Chapter 15
“The Fake Comfort Operation”
I slowly reached out my hand and placed it on his darkened chest.
His body heat met mine, slowly blending together.
We had to stay like this for over an hour.
Since physical contact was the most proven way to affect the curse, we decided to start with this.
Of course, it was better than sleeping together, but the problem was—
One hour passed much slower than I expected.
Standing still for an hour, touching a man’s firm chest…
It sounds nice, right?
And Idrish is incredibly handsome, too.
But that’s exactly why it’s not easy.
The room was quiet, and I could clearly feel his heartbeat under my palm.
Idrish already had this strange ability to make anyone in front of him tense, so it made things even worse.
At some point, I couldn’t even tell if the heartbeat I felt was mine or his.
My mouth was dry, and my palm was damp with sweat.
Once, when the hour finally ended and I removed my hand, his chest was slightly shiny—from my sweat.
Ugh… it was so embarrassing.
The hardest part was Idrish’s gaze.
He kept watching me closely the whole time.
It was so intense that standing in front of him felt like being naked under the blazing sun.
The black mark on his chest began to move violently.
“Uh… Idrish.”
Ah—our eyes met.
I quickly turned my head toward the window and continued.
“What kind of food do you like?”
“Why are you asking that?”
Because it’s awkward!
I just need to say something to distract myself from focusing on my hand…
And talking about food usually works best.
“Well… I want to know more about you? But honestly, I can guess. You like meat, right?”
All the food served in this white tiger mansion was meat.
“Yes.”
Idrish admitted it without hesitation.
Well, he is a tiger beastkin.
“If tiger beastkin eat vegetables, do they die?”
“Of course not. We just don’t enjoy them.”
“Ah… so you’re just picky eaters. I was wondering who Rodrio took after.”
Idrish frowned slightly.
“I like meat too, but eating greasy meat every day makes me want fresh greens. Or fruit. Ah… when I was in the forest, I used to eat fruit every day…”
“There’s a grapevine in the back garden.”
“Really? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!”
I placed both hands on his chest.
A silent gesture that I would sincerely work on breaking the curse.
“Can I pick those grapes?”
“Do as you like.”
“Yes!”
As soon as I leave this room, I’m going to pick grapes.
I’ll need a basket… maybe a knife? And a hat because of the sun.
I imagined picking plump purple grapes, washing them under running water, and—
“Stop fidgeting your fingers.”
Idrish’s voice snapped me back to reality.
I must have been moving my hands while imagining grapes.
Then I noticed something strange.
The black mark wasn’t moving as much as before.
Did my hands lose effectiveness?
I removed my hand and placed it again.
Still, it didn’t shrink as much as before.
What is this? Why does it move fast sometimes and slow at other times?
Hmm… is it related to concentration?
I thought about it and placed my hand back.
Still slow.
I tried lifting and placing my hand repeatedly, searching for a pattern—but found nothing.
In the end, I gave up and decided to just pass the time.
“So… when did you figure out I was a beastkin?”
“The night the intruders came.”
The night I first turned human and saved him.
You noticed that fast…
“Hmph. You were unconscious—when did you even see? Was it because of my hair? That’s how you knew I was a hedgehog?”
“You can’t tell what kind of beastkin someone is just from their hair.”
“You can’t…? But I heard only hedgehogs have perfect red hair—”
“Some beastkin dye their hair. And sometimes red hair appears among others as well.”
“Then how did you figure it out?”
While I was thinking, Idrish looked at me strangely.
“Why are you asking things like that? It’s like you know nothing about beastkin.”
Well…
That’s because I don’t know anything.
I suddenly ended up in this world, so of course I don’t know much.
From his perspective, though, it must sound strange.
“To be honest… I really don’t know anything. When I woke up, I was in the forest. I don’t remember anything before that.”
“You lost your memory?”
“Yes. I only woke up shortly before coming to this mansion. So when I snuck in, I really thought I was just a hedgehog. I wasn’t hiding it. I only realized I was a beastkin right before you did.”
“A beastkin who doesn’t even know they’re a beastkin… how stupid.”
“I’m not stupid!”
I smacked his bare chest.
Idrish quickly covered the spot, looking offended.
“Are you… insane?”
* * *
After finishing today’s task—“weakening the curse”—I immediately went to find the grapevine.
It was tangled messily along a tall wall, completely unmaintained.
“If it’s like this, the fruit won’t grow properly.”
As expected, only poorly grown grapes hung from it.
It looked like I’d need to trim the unnecessary leaves first.
Since it wasn’t something I could do carelessly, I decided to leave it for later.
Then I headed to Rodrio.
“Cecilia!”
“Rodrio, you’re awake?”
“Of course. I don’t oversleep like you.”
I almost said I wasn’t oversleeping—I was touching Idrish’s chest since morning—but that didn’t seem appropriate for a child, so I just smiled.
“Right, because you’re a mature kid.”
“I’m not a kid.”
“Okay, okay.”
After looking satisfied, Rodrio peeked behind me.
“What are you looking for?”
“I was wondering if Idrish was coming.”
“Ah… he’s a bit busy today.”
Actually, I invited him, but he refused.
Since the day Rodrio woke up, Idrish hadn’t come to visit him even once.
“No… Idrish just doesn’t care about me. He’s not interested.”
A lonely look appeared in Rodrio’s eyes.
“That’s not true. Do you know how worried he was when you didn’t wake up?”
“No way. Idrish was worried about me?”
Rodrio shook his head.
But there was a small hint of hope in his eyes.
“It’s true.”
“Really?”
“Of course! When you were injured, he carried you like this, and his expression looked so sad. Tears were even streaming down.”
The tears part was a lie.
But maybe he was crying inside, so it’s not completely a lie.
“But when I think about the day I woke up, he didn’t seem like that. He said I did well, but he didn’t look worried.”
“No, I heard it. Every night, he called your name in his sleep. ‘Rodrio! Rodrio! Please wake up!’”
Rodrio blinked his clear blue eyes.
It seemed like his small head was processing everything.
Then suddenly, his lips trembled downward.
Was he holding back tears?
“I see… I didn’t know Idrish worried about me that much. I thought… even if I disappeared, no one would care.”
He spoke calmly, but I could feel his hurt and disappointment.
“What are you saying? Tesmilion was the same! He begged the doctor, saying, ‘Please save my precious grandson!’”
I added another lie without thinking.
In reality, Tesmilion was even worse than Idrish. Except for the first time, he hadn’t come even once.
Honestly, both of them were terrible.
Rodrio’s face slowly brightened with a small smile.
That’s right. If it makes a sick child feel better, it’s worth it.
“Then… why hasn’t he come to see me? It’s already been a few days…”
“There’s a reason. Idrish and Tesmilion told me honestly. It’s a secret—want me to tell you?”
“Yes!”
Well… since I’ve already started lying, I might as well do it properly.
“They wanted to say, ‘Thank you for staying alive. We love you.’ But they were too embarrassed. So they asked me to tell you instead. Rodrio, you are our treasure—”
“Did I really say that?”
That voice… wasn’t Rodrio’s.
I froze.
A chill ran down my spine.
When I turned around—
Idrish was standing there.
Weren’t you not coming?!
Why show up right when I’m in the middle of lying?!
But I stayed confident.
This is for your little brother, okay? It’s a good lie.
I glared at Idrish.
Play along! Don’t tell him it’s all fake!
“What.”
Idrish looked at me and asked bluntly.
