I Held the Leash of a Blind Beast (1 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 3
After losing his sight, he gave up on life.
He was so skilled that even with his eyes closed, he could throw a dagger and hit his prey using only the sound of their presence.
Just today, hadn’t he thoroughly beaten up those thugs who picked a fight with Rona, using nothing but his cane? Though he couldn’t find objects by himself due to his blindness, people with a discernible presence were an exception.
Yet, when he lost his eyes to a potent poison, Illeon couldn’t accept that the honor of being the Empire’s strongest knight had been shoved into a gutter.
He lived like that for what felt like an immeasurable stretch of time—like a wounded beast curled up deep inside a cave.
It was during such a hopeless period that Rona first arrived at the Duke’s mansion. Everyone who saw him trembled as if facing a terrifying monster and immediately fled. No newly hired maid ever set foot in his room twice. But Rona was different.
Twice, three times, four times.
She’d greet him casually, enter without hesitation, and clean his utterly chaotic room. The moment someone stopped running away, the first emotion that returned to him was shame.
It hadn’t mattered much to expose his flaws to strangers. After all, they’d never meet again—he didn’t know them, and they didn’t know him.
In such a relationship, even if someone saw his shocking state and fled the Duke’s mansion the very next day, it wouldn’t have mattered at all.
He learned that the maid’s name was Rona. That she was quite young. And that, unlike others, she never ran away—she saw his lowest every single day. With those days piling up, Rona eventually pulled him out of his mire-like existence.
Rona taught him many things. She was astonishingly clever. It was Rona who suggested marking paths on the floor with tiles leading to the bathroom, bed, or sofa so he could practice navigating.
In just half a year since Rona arrived at the mansion—rendering his previous year and a half of despair meaningless—Illeon was once again able to live a somewhat human life, as he had before. But that was as far as it went.
Illeon waved his palm in front of his own face. The oppressive darkness was absolute, denying him even the faintest glimpse of light or shadow.
Thus, he often convinced himself that he hadn’t lost his eyes—he was merely keeping them closed. Telling himself he wasn’t unable to see, but simply choosing not to, made his heart feel a little lighter.
“Weren’t you the one who wanted to visit that café?”
Rona was no longer just a chambermaid who cleaned rooms. She had become Illeon’s personal maid, keeping him company and attending to his needs.
Every day, Illeon dined with Rona. She would first serve his meal, then eat her own portion. In the past, Bernar would have been furious at the mere thought of a servant sitting at the same table as their master.
But the butler, who had stayed by Illeon’s side throughout his long period of wandering despair and had seen him at his worst, now willingly complied with anything Illeon wished. These days, even the butler affectionately addressed the maid as “Miss Rona.”
During meals together, Rona would share all sorts of stories—usually explaining things when the blind Illeon asked questions. But recently, just once, Rona had asked him first.
“Have you ever been to Café Cardinal?”
Of course, he hadn’t. Later, when he asked Bernar, he learned it was a famous café not far from the Duke’s mansion.
“A popular date spot for couples?”
“Yes, Your Highness. It’s frequented by young lovers. Not really a place suited for you, though. May I ask how you came to know of such a place?”
A place for lovers, huh.
Why had she asked if he’d ever been there?
Could it be… that Rona wanted to go there with him? To that so-called lovers’ sanctuary?
His heart fluttered irregularly, stirring with unease.
Since losing his sight, Illeon had never once stepped outside the Duke’s mansion. But today, summoned by the Imperial Palace to confirm his condition had stabilized, he ventured out for the first time.
Taking the opportunity, he personally went to look for Rona, who had apparently visited Café Cardinal. He’d mustered such courage because lately, Rona had been sighing more often.
“Maybe I’ve become a nuisance.”
He relied on Rona. She became his eyes and his hands.
To her, he must have been a high-maintenance, troublesome employer.
