I Became the Cure for the Cursed Prince

At those words, Leon’s golden eyes flashed, and in an instant, he transformed back into his human form. Then, as if he could no longer hold back, he shouted.

“No way! Lucas couldn’t possibly be cursed!”

“Calm down first and look at this.”

Lucas raised his hand. Leon blinked at the glove, tilting his head in confusion.

“Those gloves suit you, Luca. I always thought they looked cool.”

“They are not for style. I wear them to suppress the energy flowing from my body. If someone comes into direct contact with my energy, they suffer—some even vomit or, in severe cases, collapse.”

Lucas explained as simply as possible, hoping Leon would understand. However, whether he truly didn’t grasp it or just refused to, the boy still wore a puzzled expression. Then, suddenly, he reached out and grabbed Lucas’s hand.

“See? I’m fine.”

Lucas carefully withdrew his hand and replied evenly.

“There are always exceptions to every rule. Even if Your Highness is unaffected, the fact remains that most people suffer because of my energy. That is why it is a curse.”

Leon tilted his head. “An exception?” he repeated. When Lucas nodded, Leon suddenly clapped his hands together as if he had figured something out.

“Ah! I get it! Luca’s energy is poison to others but medicine to me, right?”

“……”

Lucas was momentarily speechless as he stared at Leon’s innocent face. He had interpreted it a little strangely, but the general idea wasn’t too far off. For a second, Lucas considered letting it slide, but it was better to clarify.

“Not medicine. It simply has no effect on you. In any case, this is why people keep their distance from me.”

“Oh, so that’s why!”

Leon nodded in understanding, his lips curling into a wide grin. Even in his human form, his golden eyes gleamed as he let out a cheerful laugh.

“Why are you laughing all of a sudden?”

“It’s a secret.”

A secret, out of nowhere? Children were truly unpredictable. Lucas decided to ignore it and continued his explanation.

“From what Sion reported after meeting with the physician, it seems certain that Your Highness is unaffected by my energy.”

Leon placed his small hand over his chest and let out a dramatic sigh of relief.

“So that means I’m the only one who can stay by your side, right?”

“……That is correct.”

“I’m okay with that. Actually, I like it!”

Leon suddenly clung to Lucas’s sleeve, his expression wavering. Instinctively, Lucas tried to shake him off, but when he saw the boy’s face on the verge of tears, his hands froze in hesitation.

“Last night, I had a really scary dream. A blizzard was raging, people were screaming… sniff.”

Seeing him bite his lip, struggling to hold back tears, Lucas felt a strange pang in his chest. Slowly, he reached out and gently patted the back of Leon’s hand.

Leon sniffled and described his nightmare in a trembling voice. Lucas listened quietly, absorbing every word.

“…So I went looking for you, but you were gone. Then, all of a sudden, I smelled something sweet. Following that scent made me feel better, so I kept going… and it led me to your wardrobe.”

Lucas had assumed it was just childish mischief, but it turned out Leon had been haunted by a nightmare.

He hadn’t even considered that possibility. Then again, Leon was only ten years old—a child who had traveled a long way and endured terrifying experiences. It was only natural for him to be afraid.

“Your Highness.”

Lucas lowered himself to one knee to match Leon’s eye level. The boy let out another sniffle before responding.

“Yes?”

“As you said earlier, you are the only one who can stay by my side. That also means you won’t be able to rely on servants or anyone else for help—you will have to learn to do things on your own. Are you prepared for that?”

Lucas found himself slightly tense as he spoke. What if Leon started crying again? What if he said he didn’t want that? But instead, Leon fidgeted for a moment, then suddenly brightened.

“So that means you’ll be the one teaching me? That means… you’ll be my teacher, right?”

“……That is correct. But it won’t be easy. I have many duties as a lord, and in the North, we train our future leaders with strict discipline. It will be very different from the Empire.”

“That’s fine. No matter what, I’m staying with Luca.”

“As your teacher, I will no longer address you with honorifics.”

