CSTB Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Before Noah left the bedroom, Roze stood in front of the mirror she always used to check her appearance one last time. She rubbed her eyes over and over again.

“I turned into a human… How could something like this even happen…?”

She wiped the mirror so hard she thought it might wear out, even wondered if it was some kind of magic mirror. She pressed other objects against it, desperately trying to deny reality…

But it was no use.

No matter how many times she closed her eyes and opened them again, the reflection was always the same: a woman with long, silvery white hair streaked with gray, falling down to her hips, and the same red eyes she had as a cat.

“Ah. Ahhh.”

On top of that, a human voice came clearly out of her mouth.

“A beastkin?”

Even trying to frame it in terms of some logical romance-fantasy trope didn’t help calm her heart. Because—

“There are no magic mirrors or beastkin in this novel!”

This story wasn’t supposed to have fantastical elements like that.

It was more like a romance wearing a “rofan” (romance-fantasy) mask: set in a historical backdrop, with titles and noble names that fit perfectly into a rofan, but with such a small dose of fantasy that it was often recommended as an entry-level story for beginners.

“Did I… remember the wrong title?”

But even if she wanted to brush it off like that, the characters standing right in front of her had the same names as the novel’s. There was no pretending otherwise.

“…No way.”

Her heart froze again.

Last time Roze disappeared, Noah had gone so far as to issue a cat-hunting decree.

If he lost Roze again and fell into despair, that meant he would inevitably fall into the hands of the villainess. In other words, no matter what happened, Roze could not be found again.

Even though Lady Green had been exposed, it didn’t mean the threats against Roze had completely disappeared.

And just a few days ago, Noah had panicked when Roze slipped out of the imperial palace. Would he really just give up if she disappeared now…?

“…No way.”

Of course not.

“Spare me!”

There was only one possibility.

Noah would find this suspicious woman left behind in his bedroom after Roze’s disappearance—and kill her with his own hands.

It had been worth the extra manpower and the rush. A week ago, the imperial back garden had looked like an abandoned forest—overgrown weeds, tangled branches. But now it was neat and clean.

Paths had been carved where there were none. The flowers that once grew in a mess had found their proper places.

Noah stood by the gazebo, its wood restored to its original white after the dust was scrubbed away, watching the brook flowing gently beside it.

Would he see Roze there, splashing her feet in the summer?

In his mind’s eye, he saw her—human-shaped—sitting with her pale calves dipped in the stream, smiling brightly.

Just that thought alone seemed to wash away the nightmare-like memories of this place.

The word “back garden” used to choke him before he even stepped in, but now, standing in its very center, he felt nothing.

Because the emperor’s inner quarters couldn’t be opened to workers, Noah had personally unlocked a small iron gate connecting the garden for the first time in decades. Watching that gate swing open, he felt almost relieved.

As if he had freed his younger self, trapped here for so long.

And it was all thanks to Roze. Without her, this place would still be abandoned, too full of painful memories for him to even face.

When Jonathan saw the emperor’s relaxed face, he too finally looked at ease. He had been worried when Noah first insisted on restoring this place he’d sworn never to return to.

“How did Your Majesty decide to restore the back garden?”

“I couldn’t just leave it abandoned forever.”

Noah gave a simple answer, but really, this was all for Roze.

So that she wouldn’t wander into the main gardens again and vanish, he planned to keep her safely here in the back garden, where only he could come and go.

It left a bitter taste, since it felt too much like repeating his father’s sins. But it wasn’t as though he meant to lock her here forever. Surely Roze would understand.

“Once the repairs on the detached palace are complete, it will be even more beautiful than the garden you remember, Your Majesty.”

At the very least, he wanted Roze to walk here freely.

And then—

“What do you mean Roze isn’t there?”

Evelyn came running down the stairs from the emperor’s chambers, her voice trembling. She had brought lunch and opened the door, but Roze was gone without a trace.

“Did you check under the bed?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. She wasn’t there either.”

“Were the windows open?”

“No. The windows were locked, and the door hadn’t been touched.”

Noah frowned, baffled, and went upstairs ahead of Evelyn.

“The cushions? The blankets, the sheets—did you lift them all?”

“Yes. I searched every place a cat could hide.”

Evelyn knew cats liked tight corners. She had looked after Roze almost as much as Noah had.

Roze hadn’t left, yet she was gone. How was that possible?

Even knowing cats’ habits, there were always places you might not think of. He told himself it was nothing—but his heart pounded violently.

“Lady Roze, I brought your favorite dried fish. Come out, please.”

While Evelyn called for her, Noah crouched to check under the bed. The weather was warming up—could Roze have transformed again and hidden there?

But as Evelyn had said, there was no Roze under the bed. Not behind cushions, not under blankets, not behind the drawers where she once wedged herself.

What were the chances of a cat vanishing completely from a closed room?

“Amelia, you and Evelyn took turns watching the door?”

“Yes! Not a single second was left unguarded!”

Zero. The chance was zero.

Noah’s sharp eyes turned to Evelyn and Amelia, who had just arrived after hearing the news.

“Did my mother offer you money to separate me from Roze?”

“What…?”

“That’s nonsense…”

Melissa always wanted to know everything about Noah—what he ate, what he read, what flowers he liked best. Everyone in the palace served as her eyes and ears.

“No, Your Majesty! We didn’t take Lady Roze!”

“Evel… What are you saying—? Your Majesty! How could you suspect us? We love Lady Roze dearly!”

Had he trusted them too easily, just because they seemed young, innocent?

They had never given him reason to doubt before. Which made it even harder to tell now whether their denial was a lie.

He had never laid a hand on anyone without clear guilt, but—

“Will you only speak the truth once you’ve spent time in the dungeon?”

If that was what it took to find Roze, Noah would do it. But then—

Clatter.

The lowest drawer rattled faintly.

“Everyone out.”

“…What?”

“Come on, Evelyn. His Majesty said to leave.”

Once the room was empty, Noah strode toward the drawer, heart pounding.

And sure enough—there, peeking through the crack, were a few strands of silvery-white hair.

Kneeling, Noah pulled the drawer open in one swift motion.

“Noah…”

There she was—curled up, hiding behind a cascade of wavy, silver-white hair, her red eyes wide.

Yes. How dare someone like me dream of a happy ending. I apologize.

Noah’s reputation in the palace had improved. She had identified the threats. Christina had an opening to enter without her needing to leave.

Maybe, just maybe, if I tried hard enough, I could save Noah.

But at such a moment—she had turned into a human. What else could she say but curse her luck?

Who else was born with such misfortune? Did she really believe everything would turn out well?

First, I need to hide.

Whatever happened, she had to survive. For a moment she thought of breaking the window to escape, but that would only make her look more suspicious.

Looking around, her eyes landed on the massive dresser that hadn’t budged no matter how hard she pushed.

It’s ridiculously big…

But somehow, thanks to her small frame, she managed to squeeze herself inside. Closing the drawer was another problem, but after bouncing her body just right, she used the momentum to shut it.

I’ll just stay hidden until they all go searching for the cat. Then I can slip out.

If she could just endure, maybe she’d be safe.

But outside, the mood turned grim. At this rate, Noah might kill the maids.

And really, logically—if a cat vanished from a sealed room, the maids guarding the door were the most suspicious.

So this is how Noah becomes a tyrant? Killing people over a cat? The very maids who were kind to me? The thought alone was horrifying.

So she had no choice but to make a sound.

“Noah…”

He wouldn’t believe her, but she had to insist that she was Roze, and that the maids were innocent.

If someone had to die here, better it be her.

But then—

“It’s all right. Come out.”

“…Noah?”