I Became the Cure for the Cursed Prince

Clank, clank!

The sound of armor rattling echoed as the secret delegation gathered in front of the greenhouse. Leon, who had been hiding in the carriage for hours, pricked up his ears at the sound of the trumpet and pushed aside the pile of straw.

“Roar! (Finally!)”

Without realizing it, Leon let out a small roar and quickly covered his mouth with his front paw in shock. If anyone discovered that he had been hiding, it would be a disaster.

“Whimper… (Shh, I have to be quiet.)”

Lying flat on the ground, he listened intently to the sounds outside. Soon, he heard the voices of the emperor and the deputy commander of the Imperial Knights.

“We pay our respects to His Imperial Majesty.”

“May blessings accompany you as you embark on this journey under my command.”

“We swear on the honor of the Imperial Knights to fulfill our duty and return.”

As the deputy commander finished speaking, the sounds of servants moving luggage and horses neighing filled the air. Shortly after, the carriage slowly began to move forward.

It was finally time to depart!

Overwhelmed with excitement, Leon rolled around in the straw. The thought of finally seeing the world beyond the Imperial Palace—and in such a grand manner—was enough to make his heart swell with joy.

Lying atop the straw, he recalled what he had learned about the Betax region in his geography lessons.

A place where the blue sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds, and the ground was blanketed with sparkling snow. Where arctic foxes roamed between dense birch trees.

A land where fearsome monsters sometimes appeared in the dark forests, yet children skated across the frozen ponds. Where mines were filled with precious mana stones, and crocodiles lurked in the swamps with their jaws wide open.

Of course, his teacher had also warned him about the terrifying Grand Duke of the north and the ruthless nature of its people. But strangely, Leon had never found Betax to be frightening. If anything, it only fueled his curiosity.

Just thinking about it made the corners of his mouth lift, and his heart thump with excitement. As he absentmindedly pawed through the straw, the comforting scent lulled him into sleep.

Clatter! Neigh!

Leon, who had been dozing off on the straw pile, was startled awake by the sound of horses. He had no sense of how far they had traveled from the palace, but his throat was parched, and his stomach was growling. Outside, he could hear people talking.

“It would be best to take a short rest here.”

Hearing the deputy commander’s words, Eric, who was leading the delegation, agreed.

Leon, who had been eager to reach the north as soon as possible, drooped his ears in disappointment and peeked through the gap in the door.

A few servants were heading toward the carriage, carrying food.

Wait, they’re not going to find me, are they…?

The door suddenly burst open.

Leon’s fur bristled, and he froze on the spot.

“…….”

“Ahh! D-Deputy Commander!”

At the servant’s panicked cry, the deputy commander rushed over. Seeing the small tiger frozen in place with its front paws hooked over the windowsill, he immediately grabbed it by the scruff of its neck.

It was impossible for a tiger cub to have entered the carriage from outside, considering they had been traveling nonstop since leaving the Imperial Palace.

Which meant that this tiger was—

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Without hesitation, the deputy commander wrapped Leon in a thick cloth and brought him to Count Eric.

“It appears that His Highness has secretly stowed away in the carriage,” he reported.

Eric glanced around cautiously before approaching the carriage where Leon was hidden. The deputy commander lifted the cloth, revealing the young prince in his tiger form.

Eric bowed deeply, and the deputy commander followed suit.

“How did Your Highness end up here?”

The deputy commander straightened and answered, “It seems His Highness secretly hid in the carriage before departure.”

“This is quite the predicament.”

Eric furrowed his brows in thought before calling for one of his men.

“Send someone back to the Imperial Palace at once—”

“Roar! (No!)”

Leon let out a loud cry, glaring at Eric.

“Your Highness?”

“Roar! (No, no!)”

“Are you saying you do not want us to send word to the palace?”

At that, Leon nodded vigorously.

Although he had been caught, if they sent someone back now, he might be dragged straight back to the palace. Besides, he had left behind a letter, so they would already know by now.

Frustrated that he couldn’t speak in human language, Leon leaped from the carriage onto the ground. Using his claws, he scratched out words in the dirt.

[I left a letter! Just keep going north. I’m thirsty and hungry!]

Eric, who also served as the prince’s tutor in ancient languages and theology, smiled in amusement as he read the message.

Choosing to write in the language of dragons rather than the common tongue was a clear attempt to impress his teacher. The young prince was undeniably clever and endearing.

