I Became the Cure for the Cursed Prince

Leon picked up a feathered quill and drew an X over the number 29 on his calendar. Then, throwing his hands into the air, he shouted triumphantly.

“Hooray! Tomorrow is finally here!”

He had been marking off the days for a month, eagerly awaiting his birthday. The excitement was almost overwhelming because birthdays meant his father would grant him a wish.

“This time… Hehe!”

His wish was simple—to go on an adventure.

For the longest time, he had believed Theian Empire was the entire world. But after taking lessons in imperial governance, he realized how vast the world truly was, filled with countless fascinating things.

“I want to go to Betax. A place with monsters, rare mana stones…”

Of course, his heart’s true desire was to explore the mysterious North, a region few dared to visit. But even if he couldn’t go there, anywhere beyond the empire’s borders would do.

He imagined himself returning as a proud adventurer, boasting to the attendants. “I’ve seen incredible things! More than anyone else!”

“Oh, I wish tomorrow would come faster. If I sleep now, will it come sooner?”

Leon eagerly climbed onto his bed, pulling the blankets over himself. Yet, his ears itched. Then his feet itched. Before long, his entire body felt unbearably tingly.

“That’s weird… What’s happening?”

He scratched and scratched, but the sensation wouldn’t go away. Perhaps he was just exhausted from a long day of lessons and personally writing all the birthday invitations.

Brushing it off, he forced himself to sleep. The itching would be gone by morning.

That night, he had a dream.

He was running through a vast snowy field, weaving between tall birch trees while playing hide-and-seek with a fairy.

No matter how far he ran, he never grew tired. His voice echoed across the mountains, clear and strong. No one scolded him for mischief. The fairy was kind.

It was the first time he had thought that black hair and black eyes could be so beautiful.

“I can’t believe such a kind and beautiful fairy exists!”

Hiding behind a birch tree, he wrapped his arms around its trunk and made a wish.

“If this is a dream, please don’t let me wake up. Let me keep playing with the fairy.”

But time was cruel. Dawn arrived too soon.

—

“Haack—Cough!”

Leon had meant to grumble “I’m still sleepy” like he always did.

But the sound that came out wasn’t human.

“Huh? What was that?!”

“Raaawr! Krrrk!”

He cleared his throat and tried again. The result was the same.

Startled, he remained curled up in bed, tilting his head to both sides, trying to think.

Then, he recalled something from his theology lessons.

“Princes of House Theian may experience strange bodily changes after the age of seven. If that happens, do not panic—go straight to Her Majesty the Empress. And above all, never let anyone else find out.”

At the time, he hadn’t understood what the priest meant. But now, it made perfect sense.

“Tch! This is because I’m just too awesome! I bet Vilter and Layla would be jealous!”

They hated him and were always scheming. Maybe the priest’s warning was just to protect him from their jealousy.

“Gruuuh, sniff.”

The memory of the time Layla invited him to a party only to push him into a freezing lake sent a shiver down his spine.

Carefully, he turned over onto his stomach, placing his hands side by side.

And that’s when he saw them.

A thick layer of reddish-orange fur covered his arms.

“….”

Sharp black claws peeked out from between his paws.

“Roooaar! (Whoa! This is amazing!)”

Now he understood why Layla was jealous.

Following the priest’s instructions, he had to get to his mother without anyone else seeing him.

Throwing off his blanket—or rather, trying to—was harder than expected. His hands had changed, and pulling away the covers wasn’t so easy anymore.

The soft white blanket rustled like snow as it wrapped even tighter around his body. Darkness swallowed his vision.

The more he struggled, the more tangled he became.

“Rrrgh. (Huff, huff…)”

After a long, exhausting fight, he finally gave up and went limp.

He had wanted to proudly show off his magnificent new form and his powerful voice—but for now, he had no choice but to wait for help.

Just as he was growing impatient, a voice called out from beyond the blankets.

“Your Highness! Your Highness!”

It was Nanny Judy.

“I’m here! I’m right here!”

“Raaawr! Rrrk!”

But she didn’t hear him.

“Where could he have gone?”

