Chapter 17

Seeing Ophelia’s stiff expression, I felt equally tense, but Lambert’s eyes were fixed on me, occasionally nibbling on my hand as if he would go berserk if I showed any sign of fear.

Strangely, I wasn’t afraid of his kiss, nor did I find it as repulsive as I had imagined. Seeing Ophelia’s fear even gave me an inexplicable sense of glee, making me feel less worthless. At least I didn’t feel disgusted or run away when I saw his beastly form.

After a while, Ophelia finally came to her senses and asked, trembling, “Miss Rosalind… you and His Highness?”

“I…”

This couldn’t be explained in a few words. I instinctively propped myself up and looked at her, thinking about how to phrase it. But as soon as I got up, Lambert’s eyes shot a warning glare, and his giant paw pressed me back down, his chest echoing with a menacing growl. His increased size made his growl more terrifying than ever, causing the floor, windows, vases, and even the chandelier above to tremble.

His appearance didn’t scare me, but it terrified Ophelia. She shook her head, picked up the jeweled dagger, and aimed it at Lambert again: “No, it can’t be His Highness… His Highness wouldn’t look like this. The prince I remember is knowledgeable, rational, and elegant, the most outstanding man in the world. This thing, this monster, this beast, how could it be His Highness! Miss Rosalind, don’t be fooled by it. It could very well be an illusion created by a witch!”

I remembered Lambert saying that the beast was his amplified instinct, and he could hear and see everything happening. Just as I was about to speak, I heard a chilling hiss. Lambert released me and slowly walked towards Ophelia. He seemed enraged by her words, and his eyes filled not with the desire to hunt but with intense and bloody killing intent.

His feet were broad and menacing, with claws like hooked blades. Each step he took left spiderweb-like cracks on the floor.

Ophelia took two steps back, raising her dagger and attempting to attack him: “You vile beast, give me back the prince—”

I was shocked and couldn’t stop her in time. She had already leaped onto Lambert, plunging the dagger into his chest. My blood froze, and my heart felt like it had fallen into an ice cave. However, in the next second, Ophelia was grabbed by the collar and violently thrown back by Lambert.
She landed on the marble floor like a fish thrown ashore, bouncing twice and coughing up a pool of bright red blood.

I looked at Ophelia, then at Lambert, my feet unsure of where to step. My palms were sweating with anxiety. At this moment, Lambert turned around, his chest unscathed, with only slight scratches on his black scales. I breathed a sigh of relief and then met his unfocused pupils. It was over; he seemed to have completely lost consciousness.

Without even glancing at me, he walked straight towards Ophelia. As he advanced, his beastly transformation intensified, black scales covering his body like mist, his claws growing wildly as if alive, and his gaze coldly locked onto Ophelia like a sentinel’s searchlight.

At that moment, a dozen chaotic thoughts flashed through my mind: Ophelia had done wrong, but she didn’t deserve to die.

She is a good girl, just confined by the rigid doctrines of nobility, making her almost cruelly indifferent in Lambert’s case. Perhaps in her eyes, Lambert was not a beloved person but a symbol, a totem, a glory, and his beastly transformation destroyed all of that, making it unacceptable for her. The reason I could so easily accept beastly Lambert was not because I was kinder than Ophelia but because Lambert was not my spiritual support. In my eyes, he was just an exceptionally outstanding ordinary man. No matter what, I couldn’t let him kill Ophelia. Otherwise, how would he be different from a real beast?

I quickly rushed to Ophelia’s side, spreading my arms to shield her. Facing Lambert’s emotionless gaze, my legs felt weak: “…You can’t kill her, Lambert.”

“Thank you for your kindness, Miss Rosalind,” Ophelia weakly panted. “I can see that you like His Highness. But this thing is not His Highness. His Highness is always calm and rational, never losing control like this. I remember when we went hunting with His Highness, an arrow hit his arm, and he didn’t even flinch. The doctors discussed it for a long time and didn’t dare to pull out the arrow. In the end, His Highness pulled it out himself. In my heart, His Highness is as strong and great as a god. How could he become like a beast…”

“The curse can be broken, and he will return to his original form.”

“But in this state, even I am afraid of him. Who could truly love him like this?” Ophelia asked softly. “Could you, Miss Rosalind?”

I almost answered, “I could.” But if my love could make a difference, Lambert wouldn’t have scared Ophelia so much. I hesitated for two seconds, unsure of how to respond.

“Miss Rosalind, you are the bravest girl I have ever met. If even you are hesitating, then His Highness is truly beyond saving. I think His Highness wouldn’t want to see himself like this either…”

Seeing that she was about to steer the conversation in a negative direction again, I quickly interrupted, “You can say these things after he recovers!”

“Can he really recover?” Ophelia asked in surprise.

“Of course, he will get better by dawn.” I carefully stepped forward and gently stroked his back. His black scales, which were originally flat against his skin, now stood up like spikes, ready to cut my fingers if I wasn’t careful. I tried to soothe him as gently as possible: “I know you don’t want to hurt her. You remember who she is. You’re just angry because she tried to hurt you, right?”

I was just trying to calm him down, and to my surprise, his agitation actually subsided, and the raised black scales gradually closed. He lowered his head, making a gurgling sound in his throat, and his snake head leaned towards me.

