Chapter 20
Even so, it was uncomfortable to keep hearing things that were so far from the truth. Selachia rose from the table and wandered through the garden under the pretense of taking a walk.
“My lady, going for a walk? How about heading in the opposite direction today from yesterday?”
“What’s over there?”
“They say there’s a tree swing decorated with flower vines! I’ve never seen it myself since it’s not near the east annex where I used to work, but I heard it’s really big and beautiful.”
The sprawling ducal garden was divided into many sections, offering different views each day.
Yesterday she had seen the fountain with golden fish spouting water—so maybe today, as Nancy suggested, the tree swing wouldn’t be a bad idea.
“I’ll push you on the swing, my lady.”
“Great. Then, Sir Belfona, I’ll push you on the swing too.”
“…My lady? No matter how skilled I am, I can’t protect you while riding a swing. Please remember I’m on duty.”
“We’re inside the ducal estate, so what’s the problem? Nancy, you’re riding too, right?”
“Eh? H-how could I! No, my lady, I’ll just stay by your side.”
“What’s the big deal about riding a swing? It’ll be fun. Come on, Nancy, let’s ride together. Hmm?”
“Oh dear… If the head maid finds out, we’ll be scolded…”
Though Nancy looked troubled, she didn’t refuse. Her sparkling eyes suggested she was actually looking forward to the swing.
Walking with Nancy and Roberta on either side, chatting warmly, Selachia felt as though she had made new friends.
The initial awkwardness had completely disappeared. The walls she had built to keep her distance were rapidly crumbling with the time they spent together daily.
Roberta and Nancy also seemed much more at ease around Selachia than they had been on the first day. At first, they had been clearly bewildered by the idle lady of the house, but now they stayed by her side naturally, even suggesting outdoor activities from time to time.
“Let’s go see the sea serpent statue tomorrow, my lady! It’s said to be at the very end of the garden.”
“Is it the one in the academy textbooks? The one they say is covered in gold?”
“Wow. Really? Do you think it’s all real gold?”
“If it’s Seidon, it’d be weirder if it weren’t real.”
As they walked toward the swing, listening to Nancy and Roberta chat away—
A pleasant breeze stirred their hair with gentle warmth.
These days, Selachia truly enjoyed each day at the ducal estate.
Oddly enough, Aldritch, who always got on her nerves, hadn’t shown up recently. Even the medicine he used to send daily via maids had stopped after the day she went out to the market district.
The staff at the mansion had begun treating her with appropriate respect, seemingly recognizing her under Tenus’s protection, and Tenus himself remained busy, leaving little time to interact with her.
Everything felt just right. If only things could stay like this, she’d have no complaints…
Smack!
“W-what was that? It wasn’t an ambush… right?”
“My lady! Are you okay?”
Roberta and Nancy panicked as Selachia suddenly slapped her own cheek.
Roberta quickly scanned the area for threats, her hand reaching toward the hilt of her sword. Nancy fussed over Selachia, checking the red handprint on her cheek.
“It’s nothing. There was a bug…”
Selachia brushed off her odd behavior with a lame excuse. She couldn’t even muster a convincing smile—she was too shocked by the thought that had just flashed through her mind.
Keep things like this? Get a grip, Selachia Seidon…
No—Selachia Rensh.
This was a false sense of peace.
If she settled for comfort now, who knew what tragedy would come next? Just a week before her last disaster, she had thought something similar. Told herself that life was peaceful enough.
She couldn’t make the same mistake again. She no longer wanted to exist as a shell in a place that wasn’t truly hers.
The sun’s rays were growing stronger by the day.
By the time true summer arrived, Selachia would be gone from this place. She had to be.
As Selachia clenched her fists and steeled her resolve, Nancy, who had been watching her closely, suddenly looked toward the side.
“Oh! My lady, look over there. There’s a cat!”
Indeed, under the shade of a shrub inside the garden, a cat was lying down. Who knew how it had made its way to the top of the cliff into the castle? The gray-furred cat was leisurely enjoying a nap.
“It might ruin the flowerbed… Should I… drive it away?”
Nancy stuttered, glancing subtly at Roberta, clearly hoping she’d do it instead. But to their surprise, Roberta took a step back.
“Sorry, Nancy. I can’t go near it. I’m allergic to cat fur. If I even get close, I feel like I’ll die.”
