Chapter 39
When Roze asked, Oliver answered with a shocked expression.
[You told me to let you know if there were any noticeable changes, didn’t you, Lady Roze!?]
It was as if he couldn’t believe that the clever Roze had forgotten the order she herself had given him.
Even at Oliver’s reaction, Roze asked back in a flat voice.
“Why? Is there some change?”
[Yes! You know how they just hired a new person in charge of housekeeping, right?]
“Of course.”
How could she not know? Roze had been so busy chasing down food thieves that she hadn’t even noticed spring was almost here.
“So? Did another strange person show up?”
When Roze seemed to focus on his words, Oliver continued excitedly.
[Those people are fine, but there was this really strange maid who came in with them.]
“A strange maid?”
[Yes. It’s like she’s possessed by a ghost that died because it couldn’t ask enough questions. The moment she sees anyone, she just bombards them with questions, so the other maids avoid her and take the long way around.]
It couldn’t be Aria… she wanted to think that, but at this point the only maid who stood out could only be Aria.
Her heart began to pound, but she told herself not to jump to conclusions until she was sure.
[But more than that, she keeps asking questions about His Majesty the Emperor. Did she fall for him at first sight somewhere and join the palace because of that? I mean, except for the intimidating eyes, His Majesty is incredibly handsome. It’s understandable to fall for him. Even aside from the new maid, these days there are more maids saying His Majesty looks different to them.]
There could be no other answer.
Roze still prayed she was wrong as she opened her mouth. Maybe that maid was just another one of those who had recently started swooning over Noah.
“What’s that maid’s name? What does she look like?”
But…
[Her name was Mary, I think, and for a maid she was incredibly pretty. Her hair color was ordinary, but her eyes were truly beautiful.]
“No way… her eyes aren’t gold, are they?”
[How did you know? Yes, golden eyes.]
Devastatingly, the maid Oliver was talking about was exactly Aria.
Noah arrived at Viche Lake, one of the proposed sites for the hunting festival, long past noon.
If they went a little farther, they’d reach another candidate site, Montesan, but Noah decided right there, as if there was nothing more to see.
“The hunting ground will be here.”
In truth, even before arriving, Noah had already resolved to choose the closer location no matter what.
He hated being away from Roze for such a trivial matter.
He could have made the decision without even coming out, but this outing was, in its way, a gesture of respect for his mother.
“Will you really, Your Majesty?”
“Your Majesty, how can you decide without even seeing Montesan…”
Marquis Diwelly, who had been advocating for Viche Lake, beamed at Noah’s choice, but Marquis Percy, who supported Montesan, looked as if he had bitten into something rotten.
“Marquis Percy, do you have a problem with my decision?”
Normally, when the Emperor said such a thing, politeness demanded at least a smile. But Marquis Percy could not relax his expression.
There were times when he trembled in fear at Noah’s hardened face, and then other times—like now—when he conveniently forgot himself.
Who was the Emperor here?
The journey had already taken longer than expected, and Noah’s patience was wearing thin. To see that expression on Percy’s face now…
Should I just kill him?
That brutal thought rose again.
It wouldn’t even be difficult. As Melisa used to, he could simply take issue with that expression, and without any real witnesses or trouble, anyone’s neck could easily be strung up.
Because Noah was the Emperor.
Perhaps sensing the fleeting cruelty in Noah’s eyes, Duke Raymond quickly stepped in.
“His Majesty must have been looking forward to showing you the newly built villa at Montesan, Your Majesty. Marquis Percy, you’ll surely have another chance to serve His Majesty outside of this hunting festival. Don’t let it sour your mood.”
He skillfully dressed up Percy’s sourness, making it seem as though the Marquis was merely disappointed to lose the honor of hosting Noah.
“Besides, Viche Lake is a resting ground for migratory birds during the winter. If not now, the hunting game will dwindle. That Your Majesty considered this… as expected, I cannot fathom the depth of Your Majesty’s wisdom.”
He even took Noah’s casual words and elevated them into something grand, busy flattering him.
