Chapter 11
“What? Why Are You Taking Off Your Clothes?”
“Why are you so obsessed with me?”
“Obsessed?”
“At first, I thought you were just trying to catch me because I was an intruder. But the more time passes, the less I understand. If I’m an intruder, you could’ve just killed me. So why keep me alive?”
“Do you want me to kill you?”
“Why would I want that?!”
I snapped without meaning to.
Ah… I need to be careful.
“I mean, of course I want to live. But your actions don’t make sense. You don’t kill me, you keep me by your side, and you even make me sleep in the same bed every day. What is that supposed to mean? Do you seriously have some kind of thorn fetish?”
I wondered if it had something to do with Ojar Serbiyan searching for me, but I didn’t want to reveal what I knew first.
At that moment, Idrish walked toward me.
Gulp.
I swallowed. No matter how many times I saw him, I couldn’t get used to his overwhelming presence. Still, I didn’t look away.
Just because I gave up running didn’t mean I would act submissive.
My eyes were starting to sting when suddenly—
Idrish began unbuttoning his shirt.
W-What…? Why is he taking off his clothes?
I was joking, but does he really have a thorn fetish?!
With Idrish in front of me and the bed behind me, I had nowhere to escape. My heart pounded wildly.
But soon, I forgot about running away.
My eyes were drawn to his chest.
Not because it was well-built—but because of the black mark.
It wasn’t as bad as the night Idrish lost consciousness, but the black mark had grown bigger since the day I left. It covered his right chest and was even spreading to his collarbone.
Wait… why is he suddenly showing me this?
Wouldn’t people normally try to hide something like that?
“It’s a wound I got on the day of the rebellion,” Idrish said. “Do you know what was embedded here?”
“How would I know? I didn’t do it.”
“It was a hedgehog’s spine.”
Huh?
“The day Artigrado was destroyed, your Erizo clan was also wiped out. Before the last Erizo closed their eyes, the head of your clan drove a spine into me—along with a curse.”
I had never heard of this before.
“And since the one who cast the curse died, there was no way to break it. Except for one… the only surviving hedgehog beastkin—Cecilia Erizo.”
Me? Me?!
Wait—he knew my name too? I thought he didn’t since he kept calling me “chestnut”!
“Th-that’s not me. There’s no way I’m the only one left. And I don’t even know how to break a curse…”
While I was rambling, Idrish suddenly grabbed my wrist.
“Hey—!”
He placed my hand directly on his chest.
My palm was filled with the smooth, firm surface of his chest.
Oh my—what solid muscles!
Startled, I tried to pull my hand away, but he held it tightly. Instead, my fingers ended up moving even more against his chest.
He really does have a thorn fetish! Is he trying to make me touch him?!
But then—
Something strange happened.
The black mark covering his chest began to move. Especially where my hand touched, it reacted intensely.
Then, slowly, the black mark shrank inward, as if retreating.
Idrish lowered his hand, but I unconsciously traced the mark.
“The only person who can break this curse… is you, Cecilia Erizo.”
I looked up at him.
Time seemed to slow.
His golden eyes, glowing like the sunset, pierced straight through me.
A strange tingling sensation spread from where our bodies touched—starting from my palm and wrist, traveling up my arm, and filling my whole body.
I was startled by the unfamiliar feeling.
Was it because I was scared?
I pulled my arm away and rubbed the spot through my clothes, hoping the rough texture would erase the sensation—but it didn’t.
“So… that’s why you pulled out my spines before? To figure out how to break the curse?”
“If you don’t touch me directly, it’s useless. I even tried drinking water infused with your spines, but it didn’t work.”
Why would you drink that? Am I some kind of herbal medicine?!
With no way to resist, I ended up lying on the bed beside Idrish.
Normally, sharing a bed with such a handsome man would make my heart race—but after everything that happened today, I didn’t have the energy.
So… I’m the only one who can break his curse.
And both Idrish and Ojar know it.
Then wouldn’t it actually be safer to stay with Idrish instead of running away?
The Serbiyan family, who don’t want his curse lifted, would try to eliminate me. And they have power—I wouldn’t be able to hide forever.
On the other hand, Idrish needs me alive to break the curse, so he won’t kill me.
