Chapter 68
Roje quietly swallowed a sigh of relief.
So their earlier disagreement hadn’t made Noah angry enough to abandon her and side with Sion.
‘He’s always been the kind of person who acts on calculation rather than emotion. Some people really never change.’
Well, there was a clear line between his logic and his pride—but still, that was that.
When she heard someone mention “the forest,” she wondered what that meant.
“The Marquis of Diwelly says the right side of the lake is dangerous. There are too many wild beasts coming down from the mountains. Since there are ladies among us, perhaps we should choose the forest to the left?”
“……Let’s do that.”
Noah, who had been cutting into his steak and wiping his mouth, paused for a moment before agreeing.
From the look on his face just before he spoke, it seemed like that hadn’t been his initial intention.
‘But then again, people can change!’
Roje’s earlier advice—that it would be better for him to show a little more courtesy toward others—seemed to have worked.
As she had guessed, Noah often had a contrary nature: if Duke Raymond said left, he wanted to go right; if Raymond said right, he wanted to go left.
But when it came to things that didn’t matter, was there really any reason to be antagonistic every time?
—Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be a little kinder to the nobles.
Even Jonathan’s casual comment had made sense to him.
Unless he planned to completely cut ties, he’d have to deal with these people anyway. If there was no real reason to fight, why make things unpleasant?
“I’ll see you in the garden early tomorrow morning.”
For perhaps the first time, Noah nodded to one of Duke Raymond’s suggestions without any objection.
The duke himself looked surprised by that.
“Roje, this duck is really good.”
“Right? The chef here must be really talented! I can’t wait to see how the dessert tastes!”
As the atmosphere softened, Roje finally stopped glancing around nervously.
Noah’s contentment, however, lasted only until—
“Are you telling me to sit and eat at the same cursed table as that?”
The one who shattered the peace was Melissa, freshly washed, bringing in the scent of water as she entered.
“Take that away.”
“Lady Melissa…”
At her harsh words, the dining room tensed again.
Noah stiffened, his jaw tightening. It felt like the next moment would explode into shouting—
“Your Majesty.”
Roje spoke first.
Just moments ago she’d been looking forward to dessert, but now she stood naturally, as if she’d planned this all along.
“I think I’ll go rest now. I guess I’m more tired from the trip than I thought.”
Smiling, she reached out a hand toward Noah.
“Have you eaten enough?”
“More than enough.”
“Then let’s go.”
Still caught by her smile, Noah followed her out of the dining room without resistance.
As they walked down the corridor, Roje silently took Noah’s hand.
Even though she was the one who had been hurt, she was still trying to comfort him.
Feeling that, Noah gripped her hand tighter.
So that’s what she meant when she said she would protect him.
For the first time, it felt like someone was truly sheltering him—and he didn’t hate it.
The warmth from their joined hands slowly spread through him, soothing away the weight of everything that had just happened.
Noah wanted to hold that hand all the way into the bedroom, to sleep in that warmth regardless of what others thought.
But—
“What’s this? You’re both already back? Oh, you were eating dinner? No?”
If the cats hadn’t suddenly appeared to block their way, that’s exactly what would have happened.
“What? Really? So that black cat was here too?”
At the cats’ appearance, Roje let go of Noah’s hand without hesitation and disappeared into the room assigned as hers—
without even saying good night.
Standing before the door that slammed shut, Noah felt…
It was like facing a wall.
That door before him felt impossibly high, like a barrier he couldn’t cross.
Was she really so desperate not to share a bed with him?
She’d be using a separate bedroom once they returned anyway—was even a few days together too much for her?
Noah sighed deeply in front of the closed door.
He hadn’t realized that his longing for Roje might have carried something impure, something like desire.
But even so… he’d thought that if it was Roje, she would understand, even embrace that part of him.
He had dreamed of that—yet reality was what it was.
Just as he was sinking into that heavy thought—
“Ah! Noah!”
The door that had seemed like it would never open suddenly burst wide.
“Oh, you’re still here! I forgot to say good night.”
Smiling brightly, Roje looked at him.
“There are people watching, you know. We have to be careful.”
She glanced around, checking the hallway.
Her small head turning this way and that was unbearably endearing.
“Besides, we need to practice sleeping apart anyway. I’m so used to sleeping next to you, I don’t know if I’ll fall asleep tonight… but still, sleep well!”
After making sure no one was around, Roje looked up and smiled wide.
“You said we have to leave early tomorrow, right? Go to sleep now—see you in the morning, Noah!”
A moment ago, the thought of being apart had felt unbearable.
But at her simple words—“See you tomorrow”—Noah’s heart swelled for the first time.
There was a tomorrow.
And the next day. And the day after that.
There was a future with Roje.
That simple truth moved him so deeply that he stood there long after the door had closed.
* * *
“The Captain said to retreat if things got dangerous, so we ran away.”
“I’m sorry, Captain. I’m useless like this.”
“But we were so scared…”
When they’d met by the lake, Aria hadn’t been holding any cats, so Roje had secretly wondered if this time the cheese-colored cats would finally get their chance to shine.
Apparently, when Aria came to find them, she’d left the cats in the tent.
They said they had sensed the black cat they’d fought earlier nearby—and ran straight away.
“You did great! First rule: stay safe! Second rule: stay safe!”
Roje wasn’t really fine—but she told them she was.
After all, it wasn’t their fault that things had gone badly twice while they were trying to help her.
After a quick bath and wiping their paws, the cats settled down:
Oliver curled near her left shoulder, while the others nestled between her legs and by her side.
She had thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep without Noah,
but thanks to them, sleep gently found her.
‘They must have followed me to check on things, huh?’
Earlier she’d been startled, but on reflection, it wasn’t so strange.
Even if Noah’s standing in the palace wasn’t quite what she had expected, nothing major would really change.
It had been so frustrating, but just remembering the existence of the “special episode” lightened her mood.
The most confusing part was why things kept happening differently from what she knew.
‘Let’s do our best again tomorrow!’
Hugging one of the large, male cheese-colored cats—Nana or Mango, she wasn’t sure—Roje quietly drifted off to sleep.
‘There must be someone here who likes cats too!’
If she was going to mingle with those haughty nobles tomorrow,
she’d need all the energy she could get.
* * *
Early the next morning, Noah, ready for the hunt, knocked and quietly entered Roje’s room.
The sun was already up, brightening the room, yet Roje was still fast asleep.
“Mnyaa.”
When Noah closed the door, Lemon—already awake and grooming—walked toward the bed’s edge.
He sat down, tail neatly curled, waiting for Noah to pet him.
Noah approached slowly and reached out to stroke him.
Lemon leaned into his hand, purring deeply.
The warmth and softness under his palm, the vibration of the purr—it reminded him of Roje in her cat form, and yet it was different.
The comfort he felt was similar, but not the same.
It amazed him how this tiny creature could trust him so completely after so little time.
And yet, the fact that it wasn’t Roje left a small hollow in his heart.
“Roje, it’s time to get up. We have to go soon.”
After petting Lemon for a while, Noah sat on the edge of the bed and brushed a strand of hair from Roje’s face.
At his touch, her eyes fluttered open, and when she saw him, she smiled wide.
And in that instant, the emptiness in his chest overflowed with warmth.
“When did you come in? Is it already time to wake up?”
