Chapter 59
I have to stop this… somehow!
But no matter how much I worried, the Kreutz siblings and Gerard calmly went ahead with their plans.
“The carriages will be arranged by my sister, then.”
“Fortunately, Gelende isn’t too far. We’ll only need to leave the castle for about a week.”
“Then let’s set departure for tomorrow, nine in the morning.”
Konig, Gerard, and Eloise all rose from their seats as if the discussion was complete.
But I rushed in front of them, spreading my arms wide.
“Chuu! Chuuuut…!”
I stood there like a hero blocking their path.
“Cherry, I understand what you’re trying to say… but we can’t bring you with us.”
Konig pressed down on my head with his palm.
“Chuut?”
What do you mean you understand?
You’re just going to leave me behind?
You can’t even fall asleep without me!
“Chuu! Chuuut!”
I let out a scoffing laugh.
Gerard stepped in to explain patiently, lowering himself to my eye level.
“Lady Cherry, the outside world is not as safe as this castle. And this investigation must remain confidential. We can’t risk outsiders knowing. Which means—we won’t even bring knights along.”
In short: It’s too dangerous, so you stay behind.
I get it… but that doesn’t mean I’ll give up.
“Chut.”
I snorted at Konig and Gerard, then turned my back.
I still had one last lifeline.
Eloise.
Clutching at the hem of her gown, I widened my eyes in the most pitiful way.
“Chuuu…”
“Ugh…”
Her hand trembled violently, her face twisting in pain.
Yes! Just reach out and pet my soft, fluffy tail…
I turned slightly, presenting my backside temptingly.
But minutes passed. Her hand never came.
“…Cherry, darling. I understand you want to come, but this time—it’s best to listen to Konig.”
Eloise deliberately kept her distance, as if restraining herself.
“Chuu… chut…”
H-how could she…
My legs buckled, and I collapsed on the spot.
So this is what it feels like to be betrayed by the axe you trusted to chop wood.
The world crumbled around me.
But soon, I wiped my tears, eyes glinting with renewed resolve.
Lady Cherry does not give up so easily.
“Chut.”
Even if the sky falls, there’s always a way out.
Just you wait, lizards.
* * *
The next morning, in the Duke’s chamber—
“Cherry, won’t you at least show me your face? We won’t see each other for a week.”
Konig spoke softly to a certain… bulging red pouch.
A pouch stuffed with food, and currently stuffed with… me.
Ever since he said he’d leave me behind, I had sulked inside, refusing dinner and snacks.
It was a protest. A hunger strike.
She’s really sulking.
Konig rubbed his face, gazing helplessly at the stubborn lump.
He’d never experienced this before.
People usually forced a smile, no matter how they felt around him.
If anyone dared to oppose him with a hunger strike, he would’ve ensured they never ate again.
But now… he could do nothing.
Frustrated, he tugged at his cravat instead.
“…So this is what it feels like.”
He murmured as he named the strange emotion.
Yes… it had to be—
the heart of a parent.
Worrying when a child skipped even a single meal.
Fretting when they disappeared from sight, wondering where they were.
“Is there enough air in there?”
He even found himself concerned about trivial things like that.
Just as his hand hovered at the pouch’s opening—
“You shouldn’t, my lord.”
Gerard, already dressed and ready for departure, stopped him.
“If you indulge her now, she’ll continue these hunger strikes. Best to use this as a chance to correct Lady Cherry’s behavior.”
His voice was uncharacteristically strict.
Konig nodded reluctantly.
Yes, for Cherry’s sake, he had to endure.
Until he saw Gerard’s face.
“Ghh… leaving Lady Cherry behind…”
Gerard’s teeth ground audibly. His eyes watered, ready to spill tears.
Konig stared at him in disbelief—yet oddly, he understood.
He, too, had tossed and turned all night.
Was this truly the right decision?
Cherry was safest right at his side.
But if she was in danger…
“Ah.”
Just imagining it made his mind go blank.
No. She was better off here in Black Dragon Castle.
“Cherry, I’ll be back soon.”
Konig bent close, whispering into the pouch.
“…”
“Not five nights. Just three. I’ll come back in three nights.”
His tone was like coaxing a child.
“My lord—that’s impossible. And besides…”
Gerard muttered in shock. Since when has he ever sounded like that?
Konig ignored him.
“Cherry, if you need anything, tell Lia. I told her to grant all your wishes.”
With that, he and Gerard finally left the chamber.
Neither of them heard the faint gurgle from inside the pouch.
* * *
Clatter, clatter.
About an hour out of the castle.
The rickety old carriage rattled with oppressive silence.
“…Was this really the best choice?”
Konig finally broke it, eyes still on the passing scenery.
The cramped space forced his knees against Gerard’s.
Cold wind whistled through the gaps in the wood.
And every time they hit a rock—
Thud!
His head nearly hit the roof.
“Ouch!”
Gerard rubbed his head. The eighth time already.
“I’ll never get used to this.”
“Once we cross the duchy’s border, a new carriage will be waiting. Endure until then.”
Eloise smiled easily.
If she had to answer whether this was the best option—
Of course not.
But she had chosen this creaky, outdated carriage deliberately.
To see their faces, the pampered Kreutz nobles, forced to ride in it.
“Experiences like this? Money can’t buy them.”
She smirked.
“Then what’s with that cushion, sister?”
Konig gestured to her seat.
Unlike their rough blankets, she sat on a plush, luxurious cushion.
“Wisdom born of experience.”
She had traveled the continent, and learned one thing:
On carriages like this, cushions were essential.
“No wonder you look so pleased.”
“Gerard, do you have something to say?”
“N-no, my lady.”
His glare hardened, but as a vassal, he could do nothing but swallow it back.
Searching for another subject, he muttered—
“…Though I wonder if that fluffy tuft sticking out between the seats was also your doing. So soft, thick, and silky, swaying so gracefully. Almost like—”
“Cherry?”
“Yes! Just like Lady Cherry’s tail!”
Gerard clapped his hands.
Chut!
The sound burst inside the rickety carriage—
a sound that was absolutely not supposed to be there.
“…No way.”
The Kreutz siblings and Gerard all froze.
Meanwhile, the tuft of fur swayed more violently.
Then out popped a pair of sausage-like hind legs.
Then a peanut-shaped torso.
And finally—
“Chuuuut!”
A small, round face with bright pink eyes, gleaming like ripe cherries.
“Chuchuchut!”
I’m here, you lizards!
