. She turned her head and glared at him.
“Hey, cut it out.”
“Kali, why are you upset?”
“I’m not upset. Not at all! Hmph. What makes you think—”
“Want me to cheer you up? I can show you somewhere nice.”
Leonhardt rose to his feet and called to Gerald, who was waiting nearby.
“We’re stepping out for a bit. As you can see, the Grand Duchess is in a mood.”
Gerald’s eyes flicked to Kali, then away.
“Yes, Your Grace. Will it take long?”
“An hour at most.”
“Understood. Have a good walk.”
With Gerald’s courteous farewell, Leonhardt started off. Kali, cradled in his arms, glanced back nervously.
“Where are we going?”
He smiled softly as he carried her. “To a secret place of mine.”
A secret place?
At first she wondered what could possibly be so secret. Then she remembered how he’d once called one of his ideas a “secret proposal.” Of course—just another tease. She tapped his arm.
“I’m not falling for it. It’s probably nothing special, isn’t it?”
“Oh? So you don’t believe me anymore.”
He sounded disappointed, but his tone was still playful.
“I know everything about you now,” she said proudly.
“Everything? Can you stand by that?”
“Uh… well… maybe…”
“Kali, you know lying is bad.”
He said it like he was scolding a child. Annoyed, she lifted her head, but his expression was nothing but amused. That easy smile disarmed her, and she turned forward again.
“So where are we really going?”
“There’s a forest I visited often as a child.”
“A forest?”
“Morai Forest. Flowers that shouldn’t exist in the cold north bloom there in full.”
Her eyes went round with surprise.
The harsh northern lands could hardly sustain delicate plants. Southern blossoms simply couldn’t survive there—unless they were grown indoors.
Yet he claimed they bloomed in a northern forest.
“I went often because it fascinated me.”
“You like flowers?”
“Pretty things are worth looking at. Like you, Kali.”
She squeaked in shock. That line didn’t fit him at all, and her astonishment showed.
Seeing the reaction he wanted, Leonhardt’s shoulders shook with laughter. Realizing it was another tease, Kali bit his arm in mock retaliation. He only laughed harder.
“Kali, you’re so trusting. You must get fooled easily.”
“Be quiet.”
“Careful, or someone bad might trick you completely.”
“That’s already happening, so stop talking.”
“Oh? Who’s tricking you?”
He stepped over a fallen log, and Kali muttered, “You are.”
But he only grinned wider.
“Who? I didn’t hear that. Louder, Kali—your voice is as small as your body.”
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I meant you keep lying and I keep falling for it.”
“Ahh, I see. For a moment I thought you meant you were falling for me.”
“Ugh… you and your jokes.”
Leonhardt clearly enjoyed how quickly she reacted. He prodded again and again, because her responses delighted him—reactions no one else had ever shown him.
“Tell me more about Morai Forest. It sounds amazing,” she said, steering the talk elsewhere.
As they walked, Leonhardt kept absent-mindedly touching her—stroking, tapping, petting. She’d grown used to it and let him. Maybe that was the problem.
His touch was unexpectedly gentle and warm, even comforting. If only he’d stop teasing, he’d be perfect.
Handsome face, flawless body, mesmerizing voice… if only Leon would just keep his mouth shut, he’d be ideal.
Not that she actually disliked him.
At first she’d been angry—furious, even—at his forceful decisions: insisting she stay by his side, suddenly declaring they’d sleep together. But somehow she’d grown used to it… or maybe he’d trained her. Maybe both.
It’s dangerous, bonding with your master this well.
If it kept up, she might find it hard to leave the mansion once she became human again.
Leonhardt spoke after a quiet moment of thought.
“I was very young, so my memory’s hazy. I often visited my mother in the tower, though my father hated it. I was punished every time.”
The mention of his mother made Kali pause.
That was a wound from his past, and he was sharing it with her.
Is it really okay for me to hear this?
She wanted to look back at his face but only nodded, saying nothing.
Still looking straight ahead, Leonhardt gave a faint smile.
“I never understood it. Mother was gentle, kind, and warm. Why did Father despise her so? Why was she a cursed bride?”
Even now, he didn’t know. He glanced down at his own cursed bride.
“But when it became my turn, I realized I don’t entirely fail to understand Father’s feelings.”
“You… didn’t like me?”
“Of course.”
He answered without hesitation, and the words pricked Kali’s heart.
Why does that hurt? It shouldn’t matter if he doesn’t like me… so why?
Why did she feel wounded?
She kept her gaze forward, watching the darkening path to Morai Forest, forcing her thoughts elsewhere.
“Nobles usually marry for politics. But this isn’t an ordinary political marriage. It’s a cursed pairing, chosen by some unknown witch.”
“That… that’s true,” she finally replied, stiff as a board.
For once, she was grateful to be a squirrel—her little face showed no emotion, hiding whether she was angry, happy, or sad.
Then a warm hand rested gently on her head. The soft strokes somehow felt comforting.
“At first I thought it was punishment. The price for being born into the wrong family.”
“……”
“But now… it’s not so bad. In fact, being with you is enjoyable. You even calm my madness.”
His voice carried a quiet laugh.
“Kali, I’m glad you are my cursed bride.”
His calm words were unexpectedly sweet.
Leonhardt was often impossible to read, but in that moment his sincerity was unmistakable.
“I…”
Kali started to reply, but no words came. Instead, two realizations struck her.
First, he might have disliked her at the beginning, but now he found her presence tolerable—even necessary, since she soothed his bouts of mania. He felt something for her, something like the affection of friendship.
And yet I haven’t changed.
Second, to break the witch’s curse, what they needed wasn’t friendship at all.
They needed the love of a man and a woman.
The certainty made her heart sink.
