𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏 [𝟏장]

The freezing air was wicking her body heat away. The frigid air penetrated her whole body as she unconsciously shivered like a reed in the wind.

“If-if you truly hate me…! “

A shaky voice drifted inconsequentially into the night as she tried to combat her drowsiness with great difficulty. Her beady pair of eyes landed on a little boy, half of whose face was concealed with a mask. The moonlight reflected off of his gleaming silver hair and bewitching crimson eyes. He was enchantingly picturesque.

***

I awoke covered in soft sheets as streaks of sunlight trickled in through the window. Slowly and reluctantly, I opened my eyes.

“Your Highness! You’re finally awake!”

“Your Highness is finally awake!”

‘Your Highness? Who are you talking about?’

I scrutinized my surroundings in confusion. The mirror that I stared into was wall-mounted, and there was a fancy frame encircling it. Yet, what was reflected on the mirror was surprisingly not myself.

The girl in the mirror’s eyes glistened with a radiant emerald hue in the light, and they were paired with luscious platinum blonde hair that cascaded down to her waist.

Days after, I realized. This setting was somewhat identical to the R-19 romance novel that I had read in my past life. That story was titled ‘The Beast and The Lady.’

‘The Beast and the Lady’ was a romance fantasy story, a twist on “Beauty and the Beast.” The beasts, Blake and Richard, would fight fiercely for the heroine Diana’s love.

I transmigrated into Ancia’s body, Diana’s half-sister. Ancia’s engagement with the Crown Prince had been arranged from an early age. However, not long after she saw his horrendous appearance, she committed suicide by drowning into a lake on the day of their marriage.

This incident placed a massive trauma on Blake’s heart, and he thoroughly shut his heart. The Crown Prince became a relentless man who didn’t believe anyone until Diana lifted his curse. He ended up leading a miserable life after Diana didn’t choose him.

According to the original story, Ancia drowned in the water and then Blake retrieved her body that had already gone cold.

“If-if you truly hate me…!”

The boy held Ancia’s body tightly as he wept. He must have been significantly hurt—the bride attempted to kill herself because of him, after all.

“Your Highness, where are you going?”

“I’m going to meet the Crown Prince.”

“His Highness?”

The maid, Melissa, glanced at me. For a second, she had a puzzled expression on her face.

“Yes. Take me there.”

“Your Highness, I beg of you, His Highness is still greatly shocked by the recent incident….”

Melissa chose her words carefully. She must’ve assumed that I was going to ask him for a divorce.

“Don’t worry. I won’t do anything harmful.”

I didn’t have any plans of abandoning Blake. I couldn’t afford to leave him like this when I had the opportunity to change his miserable childhood. Besides, Ancia had nowhere to go. Ancia was a child born between Count Bellacian and his first wife. Count Bellacian’s first wife died as soon as Ancia was born. He then wed his second wife, who gave birth to Diana.

Count Bellacian sent Ancia to become the Crown Princess, even though he knew that she wouldn’t be able to stand living with him. Ancia didn’t just kill herself because of Blake’s hideous appearance. She threw herself into the freezing water because she knew that her family had abandoned her. In any case, I had nowhere to go even if I left here, and I had no intentions of leaving Blake in misery. The maid led me to Blake’s bedroom.

“I’ll go in by myself.”

Leaving the maid outside, I put my hand on the elongated handle and opened the bedroom door. I saw a little child curled up on the bed, making himself as small as he could.

“Your Highness. It’s me.”

“I can’t believe you did that! You jumped off without my permission!”

I suppressed my emotions when I heard Blake’s pitiful whimper. He wasn’t how I expected him to be. He looked almost like a miserable rabbit.

“I have something to tell you.”

Foremost, I must resolve these misunderstandings. I sat on the corner of his bed, but Blake scooted away. I held Blake’s trembling hands, and at once, stripped off the mask that covered half of his face.

“What are you doing!”

Blake was frightened and tried to push my hands away, but I grabbed his face and held it in place.

“D-Don’t look!”

Blake tried to lower his head, but I tightened my hold, so he couldn’t avoid my eyes.

“You’re not hideous.”

“What?”

“I’ve never seen someone as beautiful as you.”

