I Became the Cure for the Cursed Prince

Even as Lucas’s head pounded from the overwhelming situation, the child stood there with arms wide open, waiting to be held.

Suppressing his emotions, Lucas forced himself to think quickly.

First, he had confirmed that the child was Leon Theian, the first prince of Theian Empire. But that didn’t mean all of his questions had been answered.

He had suspected the Emperor was up to something, possibly involving the first prince. But sending the heir of the empire into enemy territory without fully understanding the circumstances? That made no sense.

More importantly—why was the prince unaffected by his curse?

No one had ever said the royal bloodline had any resistance to it.

For now, the best course of action was to hear directly from the prince.

“Your Highness, how exactly did you end up here?”

“Well….”

Leon’s face fell, and he dropped his head low. Lucas remained silent, simply watching him.

It was the young prince’s first time in the north, and he had gone through a terrifying ordeal on the way. It wasn’t going to be easy for him to process everything.

Lucas spoke gently, trying to coax the child into talking.

“You asked me to hold you, didn’t you? If you answer my questions, I will hold you.”

Leon’s golden eyes immediately sparkled. Sniffling, he finally began to recount how he had arrived here.

And what he said was shocking.

The young prince had received the blessing of transforming into a tiger and had hidden in his room to surprise the empire with his ability. But while waiting, he saw the northern delegation departing.

The idea of adventuring in the north excited him, so he snuck into the carriage.

Then, on the journey, their group was ambushed. Everyone protecting him was killed. He had fled in tears, only to fall into the swamp where Lucas found him.

There were gaps and distortions in the child’s explanation, but it was enough for Lucas to piece everything together.

Leon’s final words struck Lucas the hardest:

“A lot of people died protecting me, and that makes me really sad… but I have to survive so that Eric’s sacrifice isn’t wasted.”

Lucas swallowed back a sigh.

“…That must have been terrifying.”

Leon nodded. “Mhm. But since the fairy saved me, I’m okay now!”

“Did you recognize any of the attackers?”

Lucas had a reason for asking this.

If the people who ambushed the prince had been meticulously erasing their identities, it was highly likely that they belonged to a faction opposing Leon’s succession.

At his question, Leon suddenly leaped to his feet, clenching his small fists in anger.

“No! But Eric said they were sent by Duke Kitten and Raila. They always bullied me, so I bet he’s right! I won’t forgive them!”

Kitten… Raila.

Lucas wasn’t deeply familiar with Theian’s political landscape, but as a neighboring enemy nation, he had studied the power struggles there.

After Leon was born an extreme-dominant alpha, the Empress lost her ability to bear children. The Emperor then took Raila Kitten as his consort, and two years later, she gave birth to Prince Viltor Theian—the second prince.

As the puzzle pieces clicked into place, a chill ran down Lucas’s spine.

A dead first prince, a second prince inheriting the throne, and the tangled web of succession.

[The first prince had been frail since childhood and passed away at the age of ten.]

That had been the official narrative.

But what if his “frailty” was actually this mysterious condition that caused him to transform into a beast?

Perhaps, in his desperation to find a cure, the Emperor had turned to the north. That would explain the delegation’s true purpose.

But Leon hadn’t known any of this—he had simply hidden in the carriage out of childish curiosity.

A single sentence in the history books had concealed an enormous secret.

And yet, one major difference remained—Leon wasn’t dead. He was standing right here in front of Lucas.

The records had never mentioned anything about him being sent to the north.

“If there truly is a way to cure the first prince in the north….”

The chances of Prince Viltor becoming emperor would completely disappear.

If Leon lived and recovered, Lucas had a chance to escape his own tragic fate.

For now, it was crucial to contact the Imperial Palace and assess the situation.

Lucas spoke calmly.

“Your Highness, I will be writing a letter to the Imperial Palace. Since His Majesty must be worried, perhaps you should write one as well?”

The Emperor would only believe this absurd story if Leon’s handwriting was included.

Leon seemed to understand, nodding at first—until his expression suddenly darkened.

With both hands on his hips, he narrowed his eyes at Lucas.

“Wait a minute. Fairy, you’re not planning to send me back, are you?”

Lucas let out a small sigh.

“I am not a fairy. My name is Lucas Rion. I am the Grand Duke of Rion.”

Leon tilted his head slightly, repeating the name as if testing how it sounded.

“…Lucaah?”

“Not Luca. Lucas.”

“Okay! Luca!”

Why was it that he pronounced everything else correctly, but spoke his name like a baby?

“…Fine, call me whatever you want.”

“Anyway! If you’re writing a letter just to send me back, then don’t bother! I can’t go back!”

