Chapter 7

Even after the dinner banquet ended without incident, I followed Klaus back into the audience chamber.

As I trailed after him without hesitation into his quarters and then toward his private residence, Tobi suddenly stopped in his tracks.

A low ranking attendant like Tobi could only come and go from the audience chamber so freely because of me.

He had barely managed to follow this far since guests sometimes visited the quarters, but he couldn’t enter the private residence where the bedroom was.

When his steps stopped, Klaus turned to look at him.

“If there’s anything needed, I’ll call. You may return to your quarters and rest.”

Tobi bowed with a bright expression.

That kind hearted boy was probably happier that Klaus hadn’t driven me away than he was about getting off work early.

“Good night, Your Majesty. And Sacred Creature. I will see you in the morning.”

Until now, I had no idea what the Emperor did every evening in his private residence, but now that I saw it, his personal life was incredibly boring.

Klaus went through endless stacks of documents over and over, sometimes signing the ends of scrolls.

At times, he would pour sealing wax and press the Emperor’s signet ring into it.

I got bored and dozed by the fireplace, only waking when Klaus changed his clothes and entered his bedchamber.

“Meow…”

I greeted him softly, and he tapped the bed while lying down.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t even drawn the curtains yet.

“You may come up.”

The first time was hard, but the second time came without hesitation.

I happily climbed onto the soft bed and settled onto a spare pillow.

Only then did Klaus draw the curtains and lie down comfortably.

He closed his eyes, and I was just about to fall asleep as well.

Suddenly, his arm reached out toward me.

Ignoring my flinch, he slowly stroked my back.

It was still clumsy, but somehow it felt a bit nice.

“Lump.”

I thought about pretending to sleep, but he spoke again.

“Do you really understand what I say?”

I calmly nodded, and he let out a small laugh.

His large hand didn’t stop stroking me.

Just as I was about to drift off to sleep, I heard his quiet voice.

“…Do you like the Prime Minister that much? More than me?”

I was so dumbfounded that my sleep vanished instantly.

You petty man!

I sprang up and shook my head wildly, and Klaus burst into loud laughter.

It was the first time I had ever seen him laugh like that, and it seemed I wasn’t the only one who thought so.

A servant outside the bedroom knocked on the door.

“Your Majesty, is something the matter?”

Klaus moved his large hand to my head and boldly petted me.

With a faint smile, he replied.

“No. It’s just that the bed feels comfortable for once.”

Then, looking very satisfied, he withdrew his hand and lay down properly again.

Seriously, how childish can you be!

Grumbling inwardly as I curled up, I soon fell asleep too.

There probably wasn’t a cozier place in all of Kella than the Emperor’s bedchamber.

* * *

Morning came, and as expected, Klaus went out hunting.

The only difference from usual was that Lucas, who was almost as handsome as the Emperor but far more exhausted, was dragged along with him.

After two days of peace, I wondered if what I heard in the kitchen had just been my imagination.

Still, I couldn’t let my guard down yet.

While Klaus was away, I decided to keep an eye on Michaela.

For the past few days, she had boldly been using the Empress’s palace.

Apparently leaving the most beautiful room in Herera unused would be a waste.

With sleepy steps, I made my way there.

The massive palace, like a maze, had already become familiar.

Even without Tobi leading the way, I reached the Empress’s quarters without getting lost.

When I entered, the guards stepped aside with smiles.

Michaela sat by the window in the sunlight, as lovely as a blooming flower.

The charming girl spotted me and broke into a bright smile.

“Kyaa, Mari! Did you come all the way here by yourself?”

Tobi was right behind me, so I wasn’t exactly alone, but I had led the way with my own feet, so I deserved some praise.

I stood proudly with my tail raised, and Michaela laughed.

Tobi added proudly.

“It’s true, Your Majesty. I only followed behind Mari.”

“Really?”

Michaela came closer, lifted me up high, and spun me around.

“Meow.”

I was enjoying myself when a strange voice came from behind.

“Oh my, is this the famous sacred cat?”

Michaela turned her gaze to a girl dressed just as lavishly as royalty.

Her green satin dress shimmered in the sunlight, and the emerald on her head was so large it was hard to believe.

The Queen greeted her warmly.

“Yes, Emma. Isn’t she beautiful?”

The girl in green smiled brightly and stretched her arms toward me.

“Yes, she’s so pretty, Your Majesty! May I hold her?”

I let out a sharp cry and clung tightly to Michaela.

At a time when I didn’t know who might try to poison members of the royal family, I wasn’t welcoming any new faces.

It was instinctive, but Michaela seemed pleased and stroked me.

“I’m sorry, but the sacred creature is quite shy.”

Emma gave up quickly.

“It can’t be helped. Oh right! Please tell me more about His Majesty Argyle.”

