Chapter 83
Rumors that I was a demon cat would die down for a while, only to swell back up again for some strange reason.
Still—mischief? That was too much. I had never maliciously harmed anyone.
Hearing such unfair accusations made my heart sink a little, but then familiar faces approached.
“Peace upon Calenia, Duchess, Lady Eloise.”
“Peace upon Calenia, Marchioness Fenel, Lady Fenel.”
The Fenel mother and daughter naturally took the seats beside us and smiled.
Since they were from House Fenel, who were favorable toward the Monclair family, I welcomed them with a gentle flick of my tail.
The Marchioness looked warmly at Eloise.
“To think you awakened even the light attribute. Congratulations, my lady.”
“Thank you for the kind words. I thought I’d already received more than enough congratulations.”
“You could never receive too many.”
When the rumor of Eloise’s awakening spread, the first to congratulate her was House Fenel.
They sent a heartfelt letter, expensive fabrics, and a large bouquet of flowers.
When the Marchioness finished offering her congratulations, her daughter Fenel turned to me with a smile.
“Congratulations to you as well, Lady Lizette. I was looking forward to today so I could congratulate you in person.”
“Thank you, Lady Fenel.”
I hadn’t heard her given name before, so for now I addressed her by her family name—but later, I’d definitely call her by her first name. She was Eloise’s only friend, after all.
When I bowed my head to Fenel, she unconsciously reached out a hand to me but froze mid-movement.
Fenel discreetly glanced at Eloise, then lowered the hand she had extended toward me.
Eloise’s petting hand paused as she spoke.
“Recently, unpleasant rumors about our Lizette had me distressed, but thanks to Lady Fenel, I feel quite relieved.”
“People are simply jealous and envious. They don’t have a special cat like Lady Lizette, after all.”
“No lady understands me as well as Lady Fenel. The marigolds in the ducal garden have bloomed beautifully—would you like to come see them sometime?”
“Oh my, I’d love to. I’m sure they’re lovely.”
As the Fenel mother and daughter opened the conversation, the noble ladies who had been hesitating began gathering one by one.
The young noble ladies also tried desperately to get even a word in with Eloise.
This was the moment the center of the social circle shifted from Marianne to Eloise.
“Lady Lizette, hello. I’m Dellen of House Puffin.”
“Nice to meet you, Lady Puffin.”
Even the young noble ladies started talking to me.
Curiosity, affection, suspicion, fear—all kinds of gazes fell on me at once, and it made my stomach churn.
I felt like a tiger on display at a zoo.
“Excuse me.”
Cutting through the forced laughter, Etienne approached with an extremely sour expression.
“Duchess Monclair, may I speak with Lizette for a moment?”
“Oh my, Etienne. What about the other gentlemen?”
“They’re busy with their own affairs. I have something to ask Lizette, so if I may borrow her briefly.”
“Yes! Let’s go!”
It was the perfect excuse to escape, so I immediately answered.
Eloise didn’t want to let me go, holding me tightly, but the Duchess granted permission.
“Very well. Etienne, speak with Lizette outside. This isn’t the best place for conversation.”
“Thank you.”
When I reached my paws toward Etienne, Eloise reluctantly released me.
Etienne carefully picked me up and carried me away from the crowd of noble ladies.
Many eyes watched me leave with clear disappointment, but I felt none.
“Thanks. You saved me.”
“I thought so. Even from far away, you looked extremely annoyed.”
“Tch.”
We left the noisy banquet hall and stepped into the garden where the dragon statue was displayed.
The cool autumn air pleasantly wrapped around us.
One of the biggest things I realized after possessing this body: social gatherings were not for me.
Even in my previous life, I had never been good at fake expressions or indirectly phrased conversations.
Shamelessness had its limits, after all.
“So, what did you want to ask me?”
“…Nothing. You just looked uncomfortable, so I made an excuse to bring you out.”
This pretty boy.
I stretched my short arms out as far as I could and patted his cheek instead of his head.
“Well done. Thanks.”
“Think nothing of it.”
Etienne shrugged and gave a small laugh.