As soon as they sat down at the café, he sensed the stares pouring onto them. It bothered Illeon. Since it was a place couples visited together, he wondered if he and Rona didn’t look like a couple at all. Suddenly, he became curious about what Rona actually looked like.
“It’s because I stand out.”
Seizing the excuse to find out what she looked like, he reached out with ulterior motives. Rona, however, calmly offered her face without hesitation.
Thump.
When his hand touched her soft, supple cheek, his chest fluttered. His rough, calloused palm—marked by years of gripping a sword—felt unworthy to caress her delicate skin.
Yet he couldn’t pull his hand away. Pretending to remain composed, he traced Rona’s face with his fingers. Then, his hand brushed against her plump, pillowy lips.
Rona didn’t flinch at all—her breathing remained perfectly steady. That disappointed Illeon. The hopeful, excited feeling he’d carried on the way there sank the moment he realized it had all been a delusion.
“Someone like me, blind as I am…”
She probably didn’t even see him as a man. His eyes—now colorless with shock—widened at the thought.
“How pathetic.”
Chiding himself, Illeon straightened his seated posture.
Knock knock.
The clinking of dishes carried the rich aroma of food.
“It’s time for dinner.”
At the sound of Rona’s voice, Illeon’s heart thudded without warning.
“Come in.”
Rona opened the door and pushed the tray inside. Illeon had already changed out of the uniform he’d worn outside and, having neatly washed up by himself, was dressed in his usual at-home attire.
“The smell is wonderful.”
Seeing him sitting quietly in his usual chair, waiting for her, Rona smiled to herself.
“What’s on the menu today?”
The way he obediently waited for her to serve him—because he couldn’t see—made even this large man seem oddly childlike and endearing.
Pulling the table close to Illeon’s chair and arranging the dishes, Rona chatted cheerfully.
“Guess. It’s something you like, Lord Illeon.”
The man, who had been focusing intently on his sense of smell, quickly replied.
“I smell sausages. And spices too.”
“That’s right. Grilled sausages with vegetables. There’s also a stir-fried bean dish.”
Rona draped a large napkin around Illeon’s neck. Even with a bib, the handsome, broad-shouldered man looked effortlessly stylish.
“It’s hot, so eat slowly.”
He obediently opened his mouth. Rona spooned food into it for him.
“Phew.”
A sigh escaped her before she realized it.
“What’s with the sigh?”
“Did I sigh?”
“That’s the second time.”
“I wasn’t sighing. I was just blowing on the food to cool it for you.”
“Excuses.”
Illeon closed his mouth with a faint, wry smile.
“Oh!”
The poorly timed spoon missed his mouth and bumped against his lips. Rona immediately stood up and dabbed the corner of his mouth with a small cloth.
“I’m so sorry. I’m really sorry.”
“It’s fine. This much is nothing.”
Rona gave an awkward smile, tore off a piece of bread, and placed it in Illeon’s mouth.
“That’s enough. Now you eat too.”
“Thank you.”
Rona sat across from Illeon and began eating her own portion.
“Phew.”
After her third sigh, Rona startled and quickly covered her mouth. Though Illeon couldn’t see, his senses as a Swordmaster remained sharp. Yet, to her relief, he didn’t utter the expected reproach about it being the third time.
When she’d first started working at the Duke’s mansion, Illeon had fully embodied the image of a “blind beast.”
With unwashed, filthy hair, clothes torn from fits of rage, and refusing meals, he’d howled like an animal in the dark confines of his room.
The sheer horror she’d felt upon first seeing him like that…
Hungry and with nowhere to go, Rona had done her best for Illeon, and he’d gradually changed. Thanks to her survival-driven humility, she could endure any state he was in.
Because Rona held on, Illeon slowly grew ashamed of his behavior. A beast that learned shame began, little by little, to regain its humanity.
The hair once matted with splattered food from overturned plates had returned to sleek, fragrant black strands smelling of sandalwood.
