Chapter 70: The Odd One
by rosalie“Yuria?”
Xavier, who had just returned to the bedroom after ending a disastrous meeting, wore a look of confusion on his face.
Yuria was not in the room. Of course, she had the freedom to go wherever she pleased, but where could she have gone in this unfamiliar castle of Berg?
He circled the room, searching every corner, but the lovely little blonde woman was nowhere to be found.
“Where did she go?”
Ah, he could just ask the two maids.
When he was about to leave the room, something at his feet caught his attention. It was a small pouch, slightly open and caught in the crack under the door.
“What’s this?”
A small open card was attached to the pouch.
[For Yuria, I prepared this to see you.]
Sparks instantly flew in Xavier’s eyes.
What? To see who?
“Who the hell is this bastard?”
His hand, which was about to open the pouch, hesitated.
“What kind of lunatic might send poisonous herbs? I should check this first.”
He swiftly opened the pouch to inspect its contents. It was filled with heart-shaped leaves.
Xavier brought it to his nose and sniffed. A strong scent, similar to mint, wafted up. Turning the pouch this way and that, he saw the word ‘Catnip’ written on it.
“Catnip?”
He picked up the card again and scrutinized it with hawk-like eyes. Pressing it with his fingers and examining it thoroughly, he found hurriedly scrawled writing on the back of the card.
[This is revenge, you damn cat. Lulu.]
At that moment, his vision suddenly dropped. Golden holy power drained from his body and was absorbed into the card.
“Could it be… a holy power absorber?”
A holy power absorber, circulated only in the Beast Kingdom.
“Myaaaoooo!”
Black smoke billowed out, and Xavier turned into a cat. Catnip spilled from the pouch he had dropped, fluttering down like rain.
“Myaa? Mya!(No way!)”
The sharp scent tickled his nose and invaded his nerves, sending a strange sensation rushing through him. Of course, Yuria’s scent was infinitely better, but this was a different kind of temptation altogether.
‘I must… get to Yuria….’
However, his body moved contrary to his thoughts. Jumping on his hind legs, he instinctively pounced on the catnip like a madman. Hugging the leaves to his chest, he rolled on his back, writhing around.
Chewing on the leaves, the taste was exquisite. Xavier, drooling with excitement, couldn’t control himself.
＊
After the queen and the prince left, I stayed behind in the gazebo.
Queen Amin was very grateful to me. Emboldened, I asked her if she knew any way to transfer the saintess’s power to others.
‘I’ve heard it can only be done through physical contact with the saintess’s body.’
Of course, I had hoped otherwise, but no such luck. Ah, damn it. This damn R-rated nonsense!
‘According to legend, to break the curse, one must go to the Cursed Land.’
The Cursed Land.
In the original story, it was located in the Beast Kingdom.
Since the novel focused on Rosetta, there wasn’t much description of the Beast Kingdom or its surrounding characters. It mostly consisted of romantic entanglements between the female lead and various men, culminating in a final war between Xavier and the Beast Kingdom, where the Crown Prince’s side emerged victorious. The extreme focus on the female lead was a hallmark of <The Men of Saintess Rosetta>.
“This novel’s balance is absolute garbage. No wonder the saintess’s powers are so lame.”
I should go see Pope Melvin.
Just then, a refreshing breeze blew past. The summer scent carried by the wind lifted my spirits.
‘Maybe I’ll rest for five minutes before heading out? Pope Melvin is in the castle too, so there’s no rush.’
Closing my eyes, I savored the cool breeze and the leisurely atmosphere.
“Ah, this feels nice.”
“What does? Can I feel nice too?”
Huh?
Forcing my eyes open against the chilly wind, I saw a man with a cute impression resting his chin on his interlocked fingers, staring at me.
“Eek!”
Startled, I grabbed the parasol propped up beside the table and swung it at him.
“Well, aren’t you a dangerous saintess?”
The cute man, who had deftly caught the parasol with his hand, smiled brightly. My heart pounded as if I had plunged down a roller coaster.
“Excuse me, what do you think you’re doing, sneaking up on someone like that?”
I clutched my chest, trying to calm my racing heart, which only steadied as my vision cleared.
A young man with platinum blonde hair and dark circles under his eyes, someone I had never seen before, was looking down at me with a playful expression.
“Up close, you’re really cute.”
Even in a simple white shirt and comfortable trousers, his noble appearance and striking beauty were captivating. Even the dark circles under his eyes seemed oddly charming.
“Hello. Nice to see you again.”
He extended a hand for a handshake, speaking informally right off the bat.
‘What’s with this weirdo? I’m seeing him for the first time, yet he’s acting like we’ve met before. Is he crazy?’
He’s handsome, but he’s clearly a bit off. He looks young, but what a shame.
‘It’s best to avoid people like him.’
I subtly prepared to back away.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not a strange person.”
See? He’s speaking casually, then suddenly switches to formal speech. I’ve never seen a strange person admit they’re strange.
“Don’t run away, okay?”
If you’re going to speak informally, so will I.
“I don’t believe you.”
“It’s true. Don’t run away. Come here.”