My statement was true. Despite the curse, Blake’s appearance was breathtaking. His features were small and in harmony with each other, while his tousled silver hair was thick and lustrous. His eyes were a mesmerizing crimson red and had a straight, high-bridged nose between them. Furthermore, his plump cheeks and flawlessly sculpted lips looked as if they had been crafted by angels themselves.

Besides, the curse would be lifted when he met Diana. In the original story, Blake’s face was said to be the most captivating face on the entire continent after his curse was lifted.

“But, you hate me.”

“I don’t hate you.”

“But…”

“I’m not lying. I didn’t attempt suicide. I accidentally staggered and fell into the lake.”

That was a lie. The original Ancia killed herself after being frightened by Blake’s face.

“Really?….”

“Yes. I heard you saved me from drowning, so I came to say thank you.”

“…….”

“Thank you very much….”

I grinned and clasped both of his hands.

“You saved my life. I truly appreciate it.”

Blake’s nose reddened and warm tears fell over the back of my hand.

“I-because of me-… I thought you are going to die because of me….”

“Why would I? I’m married to such a wonderful person, after all.”

“I saved your life, so I thought that you’d be angry… I was really afraid to come to see you.”

“I like you. I’m grateful to be married to such a considerate boy.”

“I… I like you too.”

Blake, you’re a liar. The person that Blake liked was Diana. The Emperor knew Blake wanted Diana, so he arranged a wedding for them. Of course, the Count wouldn’t send his precious Diana. Instead, he sent me in her place.

“Then shall we sleep together?”

“…….”

The moment I mumbled so, Blake darted away and hid behind his enormous bed. What’s wrong with him? It’s not like I suggested something terrible.

The Bellacian family had the power of light. It was thanks to that, Diana was able to remove Blake’s curse. Ancia was also a member of the Bellacian family. She possessed a small amount of light too, but it was not as much as Diana.

Blake’s curse didn’t merely impact his appearance, he was also constantly in pain. The colder it got, the more severe it would be. Blake jumped into the harsh, freezing water to save me, so he must’ve felt immense pain. Of course, he wasn’t the type to say so.

Bodily contact was necessary to use the power of light. As expected of an R-19 romance novel. So, I decided to sleep next to Blake while holding hands with him, but his expression made me feel like I had made a big mistake.

“Your Highness, please don’t misunderstand me.”

“Mi-misunderstand?”

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐 [제 𝟐 장]

“We’re married, so it’s natural to sleep together. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“But….”

Blake shivered and buried his face in the pillow.

“I’m still embarrassed….”

“…….”

Where did the fierce Blake from the original story go? Instead of a ferocious guy, a lovable child was sitting in front of me. Would this little rabbit really turn into such a man in 10 years? Human growth was truly mysterious.

“Come here!”

I couldn’t leave him like this. I took the pillow he was holding away and tightly held his hands.

“As a newly-wed couple, I suggest we sleep together from now on.”

“E-Everyday….? “

“Is there a problem? Do you perhaps not like the idea?”

“N-No… but are you comfortable with this arrangement?”

“Pardon?”

“Are you fine with us sleeping together?”

“Of course I’m fine. I’m fond of you.”

Blake opened his already huge eyes wider and couldn’t say anything while his whole face reddened. I clasped both of his hands

“How is it? Do you feel comfortable?”

The pain of the curse would go away when he held hands with Diana, the heroine, in the original novel, but…

My power didn’t seem to work very well.

Now that I had been transmigrated to this novel, I wanted to help Blake, who would live in pain until he met Diana, but I didn’t have the power to do so.

I let go of his hand and flung it under the quilt, but suddenly, Blake hugged me from behind.

” Don’t let go!”

”…… What?”

” Your hand. Ancia’s hands are warm, so don’t let go.”

I couldn’t see his face because he hugged me from behind, but I could hear the quiver in his voice. He was sobbing.

Such a crybaby.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I just came down to get my pillow….”

Then, Blake’s face flushed red, and he quickly climbed back onto the bed.

“Don’t you want to sleep with me?”

“That’s not it… Well, are you really okay with it? To sleep with a monster like me…”

” Your Highness! Don’t say that. You’re not a monster.”

“But…”

“I told you before, didn’t I?”

I took his hand and looked straight into his crimson eyes.

” Don’t worry. Your curse will be lifted eventually.”

“My curse?”

