When I woke up, he's still there.
He positioned me on top of him, my head on his chest, holding me tight with one arm while his other hand caressed my hair.
He whispered, asking if I was awake and I nodded as I snuggled towards him.
My actions gave him joy as he embraced me tightly and nuzzled my face, smiling when he noticed that I was smiling too.
Seeing that I smiled, he continued to nuzzle me until his nuzzles turned into gentle kisses.
Then he stopped and softly asked me my reason for cutting my hair and whether I did it on purpose because of...
I covered his mouth before he could say more and told him about how my hair turned into crystal the first time I transformed and how I had such a terrible time running in my monster feet that I stumbled and broke most of it.
Of course, when I turned back into a human, my hair was such a mess that I let Bubu cut it because it didn't look nice.
Let me clarify that the pack, especially Lion, didn't know Deus and Bubu's real identities. I already told dad about it but I don't know why he still hasn't informed them yet.
Maybe dad has a reason. I'll ask him next time he communicates with me.
Lion looked quite sad as he kept touching my hair though he didn't say anything.
I know he loves my hair long and it's his pride and joy as he keeps buying all sorts of accessories for it, not to mention spending so much time braiding and styling it.
He can still braid and style it, but not very much.
When asked about my hair color, I told him I had no idea why it turned so white.
Stress, maybe?
He pondered for a bit before admitting that he had already noticed that the color of my hair was like that when I transformed back into a human inside the cage, though he thought that it was just the effects of the magic at that time.
It looks different but still pleasing to his eyes.
Except for the length of my hair.
I sigh and told him that it can still grow but will take time.
Just like our healing.
....
Lion asked me if I'm hungry and I told him that I don't remember the last time I had eaten.
He looked upset and kept on badgering me until I admitted that I didn't feel that hungry.
For quite some time.
Right. If he didn't ask me, then I wouldn't realize it.
Weird.
Maybe it's the transformation stone's power?
He must be thinking the same thing as he murmured that he is going to ask dad about it.
Still, he insisted that I must eat and was about to conjure some fruits when I begged him to let me bathe as I hadn't bathed for a long time.
But strangely, I didn't smell at all!
Lion thinks the same. He kept sniffing me all over before admitting that my scent was different, though a bit of my former scent remained.
He continued to sniff me all over, as if he wants to imprint my scent into his mind.
I still need a bath though.
The water is warm. I snuggled towards Lion as he placed me on his lap and held me tight as if he were afraid to let go of me.
I don't mind, because I miss his embraces.
We enjoyed the comfortable silence for a while until I remembered the rest of the pack.
Timidly, I asked him about the rest of the pack's well-being.
To be honest, I'm scared.
I'm scared of being told that they don't want me anymore.
Lion interrupted my thoughts and told me gently that the rest of the pack are waiting for me.
What?
Waiting for me?
Um.. where am I currently?
At this point, I finally remembered asking the important questions.
Lion chuckled before telling me that the room I'm in is at the very top of a tower.
What tower?
Hold on. I'm in a tower? Where is the tower located?
The tower I'm in is in the forest beside the palace.
What the...
I'm Rapunzel now? Rapunzel with a short hair? And no window in her room?
What kind of joke is this?
Seeing I was getting irritated, Lion hurriedly tried to calm me down and explained that I'm just here temporarily as everyone is observing me.
Who's everyone?
With a sigh, Lion admitted that Leon ordered it as Maelsa had recommended it for everyone's safety.
First, I'm a freak. Now I'm dangerous?!
Huh.
I don't know which one is better.
Wait. I'm getting distracted.
Sly has been guarding the tower since the time I was placed here. Also, it's his blood that has healed my bruises and other wounds, like the time I bit and chewed on my arms. Because Leon didn't allow him to enter the tower, fearing that he might release me, Sly put his blood in a vial and gave it to Lion.
Alpha wanted to guard the tower as well, but Leon forced him to continue his responsibilities as the heir of the territory. He still stops by regularly to ask for updates.
Orm was forced to continue his responsibilities as head of the magic users, but he was in such a dangerous mood that nobody dared to enter his office unless they had no choice.
Lion proudly told me that he's in the same boat and it's quite relaxing since much of his work has reduced because no one is demanding his attention.
Actually, all of them act that way towards others.
Seeing the look on my face, he kept on reassuring me that he and the rest of the pack are still on good terms and had agreed not to repeat what happened before I got sick.
They will definitely be much more careful with their words. They didn't mean it. They were just too stressed and frustrated.
