A girl who had endured a living hell set foot into the forbidden forest of Gulas.

For a frail, undergrown human, the only desperate struggle she could make, was to propose to a beast.

“A husband? Who said you could marry me off as you please?”

Rejected for being too young and too small to mate, but with the 4th prince having taken everything from her, there was nowhere left for Staria to return to.

“Then don’t marry me yet, just wait, okay?”

Was it an irresistible ‘survival proposal’?

The ruler of the Murang race, Haska, who maintained a human form until his full awakening, somehow found himself assuming the role of her “reluctant” guardian.

“This castle is my territory. Everything inside it belongs to me. That includes her.”

In Gulas, where weakness was a sin, Staria vowed revenge.

Fearing that Haska might get hurt because of her, she longed to grow stronger.

Then, one day—

In the inescapable loom of fate, her dormant powers began to awaken.

***

“Are you… throwing me out?”

Her teary eyes widened as she blurted out the question, without even waiting for an answer, she continued.

“You said you’d raise me. I eat well, I study hard, I train every day… Are you sending me off to marry the Holy Knight Commander or something? Not that he’d even accept me…”

Terror flickered in her human eyes.

She was afraid of being abandoned.

Haska let out a sigh, picked her up, and sat her down on the sofa.

Then, he opened the lowest drawer of the side table, pulled out a pouch, and untied the string.

“Hand.”

A small, pale palm appeared, and with a soft plop, a candy landed on it.

“Stop staring and eat it.”

The crinkling of wrappers was followed by the sugar lump disappearing into her tiny mouth.

It was a giant candy, making one of Staria’s cheeks puff out.

First one side, then the other…

Seeing her cheeks alternately bulging, Haska couldn’t help but chuckle under his breath.

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