Who Could Have Loved the Monster Princess? - Chapter 12
I walked back into the mansion, fiddling with the basket of peaches.
After politely greeting my parents, I returned to my room and indulged myself. The peaches were incredibly sweet, juicy, and delicious.
‘So delicious.’
It tasted even sweeter and more fragrant when I realized that it was the fruit of a tree that Ken had tended to since last year. The sweet taste sweetened my mood as well.
‘Maybe I just needed some sugar earlier.’
It felt good to end the day with something delicious.
Not wearing the dress I had prepared, attending the coming-of-age ceremony without my parents, and everything that happened at the banquet—it didn’t seem like such a big deal anymore.
“Again, I owe him.”
Ken might not know what happened to me today, but it was comforting to eat fruit that he personally cultivated and carefully picked.
Having finished the peaches, the room was still filled with their sweet and cozy scent.
I think I’m going to have a good dream.
***
“Skin harder than steel, vision wider and deeper than a wyvern, strength greater than an ogre. Become what you are.”
“Until you fully possess the love of one who treasures you more than their own life.”
“My child.”
On nights when the curse’s power intensified, as I fell into a deep slumber, I heard whispered words in my subconscious. Whispers filled with love. Words I don’t remember when I’m awake, words that were probably spoken to me when I was born.
The voice, only felt when the curse’s power grew stronger, reassured me that the curse was protecting me.
But… my subconscious was honest.
Everyone else lives well without a curse, don’t they?
Why me?
Why was I cursed, unable to experience the love everyone else does?
If I hadn’t been cursed, I might have been able to look at Ken with more than just respect.
More, even more. Could I have tried to express my desires a little more and told him that I liked him?
Even if I end up being rejected and we stayed friends, at least I wouldn’t feel this frustrating sense of being separated by a glass wall like I do now.
This curse is something I can never break free from.
Who would ever love a monster?
I’ll be a monster for the rest of my life.
I felt myself sinking into a deep, deep darkness. Just when I thought I’d never rise from the depths of despair, a sweet fruity scent brushed past my nostrils.
“Peaches.”
The comfort and sweetness of the peach instantly pulled me into the light. It was so bright that I closed my eyes shut, and when I opened them, pink flowers were blooming all around.
“……?”
They were peach blossoms. But the tree they were from was as big as a cottonwood. The peach blossoms bloomed high enough to cover the sky.
“Is this a dream…?”
It must be a lucid dream. I’m standing in the middle of this surreal forest wearing a frilly nightgown. I absentmindedly admired the flowers when someone suddenly held me from behind. A low, gentle voice softly whispered in my ear.
“Look.”
Although startled by Ken’s voice, my body instinctively leaned against him, placing my hand on the thick arm encircling my waist. The touch of the warm and sturdy arm was unfamiliar.
‘My hand is…’
It was a small, pale hand with five fingers. In the midst of my confusion over this unfamiliar form, the large hand around my waist grabbed my b****t in a hot, firm grip.
“Aah!”
Surprised, I tried to push the hand away, but it didn’t budge.
“Wait, hold on! Ken?”
I twisted and turned, but all I could do was squirm as if I were encased in an egg shell. Ken laughed softly and cupped my chest. Little by little, the thin hem of my dress peeled away from my smooth, immaculate skin.
“Ah, ah… !”
Ken licked and nibbled at my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. Then, he took off the clothes that covered the b*****s he had been fondling. I could see the peaks, as red as strawberries that had just begun to ripen. I gasped and covered it with my hand.
Ken paused and blew a low moan through my hair. It was hot.
“This is fun.”
He covered the back of my hand with his own, lacing his thick fingers between mine. Then he scratched the flesh with the tips of his nails, digging lazily toward my peak, and my n****e was squeezed so tightly that there was nowhere to escape.
“Ah, ow!”
Ken held my hand still and rolled my n****e. I felt flustered by the rough stimulation at the tip of my b****t—not because of the pain, but because of how it inexplicably heated up my entire body. There was an intense craving especially deep in my stomach.
I didn’t know what to do with this newfound sensation. I just curled up and tried to endure the stimulation, but Ken didn’t let go of me in the slightest.
“This is fun.”
