TBAH 05

Her and the Beast – Chapter : 05

2. The Murderous Grand Duke

The noble Grand Duke of the Atalenta family suffered from a hereditary disease that gradually turned him into a beast.

The first prominent symptom to appear when the disease began was anger.

The owner of a gentle disposition would become easily enraged, like a child going through puberty, and lose control over his own actions.

The second symptom was cracked skin. A person who had previously been healthy would begin complaining of pain and scratching their entire body.

Those who could not endure the itching often scratched themselves until they bled, and thick patches of fur would grow beneath the scabs.

Their hardened fingernails could no longer be trimmed with ordinary tools. If left unattended, they would grow into sharp triangular shapes, eventually turning into weapons.

The third symptom was the loss of reason. Though born human, they gradually came to resemble beasts.

They lost their round pupils, which had been one of the few things that made them look human, and developed reptilian eyes instead. Their entire bodies became covered in animal fur. If one ignored their eyes, they looked just like wolves.

They would retain their sanity only briefly, and as time passed, the periods of madness grew longer.

If their reason failed to return for approximately a month, that marked the end of the disease. Once that period had passed, no one ever returned to their original appearance.

In truth, these symptoms were quite unusual for an illness. It was not a disease that brought people to the brink of death.

Rather, it was a disease that made people cease to be human.

The madness sometimes appeared in very mild forms, but at other times, it was so intense that it devoured a person’s reason in an instant. In any case, every heir of the Atalenta family experienced the same symptoms.

The first signs appeared before the age of twenty, before they reached adulthood.

Because of this hereditary disease that followed them like a curse, the Atalenta family never introduced their children to high society until they came of age.

They were desperate to conceal their disgrace, so this tragedy never became known outside the Grand Duke’s residence.

In a hundred years, fifteen heirs had succeeded one another.

Ten lost their humanity before even reaching adulthood, while the remaining five inherited the title and completed their terms as Grand Dukes.

The latter only had more body hair than ordinary people and ended up becoming men with rough and boorish personalities.

The previous head of the Atalenta family and the one before him were among those five fortunate individuals. They were the father and grandfather of the current head, Teriod van Atalenta.

After such an uninterrupted streak of good fortune, the members of the Atalenta family finally felt relieved. They believed that their dreadful hereditary disease had at last come to an end and that the bloodline had been diluted.

Indeed, Teriod reached his twentieth birthday without displaying a single symptom. The Grand Duke and his wife shed tears of joy.

\(At last, the madness that tormented the Atalenta family is finally fading away\!\)

Later, Teriod suffered the tragedy of inheriting the title at a young age after his parents died in a carriage accident. However, even on that day, Teriod remained perfectly healthy.

Everyone looked at the grown-up Teriod and expected that he would remain safe from the madness.

Then, one winter night, the servants who arrived at work as usual discovered that the food storage room had been completely ransacked.

The butler assumed it had been the work of a wild animal that had invaded the estate in search of food during the harsh winter. He quietly covered up the incident.

However, the members of the Atalenta family could not help feeling a trace of uneasiness in their hearts.

By the time several parts of the mansion had been damaged overnight, enough to count on one hand, Teriod quietly summoned the butler.

He spoke as though struggling to swallow his words.

“I don’t remember what happened last night.”

“It must be because you’re tired, Your Grace.”

“The frequent attacks are strange, so I stayed awake. And yet, I have no memory of what happened. Do you understand what I mean, Oliver?”

Even the elderly butler could not hold back his tears.

Teriod repeatedly insisted that it was not true and drove the butler out of the room.

He had already foreseen that there was not much time left before he would no longer be able to maintain his sanity.

As if mocking the years they had spent feeling relieved, the disease rapidly worsened.

Even Teriod’s once-beautiful face had changed so drastically that his former appearance could no longer be recognized. Only his silver fur reminded people of the Grand Duke’s silver hair, making them feel even more sorrowful.