Disheartened, Nancy stared at the cat with gloomy eyes. Her drooping gaze seemed laced with fear.
“I can’t see the cat’s tail behind the tree…”
“The tail?”
“My lady, haven’t you heard? They say there’s a cat with nine tails in the Seidon estate. Do you think that might be it?”
“How could a cat have nine tails?”
“Exactly! It’s supposed to be a terrifying cat. Everyone keeps warning to be cautious.”
Was there such a rumor? Selachia had no way of knowing—no one ever told her trivial gossip like that.
“The nine-tailed cat of Seidon is a well-known story.”
It was Roberta who spoke in Selachia’s place. She nodded calmly, as if it were something everyone knew.
“I’ve never heard of it before. How do you know about it, Sir Belfona?”
“Any knight would know. But it’s strange that the servants are scared of it.”
“Why’s that? Is it a cat that only attacks knights?”
Selachia’s innocent question made Roberta burst out laughing.
“No, that’s not it. The nine-tailed cat isn’t a real cat. It refers to a whip with nine strands.”
“A whip?!”
Nancy nearly screamed.
“A whip with nine strands?! That’s more terrifying than the cat!”
“Exactly. But it’s a military punishment tool. You’ll never have to see one.”
Selachia rubbed her arm, slightly chilled.
“A whip with nine strands… that’s horrifying.”
“Since the Seidon knights also command naval forces, their discipline is stricter than other places.”
“They don’t actually use such a cruel tool on the staff, right?”
“Of course not. It’s a punishment no ordinary person could endure. Just one lash would have you begging on the floor like a worm.”
Then why had the story been passed around by the maids?
“So that cat is just a regular cat, right?”
Relieved, Nancy stepped toward it with a changed attitude.
“Are you going to keep it, my lady? Should I catch it?”
“I won’t keep it, but we can’t mistreat it either. Could you bring something for it to eat from the kitchen, Nancy?”
“We can’t mistreat it? Why not? It’s just a stray cat.”
Selachia passed down something her mother once told her.
“People of the sea believe cats have the power to control storms. So sailors and their families treat cats with respect—for safe journeys.”
“That thieving little thing has such a mighty power?”
Nancy tilted her head in disbelief, then ran to the kitchen without further protest.
“You’re from Viscount Rensh’s domain, aren’t you? You really are a child of the sea.”
Roberta, keeping her distance from the cat, raised her voice.
“What do you mean?”
“Using strange metaphors and believing in odd superstitions. Seidon folks are the same.”
“You mean…?”
Roberta tilted her head toward the mansion—probably referring to Tenus in his study.
“He once said something like… I reminded him of an eel’s knee.”
“An eel’s… ankle?”
“Ankle! That’s the one. What kind of weird compliment is that? I nearly challenged him to another duel thinking it was an insult.”
“That’s actually a big compliment. Did Tenus say that to you?”
“Hmph, yes. Back in our academy days, during a sparring match. I threw sand in his eyes, and he said that.”
“…Sand?”
That doesn’t sound like something a knight who values honor would do. Yet Roberta looked quite proud, as if telling a personal heroic tale.
It was hard to understand Tenus’s mind too—getting sand in his eyes and still saying something like that. What kind of sword training went on in that academy?
“You probably haven’t heard it before. It’s an old saying no longer used. I only know because my mother used to say it. There’s another one: ‘Like a sardine’s mustache.’ Ever heard of that?”
“That’s a compliment too? What a bunch of absurd sayings.”
Roberta wrinkled her face, her eyebrows twitching.
As they chatted, Selachia slowly approached the cat, but Roberta remained completely still where she stood.
Eventually, Selachia was closer to the cat than Roberta. Roberta called out from a distance.
“I’ll stay here. Don’t mind me.”
“Then please wait just a moment.”
Selachia crouched a few steps away from the cat.
Up close, the cat was rather beautiful. Unlike most strays, its fur was smooth and its round face clean. Judging from its small size, it was probably still young.
Selachia was instantly charmed by the cute cat. But the cat, wary of her, puffed up its gray fur and arched its back.
Its dark eyes stared sharply at her. But even so, it didn’t run away.
Watching quietly, Selachia murmured,
“You… look just like someone I know.”