Lucas deliberately added that, hoping to intimidate Leon just a little. But to his surprise, the boy’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Then will you call me by my name?”

Leon grabbed onto his sleeve with anticipation, his expectant gaze so intense that Lucas hesitated. Seeing this, Leon urged him again.

“Call me Leon. Go on, say it.”

“……Leon.”

At that, Leon immediately sprang up and wrapped his arms around Lucas. His cheeks were still stained with traces of tears, but his expression was one of pure joy, as if he had just been given the world.

At that moment, Sion’s voice called from outside the door.

“Your Highness, may I enter? There is urgent news.”

Urgent news? Was it a report from the guards?

“I’ll come out.”

Lucas answered toward the door, then gently pried Leon’s hand off his sleeve and spoke.

“Wait here for a moment. I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay!”

Leon obediently responded and climbed back onto the bed. After making sure he had settled, Lucas stepped outside, where Sion stood a short distance away.

“Is this about the gargoyle?”

“No, Your Highness.”

Sion retrieved an ornate letter adorned with gold from his coat. Even without opening it, Lucas knew it had come from the Imperial Palace.

“Would you like to check it now?”

Lucas nodded, and Sion placed the letter on a table in the middle of the corridor before stepping back. Lucas picked it up and said,

“Let’s go to the study.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

As they walked to the study, Lucas read through the letter. The opening lines contained an apology for any inconvenience caused by the sudden request, followed by gratitude for his proposal.

Even from the tone alone, it was clear how much the Emperor and Empress had agonized over the decision. But if they wanted to protect the legitimate prince from the scheming of the New Faction, they had little choice.

In summary, the imperial couple had accepted Lucas’s proposal. In exchange, they had agreed to ease border restrictions for northern merchants and proposed a secret diplomatic meeting between the two nations in the future—with Leon in attendance.

The conditions were hardly sufficient for taking on the responsibility of raising a prince, but for now, even the Emperor had limited options.

To persuade the nobles, he needed a justifiable reason, and he could hardly announce that it was because of the prince’s circumstances.

At the very least, this arrangement bought time until Leon could grow safely and foster peace between the two nations. Trade had also been reopened, reducing immediate concerns about war.

Sion, who had finished reading the letter as well, asked cautiously,

“What will you do?”

“I’ll accept it. We can negotiate the finer details later.”

After dismissing Sion, Lucas sat alone in the study and, on a whim, opened a drawer.

Inside was a small framed portrait—a painting of his family before everything had shattered.

From this moment forward, he was truly the guardian and mentor of Leon Teian, the Imperial Prince.

Though it had all started for his own sake, he now bore a responsibility akin to that of a parent. He resolved to fulfill his duty as Leon’s protector.

From teaching him how to eat, sleep, and dress properly to ensuring he could keep his transformations a secret and defend himself against sudden attacks—

Until Leon learned to control his curse, grew up safely, and took his rightful place as Emperor, Lucas would have to personally instruct him in everything.

That included bathing as well.

After running around the castle as a tiger, Leon had become quite filthy. A bath was absolutely necessary.

The large tub was filled with steaming water, its surface shimmering with warmth. Lucas dipped his hand in, finding the temperature perfect for a bath.

Leon, glancing between the tub and Lucas, quickly attempted to strip. However, he struggled with the numerous buttons, ultimately needing Lucas’s help to undo them.

Just as he was about to climb in, Lucas grabbed him by the shoulders and stopped him.

“Before getting into the tub, you need to pour water over your body first. It helps prevent accidents.”

Leon had briefly hoped Lucas would assist him, but the calm and gentle explanation made him obediently follow instructions. He scooped up water from the tub and slowly poured it over himself.

“Like this?”

“Yes, very good. Now, you can get in.”

Leon wanted to ask, Aren’t you coming in too, Luca? But seeing that Lucas had no intention of undressing, he hesitated for a moment before stepping into the tub alone.

“Mmm…”

Soaking in warm water after being out in the freezing northern air made his entire body relax. Leon let himself sink comfortably into the bath and looked up at Lucas.