The freezing air was wicking her body heat away. The frigid air penetrated her whole body as she unconsciously shivered like a reed in the wind.

"If-if you truly hate me...! "

A shaky voice drifted inconsequentially into the night as she tried to combat her drowsiness with great difficulty. Her beady pair of eyes landed on a little boy, half of whose face was concealed with a mask. The moonlight reflected off of his gleaming silver hair and bewitching crimson eyes. He was enchantingly picturesque.

***

I awoke covered in soft sheets as streaks of sunlight trickled in through the window. Slowly and reluctantly, I opened my eyes.

"Your Highness! You're finally awake!"

"Your Highness is finally awake!"

'Your Highness? Who are you talking about?'

I scrutinized my surroundings in confusion. The mirror that I stared into was wall-mounted and there was a fancy frame encircling it. Yet, what was reflected on the mirror was surprisingly not myself.

The girl in the mirror's eyes glistened with a radiant emerald hue in the light and they were paired with luscious platinum blonde hair that cascaded down to her waist.

Days after, I realized. This setting was somewhat identical to the R-19 romance novel that I had read in my past life. That story was titled 'The Beast and The Lady.'

'The Beast and the Lady' was a romance fantasy story, a twist on "Beauty and the Beast." The beasts, Blake and Richard, would fight fiercely for the heroine Diana's love.

I transmigrated into Ancia's body, Diana's half-sister. Ancia's engagement with the Crown Prince had been arranged from an early age. However, not long after she saw his horrendous appearance, she committed suicide by drowning into a lake on the day of their marriage.

This incident placed a massive trauma on Blake's heart and he thoroughly shut his heart. The Crown Prince became a relentless man who didn't believe anyone until Diana lifted his curse. He ended up leading a miserable life after Diana didn't choose him.

According to the original story, Ancia drowned in the water and then Blake retrieved her body that had already gone cold.

"If-if you truly hate me...!"

The boy held Ancia's body tightly as he wept. He must have been significantly hurt-the bride attempted to kill herself because of him after all.

"Your Highness, where are you going?"

"I'm going to meet the Crown Prince."

"His Highness?"

The maid, Melissa, glanced at me. For a second, she had a puzzled expression on her face.

"Yes. Take me there."

"Your Highness, I beg of you, His Highness is still greatly shocked by the recent incident...."

Melissa chose her words carefully. She must've assumed that I was going to ask him for a divorce.

"Don't worry. I won't do anything harmful."

I didn't have any plans of abandoning Blake. I couldn't afford to leave him like this when I had the opportunity to change his miserable childhood. Besides, Ancia had nowhere to go. Ancia was a child born between Count Bellacian and his first wife. Count Bellacian's first wife died as soon as Ancia was born. He then wed his second wife, who gave birth to Diana.

Count Bellacian sent Ancia to become the Crown Princess even though he knew that she wouldn't be able to stand living with him. Ancia didn't just kill herself because of Blake's hideous appearance. She threw herself into the freezing water because she knew that her family had abandoned her. In any case, I had nowhere to go even if I left here, and I had no intentions of leaving Blake in misery. The maid led me to Blake's bedroom.

"I'll go in by myself."

Leaving the maid outside, I put my hand on the elongated handle and opened the bedroom door. I saw a little child curled up on the bed, making himself as small as he could.

"Your Highness. It's me."

"I can't believe you did that! You jumped off without my permission!"

I suppressed my emotions when I heard Blake's pitiful whimper. He wasn't how I expected him to be. He looked almost like a miserable rabbit.

"I have something to tell you."

First of all, I must resolve these misunderstandings. I sat on the corner of his bed, but Blake scooted away. I held Blake's trembling hands, and at once, stripped off the mask that covered half of his face.

"What are you doing!"

Blake was frightened and tried to push my hands away, but I grabbed his face and held it in place.

"D-Don't look!"

Blake tried to lower his head, but I tightened my hold so he couldn't avoid my eyes.

"You're not hideous."

"What?"

"I've never seen someone as beautiful as you."

My statement was true. Despite the curse, Blake's appearance was breathtaking. His features were small and in harmony with each other, while his tousled silver hair was thick and lustrous. His eyes were a mesmerizing crimson red and had a straight, high-bridged nose between them. Furthermore, his plump cheeks and flawlessly sculpted lips looked as if they had been crafted by angels themselves.

Besides, the curse would be lifted when he met Diana. In the original story, Blake's face was said to be the most captivating face on the entire continent after his curse was lifted.

"But, you hate me."

"I don't hate you."

"But..."

"I'm not lying. I didn't attempt suicide. I accidentally staggered and fell into the lake."

That was a lie. The original Ancia killed herself after being frightened by Blake's face.

"Really?...."

"Yes. I heard you saved me from drowning, so I came to say thank you."

"......."

"Thank you very much...."

I grinned and clasped both of his hands.

"You saved my life. I truly appreciate it."

Blake's nose reddened and warm tears fell over the back of my hand.

"I-because of me-...I thought you are going to die because of me...."

"Why would I? I'm married to such a wonderful person after all."

"I saved your life, so I thought that you'd be angry...I was really afraid to come to see you."

"I like you. I'm grateful to be married to such a considerate boy."

"I...I like you too."

Blake, you're a liar. The person that Blake liked was Diana. The Emperor knew Blake wanted Diana, so he arranged a wedding for them. Of course, the Count wouldn't send his precious Diana. Instead, he sent me in her place.

"Then shall we sleep together?"

"......."

The moment I mumbled so, Blake darted away and hid behind his enormous bed. What's wrong with him? It's not like I suggested something terrible.

The Bellacian family had the power of light. It was thanks to that, Diana was able to remove Blake's curse. Ancia was also a member of the Bellacian family. She possessed a small amount of light too, but it was not as much as Diana.

Blake's curse didn't merely impact his appearance, he was also constantly in pain. The colder it got, the more severe it would be. Blake jumped into the harsh freezing water to save me, so he must've felt immense pain. Of course, he wasn't the type to say so.

Bodily contact was necessary to use the power of light. As expected of an R-19 romance novel. So, I decided to sleep next to Blake while holding hands with him, but his expression made me feel like I had made a big mistake.

"Your Highness, please don't misunderstand me."

"Mi-misunderstand?"