His naturally broad shoulders and thick thighs—maintained without deliberate exercise—filled out his perfectly fitted shirt and trousers with striking elegance. The man who’d once abandoned human conversation and emotional expression, floundering in despair, had regained his former intelligence and reason—save for his sight.
The butler, Bernar, who’d once stood at the “cliff of hiring” as maids quit daily after attending to the Duke, shed tears of gratitude.
He raised Rona’s already generous salary several times over. Thus, Rona became the sole maid residing in the Duke’s mansion.
“Is something troubling you?”
Over time, Illeon, though her employer, had begun noticing her moods. This was a great comfort to Rona. After all, having lost her memories and transmigrated into this world with nowhere to turn, she deeply appreciated Illeon’s kindness.
“If there’s anything I can help with, just tell me.”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Asking Illeon for help in finding the female lead? Sending a letter under Duke Clevent’s name would surely bring Karina to the mansion’s parlor—but that would completely derail the original plot. Absolutely unacceptable.
“I must have worried you. It was just a personal matter. But more importantly, is there anything bothering you?”
Rona watched Illeon carefully. Ever since their visit to the café, he’d seemed oddly downcast.
Illeon had always been immensely prideful—a man of noble birth who’d never once needed to beg, blessed with exceptional and superior abilities, utterly unfamiliar with failure.
Perhaps that’s why he’d grown deeply disappointed even when failing to master a skill requiring practice on his first try.
“Who succeeds at everything on the first try?”
Rona silently blamed the author of “The Blind Beast’s Flower” for spoiling Illeon’s habits. If only they’d added a touch of realism instead of making their overpowered protagonist perfect at everything—now Illeon looked utterly heartbroken over something as trivial as spilling soup.
Why on earth was Illeon sulking? He’d just visited the Imperial Palace and the café for the first time—this should’ve been a moment of proud accomplishment.
“Weren’t you the one who wanted to visit Café Cardinal?”
“Yes. I did want to go.”
“But you didn’t seem to enjoy it much. You were distracted.”
Ah, so he’d noticed. She’d been half-listening, too busy scanning passersby to see if Karina might appear. He must have sensed her lack of focus.
Anyone would be upset by that. Even someone with full vision would feel hurt if their conversation partner seemed distracted. Illeon, blind as he was, relied entirely on her presence and voice—so of course he’d noticed immediately.
“No matter how important finding Karina is…”
Rona felt guilty toward Illeon.
“It’s just my first time in the capital. Having worked only inside the Duke’s mansion until now, everything outside seemed so fascinating. I’m sorry.”
“I see. I thought maybe…”
Illeon trailed off vaguely.
“Was it worth seeing outside?”
“Absolutely. Compared to the countryside where I lived, this place is practically heaven.”
It was a life she couldn’t place—who she’d possessed, she didn’t know. But when Rona first opened her eyes, she’d been collapsed by a lakeside deep in the forest, utterly exhausted. She’d once wondered—could she have been trying to kill herself?
“So young and beautiful…”
Had she intended to drown herself in that lake? Fortunately, an elderly woodsman couple had found and rescued her. Hearing she’d lost her memory, they’d pitied her and even escorted her to the city. Surely, Rona had lived far from the capital.
“How is it different?”
“The streets are much wider, and the ground here is paved with stone. Where I lived, the roads were dirt—even at the Viscount’s manor, yellow dust would constantly swirl up from the ground.”
Trying to lift Illeon’s spirits, Rona enthusiastically recalled the Viscount’s manor she’d briefly visited on her way to the capital.
“People in the capital all seem so stylish and impressive. There are many beautiful women and handsome men too.”
“Many handsome men, you say?”
“Yes, well… there’s never a dull moment for the eyes.”
Rona watched in real time as Illeon, who’d just begun to cheer up, sank back into low spirits.
Male lead says he’s pregnant — and it’s female lead’s child
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.
__________
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Hahahahahah this is an opportunity for Illeon. For sure the story has already deviated
Haha, just picturing this is so hilarious. Imagine Duke Illeon fan girling.