Chapter 48
Eloise’s finely curved eyebrows crumpled in frustration.
To think she liked Arno? She couldn’t imagine what part of her gave that impression.
She was so taken aback and speechless that she couldn’t even respond.
“I thought you liked my brother. That’s why I accepted the engagement.”
“I never signed the marriage contract.”
“What?”
Marcel’s clear lake-like eyes shook violently.
Since the performance was nearing its end, he quickly continued.
Opportunities to speak with her like this were rare.
“Then the engagement and marriage can’t be valid.”
“Only because His Majesty and my father willed it so.”
In the Kalenian Empire, a marriage was recognized not just by family agreements but by the consent of the parties themselves.
The bride and groom had to sign the contract listing the marriage terms for it to be officially recognized.
Marcel gripped Eloise’s hand tightly.
“Eloise…”
“Your Highness, the performance is over.”
At her firm words, the strength left his hand easily.
He could only watch as her cold hand slipped away from his.
Eloise silently looked at Marcel, then felt Arno’s gaze on her.
For nearly ten years, those emerald eyes filled with jealousy and resentment hadn’t changed—
not even while standing beside the woman he claimed to love.
“I was thinking of going to find Lizet, Your Highness.”
“Ah, yes. She’ll be with Étienne—I’ll show you the way.”
Marcel, brightening with a lively smile, extended his hand toward Eloise again.
And once more, she took it.
The music came to an end.
A pity—it could have gone on longer. Rising to my feet, I realized that during the entire performance, Étienne and I hadn’t spoken a single word.
Oddly enough, the silence was comfortable. So comfortable, I almost dozed off.
“I hope Eloise and Marcel can be happy together.”
“There are too many obstacles in their way.”
“Then we’ll help them overcome those obstacles. Didn’t we agree to work together?”
Étienne let out a small sigh but nodded.
Whether the obstacle was the Crown Prince, the Emperor, or the Duke of Monclaire, we would overcome it.
As I tapped at the balcony window frame with my paw, Étienne opened the door for me.
“You’re not coming in?”
“I’m fine out here.”
Leaving Étienne behind, I slipped back into the banquet hall. I could see several people trying to imitate Marcel’s magic.
“Lizet.”
At the familiar voice calling my name, I looked up—Eloise stood there.
Her expression was tinged with sadness.
“Let’s return to the Empress’s Palace.”
Well, I had made an appearance as etiquette demanded. Eloise gently picked me up.
She smelled like warm sunlight—the same scent I remembered from Marcel back when I lived in the Crown Prince’s Palace.
That night, I once again worked hard to press mana into Eloise.
The expression on her face earlier, when she watched others perform magic with a bitter look, wouldn’t leave my mind.
This time, I released every bit of mana down to my toes until a sharp tingling spread through me.
“Ow…”
The transformation, twisting my body inside out, was still as painful as ever.
Barely crawling off the bed, I curled myself under the blanket on the sofa kept there for emergencies.
Clack—the window opened, and as always, cool mana poured down over me.
“What on earth are you doing to make your mana fluctuate like this?”
His voice was sharp, but laced with worry.
When the pain subsided, I poked my head out from the blanket.
Once again, I had turned into a half-human, half-beast.
“Hehe. Secret.”
Eloise’s connection to mana was still a secret.
If there was even a faint hope, I didn’t want to plant it in others and risk doubling the disappointment.
It was the same for my existence itself. I almost wished I could be certain I wasn’t a beastkin at all.
“You know… I’m not trying to pressure you, but—”
“You are a beastkin.”
“…Huh? You said before I wasn’t. And last time you… didn’t answer.”
Étienne fell silent, his straight brows furrowing into a crooked frown.
“Back then, I thought you’d failed your Awakening.”
“…Why are you telling me now?”
“I wasn’t going to say anything until I found a solution. It’s still incomplete, but—”
He muttered quietly, “You’ve been anxious.”