So… as long as I stop him from destroying the world, siding with him might actually be safer.
…Then why does this feel so unsettling?
Like I forgot to turn off a gas valve. Like I’m missing something important.
“Wait.”
I suddenly sat up.
“Rodrio!”
“What?”
“We have to save Rodrio!”
If I want to side with Idrish, Rodrio must live. If Rodrio dies, Idrish will lose control and start destroying everything!
But Idrish simply closed his eyes again.
You think I’m talking nonsense, don’t you?!
I grabbed his collar and shook him.
“I’m serious! Get up! I overheard it earlier in an alley—they said they were going to kill Rodrio!”
Silence.
“You don’t believe me, do you?”
“Stop thinking about running away and just go to sleep.”
Idrish wrapped an arm around my shoulders. His thick arm pulled me back down effortlessly.
“I’m telling the truth! Are you really okay with Rodrio dying? Are you fine with Artigrado being left with only you and your grandfather?”
His eyebrow twitched.
“Damn it… this isn’t the time for this. Think carefully, Idrish.”
I clenched my hair, then forced myself to calm down.
I couldn’t afford to get angry—I had to convince him.
“Even if I’m lying, you lose nothing. At worst, you’ll just feel annoyed that you were fooled by someone like me. But if I’m telling the truth? If Rodrio is dying right now… please believe me. If I’m lying, you can turn me into hedgehog steak.”
Idrish slowly opened his eyes.
The bed was narrow—our faces were close enough to feel each other’s breath.
His pupils expanded slightly, reflecting my face.
Unlike before, he looked like he was thinking.
I didn’t even blink, hoping my sincerity would reach him.
“The only person who can save Rodrio right now… is you, Idrish.”
He let out a faint sigh.
I felt like a prisoner waiting for judgment.
“If you’re lying… you’ll regret it.”
He sat up.
Ah… thank goodness.
“I told you I’m not lying. Honestly, have you been getting fooled your whole life? Come on, let’s go—we need to save Rodrio!”
We immediately left the lodging.
But the streets were dark, and there were no carriages in sight.
Anxious, I bit the inside of my cheek. My heart raced like I had taken a stimulant.
Even in the chaos, Rodrio’s face came to mind.
Thorn King…
What do I do, Rodrio…
“We need to hurry. How long until a carriage comes?”
“At least an hour.”
“An hour?! That’s too long.”
Idrish glanced at me, then looked around.
No one was nearby.
He removed his hood and threw it to the ground.
His silver hair flowed in the wind, shimmering like moonlight—like a spirit… no, like a warrior.
And then—
His body began to transform into a massive white tiger.
“Ah—!”
I instinctively stepped back, tripped, and fell.
Even though I had seen it before, the sight of the white tiger made my legs tremble.
His silver hair became thick white fur, covering his entire body. His massive head turned toward me.
There was no killing intent like before—but just his gaze was enough to terrify me.
If he bit me, I would die instantly.
The white tiger slowly approached.
Each step was graceful, like sand drifting in the wind.
When he reached me, he nudged my leg with his nose.
“W-what…?”
My voice shrank on its own.
He nudged me again.
“…Don’t tell me you want me to ride you?”
As if answering, Idrish turned his back toward me.
His back was wide enough for me to sit comfortably, but—
I’ve never even ridden a horse, and now I’m supposed to ride a tiger?!
But I didn’t have a choice.
Holding back tears, I stood and carefully grabbed his shoulder.
“Ah—your back feels weird!”
Beneath the soft fur, I could feel his body heat. His skin was thicker than I expected, and the muscles underneath were incredibly firm.
There’s definitely zero fat here!
Maybe he didn’t like my comment, because he let out a low growl.
I quickly shut my mouth and climbed onto his back.
I clung to him tightly with both arms and legs, grabbing his mane.
“Wait, don’t start yet! Let me hold on tighter. I’m not mentally ready yet… What if I fall? Go slow—no, we need to go fast. Rodrio needs to be saved. So… go fast, but gently! Okay… deep breath. One, two, three. I’m ready. Go!”
I felt the powerful body beneath me tense.
The white tiger crouched low—
Then kicked off the ground with his hind legs.
“AAAH!”
As if flying, our bodies shot up into the air.
