Chapter 53

She thought it was just about being physically involved with him, but it didn’t seem like it was just that. Each time Frisia’s heart opened up to Aslei, even just a little, she noticed that the curse weakened.

‘So maybe… … .’

In the fairytale ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ the Beast returns to being human after being kissed by the beauty. 

Of course, they’ve kissed countless times before, so it’s maybe not… … .

As Frisia approached and reached out to touch Aslei’s face, he seemed nervous. His sad eyes sank, darkening with a struggle between wanting to avoid her hand and wanting to reach out to her too.

“Aslei… … .”

It was impossible to kiss him deeply because of his form, but she would be able to kiss him lightly on the lips. Finally, Frisia managed to kiss him on the corner of his mouth.

At her brief touch, Aslei closed his eyes. Just moments ago, he believed that this very same person was someone he would never be able to see or reach out to again.

‘He hasn’t changed… … .’

Aslei looked down at her with soft eyes. Frisia clenched her fist, wondering what should be her next move.

To hell with true love!

The pit of Frisia’s stomach was boiling with indignation, wondering, ‘what the hell is love!’. She cherished Aslei but did not passionately love him wildly or intensely.

The subtle feelings of attraction between people… … . Yes, she could confidently say that she liked him, as evident by her efforts on his behalf. But it wasn’t love.

‘No! I love Aslei! This is love too!’

It wasn’t a profound romantic love– but as a friend, partner, and colleague, she could definitely say it was love.

Who says friendship is not love? This is love too!

The feeling that bloomed in parents as they cared for their children was love, and the heart of children that followed their parents could also be love. A friendship between friends is also love, so why not say ‘I love you!’

‘So… … you can do it!’

Frisia opened her mouth and felt her brazen face swell as she looked at him. At her ever-changing expressions, Aslei stared at her, wondering what she was up to.

‘FUCK. No matter how much I try and think myself out of this, this must be what the goddess required.’

Although she was afraid of taking responsibility for her words later, she had to lift Aslei’s curse right now.

“I… … .”

I? Aslei’s droopy ears reflexively stood up. Ugh, it was unavoidable.

“*Cough* Haaa… … .”

After taking a deep breath, Frisia stared at Aslei, looking solemn. Lives were on the line! She could do this!

“I… I love you.”

As those words finally managed to leave her mouth, Aslei’s eyes widened. His golden eyes were piercing.

He had observed Frisia for a long time. So he knew what she said was a lie, but his heart still trembled.

The moment he thought he was happy, even if it was a lie, his whole body became hot.

Along with his heart, there was a visible change. His body, covered with black fur, started to shine with a golden glow and began to diminish.

Ah… … . Frisia standing close to him, covered her agape mouth in astonishment. Then, while still making eye contact with her, Aslei, previously standing on four legs was now standing on his two feet as his body began to shrink and transform into his original physique.

Her heart filled with joy.

“Frisia!”

Aslei spread his arms; she ran to him, splashing water around, and hugged him. Holding him tightly, Frisia almost sheds tears of joy… … .

‘Huh?’

She found a pointy protrusion through his golden hair and stroked it. Aslei blinked, looking puzzled as he registered the sensation.

It wasn’t the only unusual thing that caught her eye. A black-haired wolf’s tail was wagging around Aslei’s ass.

‘Shit.’

This seemed to be the limit for a curse lifted by a false confession.

Although now he resembled the beast people who were a hybrid of humans and animals, his curse had been lifted to some extent. Frisia took out the clothes she had packed for him, avoiding his gaze that had been staring at her since before.

“Here are the pants, the top and the shoes. Oh, are you going to wash first?”

“What about my wife?”

She hadn’t heard his voice in a long time. She had always thought Aslei’s tone was pleasing, but now it seemed to tickle and melt the inside of her ears.

“Your clothes are wet, so you need to change.”

His deep and sweet voice gave her a shiver and goosebumps. She knew that it wasn’t the cold water in the lake that caused this change.

‘You’re exuding a ton of alluring pheromones!’

Frisia swallowed a gasp at the resonating voice of a gorgeous young man who seemed to be blatantly asking her to devour him.