For quite a while after that, Michaela spoke about her husband with a blush, praising him endlessly.

It seemed Argyle cherished his wife deeply.

Since he had already returned to his homeland while I was sick, I hadn’t had the chance to observe him closely.

I listened to the girls chatting for hours.

It was interesting at first, but I gradually grew tired of all the unfamiliar names.

Eventually, I dozed off on Michaela’s lap.

Half asleep, I heard the girl whisper.

“Your Majesty, I heard that the First Princess of the Elso Empire is trying to win His Majesty’s favor and is gathering an enormous dowry.”

Our Emperor? Klaus?

At Emma’s words, my ears perked up, and Michaela immediately scoffed.

“That’s ridiculous. Brother has no intention of forming ties with the Elso Empire. Maybe if they offered the entire empire, but a woman that old has no chance.”

“But there’s talk that the heir of the Elso Empire is frail. If that’s true, the First Princess might still have a chance. His Majesty can’t leave the Empress’s palace empty forever…”

Oh really, is that so?

It seemed Klaus was quite the hot item on the marriage market.

Anyone would change their mind after experiencing that personality… I feel sorry for whoever ends up marrying him.

As I clicked my tongue inwardly, Michaela smiled slyly.

“You seem very interested. Emma, are you still dreaming about my brother?”

The red haired girl suddenly blushed.

“Only as much as any girl would admire him.”

Michaela laughed again.

“Do you think I would mistake the only daughter of the Schmidt family for just any girl?”

Ah, so that’s how it is.

Only then did I carefully look at Emma’s face again.

She seemed about the same age as Michaela and was quite pretty.

Her face stayed as red as her hair for a long time.

Michaela said generously.

“I’ll arrange for you to sit next to His Majesty at the banquet.”

Emma’s eyes filled with tears.

“Really, Your Majesty? With even the Empress absent from Kella, it’s nearly impossible to see His Majesty’s face. If I had known, I would have practiced horseback riding more. Then I could have joined him on hunts sometimes.”

“Even if you trained your whole life, you wouldn’t keep up with him. Do you think he would wait for us? You should give up early.”

Listening to their conversation, I imagined Emma standing beside Klaus.

They didn’t look too bad together.

For some reason, I suddenly felt irritated and jumped off Michaela’s lap.

There’s no way a girl who secretly admires him would try to poison him anyway.

“Mari? Are you leaving?”

At Michaela’s question, Tobi smiled and answered.

“It seems she wants a snack. We’ll take our leave now.”

Without looking back, I left the Empress’s quarters and returned to Klaus’s audience chamber.

I resumed my little routine of trying to turn human.

Tobi clapped and praised me, completely unaware of my feelings.

Ugh, I want to become human too, chat like them, and eat delicious food!

I want to date too, and hear about my friend’s boyfriend! Sob.

* * *

Around lunchtime, Lucas entered the audience chamber, dramatically exhausted.

“Huff, huff… I’m dying.”

Klaus walked ahead of him from the moment they entered, removing his heavy fur cloak and handing it to the chamberlain.

Then he clicked his tongue at Lucas.

“You’re exhausted without even catching a single prey.”

Lucas removed his red fedora, which suited him perfectly, and bent over, still breathing heavily.

“Huff… Your Majesty… even foxes need to live in this winter. They’ll go extinct.”

“Oh, it seems our Prime Minister is turning vegetarian.”

Klaus showed no mercy and turned to the chamberlain.

“Baron Pensler, starting today, remove meat from the Prime Minister’s diet…”

Lucas suddenly straightened up, placed his hat properly, and stepped in front of the Emperor.

He bent one arm sharply and raised it to his chest.

“O Sun of the Empire. This humble servant will catch a fox next time.”

“When exactly is next time?”

Lucas avoided his gaze.

“Well… next week, or the week after…”

“By then, more foxes will be born, so you’ll have twice as many to catch.”

It was a shame I couldn’t laugh as a cat.

Lucas barely escaped a vegetarian diet and went to change his clothes.

As I followed Klaus to the dining hall, I thought about Emma.

The seats beside the Emperor were usually for Lucas or Michaela, so I wondered who would give up their place for her.

But when we arrived, Emma wasn’t there. Only Michaela was seated.

When the Emperor arrived, the Queen stood and bowed politely.

“Your Majesty, I heard you caught prey again today.”

Klaus sat at the head of the table and replied casually.

“The weather is cold, so only two foxes.”

“Not rabbits, but foxes. Two in this winter is impressive. Oh, the Duke Schmidt sent cured ham and venison through Emma as a gift. A whole carriage full.”

“Good.”

That wasn’t even a proper thank you.

Michaela smiled brightly and stepped back.

Only then did Emma appear from behind and shyly greet him.

“I greet the Sun of Kella.”