“What’s this now.”
Surely the Empress hadn’t built a castle here just to kill me.
Though that vicious woman might do something crazy, Valentin didn’t refuse the door that was wide open before him.
‘A mysterious castle in a forest connected to the Black Swamp.’
It was very intriguing.
Valentin put on his public mask that was beloved by all citizens of the empire.
Like a flower in full bloom in a garden.
“Excuse me. Is anyone here?”
His voice echoed in the empty space.
Someone was clearly there, but no answer came.
Valentin, unfazed, followed the rabbit leading him into the castle interior.
He needed a place to stay anyway since it was getting dark.
Moreover, the treatment was far more lavish than Valentin expected. Meals, clothes, a bath, and a bed.
Especially the potion placed on the bed was very effective. As soon as he put it in his mouth, the pain slowly constricting his nerves from the poison disappeared.
So Valentin didn’t draw his sword even when he discovered the beast.
Rather, he closely observed its peculiar behavior, wondering if it might be a mutant demonic beast.
Things like the golden eyes staring at him brightly or the tail wagging so hard it made a whooshing sound.
‘It looks like a demonic beast but acts just like a dog.’
Curious about its true identity, he stayed for one day, two days, three days, and another week.
And he came to a conclusion.
‘It’s a talking puppy.’
At first, he wondered if it was an undiscovered magical beast, or if it had evolved into a deformed species among demonic beasts.
But then, contrary to its appearance, when it showed puppy-like aspects, his guard naturally eased.
Because it was too pathetic.
With a mindset most people would never understand, Valentin gave the hulking beast—taller than him by a head—a rather stingy evaluation.
It wasn’t just the beast. The splendid Laphelia Castle was also a subject of Valentin’s research.
After all, it was rare to find a space so densely woven with magic.
‘I’ll need to investigate this further.’
Occasionally, rabbits that gave Valentin heated glances were also seen.
But what truly caught his interest was still the pathetic beast, and Valentin was particularly intrigued by its tremendous strength.
It was obvious who was responsible for wrecking various parts of the castle without even seeing it.
“Is it possible for it to break iron too?”
Or fight demonic beasts?
He wanted to directly confirm just how strong it was, but it was frustrating that it wouldn’t appear before him.
Every time he saw it wagging its tail, it was clear it was desperate to speak to him, but it just wouldn’t show itself.
Even when Valentin deliberately created opportunities to speak, there was no progress.
“Even noble ladies are bolder than this.”
Valentin smirked, recalling the ladies who fell in front of him in all sorts of ways whenever he visited the capital.
“No point wasting more time here. I should be going.”
Deciding to return to Berenice and find out more about this place, Valentin left a card with a farewell message.
Before completely leaving the castle, he deliberately lingered in front of the rose bushes to catch the beast’s attention, which was his little secret.
‘This is your last chance.’
A chance? The knights of the North would be horrified to hear such words.
Valentin, like a well-honed sword, preferred to end everything at once.
‘If this fails? Then I’ll headbutt it.’
That was his style.
Nevertheless, he was willing enough to visit this place again to uncover the beast’s identity, so he decided to be more generous than usual.
The beast that finally appeared before him…
“What do you think you’re doing in my garden?”
It had no talent for acting at all.
The furrowed brow pretending to be stern and the occasionally visible fangs were awkwardly mismatched.
The round golden eyes and the wildly spinning tail showed how delighted the beast before him was to see him.
Valentin smiled at the strange manner of speech, which seemed to have been learned from who knows where.
Lest it whimper, curl its tail, and run away if he pointed it out.
‘That would be troublesome.’
He hadn’t even uncovered its identity yet.
Even when the beast sophistically demanded another visit as payment for picking a rose, which he hadn’t even done, Valentin politely agreed.
And finally, he discovered the beast’s secret.
‘I used to be human. …I was cursed and became a beast.’
‘If I receive true love’s kiss, I will return to human form.’
‘Yes, a kiss filled with a man’s love.’
It was laughable.
‘So you’ve been acting so desperately all this time just to receive a kiss?’
Valentin briefly pondered whether his looks had reached a level that appealed not just to humans but even to beasts, before quickly accepting it.
Any creature with eyes couldn’t help but love him.
‘And why not?’
True love?
He didn’t care about such things, but if there was a power far surpassing magical beasts, it would certainly be a great help in exterminating demonic beasts.
‘I should take it with me.’
The deliberation was short, and the decision was quick.
Valentin decided to take in a puppy.
Though others might protest that it looked nothing like a puppy given its size and appearance, he, being uninterested in outward appearances, felt no strangeness.
“This puppy doesn’t know how to do anything.”
Valentin looked down at the golden eyes shaking as if an earthquake had struck.
It couldn’t even bark or lie down. There was so much to teach it.
***
‘Where am I? Who am I?’
Feeling the vibrations of the carriage, I blankly stared at the man before me.
Flinch.
Surprised by the beautifully curved eyes that could bewitch people, I quickly turned my head away.
Just moments ago, I was certain it was an angel’s smile.
Now it looked like the false smile of a grim reaper waiting for me to die, urging me to say my final goodbyes to the world.
