Chapter 29
. The Easiest Way to Tame a Beast (2)
2023.08.29.
“Well… Alice. By hitting it?”
Karan answered promptly, even though he knew she wasn’t actually asking him. He just wanted to exchange a word with Alice.
“No, you feed it. If you keep feeding it, the beast forgets that it’s a beast. And it will comply. Whether you hit it or starve it.”
Ilaria’s eyebrows twitched.
Observing her reaction, Alice turned to Karan again.
“Do you think a beast can escape from its master, Your Highness Karan?”
“That’s difficult, Alice. What do you mean?”
Karan pondered seriously.
Of course, not knowing Alice’s true intentions, he didn’t answer that the beast could just bite the master.
“You just kick over its bowl. Then find a new bowl. Oh, have you ever heard that the Magnus royal family are descendants of black panthers? Black panthers are among the fiercest beasts.”
Ilaria frowned as she realized that the master Alice was referring to was the King of Bedroka.
The atmosphere became tense, and others quietly left the scene.
Now, only Alice, Karan, and Ilaria remained.
“Does a Bedrokan noble enjoy riddles? Or are you just insulting me in a way I can’t understand?”
Ilaria shifted her weight onto one leg and crossed her arms over her chest.
Raising her chin, she looked even taller, about 10 cm taller than Alice.
Her imposing presence made Alice feel crushed. Yet she held her posture firm.
‘If you show weakness in front of a beast, it’ll bite your neck immediately.’
Alice stepped forward, confronting Ilaria.
“A general who cannot distinguish friend from foe—”
Alice lifted her head to meet Ilaria’s gaze.
“Will fail in war. Ilaria, are you a general who will lose?”
“Your words warn me to be wary of those who reveal weaknesses and seek conversation. They could be spies or frauds sent by the enemy.”
“Who said that?”
“My teacher.”
“……Good advice, I suppose. But your teacher didn’t teach you how to recognize a noble, did they? That’s unfortunate.”
“If you have something to say, speak plainly. No Bedrokan noble-style words.”
“You need land, don’t you?”
One of Ilaria’s eyebrows rose sharply.
Alice lowered her eyes slightly, then raised them.
“Land enough to feed the people of the Magnus Kingdom—shall I give it to you?”
Alice’s eyes sparkled.
“What? You’re trying to sell me something? I don’t want to waste time talking to a mere merchant.”
“Do you know? If you sell 100 items, you become a shop owner. Sell 1,000, you become a guild owner. But 10,000?”
Ilaria narrowed her eyes. She had no idea what Alice meant but found herself intrigued.
“That’s when it’s no longer trade, but politics, Your Highness.”
“You want to go into politics with me?”
Ilaria scoffed.
Even if someone ignored her, there were limits. A mere noble thinking they could deal with a princess!
“I’m not saying ‘let’s do it.’ If you like my gift, then we’ll think about it.”
Alice took a note from her chest and handed it to Ilaria.
Ilaria hesitated, her face revealing every thought.
“Take it. It’s just a piece of paper.”
Ilaria grabbed the paper with a glare at Alice.
“I hope you like my gift. And if you like it—”
“I knew it. You want something from me.”
Ilaria mocked her, acting like the protagonist who sees through the villain’s intentions.
“My gift may be worthless, but I’m curious what you want from me.”
Alice reached for Ilaria’s crooked collar, which had annoyed her for a while.
Ilaria reflexively reached for her sword but stopped.
Karan, standing behind Alice, radiated a fierce aura.
Ilaria, being powerful, knew she could never defeat Karan.
While Ilaria hesitated, Alice fixed her collar and stepped back.
“What I want is simple. To talk with me. But don’t speak casually to me, Your Highness Ilaria. I’m two years older than you. And—”
Alice stepped back and stood beside Karan.
“You’re engaged to Karan, aren’t you?”
Ilaria sighed, looking Alice up and down.
From her astonished expression, Alice believed Ilaria would definitely contact her.
The first day of the New Year’s celebration ended. Arriving home, Alice collapsed from exhaustion.
