The Cat Who Weeps in the Dark - Chapter 69

When working, Helion was serious. From her position by the window, Katie could only see his back.

Most of her time guarding him was like this. The danger lay not in front of him but behind, so Katie always watched over him from the rear.

Helion wasn’t the type to focus on something easily, but once he did, he immersed himself with terrifying intensity.

This was especially true when he worked. Though it was hard for him to commit initially, once he decided to proceed, he switched into work mode without hesitation.

Once that happened, his back showed not the slightest movement. For dozens of minutes—or even hours—he would remain seated in the same posture as he handled his tasks.

Katie found that time comfortable. It was the only moment she could look at him without worrying about her expression.

Helion’s eyes were sharp. Even if he carried the bloodline of the gods, he didn’t possess the divine power one might find in a fantasy novel. As she had sensed, he was merely a man with greater strength and a more resilient body than an ordinary human.

Yet, whenever she met those brilliant golden eyes, she couldn’t help but think—Does he see through me? Is he peering into my heart?

His gaze was so persistent it made her entertain such absurd thoughts.

Yes. Persistent. There was no other word for it. His stare was sticky, clinging. Even after breaking eye contact, she sometimes felt the illusion that she was still trapped in his sight.

That was why his moments of focus were precious opportunities for Katie—times when she could watch him freely without worrying about such things.

But that didn’t mean she observed him with any particular intent. Her thoughts as she looked at his back were monotonous.

‘Why didn’t he expose the Imperial Knight’s crimes as they were?’

Or, resenting the things he had done in the past—

‘He doesn’t seem to want the war to resume.’

At most, she would glance at the documents he signed and remind herself of her mission.

But today, her thoughts were a little more complicated. All because of those strange words she had heard earlier.

‘He was only twelve.’

Like most people raised with proper morals, Katie had a soft spot for the weak. At the time of the incident, she hadn’t considered his age—after all, she had been young herself.

But now, as a full-grown adult looking back, it was clear—he had been just a child. A scrawny boy, four years her junior, so frail she could have carried him effortlessly as she ran.

Until now, she had been too busy resenting Helion. It was easier to blame a single boy than an entire empire, and his betrayal of her—his life’s savior—had provided the perfect excuse.

Yet, his behavior since she entered the Empire had been… strange.

No one yearned so desperately for the person they had betrayed. Silver hair, gray eyes—Helion welcomed anyone with even one of those traits into his bed without hesitation.

It was obvious who he was thinking of when he gave in to desire. Her. Not Katie, the spy disguised as a guard, but Katie, the girl who had saved him long ago.

Could someone truly harbor such feelings for the person they had betrayed?

Only now did it occur to her—perhaps he hadn’t caused the war, only stood by and watched. Too young and terrified to refute the adults’ misguided assumptions.

And there was one more thing that made it hard to lay all the blame on Helion. He had called this visit from the royal delegation an “alliance” to kill him. That phrasing reminded her of the day she first met him.

Back then, the Empire and the Kingdom had been on the verge of an alliance. After enduring generations of scorn and neglect, beastfolk were finally about to stand as equals among humans.

But everything had fallen apart when Helion’s life was threatened. Katie couldn’t help but suspect—