Chapter 49

Chapter 49

The young marquis visited Koverskhalden again. In his right arm, he carried a small flowerpot planted with short greenery. As promised, he’d brought catnip.

“Is this catnip?”

I stepped closer to him, looking down at the grass I’d never seen before. The flat green leaves seemed no different from the ordinary grasses that sprouted on mountains and in fields.

“That’s right.”

“It looks ordinary. I’ve never seen it before. I only knew that cats like it.”

“Then would you like to come closer? This is a type of herb, so it has a distinctive scent.”

As the Young Marquis said, I took one step closer to him, then bent down and pressed my nose to the catnip leaf. A cool scent rushed into me.

“Wow. That’s nice. I like this smell.”

“Is that so? Me too. It seems our tastes are alike.”

He narrowed his eyes into a smile.

“Well then, Laura. Where shall we place this pot? At the spot where the cat ghost appeared before?”

“Yes. The same spot where I waited for the cat yesterday with the box in front of me.”

After that, we walked side by side straight to the direction where the cat had first appeared. Then we set down the catnip pot in front of it.

“Will the cat really come?”

He asked me in a somewhat puzzled tone.

“Well, it didn’t show up for a long time last time, so I think we’ll have to wait a while again.”

I replied, putting the box I’d brought along next to the pot. But just then — contrary to my expectations — the cat’s form appeared, sliding into view.

“Oh! Oh! It came! The cat!”

The cat, materializing like smoke, immediately hopped onto the pot and began rubbing its body against the catnip.

*Wow. It really seems to love this.*

I crouched down in front of it to get a closer look at the creature.

“Did it come? How is it? Is the catnip I brought working?”

The Young Marquis also bent one knee and settled beside me.

“Yes. It loves it. I didn’t know it would like it this much… It’s amazing.”

“Is that so? I’m glad to have been of help. Since I can’t see it, there’s no way for me to know.”

He propped his chin on one hand. His gaze lingered on the catnip pot for a moment.

“Come to think of it, what does the cat look like? I can’t see it, so I’m curious what Laura is looking at.”

He turned to me abruptly and asked. Having seen them since childhood, seeing souls was natural to me, but from the Young Marquis’s perspective, there would be nothing visible — just the catnip pot sitting alone.

I nodded as if to answer him, then studied the cat closely. I opened my mouth again to describe the creature.

“It looks a bit thin, but it’s pretty. Hmm… Its eyes are blue. They seem deeper than the sky but lighter than the deep sea. Like water shimmering in sunlight.”

“That must be beautiful.”

“Yes. And its fur is black.”

But as soon as I said it, I realized the blue eyes, the black coat—the whole look matched the cat from Neo Street, second alley. It hit me: this one might be from that stray’s bloodline.

And… wait. Something else is familiar too…

“Come to think of it, the coloring reminds me of Elize.”

The young marquis murmured it like a thought adrift.

Oh. Now that he says it!

“What?! You’re right! This cat’s expression is a bit dirty… I mean, fierce… no, it gives off an aura that says ‘keep your distance.’”

In my delight, I’d nearly badmouthed my superior. I pressed my lips tight and shook my head sharply to snap myself back.

Stop right there, Laura Highen. No trash-talking your boss in front of his friend!

“Haha. Elize does come off a bit cold, doesn’t he? How should I put it… His face looks kind of intimidating at first glance.”

“Yes! Yes! That’s right! It’s certainly not a welcoming face.”

But my composure unraveled in an instant at what he said next. Before I knew it, I was nodding along vigorously, caught up in agreement.

“He was like that even as a kid. Even when his cheeks were still round and chubby, his expression always had that sharp edge.”

“And it gets worse when he’s busy, I think!”

“Right. Laura knows this too. When you cut back on sleep because you’re busy, it shows all over your face, doesn’t it? That exhausted look.”

“Yes, yes! He gets heavy dark circles under his eyes.”

It was only after saying all that that I felt a sudden jolt of realization. So I hurriedly shut my mouth and stole a glance at the young marquis.

“…I suppose I rambled on a bit… about pointless things, didn’t I?”

“Pointless? Not at all. I found it quite entertaining.”

“It’s just… I’m worried I said too much about His Grace the Duke.”

“We’re among friends, so what does it matter? I won’t breathe a word to Elize. Let’s just keep it between us, alright?”

He raised his index finger to his lips. The light, easy smile he wore coaxed a small laugh out of me.

“Fine. I won’t tell His Grace either.”

Then, scratching awkwardly under his chin, he turned his gaze back to the cat. The cat had curled up inside the box, purring contentedly.

It’s even using the box I set out. How adorable…

“Laura, is the cat still there?”

The young marquis asked. His expression made it clear he expected the box to be empty again this time, so I answered in place of his eyes.