It wasn’t from drinking too much; her body felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. It was even harder than past nights of wild partying.
Perhaps it was the constant tension.
Rubbing her throbbing head, Alice recalled the people she met at the celebration.
Chase, Iris, Devoa, Ilaria…
‘All formidable.’
She had drained herself mentally.
On top of that, Karan kept insisting on dancing, leaving her no rest.
Ugh, Alice barely lifted her swollen feet onto the pillow.
Had it been anyone else, she could have refused. But Karan was like a puppy seeing her for the first time. Every time he reached for her hand, she danced.
‘Ah, tomorrow I have that promise…’
She recalled the conversation with Karan.
“This is nice, isn’t it? A New Year’s celebration.”
“The area outside the hall is even better. There are lots of fun things.”
“Really? I’ve never been.”
His tone was wistful, making Alice uncomfortable.
Before she knew it, she had promised him.
“I’ll show you tomorrow.”
Karan’s smile was brighter than ever.
She couldn’t back out now.
‘Not rude, just disappointing.’
Better to sleep quickly.
“Miss, you need to wash up and sleep.”
“Sorry, Regina. I can’t move.”
“I know, Miss.”
Alice entrusted herself to Regina. She was skilled, and Alice fell asleep before realizing it.
And then she woke up quickly. Or at least thought she did.
“Regina, where did the night and morning go?”
“It’s not new, Miss. Every New Year’s you’ve done this.”
“This year is different. It has to be different.”
Alice remembered her promise to Karan to explore the festival and jumped out of bed.
“Miss, suddenly standing up will make you dizzy. Wait! Don’t run barefoot.”
Ignoring Regina’s scolding, she checked the time. Already approaching 3 PM.
Though no exact time was set, she needed to meet Karan at least by noon considering the start of the celebration.
Karan was reasonable. He would have prepared and been waiting.
No time to worry about appearances.
“The dress!”
“Miss, you’re already preparing to leave? You should eat first…”
“No! The outing dress!”
“Outing? Where are you going? If you need anything, tell me. If you leave now, you won’t make it in time…”
“I can handle it, Regina. The dress.”
Alice grabbed Regina’s arm, leaving no room for argument.
Regina could only follow as Alice bustled around.
Meanwhile, early that morning, Karan awoke.
Considering the time he returned from the celebration, he had only napped lightly.
His head throbbed from the short sleep, but his mind was sharper than ever.
Maybe I’ll sleep a bit more.
He gazed at the bluish sky and closed his eyes—but sleep wouldn’t come.
He wasn’t suffering insomnia.
His insomnia had disappeared after spending the night with Alice.
He simply couldn’t sleep, recalling her every action and word.
Karan straightened his posture and opened his eyes.
His gaze was clear and sharp, unlike someone who had just woken.
“Alice.”
He still couldn’t believe she had chosen him, a girl who had seemed so distant.
Afraid that calling her name aloud might make her vanish like a mirage, he often whispered it.
Even though they had spent most of the celebration together, he wondered if it was just a hallucination born from his longing.
That’s why he insisted on dancing with her all night.
He could touch her, feel her breath.
Dancing with Alice, Karan felt he owned the world.
He wanted to hold her and steal away somewhere private.
Seeing her exhausted later, he would regret it.
Alice would never know how desperate he felt.
Her desire for him was probably less than half of his for her.
Half?
Maybe giving “half of half of half” would be enough.
It wasn’t her fault. She was simply kind.
He wondered what would happen if that kindness caught the eyes of an empty child, or the empty-eyed child he had once been.
Alice remained kind.
She felt more pity than anger at him hearing injustice and tried to protect him.
Just as she defended herself against Bedrokan glares, Karan almost kissed the back of her neck.
She defended herself with barely half her strength.
It was ridiculous. Yet Karan felt immense reassurance—and happiness.
He knew exactly what he must do to protect this happiness.
He had to hide himself.
A contract was merely paper. If she wished, she could nullify it easily.
Thinking of Alice made him hot.
And he couldn’t let her see this side of him.
His breath grew warmer, his thirst increasing.
