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Chapter 13
“What is it.”
“You don’t go on subjugations these days? I thought you weren’t going into the forest anymore.”
It seems about time you should.
Before the wedding, he didn’t come at all, so I thought I’d never see that face in my lifetime. But apparently, that wasn’t the case.
“Hm… now that you mention it.”
He tilted his head up to look at the sky, then returned his gaze forward.
Come to think of it, by now the blood should be boiling, but it was quiet. Was it because nothing had angered him? Or… was there another reason?
Leonhardt felt puzzled but couldn’t find an answer.
“I’m fine. Looks like I’ve calmed down for now.”
“Really? That’s a relief.”
“My master knows how to worry about me too. My squirrel is unexpectedly kind.”
“Unexpected? What’s unexpected about that! I am kind, you know?”
The nickname “my squirrel” had become familiar by now.
This is a triumph of human endurance. Even that ridiculous nickname has started to feel normal.
I scoffed in disbelief. How did I ever give off the impression of being unkind?
I thumped his shoulder. It wasn’t enough to faze him, but Leonhardt laughed quietly.
“Kali. You said you don’t know why you were cursed, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right. I don’t remember anything.”
It was a very convenient excuse. It evoked sympathy while also blocking further questions.
Wait… does this mean I actually have to find out who the real Kali was…? Surely not, right?
A bad feeling rose inside me. Kali was just an extra who disappeared quickly in the original story, so there had been no explanation.
And even if I wanted to investigate the original Kali Heraïs, where would I even start? I had no idea who she was or where she came from.
Suddenly, I felt Leonhardt’s gaze. I lifted my head and met his golden eyes.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No reason. It’s just… your name, Kali.”
“Yes?”
“I feel like I’ve heard it before.”
“Heard it before?”
“A long time ago…”
Leonhardt stopped walking and tilted his head—toward me, of all directions, so the ends of his hair brushed against my body.
The ticklish sensation made me squirm side to side. Somehow, I felt like he was doing it on purpose.
“Maybe I heard it long ago.”
“Long ago, like… when you were a child?”
“Probably.”
With that, he said nothing more. He simply continued walking along the path to the secret garden.
Silence followed. But strangely, it wasn’t awkward.
Like how silence between close friends doesn’t feel uncomfortable—this was the same. Even though we weren’t close, silence with Leonhardt wasn’t awkward at all.
How odd. We’ve only known each other for less than a month.
Maybe it was because we shared the same goal of breaking the curse.
Or perhaps… even if it was only nominal, we were husband and wife.
Or maybe… after all that bickering, we’ve already grown attached?
Leonhardt being so quiet felt strange. Unable to endure the silence, I spoke first.
“To manage the madness, do you really have to kill monsters?”
“Because I have to see blood.”
He answered immediately.
“Why? Suddenly curious about the madness? My squirrel is curious about everything.”
He was smiling, but behind that smile lay a chill. Clearly, he didn’t like talking about this subject.
I didn’t enjoy prying into other people’s wounds. I didn’t want to poke at his scars just to satisfy my curiosity.
So I decided to drop it. What a pointless question.
“Kali. Let me warn you in advance.”
“Eh…?”
“It’s better to prevent something beforehand than to face a life-threatening crisis later.”
Still chuckling, Leonhardt finally stopped walking once we reached the secret garden.
If you went a bit further in, there was a large pond. At the edge, where garden met pond, a gondola was moored.
“A warning? About what?”
Instead of the gondola, he went into the pavilion in the garden and sat down. Then he placed me at his side.
Leaning against the pavilion pillar, he closed his eyes. He looked tired. Why?
Why does he have to suddenly say something so ominous…
A little later, he slowly opened his eyes. His golden gaze glinted coldly today.
“Right. Since you’ll eventually come across it, I’ll tell you.”
I nodded right away. Why did he wait until now to tell me something important?
Leonhardt gave a faint laugh and pressed his finger against my head.
“When I get angry or irritated, the blood starts to boil. That’s when the madness takes hold. Then I hear the curse whispering in my ears. Kill, kill. And my body moves on its own.”
“…”
“I attack to kill. No matter what, everything before my eyes must die. It’s a horrifying curse.”
Leonhardt gave a bitter smile. He opened and closed his fist. I just stared at that clenched hand.
The madness was terrifying. Because of the curse of blood, one would involuntarily become brutal and violent.