But it doesn't excuse what they said to me, as it was quite painful. So they punished themselves and are waiting for a punishment from me, too.
Hmmm.. our time apart is enough punishment for them.
Lion told me that a huge fault falls on him, as he was supposed to be the leader and it was his responsibility to maintain peace and self control. Instead, he was like them and caused them to be so frustrated and exhausted that they couldn't think rationally.
It's true that he didn't think about everyone's limits and kept on going despite the risk.
The experience humbled him and also the rest of the pack.
It's a humbling experience for all of us.
I was about to confess something to him, but he interrupted me and told me to eat at least one piece of fruit.
To make him happy, I ate the fruit that he is holding without using my hands, much to his delight.
He was so delighted that he conjured up another fruit and another, until I gave him a look that made him chuckle.
But I ate all of it.
Oh, wait! How's Ghost?
As for Ghost, he is a nightmare according to the warriors. Nightmare enough that they begged for another individual to take his place.
Leon disagreed.
....
While Lion is dressing me up, I am asking him if dad knows everything that happened.
Yes.
And dad was in such an extremely dangerous mood that he destroyed many of the cultists' abode without mercy. The cultists were becoming too numerous, but dad managed to stop things from getting out of hand.
Also, dad admitted to Lion that it is a helpful way to improve his own skills and those of his underlings.
It is also helpful that many were already in bad shape because of me.
Yes, he knew that I had burned a lot of the cultists' places.
Lion at that moment stopped talking and asked me how I managed it.
Of course, I gave him a grin and told him that I could turn myself into other forms, including a fire dragon.
Amazed, he asked me what else I could change into.
It's better if I show him instead.
...
His face is full of mixed emotions.
He found it amusing but was also weirded out.
Right now, I'm standing in front of him in my deserter form....
Naked.
I continued to grin at him while he tried not to look below...
Curiousity got the best of him though.
That's the first time I saw him become embarrassed when looking at a male erection.
I'm not bothered by his reaction. In fact, I'm quite amused as I managed to make the erection lovely, attractive and big.
It was weird at first but I got used to having one.
Not to mention that I tried...
Ahem.
Of course, if you are a female and you got transformed into a male being, wouldn't you be curious?
And it was an unforgettable experience.
....
Lion pleaded that I return to my human form and I playfully refused at first, laughing at his weirded-out reactions until I complied.
He mumbled all sorts of unintelligible words while he dressed me, making me laugh at him as he clearly was traumatized by what happened.
After that, he kept on nuzzling me as he carried me back to bed.
While he is engrossed in nuzzling me, I ask him why he cannot make the room comfortable, especially the bed. He sighs sadly and tells me that it is forbidden because of Maelsa.
Maelsa? That sadistic piece of excrement!
Maelsa had convinced Leon somehow that making the room as plain as possible would prevent me from being overwhelmed and keeping my emotions under control is of utmost importance.
What a bunch of nonsense.
But to be fair, back in my previous world, there's this thing we called minimalism, which was done to reduce stress, improve mental clarity and promote serenity.
But this is too much!
It's a wonder I didn't lose my mind as there's nothing else for me to do except to stare at the walls or sleep.
I persuaded Lion sweetly, while promising that I wouldn't throw a tantrum or turn into a monster, that he should at least make the bed a bit more comfortable.
He immediately gave in and made it so cosy and soft that I felt a bit sleepy instantly.
Upon seeing me getting sleepy, he provided me a blanket as well and wrapped me with it like a cocoon.
Then he embraced me and gave me soft kisses all over my face as he whispered that I should sleep and promised that he won't leave my side.
I gave a yawn, closed my eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.
.....
When I woke up, he is still there but he tells me that he is going out for a while.
He hurriedly promised me that he would be back as soon as he could.
To his surprise, I held onto his arm while averting my eyes, saying softly that I didn't want him to leave me.
Instantly, he went back to lying down beside me and hid under the blanket, saying that they could work without him and that it's time for them not to rely on him all the time.
But it's okay for me to rely on him at all times.
He's playing hooky!
I laughed uncontrollably as I found the whole situation funny and ridiculous at the same time.
Seeing me laugh made him laugh too and we both laughed and laughed until we couldn't anymore.
My stomach hurts from laughing but I feel good.
After several moments, I asked him what the rest of the pack thought when they saw my hair back then.
They all agreed that it's too short and are a bit disappointed that they can't style or braid it like before.
My hair can still grow! It's not going be this short forever! And it's not even that short!
