CSTB Chapter 20

Chapter 20 

‘…Ah! Seriously, why am I not human!!!’

That refreshing smile that appeared and disappeared at his lips made Roze scream inside once again.

The thought that, just because she was a cat, she’d eventually have to send such a man into another woman’s arms—it was infuriating.

While Roze, feeling it was a waste to give him away, soothed her regret nestled in Noah’s embrace, Noah walked up to the maid.

And then, voicing aloud what he already knew, he asked,

“Why, when you accidentally dropped the flowerpot, did you not come down at once to apologize but instead ran away?”

“…I was afraid I might be killed.”

That was the answer he had been waiting for.

Melissa wouldn’t let this pass otherwise. So Noah wanted to make the truth clear—that this maid bore no guilt.

“The flowerpots in the corridor weren’t ripening well since they hadn’t seen the sun, so I only meant to place one on the windowsill. But it just so happened to fall right where His Majesty the Emperor was passing by…”

Perhaps thinking Noah would listen, the maid poured out her explanation in detail.

“And why didn’t you flee the palace even knowing you were being sought after?”

“Because then my family… hic… my family would be in danger…”

Even at such words, his mother would surely cry out that it was all an act and demand the girl’s execution.

—You are too naive, Emperor. Do you think, when my life is at stake, I would confess to a crime with my own lips?

Naive? Hardly. It was Melissa’s belief—that Noah was soft on people—that was naive.

Through Jonathan, Noah was keeping watch far more carefully than Melissa realized.

He had no intention of letting himself be killed by anyone. Which is why he knew—no attempt on his life was being made anywhere.

And if this truly were an assassination attempt, killing just this maid would never be enough.

The reason Noah paid such close attention to his surroundings… wasn’t exactly out of attachment to life.

“Jonathan, prepare a report with today’s testimony and the investigation details.”

“I’ll have it finished by tonight.”

Whether he lived or died mattered little. He simply wanted to protect Roze.

After that, Roze tried everything—acting cute, rubbing up against him, pouring out all the feline charms she could muster…

‘But this is too much!’

It was no use. Since he didn’t change the latches, she had thought maybe he would just let her wander. But what was this?

When Noah was about to leave, he went and locked every single one of the eight windows, handing all the keys to Evelyn.

This was practically cat imprisonment!

‘I get that he’s worried I’ll disappear again, but isn’t this a bit much?’

Sure, people without an anchor often shower their pets with affection. But this was excessive.

To outsiders, it would look less like he was worried about a cat running away, and more like some obsessive man afraid his lover would vanish.

‘Ha… and if only it were true that he was obsessively in love with me.’

If she were human and the one Noah was obsessed with, she would gladly endure it!

Lost in such useless fantasies, Roze shook her head briskly and looked out the window.

‘Even if I didn’t catch her red-handed, Madam Green is definitely an accomplice.’

True, she might not have been the first, but since it all started before she arrived, someone else must have started it.

Still, it was clear Madam Green was part of the scheme.

Not only had her character completely collapsed, but secretly siphoning off food behind the steward’s back was unthinkable.

‘I still need to find the double ledger and track down the accomplices… there’s so much to do…’

Staring longingly out the window in frustration, Roze was met with Noah’s firm voice:

“For the time being, no.”

Huh? For the time being? Did that mean he’d let her out after some time?

She didn’t know why it was “for the time being,” but if it was just for a few days, she thought maybe she could endure it…

‘But I need to seize this chance to reshape his image!’

Roze was deeply frustrated at the thought of missing this opportunity.

When Noah heard the maid’s answers earlier, he hadn’t even held her responsible for dropping the pot.

—They say His Highness gave gloves to the gardeners?
—That’s right.

When word spread of Noah gifting gloves to the gardeners, Evelyn and Amelia’s gazes toward him changed noticeably.

‘This is the chance!’

If even they were reacting like this, then surely among the servants, doubts about Noah truly being a “tyrant” were spreading.

If Noah uncovered the food thieves now, punished them, and improved meals, at least within the palace his reputation could turn around.

‘But when is “for the time being”!?’

And here she was, stuck inside!

After Noah and the maids left the bedroom, Roze sat on the bed in a loaf position, tail flicking irritably as she stared at the locked windows.

She had asked Oliver to look into Madam Green before, but who knew when she’d hear back.

[Oliver, are you even doing what I asked?]

[At your service, Lady Roze!]

Grumbling, she suddenly saw Oliver’s head pop out from behind a large dresser.

[Oliver! How did you even get in here?]

[Heh. No matter how well sealed a place is, there’s always a rat hole.]

This from the very mouse who once threw a fit insisting he was nothing like a sewer rat.

Chest puffed, Oliver proudly explained that with rat holes, there was nowhere he couldn’t go.

[Rat hole? Where is it?]

Was it time to prove the theory that cats are liquid?

Roze’s eyes gleamed as she asked where he had crawled through. Squeezing between the dressers pressed to the wall, then through the small hole behind them…

‘This is enough to give me claustrophobia!’

It was suffocatingly tight, but thankfully the space inside widened.

[So Madam Green went into the food storage?]

Racing through the dusty passageways between walls, Roze asked.

[Yes! It’s not even a delivery day, and she went inside and hasn’t come back out.]

Whatever she was doing in there, she wasn’t just standing around.

‘Finally, we might uncover the truth!’

Excited by the thought of catching her in the act, Roze sprinted full speed toward the food storage.

But what awaited her there was an entirely different scene.

“Mr. Andrew… we shouldn’t here…”
“What does it matter, Madam Green? The door is locked, and today’s rations were all taken out this morning. No one’s coming here now.”

Madam Green was pressed against the wall, trapped between the arms of a man called “Andrew,” the air heavy with intimacy.

This wasn’t embezzlement—it was a secret tryst.

[Hey… who’s that Andrew guy?]

This was not what she had come to see. Flustered, Roze asked Oliver, recalling having heard that name before.

[He’s an old noble who manages the palace servants’ appointments.]

Crouched behind a sack of potatoes, Roze lowered her voice, and Oliver answered in kind.

According to Oliver, Andrew was a low-ranking noble with the title of Baron, in charge of palace staffing for a long time.

[The final lists do get approved by the aide, but the servant appointments are mostly left to him. Madam Green probably got in because he recommended her.]
[Really?]

The combination of a woman managing household affairs and a man holding appointment power… It didn’t just smell fishy, it was obvious.

‘So she started small on her own, then planted her people to really make a profit!’

Madam Green had entered the palace only six months ago, so whoever started siphoning food before that was someone else—but now, the answer had come easily.

‘Now all that’s left is to find the evidence.’

While Roze silently celebrated, the two oblivious conspirators clung to each other, even sharing kisses.

[We should start by checking their offices, right?]
[Shall I guide you?]

The outline was clear. Now they just needed proof.

[They’re not really going to go all the way here, are they?]

Roze couldn’t help but be intrigued.

In her past life, she had never missed a trashy drama. And now, bored out of her mind as a cat, this spectacle was pure dopamine.

[All the way? What’s that?]
[You don’t know?]
[Of course not. I was only born a month ago, remember?]

Inside Roze, reason screamed that showing such things to a child was wrong, while instinct demanded just a few more minutes of voyeurism.

‘Damn it, I really shouldn’t… but this is just too good!’