Chapter 44
I clutched the blanket tighter, curling up as small as I could. But König didn’t stop.
With one pull, the blanket slipped from my shoulders. My platinum hair tumbled down, revealing my face.
For a moment, his golden eyes locked on me. I froze, gripping the blanket like a cornered mouse.
Will he recognize me?
My silver hair… my cherry-colored eyes… He might realize I was Cherry.
But…
No. I don’t want this.
I didn’t want König to see me like this—weak, pitiful, nothing like the special squirrel he treasured. Surely he’d be disappointed.
What should I do?
I shut my eyes tight, waiting for the blade to fall.
Then, suddenly—
“You… What did you do to me?”
His voice was sharp, but his body wavered.
His once-fierce gaze blurred. Then, to my shock—
“W-wait?!”
König swayed and collapsed forward, falling right on top of me.
I stumbled like a newborn deer and toppled with him.
“…König?”
I whispered, trembling. No answer.
Only the sound of his steady breathing.
“Is he… asleep?”
Right now? Just like that?
I couldn’t believe it. But one thought struck me.
Was this… because of me?
It was almost like a miracle—falling asleep just when I needed a chance to escape.
But it wasn’t the first time.
Three years ago, on that cliff, when hunting dogs had chased me. Their steps had frozen midair, as if bound by an unseen force. My enemies had said it was my mana then.
Could it be my mana again?
I didn’t have time to dwell on it.
“Chu—!”
A glow swept over me. My human body shrank, fur sprouted, and in an instant I was back in my squirrel form.
The sun was rising outside.
I had to decide quickly: stay here in Black Dragon Castle—or run away before König woke.
***
“König!”
He bolted upright in bed, heart racing. His body felt heavy, sore, and strangely cold.
Something had happened last night. Something huge. Yet his memory was hazy, as if cut away.
A pounding headache throbbed behind his eyes.
“Ugh…” He pressed his face with one hand and reached to the side with the other.
But the familiar warmth wasn’t there. The sheets were cold.
“…Cherry?”
His eyes snapped open wide.
“You’re awake at last, my lord.”
It was Gerard, standing at the open window, his face unusually grim.
“What happened?”
“I found you collapsed by the window. Oddly, you were wrapped in a blanket…”
“Collapsed… at the window?”
König frowned hard. His memories blurred. He was sure someone else had been there.
“Was there anyone suspicious?”
“No, my lord. No intruders. Did you… see someone?” Gerard asked carefully.
“I thought I saw… a woman. Long hair. White. Shining.”
Gerard shook his head. “A woman, in your chamber? My lord, it must be exhaustion. The Astrahan matter has drained you. And don’t forget—you took that medicine yesterday.”
“Medicine? You mean poison,” König muttered.
Gerard sighed. “Call it what you will. To normal men, it would kill instantly. Hallucinations, voices, visions… they’re common side effects.”
But König barely listened. His eyes scanned every corner of the room.
“Where’s Cherry?”
Gerard hesitated. His lips pressed tight, his head lowered.
“Where is she?” König’s voice dropped, cold as steel.
Finally Gerard forced the words out: “It seems… Cherry has run away.”
The air turned icy.
“Gather the knights. Now. If she’s left the castle, she’ll head for Norbert Mountain.”
“The mountain of bears…” Gerard whispered.
“Burn the entire mountain if you have to. Bring her back. At once.”
König’s killing intent filled the room like a storm.
Gerard muttered under his breath, “This is bad…”
Then, as if seeking salvation, he tapped his pocket.
Rustle.
Something squirmed inside.
“My lady Cherry? Please, before my neck and your homeland go up in flames, won’t you come out now?”
“When I woke, Cherry was right by my bed…” Gerard explained quickly.
“Really?”
“Yes, my lord! At first, I thought it was stuffing from the pillow… until it bit my hand.” He raised his swollen hand.
König ignored it. “How did she end up in your room?”
That was the real question. His room and Gerard’s were sealed like fortresses. No one entered without permission.
“I suspect there are squirrel tunnels… tiny holes she uses.”
König gave a short nod. It was possible. Cherry was round and soft like a dumpling, but flexible enough to squeeze through small gaps.
That might explain how she’d met Erjin Astrahan too.
“But why your room?”
König’s eyes narrowed at Gerard’s red pouch, where Cherry hid.
She had refused him, yet willingly gone into Gerard’s pouch—the same pouch she used to hate.
“Because, my lord,” Gerard said proudly, “after you, she trusts me the most.”
“I thought the second would be Ria Viper.”
Gerard smirked. “A misunderstanding. Cherry and I have faced life and death together many times.”
“Then you must know why she ran away.”
“Exactly.” Gerard smiled slyly. “In fact, I’m surprised she lasted this long.”
He leaned back comfortably and began listing reasons.
“You’ve threatened to stuff her like a trophy. You grind her like a walnut in the office…”
König opened his mouth to protest, but Gerard held up a hand.
“Let me finish.”
There were many reasons, but one stood above the rest.
“And the biggest reason is obvious.”
“…What is it?”
You threatened to kill her. That must be it~