“Yes… On your 18th birthday, when you reach adulthood, your curse will eventually be lifted. The days won’t be as dreadful in the future, so don’t be too discouraged. You don’t need to mind what other people say. Just treat their words as mindless chattering.”

“…18.”

A weary voice came from his small lips. Just like there was a ‘Heir of Light’, there was a ‘Heir to the Curse’ in the Imperial family as well.

Emperor Phillip, the founder of the Empire, was in a romantic relationship with the goddess of light. The goddess of light shared her power with her beloved, and he founded the Empire with that power. But after Phillip became the Emperor, he betrayed the goddess of light and fell in love with another woman.

The angry goddess of light cursed Phillip’s descendants. The heir to the curse would have black sentences inscribed on their face, and when it covered their whole body, they would eventually die. All the heirs to the curse died before they became adults. Blake was also driven to the brink of death on the night he turned 18.

I held Blake’s hand in despair and curled my little finger.

“I promise you will be cured. I promise you with my life…”

” No!”

He pulled his hands back roughly and screamed.

“What?”

“Don’t promise me that! You can’t die! Even if I die, you have to live!”

I brought his hand back and hooked my pinky finger around his.

“I’m not going to die. Neither you nor I will die. So don’t worry.”

“Ancia.”

“Oh no…why is my husband such a crybaby?”

I wiped his tears away with a handkerchief.

“I’m…not a crybaby!”

“You’re crying right now.”

“No!”

Blake pursed his lips as he held back his tears and snot. However, he was soon overwhelmed by his emotions and broke into tears. I wrapped my arms around him, feeling him calm down instantly at my touch.

His tears stopped, leaving only wet streaks running down his face. Then, his eyelids slowly became heavy and drooped. Ancia cuddled him until they fell asleep in the same bed.

***

Upon waking up, Ancia found that she had burrowed herself into the warm, soft sheets. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and carefully rolled onto her side to look at Blake.

His little face was illuminated by the sunlight, and he made gentle snuffling noises as he slept. I was about to touch his plump cheeks, but Blake clasped my right hand with both hands.

You said you were embarrassed, but you’re holding my hand until morning?

A smile came naturally around my lips. I stroked his hair with my left hand, soon his long eyelashes trembled and Blake opened his eyes.

“I’m sorry. Did I wake you up?”

“No….”

Blake shook his head and smiled

“Why are you smiling?”

“I like it a lot.”

“Hm?”

“You were here with me all night.”

Blake attempted to hide his face behind his fingers while a blush seared through his cheeks.

Being transmigrated to an R-19 novel, I never thought that I would have a husband who was as cute as a rabbit. The moment I saw his smile, I vowed to make this cute husband happy.

***

I wanted to save Blake, but I had no way to lift the curse. I could only protect him until he met Diana.

Since “The Beast and Lady” was an R-19 novel, the story began from the time the main characters became adults, and there weren’t many details about their childhood.

Still, the author often mentioned situations and conversations from the past. The author also gave a brief explanation of the characters.

Blake had three great tragedies as a child. The first tragedy was that he became the heir to the curse, the second was the suicide of Ancia, and the last, the death of his father, Emperor Tenstheon.

After Emperor Tenstheom died, Duke Cassil, Blake’s uncle and Richard’s father, became the new Emperor. Duke Cassil kicked Blake out of the Crown Prince’s seat, and the helpless boy spent his childhood miserably exiled to some southern island.

Right now, Blake had already become the heir to the curse. It happened before I transmigrated. But the death of his father, Emperor Tenstheon, was a future that had not yet arrived.

It would happen three years from now. But to prevent the death of Emperor Tenstheon, I’d have to observe and talk to him first. As soon as the Crown Prince’s wedding ceremony was over, the Emperor left, and it would take at least a month before he came back.

I slept with Blake every day. I ate in his room and spent every day chatting with him while reading books. But I realized something unusual.

‘Again….’

I stared at the breakfast laid out on the table.

Only green, green, green, and more green every single day.

Whether it was for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, only green things were sent. Moreover, the menu was almost always the same. Spinach soup, tomato salad, and grilled mushrooms. The soup had the same taste as yesterday, so I guessed that they had simply reheated it.

I wasn’t a picky eater, so I could eat the same thing all week long. I was also okay with just vegetables. So I had no complaints about the food itself.

However, this wasn’t just food for some ordinary children, but a meal for the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess. The feast prepared for people with the second-highest status right after the Emperor was this plain. I couldn’t believe it.

