Chapter 52
It seemed to be true that beastkin possessed far superior physical abilities compared to humans and animals.
Fortunately, ever since my vague awakening, my eyesight had sharpened enough that reading along wasn’t difficult.
[Current King of the Beastkin Kingdom, Leopold Charmant. He conducted experiments using his own bloodline.]
[He began the trials after the queen gave birth to an official heir.]
[He kept consorts of various races without discrimination—leopard, tiger, cat, rabbit, fox, weasel, etc.]
[The heirs conceived by the consorts all died, either in the womb or shortly after birth.]
[Only the heir born from a cat mother survived.]
Beastkin generally avoided mixing with other races.
In particular, the royal white lions strongly resisted having their bloodline diluted.
Only the villainous crown prince had ever shown curiosity toward Marianne, which later grew into affection.
For the Beastkin King to conduct such experiments was something never mentioned in the original novel.
Why was the crown prince investigating this? There were still more documents.
[The king intended to make that heir the next monarch.]
[The reason for selecting that heir as successor is under investigation.]
[By the time the heir turned eleven, no awakening had occurred.]
[The king ordered his subordinates to abandon the heir in the northern mountain range of the Empire to freeze to death.]
No way… Could such a development really exist?
Even as I doubted, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the documents.
The final page contained a short note along with a drawing of a cat.
[White fur. Heterochromatic eyes (one green, one blue). Smaller build compared to an ordinary cat.]
Judging by the report date—just a few days ago—it seemed the crown prince had only recently received these files.
After finishing, Etienne’s pupils trembled faintly.
The illegitimate child of the Beastkin King… it seemed this was about me.
Of course, I wasn’t the only white-furred, odd-eyed cat, but somehow, instinctively, I knew.
The record of being abandoned in the northern mountains, of not awakening until eleven—it fit me exactly. The other notes did too.
Apparently, being discarded by one’s parents was my fate. Even across worlds.
“My biological father must be Leopold.”
“You… can read?”
“Yeah.”
“…Are you okay?”
I thought I’d be fine, since it wasn’t truly my life. But the pain was sharper than expected.
Poor nameless cat. You lived a harsh life too.
At first, maybe they adored you—but once you passed the expected age of awakening, you must have been treated cruelly.
Memories of my previous childhood, ones I had tried hard to bury, came rushing back.
“You’re really useless.”
“Please just sit still. Don’t embarrass the family.”
“Who did you take after to be this stupid? Maybe the hospital switched babies. Should we get a DNA test?”
Bile rose in my throat.
“No, I don’t think I’m okay. Why would the king abandon me? Just because I failed to awaken? Still, I was his child! Even if I wasn’t special, isn’t abandoning me in the northern mountains too much? Would it have been different if I had been brilliant? Was it my fault? Is being weaker than my parents a sin? Huh? Etienne?”
I raised my voice without realizing it.
Thinking of the child who, at a young age, was abandoned and died made me furious.
A child not living up to their parents’ ambitions does not make them disposable.
Both my parents from my past life and my biological father now—Leopold—were revolting.
If children could choose their parents, neither I nor that cat would have been born under them.
“…You did nothing wrong. You’ll awaken in the end. And one day, they’ll regret everything.”
Etienne’s calm voice, his warm hand, soothed my raging heart.
As I held his hand tightly, the anger that had risen to the top of my head slowly cooled.
“Whoever your parents are, you’re still you.”
His words struck deep in my chest.
I remembered the time I tormented myself for failing to get into a top university, for not being a prodigy.
Only after much pain did I realize—parents are not everything in life.
“You’re right. I’ll live so well that Leopold will have no choice but to see it.”
The world beyond family was wide, and I had far more to do than cower under the shadow of my so-called father.
This world too—I had already built up so many precious things. I couldn’t let my biological father diminish them.
“That’s more like you.”
Etienne lightly patted my head as if to reassure me.
His brusque kindness always chased away my worries and filled me with courage.
I released his hand and clenched my front paws.
“Alright! Let’s get back to investigating.”
I wanted to be happy now—with the people precious to me.
Hearing this, Etienne smiled faintly and began checking the shelves again.
As I watched him, I accidentally knocked over a stack of documents on the desk.
Maybe there’s a clue in the ones the crown prince hasn’t seen yet.
I trusted Etienne would tidy up. Being in a cat’s body made movements rather inconvenient.
Looking through the papers, most were about territorial taxes, followed by records on imperial history.
Several sections were marked in relation to the empress, as though they were preparing to restore the old system.
I skimmed them.
I’ll need to talk with someone who knows imperial history well about this.
There was also a small report that caught my eye:
“Plan to handle abandoned mine in Astan region.”
Astan. Astan mines. The words rang familiar.
“Ah!”
I remembered—it was the mana stone mine. Before being abandoned, the crown prince had investigated it himself.
It had been his first outing with Marianne.
Not exactly a romantic date spot, but since it was her first time leaving the capital, she had been thrilled, and the prince had found joy in her excitement. It was the start of their blossoming love.
The problem was—Marianne discovered a magically hidden chamber in that mine.
Inside was an enormous deposit of diamonds, which the prince secretly purchased as his private property and later used to fund his wars.
If I could buy that mine first, the prince’s funds would shrink.
Without sufficient money, he might not be so quick to start a war.
It was uncertain how useful this would be, but I had to try everything I could.
“Etienne. This document—it looks like the crown prince hasn’t seen it yet. Can you get rid of it?”
“…You’re even tampering with official records now?”
“It’s fine. I’ll buy the mine myself.”
“Who will?”
“Eloise will.”
Eloise was wealthy; surely, she could easily afford a defunct mana stone mine.
Etienne massaged his nape a few times, then incinerated the file I pointed to—without leaving even a speck of ash.
“Wow. Impressive.”
“…Ahem.”
I meant my praise sincerely, but he only coughed awkwardly and tidied up the mess I’d made.
See? I knew he’d take care of it.
Afterward, I tapped the floor and walls, searching for hidden rooms, but found nothing.
“It’s about time we head back.”
“Did you find anything?”
“I’ll tell you later. Arno seems to be returning earlier than expected.”
“How do you know?”
“By scent.”
Ah, right. He was canid.
Etienne held me in his arms, opened the window, and leapt. The office was as clean as when we had entered.
Landing softly, he slipped through deserted paths back toward the Crown Prince’s Palace.
When we returned to the reception room, Marcel, Eloise, and Payson were gathered there.
“Where have you two been?”
“Sightseeing in the palace! The lake beside the Empress’s palace was gorgeous.”
“Oh. That place.”
Eloise frowned, as if recalling unpleasant memories.
Since I didn’t remember that lake being part of the original villainess scenes, it must have happened before the story began.
“Well then, shall we check on Lady Lizette’s health today?”
Payson rolled me around, using an ever-growing array of devices to examine me.
The stares watching were uncomfortably sharp.
Still, since I hadn’t transformed back into a half-beast in some time, I wasn’t too worried.
“Her weight and height are about average for a cat beastkin of her age. Mana levels are stable, and her reserves have increased slightly. Since her beastkin identity has been confirmed, we can reduce the frequency of health checks.”
“Then… can she return to the Ducal estate?”
At Eloise’s flat question, Payson glanced at Marcel before smiling faintly.
“…In about two weeks, she should be fine.”
“That’s a relief.”
The joy of finally returning to the Ducal estate was short-lived.