Listening to that laugh, I quietly looked up at him.
His neatly styled golden hair, tinged with grey, sparkled especially bright.
Noticing my gaze, Etienne spoke in a low whisper.
“Since we’re out here, want to take a walk and look at the dragon statue?”
“Sure. Put me down. I’ve been held for so long I think my body’s going stiff.”
“Alright.”
He obediently set me down.
From the ground, the dragon statue looked even more enormous.
Wings that seemed large enough to cover the entire sky, legs sturdy enough to cause earthquakes.
“That’s the last dragon?”
“Yeah. It’s said he died defeating a demon alongside the first Emperor of Calenia.”
“So the dragon also died in the north?”
I asked without much thought, recalling northern legends.
Etienne answered seriously, even to such a question.
“Right. The dragon’s body was trapped by the demon’s corrupt mana, making it impossible to preserve, so the first emperor honored his friend with this statue instead.”
“Wow. It must be over a thousand years old, yet it looks brand new.”
“It’s made of mana-stone, and it’s restored every year. It’s basically a national treasure.”
To make something this huge out of mana-stone—mana-stone must’ve been abundant in the early Empire.
I looked more closely at the statue.
Each individual scale was carved so delicately it looked like it might move at any second.
“If it were alive, it would’ve been incredibly cool.”
“Lizette, do you like dragons?”
“Just… they’re interesting.”
“Then want to hear more about them?”
Perhaps he thought I was fascinated, because Etienne began telling dragon stories as we walked.
“Dragons were said to cross time and space. Other worlds, the future, the past—everything.”
“Wow. They really were incredible creatures.”
“The strongest in mana and magic. At one point, dragon burberry was called a universal cure. Later people learned it had no effect and a strange taste, so now only the Empress enjoys it.”
I nodded, listening attentively.
Turns out Etienne was a dragon geek—he had endless dragon trivia.
“A dragon loved only one mate for its entire life.”
“That’s pretty romantic. Doesn’t match a creature capable of crushing a kingdom in one blow.”
“Wolves are the same.”
Come to think of it, I think I saw something like that in an animal documentary short.
Wolves were monogamous animals, living with only one lifelong partner.
“We also love only one person. For life.”
His golden eyes looked straight at me without wavering.
There was no way Etienne felt anything more than friendship toward me. There was no reason for that.
And even if—by some absurd chance—he did, fourteen was far too young to talk about “lifelong love.”
“That’s nice. Compared to humans, the wolf-kin seem much better. Just look at the Crown Prince.”
I quickly changed the subject by criticizing the Crown Prince, and Etienne’s shoulders deflated.
Wait—he wasn’t actually about to confess, right?
Just then, Lycant appeared from behind a flower bed, laughing loudly.
“Hahaha! Yes, the wolf-kin are much better than humans. Lizette, you’re absolutely right.”
This man—he wasn’t a ghost, so why did he always pop out of nowhere?
The moment Lycant appeared, Etienne scooped me up again as if ready to flee.
“Etienne, you don’t need to be so on guard. Even if I dislike felines, that child is a Monclair.”
“If she weren’t a Monclair, you’d dislike her, right?”
“No, you have no choice but to be a Monclair. The Monclairs will make sure of that. And personally, I find her quite interesting.”
His eyes, which had been observing me, shone with strange curiosity.
Could the wolf-kin leader see something unusual in me?
“To think northern mana has been purified and settled inside you—fascinating.”
“Purified…?”
“Yes. If you’re curious, come visit around Etienne’s coming-of-age ceremony. Before you drift too far.”
“Chieftain.”
“Fine, fine. I’ll leave. Oh, and about that gift I sent to the Ducal House—you’ll find it useful.”
Leaving behind cryptic words, Lycant returned to the banquet hall.
—
And the next day, I found myself staring at a mountain of dragon burberry supposedly brought from the north.
“They said they’d send it in time for Founding Day, but Lycant delivered it personally.”
It seemed the Duke had chosen the wolf-kin chieftain as his method of obtaining dragon burberry.
So this was what he meant by “something that will be useful to me”…?
