“F-Fried… hic Friedrich… You were suspended… Where have you even been going every day?”

Seeing his sister’s red, tear-filled eyes, Friedrich swallowed a heavy sigh. He gently sat her down in a chair, pulled up another and sat in front of her. Then he tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Don’t cry. If something serious happened to a family member, who wouldn’t be willing to take a hit for them? You’d do the same for me, wouldn’t you?”

“But…”

“No buts, Valetta.”

Leonard silently repeated her name to himself for the first time. Valetta. Valetta Irpman. Her name was Valetta Irpman.

“If I hadn’t beaten that guy to a pulp that day, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life. Getting suspended for a while is better than that. Got it? So stop crying and go upstairs. I need to talk to them.”

With a firm tone, Friedrich sent Valetta upstairs. And as soon as she was out of sight, he exploded at his colleagues.

“Damn it. Don’t you two have any sense? Get out of here, you idiots!”

Obviously upset that his sister had discovered the truth and ended up in tears, Friedrich angrily kicked Daniel in the shin.

“Ow! That hurt! By the way, you had a sister? Why the hell didn’t you tell us?”

“Shut up. If I hear you talking about her, I’ll break your damn neck.”

Friedrich’s eyes flashed as he snarled. He had once expected to see a breathtaking beauty at the Dampierré estate where he had stayed as a child, but at the last party the Dampierré daughter he had seen had a rather ordinary face.

He had wondered why such an unfounded rumour was circulating – as it turned out, the real beauty had been kept hidden.

As Daniel chuckled softly to himself, Friedrich’s expression became even more twisted.

“Friedrich. Your suspension has been lifted.”

Leonard pulled a document from his coat. At the sight of the Order Commander’s seal on it, Friedrich’s face turned serious.

“I suppose I should be grateful that the Commander sent you here himself.”

“Forget it.”

Leonard, the vice-captain of the Order, clicked his tongue irritably.

“A vice-captain suspended for assault. What a fine example for the Order.”

“Don’t be sarcastic, idiot.”

“Do you know that your sister was molested in the marketplace today?”

“What? By whom? Which bastard did it?”

“I took care of it, so don’t worry. But more importantly…”

Leonard leaned towards Friedrich. His golden eyes shone as he spoke in a near-whisper.

“Now your strange behaviour lately finally makes sense.”

Friedrich scowled at the sly smile curling at Leonard’s lips—it irritated him.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

When Friedrich spent every last coin he had to buy a house on the outskirts of the city, rather than near the palace in the capital where the Order was based, everyone questioned the decision. It made no sense for commuting, let alone as a property investment. But now it all made sense.

“Crown Prince Joseph is a lecher and your uncle is desperate to win his favour.”

Friedrich’s face stiffened at Leonard’s sly remark. Rumours of a great beauty within the Dampierré family had quietly spread throughout the capital. And Crown Prince Joseph was notorious for his lecherous tendencies. It didn’t take much to realise that the Count of Dampierré was probably trying to persuade his niece to become the prince’s concubine in order to win his favour.

“I am looking for a decent man to introduce her to. So until the day she marries, you two better keep your mouths shut.”

The teacup in Friedrich’s hand broke. Leonard’s eyes darted to the stairs Valetta had climbed. Daniel, watching Friedrich’s expression, asked cautiously.

“So… what exactly are the qualifications for a ‘decent guy’?”

“At least it isn’t either of you. If anyone dares to treat her like a toy, I’ll kill him. So stay out of it.”

“Ah… I mean, that’s not what I… OK, message received. Got it.”

Daniel’s tone was casual, but disappointment flickered across his face. Meanwhile, Friedrich’s warning gaze remained fixed on Leonard, whose expression was unreadable.

They had been through enough together to be like brothers. They knew each other better than anyone. And because of that, Friedrich knew Leonard all too well. He knew what kind of women Leonard liked and how dangerous he became when he wore that expression.

Leonard may have been a good comrade, but he was not a good man. That’s why Friedrich’s eyes darkened.

As Valetta’s brother, he couldn’t let his guard down – not when Leonard had that look in his eyes.

For Leonard Carnies was a hunting dog who never let go of what he had set his sights on.

***

Leonard left Valetta’s room and splashed cold water on his face. He hadn’t been like this four years ago. Then, at least, he could keep his composure around Valetta, pretending to be unfazed and indifferent to even the smallest things about her.

