Chapter 20
“I only became a knight after I disappeared from the imperial palace as ‘Zen.’ I’ve only recently been appointed as a knight serving His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“I see. Then… you lived as a cat for over ten years? It’s not like finding food was difficult, so why…?”
I couldn’t understand the past decade of his life.
“That form is comfortable for me too. It was a satisfying life.”
Hmm, I guess there are cases like that.
If I didn’t have memories of living as a human in my previous life, I might’ve been happily running around somewhere as a weasel myself.
Especially if my food happened to be rare jewels!
Maybe I’m the strange one for stubbornly insisting on living as a human despite having such an expensive diet.
“The solution seems simple, though?”
At my words, his face twisted sharply.
“It’s not something you can say so lightly.”
“You can just meet her in your human form.”
“Do you not know what happens if it’s discovered that I’m a beastman?”
“Well, you don’t have to tell her you were ‘Zen.’”
If he was that worried, couldn’t he just approach her as a completely new acquaintance?
“The laws of human society are more complicated than nature.”
“You mean to say, in a roundabout way, that you’re just a low-ranking knight who doesn’t have the standing to approach the princess?”
At that, he coughed awkwardly.
Honestly, why does he keep beating around the bush?
“In situations like this, what you need is…”
“Is?”
“Someone who sticks their nose into other people’s business.”
And somehow, I had the feeling that someone had to be me.
“I’ll act as the bridge. You can bring me along and build a connection with the princess.”
“Bring you?”
“If she sees you often, there’ll naturally be some overlap in your interactions.”
“But…”
“If it’s because of the Crown Prince, I’ll handle it if any problems arise.”
It’s my body to do with as I please—what does the Crown Prince have to do with it?
Things were being resolved quickly.
No, were they just beginning?
Either way, another troublesome task had just been added to my plate.
A faint sigh escaped me.
Watching me, the man hesitated before speaking.
“…My name is Regent.”
Come to think of it, we hadn’t even introduced ourselves.
“I’m Rosha.”
“Rosha…”
He muttered my name several times under his breath.
Then he knelt down in front of me, crouching to meet my gaze.
Well, even if he sits, it’s not like my neck stops craning upward.
“I express my gratitude for your goodwill.”
“…It’s nothing, really.”
After all, this was also part of my own calculated plan—to keep entering the princess’s chambers until I could confirm there were no jewels.
If it’s good for both of us, then it’s fine, right?
“By the way, how do you eat dreams?”
“You just need to make contact with any part of the skin.”
“Hmm.”
Easy, yet difficult.
But for now, I’ll just dive in and try.
“Let’s work well together.”
“Likewise.”
When I held out my hand, Regent extended just his index finger.
My small hand barely managed to grasp it.
As I shook it up and down like a handshake, it finally felt like we were truly working together.
‘Working with another beastman…’
It was a strange feeling.
* * *
‘I can’t sleep.’
It was late at night, but the Crown Prince hadn’t come.
I rolled around alone in the room, replaying the events of the day.
The princess’s story, Regent’s past, and my jewel…
My jewel!
No matter how troublesome things got, if I could just find Cleia’s Tear, all this hardship would be washed away.
‘Starting tomorrow, if I go back and forth to the princess’s palace with Regent, word will get out. The day I have to persuade the Crown Prince will come.’
A reason why a weasel has to visit the princess’s palace.
Of course, I could easily use Princess Terea as an excuse, but I didn’t want to drag her into trouble unnecessarily.
It would be cleaner if there were a reason from the weasel’s side.
‘Isn’t there a good excuse…?’
I tried to recall what was in the princess’s palace.
There was a beautiful garden.
Flowers in full bloom, plenty of trees.
And notably, a fairly large pond.
‘Flowers and grass are everywhere. The pond—yeah, the pond is good.’
Weasels like swimming.
If I say I especially like that pond, it might sound convincing enough.
‘As expected, you’ve got to use your brain.’
This should count as a pretty solid plan.
As I nodded to myself in satisfaction, I began to feel sleepy.
