CH 42

Today, as usual, I headed to Vanessa’s Palace alone to meet Casey. Playing with her was the best part of my day. As soon as I arrived at the Vanessa Palace, she greeted me with her whole body.

I wasn’t sure if she was a wolf or a dog, but she was so affectionate that she seemed more and more adorable.

A caretaker who knows a lot about wolves had mentioned that she seemed a little different from the average wolf. The biggest difference was her size.

Wolves are usually larger than dogs, but Casey was smaller than most puppies, even as a cub.

I was worried that there was something seriously wrong with him, but other than that, he was eating well and seemed to be in good spirits, unlike the first time I saw him.

Just then, Casey, who had been screeching in front of me, ran toward the main entrance of Vanessa’s palace. She was chasing a butterfly that had been fluttering nearby. Then, in the blink of an eye, she was gone.

“Casey!”

It seemed like the door wasn’t properly closed. I hurried after her, but the little baby wolf had already disappeared. She’s in the palace anyway, so I’ll find her eventually, even if it takes a while. However, Casey’s fearful reaction to the passing people caught my attention.

And I didn’t like the thought of other courtiers, who had a bad opinion of black wolves, seeing her wandering around and making a scene.

The wolf caretaker was away on business.

Worse, there was no one in the Vanessa palace who I could ask for assistance in finding her.

I had no choice but to wander from place to place, searching for Casey. The little creature might have gotten quite far away from Vanessa Palace.

Then, by chance, I stumbled upon Ian and Rosetin talking in the middle of the Rose Garden. There were no Imperial Palace attendants in sight and they seemed oblivious to my presence.

Seeing them together made me feel emotional, so I quietly walked away.

“What’s the reason?”

Rosetin’s nervous voice made me turn back to her. The words she’d just spoken seemed to be tinged with some kind of resentment.

The look in her eyes, both angry and nervous, was unfamiliar.

It was very strange to see Rosetin, who had always been so dignified and noble, become so emotional.

Ian, on the other hand, could only stare down at her with an emotionless, serene face.

I couldn’t figure out what was going on. What’s wrong with the main characters who should be in the pink atmosphere as Rosetin has just become an official mistress?

Ian was about to say something to Rosetin when he made eye contact with me. His eyes were unusually cold, and I froze in place. Rosetin then found me standing at the end of his gaze.

She looked as if the unsteady emotion she had shown earlier had vanished. For some reason, I felt as if I had seen something I shouldn’t have seen. It was then.

I saw Casey peeking out from behind a rose bush in the corner of the garden.

“Casey?”

Everyone on the spot looked at Casey. When Rosetin found Casey, he showed signs of discomfort. I wondered if she was as afraid of the black wolf as the rest of the courtiers.

When Casey spotted me, her tail wagged and she began to run quickly towards me.

Rosetin’s complexion turned even paler at the sight. Casey, who hugged me, showed all kinds of cuteness and welcomed me.

However, Rosetin, who was looking blankly, suddenly collapsed on the spot.

“Rosetin!”

I was so flustered that I started to move towards Rosetin with Casey in my arms, but Ian stopped me, and the look he gave me made me feel sick.

“I’ll take care of it. Don’t follow me.”

Before I could form a response, Ian scooped Rosetin up in his arms and sped away. As they walked away, Ian felt a strange sense of unease.

I returned to the Empress’s palace and waited for news of Rosetin. It wasn’t until evening that Stella informed me of her condition.

“Rosetin woke up a little while ago,” she said. “She doesn’t have any major health problems”

I breathed a sigh of relief at Stella’s words, and she continued, tilting her head as if she were puzzled by something.

“I’ve seen people who don’t like animals before, but to faint like that is pretty serious. I wonder if she had a traumatic experience with a wolf in the past?”

The next day, I made my way to Kaelin Palace to find Rosetin somewhat disturbed. As Casey’s owner, I was also responsible for Rosetin’s collapse.

I wanted to apologize, though it was unintentional, but when I arrived at the entrance to Kaelin Palace, Rosetin’s green-haired maid spoke with a certain trepidation.

