Chapter 50

Chapter 50

“Oh my. What now?!”

The man cried out, utterly flustered. His voice, thick with tears, snapped me back to my senses in an instant.

“H-hey. Let’s get it to a hospital first.”

I hurriedly calmed him down, then headed with him to the nearest hospital. It wasn’t a veterinary clinic, so they refused us at first, but after some pleading, we managed to get a small exam room and scrape by with basic treatment. Thanks to that, the worst seemed to be over.

“This… thank you… How much was the hospital bill?”

Once we stepped outside, the man bowed his head to me and asked.

“You said it wasn’t even your cat. And you’re offering to cover the bill?”

“Well, it’s not mine, but still…”

“It’s fine. I just… couldn’t walk past an injured animal.”

“…….”

Without a word, the man hugged the cat tight. The cat, its head wrapped in bandages, let its head flop softly against his chest.

“Well, it’s getting late, so I’ll be going now.”

I nodded lightly to him in farewell.

“Listen here, young noble sir.”

But he called me back right away.

“If you need any more information, just say the word. I’ll look into it for you. I’m no informant, but I pick up plenty of this and that. I’ll find out for you.”

“Sure. Good. But nothing specific right now, so I’ll take you up on that next time.”

“As you wish.”

“Oh, by the way. The doctor said it’ll scar, but it’s not a dangerous wound. If we’re careful, there shouldn’t be an infection either.”

“……Thank you.”

After that, I exchanged goodbyes with him and returned to Cuvershaiden. Then I followed the garden path back to where the cat had first appeared. The spot where the young marquis had left the catnip pot—luckily, the cat was still there, showing itself.

As if it were the most natural thing, I found myself studying its head closely. No matter how I looked at it, the long, torn wound seemed identical to the one on the cat that had been in the accident on the street just moments ago.

Strange. It looks just like the cat that man had with him… the appearance, the wound… Is this just a coincidence?

“Unnie! Unnie! When did you get here?!”

Just as my thoughts were deepening, a child’s voice rang out. In the next moment, Shion appeared from somewhere and came close, nearly clinging to my side.

“Oh? Shion. You’re just in time.”

“Mm-hm. Why? Why? What’s up?!”

“You said you brought this cat, right? Do you remember when you brought it?”

“Um… no? I don’t know?”

The child shook her head, her eyes locked on the cat.

Well… that didn’t surprise me. She hadn’t even remembered picking it up from Neo Street in the first place—how could she possibly recall when that had been?

“Why? Why?”

“No. I was overthinking it.”

It was too much to assume the living cat and this soul were the same being. Even a ghost—an existence outside the land of the living—can’t defy the flow of time. The world’s laws had their own natural order, after all.

Meow—

The cat’s soul turned to look at me and gave a short cry. It almost seemed to recognize me, as if saying we’d met a few times before. Those blue eyes aimed my way kept blinking, eyelids closing and opening again and again.

‘Right. First, let’s look into that cat they said they raised at the fabric shop. Maybe it had blue eyes. Could have gotten a head wound in an accident. That might be the answer.’

I held its gaze and rubbed my chin in thought.

* * *

“Isn’t it nice to be out for once?!”

Sonia skipped ahead of me, practically trotting.

“I know. Is it because the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet is coming up soon? The whole street feels like a festival.”

I hurried after her.

“Oh, that reminds me. Laura, do you know Écre? I hear their stuff is amazing.”

“Écre? I know it!”

“You did?”

“Yeah. I’ve been there once.”

“Oh. Really?”

Écre was the dessert shop the young marquis had taken me to once. It was his thanks for helping his little brother Theo ascend—he treated me to their desserts back then.

Come to think of it, it really was delicious… especially the strawberry dessert—that was exquisite.

“Perfect. Laura, let’s go there. To be honest, going to a place that fancy by myself felt a bit awkward. But it turns out our days off align today, and you’ve been to Écre before! If that’s not an opportunity, what is?!”

“Hmm… alright. Sure. Let’s do it.”

Truth be told, Écre’s desserts were pricey—a bit steep for a lady-in-waiting’s salary. But since I was finally out with Sonia for the first time in a while, I didn’t feel like skimping on good food.

And so we started walking down the main street, looking for Écre. Then we turned onto a familiar alley, and I spotted a familiar cat.

Meow—

The cat let out a soft cry when it saw me. Then it circled around me.