Lucas raised a brow.

Leon immediately began listing his excuses, eyes darting around as if searching for more.

“My leg isn’t fully healed yet! And I still have monsters to hunt! And also…”

Lucas watched as his golden eyes rolled around, clearly trying to think of more reasons.

“…What if we get attacked by bad guys again on the way? And also…!”

Honestly, that was a valid concern.

If Leon returned to the empire, Kitten and Raila would stop at nothing to eliminate him before he could reach safety.

If there truly was a cure in the north, sending him back wouldn’t help anyone.

Lucas fell into deep thought.

For a child of only ten years old, Leon must have endured terrible suffering.

If history was correct, then in the original story, he hadn’t been cured and had died. That meant he must have lived in agony until the very end.

“Are you afraid of Raila and Viltor?”

Leon, who had been dramatically counting reasons on his fingers, froze.

His golden eyes widened as he stared up at Lucas.

Lucas, watching him closely, felt a strange tug in his chest.

His normally sharp, long eyes softened slightly.

Leon thought to himself, Wow, he’s even prettier like this.

He wanted to kiss those long eyelashes.

Instead, he nodded rapidly.

“Mhm! That’s right! I almost died!”

“You almost died?” Lucas asked, eyes narrowing. “Why?”

Leon answered without hesitation.

“Raila pushed me into the water.”

Lucas rose from his seat and cautiously took a step forward.

Leon, watching in anticipation, swallowed hard and stretched out his arms.

He wished Lucas would hurry up and embrace him, but the man stopped a certain distance away, hesitating for some reason.

Leon considered throwing a tantrum but decided against it—it would make him look too childish. Instead, he lowered his arms and spoke firmly.

“Luca, you have to come here and hold me now.”

“…….”

“You promised. Hurry!”

Leon told himself this wasn’t whining—he was simply claiming what was rightfully his.

Noticing Lucas’s reluctance, Leon took the initiative.

Without waiting any longer, he swiftly spread his arms wide and wrapped them around Lucas’s waist.

He felt Lucas’s body stiffen under his touch, but Leon held on firmly.

After a moment, he felt a warm hand patting his back in an awkward yet comforting rhythm.

Leon pressed his face against Lucas’s stomach, tightening his embrace.

“I won’t send you back to the Imperial Palace. Stay here until everything settles.”

The gentle voice tickled Leon’s ear.

Burying his face deeper into Lucas’s coat, he inhaled deeply—the scent of vanilla ice cream filled his nose. His mouth watered, and he had to swallow hard to keep from drooling.

Then, Lucas gently detached himself and took a step back.

“Your Highness, if you are to stay here with me, there are things you must be careful about.”

“If I can stay in the north, I’ll be careful about anything!”

“My body carries a dark energy that could harm you.”

Leon shook his head vigorously.

Harm? What harm?

All he could smell was something sweet—not a trace of anything bad.

“I’m fine!”

“You still need to be cautious. It’s a force that is lethal to both humans and monsters. If you ever start feeling unwell—”

Lucas kept insisting, and Leon found it frustrating.

To shut him up, Leon darted forward and kissed him before clinging to his neck.

There! No dark energy, no pain. Just warmth.

“See? I’m perfectly fine!”

Lucas hesitated, then carefully pulled Leon away and examined him.

“Are you absolutely sure?”

“Don’t worry! I’m fine. Maybe it’s because I’m not just a person—I’m also a tiger!”

A curse in his body blocking the effects of Lucas’s curse…

It was something Lucas had never even considered.

But it made sense.

Animals weren’t affected by his dark energy. And right now, Leon was suffering from a condition that allowed him to transform into an animal.

A long silence settled between them before Leon turned to the mirror and looked at his reflection.

Then, with a deep sigh, he muttered,

“…This is so disappointing.”

“What do you mean?” Lucas asked, raising a brow.

“My tiger form looked way cooler! Luca—I mean, you—hugged me more when I was a tiger!”

Lucas felt a pang of sympathy.

For a child who had just endured so much terror, it made sense that he was craving affection.

Without hesitation, Leon called him a fairy and sought comfort from him.

Lucas hesitated before awkwardly patting Leon’s back.

“Don’t worry. Whether you’re a tiger or a human, you’re still an incredible person.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I mean it.”

“That’s a relief! I actually liked turning into a tiger! But when I woke up next to you and turned back into a human, it was so disappointing!”

Lucas tilted his head slightly.

“…This doesn’t sound like fear at all.”

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.

Perfect timing.

“Come in,” Lucas called.

The door opened, and Sion stepped inside.