If I were a proper beastkin, I wouldn’t just sprout ears and a tail like this.
“Does that mean… I failed my Awakening?”
“Most likely. Beastkin usually awaken their magic before the age of five. Some learn magic before they even learn to speak.”
“…But I was about ten, wasn’t I?”
“Maybe even older. …Some beastkin abandon cubs who fail their Awakening.”
Ah, so that was why this little cat was alone in the northern mountains.
The original body’s owner must have died in the snow. A bitter taste filled my mouth.
“This change… it isn’t a bad sign, right?”
“Right.”
His reassurance eased my heart.
No longer did I have to swallow tears in fear of being a “demon cat.”
“I just didn’t want you to be hurt. Even if you failed to awaken, you could still understand words.”
So that was the real reason he told me I wasn’t a beastkin at first.
If it were me, I’d also rather think of myself as a normal cat than a failed beastkin.
Étienne found my hand under the blanket, holding it as he guided mana into me properly.
“This will take longer than last time.”
“But it’ll still be done before Eloise wakes up, right?”
“…Yeah.”
Closing my eyes, I focused on the flow of mana he was sending me.
Unlike before, when pain and confusion overwhelmed me, tonight I could clearly feel how the mana moved.
The mana flowed in through my fingertips, gathered at the center of my chest, and swirled into a small vortex.
“Breathe slowly. Inhale deeply, exhale fully.”
As I drew in a long breath, the mana condensed, gathering tightly.
Exhaling slowly through my lips, the focused mana unraveled into threads, spreading through my whole body.
Some areas tangled and threatened to clot, but Étienne’s mana flowed in and smoothed them out, allowing mine to spread evenly into my limbs.
“Mhm.”
With a soft hum, my body shrank and lowered, fur growing back over my skin.
I had turned back into a cat. A relief… but also, now that I knew I really was a beastkin, a small pang of regret.
“Do you think… one day, I’ll be able to turn into a full human instead of a half-beast?”
“…Someday.”
He didn’t deny it. Even if it was an empty hope, hearing it gave me courage.
Was this how Eloise felt too?
The long night ended, and dawn began to break faintly over the horizon.
Eloise accompanied me for today’s health examination.
Perhaps he had heard something, because Payson brought a wider variety of tools this time to examine me.
He seemed to carefully choose his words, looking quite troubled.
“Payson, Étienne said I really am a beastkin.”
“…A beastkin?”
Eloise turned wide eyes toward Marcel and Étienne, who both just shrugged.
Payson gave a weak laugh before speaking instead.
“As Lord Étienne’s physician and the northern animal manager, allow me to explain. Before you came to the Duke’s household, you were in an unawakened state, no different from an ordinary cat. I suspect the faint Awakening response occurred when you… swore that curse word. Judging from the steady increase of your mana in the palace, your growth rate, and your reaction to magic stones—yes, Lady Lizet, you are indeed a beastkin.”
So Payson was actually quite capable. Hearing his explanation and recalling his position, I was struck anew by how impressive he was.
He went on to give a more detailed explanation to the others, but I couldn’t follow most of it.
After listening, Eloise turned to Marcel.
“Your Highness, didn’t you say she wasn’t a beastkin?”
“Étienne told me that.”
“I only said that because I wasn’t sure.”
Étienne dodged their gazes by turning his head away.
Marcel, who had been pacing near the examination table, rubbed the back of his neck a few times before casually sitting down beside Eloise.
“With the rumors already spreading, this might actually be for the best. And since the Duchess even held a grand banquet in Lizet’s honor, the Beastkin Kingdom won’t find any fault if they hear of it.”
“At the Imperial tea party, Marcel said it himself—that if any trouble arose, he would take responsibility.”
Yes, I remembered. When the Crown Prince questioned my existence, Marcel had clearly declared it.
At my words, Marcel answered smoothly,
“Of course. A knight must always protect his lady.”
