CHAPTER 002
“...Black Panther…?”
Arabelle whispered softly, looking into the ruby-red eyes.
She tried to avoid his gaze, but those crimson eyes had already trapped her own. The man’s gaze burrowed into her confused eyes, commanding her to look only at him. His large hand gently stroked her soft cheek, scratched by tree branches. The searing warmth made her small shoulders shiver.
The man’s throat bobbed as he stared at Arabelle, his gaze predatory. He licked his dry lips with a bright red tongue before speaking.
“How strange. You chew food for the beast, stroke its ears and belly like it’s a pet cat.”
His firm fingers brushed over Arabelle’s lips, still tinged with purple.
“Yet you seem to fear me, a mere human.”
“That’s…”
Arabelle swallowed the words she was about to say. She couldn’t muster the courage to tell him, ‘The black panther didn’t look at me like food, but your eyes look starved, as if you could devour me any moment.’
The man holding her felt more dangerous than the wild beast with its sharp fangs.
Maybe it was because he seemed like someone descended from the heavens, like in the paintings she’d seen. Arabelle shook her head slightly, feeling she might never escape him if she didn’t keep her wits about her.
“Remember. My name is…”
The man spoke slowly,
“Arabelle! Arabelle, where are you?”
“Miss Arabelle! Please answer!”
Familiar voices calling for Arabelle came from outside the cave, very close.
Arabelle pushed against the man’s chest with all her strength. As his strong arms loosened slightly, she slipped from his grasp. She quickly stood up and pulled at the man’s arm.
“Get up. We have to leave now.”
She urged him anxiously, but he didn’t budge, even smiling leisurely.
“We must flee quickly. If they find us here, they’ll kill you.”
“Why? What have I done wrong?”
“Because in the Empire, black panthers are designated as monsters to be killed on sight. We have no time. Get up quickly.”
“What does that have to do with me? Do I have a tail or something?”
The man shifted slightly, letting the remaining leaves on his body fall away. His tall, over-six-foot frame lay exposed by the campfire, showing his chiseled muscles.
Arabelle was more embarrassed than the naked man. At twenty, she hadn’t even seen a man’s bare chest before.
She turned her back, eyes tightly shut. His voice came from behind her.
“Even if they are cruel, humans wouldn’t kill another human without reason.”
There was a bitter undertone to his words. Arabelle’s heart twinged for a moment.
But then her face brightened. He was right. The man before her appeared human, without a trace of a black panther. Not that she examined him thoroughly. Her cheeks reddened, but hope sparkled in her eyes.
“You look human, so there shouldn’t be any problem if you’re found.”
She turned to him with relief, only to quickly avert her gaze, blushing to her neck. His amused laughter reached her ears, making her bite her lower lip.
“Even if people enter this cave, don’t worry. I will protect your honor.”
She turned back to him, struggling to keep her eyes on his face. Ignoring her reaction, he propped himself up on one elbow, his expression confident.
She tilted her head at his promise, then her eyes widened, and her lips trembled. Sweat beaded on her forehead.
If her father and the villagers found her like this… hair disheveled, dress torn…
Arabelle’s face paled at the thought.
She would be seen with a completely naked young man. She swallowed dryly and looked around the cave. The dimming campfire and scattered leaves clearly suggested the two spent the night together.
To prove her innocence, she’d have to reveal his secret. But then he’d be killed right there.
Her innocent eyes conveyed countless unspoken words.
The man’s red eyes glimmered softly with amusement.
What a strange girl. Despite his fearsome appearance and wounds, she had climbed the treacherous mountains several times to tend to him.
She had cried herself to sleep, warming his cold body with hers. If it became known she spent the night with an unknown man in a cave, her life would be ruined.
And judging by her old, worn dress, she wasn’t from a wealthy family. She didn’t seem to have any influence to protect her honor. Yet she showed no intent to reveal his secret, her pale face anxious.
“Don’t worry. I will protect you. I promise on my name.”
Stories of humans turning into beasts were familiar to Arabelle, especially in her rural estate surrounded by mountains. They were like scary tales told to children on long summer nights.
Beasts that could transform into humans were more terrifying than the black panther. Villages invaded by such creatures would vanish without a trace.
The hunt for black panthers, which began a hundred years ago, aimed to eradicate such creatures. Priests said the black panther was the last beast that could transform.
For a time, such creatures were believed to only exist in children’s nightmares.
But twenty-five years ago, a black panther reappeared, believed to be the strongest of all such creatures.
The creature had infiltrated the imperial palace, killed the crown prince, and kidnapped the crown princess. Neither had been seen since.
‘They said there were no such creatures in our time.’
The man before her might be the last of those creatures. Arabelle avoided his confident gaze, her nose twitching.
He seemed helpless after being severely injured. Yet here he was, making grand promises.
“Does your injury still hurt?”
Unable to look at the wound near his navel, Arabelle lowered her gaze. The man looked at his body. Only faint bloodstains remained, and the wound healed. A satisfied smile spread across his lips.
“It’s completely healed. Surprisingly so.”
“That’s a relief. In that case…”
Arabelle began to back away.
“I must go now. If my father catches me here, I’ll be sent to a convent instead of following my teacher.”
Before she finished speaking, she sprinted towards the cave entrance.
As she ran out, she turned and shouted,
“Stay hidden in the mountains. Coming near the village would be disastrous. I won’t be able to help you once I leave.”
She disappeared from the cave entrance, leaving the man frowning.
“She left without even telling me her name.”
Not that it mattered much. If he wanted, he could find out everything about her by tonight.
What irked him was her comment about leaving the village soon.
He remembered her chattering away last night, keeping his freezing body warm with her stories. She had boasted endlessly about her “most handsome and perfect” teacher.
“Unfortunately, things won’t go as you plan. Now that I’ve found you, I can’t let you go.”
He had finally found the key to his curse. His ruby eyes darkened to a deep blood-red.
Just then,
“Your Majesty!”
“Emperor Maxwell!”
Two men in long cloaks slashed through the vines and entered the cave.
Four legs of royal knights folded in perfect sync as they respectfully knelt.
“We’re relieved you’re safe.”
“Please punish us for failing to protect you!”
Both knights looked like they had searched the mountains all night.
As the man stood, his tall shadow loomed over the knights. His presence was both chilling and scorching, radiating from his nine-foot frame. He donned a cloak over his body, reminiscent of the god of war.
“First, by today…”
The knights waited silently for their lord’s command.
As he swept his black hair from his forehead, his noble face was revealed.
His gaze, sharper and more arrogant than he had shown the innocent girl, fell on them.
Maxwell de Fonte August, the 27th Emperor of the Helterd Empire during its golden age, commanded,
“There is someone we must find. Someone who will return to the palace with me.”
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