Chapter 86
Come to think of it… had she ever leaned on someone this much in her life?
Never once. Her mother had always called her oversensitive, and she couldn’t bring herself to tell her father or older brother. She had learned from her mother that things like this were shameful.
That buried shame now came back as sorrow, making her snap at Nox again and again.
As she sat there groaning, she realized she didn’t hear any footsteps. Curious, she started to turn her head, and something dropped right in front of her.
Plop. It landed without a sound. It was Lips.
“…Lips.”
The black cat with beautiful odd-colored eyes. Even knowing full well this was Nox, she felt a rush of relief so strong her eyes brimmed and tears spilled over. All the tangled emotions welled up and poured out uncontrollably.
Startled, Lips opened his small triangular mouth wide, then quickly licked away her tears with his tongue. The rasp felt even rougher than when he was in human form, but now it was a familiar touch.
Sia caught Lips in both hands and pulled him into her arms. The cat came easily, letting out only a thin mewl. Stroking the soft fur slowly, Sia whispered in a small voice.
“I’m sorry for being so irritable, Nox…”
Nyaa—ng.
It was almost as if he were saying no need to apologize. Sia felt a surge of gratitude as deep as her regret. Hugging the small cat tightly, she let his warm, gentle body heat lull her, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.
* * *
Cedric swung onto his horse, triumphant. The curious herb called catnip had worked wonders. He had shown only a tiny bit of it to the feline mages, and immediately they’d been in an uproar, all vying to take the job.
Some even said they didn’t need gold, payment in catnip would do.
“…Well, I can’t blame them. I barely managed to hold back myself.”
Just carrying it had tested his restraint over and over. The impulse to keep it for himself, to bury his nose in it and keep breathing it in. He even wondered how wonderful it would be to brew it as tea.
Before a single day had passed, Cedric had the magic tool Nox wanted. Urging his horse to gallop faster, he rushed back, eager to deliver it to the Madam.
* * *
The Crown Prince had returned to the Imperial Palace and gone straight to report to the Emperor. When he said the human woman couldn’t be found, the Emperor didn’t bother to hide his disappointment.
Louis returned to his own quarters with a heavy mood. Even as attendants bathed him, helped him into nightclothes, and prepared his bed, only one thought kept circling in his mind.
“…It can’t be.”
Dylan’s words were driving him mad, that thing about humans being physically weaker than beastkin.
“No, it’s not possible. How could a human appear with black hair? Lord Initium would never make such a mistake.”
He tried to comfort himself, but the image of that black-haired woman stumbling lingered, etched behind his eyes no matter how hard he tried to shut them. At last, unable to sleep, Louis sat up in bed.
“Why do I feel like I’ve missed something?”
Something important, something critical.
“The Duke would never hide something from me…”
However much he might dislike that man personally, Louis trusted him when it came to work. Would that stiff-necked Duke deceive the Crown Prince?
“…Ha. That scrupulous man?”
Even as he denied it aloud, the hairs on his neck prickled. Finally, Louis swung out of bed and ordered his attendants to prepare tea. Stepping out to the balcony, he let the cool night air clear his head.
“If I drink a cup of tea, maybe I’ll finally sleep.”
He wanted to banish these thoughts.
Pacing the balcony, he turned toward the sitting room when the tea arrived. Steam curled up from the cup, and he waited until it cooled enough to drink before taking a slow sip.
He had a more sensitive tongue than most feline beastkin. The tea was still hotter than he expected, so Louis winced slightly and set the cup down.
Then he caught sight of himself in the surface of the tea. Brilliant golden hair, clear blue eyes. Striking and regal.
“Hmph. The Duke has lived his whole life with black hair…”
By looks alone, the Duke was an attractive male too. Even heterochromatic eyes could be seen as a unique charm. But black fur… black fur could never be fully accepted among the feline tribes.
“Black hair that brings misfortune…”
If such a man met a woman with the same hair as his, of course he’d fall hopelessly in love.
“He’d probably think even giving up his liver and gall wouldn’t be enough. He’d hand over his whole fortune too.”
When males court their mates, don’t they risk their very lives?
Louis stared at the tea long grown cool, unable to lift it again. A sudden thought had struck.
If a male who’d known nothing but misfortune finally found happiness in a black-haired mate… would he really be willing to let her go just because the Emperor commanded it? Even if that mate was human?
Since childhood Louis had been pursued by countless females, but he’d never once considered this.
How a man who once had nothing might transform when finally given the one thing he desperately needed.
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