He was neither a beast nor a human.

It did not take long for Teriod, who had once been loved by everyone, to become known as the Monster Grand Duke.

His retainers spoke with one voice.

“Let us bring a woman into the estate and have the Grand Duke produce an heir while he is still sane.”

However, there was no woman willing to marry something that was no longer human.

While they delayed in their search for a bride, Teriod’s madness reached its peak.

“Please, lock me up so that I cannot run wild.”

The last time he regained his sanity, Teriod ordered them to imprison him.

With tears in their eyes, the servants built a cage inside his bedroom and locked him inside.

After that, he never spoke human words again.

A young maid who had been worried about the Grand Duke secretly entered his bedroom and was found dead. After that, everyone stopped approaching him.

Losing their young master was a sorrowful matter, but there was something even more important.

Teriod had left no heir.

His siblings had all died at a young age, and even the collateral relatives who shared his blood had gone into hiding, afraid that inheriting the family title would bring the curse upon them as well.

If things continued this way, the Atalenta family, with its long history, would face complete extinction.

One of the retainers cautiously voiced his opinion.

“Even beasts mate.”

Everyone felt repulsed by such an inhumane suggestion.

However, as the days passed, more and more people began to agree. There was simply no other way.

Butler Oliver bought five death-row prisoners and locked them inside the Grand Duke’s bedroom. He needed to determine the extent of Teriod’s violence.

At the terrifying roars of the beast, the prisoners wished they could simply receive a clean death instead.

Those who had been driven into this desperate situation clung to the old butler’s trouser legs, begging him for mercy.

Under the pretext that it was for the sake of the Atalenta family, the elderly butler shook their hands off.

The following day, two were dead, while three had survived.

Perhaps because he had spent the entire night in front of a beast that devoured the person beside him, one of the prisoners’ hair had turned completely white.

Oliver focused on the fact that at least someone had survived.

The monster was sometimes violent, but at other times, it could be surprisingly docile.

There had to be a way.

After confirming that not everyone who entered would die, Oliver began searching for a suitable partner.

Even so, this was a marriage involving the honorable Atalenta family. The woman had to possess the same level of prestige and education.

Fortunately, news arrived that Count Lethe had gone bankrupt, and Oliver quickly made contact with the family.

Faced with the demands of the Atalenta family, who held an enormous amount of their debt, Count and Countess Lethe could not even open their mouths in protest.

“Send your daughter to marry the Grand Duke and spend the night with him. If she conceives the Grand Duke’s child, we will forgive all your debts.”

His tone was gentle, but the meaning behind his words was a threat.

There was a minor commotion in the Count Lethe family when they changed the bride from their second daughter to their eldest daughter, Kanna. However, this was not a disadvantage to the Grand Duke’s family.

In the first place, they had requested Kanna because she was less well-known.

They had expected that it would be easier to give away a quiet eldest daughter than a conspicuous second daughter.

Astina, the second daughter of Count Lethe, was considered a prodigy even at the strict Bellace Academy. She was particularly renowned for her extraordinary beauty.

After spending a night with Teriod, how much of that beautiful body would remain intact?

Oliver could only hope that the bride he had worked so hard to obtain would not become Teriod’s one-meal feast.

The wedding date was arranged quickly.

Since the groom was in no condition to stand at the wedding ceremony, all that was required was the completion of the documents.

The butler entered the Grand Duke’s office and searched for his seal.

Thus, a marriage contract was forged without the Grand Duke himself even knowing about it.

All that remained was the bride’s signature.

As the people waited for the wedding day, they suddenly began to question whether Teriod, who had lost his sanity, could even engage in a normal physical relationship.

The anxious retainers resorted to every possible means.

One of them brought up an unpleasant solution, though it was something someone had to suggest.

“It’s a drug used to breed animals.”

“Good heavens.”

One of the deeply religious retainers groaned and made the sign of the cross.