Ophelia, unaware that his emotions had settled, thought he was about to attack and screamed as she retreated, grabbing my ankle to pull me away with her.

Lambert immediately shifted his gaze, looking at her coldly and warily, growling menacingly.

I felt a bit exhausted. Before coming downstairs, I thought Ophelia would move Lambert, but instead, they were like mortal enemies. The kind and forgiving Ophelia almost stabbed Lambert to death.

At this moment, Lambert flicked out his forked tongue, threateningly displaying his sharp fangs to Ophelia. She trembled all over, on the verge of fainting, with large tears falling onto her skirt.

Fearing more serious consequences, I thought for a moment, then stood on tiptoe and hugged Lambert’s cold head. His terrifyingly cold gaze turned to me, and the growling continued in his throat. Despite having been kissed by him once, seeing his snake head up close still made me nervous. But to calm him down, I had no other choice.

Taking a deep breath, I kissed his lips. The screams behind me finally stopped, and he ceased growling. His eyes closed, waiting quietly to be kissed as if expecting to be fed.

Ten minutes later, I finally managed to control the situation: Lambert sat by the fireplace, staring at the roast chicken, lamb leg, and pork on the ground, motionless, as if contemplating how to eat them. Ophelia, wrapped in a thin blanket, sat on the sofa, looking at him with a complex expression.

I handed her a cup of hot tea. She softly said thank you, then after a moment of silence, asked, “Will he really return to normal after dawn?”

“He will.”

“Is he really still the prince I knew?”

I remembered Lambert kneeling on one knee, elegantly tasting blood with a single finger, and said, “Yes… despite his appearance, he still retains his human habits.”

As we spoke, we both looked at Lambert. At that moment, he seemed to have figured out how to eat the food, hooking a roast chicken with his giant claw and swallowing it whole like a snake.

Ophelia: “…”

Me: “…”

She shook her head, wrapped herself tighter in the blanket, and sighed softly, “I never thought His Highness would become like this. I was so naive, thinking that turning into a beast would just mean growing some scales. Miss Rosalind, thank you for saving me today.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Do you mind if I confide in you?”

“I don’t mind, go ahead.”

“Since I was very young, I knew His Highness would be the future king. Even before he came of age, he showed extraordinary wisdom. He was the role model for our generation. Since childhood, I wish to marry His Highness, become his queen, and let him handle state affairs without any worries…” She looked at Lambert with sadness and confusion, “I always thought I loved him, and even if a witch cursed him, I had confidence in breaking the spell on him. But when I saw him like this, my first reaction was to deny his existence, thinking he was already dead. Am I ruthless?”

“You are just afraid.” I held her hand. “See, you don’t have those thoughts anymore, do you?”

She lowered her head, took a sip of hot tea, and smiled bitterly: “Rosa… can I call you Rosa? To be worthy of His Highness, I gave up my own life, read books I didn’t like, and did things I didn’t enjoy. So many years have passed. I thought I had become worthy of him, but I realized I lacked a very important quality just now.”

She looked at me: “Courage. I don’t have your courage to touch his sharp scales, kiss his ugly lips, or block his attacks. I am not as magnanimous, able to accept his appearance without any reservations.”

She put down the teacup, and even though the hot tea reddened her lips, her face was still ashen. “I am too cowardly.”

“This is human nature, Ophelia. You don’t need to blame yourself.”

She glanced at Lambert again: “I can see that His Highness trusts you, and you like him. You are well-matched. I am not worthy of him. Tomorrow morning, I will set off back to the northern kingdom. I wish you both peace and happiness.”

I didn’t expect her to have the same thoughts as me. Out of sympathy or emotional resonance, I called out to her: “Ophelia!”

My volume was too loud; even Lambert turned to look at me. I quickly lowered my voice: “You are the most outstanding woman I have ever met. Not everyone can accept their beloved turning into a beast. You must not blame yourself like this. I can accept his beastly form not because I am braver than you but because when I met him, he was neither a prince nor a future king. To me, he had no significance of faith or support, and he was just a cursed man. I had no expectations or hopes for him, so whether he was beastly or not did not affect my feelings for him.”

She stood there, as delicate as a frail balloon flower, yet distant and unattainable. She lowered her head in thought for a moment, then smiled slightly: “Thank you for your comfort, Rosa. You are the kindest and bravest girl I have ever met.” After saying this, she straightened her back and walked towards the central staircase of the castle, her posture elegant and her steps unhurried.

I rubbed my forehead and tiredly collapsed onto the sofa, letting out a long sigh. When I looked up again, I saw Lambert sitting beside me.

Perhaps because of Ophelia’s departure, he seemed very relaxed, his pupils dilated into round shapes. When he looked at me intently, it gave the illusion that he trusted me completely.

“…What’s wrong?”

He slowly leaned closer to my face, extending his forked tongue to lick my lips. I pushed his shoulder, full of confusion. He looked at my palm, lowered his head, and seemed to want to nuzzle my hand, but his head was too big to fit into my palm. He growled impatiently twice and, finally, touched my hand with his flat snake mouth.

After doing all this, he rolled his eyes, looking proud and satisfied, and continued eating by the fireplace.

I was baffled, completely unaware of what he was feeling proud and satisfied about.