Raymond was always quick-witted in this regard.
The problem was that Noah was not the kind of Emperor to be pleased by such thoughtless flattery.
“I didn’t realize Marquis Percy held me so dearly.”
“Of course, Your Majesty, without question.”
“Is that so? Then what do you think of this—why not dedicate that famed villa at Montesan to me as a summer retreat?”
Far from being pleased, Noah despised such empty flattery.
He knew well that while they feared him, they also looked down on him—and still they posed as loyal subjects without a flicker of shame. It made him sick.
“If Your Majesty wishes it, I shall gladly comply.”
“Duke Raymond… I—”
“Of course, isn’t that right, Marquis Percy?”
“Let’s return.”
Even at Noah’s provocation, Duke Raymond kept the conversation flowing with a smiling face.
Ignoring the ashen-faced Marquis Percy, Noah turned the subject as though it no longer mattered.
“If we return now, perhaps our Tina is still in the palace with Lady Roze.”
He brushed off the obvious ploy with ease. He had no intention whatsoever of bringing Christina to his side.
Aria is already in the palace!?
After learning of Aria’s presence in the palace through Oliver…
“Should I meet her? …And then what? No. Still, I should at least see her, right? …But would seeing her change anything?”
Roze paced around her bedroom, muttering endlessly to herself.
In truth, in the original story, Aria’s reason for sneaking in as a maid wasn’t anything dramatic.
She only wanted to observe Noah’s reputation and gauge the atmosphere to plan her next move.
“Even if I know that, I can’t just let her roam freely inside the palace.”
Having an obvious “enemy” within her domain was bad enough. Just because Noah’s reputation had improved didn’t mean she could relax.
“What should I do…”
She needed to know what was happening around Aria, what people were saying to her, and what Aria herself was thinking.
Her thoughts had already rushed ahead to the servants’ quarters, but her body remained frozen in place.
She couldn’t simply tell Noah to dismiss the new maid either…
“Unless I reveal that I’m possessed and know the future, I have no justification.”
There was no clear excuse to point at Aria specifically and have her expelled.
“Ugh! Can I really not transform into a cat anymore!?”
If only she could, she could slip around near Aria unnoticed. She could even wait for Noah to show up and stage a scene in front of Aria, maybe even get her thrown out.
“Sigh… I guess I have no choice but to rely on Oliver.”
The thought of depending entirely on Oliver to monitor Aria was maddening.
But if there really was no other way, she had to rack her brains harder.
I can’t fall asleep… I’m not a cat anymore, I’m human.
And yet, as if some feline instinct remained, an overwhelming drowsiness crept up on her.
I need to stay awake until Noah comes back…
She knew he would visit her after returning from the hunting ground.
She needed to show him the clothes and talk about the sleeping arrangements.
So she grabbed the book Jonathan had given her, sat on the sofa, and tried to resist the sleepiness.
“Khrrr…”
But Roze soon fell asleep, mouth wide open.
The journey that had taken over three hours earlier, Noah completed in two on the way back.
Even so, leaving his attendants behind and racing back to the capital at full speed did not bring him peace of mind.
The closer the palace came into view, the more irregularly his heart pounded.
What if something had happened to Roze?
He feared facing a reality he didn’t want to believe, a fear that made him want to run away.
Even when Roze was in her cat form, whenever she was out of sight, he felt the same way.
But back then, it was at least somewhat manageable.
Noah believed that the month Roze had disappeared from his side had been the breaking point.
In truth, he could hardly remember how he had endured that month without her.
And after she returned, she refused to stay put in her bedroom, appearing here and there, even going so far as to visit Duke Raymond’s estate…
At least when she was a cat, he could hold her in his arms.
Now that he couldn’t, every moment he couldn’t see Roze was unbearable. The constant anxiety made him feel as if something would explode inside him at any moment.
“Where is Roze?”
Before his horse even fully stopped, Noah leapt down, rushed up the long stairs, passed through the wide lobby, and entered her chamber.
