Chapter 18
“I thought you were proposing.”
“Don’t go around saying things like that with those kinds of eyes!”
The piece of apple I was holding dropped with a thud.
“Actually… that wouldn’t be so bad!”
The atmosphere brightened in an instant.
Another maid spoke in an excited voice.
What is this… this suddenly enlightened mood?
“Come to think of it, His Highness the Crown Prince said he’s been raising a weasel lately too.”
“This is a weasel?”
The princess picked up the fallen apple and handed it back to me as she spoke.
Wait a second.
You… don’t tell me you suggested we live together—no, practically proposed—without even knowing what I am?
“Yes! The face, the long body, even the tail—anyone can see it’s a weasel!”
Yeah. Anyone can see it’s a weasel.
“I see…”
The princess blinked as if she had just learned something new.
So she really didn’t know? Then what was that ‘Zen’ thing you were talking about…?
Princess Terea is… far more unusual than I imagined.
“A weasel, huh.”
Seriously… she’s strange.
Three hours had passed since I stayed in Princess Terea’s room.
In those three hours, I gained quite a lot.
First, my stomach had become visibly round.
Pretending to eat while eavesdropping on the princess and maids made me stuff myself stupidly full.
Second, I found out what “Zen” really was.
‘There’s definitely something wrong with the princess’s eyes.’
Zen looked nothing like me.
It wasn’t even in the weasel family—more like a small animal such as a rabbit, chinchilla, squirrel, or maybe an otter or sea otter…
‘It’s just a cat. A Persian cat at that. Fluffy fur and elegance overflowing.’
The little portrait the princess had drawn of Zen was unmistakably a cat, no matter how you looked at it.
‘Is she blind or something?’
Well… maybe her mental state is unstable, and her perception is off.
At least they’re both white, so… that’s something in common.
I forced myself to accept that logic.
“Zen was amazing. It always acted like it knew exactly how I felt.”
After chatting excitedly, petting me, and even managing to eat a little, Princess Terea seemed to hit her limit and lay back down on the bed.
I ended up lying beside her.
‘I’m starting to get used to this bed.’
Is it really necessary to adapt this much to someone else’s room?
“Even though it was a cat, it liked going out into the garden.”
In her hand were dozens of small postcard-like drawings of Zen.
She showed them to me one by one as she continued talking.
‘Zen must be dead.’
Judging from context, that was obvious.
And it seemed like after that, the princess—who was already not in good health—had grown even more unstable.
‘So it’s not related to the jewel?’
A creeping suspicion rose that this might all be a dead end again.
“…What if I see Zen again today?”
Her eyelids slowly drooped.
It seemed like she was getting sleepy.
But if she loved that cat so much, why did she sound afraid just now?
‘Is she scared it might appear in her dreams?’
Strange.
Wouldn’t you want to see a beloved pet again in a dream…?
“….”
Soon, her eyes fully closed.
Her breathing became soft and steady.
‘She’s asleep.’
In the end, I didn’t find the jewel at all and just listened to a bunch of stories about “Zen.”
‘I should head back before sunset.’
Well, at least the day wasn’t completely wasted.
Determined not to get grabbed by those terrifying hands again, I rolled sideways off the bed and landed on the floor.
If I stayed any longer, I’d get knocked out again by the sleeping incense the maids lit.
‘Anyway, see you next time!’
Next time, I decided I’d come in human form.
I headed for the window.
There were too many servants in the hallway—definitely not a good option.
“Here goes.”
I boldly opened the window, jumped—and rolled upon landing!
“Gah!”
Just as I excitedly tried to spring forward after rolling, I slammed straight into something hard.
Looking up to see what I’d hit, I found a man.
He had light gray hair, copper-colored eyes, pale skin, and wore a knight’s uniform.
‘Who’s this?’
Rubbing my aching head, I glared at him.
“What are you?”
That was supposed to be my question.
“Squeak?”
What the hell are you saying, you lunatic?! —but all I could express was a squeak.
“Why are you coming out of there?”
His tone wasn’t friendly.
What, is he some guard or bodyguard?
And even if you ask, what kind of answer do you expect from me?
I gave him a look of disbelief.
Frowning, he took a step closer.
‘Why are you coming closer?’
I braced myself defensively.
As he got nearer, surprise flickered across his face.
“You… are you the Crown Prince’s pet weasel?”
“…?”
How does he know me?
Was he one of the many knights I passed during my previous escape?
‘This is bad. If he realizes I’ve been sneaking around again, it’ll be chaos.’
As I was thinking about how to handle this crisis—
Creak! Bang!
The window behind me suddenly opened.
“Zen!”
A desperate voice.
It was Princess Terea calling for me.
The moment she called me “Zen,” the man’s brows furrowed sharply.
His piercing gaze locked onto me.
‘What kind of reaction is that?’
Either way, I’d been caught trying to sneak away from the princess.
This was the worst.
‘Ah, whatever.’
At this point, I had no choice!
I dashed toward the man, climbed up his armor like scaling a cliff, and perched on his shoulder.
Startled, he staggered slightly, but I held on.
“…Who are you?”
The princess asked sharply.
“…Your Highness. I am…”
“What is your relationship with that weasel? Don’t tell me you’re its owner?”
She looked ready to bite him if he said yes.
Sensing that, the man hesitated.
He scratched his forehead lightly before answering.
“I thought it might be the Crown Prince’s pet weasel, so I was observing it.”
“…The Crown Prince’s pet weasel?”
A shadow fell over the princess’s face.
“I saw it briefly during the escape incident before.”
“…Is that true?”
When the man nodded, her shoulders slumped.
‘Hmm… but…’
Sitting on his shoulder, I could feel something strange about him.
His heartbeat was unusually fast—well, maybe that’s because he’s facing royalty…
‘Still, something feels familiar…’
An uneasy feeling crept in.
But this wasn’t the time to dwell on it.
‘Anyway, thanks to this knight, getting back should be easy.’
Even a princess wouldn’t keep someone else’s pet.
“…Then, I suppose it must return to the Crown Prince’s palace.”
As expected.
She spoke in a subdued voice.
Already weak, she now looked even more dejected.
She resembled a lost beaver.
‘Now I feel guilty.’
Why make me feel like this?
But I’m not even that “Zen” to begin with.
“…Then I will escort it.”
At his words, the princess opened her mouth, then closed it again.
Her brows knit as she shut her eyes tightly.
Her slender arm rose to press against her forehead.
Her body wavered.
“Your Highness!”
The man stepped toward the window in alarm just as the door burst open.
“Your Highness!”
“Are you alright?!”
The maids, who had come to check on her, rushed in and supported her.
They quickly shut the window.
Thud. Rustle.
Thick curtains were drawn, cutting off her small world.
The brief commotion faded into silence.
“….”
I quickly looked away from the window, but the man kept staring at it for a long time.
Only after a while did his attention shift to me.
As he tilted his head closer, I was startled.
‘That face is way too close.’
With a quiet sigh, he turned away.
His large hand grabbed the back of my neck.
“Squeak!”
He picked me up roughly.
Handle me gently, will you?!
“Why did you even come all the way here…”
His grip was careless, his eyes emotionless—as if I were nothing but a nuisance.
‘You’re completely different from how you acted in front of the princess!’
Dangling like baggage from his hand, I was carried away.
