The Cat Who Weeps in the Dark - Chapter 78

Midway through signing a document, Helion swiveled his chair to face her. Forced to meet his gaze, Katie stiffened.

“Are you hurt somewhere?”

“No. Not at all.”

“Your expression is off.”

“It’s always like this.”

“No. The corners of your eyes are drooping more than usual.”

Katie raised a hand to touch the outer edge of her eye. The sharp, upturned slant she’d been born with was as pronounced as ever.

“You’re mistaken. My eyes are perfectly fine.”

“He’s right, Your Highness. What difference does it even make? To me, Katie looks the same as always—glaring at you like usual.”

Cheche, standing nearby, chimed in. Helion shot him an irritated look before sharply turning his chair back around.

“Honestly, you…”

The complaint lacked a subject, but Katie assumed it was directed at Cheche and ignored it.

“By the way, Katie. Nothing really happened, right?”

Once Helion was done, it was Cheche’s turn to pry. Katie shook her head immediately.

“Nothing at all. What could possibly happen in this palace that’s worth mentioning?”

“Fair enough.”

“Did something need to happen, though?”

“Why are you making it sound like I’m being unreasonable? I only asked because you’re never late.”

Cheche trailed off, shooting Katie a sidelong glance. His walnut-brown eyes held unmistakable concern.

He really was a warm person. Cheche had looked out for her from the moment she first joined the royal guard. The fact that the other knights treated her kindly—unlike the usual hostility mid-rank knights faced—was entirely his doing.

It’s not the wind but the sunlight that strips a traveler of their coat, or so the saying went. The worry in his voice, rather than reprimand, softened the edges of Katie’s irritation, frayed by days of provocation.

“I just overslept. And even if something had happened, I’m a grown adult. I can handle it myself.”

“Right. Not like you’re the type to endure quietly if something’s wrong anyway.”

Only then did Cheche’s expression relax. Katie responded with a faint smile instead of words.

Honestly, in the past, she wouldn’t have tolerated these petty provocations. Backbiting was one thing, but throwing flowerpots or dumping water was crossing a line. Today, she’d even been late for the first time in her life because she had to change clothes.

She could overlook a lot, but interfering with her duty was unforgivable.

Yet Katie hadn’t confronted them—because the rumors they spread held fragments of truth.

‘She slept with the crown prince to climb the ranks.’

‘She even barged into his bedroom soaked. And Prince Damian was there too! She was aiming for either one, wasn’t she?’

Their gossip wove truth and lies seamlessly.

She’d never sought status, but it was true she’d slept with Helion. She hadn’t schemed to ensnare either prince, but yes, she’d entered that bedroom drenched.

She could no longer declare, ‘I am not a courtesan. I am a knight,’ with the same conviction. She’d given up her body—for a transaction, yes, but the sacrifice remained.

‘If I ignore it, the rumors will die down eventually. I didn’t accept this deal without preparing for this.’

And it would be temporary. She’d endured similar treatment in Damian’s palace.

When Damian first began pursuing her, many knights mocked her. But when she refused to react, it was they who grew weary first. Sure, exceptions like Arnin’s clique existed, but they were few.

This time would be no different. Left alone, the rumors would fade. And sleeping with Helion didn’t erase the fact that she was a knight.

If they mocked her for tarnishing her honor, so be it. But she’d never neglected her duties, not once, throughout her “transaction” with Helion.

She’d served her shifts unflinching, trained diligently, even when her body ached.

So Katie held her head high. She might ache from their barbs, but she wouldn’t cower.

‘Instead of wasting time on gossip, I’ll prove what truly matters for a knight, skills.’

She threw herself into work with unmatched fervor—intercepting assassins before they struck, volunteering for extra patrols. Physical exertion was the best way to silence her mind.

Helion watched it all in silence. Too focused on her tasks, Katie didn’t notice—not until she realized he’d set down his pen entirely, his gaze fixed on her.