IMBSM 2

Chapter: 2

Is he really… a monster?

From one point of view, he certainly looked like one.

After all, the worst crime he seemed capable of committing was stealing someone else’s blanket on a cold night to cover himself.

Just as Ivenia narrowed her eyes, searching for some terrifying trait she might have missed, the bundle of blankets that had been faintly wriggling slowly folded upright at a right angle—as if the upper body had been raised.

Then, from inside, came a deep, rough voice that clashed completely with the cozy appearance.

“Guillermo, didn’t I clearly tell you not to let me so much as catch sight of you for at least the next hundred years?”

“That’s why I left you alone while you slept for the past ten years. Do you really not know what day it is today?”

“What day is it supposed to be…?”

The blanket monster stopped mid-scolding.

Even though his face was completely hidden and there should have been nothing to see, he seemed to instantly sense Ivenia’s presence.

His voice sharpened.

“A human?”

“She’s the second daughter of House Hessen. The younger sister of your late fiancée. She’s come to fulfill the contract in her sister’s place.”

“What kind of nonsense is that? What the hell did you people do while I was asleep to end up sending a bride? Didn’t I say the whole marriage thing was off?”

“But the contract doesn’t specify whether the bride must be the eldest or the second daughter.”

“Are you going to keep pretending you don’t understand what I’m saying? Or have you finally decided to stop imitating a person altogether?”

The blanket monster growled viciously.

Judging from the conversation, that cocoon really did seem to be her fiancé. In other words, the one rumored to devour human hearts alive…

“I’m naked, so get her out of here first.”

With an irritated motion, the man pulled the blanket down to beneath his chin.

True to his words, his bare shoulder was revealed just barely enough to be indecent.

But Ivenia’s gaze wasn’t drawn to his exposed body—it was locked onto his face.

Their eyes met briefly.

The first words that slipped out of her mouth, completely unconsciously, were absurdly—

“I heard you had… a monstrous appearance…”

“There hasn’t been a single second of my life when I was ugly.”

The man replied as if he’d just heard the most ridiculous nonsense, running his left hand through his hair.

Ivenia couldn’t help but feel flustered. She’d never imagined hearing such a princely, self-absorbed remark from a monster that was supposed to eat her alive.

Still, she couldn’t bring herself to deny it. That would have been a matter of conscience.

Jet-black hair, delicately sculpted eyes like a work of art, a tall, straight nose anchoring his features, and lips and a jawline arranged in perfect harmony.

He didn’t look human—yet calling him a monster would have been an even greater lie.

Without realizing it, Ivenia took a step back.

“I was told you weren’t human…”

“I was, up until four hundred years ago. That’s why my temper’s still terrible.”

Guillermo, the subordinate, chimed in at just the right moment, as if tattling.

Ivenia knew well enough what kind of being the man before her was.

The nominal ruler of the Ritberg region—Monster Ram. His true name was Agram Ritberg.

Born before the imperial map had even taken its current shape, he was a figure more like an ancient folktale than a living being.

In his human days, he had been a hero who vanquished evil and saved the world. But in his later years, it was said he lost his sanity after acquiring power too great to bear.

The rumor that he favored human—especially maiden—hearts was a story passed down since her grandmother’s grandmother’s time.

Even those who didn’t believe such tales never denied that Ritberg was dangerous land.

Everyone who had entered Ritberg seeking ancient treasure had never returned—stories with real substance behind them.

But what about the man standing before her now?

If he simply dressed properly, wouldn’t he blend into a crowd without any trouble at all?

If people stared, it would surely be because of his striking beauty—and nothing else.

Entranced, Ivenia began listing the rumors she’d heard about him, her words tumbling out chaotically.

“…They said your whole body was covered in fur, and your claws were sharp like a carnivorous beast’s.”

The man snorted.

“You’ve got quite the imagination.”

“They said your mouth was bigger than a grown man is tall, and you could swallow someone like me in one bite.”

“With transformation magic, that might be possible…”

“They said you need to drink blood to survive, so when you see a person, you tear out their throat without hesitation.”

“Oh, if you don’t leave soon, I might do exactly that. Scared? If you don’t want to see blood, get out.”

“But instead, you’re just… hiding under the blankets, waiting for me to leave on my own…”

An awkward silence settled over the room.

Having his true feelings pointed out, the man fell quiet.

Only then did Ivenia regain her composure and lift an eyebrow slightly.

“So… in truth, you don’t want to hurt people?”

He stared at her with irritated eyes. He didn’t refute her, though—perhaps because she was right.

Bizarre phenomena straight out of a dream, strange people, an oddly peaceful atmosphere, and a conversation that had gone on far longer than it should have.

Nothing made sense—but one thing was certain. At least for now, he didn’t seem to want to eat her.

Ivenia let out a hollow breath.

“That’s a problem. I came here to die.”

“I thought I’d secured myself a living bride—not a corpse-in-training.”

“That’s the opposite of what we believed. My family and I thought Lord Ram was saving someone who was about to become a corpse.”

Before he could respond, Ivenia quickly added,

“That’s why I came here.”

The man shut his mouth, looking troubled.

Perhaps even that brief explanation was enough for him to grasp the complicated circumstances behind her.

After scratching the back of his head for a moment, he turned his gaze to Guillermo, who stood beside Ivenia.

“…Hey, Guillermo. What year was the second daughter of House Hessen born?”

“Do you even remember what year it is? If you’re asking her age—she’s eighteen.”

“Eighteen…”

The man let out a long sigh and rose to his feet.

As he did, the blanket wrapped around him instantly transformed into a robe of the same color.

Tightening the belt around his waist, he approached Ivenia, who stood frozen in shock.

He was the one who had demanded a bride, even binding the contract with an oath—yet now he looked at the arrived Ivenia as if she were nothing but a massive headache.

“Kid, it looks like you’ve got your own reasons for coming here. For now, go cool your head somewhere.”

As he spoke, he lightly flicked her forehead with his fingertip.

Though it was barely a push, in the next instant, Ivenia found herself standing in a room she had never seen before.

Judging by the similar layout and atmosphere, it seemed she had been moved somewhere else within the same castle.

Left alone in the quiet, the crushing sensation of death slowly returned, and only then did what had just happened begin to feel real.

Ivenia collapsed onto the floor as if her strength had drained away.

She had heard that Monster Ram was a being beyond humanity—but she had never imagined he could perform such absurd miracles as easily as breathing.

None of it felt real.

Staring blankly as she replayed the events in her mind, Ivenia muttered in a dazed voice,

“…A kid?”

She was a full-grown adult. Old enough to be called a lady, not a child.

Being treated like an immature brat was ridiculous enough—but the reason was even more absurd. Because she had tried to fulfill her role as a living sacrifice.

“He didn’t eat me. He didn’t kill me. I said I came prepared for it…”

But the monster wasn’t a monster.

She had been insolent, even—but he hadn’t lifted a hand against her.

Hugging herself tightly, Ivenia felt utterly disoriented.

Suddenly, a question she’d had since childhood slipped past her lips.

Why did the monster call the tribute offered to him a bride rather than food?

“…Don’t tell me—he really meant to get married?”