I Became the Cure for the Cursed Prince

While Leon was observing Lucas, the Grand Duke pointed his sword at his opponent, retreated when necessary, and then clashed again. The sequence of movements looked less like a fight and more like a beautifully choreographed dance.

When Sion, who had been enduring the poisonous energy, started to waver slightly, Lucas lowered his sword and approached Leon.

Even with the swirling snow making visibility difficult, Lucas remained clear and distinct in Leon’s vision.

How can a person be that beautiful? Even the simple act of wiping the sweat from his forehead looked like the graceful motion of an angel descending to the earth.

At the Imperial Palace, no matter how entertaining a play was, Leon would eventually grow bored after watching it a few times. But everything Lucas did was endlessly fascinating—he never tired of watching.

Lucas, now close enough that his breath was visible in the cold air, placed a small wooden sword in Leon’s hand.

“Would you like to try?”

“Really? I can hold a sword now?”

“You’ve observed enough. Now, you should experience it firsthand. You never know when you might encounter a monster.”

Leon beamed and accepted the sword eagerly. Lucas picked up a larger wooden training sword and stepped back.

“Today, we’ll start with the basic stance.”

The training followed a simple pattern—Lucas demonstrated a move first, and Leon mimicked it.

At first, Leon found it fun, but after repeating the same movements several times, he started to grow restless.

“Luca… I want to spar with you, like Sion does.”

Lucas chuckled. His face, still flushed from the earlier duel, bore a faint but dazzling smile. Leon stared at him, slightly dazed.

Lucas was already elegant and beautiful with his usual serious expression, but when he smiled, he was even more radiant. If only he smiled more often…

“If you skip proper training and jump straight to sparring, your form will fall apart. That’s why it’s important to build a strong foundation first.”

“…Okay!”

Snapping out of his daze, Leon answered quickly.

He felt a little disappointed, but that was fine. If he kept training diligently, someday, he would be able to spar with Lucas just like Sion.

That thought alone filled him with excitement, making the training enjoyable again.

I want to be as skilled as Lucas, as swift as Lucas, as brilliant as Lucas…

With each swing, the arc of his wooden sword grew sharper and more precise.

That night, after Leon had held a sword for the first time, Lucas sat beside the sleeping boy, watching over him. If the little prince wandered around the castle at night and was seen by a servant, it would be troublesome.

So, Lucas had started letting Leon sleep in his room, placing a small bed beside his own.

Leon was fast asleep, the blanket pulled up to his chin. His steady breathing carried a faint sweetness, a lingering scent from the day’s exhaustion. As Lucas watched him slumber so deeply, he murmured softly,

“You sleep so soundly.”

Perhaps it was because of the hardships he had endured, but Lucas had suffered from insomnia in both his past and present lives. Even when he was fortunate enough to fall asleep early, he rarely stayed asleep for long.

Sometimes, seeing Leon sleep as still as the dead startled him. In those moments, he would cautiously remove his glove and place his hand under the boy’s nose, making sure he was still breathing. Only when the warmth of Leon’s breath curled between his fingers, carrying its familiar bittersweet scent, did Lucas finally allow himself to relax.

Matching his breathing to Leon’s slow, steady rhythm, the tension in his body gradually melted away, and his eyelids grew heavy.

He had tried everything to overcome his insomnia, yet he had never fallen asleep as easily as he did now.

It was a strange thing to realize as he drifted into a deep, uninterrupted slumber.

‘Mmm, so warm…’

Leon stirred awake, inhaling the pleasant scent surrounding him.

As he turned his head slightly, he saw Lucas’s sleeping face.

‘He’s just as beautiful up close…’

Carefully, so as not to wake him, Leon shifted over to Lucas’s bed and snuggled up beside him. Reaching out, he pressed a finger against Lucas’s firm jaw. When Lucas’s shoulder flinched slightly, Leon quickly shut his eyes, pretending to be asleep.

Being this close, the rich vanilla scent grew stronger, making him feel warm from head to toe.

Unaware of the unfamiliar feeling stirring in his chest, Leon drifted back into sleep.

Lucas woke up sometime later to a weight pressing against his chest.

Naturally, he assumed it was Lulu, his cat, but instead of the small feline, he found Leon sprawled over him.

When did he climb into my bed?

Lucas stared down in silence. He didn’t move, worried about waking the boy.

Just then, Lulu, who had been pushed aside, approached with an irritated expression. Lucas narrowed his eyes slightly.