But now – perhaps it was because they were meeting again after so many years – whenever he stood in front of her, he turned into a complete idiot, losing all self-control.

The curse had messed with his emotions. They no longer obeyed him as they had before.

No, wait. Was it really the curse?

To blame it all on the curse would be a lie. He had just been a madman. So this wasn’t the curse.

This was just… the monster inside him finally breaking free.

“Damn it.”

Leonard bit his lip hard. He couldn’t get Valetta’s tears, her sobs, out of his mind. He was torn between the guilt of what he’d done and the overwhelming desire to taste her again.

His head felt like it would go blank at the thought of her soft, pale skin, her red lips and the moans that would escape between them…

“Damn it!”

Leonard plunged his entire head into the cold water and ended his shower that way. He looked at his reflection in the mirror.

The man staring back at him still had the same handsome face as before the curse. But Leonard, unable to really recognise him, felt as if he were wearing a mask.

He immediately made his way to the west tower of the castle. The cold northern air hit his damp hair, making his scalp feel as if it were freezing – but he welcomed the sensation.

“Tobias! Tobias!”

Ignoring the fading daylight, Leonard, now masked, called out to the mage. Tobias Schneider. He was the greatest magical genius of the time, whom Leonard had lured with the promise of generous funding to research a way to break his curse.

“I thought you’d come straight here after your arrival, but you took longer than expected!”

The door opened and Tobias appeared. With his round glasses, round face and youthful appearance, Tobias looked younger than his actual age.

His thinking was just as young, and his innocent manner was always evident – especially in the cheerful way he spoke.

“Did you get my letter?”

“Yes, of course! I heard there’s someone the curse doesn’t work on, so I did some research. Using clues from the book and some undeciphered ancient symbols, I came to a conclusion—”

“Just tell me the conclusion.”

At Leonard’s curt command, Tobias pushed up his glasses and beamed brightly.

“Touch her.”

“…What?”

“You just have to touch her!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Hatred is immune to the curse. In other words, someone who hates you can see your true form.”

“And?”

“The curse can only be broken by one thing: love. And depending on how powerful the curse is, the person you share that love with may be different. So all you have to do is touch her and perform an act of love! The curse seems to recognise that as proof of love.”

Leonard’s face contorted in disgust. Despite his distorted expression, Tobias finished with a bright smile.

“In short, just share some physical affection with the bride you brought.”

Frozen in place, Leonard pondered for a moment before firmly rejecting the idea.

“Your theory is wrong.”

“What? Why is it wrong? It can’t be right.”

As Tobias cocked his head in confusion, Leonard replied.

“If physical contact with her was the key, it would have worked by now.”

“It hasn’t worked? No way… Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”

The skin peeking through the gaps in Leonard’s mask still bore the cursed markings. He lifted his sleeve slightly to see for himself.

“A loveless act of physical affection isn’t enough to lift such a powerful curse. Besides, what is love anyway? It’s a matter of interpretation.”

“Dragons are beasts. For them, love is just a means of reproduction – and survival in the wild depends on it. So something like that should do.”

Leonard remained silent. He had been born a man, but now wore the skin of a beast. And from Valetta’s point of view, what was being asked of him was even more monstrous.

Logically, it was unforgivable. And yet – perhaps because the curse was slowly eating away at his reason – it didn’t feel entirely wrong.

If breaking the curse meant escaping death and finally achieving everything he had long sought, then everything else – even what happened to Valetta – could be dealt with later.

She was kind. She was compassionate. Even if she couldn’t forgive him… maybe she could understand.

What mattered most was what would come after the curse was lifted. The feelings he had buried deep inside him for so long… they might finally have a chance. They would have to wait.

“My Lord?”

“It’s nothing. Just get on with your research.”

Leonard let out a long sigh and stepped out of Tobias’ laboratory.

The sun had already set. The red glow of the sunset had been swallowed by darkness, and the moon and stars now shone clearly in the sky.

They had often camped out during their dragon hunting expeditions.

At this time of night, his comrades would gather around the fire and tell stories they wouldn’t normally share. Some spoke of tragic pasts, others of lovers they missed, and some of the child they were expecting.

And there were always words of warning about the dangers that lay ahead.

‘Friedrich… I’m sorry.’