“Miss Bedos needs to rest, so it would be best if you come back another time.”

The maid’s eyes looked sharp. I was a little puzzled by her hostile demeanor, but I couldn’t help but turn away. Maybe she didn’t want to see me.

‘What if she thinks I set Casey free on purpose?’

In the original, Lethenia’s machinations had led to Rosetin’s collapse. Ultimately, it became an ironic turning point where Lethenia was completely rejected by her husband while the love of the protagonists grew stronger. Unnecessary thoughts weighed heavily on my mind.

*****

~Thump

I heard the magic notebook flapping in the drawer. It had been a long time since I’d heard the call of the spirits.

I jumped up from the bed, glad to hear it, and grabbed a notebook and pen.

[It’s me, master.]

[I see you’re not too busy today.]

[I’m busy, but I wanted to talk to you, so I made time.]

I couldn’t confirm if that was true, but the spirit seemed to be much busier than most humans.

[I’ve been wondering since last time, what are you doing in there?]

[Don’t pry into a spirit’s secrets.]

The spirit avoided answering, perhaps wanting to protect its own privacy. I remembered my last wish to the spirit, about Theo, and asked for his news.

[How’s Theo doing?]

[You seem to be more curious about Theo than me.]

[Well… how are you?]

[That doesn’t mean I’m sad.]

The spirit’s comment stung, and I tried to make amends, but it didn’t seem to work. The spirit’s writing continued in the notebook.

[Of course he’s fine. I thought he’d be staying in Schubert for quite a while this time, but it looks like he’ll be heading back to Asha soon.]

[It’s not fair to keep Theo out there. I’ve just signed off on making Rosetin, the Empress’s maid, officially his mistress.]

[You’re being pretty condescending about Rosetin.]

[Well, that’s what I wanted.]

[Your maid becomes your husband’s mistress?]

[Rosetin would have been Ian’s mistress regardless of my will. If it’s going to happen anyway, I think it’s better to use it to get what I want.]

[As expected, my master is very smart. Then there will soon be a celebration for Rosetine.]

The celebrations are about two weeks away. Such occasions were not particularly pleasant, but if I didn’t show my face, it would lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.

[That’s right.]

[Do you want Theo to come back sooner?]

Since I had instructed him to use land routes, it would take about a month for him to return. I recalled the unpleasant birthday celebration from the past.

This time, it would be both a celebration of Rosetin’s appointment as an official mistress and an opportunity for people to scrutinize me even more closely. Back then, I was glad that Theo was next to me.

[That would be nice, but he’ll have to come back by land, which will take a long time.]

[Then he’ll have to take the waterways. If he wants to go faster, he can cut right through the middle of Nira’s habitat.]

[The waterway is too dangerous. And what is Nira?]

[It’s a sea creature that looks like a pufferfish, breathes out of the water, and has arms and legs like a human.]

[It has arms and legs……?]

I was wrong to assume that a sea monster would be vaguely similar to a fish. The idea of a pufferfish monster with arms and legs was horrifying.

[Which is why it climbs onto ships with humans on board.]

The spirit scribbled down the horrific tale without a care in the world. A shiver of dread ran down my spine as I visualized a monster I’d never seen before, a Nira.

[Are you kidding me? How is he going to get through there?]

[It would be a pain, but it’s not impossible.]

[Never mind, it’s not that important anyway.]

As much as I’d love to have Theo at Rosetin’s celebration, I can’t have him travel that dangerous path. The spirit, on the other hand, didn’t seem too concerned about his well-being.

[And weren’t you close to Theo?]

[That’s a very difficult question to answer.]

[I thought you had a special relationship with Theo, but you didn’t seem to care what happened to him.]

[There’s no way Theo would die like that, and it’s what you want more than anything, and Master Lethenia is more important to me than Theo.]

It warms my heart to hear that the spirit thinks I’m important. It felt somewhat touching, in a way.

[You are such a strange spirit.]

Unknowingly, a faint smile appeared on my lips.