See? Scary. He switched back to formal speech again.
I shook my head vigorously and retreated. Grabbing my parasol, I turned to run, but the odd man did a somersault in place and landed right in front of me.
“Oh my!”
Unable to stop in time, I ended up burying my nose in his firm yet soft chest.
“See? I told you not to run away.”
“Ugh.”
“Where do you think you’re going? I’m not done talking.”
His black eyes, glittering like obsidian, bore into me with a hint of madness. Especially those dark circles—now I knew who he was.
Oh no, I’m in trouble. In this novel, platinum blonde hair and dark circles could only mean one person.
The best approach with this guy was to pretend not to know him, whether I did or not.
“I don’t talk to strangers.”
“Hmm, but you’re talking to me now.”
“…….”
“If you don’t know me, why did you suddenly switch to formal speech?”
He wasn’t an idiot. I was hoping he’d be a crazy idiot.
‘How was I supposed to know that Crown Prince Lucas was Lulu?’
In the novel, if Xavier Auguste was the king of obsession, Lucas was the king of madness.
Sure, I knew he was the Crown Prince of the Beast Kingdom, but I didn’t know he’d be a cute raccoon!
Lucas lazily smirked and started playing with the stray hairs on top of my head.
“And I know who you are.”
“You know me?”
“Yes, you’re the wife of Duke Auguste.”
“What?”
Oh no, pretending not to know isn’t working?
“And you’re the saintess.”
“Wow? Amazing! That’s incredible insight. Well, I’ll be going now.”
“Why do you keep saying you’re leaving?”
He blocked my path with his tall frame, leaning down to scrutinize me closely.
His smiling face was undeniably cute, but it was terrifying.
“I’m a married woman. Please step aside.”
As I tried to walk past him, Lucas called out from behind me.
“Aren’t you curious who I am?”
“I’m not curious.”
Even if I knew, I’d pretend not to.
“Xavier must have told you about me.”
“What?”
Hearing Xavier’s name, I couldn’t help but turn around. Twisting to look at him, I saw the man with his hands in his pockets shaking his head.
This is making me jealous. He said, stepping closer to me,
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lucas Lacuni Moirai.”
“…….”
“The Crown Prince of the Beast Kingdom, Moirai.”
“Oh my, is that so?”
“Pfft.”
The Crown Prince covered his mouth with a large hand, chuckling.
“You’re a terrible actress, you know that?”
“How do you think I feel listening to you?”
“Heh heh. Why are you pretending not to know when you do?”
“I treated you like a raccoon, not knowing you were the Crown Prince.”
Lucas’s black eyes sparkled as he grinned and removed his hand from his pocket.
“I was touched by how well you took care of me. You’re truly kind. Is it because you’re a saintess?”
“If I had known you were the Crown Prince, I wouldn’t have done it.”
“Hmm.”
Lucas stepped closer, tilting his pale face toward me. His idol-like, cute lips curved crookedly. The shadows on his once-smiling face darkened.
“To be honest, I came here to kidnap you.”
“……!!”
He outright said he came to kidnap me?
Chills ran down my spine.
I don’t want to die. I came here to avoid dying. Not because of some crazy guy like him!
“Eeeek!”
“Shh!”
Lucas pressed a finger to my lips. Then, lowering his head, he whispered into my ear, his platinum hair brushing against my cheek.
“But I’ve changed my mind a little.”
His low voice was so soft it felt like it was crawling into my ear, making my hair stand on end.
“You’re too much my type. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“……?”
“Divorce him and come to me.”
T-Type? Divorce? How can he say something like that in this situation?
“Are you insane?”
“Hmm, hearing that from you feels different.”
Ha. He really is crazy. That means he hears that often!
I decided to go all out.
“Let go.”
“Okay.”
Lucas let go of my hands without hesitation, causing my small body to stumble.
He let go so easily? Though I was baffled, I hid my expression and spoke firmly.
“And stay away.”
“Oh, I might fall for you even more, treating the Crown Prince like that.”
With his arms raised, he leisurely stepped back.
There’s no reasoning with him. They say you can’t even hit a crazy person to make them understand.
Is he just playing around? Why is he here? Did the meeting end?
‘I need to tell Xavier.’
“Hmm, the more I see you, the cuter you are. You’re too good for Xavier.”
“If we’re talking about cuteness, that’s Lulu.”
Ah, I slipped.
I meant to retort, but the wrong words came out. Covering my damned mouth with both hands, I realized it was too late. Lucas blushed and leaned closer.
“Do you think I’m that cute?”
Ah, I’m doomed.
“Well, um, I misspoke…”
“Misspoke, huh?”
“No, not misspoke exactly, but raccoons are cute, aren’t they?”
Hearing this, he blushed and shyly admitted, “I am pretty cute.”
I was referring to the general species of raccoons, part of the carnivorous mammal family. Of course, I didn’t say this aloud.
“You’re cuter, Saintess.”
Though his lips smiled, his jet-black eyes were serious, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking. Suddenly, his eyes darkened even further, like a deep abyss.
“Maybe I should just take you away.”