“Huh? Laura, I think that cat’s calling you.”

Sonia stopped in her tracks and said to me.

“I guess so… Why’s it acting like this?”

“Looks like a stray—think it wants you to take it in?”

“No, no. This one has an owner.”

“Huh? You know it?”

“Well… a little.”

I plopped down in a crouch in front of the cat.

“What’s the matter, kitty?”

Meow—

“Where’s your owner gone?”

Meow—

Unsurprisingly, the cat and I couldn’t communicate at all. I couldn’t speak cat, and the cat wouldn’t understand my words…

“What? Do you know this thing’s owner?”

Sonia asked.

“Not well. Just that he’s a middle-aged man who hangs around this street.”

“Hmm… So. Is this little guy looking for its owner?”

“Beats me. Where’d that man go?”

“No way. He’ll be back soon, right?”

“Probably. She didn’t seem like the type to abandon her cat.”

“No kidding. The owner must treat her well — she looks really healthy.”

At her words, I took a closer look at the cat. A glossy sheen ran over its jet-black fur. After the carriage accident, it must have received top-tier care—though the long scar on its head remained starkly visible.

“Let’s go. Seems like the owner just stepped away for a bit.”

I rose to my feet and dusted off my skirt with a few brisk slaps.

Meow— Meow—

But the creature wailed as if it were trying to hold us back—yet it didn’t follow. I stopped for a moment, snagged by that cat. A sudden unease crept over me.

“Let’s go, Laura.”

Sonia was already ahead, her voice urging me on.

“…Yeah. Coming.”

No. That was just needless worry…

That thing had nothing left ahead but a happy life with its owner. So what was there to fret about? Nothing at all.

We headed to Écre as planned. But the moment we arrived and saw the price tags, my eyes nearly popped out. I knew it’d be expensive, but this was absolutely insane. We had no choice but to order a finger-sized cake and pick at it, savoring every crumb.

“Still, it tastes good…”

“Next time, let’s earn enough to buy a whole one…”

It seemed I’d just found another reason to make money.

After a light dessert, we went shopping together. Sonia bought a few pairs of trendy earrings, and I spent plenty of time browsing the dresses. We whiled away the hours like that, and before we knew it, dusk had settled beneath the sky. We quickly retraced our steps toward Cuvershaiden, eager to get back before it got any later. But as we passed along the street, I spotted a crowd of people buzzing around a corner.

“What’s that? What’s going on?”

Sonia dashed straight toward the crowd and peeked around behind them.

“What happened?”

I stepped up beside her to survey the scene.

“Someone’s collapsed on the ground, Laura.”

Soon, over the shoulders of the jostling crowd, a figure came into view. He was curled up small on the pavement, his joints sticking out starkly. There was something familiar about the clothes he wore, his build, his silhouette.

“Huh? Wait!”

It was him. The owner of the cat—the man who lingered around Neo Street’s second alley.

“Hold on. Move aside, please!”

I shoved through the crowd, running toward him.

“Hey! Are you okay?!”

I shook his body hard. But he didn’t answer me—only let out short, ragged breaths.

His face was pale, his body cold. He looked like he might stop breathing any second. I didn’t need to guess—this was dangerous.

“Laura, what’s wrong? Another acquaintance?”

“It’s the cat’s owner from earlier!”

“Huh? That black cat?”

“Yeah. What’s wrong with him? Is he sick?”

“Move. Let’s get him to the hospital.”

Sonia hoisted the man up in one swift motion, slinging him over her back.

God, that was amazing…

I stared at her, eyes wide with involuntary awe.

“Laura. Hail a cab. I’ll follow with him.”

She barked the order with cool authority.

“Huh? Oh! Got it!”

I sprinted back down the street and flagged down a hired carriage. Together, Sonia and I loaded the man in and headed for the nearest hospital. We’d rushed as fast as we could—we thought we’d acted in time. I believed if we just got through this emergency, he’d pull through.

But the doctor’s diagnosis was harsher than we’d expected.

“He doesn’t have much time.”

“What? So suddenly?”

“Not suddenly. A long-standing chronic illness left untreated, compounded by malnutrition. It was inevitable.”

“…….”

“Anyway, no treatment here will do any good. You’d best make preparations.”

“But he seemed fine up till now. A bit thin, maybe, but he looked healthy—and he had a sharp temper…”

“Death doesn’t always announce itself plainly.”