Chapter 37
Leon’s golden eyes gleamed like those of a beast as he stared down at Rai up close.
<…You, you’re not just any ordinary child. A… a tiger?>
“So, you finally realized? You cowardly lion.”
<What?! Cowardly… cowardly lion?!>
Leon burst into laughter and continued teasing him.
“Well, at least you get to be called a lion instead of a horse. Isn’t that better? A lion! You’re a lion!”
A lion…? How does he know? This brat… Could he be that child from back then? No, that child was older…
Countless questions flickered through Rai’s mind, appearing and vanishing in rapid succession.
Leon had accurately pinpointed the reason behind Rai’s aggressive nature.
Having spent so much time among hybrids in the greenhouse, he instinctively understood.
A lion’s face on a horse’s body. Yet, at his core, he was born a lion.
He must have been mocked his entire life for being a mere ‘horse.’ And considering the brutal nature of monsters, it likely hadn’t stopped at simple ridicule.
Leon’s small hands wriggled into Rai’s thick mane. The eerie chill that had been running down Rai’s spine vanished, replaced by something soft and warm.
His whiskers twitched as he let out a huff of breath.
<I… I will not be tamed! Don’t even dream of riding on my back—wait, what?!>
Before he could finish, Leon suddenly threw his arms around his back, embracing him tightly.
The heat of his body radiated through Rai’s skin, and for a moment, it felt as if he were sinking into warm water.
<Y-You little brat…!>
As Rai growled in protest, Leon pressed down gently on his back and spoke.
“I’m not a brat. My name is Leon. You should fix your way of speaking. Instead of a cowardly lion, you should be a dignified and well-mannered one.”
Rai scoffed.
<Hah! A dignified and well-mannered lion? Do you think saying that will make others see me that way? Foolish little brat.>
“Of course! You have a magnificent mane, so you’re bound to become a magnificent lion.”
Leon said it with such certainty, then slowly placed one foot onto Rai’s back.
Rai grumbled but lowered himself to the ground.
Seeing this, Leon pressed his cheek against his back as if to reward him before swinging his other leg over.
<Hmph! You don’t even know how to ride properly.>
“What does that matter? You’re not a horse—you’re a lion. As long as I can ride a lion, that’s all that counts!”
Snort. Huff.
Rai exhaled through his nostrils before slowly starting to walk.
He had ended up carrying a cheeky, insufferable brat, but… it had been a long time since he had felt the warmth of another.
And, well… since this brat had called him a ‘magnificent lion,’ he supposed he could tolerate it.
“Good boy.”
<Ugh, shut up and just hold on properly! If I feel like it, I might just throw you off.>
“Yes, yes. Understood, brave lion.”
<B-Brave…>
Rai trailed off, flustered, before turning his head slightly toward Leon.
<So, what do you want?>
Leon grinned mischievously and pointed at Lucas, who was watching them from a distance.
“You see that fairy over there?”
<What fairy? I only see a tall, black-clad man and another blond one who looks extremely irritable.>
“Well, then, I’m talking about the tall, black-clad man. But I swear, he’s really beautiful!”
<That guy? Why?>
“Anyway, I need to impress him! So, you have to look as cool as possible and take a lap around this place as fast as you can.”
<And if you get hurt?>
“Don’t worry. I’ll hold on tight.”
<Hah! Then let’s see if you can handle this!>
Rai let out a fierce roar, rearing up before charging toward the dazzling snowy field.
The world blurred around them as their speed increased.
Leon’s laughter and Rai’s growls echoed through the air, but their movements were completely in sync, as if they were a single entity.
“Rai! When we finish the lap, stop in front of Lucas!”
<The black-clad man?>
“Yep!”
As soon as they completed the circuit, Leon tugged gently on Rai’s mane.
With a sharp screech, ice shards flew up as Rai skidded to a stop directly in front of Lucas.
Leon was about to dismount gracefully—but slipped on the ice instead.
Nearly stumbling, he quickly regained his balance and, like a dancer finishing a performance, placed one arm in a graceful curve in front of him before bowing toward Lucas.
