It wasn’t a bad feeling that the Duke, who usually takes control so skillfully, was listening obediently and quietly today.
Nelia gave what looked like a praising smile, then led the Duke by the hand to sit by a sunny window.
Fortunately, the weather was good and the clouds had completely cleared.
“Duke.”
“Yes… Nelia.”
“I want to know what happened yesterday. I need to know what has happened to you, Duke.”
It might be hard and uncomfortable for the Duke to talk about yesterday, but I can’t overlook it.
If I want to be with the Duke in the future, I need to know precisely what is happening to him.
Fortunately, the Duke also seemed to agree, and began to speak in a calm voice after exhaling a low breath.
“Actually, in the Duke’s family, there is another curse besides turning into a snake.”
The Duke’s gaze landed on a warehouse outside the window.
“That is, turning into a monster, like you saw yesterday.”
“So, it only happens during the lunar eclipse…?”
“Yes. For reasons I can’t understand, transforming into a monster happens only once a year, on the day of the lunar eclipse.”
It’s fortunate that he only transforms into that terrifying form once a year, but why specifically on the day of the lunar eclipse? Maybe it’s an unlucky day.
“You’ve asked about the warehouse before. It’s a space prepared for when I turn into a monster. When the day of the lunar eclipse comes, I get locked in there with a magical restraint.”
“Is that because… you lose consciousness when you transform?”
“Yes. When I turn into a monster, I lose my self. All I feel is a brutal urge to destroy something.”
Nelia recalled the monster’s appearance from yesterday. It perfectly matched the Duke’s description.
It seemed not just a loss of reason but actual suffering.
“However, yesterday was a bit exceptional. Never before had Hart, who is cursed, gone berserk enough to destroy the restraints.”
“Did you receive some special stimulation yesterday?”
The Duke shook his head.
“No. If I were to speculate, I think it’s because of the increasing variables in the curse these days. Like the medicine not working, or not turning into a snake when with a certain person, things like that.”
Nelia felt a flush for a moment.
‘So, was I the reason for yesterday’s rampage…?’
Reading her worried expression, the Duke gently stroked Nelia’s hair.
“The important thing is not that. It’s that even when I went berserk, I felt your touch and returned to human form.”
Nelia jerked her head up. The Duke’s subtle smile was dazzling.
For a moment, Nelia was at a loss for words, stuttering before she managed to speak.
“Did I really stroke you yesterday and you turned back into a human?”
All she could remember was that when she touched the Duke, who had turned into a monster, a bright light burst forth. After that, she lost consciousness.
“Yes, you did.”
Ah… It was a truly strange event.
Nelia looked down at her palm.
For a moment, the absurd thought crossed her mind that she might have some sort of monstertaming ability.
However, she quickly dismissed the thought.
Even if she did have such an ability, one beautiful creature was enough for her.
“Even thinking about it now, it’s strange.”
The Duke muttered, stroking his chin.
“So, our ancestors also transformed during the lunar eclipse, but they didn’t go berserk like you did yesterday?”
“Actually, there were times when they didn’t go berserk at all. My father also transformed into a monster, but he was rather tame.”
As Duke Hart mentioned his father, Nelia remembered something she had forgotten.
That yesterday was the anniversary of Duke Hart’s father’s passing.
It’s late, but should she offer her condolences now…?
Nelia hesitated before speaking.
“Duke… Speaking of your ancestors, yesterday was the anniversary of your father’s death, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, it was the day he passed away.”
The Duke was surprisingly composed.
He didn’t seem like someone harboring revenge for his deceased father.
However, she soon realized that it was only on the surface. Despite his nonchalant words, his eyes revealed deeper thoughts.
The Duke silently stared out the window. Nelia waited for him to break the silence.
As a cloud floated away from the window, the Duke finally spoke.
“Nelia. The truth is, my father didn’t die at the hands of a villain.”
His voice had lowered.
“He died at the hands of the Emperor.”
Nelia’s eyes widened.
It was a fact she knew from the original work, but it was surprising to hear the Duke state it outright.
This was a story that no one outside the Duke’s direct line should know. A story that shouldn’t be known.
Especially since it accused the Emperor of being a murderer.
When Nelia didn’t say anything, the Duke tilted his head and asked.
“Don’t you believe me?”
Nelia quickly shook her head.
“No, no…!”
Of course, she believed him, but she was curious why the Duke would confide such a thing to her.
“There’s no reason for you to lie to me, Duke…”
Only then did the Duke give a slight smile.
“Thank you for believing me, Nelia. In this absurd story.”
Certainly, it was a hard story to believe without any prior knowledge.
Many would believe the Duke if he said the sun rose in the west, but the story of the Emperor killing Duke Hart’s ancestor was too old and lacked evidence.
The Duke exhaled lightly.
“On the night of the lunar eclipse, my father transformed into a monster as the evening came. The Emperor, who happened to be worried about my ailing father, visited our residence.”
“So, did His Majesty see your father in the warehouse…?”
The Duke responded in an indifferent tone.
“Yes, the warehouse door was slightly ajar.”
It was truly a series of unfortunate events.
“As I said earlier, my father was lucid even in his monster form. So, he desperately pleaded with his close friend. That he was Hart Benian.”
Nelia realized why the Emperor had been frightened. His death on the day of the lunar eclipse was also because of that.
The missing pieces of the puzzle fell into place, and the story finally felt complete.
The Duke smirked.
“And yet, upon seeing the tiedup monster, the Emperor drew his sword in a moment of fear. He stabbed without a second’s hesitation.”
Nelia’s expression darkened considerably upon hearing the tragic story.
“So that’s how he passed away…”
I knew the story, but hearing it directly from Duke Hart was different.
It felt more sorrowful and heartless.
Nelia, who had been downcast, suddenly became curious.
Why would the Duke suddenly open up about this? He had never talked about his father before.
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