Eric quietly ordered a servant, “Fetch fresh water and meat for His Highness immediately.”

“Understood, sir.”

Shortly after, a feast of delicious food was laid out before Leon. At first, eating without a fork or knife was difficult, but as he continued, he gradually adapted.

“Your Highness, no matter how much you wished to go on an outing, this was reckless.”

As soon as Leon finished his meal, Eric, ever the strict tutor, reprimanded him sternly.

“I have always warned you that the north is a dangerous place. And yet, you hid in the delegation’s carriage without the Emperor’s permission?”

“Whimper… (I’m sorry.)”

Leon lifted his face from the bowl, his ears drooping. His small, round ears sagging made him look incredibly adorable, but Eric remained firm.

“For your safety, I plan to turn the carriage around and return you to the Imperial Palace at once.”

Leon’s jaw dropped. After all the effort he had put into coming this far, was he really going to be sent back already? Desperate to persuade Eric, Leon extended his claws, intending to write on the ground.

However, before he could do anything, a soldier ran up, panting heavily as if out of breath.

“Commander! During our patrol, we detected suspicious movements at the southernmost end. Based on our scouts’ reports, it appears they have been tailing us since we left the Imperial Palace.”

“From the palace, you say…?”

Eric’s face darkened as he turned to look at Leon. If someone had been following them from the palace, there was no doubt—it had to be Duke Kitten’s men.

If they turned back now, the pursuers would realize that the prince was here, and they might attempt to harm him. The best course of action was to act as if nothing was amiss and continue northward.

Having made his decision, Eric gave his orders to the knights.

“End the break. We depart immediately.”

At Eric’s command, the knights moved swiftly. Leon perked up his ears, listening intently. Seeing this, Eric let out a sigh, then picked up the young prince and wrapped him in a thick cloth before placing him inside his carriage.

A short while later, the carriage began to move forward again.

To the east of the vast Betax region, where the Grand Duchy of Rion was located, lay the ominous Black Forest, a place where fearsome monsters frequently appeared. Because of this, only border guards and soldiers stationed to control the monster outbreaks were allowed to reside there.

The problem, however, was that due to the treacherous mountain range surrounding the Grand Duchy, any neighboring country seeking diplomacy or trade with Rion Castle had to pass through the Black Forest.

To provide a safer route for merchants and delegations, avoiding as much of the Black Forest as possible, the fortress of Pretus Outpost had been built.

On the day the delegation was scheduled to arrive, Lucas, who was overseeing affairs at Pretus Outpost, lifted his head at the sound of knocking on his door.

“Come in.”

The one who entered was Sion, who had gone out to receive the delegation.

“Your Highness, the appointed time has passed, but the delegation has yet to arrive.”

“No other messages either?”

“None. The sun will set soon. Could this be some kind of scheme? What if they’re keeping us occupied at Pretus Outpost while they strike Rion Castle?”

Given the longstanding hostility between them, it was natural to be suspicious. However, it was impossible for soldiers unfamiliar with the northern climate to bypass Pretus Fortress and cross the perilous mountain range.

Still, if they had disguised their soldiers as ordinary merchants and sent them north in advance to train and acclimate to the cold, it wouldn’t be entirely out of the question.

Regardless, something had definitely gone wrong. It was clear that they needed to investigate personally.

“Your concerns aren’t unfounded, but it’s more likely they lost their way in the Black Forest. We should go check for ourselves.”

Lucas exited the fortress with Sion and mounted his horse, heading forward. Sion maintained a suitable distance behind him as they slowly made their way along the road leading to Pretus Outpost.

If they failed to find any trace of the delegation after surveying the area, they would have to send a messenger to the Theian Empire.

However, the surroundings were eerily quiet.

Occasionally, soldiers who recognized them would halt to pay their respects, but there was no sign of the delegation anywhere.

This doesn’t make sense…

An ominous feeling crept over Lucas.

Even on the way to the outpost, he had felt something was off. Every time his curse grew heavier with an eerie sense of foreboding, something disastrous inevitably followed.

It had been the same on the day a monster from the Black Forest descended upon a village. The same when a crocodile from the southern swamp attacked and devoured people.

‘This isn’t good. We have no choice but to return and send a messenger.’

Just as he was about to turn his horse around and abandon the search, a carriage appeared in the distance, racing toward them.