“Yes. This time it’s lying inside the box. Looks like it quite likes it.”

“How is it? Is it cute?”

“Yes. Incredibly so.”

“And pretty?”

“Yes.”

“It must be lovable.”

“Yes.”

“Laura. Will you be my partner for the Imperial Family’s banquet?”

“…Excuse me?”

I jolted at the sudden proposal, locking eyes with him.

“Ah, what a shame.”

The young marquis gave me a rounded smile.

“Th-that… Young Marquis…”

“Don’t overthink it. You can say no.”

“…….”

“Just answer however your heart tells you.”

He spread his hands, palms open, his tone playful. Still, I felt a bit awkward.

“I… I’m sorry…”

“Alright. I understand.”

“…….”

“Haha. Don’t keep making that apologetic face. It’s fine. Honestly, a partner wasn’t that important anyway. Hmm… Still, I wanted to make a show of it. How should I put it? I wanted to get under your skin.”

The young marquis murmured, almost to himself.

“So, Laura. What’s the cat up to now?”

Then he switched topics and asked me, his voice a bit higher than before. He seemed to be trying to lighten the air that had settled between us. Without adding much, I just turned to look at the cat.

“Uh… He’s just letting out a long yawn… Huh? Huh?!”

“What’s wrong?”

That’s when I spotted a long, torn-looking wound on the cat’s head.

“Oh, nothing. The cat has a wound. Must have gotten hurt while still alive.”

“Oh dear. Is it bad?”

“Yes. It looks that way.”

It wasn’t deep enough to have caused its death, but it was a gash that ran plenty deep.

*There’s a story behind this, isn’t there?*

Then again. Attachments always left a story, left a lingering soul unable to ascend…

Even if it wasn’t because of that wound, that cat was surely holding onto some regret in the land of the living.

*Whatever it is, I hope it can shake it off and ascend soon…*

I rested my chin on my knees, still crouched. Amidst a jumble of complicated feelings, I was already searching for a way to help the cat ascend in my mind.

* * *

“They said he kept a black cat at the fabric shop. Ten years ago, that was. He has one now at the fruit stand, took in a stray, it seems.”

The man on the street was rambling on, detailing the information he’d gathered for me.

“The government comes by from time to time to cull the strays around these streets. Black ones are among ’em, but I couldn’t find out what the government does with ’em.”

“By any chance, did the cat from the fabric shop have blue eyes?”

“Don’t know that far. I can find out, if the pay’s right.”

“No, that’s fine.”

I could just ask them directly, after all.

Considering just the facts at hand, it seemed highly likely that the cat raised in the fabric shop was the one we were after. If that creature had blue eyes, this whole affair might wrap up quickly.

Meow—

A familiar mew sounded behind me. Before long, a black cat suddenly appeared, let out a short cry, and approached the man. Then it hopped onto his lap and settled in.

“What the—?! This damn cat!”

The man glared down at the cat, thoroughly annoyed.

Meow—

The cat shot back with an irritable retort. How to put it… it was actually a rather endearing sight.

But at a glance, the creature seemed to have grown a lot since I last saw it.

“Is this the cat you’ve been looking after?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It looks much bigger than when I saw it before. Is it in a growth spurt?”

It was true. Before, it had been small enough that anyone would call it a kitten, but now its body had swelled to the size of a full-grown cat.

“This rascal shows up every time I try to eat, knowing somehow, and steals it all! That’s why this runt’s gotten all fat and bloated like a little piglet!”

“Ah. So it’s eating well and growing fast, then.”

“Tch. I barely have enough to eat myself, and this beastly creature is nothing but a nuisance. It’s driving me crazy.”

The man pat-patted the cat and pushed it away. The cat slid along, yielding to his touch.

Meow—

The creature let out a cry, as if offended. Then it strutted off, huffy, out onto the street.

Rumble—

But in that instant, a carriage came barreling down with a thunderous clatter. It didn’t slow down at all, as if it hadn’t spotted the cat crossing the road. Before we could do anything, the carriage struck the cat and sped right over it.

“No. Th-this cat!”

The man shouted and rushed frantically to its side. He scooped up the creature that had been flung out from under the carriage. The top of the cat’s head was split open, blood welling up.

“Oh dear! Oh god, no!”

He quickly wiped the blood away with his sleeve. But from the gaping wound, blood kept gushing out in relentless spurts. And amid all this, I studied the cat’s injury closely.

The long gash between its ears sat in the exact same spot as the wound on the cat from Kervoshhalden. A strange feeling crept over me. It couldn’t be, and yet it looked like the very same injury.

What is this? A similar wound…?

It was odd. For two such similar cats to have an identical wound in the same place—wasn’t that too much of a coincidence?

What the hell is this…?