“… Your Highness.”

“Yes?”

“What kind of food do you like?”

“Well. Anything is fine.”

“Do you like meat and fish?”

“Yes!”

Blake nodded brightly and put a tomato into his mouth. Blake was not a vegetarian. There was no particular food to be careful about because of the curse. Therefore, there was only one reason this happened.

‘They’re looking down on him because he’s cursed.’

The Crown Prince’s Palace was located in a remote location, far away from the palace where the Emperor lived. The eight-year-old prince was left in a separate manner, and neither the Emperor nor his relatives came to visit him. Moreover, he was married to Ancia, the daughter of an insignificant Count.

Ancia was older than Blake, but only by two years. The Crown Prince and his wife were young and powerless, so it came as no surprise that they were being ignored so blatantly, but things couldn’t go on like this.

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑 [𝟑 장]

“Ancia, what’s wrong? Does it not taste good?”

I quickly relaxed my rigid expression and smiled brightly. I didn’t want to worry Blake over nothing.

“No, it’s delicious. Try some of these mushrooms.”

“But I don’t like mushrooms…”

“You have to eat it for your health.”

“Ahh-“

As I held the mushrooms in front of him, Blake begrudgingly opened his mouth. When the spoon went into his mouth, he had a slightly dismal expression, which soon turned into a big frown. He reached out for the nearest cup of water and gulped it down in one go. I held his hands to calm him down.

“Ah! Ha- hands… this is not the bedroom!”

Husband, what are you talking about during a meal?

“Don’t just swallow it down with water. Make sure you chew it first.”

“Yes…”

He turned his head to the side to avert my gaze as he nodded softly with his cheeks all red.

“You can drink water now.”

I was going to take the cup from him, but Blake grasped my hands tightly.

“What’s wrong?”

“My hands are warm…… I feel at ease now that you’re holding me.”

If Blake felt comfortable, did I truly have some power of light?

***

After finishing the meal, I went back to my room and immediately called for Brown, the chief servant of the Crown Prince’s palace. The man walked in with a prideful stride. I could tell that he was arrogant just from his expression.

“Your Highness, what brings you here?”

“The quality of the meal was very inadequate.”

“Ah, so that’s why you called. It’s not an emergency.”

“There is a problem with the Crown Prince’s meal. Isn’t this an urgent matter?”

Brown smirked arrogantly. His lips moved very faintly, eyes slightly narrowed, and his head tilted to the side almost unnoticeably. It was so subtle, yet Ancia had caught a glimpse of it and was now extremely infuriated.

“Your Highness, you’ve just arrived, and you didn’t know many things, but the budget set aside for the Crown Prince is not very adequate. What else can we do if His Majesty doesn’t give us more?”

Brown lied smoothly without any feelings of remorse. This place was not glamorous enough to be called luxurious, but it wasn’t so desolate that there wouldn’t be any meat sent over occasionally.

“Okay.”

“I was worried about you being too young, but I’m glad you understood.”

“I will dismiss you.”

“Wh-what?”

Brown’s arrogant expression distorted. Instead of dealing with him any longer, I turned around and gave my orders to Edon, the knight who was standing next to him.

“Sir Edon, arrest Brown Hamel under charges of embezzling the Crown Prince’s budget and imprison him. “

“What do you mean embezzlement? Do you even understand what that word means?”

“I know. What you did was embezzlement.”

Brown’s face paled instantly. His eyes and mouth were frozen wide open in a stunned expression, and when Edon dragged him out, he shouted angrily.

“Let go of me now! Do you even know who I am? I am the heir to the family of Marquis Hamel! You’ll regret doing this, so let go of my hand!”

He must have been brought up with the belief that he was superior to everyone else just by virtue of his birth—such arrogance.

Edon didn’t pay any mind to his words and dragged him out straight away. When the chief servant was suddenly taken away, the atmosphere of the Crown Prince’s palace became thrown into disarray. But instead of calming the atmosphere down, I drove the momentum further and fired another batch of people in the palace.

When Blake was ousted from the Crown Prince’s post, most courtiers betrayed him and sided with the male lead, Richard. There was no need to leave future traitors around.

I fired all those who looked down on Blake, despised him, were disloyal, or had betrayed him in the original story.

