BCDBS l CH 20

Chapter 20

Just moments ago, I could feel the knights standing guard outside the door.

Now—nothing.

Only one answer fit: the heavy thud I’d felt earlier had been their bodies hitting the floor.

Even as I thought it—

Clatter, clatter.

The doorknob rattled violently, as if someone were shaking it.

Why did intruders storm this cursed fortress whenever they got bored?!

Kain, wake up!

I grabbed his cheek and shook hard.

This wasn’t like that kitchen maid from last week who merely bore a grudge.

This enemy had crushed the guards in an instant.

That meant overwhelming strength—and a deadly determination to reach their target.

Which could only be—

Kain Kreutz.

Specifically, the neck of the duke is sleeping like a rock right now.

“Chrrt, chrrt!”

You idiot dragon, now is not the time!

I even bit his ear, but he didn’t stir.

At best, his brows twitched faintly.

One thing I’d learned from sharing his bed these past days:

Once my “lullaby” began, Kain slept until morning. Always waking fresh-faced.

Damn it…!

What should I do?!

The door rattled harder, louder.

If only the commotion would alert other knights—but no. Odds were they’d fallen just like the guards outside.

At least the door held.

I’d locked it properly before bed.

And these fortress doors were built to resist intruders.

That would buy time. But until dawn? Doubtful.

I need a plan.

But what could a squirrel do?

All I managed was clutching Kain’s hair and trembling.

Then—

Boom.

The whole room shook.

The door groaned, a sliver opening just wide enough for a finger.

It won’t hold much longer…!

I shrank behind Kain’s shoulder.

And through that crack, I saw them.

Eyes.

Cold, lake-blue eyes.

Erjin Astrahan.

The man who hadn’t left my thoughts.

But something was wrong.

Not triumph—unease gripped me.

Through the narrow slit, Erjin’s gaze locked on me.

Or… did it?

His eyes were empty. As if he didn’t see me at all.

He moved again, stiff, mechanical. Like a puppet repeating its command.

This is wrong.

Assassins are shadows. They strike, succeed or fail, and vanish.

They don’t linger.

No assassin would throw away his own life like this.

Unless—

He’s being controlled.

That’s what drove me, trembling though I was, to climb down from the bed and creep toward the door.

Step by careful step, until I was level with his face.

And then I heard it.

“Kill…” “Kreuzt…”

Murmured over and over, mindless.

Our eyes met.

And I knew.

He’s ensnared.

Erjin Astrahan had been trapped in a powerful mental enchantment.

And not just once—but many times, layered deep.

* * *

Of course I recognized it.

I’d suffered under that power too many times not to.

Enchantment.

The bloodline gift of the Eymond family.

From simple beguilement to full-on mind control, the strength varied.

And no one had wielded it as cruelly as my half-sister—Rania.

Born of my father and his mistress, she’d delighted in tormenting me.

Even at seven, she could command servants to hide my father’s belongings in my room.

I had no power, no defense. No one believed the “useless daughter” of the Marquis.

So I bore the punishment every time.

But Rania’s dead…

The fire had consumed them all.

My father. His mistress. The Eymonds’ whole household.

For three days, the Marquisate burned. Not even Rania could have survived.

Still—

Even as old memories stung, Erjin’s dull voice kept repeating.

“Kreutz… Kreutz…”

Hatred dripping with every word.

But who? Who would drive him to this? And why such obsession?

No matter. First—

I had to deal with the enchanted tiger in front of me.

Another heavy crash rattled the door.

I steadied myself, thinking fast.

There were only three ways to break enchantment.

1. The victim recognizes the contradiction and awakens.

2. A third party forcibly disrupts the magic.

3. …Or the victim fulfills the order given.

And me? A tiny squirrel? I couldn’t do any of them.

My eyes darted to the window.

I could run.

Escape, save myself.

But then what?

If Kain Kreutz died, the Emperor would seize the North.

Even my Bear Mountain would no longer be safe.

“Chrrt…”

My feet froze before the window.

There was only one choice.

Kain Kreutz was my shield against the Empire.

And right now, I was the only one who could protect him.

My dragon shield. I’ll protect you.

Yes.

I dove under the blanket, braced myself in front of Kain.

The door burst.

Crash!

The hinges tore free.

And the intruder stepped through.

“…What…?”

A strange force ripped through me, searing like sparks across my body.

My blood surged backward, my vision spun, my heart hammered.

I knew this feeling.

Heat. Dizziness. The sign.

The sign of transformation.

Blink.

When my eyes opened again—

The world was taller.

White hair tumbled over my shoulders, my hand pressed against the bed.

A blanket draped over me like a robe.

“…I’m… human?”

But there was no time for awe.

The crazed tiger was already upon me.

I had to act.

At least until dawn—until Kain woke.

Or Gerard came.

“You—hey! Crazy tiger!”

I staggered to my feet.

My body felt wrong, clumsy after so long as a beast.

But I gripped the bedframe—

And hurled myself forward.

“Kain Kreutz is mine!”