She searched the room, checking every corner. Then, she noticed something strange.

The blanket was messier than usual.

Even when he played pranks, Leon was a neat freak—if he had left the room, he would have folded the sheets perfectly before leaving.

“Ah, he must be hiding again.”

With a knowing smile, Judy tiptoed toward the bed and, in one swift motion, pulled back the blanket.

And—

“Oh my goodness!”

She fell backward, stunned.

The sweet, lovable little prince was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, a tiny tiger cub sat in his place.

“Raawr! (It’s me!)”

Judy had initially panicked, but she quickly composed herself.

She had been thoroughly trained by Empress Asili for this situation.

Wasting no time, she scooped up the fluffy cub, tucking him into the folds of her skirt and hurried away.

Judy swallowed nervously and lowered her voice.

“They said you can still understand human speech even in tiger form, right?”

She cautiously addressed the small cub hidden beneath her apron.

“Your Highness, listen to me very carefully. Now that you’ve transformed, you must go to Her Majesty immediately. If Lady Layla or Duke Keaton finds out before then, you know what will happen, don’t you?”

“Awng.”

A soft cry came from the tiny tiger. Despite his young age, he was remarkably clever—he understood exactly what she meant.

“I’m going to take you to Her Majesty as quickly as possible, so no playing around until we get there.”

“Roar.”

“Good boy.”

Judy carefully concealed the tiger cub beneath her large apron, making sure he was hidden before cracking open the door. Holding her breath, she scanned the hallway, then tiptoed forward, walking as silently as possible.

When Asili heard about the morning’s commotion from Judy, she let out a long, weary sigh.

This moment had not caught her off guard—she had expected it.

But no amount of preparation could lessen the heavy weight of reality.

Her worry was not for herself, but for her son’s future.

Her beloved child… trapped by the fate of their bloodline, cursed to transform into a beast.

“Roar, hrrng!”

The tiny tiger on her lap pawed at her leg, batting at her knee with soft but sharp claws.

Tears burned behind her eyes.

He was only ten years old.

Yet, he would have to live every day under the shadow of death.

“My baby… my precious Leon.”

“Awng?”

Leon tilted his head, puzzled by his mother’s sadness.

Why was she crying?

Eager to show off, he stood on all fours, raising his front paws to make himself look bigger.

But the prouder he acted, the sadder his mother seemed.

She used to always smile when she looked at him. But now, all she did was frown.

Slowly, his paws lowered, and his ears drooped.

Asili couldn’t tell him the truth.

She couldn’t bring herself to say that his illness had never been cured in the history of the royal family. That there was no escaping the curse.

She refused to let her son know that.

“…Don’t worry, my dear. I’m just overwhelmed because you look so magnificent.”

“Awng?”

Before he could react, she pulled him into a tight embrace.

“You were born with a very special gift. You can become a majestic tiger, yet still return to being human. That is a blessing, my love. You will grow up to be a splendid emperor.”

Purring at the warmth of her touch, Leon relaxed in her arms.

Then, suddenly, Asili froze.

Her hands stopped at his tail.

Standing abruptly, her voice turned firm.

“I have no choice but to tell His Majesty. You must show him your splendid new form.”

“Grrowr! Roar! (Yes!)”

Leon let out a mighty roar in response, chest puffed with pride.

“Judy, go to His Majesty at once. Tell him I cannot leave my chambers. He will understand immediately.”

“Yes, Your Majesty! I’ll go at once!”

With a determined answer, Judy rushed out of the room.

Leon sat still, deep in thought.

“Why do I have to sneak around when I look this amazing?”

“Oh! Maybe it’s supposed to be a surprise for the whole empire!”

He didn’t quite understand what was happening, but he liked the way his mother’s voice carried power.

And most of all, he loved that his father, the strongest man in the empire, was on his side.

Satisfied, Leon licked his mother’s hand.

Now that he had this magnificent power, he had to tell his father one more thing when they met.

“I want to go to the North.”

His mind drifted back to the dream of the birch forest.

Purring softly, he waited patiently for the emperor to arrive.