Chapter 58
When Marianne was first adopted into the Ronzebleur family and visited the count’s estate, this was the first place she had come to.
Funny how I can remember small, trivial details like that but not the important ones.
When I didn’t answer right away, Etienne called my name.
“Lizette?”
“A lady should have at least one secret. Come on, let’s go. We have to get back before Eloise wakes up.”
“…Okay.”
Etienne darted quickly through the darkness.
Click.
The locked office window opened easily with his magic.
I still wasn’t used to seeing magic in this world—it was always fascinating.
“Once I awaken, do you think I’ll be able to do that too? I mean, use magic?”
“I’ll help you.”
Etienne gave a short answer and climbed through the window.
A twinge of guilt hit me—was I really making a thirteen-year-old commit theft twice in a row?
If this went well, I’d have to go to the temple and buy him an indulgence or something—with Eloise’s money, of course.
“There doesn’t seem to be any extra magic wards inside. I don’t sense any mana flow.”
“The Count of Ronzebleur isn’t particularly skilled in magic anyway.”
Just because a noble could use magic didn’t mean they were talented at it.
In the original novel, the count had been described as “a man whose magical abilities were meager but who excelled at handling herbs.”
I wrinkled my nose, recalling the bitter herbal scent that always clung to him.
“Let’s split up and look around like last time.”
“If you’re planning to knock over another pile of documents, forget it.”
When you’re busy, you borrow help wherever you can—even from a cat.
Etienne set me down on the desk and began rummaging through the office.
After searching the entire room, he shook his head.
“Nothing.”
“That can’t be.”
He must have made deals with nobles if he was working with the crown prince; there had to be letters or evidence of it somewhere.
Just as I jumped down from the desk to search for myself, the floorboards echoed—a hollow sound, as if there was empty space beneath.
Etienne must have heard it too, because his golden eyes glinted sharply.
He knelt, examining the floor under the desk, then sent a faint thread of mana into a nearly invisible seam.
“The mana trace is so faint you’d never notice it. He did this on purpose. Clever.”
Maybe he wanted to make up for earlier, when he’d said he didn’t sense any magic—he was talking more than usual.
“How faint, exactly? So faint that the great Etienne couldn’t—”
Thunk.
I’d just started teasing him when the floor creaked open, cutting me off mid-sentence.
“There’s a staircase.”
Just as Etienne said, there were stairs beneath the floor. Maybe, just maybe, the true mastermind in the original story had been Count Ronzebleur himself.
We exchanged a quick look and cautiously descended.
What awaited us looked like a laboratory.
On one side, plants were being cultivated. Nearby stood rows of scientific-looking equipment—things I’d only ever seen in a chemistry lab.
Across from that were desks and bookshelves, forming what looked like a second office.
Etienne pulled out a red orb, roughly the size of a fist.
“What’s that? It looks… ominous.”
“It’s a spatial copier. Looks sinister, but it’s an imperial-approved artifact. It perfectly duplicates the space around it—often used for investigations.”
Ah, that rang a bell. The original novel had briefly mentioned magic tools—mana stones that could store spells. Come to think of it, Payson had used a magic device when examining me.
“A spatial copying spell? That’s an actual attribute?”
“Air. It reconstructs the area using the air particles that make up the space—I’ll explain properly later. We don’t have time right now.”
When he channeled mana into the orb, red light burst out in every direction.
I ducked under the desk to shield my eyes from the blinding glow.
After a while, the light faded, and I climbed back up. Etienne seemed to have things under control, so I decided to stay out of his way—but a piece of paper on the desk caught my eye.
[Seneca’s Medicinal and Toxic Properties]
Pushing aside the paperweight, I read through the densely written notes.
It began by describing the plant the count had discovered and detailed how to use Seneca.
Maybe the plants being cultivated over there were Seneca.
[Used in small amounts, it is medicine; exceed the limit, and it becomes poison. Currently researching side effects of prolonged microdoses.]
“Lizette, what you’re looking for—I think I found it.”
While I’d been absorbed in the document, Etienne held out a bundle of papers.
They were unsealed letters—all with the same content.