“Haha, that was truly impressive.”
Lucas’s radiant smile gleamed under the sunlight.
Lucas arrived at the castle before Leon and Rai.
Before heading to his chambers, he made sure to inform the staff—
From now on, Leon would be riding an animal that looked like a lion but had the body of a horse.
Though it had been a short journey, Lucas had been on edge the entire time, worried that the aggressive Rai might harm Leon.
His back was drenched in cold sweat.
There was a mountain of tasks waiting for him, but first, a shower seemed necessary.
He filled the bathtub himself and sank into the warm water. Only then did the tension that had gripped his body slowly dissolve, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
“What an extraordinary child.”
He hadn’t expected anyone—let alone Leon—to tame Rai so quickly, a half-monster that no one else had managed to control.
Though Rai had grumbled and growled in protest, it was clear that he had taken a liking to Leon. After all, despite his complaints, he had lowered his body and adjusted his speed so Leon wouldn’t get hurt.
“Well, Leon is lovable.”
Feeling satisfied, Lucas finished his bath and returned to his room.
As he was about to settle in, a knock sounded at the door. Not wearing gloves, he quickly put them on before responding.
“Sister, what brings you here?”
“I needed to speak with you. By the way, how did things go? I heard there was a troublesome beast.”
Michelle’s question was met with Lucas’s pleased expression.
“Leon successfully tamed him. He’s in the greenhouse now. Would you like to see?”
“Why would I bother? It’s just another noisy creature. More importantly…”
Michelle trailed off, her gaze fixed intently on Lucas.
“If the prince is capable of looking after himself to that extent, and if he can command half-monsters so effortlessly, do you really need to stay by his side?”
She spoke bluntly.
She had been contemplating this for some time, watching how inseparable Lucas and Leon had become.
No matter how young he was, Leon was a dominant Alpha—one who, strangely enough, remained unaffected by Lucas’s curse. That alone made Michelle uneasy.
She had refrained from bringing it up before, believing it was too soon to change Leon’s guardian. The child was still unstable, after all.
But now… whether intentionally or not, Leon had begun releasing Alpha pheromones. Michelle could no longer delay this conversation.
“So, Lucas, why don’t I take over? Staying cooped up in my chambers is dull, and you can’t keep playing nanny forever. You’re a Grand Duke, not a caretaker.”
Lucas was left momentarily speechless.
But as much as the suggestion caught him off guard, there was nothing wrong with her logic.
Leon had already learned to control his strength to some extent, and as he entered adolescence, Michelle—being a dominant Alpha herself—would be a better mentor in many ways.
His curse had stabilized, meaning Michelle could take over the primary caregiving role while Lucas only assisted as needed.
Hadn’t he once considered this himself?
Then why was it so difficult to agree?
“…I’ll think about it and give you an answer soon.”
“Alright. But don’t take too long.”
With that, Michelle left the room.
Yet Lucas remained standing, staring at the closed door, unable to move.
For the next few days, Lucas wrestled with his thoughts.
Meanwhile, Leon never strayed from his side.
But Lucas deliberately kept his distance, knowing he couldn’t ignore Michelle’s proposal.
Leon grumbled about it, but Lucas used his busy schedule as an excuse, asking for just a few days apart.
Faced with the sight of Lucas’s desk buried under endless paperwork, Leon begrudgingly agreed.
And so, while Leon spent his days surrounded by animals, Lucas spent his alone.
Then, one night…
A sudden snowstorm had been raging since the afternoon, battering against the windows as if it meant to shatter them.
Lucas found himself worrying about Leon, wondering if he should break their temporary separation and let him sleep in his room just for tonight.
But in the end, he convinced himself otherwise and forced himself to rest.
I hope I fall asleep quickly tonight…
As if granting his wish, slumber claimed him soon after he closed his eyes.
—Lucas, Lucas!
A voice called from outside.
Lucas sat up in bed just as the door swung open.
Leon? Or someone else?
Rubbing his eyes to clear his vision, he tried to make out the figure approaching him in the darkness.