“God, please forgive our sins.”

Some of the others silently objected to that prayer.

If God truly existed, He would never have inflicted such a terrible punishment on the innocent Teriod.

Everyone desperately hoped that an heir would be born safely and that the Atalenta family would be saved.

It was a night of violent wind and rain.

Someone knocked on the door of the Grand Duke’s residence.

The bride had arrived a day earlier than scheduled. The weather was so terrible that even the visitors expected that day might not arrive on time.

Wondering what kind of uninvited guest would appear on such a night, the gatekeeper opened the door irritably.

Beyond the door, a woman wearing a hood sat proudly atop a horse.

For a moment, the gatekeeper wondered if he was looking at a witch.

After all, there was already a monster living inside this very castle. Why should witches not exist as well?

He cautiously examined the woman’s shadowed face.

“I am Astina Lethe, the woman promised in marriage to the Grand Duke. I imagine preparations are not yet complete, so I apologize for arriving early.”

As she introduced herself, Astina removed her hood.

Her face, completely soaked by the rain, was impossibly beautiful.

She looked tired, but there was a sharp intelligence in her eyes, so she did not appear weak or listless.

Her imposing attitude seemed closer to dignity than arrogance.

The gatekeeper could only stare at Astina with a foolish expression.

Patiently, Astina reminded him of what he was supposed to do.

“Would you please escort me inside now?”

“A-Ah, y-yes!”

Only then did the gatekeeper realize his mistake. Startled, he hurriedly let Astina into the castle.

Astina dismounted and handed the reins to a servant. The horse, exhausted from the long journey, let out a heavy snort.

Several maids approached and took the rest of Astina’s luggage.

Astina was then escorted inside the mansion.

The butler, who had heard the news, was approaching from a distance at a brisk pace.

When Oliver finally reached her, Astina gave him a brief greeting.

“I apologize for troubling you so late at night.”

“Weren’t you supposed to arrive tomorrow afternoon? How could you come all alone on such a rainy night…?”

“There were circumstances. Kanna’s anguish could only buy me exactly one day.”

“Excuse me?”

Oliver asked again in confusion, unable to understand her words.

Astina shook her head with a tired expression.

Her entire body was soaked from the rain that had begun falling a couple of hours earlier. She was in no condition to explain anything at length.

“I should properly exchange greetings with you, but I’m terribly exhausted and cannot manage a conversation right now. I would like to get some much-needed sleep first. Could you prepare a bedroom for me?”

“Of course. You must have had a difficult journey in such terrible weather. As it happens, the room prepared for you has just been finished.”

“Thank you.”

Astina passed Oliver without much ceremony.

Oliver was still unable to shake off his bewilderment at Astina’s sudden appearance.

Who in their right mind would hurry so eagerly toward a place where they were going to die?

Only belatedly did Oliver regain his composure.

He calmly bowed.

“Welcome to the Atalenta Grand Duke’s residence.”

Astina rolled her eyes slightly and gazed thoughtfully at the elderly butler. Then she gave a small nod.

“I am also delighted to visit the hometown of the Empire’s First Knight.”

At Astina’s response, Oliver was somewhat surprised.

The title First Knight of the Empire was so old that someone of her generation should not have been familiar with it.

The first person to receive a knighthood after Empress Martina founded the Empire had been someone from the Atalenta family.

Oliver was secretly impressed.

Perhaps the rumors that she was a prodigy were not false after all.

She possessed not only intelligence but also a level of refinement that could not be acquired through intelligence alone.

The maids who had been waiting nearby escorted Astina to a room on the second floor.

Astina slowly followed them up the stairs.

Despite having spent a long time riding a horse, there was not the slightest wavering in her graceful steps.

Watching her retreating figure, Oliver let out a deep sigh.

“What a waste of talent.”

His mouth tasted bitter at the thought that they had made a sacrifice of a woman whose future should have been so bright.