"We're married so it's natural to sleep together. There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"But...."

Blake shivered and buried his face in the pillow.

"I'm still embarrassed...."

"......."

Where did the fierce Blake from the original story go? Instead of a ferocious guy, a lovable child was sitting in front of me. Would this little rabbit really turn into such a man in 10 years? Human growth was truly mysterious.

"Come here!"

I couldn't leave him like this. I took the pillow he was holding away and tightly held his hands.

"As a newlywed couple, I suggest we sleep together from now on."

"E-Everyday....?"

"Is there a problem? Do you perhaps not like the idea?"

"N-No... but are you comfortable with this arrangement?"

"Pardon?"

"Are you fine with us sleeping together?"

"Of course I'm fine. I'm fond of you."

Blake opened his already huge eyes wider and couldn't say anything while his whole face reddened. I clasped both of his hands

"How is it? Do you feel comfortable?"

The pain of the curse would go away when he held hands with Diana, the heroine, in the original novel, but...

My power didn't seem to work very well.

Now that I had been transmigrated to this novel, I wanted to help Blake, who would live in pain until he met Diana, but I didn't have the power to do so.

I let go of his hand and flung it under the quilt, but suddenly, Blake hugged me from behind.

"Don't let go!"

"......What?"

"Your hand. Ancia's hands are warm, so don't let go."

I couldn't see his face because he hugged me from behind, but I could hear the quiver in his voice. He was sobbing.

Such a crybaby.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Really?"

"Yes, I just came down to get my pillow...."

Then, Blake's face flushed red and he quickly climbed back onto the bed.

"Don't you want to sleep with me?"

"That's not it... Well, are you really okay with it? To sleep with a monster like me..."

"Your Highness! Don't say that. You're not a monster."

"But..."

"I told you before, didn't I?"

I took his hand and looked straight into his crimson eyes.

"Don't worry. Your curse will be lifted eventually."

"My curse?"

"Yes... On your 18th birthday, when you reach adulthood, your curse will eventually be lifted. The days won't be as dreadful in the future, so don't be too discouraged. You don't need to mind what other people say. Just treat their words as mindless chattering."

"...18."

A weary voice came from his small lips. Just like there was a 'Heir of Light', there was a 'Heir to the Curse' in the Imperial family as well.

Emperor Phillip, the founder of the Empire, was in a romantic relationship with the goddess of light. The goddess of light shared her power with her beloved, and he founded the Empire with that power. But after Phillip became the Emperor, he betrayed the goddess of light and fell in love with another woman.

The angry goddess of light cursed Phillip's descendants. The heir to the curse would have black sentences inscribed on their face, and when it covered their whole body, they would eventually die. All of the heirs to the curse died before they became adults. Blake was also driven to the brink of death on the night he turned 18.

I held Blake's hand in despair and curled my little finger.

"I promise you will be cured. I promise you with my life..."

"No!"

He pulled his hands back roughly and screamed.

"What?"

"Don't promise me that! You can't die! Even if I die, you have to live!"

I brought his hand back and hooked my pinky finger around his.

"I'm not going to die. Neither you nor I will die. So don't worry."

"Ancia.."

"Oh no...why is my husband such a crybaby?"

I wiped his tears away with a handkerchief.

"I'm...not a crybaby!"

"You're crying right now."

"No!"

Blake pursed his lips as he held back his tears and snot. However, he was soon overwhelmed by his emotions and broke into tears. I wrapped my arms around him, feeling him calm down instantly at my touch.

His tears stopped, leaving only wet streaks running down his face. Then, his eyelids slowly became heavy and drooped. Ancia cuddled him until they fell asleep in the same bed.

***

Upon waking up, Ancia found that she had burrowed herself into the warm, soft sheets. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and carefully rolled onto her side to look at Blake.

His little face was illuminated by the sunlight and he made gentle snuffling noises as he slept. I was about to touch his plump cheeks, but Blake clasped my right hand with both hands.

You said you were embarrassed, but you're holding my hand until morning?

A smile came naturally around my lips. I stroked his hair with my left hand, soon his long eyelashes trembled and Blake opened his eyes.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?"

"No...."

Blake shook his head and smiled

"Why are you smiling?"

"I like it a lot."

"Hm?"

"You were here with me all night."

Blake attempted to hide his face behind his fingers while a blush seared through his cheeks.

Being transmigrated to a R-19 novel, I never thought that I would have a husband who was as cute as a rabbit. The moment I saw his smile, I vowed to make this cute husband happy.

***

I wanted to save Blake, but I had no way to lift the curse. I could only protect him until he met Diana.

Since "The Beast and Lady" was an R-19 novel, the story began from the time the main characters became adults, and there weren't many details about their childhood.

Still, the author often mentioned situations and conversations from the past. The author also gave a brief explanation of the characters.

Blake had three great tragedies as a child. The first tragedy was that he became the heir to the curse, the second was the suicide of Ancia, and the last, the death of his father, Emperor Tenstheon.

After Emperor Tenstheom died, Duke Cassil, Blake's uncle and Richard's father, became the new Emperor. Duke Cassil kicked Blake out of the Crown Prince's seat, and the helpless boy spent his childhood miserably exiled to some southern island.

Right now, Blake had already become the heir to the curse. It happened before I transmigrated. But the death of his father, Emperor Tenstheon, was a future that had not yet arrived.

It would happen three years from now. But to prevent the death of Emperor Tenstheon, I'd have to observe and talk to him first. As soon as the Crown Prince's wedding ceremony was over, the Emperor left and it would take at least a month before he came back.

I slept with Blake every day. I ate in his room and spent every day chatting with him while reading books. But I realized something unusual.

'Again....'

I stared at the breakfast laid out on the table.

Only green, green, green, and more green every single day.

Whether it was for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, only green things were sent. Moreover, the menu was almost always the same. Spinach soup, tomato salad, and grilled mushrooms. The soup had the same taste as yesterday, so I guessed that they had simply reheated it.

I wasn't a picky eater so I could eat the same thing all week long. I was also okay with just vegetables. So I had no complaints about the food itself.

However, this wasn't just food for some ordinary children, but a meal for the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess. The feast prepared for people with the second-highest status right after the Emperor was this plain. I couldn't believe it.

"...Your Highness."

"Yes?"

"What kind of food do you like?"

"Well. Anything is fine."

"Do you like meat and fish?"

"Yes!"

Blake nodded brightly and put a tomato into his mouth. Blake was not a vegetarian. There was no particular food to be careful about because of the curse. Therefore, there was only one reason this happened.

'They're looking down on him because he's cursed.'

The Crown Prince's Palace was located in a remote location, far away from the palace where the Emperor lived. The eight-year-old prince was left in a separate manor and neither the Emperor nor his relatives came to visit him. Moreover, he was married to Ancia, the daughter of an insignificant Count.

Ancia was older than Blake, but only by two years. The Crown Prince and his wife were young and powerless, so it came as no surprise that they were being ignored so blatantly, but things couldn't go on like this.