Chapter 30
It had all gone well up to the point when I jumped down from the tree onto the roof of Duke Raymond’s carriage.
It had even been fine that I carefully memorized the route back to the mansion, reminding myself I had to return safely to Noah.
But then—
“Father!”
As the carriage passed through the great iron gates and rolled into the mansion grounds, a rabbit-like, bright and adorable Christina came running toward it.
I hadn’t known his daughter would rush out to greet him like that. Their relationship seemed closer than I’d expected.
In any case, Christina, who came dashing out, didn’t resemble Duke Raymond at all—she must have taken after her mother.
Even though she was still young, she already had dazzling golden hair and stunning blue eyes. It was easy to imagine she would grow into a breathtaking beauty.
‘Noah’s standards are pretty high, huh.’
That thought flashed across my mind—but before I even finished it, I was sent flying through the air.
The driver had suddenly reined in the carriage when he saw Christina running toward them.
“Meoooow! (Save me, Roze!)”
“Hello, kitty. Where did you come from?”
Launched straight into the air, I had no time to hide and landed neatly in Christina’s arms. And that’s how I ended up in this situation.
‘I was planning to slip away quietly…’
Duke Raymond immediately recognized me and kindly told Christina—his daughter, not me—that someone from the Imperial Palace would be coming.
Noah would surely turn pale and come rushing when he learned I had left the palace again. But still, I gained a few useful insights.
‘She’ll be shocked if she finds out her father’s the one who hates cats so much he tried to kill me.’
Christina was strikingly pretty, even from a woman’s perspective. She didn’t seem to resemble her father in personality either. And she definitely had the makings of a cat lover.
Ever since catching me midair, Christina hadn’t let me go once.
—“Until someone from the palace comes, I’ll take care of her!”
And so, I ended up sitting on a pile of cushions, playing the role of her teatime companion. The only problem was, everything on the table was inedible for a cat.
“Why won’t you eat? Are you not hungry?”
She was such a pure, innocent girl—so sweet and pretty. If she stood by Noah’s side, she’d match him perfectly in both looks and temperament.
She fit the “sunshine girl” image I once thought of before I knew Noah was Noah.
‘For Noah to turn down someone like this… he really does have impossibly high standards.’
Of course, it was more likely he rejected her preemptively just to avoid any connection with Duke Raymond.
While I was busy observing Christina—
“Maybe cats like something else to eat…?”
She finally realized the obvious and sighed so heavily her shoulders drooped.
To sigh as if the world were ending over something so small… She might have been about the same age as the palace maids, but her thoughts were still childish. Yet that innocence was lovable.
‘She might actually be a good match.’
You can’t judge someone by one look, but she didn’t seem bad. If Christina was this pure, she might stay firmly on Noah’s side no matter what her father said.
‘And it seems Duke Raymond really dotes on his daughter.’
I had thought he was simply offended because his daughter had rejected his proposal, but that wasn’t the case after all.
“But when will someone from the palace come? It’d be wonderful if His Majesty himself showed up.”
Her cheeks flushed just from the thought. It was clear Christina was deeply smitten with Noah.
‘Well, who wouldn’t be…?’
If the Duke bore an even deeper grudge against Noah because of his daughter’s feelings—
‘Then I absolutely have to make this work.’
Christina could play a crucial role. Even Duke Raymond couldn’t openly oppose policies if his beloved daughter openly supported Noah.
‘Feelings grow stronger the more time you spend together.’
With that thought, I slipped off the necklace from my neck while Christina had stepped away to prepare more food.
Fortunately, only the pendant had my name “Roze” engraved—the string was just silk, which I managed to pull off with my paws.
‘It’s got my name written clear as day.’
My plan was that Christina would later find the collar and bring it to the palace, creating another chance for her to meet Noah.
To keep it from being discovered too quickly, I pushed it under the cushion.
“I asked them to bring the food Black likes.”
Christina returned just then, looking around cautiously.
“Black is a cat who sometimes visits my room. Since Father doesn’t like cats, this has to be our secret, Roze.”
She whispered to me, hand to her lips. Even that gesture was adorable, and it solidified my resolve.
The more I thought about it, the better the idea seemed.
If Noah married Christina, this peaceful life would almost certainly be preserved. And since she loved cats enough to care for them in secret, she’d surely adore me too.
‘Then I can live my leisurely cat life in peace!’
Even with the “protagonist’s buff,” reclaiming the throne without his most important helper from the original story wouldn’t be easy for Noah.
The real question was whether Noah could ever consider Duke Raymond’s daughter Christina as empress.
‘But that’s something I can handle!’
In the original, Noah had no intention of accepting anyone besides me, a cat—but eventually, he did fall completely for a villainess who appeared later. So it wasn’t like he was incapable of loving a woman.
‘Anyway, she really is cute.’
I still hated Duke Raymond, but this path seemed the easiest one.
‘Surely… I won’t die from eating just one bite of cake, right?’
Since I’d be acting as their bridge of love, I figured I’d need some energy. Just one bite should be fine.
Noah never let me near sweets, saying they were bad for cats. If I missed this chance, I might never taste cake.
So, as I finally leaned toward the cake I’d been resisting, Christina’s eyes lit up as she looked past me.
“Black, you’re here! Come say hello. This is your new friend!”
I turned my head, curious to see what kind of cat this “Black” was. And then I froze.
‘Huh? What are you doing here?’
It was the same big black cat who’d mocked me in the palace garden.
‘Wasn’t this supposed to be my lucky life?!’
Thirty minutes later, I was sitting at the bottom of a mysterious pit in a corner of Duke Raymond’s garden, staring at the sky in despair.
Why on earth was there a hole here?
It was deep enough that even a cat’s exceptional jumping ability was useless. The dirt walls crumbled whenever I tried to use my claws to climb.
After several failed attempts, I slumped against the wall, realizing I’d never get out without help.
‘That black cat did this on purpose, didn’t it?’
Sure, I was dumb for falling in—but it felt like I’d been lured into a trap.
A cat deliberately leading me into a pit? Absurd. Yet that’s the only explanation that made sense.
—He’s laughing at me again!
Having leapt into Christina’s arms, Black smirked at me once more.
I thought maybe I had imagined it before, but no—he was definitely mocking me on purpose.
It was ridiculous to say a cat could do such a thing, but still…
—I tried to let it slide, but enough’s enough!
He mocked me without reason. I wasn’t about to let that happen twice.
The moment Black jumped down, I pounced with a flurry of cat punches. Soon the room was filled with hissing, spitting, and flying fur.
—Stop it, both of you!
Christina’s eyes welled with tears as the fight turned vicious.
When Black finally bolted, I chased him out—only to tumble into this hole.
‘Someone will find me, right?’
After all, the palace was sending someone. Whoever it was, they’d surely discover me.
So, leaning against the dirt wall, I promised myself to keep my temper in check from now on. That’s when—
“I thought I heard a cat. So you were down here.”
A breathtakingly handsome man poked his head over the edge of the pit.
