The Cat Who Weeps in the Dark - Chapter 2

However, no true cat stays down when thrown.

Katie flipped midair and landed perfectly on her feet. Then, she let out an ear-piercing shriek.

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

Her mother had told her. “Always scream if you’re in danger.”

Thankfully, the tactic worked. The man visibly flinched, hesitating as he glanced around. Seizing the moment, Katie grabbed the boy’s hand.

“RUN!”

Katie was more confident in her running than anything else. She tucked the boy—smaller than her—under her arm and leaped onto the top of the wall.

Tap, thud.

Shaking off the man was easy. Human bodies were slow and heavy. Catching a small cat darting through narrow alleys, jumping over walls, was nearly impossible.

Only when she was absolutely certain they had escaped did Katie finally stop. Rubbing her sore shoulder, she set the boy down.

‘I’m such a good kid! Saving someone in danger! Mother would definitely praise me if she knew.’

Puffing up with pride, she lifted her head, already imagining the boy’s grateful words. But what came from him wasn’t thanks—nor an apology. It was resentment.

“Why did you help me?”

“…What?”

Katie blinked, utterly bewildered.

“You should’ve let me die. That would’ve been better for everyone.”

“What kind of nonsense is that after I went out of my way to save you?”

“Even if I survive today, I’ll die soon anyway.”

The boy’s voice was eerily calm for someone talking about death. So lifeless that for a moment, Katie wondered if he was already a ghost.

Her chest burned. She clenched her fists.

“How would you know that? My mother told me—surviving means you’re strong. And in this world where the strong eat the weak, being strong means you can survive.”

At that, the boy’s eyes widened. Only then did Katie really look into them. His irises were a brilliant gold, like the sun itself had been pressed into them.

The boy’s lips parted as if to say something—but at the same time, distant voices began calling out, searching for him.

“Your Highness!”

“Where are you?!”

Katie startled, her body tensing. Now that she thought about it—this boy was the Empire’s Crown Prince.

The Empire was infamous for looking down on the Kingdom’s beastkin. There were even nasty rumors that they captured beastkin just to torment them.

“I—I’d better go!”

Katie quickly turned away. She saw the boy reaching out toward her, but there was no time to hesitate. She vanished into the darkness of a distant alley.

When she got home, Katie proudly recounted every detail of that night’s events to her mother.

But instead of the praise she expected, her mother let out a strangled groan and scolded her harshly.

“Good heavens, Katie… Didn’t I tell you? Never take in a black-haired beast.”

The truth of those words soon became clear. The imperial delegation that had returned home declared war.

The First Prince, who had gone to propose an alliance, had allegedly faced a threat to his life. The Empire claimed it was the Kingdom’s declaration of war against them.

But Katie knew the truth. The one who had raised a sword against the prince was an imperial knight—and the one who had saved him was her.

The life she had saved had returned to her as the ruin of a near-forged alliance and the start of a war. It was unjust, but there was no chance to explain.

“Katie. Sometimes, lies hold more power than the truth.”

Her mother begged her, over and over, never to speak of that night to anyone else.

And so, the war began.

Katie hated the boy who had hidden the truth and stayed silent. As neighbors were dragged to the battlefield and returned as corpses, her resentment toward him grew fiercer.

When news finally arrived that the First Prince had slaughtered hundreds of the Kingdom’s people and become a war hero of the Empire, Katie thought to herself.

The child she had saved had repaid kindness with enmity.

She had spared his life, and in return, he had raised his sword against her people.

And so, the events of that night became a nightmare known only to Katie and her mother.