Don’t you dare. You’ll wake him.

“Mrow?”

But a displeased cat wasn’t one to listen to warnings.

Lowering her body and flicking her tail, Lulu prepared to pounce at Leon.

At that moment, Leon, still half-asleep, sensed the incoming threat—and his body instinctively transformed into a tiger.

“Hiss! Keeek—!”

Startled, Lulu puffed up and let out a sharp screech.

At the same time, Leon, now fully awake, realized what had happened and jumped in surprise—right on top of Lucas’s chest.

“Lulu!”

Lucas’s voice carried a sharp edge, full of irritation.

Hearing his tone, Leon felt oddly proud, assuming Lucas was taking his side. With a smug look, he leaned down and licked Lucas’s chin with his small tiger tongue.

“Leon, if you’re awake, get off now.”

Since he couldn’t express his gratitude in words while in his tiger form, this was his way of saying thanks.

But it seemed Lucas wasn’t pleased with the gesture. Seeing his disapproving expression, Leon sulked as he climbed off.

But Lulu was the one who tried to attack me first. Why is he scolding me instead?

Lucas is mean.

Leon drooped his ears and lowered his head. The bed shifted slightly as Lucas sat up. When he looked up, he saw Lucas staring at him with a stern expression.

Quick-witted Lulu had already leaped off the bed and hidden below.

“Lulu, come back up and sit here.”

“Mrow…”

Hearing how fondly Lucas called for Lulu only made Leon feel more upset. Why can’t he call me like that too?

Leon’s small, gleaming eyes fixated on Lulu. The cat, having just hopped back onto the bed, made eye contact with him and immediately backed away in alarm.

“Rawr?”

Leon’s wide, innocent gaze returned as he blinked between Lulu and Lucas, feigning cluelessness.

Lucas furrowed his brows and said, “Lulu, this is my guest, His Highness, the Imperial Prince of Teian. That means you cannot attack him so carelessly.”

Lucas, you fool. Do you really think a cat can understand that?

Leon thought this while subtly glaring at Lulu. However, to his shock, Lulu seemed to understand perfectly. Instead of protesting, the cat simply rubbed her head against Lucas’s outstretched hand.

That hand… That’s supposed to be my hand to rub against…

Determined not to lose to a mere cat, Leon readied himself to jump onto Lucas. But before he could pounce, Lucas swiftly grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and lifted him up.

The warmth in Lucas’s usual gaze was absent, replaced by a sharp, serious expression. Leon suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

“Mrowr…”

His tail, which always swayed excitedly in Lucas’s presence, drooped as he let out a small whimper. Only then did Lucas’s eyes soften slightly.

“Your Highness, this cat is not just any ordinary cat.”

“Rawr? (She looks ordinary to me.)”

Leon turned to examine Lulu again. No matter how much he stared, she just looked like a regular cat. He couldn’t see anything unusual about her.

“Lulu has monster blood in her.”

Leon gasped. A monster? This plain-looking cat was actually part monster? That was something he never would have imagined.

Lucas set Leon back down gently, his hands warm as they briefly patted his fur. Instinctively, Leon pressed his back against them, his ears perking up attentively.

“Not all monsters we hunt must be killed. Some creatures, born between monsters and regular animals, can be tamed and raised. That’s why we bring them to the training facilities instead.”

So that’s why Lulu looked just like an ordinary cat.

Leon nodded in understanding. As he did, Lucas stroked Lulu’s back, his expression turning distant and melancholic. It was the same silent, tearless sorrow that he occasionally showed.

“Lulu was born an outcast, neither fully accepted by animals nor monsters. She was abandoned by her parents, left to fend for herself. It’s not like she asked to be born that way… isn’t that sad?”

Just like me.

Lucas’s voice was barely above a whisper, but Leon’s sharp tiger ears caught every word.

Did Lucas carry a similar wound in his heart?

Leon wasn’t entirely sure, but every time Lucas looked at Lulu, he seemed to wear that same pained expression.

“So, Leon.”

“Rawr? (Yes?)”

“Please be a little kinder to Lulu.”

“……”

I see… Lucas wasn’t angry at me. He was just feeling sorry for Lulu.

Realizing this, Leon suddenly felt guilty for making Lucas upset.

“You, Lulu, and I… whether we like it or not, we have to live together.”

Live together. Me, Lucas, and Lulu!

Lucas’s voice was so gentle that Leon instantly forgot his disappointment. Instead, he responded enthusiastically.

“Rawr! (Okay!)”