They acted like my hair was a buzz cut. In fact, the length of my hair is just up to my shoulders.
I told Lion that they can now make new hairstyles for me with my current hair length. He looked enthusiastic and mentioned that he would tell the rest of the pack about it.
I have a feeling that they would end up having a lively conversation about that.
Since I mentioned the pack, I asked him why they didn't rescue me when I was placed inside the cage.
He answered me with tears in his eyes that they tried to, but were told by Leon not to release me until Maelsa says so, or I might get punished by Maelsa for their actions.
Why that...
Just you wait, Maelsa! You piece of excrement!
I complained that no one fed me, gave me clothes to wear, or even a blanket to cover myself. It's only "Bubu" who gave me water to drink.
Again, Maelsa convinced Leon with some sort of nonsense as to why they shouldn't do it.
If Maelsa isn't that powerful, I don't think he will last a minute in this world.
....
Lion attempted to braid my hair while discussing my monster appearance. He admitted that, like the others, it is also his first time seeing it.
He doesn't have any idea what kind of monster I am.
Of course I already had an idea, so I told him about my deductions.
Before I told him, I asked him if he had my Buddhist staff with him.
He made it appear and I warned him not to over react, which he promised.
Then I gripped the handle of the Buddhist staff.
Sweat dripped from my forehead, my hand slightly burned before I released it.
Lion immediately took out a vial filled with Sly's blood and made me drink it.
Of course I will drink it! It hurts!
After a long time stunned by the revelation, he asked me if I'm entirely a demon.
So I shared with him my deduction that I'm not a complete demon, but rather that a bit of demon's blood is mixed into my body.
By adding the corrupted transformation magic stone that was embedded on my forehead.... voila! A new creation!
Human+Demon+Corrupted Transformation magic stone= The new monster Iris
Corrupted?
Lion interrupted me in the middle of my rambling and asked why I knew that it was corrupted. Also, why didn't I tell him about it?
Uh-oh.
I looked down in shame as I told him about everything, starting from the time I found the appearance of the transformation stone to be weird.
Also the symptoms that dad warned me about, which I just brushed off.
Everything that happened, including when I visited Khamsin's city.
And rescued him and his city.
I couldn't look at Lion after I finished my entire story.
I have sinned against him. A great many sins to be exact.
It's like I'm confessing in front of a god.
Oh, why didn't dad contact me?!
Ah, of course. Because of this stupid transformation stone!
Lion didn't say anything for a long time but just embraced me tightly.
.....
He didn't work for several days but continued to stay with me.
I'm at his mercy, as he fed me even though I wasn't hungry. He threatened that he wouldn't eat either if I didn't eat.
That's blackmail!
We cuddled and talked about all sorts of things, including how he found it quite funny that I swatted Maelsa and choked him too.
Of course he didn't laugh back then because of circumstances but now there's no reason for him to hold back his laughter.
He admitted that seeing Maelsa not even make an effort to defend himself made him more determined to train more and improve all his skills.
A long way to go before he can challenge Maelsa.
That's why he and the rest of the pack tried their best to hold back for now.
.....
I've been in this prison for almost six months.
It's only Lion who was allowed to stay with me.
He always made sure to return from work as fast as possible.
Secretly, he made the room as comfortable as possible and gave me my harp so I had something to do besides stare at the wall.
Soon, I got so bored of singing that I requested him to leave some scrolls and quills for me so I could draw to pass the time. He gave me several, on which I drew all sorts of stuff that he always looked at as soon as he returned from work.
He always gave me flowers and it boosted my mood.
The room looks brighter, despite having no windows.
Every time he returned from work, he brought flowers and the stuff the rest of the pack wanted to give me.
Sly always sends all sorts of trinkets that he makes. Alpha always sends a different rug every time Lion visits, which is made from beasts he has hunted. They were getting too many that we placed almost everything inside a magic bag.
Orm sent Lion a lot of books that he thought I might enjoy, which Lion read aloud to me before we slept. As for Ghost, he regularly sends too much food so I am forced to eat more than I'm used to.
I miss them too.
Lion cannot use the communication device here, as he says there's strong magic preventing us...
Argh! I'll make it simple. There's no signal here as there is something disrupting it.
That's enough explanation.
....
Lion snapped his fingers and all our stuff disappeared except for the bed.
I'm being released today!
He dressed me in something flattering when out of the blue, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him.
I thanked him for staying with me and he simply smiled tenderly at me. He embraced me tightly before carrying me in his arms, telling me that he would always be by my side forevermore.
Then we went out the door.