The curse of blood called for more blood. Only after seeing blood could the boiling within calm. There was no knowing how many had to be killed before it subsided.
“Now I know how to suppress it, but as a child it was difficult.”
He spoke evenly, but it was clear he didn’t want to talk more.
“Now.”
Suddenly, he clapped his hands.
“Don’t be surprised if I suddenly try to kill you. It could happen.”
“That… when the madness takes over, there’s no warning?”
“No. It happens in an instant.”
He propped his chin on his hand and stared at me like I was under observation.
Hearing about another part of his curse left me rattled. At the same time, I pitied him.
“Then if we break the curse, your madness will disappear too.”
“Since it’s a witch’s curse, probably.”
“Then we have to break the curse quickly.”
I leapt onto his thigh, then climbed up to dangle from his arm.
Facing him at eye level, I stretched out my stubby arm and pointed at him.
“I can’t stop your madness… but I can do something else for you.”
“And what could my squirrel do? With that insignificant body.”
“A mood lift…?”
“What?”
“You know, like petting fluffy fur makes you feel better. Levi liked it. And I can keep secrets really well. You can vent anything to me—I’ll let it go in one ear and out the other!”
“Why so suddenly proactive? I’m not used to this.”
He answered with a laugh in his voice. He stroked my back with a finger, then poked my belly.
“Just because. You seem to have suffered a lot because of the witch’s curse.”
“Do I look pitiful?”
“No.”
For today, I decided not to retaliate against his poking and prodding.
Because I’m magnanimous.
I put on a serious face.
“It’s called understanding and empathy.”
“Understanding and empathy, huh.”
“If anything, I’m pitiful too! I’m the cursed bride.”
Leonhardt grabbed me around the torso. Holding me at eye level, he locked eyes with me.
That’s when I reached out. We were already close, but with my short arms, I could only brush against his hair.
I stroked his hair.
“You’ve endured well.”
“…”
“So let’s work together and get rid of this curse once and for all!”
Hahaha! I laughed loudly, but Leonhardt didn’t react. Puzzled, I tilted my head, waving my hands in front of his dazed face. After a moment, he gave a weak smile.
“That’s absurd.”
“What now. Hurry up and let me ride the gondola.”
“Ah, the gondola.”
“Yes. That’s all I came for.”
“What a shame.”
He smiled again, his expression returning to playful mischief.
A bad feeling came over me. I tugged hard on the hair I’d been stroking.
“What? Why that face. The gondola, my gondola…!”
“Why would it be yours? It’s my property.”
“The gondola…”
“Unfortunately, the gondola’s broken. It’s being repaired.”
The shocking news made my eyes go wide. I released his hair and went limp.
“You’re so mean…”
“Your expectant face was cute. But your angry face is cuter. Get angrier.”
What an infuriating thing to say.
I smacked at the hands holding me.
“You’re mean, you’re mean! Liar!”
“I’ll have the gondola fixed soon.”
“You should’ve fixed it before calling me here.”
My struggling looked weak and silly, but apparently cute to him. He chuckled and stood up, setting me atop his head.
“Kali. How old are you?”
I stopped flailing. With a baffled look, I glared down at him.
“You’re asking that now?”
“Do you even know how old I am?”
“Of course. Twenty-eight. I even know your name.”
“Isn’t knowing my name obvious?”
“You didn’t even know my name.”
“Because I wasn’t interested.”
“….”
Of course I knew his name. It was in the novel.
I answered without hesitation, and he looked surprised.
“I’m twenty. Just twenty.”
Truthfully, I didn’t know Kali’s real age. So I just gave my actual age.
“Remember it.”
“A rather old squirrel.”
“Hey! I told you, I’m originally human! I bet I was really beautiful.”
“Isn’t that just wishful thinking?”
“Ugh!”
Even when I smacked his head with all my strength, he was unscathed. He only laughed harder, egging me on.
“Feels like a massage. My squirrel gives good massages too.”
“Ughhh…”
The brief moment of seriousness vanished, and things went back to normal. I was relieved.
The witch’s curse… it’s truly terrifying.
It continued to torment him relentlessly.
But I couldn’t help feeling uneasy. The witch’s curse was persistent and cruel.
Would it really end just by Leonhardt falling in love with me and breaking it?
Really—would that be the end?
