IBSM 02

“Is it… a monster?”

From a certain perspective, it wasn’t wrong to call it that.

Though, if it was a monster at all, it was one whose worst crime seemed to be stealing someone else’s blanket on a cold night and wrapping itself up in it.

Ivenia narrowed her eyes, trying to find something frightening she might have missed.

That was when the bundled blanket slowly shifted. It folded upward at a right angle, as if the person inside had sat up.

Then a deep voice, completely out of place for something so soft-looking, drifted out.

“Guillermo, didn’t I tell you not to show your face in front of me for at least the next hundred years?”

“For the past ten years, I’ve respected your wish and let you sleep. Do you have any idea what today is?”

“What day could possibly…?”

The “blanket monster” stopped mid-rebuke.

Even with its face still hidden, it seemed to sense Ivenia’s presence with uncanny precision.

Its voice sharpened.

“A human?”

“The second daughter of House Hesen. The younger sister of the deceased bride-to-be. She has come to fulfill the contract in place of her sister.”

“That’s nonsense. While I was asleep, how did things get so badly managed that they’re sending a bride here? Didn’t I say I was done with marriage and all that?”

“But the contract did not specify whether it had to be the first or second daughter.”

“Are you pretending not to understand me again? Or have you finally decided to stop pretending to be human?”

The blanket creature growled fiercely.

Judging by the conversation, this “cocoon” really was her fiancé. The one rumored to devour human hearts while they were still alive…

“I’m naked, so get her out of here first.”

The man pulled the blanket down from his face as if annoyed.

He really was unclothed, his bare shoulders briefly exposed.

But Ivenia wasn’t looking at his body.

Her eyes were fixed on his face.

For a moment, their gazes met.

Her first words, spoken almost unconsciously, were absurd.

“I heard you were supposed to look like a monster.”

“I have never been ugly for even one second of my life.”

He replied as if he had just heard something completely ridiculous, brushing back his hair with one hand.

Ivenia was momentarily taken aback. She hadn’t expected such a self-assured, almost princely tone from someone rumored to eat people alive.

And yet… she couldn’t exactly deny it. That would have been a matter of conscience.

Jet-black hair, finely carved eyes like a sculpture, a straight nose that stood proudly between them, and lips and a jawline arranged in perfect harmony.

It didn’t quite look human—but it was far too beautiful to casually call a monster.

Ivenia instinctively stepped back.

“You said you weren’t human…?”

“Until four hundred years ago, I was. That’s why my temper is still terrible.”

Guillermo, the subordinate, added casually, almost like gossip.

Ivenia was not unaware of what kind of being stood before her.

The so-called ruler of the Litberg region in name only—the monster Ram—whose true name was Agram Litberg.

He was an ancient figure, like a walking legend, born long before the empire had taken its current shape.

In his human days, he had been a hero who defeated evil and saved the world. But in his later years, it was said he lost his sanity after obtaining power too great to bear.

The rumor that he devoured humans—especially young maidens’ hearts—had been passed down since her grandmother’s grandmother’s time.

Even those who did not believe the rumors could not deny that Litberg was dangerous land.

Everyone who had gone there seeking lost relics had never returned.

But the man before her…

If he simply dressed properly, he could blend into any crowd without trouble.

If people stared at him, it would be purely because of his extraordinary beauty.

Ivenia, still slightly dazed by his appearance, began rambling about the rumors she had heard.

“…They said his whole body is covered in hair, and his claws are like a carnivorous beast’s, sharp as blades.”

The man scoffed.

“Your imagination is impressive.”

“They said his mouth is bigger than a grown man, and he could swallow someone in a single bite.”

“With transformation magic, that might be possible…”

“They said he survives by drinking blood and bites people’s throats the moment he sees them.”

“Oh. If you don’t leave soon, I might actually do that. Scared? If you don’t want to see blood, hurry up and go.”

“But you… are just sitting there under the blanket, waiting for me to leave quickly.”

An awkward silence fell over the room.

The man, whose hidden thoughts had been exposed, went quiet.

Now calmer, Ivenia raised a brow slightly.

“So you actually… don’t want to hurt people?”

He looked at her irritably. He didn’t deny it, which was as good as an answer.

Everything about this situation was strange—dreamlike creatures, odd people, a bizarrely peaceful atmosphere, and a conversation that kept dragging on without purpose.

But one thing was certain: at least at this moment, he did not seem intent on eating her.

Ivenia let out a small, exhausted breath.

“This is troublesome. I came here to die.”

“I thought I was receiving a bride, not a volunteer corpse.”

“That’s the opposite of what I heard. My family and I were told Lord Ram was preparing to receive someone who was already as good as dead.”

Before the other could respond, Ivenia continued without hesitation.

“So that’s why I came.”

The man fell silent, looking annoyed.

Perhaps her explanation had been enough to sketch out the tangled situation behind her arrival.

He scratched the back of his head, then turned to Guillermo.

“…Hey, Guillermo. What year was the second daughter of House Hesen born?”

“Do you even remember what year it is now? If you’re asking her age, she’s eighteen.”

“Eighteen…”

The man sighed deeply and stood up.

The blanket around him instantly transformed into a robe of the same color.

As he tightened the belt, he walked toward the stiffly frozen Ivenia.

He had been the one to demand a bride through a binding oath, yet now he looked at her like nothing more than an unwelcome problem.

“Girl, you probably have your reasons for being here. Go outside and clear your head first.”

With that, he tapped her lightly on the forehead with his finger.

It was a gentle push—but in the next moment, Ivenia found herself standing in an entirely different room.

Judging by the similar structure and atmosphere, she had likely been moved somewhere else inside the castle.

The sense of deathly pressure she had felt in his presence slowly returned as reality caught up to her.

Her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor.

She had heard that the monster Ram was beyond human—but she hadn’t expected him to casually perform such impossible feats as if it were nothing.

It didn’t feel real.

“…A kid?”

She had already gone through her debutante ceremony. She was supposed to be a lady, not a child.

Being treated like an immature girl was absurd enough—the reason was even worse. Because she was a sacrificial bride who had come prepared to die.

“He didn’t eat me. Didn’t kill me either… I said I was ready for it…”

And yet, the monster hadn’t acted like a monster at all.

He hadn’t devoured her alive. He hadn’t even raised a hand, despite his rude attitude.

Ivenia hugged herself weakly.

Then, a question she had once wondered about as a child slipped out from her lips.

Why had monsters called offerings meant for him “brides” instead of “food”?

“…Could it be… he really intended to get married?”