I glanced at the door.
‘It’s pretty late—why isn’t he coming?’
Trying to sleep alone in someone else’s room felt a bit off.
Even though the candles lit the room brightly, being alone in such a large space made it feel a little scary…
It was funny, really, that someone who had lived alone her whole life would suddenly feel lonely.
But when something that used to be there disappears, it really shows.
‘It’s only been a few days, and yet he’s already made it feel empty. Not even thinking about the one waiting.’
So inconsiderate.
Muttering to myself, my vision blurred.
The candlelight grew dim.
He’ll come if I just close my eyes for a bit.
With that thought, I fell asleep.
‘Mm.’
After sleeping for a while, I woke up.
My mind was hazy, but I realized I had somehow been moved onto the bed.
Beside me, I could hear steady breathing.
‘Looks like he came back.’
The Crown Prince, who I didn’t even know when he had returned, was fast asleep.
‘He could’ve at least put out the candles before sleeping…’
The room was still brightly lit even though everyone was asleep, which felt odd—but honestly, it didn’t matter.
As a weasel, I could sleep well in any condition.
‘But why is he curled up in the corner like that?’
Now that I looked, I was sprawled out in the center of the wide bed, while the Crown Prince was barely clinging to the edge.
‘Talk about roles being reversed.’
It almost made me feel guilty.
But whatever.
If he can sleep like that, he must be fine.
The chirping of insects drifted in through the window.
The humidity and temperature were just right, and the lighting felt warm.
It was comfortable.
Even though it wasn’t my home.
Maybe the imperial palace suits me… Hmm, I should sleep more.
With that thought, I fell back into a deeper sleep than before.
* * *
In the morning, the Crown Prince tried to pet me again, only to have his hand smacked away several times. With slumped shoulders, he left the room.
Once he was gone, I waited for someone.
Regent.
“You’re the maid in charge of the Crown Prince’s pet?”
“Well… things got a bit tangled.”
I had to give Regent a proper justification for taking the weasel out.
Namely, the excuse that the caretaker maid had approved and initiated it.
“Doesn’t His Highness the Crown Prince know about this?”
“It doesn’t matter. If the weasel wants to go there, what can you do? Haven’t you walked a dog before? You go where it wants to go.”
“That may be true, but…”
“Even if things go wrong and someone gets fired, it’ll be me, so don’t worry.”
Carrying me carefully in both hands, Regent walked toward the princess’s palace, still looking doubtful.
“By the way, didn’t you say you were looking for something?”
“Why? Are you going to help me?”
Was he offering mutual assistance?
Even without him doing anything, just going to the princess’s palace already helped me.
Not knowing the full story, Regent seemed to think I was simply helping him.
“I’m looking for a jewel called Cleia’s Tear that went missing recently.”
Well, there was a chance he might know something I didn’t, so I told him anyway.
“That missing jewel?”
“Yeah. It would’ve been nice if it ended up in my hands, but it disappeared.”
“The entire palace was thrown into chaos over it.”
“Do you know anything about it?”
“What the knights were told is that the intruders that day weren’t just one person, but several.”
“Several…?”
I was alone, though?
I tilted my head at his words.
“That day, there were simultaneous intrusions. The building where the jewel was kept, the armory, and the emperor’s main palace office.”
“…What?”
Wait—that wasn’t me.
“There are reports suggesting there may have been intrusions in other places as well. The palace was breached in multiple locations at once.”
“Why is the palace security so terrible?”
Can anyone even sleep peacefully at night here?
Well… not that a thief like me should be saying that.
“That’s what makes it strange. It was professional and bold—definitely not ordinary criminals.”
“Hmm…”
Maybe I chose the wrong day.
Or maybe the perfect one?
The distraction from other intruders did help…
‘Though it still ended like this.’
Since I failed anyway, what’s the point of dwelling on it?
But what if those guys took my jewel?
‘…I’ll tear them to pieces!’
Do they have any idea how much trouble I’ve gone through?!
