Chapter 71
Never thought humans could be so clumsy
Nox, who had been working at his desk, slammed it hard as he thought of the Crown Prince, who still hadn’t left even though it had already been four days. The aides, who had been holding their breath knowing the Duke’s temper had been unsettled lately, all flinched and hunched their shoulders at once.
“……”
Nox was so restless he could hardly stand it. According to the information he had, the Crown Prince had only stayed a single night at other lords’ estates before moving on. Then why was he lingering so long in his mansion?
What’s more, the Crown Prince disliked him. The man who had once despised him simply for being born with black fur had even gone so far as to issue something close to a threat. Shouldn’t he have left immediately after that?
Seeing him loiter about, clinging on like some beast that’s caught a scent, made Nox’s insides burn with rage.
But he couldn’t let the anger show. Because it seemed the one who had sparked the Crown Prince’s lingering suspicion… was himself.
“…Did I go too far?”
He’d grown sensitive because the man had dared to release rats into his own mansion, and worse, one of them had wandered the floor where Sia was. He’d intended only to warn the Crown Prince so that he would never again send shadow knights. But at that time, the Crown Prince seemed to have noticed something.
While mechanically reading over the newly delivered documents, Nox thought,
‘Sia must be feeling terribly stifled…’
Worrying about her, he decided he’d have to sneak over to see Sia later and quickened his pace with the work.
Once the Duke’s piercing aura subsided, the aides let out quiet sighs of relief and turned back to their tasks. But the speed at which the Duke was reviewing the documents was anything but ordinary.
* * *
“Marie, what did Lord Nox say?”
Sia, who had been sprawled lazily across the sofa in her private sitting room, asked casually. Marie, who was preparing tea by her side, hesitated before replying.
“…He, um, said today won’t work either.”
Nox had said it would take no more than two days at most, but this was already the second time he’d refused her request to go out. And it wasn’t just that. He had visited her every day, but he had now stopped coming altogether, leaving her oddly restless.
Could it be the Crown Prince wasn’t just an excuse?
Aren’t there men like that? The type whose interest plummets right after sleeping with you.
Could Nox be that type? She didn’t know much about cat werebeasts, but thinking back to the mercenaries who used to flirt at Karin’s shop, it didn’t seem impossible.
“Huu…”
It wasn’t even certain, but she felt angry anyway. She felt foolish for having bared all her secrets to him so honestly. Her stomach was churning, and Sia, unable to even look at the steaming tea before her, silently rose from her seat.
“Ah, Milady?”
“Where’s Anna?”
“Ah, I took Anna back to the annex earlier.”
“Why? She could stay here. Ah, Anna must have felt stifled too.”
Sia nodded sharply to herself as if she had found the reason, muttering alone. Startled, Marie hurried to explain.
“It’s not that. It’s just… she kept clinging to you too much, Milady…”
The child was honest and pure. Once she’d opened her heart, Anna wouldn’t leave Sia’s side. Instead, she’d shower her with playful affection that soothed Sia’s pent-up feelings.
But without Anna here, Sia felt like she might burst from the restlessness. Still, she couldn’t summon Anna back just for her own mood’s sake. Already having resolved to go out, Sia said nothing more and headed straight to the dressing room.
“Milady!”
“I’m just going to the garden. That’s fine, isn’t it?”
“B-But Master said…”
“That’s why I’ll make it quick, before Lord Nox knows, swoosh!”
“The Crown Prince is still staying in the mansion.”
“That’s why I need your help, Marie. There are stairs and hallways the servants use, right?”
Marie’s eyes widened at Sia’s words. If Nox found out she’d guided her that far, she might be scolded.
“Please, Marie. Haven’t we gotten a little closer?”
Well, that was true. It was Sia who, despite Marie’s formal speech, had insisted on dropping honorifics to feel closer.
“…Then please wear a cloak.”
“Cloak?”
Sia didn’t really know what kinds of clothes were in her dressing room. Naturally, Marie, far more familiar with the wardrobe than Sia herself, swiftly pulled out a robe. Made of fine black fabric with a subtle blue sheen and embroidered with gold thread along the edges, it looked luxurious.
“You should cover your face.”
“Ooh, this is exciting.”
Sia marveled at the cloak that covered her from head to toe. She looked just like a protagonist from a fantasy movie.
Discussion
2 CommentsReactions
Erica
RBluemoon238
ML needs to inform her of possible abductions and experiments that could happen if she gets caught...
It would be kind of difficult for him to say she would become a Brood-Mare