[If the Empress system becomes a topic at the Noble Assembly, I will vote in favor. For the Crown Prince.]
This was more than enough.
“Good work, Etienne.”
I reached out my short forepaw and patted his silver-brown hair.
“I know I’m a wolf, but do you have to pet me like a dog?”
“It’s a compliment. Can you copy these too?”
I nudged the Seneca notes with my paw.
There had to be a reason Eloise had covered up the poison incident. This might be the missing piece.
“Give them here.”
Etienne laid the letters and notes on the desk. Placing one hand on the papers and the other on an empty space, he poured mana into his palms.
Identical letters and documents appeared in the blank spot.
An incredibly convenient spell.
“Is there anything you can’t do with all five attributes?”
“It depends on how you use them. Paper’s made of wood, so if you can control the wood element, this is easy.”
He said it so casually that I found myself wanting to awaken and learn magic as soon as possible. But first—finish the search.
“Can you hold onto these for me?”
Etienne nodded and tucked the letters and research papers into his coat.
“Do we need to search more? Even though we copied the place?”
“I’m sure you checked thoroughly. Besides, Ellie’s been waking up in the middle of the night lately.”
Ever since Eloise had seen me in beast form, she often woke at night, looking for me.
If she realized I was gone, she’d worry—so I needed to return quickly.
With an extra find secured, that was enough for tonight.
Understanding my intent, Etienne nodded and carefully restored the lab to its original state.
Once done, he closed the hidden stairway and cast a spell over the floor again.
“You think it won’t be discovered? If it is, the count might pull something else.”
“This level of magic is easy to replicate. He won’t notice.”
Seeing his confidence eased my mind. Yes, Etienne wasn’t the next clan leader for nothing.
He picked me up and slipped out of the mansion.
Just like before, he avoided the knights’ patrols with ease, leaping over the walls and running through the dark.
“The future clan head really is different.”
Even in that young body, Etienne handled everything flawlessly.
Hearing my admiration, he gave a faint smile as we ran toward the imperial palace.
His lips smiled, but his eyes shimmered faintly with moisture—somehow sad.
“It’s not like I wanted to become the leader.”
“You don’t want to be?”
In the original story, he’d just been the handsome supporting ally of the sub–male lead, Marcel.
Years later, he’d grow to be as strong and impressive as Marcel himself.
But right now, before me, he was just a boy—still soft around the edges.
“I don’t know. It’s not that I like or hate it… I was just born into it.”
His words carried no emotion, his voice quiet and heavy.
At an age when he should’ve been playing with friends, he’d been confined to the palace with only Marcel. It must’ve been lonely.
I suddenly remembered what Sophie had told me about his childhood.
‘He always looked like he was about to cry, but he’d hold it in and just look sullen instead.’
In the end, he’d been a casualty of the power struggle between the emperor and the wolf clan’s chief.
“Don’t let the destiny your parents decided define you. Whoever they are, you’re still you.”
When I returned the same comfort he’d once given me, his dim golden eyes brightened.
His lips curved into a genuine smile, his laughter light and clear.
Seeing Etienne truly smile made me smile too.
“Yeah. You and me—we’re just ourselves.”
Before I knew it, we had reached the empress’s palace.
Etienne slipped into the bedchamber and gently set me down.
Eloise was still asleep, her breathing soft and steady.
Etienne pulled the documents from his coat and whispered,
“What do you plan to do with these?”
“I’ll bring them out at the most effective time—when they’ll hurt the most.”
“Then I’ll hold onto them for now.”
“Thanks. And… thank you for humoring me.”
At my gratitude, Etienne’s eyes curved gently as he smiled.
Seriously, why was everyone smiling so easily these days? First Eloise, now him. My cat heart couldn’t take it.
“Good night.”
Etienne patted my head twice before vanishing in a flash.
Staring at the window where he’d disappeared, I couldn’t help recalling that smile.
Now I understood why the original novel had praised Etienne’s beauty alongside Marcel’s.
“Did you enjoy your little midnight walk?”
“Hnyaaak!”
I jumped so high I nearly hit the ceiling. Eloise’s sleepy voice had come out of nowhere.