It was no different from that.
‘So, the novel I landed myself in was <A Flower Blooming on a Cliff>, huh?’
The moment Valentin revealed himself, a flash of realization struck my mind.
The fact that the handsome man before me was the male lead of the romance fantasy <A Flower Blooming on a Cliff>.
It was natural that I hadn’t known this during the few months I’d stayed in this world.
Because Nadan Laphelia Armium, the Black Beast that I had possessed, was a minor side character who only appeared in a few lines in the novel!
<A Flower Blooming on a Cliff>, or <Cliff Flower> for short, is a coming-of-age romance fantasy novel about Lucy, the female lead who goes through all sorts of hardships.
The title says it all. Blooming on a cliff?
A girl with an unbreakable spirit who lived a destitute childhood, moving from orphanage to orphanage as an orphan.
Just when it seemed her life might improve after being adopted by a noble family, that wasn’t the case either. When the family’s lost daughter returns, Lucy quickly becomes unwanted.
Life at the orphanage after being unadopted was much more painful than before.
Eventually, Lucy runs away from the mansion and lives on the streets, where she meets a former Magic Tower Master. Through this encounter, her dormant magical talent awakens, allowing her to enroll in the Empire’s Academy.
‘After that, she spends her time at the Academy in a love triangle with the third prince and the Tower Master as second-male leads, eventually becoming a master of healing magic.’
So where does Nadan Laphelia appear in the novel…
She appears during a date planned by Valentin to capture Lucy’s heart.
Specifically, at a circus that’s become popular for featuring beasts that understand human speech.
Despite suspicions that they might be demonic beasts due to their ability to understand human language, the circus remained endlessly popular.
Here, when the beast escapes during the performance and injures Lucy, Valentin…
‘Kills it on the spot.’
The circus troupe is ruined for bringing such a dangerous demonic beast into the empire.
‘Of all the extras to possess, why did it have to be this one?’
It was impossible to deny, given the setting of being a black beast. After all, I was clearly a beast.
The fact that this was the <Cliff Flower> I had read, and…
‘Please stay away from the circus.’
The ominous content of the note Nadan Laphelia had written only confirmed it further.
I grumbled inwardly as I sluggishly moved my body. Sitting in the same position for so long had made me sore.
But I never made eye contact with Valentin.
Because I hadn’t made up my mind yet.
‘Why did I meet Valentin now, unlike in the original story?’
In the original, Valentin first meets Lucy when he’s injured from an assassin’s attack.
Of course, Lucy, who was max level in healing magic, heals Valentin, and that’s how they first connect.
‘Was the injury that Lucy was supposed to heal treated at Laphelia Castle instead?’
Valentin might face danger from assassin attacks more than once.
However, the crises that befall the heroic male lead are usually connected to the female lead.
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that I had ruined Lucy and Valentin’s first meeting.
‘But let’s look on the bright side, thanks to this I’ve become acquainted with Valentin, right?’
This is where the original story started to twist.
Which means, I might not get swiftly dealt with by Valentin at the circus!
Instead, I ran a positive circuit thinking Valentin might turn me back into a human.
‘Because…’
Suddenly feeling embarrassed, I touched my muzzle with my paw. The soft sensation I had felt on his lips still lingered.
“If it’s a kiss you want, I can give you plenty.”
Before departing, Valentin had kissed me.
Saying he would do this as much as I wanted if I followed him.
Moreover, he arrogantly asked:
‘What can you do for me?’
As far as I knew, Valentin had been gathering troops to deal with the exponentially increasing demonic beasts for several years.
He also put a lot of effort into creating a knightly order in preparation for possible invasions.
Only then did I realize why Valentin had shown interest in my beast-like strength.
If that’s the case, there’s only one thing I can offer.
I showed him my sharp claws.
‘I’m probably stronger than anyone you know?’
Probably.
I couldn’t be certain, but I said it confidently for now.
‘Even if Valentin has outstanding knights around him, they’re just ordinary humans, so I should be stronger, right?’
Whether my guess was correct or not, Valentin put me in a carriage that he must have had waiting.
‘Yes, this is an opportunity.’
There probably aren’t many who would kiss a terrifying beast other than Valentin.
…No, correction— It’s safe to say there are none. I could be sure of it.
Out of the five men, only Valentin showed no reaction to my appearance.
So why not use this to my advantage?
If we keep… ahem… kissing, won’t feelings eventually develop? Even in this state, if I try hard to seduce him, a path might open up.
‘The only way is straight ahead.’
Having come to the incredible conclusion of seducing the man before me, I finally gathered the courage to face Valentin.
Sensing the passionate gaze directed at him, Valentin curled up one side of his lips. He seemed to find it unexpected that I was no longer avoiding his gaze.
‘Valentin, I’m going to seduce you.’
I had already avoided the instant death route.
Of course, depending on my next actions, he might still swing his sword at me, but so far there were no signs of that.
‘Lucy, I’m sorry. If I become human, I’ll disappear right away.’
Apologizing to Lucy, who must exist somewhere in this world, I ignited my fighting spirit for the first time in a long while.
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