“All the servants and maids were chosen by the Emperor himself. I wonder if it’s okay to do this…”

The maid, Melissa, was worried. In the original story, she devoted herself to Blake along with Edon and Hans.

I answered immediately without any worries.

“It’s okay.”

The Emperor wouldn’t blame me. I was confident about that.

“How would you like your meal?”

“I’ll make today’s dish.”

“Pardon?”

Dismissing the courtiers, I checked the warehouse. The warehouse had a variety of healthy ingredients, including eastern ingredients. As expected, the chief servant Brown stole a huge chunk of the budget, but he didn’t order the kitchen to reheat the dinner we had last night. It was the cook who did that. So I dismissed all the chefs who looked down on the Crown Prince and neglected him.

Suddenly, I found an unexpected treasure. Soy sauce, soybean paste, and red pepper paste!

Not only were there many kinds of spices, but also all sorts of ingredients. I couldn’t believe that they fed us vegetables every day instead! I rolled up my sleeves in anger.

***

In the Crown Prince’s palace, most people feared or despised Blake for being the heir to the curse. Blake knew that, so he rarely ever came out of his bedroom.

These days, I took him out for short walks around the palace and drove away all the irrelevant things that made my husband uncomfortable. After I finished preparing the meal, I called Blake to the dining room. The moment he slid into his chair, I served him a Soybean paste stew, rice and meatballs.

“Ta-da!”

I didn’t make any extravagant dishes because I only knew the essential recipes. Moreover, it was challenging to find the right taste as that of a Korean soybean paste stew. But none of that mattered, as it was the effort that counted.

“…… What’s this?”

“It’s a dish from the East! I saw it in a book. I just happened to find these ingredients in the warehouse, so I made a dish out of them!”

“You made it yourself?”

“Yes, your highness.”

“Wow…”

Blake sat down in the chair with a look of amazement. Then, he looked at the dish for a long time and asked timidly.

“… But, how do you eat it?”

“Oh, you must’ve never seen this kind of dish before, I’ll teach you how to eat it then.“

I smiled subtly at Blake and blushed with embarrassment.

“Don’t worry, I only learnt about it recently, too.”

“Your highness, Aah-“

“Aaah—“

I gave him a delighted smile and fed him. Blake chewed on the food, and then cracked a smile.

“Delicious?”

“Yesh!”

“This time, try it yourself.“

I hand him a spoon.

“It’s called soybean paste stew. Eat your rice first, and then scoop up this soup.”

“Alright”

“Be careful, it’s hot, and the taste is unique, so if it doesn’t suit your taste, don’t force yourself.”

“Yes.”

According to my instructions, he put a spoonful of soybean paste stew in his mouth after eating the rice first. He dug into the food with ravenous hunger and shoved it into his mouth in big mouthfuls, filling his belly. At that moment, Blake’s eyes filled up with tears.

“Your Highness, what’s wrong?”

“Delicious!”

“Really?”

Although it was milder than Korean soybean stew, I was worried because it tasted unique compared to the standards of this world. However, it seemed to suit Blake’s tastes.

“It’s the best food I’ve ever eaten!”

“Is it that delicious?”

“Yes!”

“Then, I’ll make it more often.”

“Will you make it yourself?”

“Of course.”

“Wow!”

Seeing Blake eating so happily, I felt very peaceful. This must be what parents felt like when they saw their child eating happily.

***

The maid Melissa, the servant Hans, and the knight Edon sat down on the terrace and chatted after a day’s work.

“Fortunately, His Royal Highness has wed an excellent wife.”

The other two nodded in unison at Hans’s words.

“Now that she kicked out all those people, I feel relieved.”

Edon recalled the Crown Princess as she resolutely dismissed the chief servant.

She was only ten years old, yet she had incredible intelligence, dignity, and a good eye for people.

Countless people were kicked out today, but none of them had been dismissed unfairly. All of them chose to insult and ridicule their master behind his back and neglected their work.

“More than anything, I’m glad that they have a good relationship. I was so worried at first.”

Melissa recalled the day Ancia fell into the lake. Fortunately, it was just an accident, and not suicide. Nonetheless, that hapless incident still left goosebumps all over her body. Whenever she recalled that painful memory, she would instantly divert her thoughts.

“I know. How long has it been since I saw him smile? But I think Melissa should go and make the dishes from now on.”