Chapter 62
After a relatively short meeting to decide the time and place for the hunting festival, which was to be held two days later:
“Your Majesty, since everyone is gathered and we have some time to spare, now would be the perfect moment.”
Before the nobles could leave, Duke Raymond subtly opened the conversation like this.
It was a silent pressure: no more delays regarding military expenditures, give us an answer.
All eyes turned to Noah, including the nobles who had awkwardly stood up for this unexpected topic.
“Is there anything else we need to decide today besides the hunting festival?”
“Weren’t we going to leave most things until after the festival?”
As the nobles continued to ask questions, Noah’s gaze landed on Duke Raymond.
“I’m sure Your Majesty has something to say to make the festival more enjoyable, right?”
The duke’s expression suggested he bore no personal grudges, as if to imply he understood the embarrassment Noah would feel having to retract what he had just said.
Though the duke’s eyes were thoughtful, one could only imagine how inwardly delighted he must have been to have discovered Noah’s weakness.
“Speak freely, Your Majesty.”
Though the thought alone twisted Noah’s stomach, he calmly met Duke Raymond’s eyes and spoke.
“To arrange a special occasion for me to speak personally.”
“As your loyal subject, when you attempt to bring up a difficult matter, it is only natural that I should assist.”
As always, the duke hid his intentions behind a polite smile—but it was clear how much he wanted to see Noah’s pride wounded.
It would have been better if Noah had stayed silent…
But the duke, who had expected Noah to falter, instead received the exact opposite response in front of everyone.
With all eyes on him:
“Everyone understands, I have a cat with me.”
“Are you referring to Lord Roze?”
Noah’s words were not about the military matters Duke Raymond had steered the discussion toward.
Noah blinked almost not at all as he continued to look Raymond in the eye.
Would he make that same face if he had foreseen victory but ended up empty-handed?
Noah tried to identify the duke’s hidden frustration and surprise on his face.
“Yes. That Roze turned out to be a beastman.”
Noah calmly revealed that Roze was a beastman. Naturally, the eyes of every noble in the room went wide.
“A beastman?”
“You mean a being that can freely switch between human and animal forms?”
“Do such things really exist? I thought they only appeared in old books.”
“Yes, that kind of beastman.”
In the blink of an eye, Duke Raymond’s corner of the mouth twitched involuntarily. He had clearly not expected Noah to go this route.
“How did you suddenly find that out?”
“Because Roze turned into a human.”
“Eh? A human?”
Among the nobles, who looked at Noah with a mixture of awe and fear, the duke could only smile—though he could not entirely hide the anger at how unexpectedly the plan had gone awry.
“It was a difficult topic to bring up, so I should at least thank you for giving me this opportunity, shouldn’t I?”
Suppressing the smile that threatened to appear, Noah deliberately expressed gratitude toward Duke Raymond. He was curious if he could make the duke’s expression contort even further, but as expected, Duke Raymond was not easily shaken.
“To receive thanks for something so trivial, Your Majesty, I feel embarrassed.”
After returning Noah’s thanks with mock sentiment, he added:
“By the way, a beastman… How wonderful. Would you grant us the honor of seeing him?”
He was urging Noah to present Roze in front of everyone, hoping to embarrass him.
While the two exchanged a brief, tense gaze, it was the terrified Duke Diwelly who intervened.
“Before we even meet him, is it really appropriate to be so fascinated by this? Shouldn’t we ask the priests first?”
“Ask? Ask about what? Ah… are you looking for some prophecy that beastmen are cursed?”
Noah raised his eyes to him, an unyielding glare that allowed no negative comment about Roze. Duke Diwelly immediately retreated.
Noah continued, speaking deliberately:
“‘Jamey Harperson. Origins of the Continent. Chapter 2: Classification of Species. Page 47.’ Beings that switch between human and animal forms are rare on this continent, likely introduced from other continents. They possess animal traits and are harmonious with nature; it is said they revived forests destroyed by fire.”
“Excuse me…?”
“‘Aileen Ferguson. Practical Considerations of Beastman Legends. Chapter 6: The Existence of Beastmen. Page 257.’ Though no one currently believes in the existence of beastmen, throughout history there are accounts of their aid in overcoming crises. During the Great Drought recorded in historical records, the rain summoned by beastmen saved the empire from near extinction.”
Having opened his mouth, Noah had no intention of hiding Roze. The problem was that people might regard beastmen with suspicion…
So Noah fervently recited histories, research texts, and even legends passed down orally about beastmen.
He made sure that no one would perceive Roze—or any beastman—as an ill omen.
Restoring forests, bringing rain… These might have seemed absurd stories under ordinary circumstances, but the existence of beastmen made them undeniable.
“I was planning to show you anyway, but since you all insist, I shall show you immediately. Watch carefully. My Roze may well be the one to end the drought on this continent.”
Before the bewildered nobles, Noah ordered Roze to appear.
Even Roze, normally fearless, could not ignore the dozens of eyes staring intently at him.
Though he did not avert his gaze from the mixture of curiosity and shock, he thought:
“Ah, this is scary.”
Walking to the meeting room at Noah’s call, he braced himself.
“If it’s come to this, I’ll assert myself from the start!”
Without that resolve, he might have hidden behind Noah long ago.
“This is really…?”
“They have the same eyes, it’s hard to deny…”
“A red-eyed, white-furred cat, wasn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Though uncomfortable being a spectacle, the whispers of the nobles were more troubling.
“A beastman…”
“And did any prophecy mention two humans with red eyes?”
“Well… if history and prophecy contradict, which holds more weight?”
These whispers were worse than hostile glances.
Roze was objectively attractive and attention-catching, but the nobles focused solely on his eyes and the fact that he was a beastman.
Some struggled to believe it, others fixated on his eye color.
Amid these unwelcoming stares, Roze recalled the bitterness he had felt on the streets.
Simply having red eyes had made people turn away as if his very existence were wrong.
“For the record, I am indeed a beastman.”
“How can we be sure of that?”
“When you return home, would it be alright to tell Your Majesty what you overheard at the palace gate?”
Determined not to yield to their gaze, Roze threatened to recount what he heard as a cat on his walks—he wanted them to understand that eye color was irrelevant.
“Jonathan, summarize.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Unconsciously, Roze had clenched his fist. Noah’s large hand covered it, silently saying, “It’s enough. You don’t need to prove yourself here.”
Roze closed his mouth. There was no one here who would truly listen anyway.
Following Noah toward the meeting room exit, all eyes remained fixed on him.
Dozens of eyes watching him alone was terrifying and unpleasant, until suddenly:
“Let’s return to the inner chamber.”
Stepping out of the meeting room with a sigh, Roze felt that perhaps this was nothing compared to what Noah endured every day.
Noah must have lived his whole life under such scrutiny—experiencing feelings of unfairness, fear, and discomfort, emotions not at all pleasant.
To protect the throne, and for that reason alone, Roze wanted to change Noah’s image.
“Why did you do that? Wasn’t my existence supposed to be a secret?”
But it was obvious that Noah would now face even more scrutiny, simply for having Roze with him—someone with equally red eyes.
