Leaving to Drive Away the Spirits

But Chitrum…

All Lapheche could remember of the South was poverty and hardship. She couldn’t help but worry that Chitrum would be no different.

Of course, Austin—being a Prince of Preseria and its Ambassador—would surely live comfortably.  

But what about the three sons of the Celeste Viscounty? There was little hope, or rather none, that they would provide her with any support.

“But… I have no foundation in Chitrum. And… this is embarrassing to admit, but I don’t have any savings either.”

“Really now, my Lady. Do you take me for some heartless scoundrel?”

Austin laughed for a long while before continuing.

“Of course I’ll take care of everything you need. I’ll officially register you as one of my attendants and take you with me. So don’t worry.”

“Your Highness… why are you being so kind to me?”

“Well, I may have lived abroad for a long time, but I’m still a citizen of Preseria.”

Austin extended his hand toward her.

“And so are you. As you grow stronger, so does Preseria.”

It was the kind of answer one might expect from a Prince who worked tirelessly for his homeland—even from afar.

“……”

Lapheche didn’t hesitate for long.  

She wanted a fresh start—far from the wretched Celeste brothers, far from Minuelle Karnian.

She reached out and firmly grasped Austin’s hand.

“I’ll do as you say, Your Highness.”

Austin smiled, thoroughly pleased.

“With your magical power… I’m certain the results will be extraordinary.”

* * *

“What are you doing?”

Ramande’s face suddenly popped into view just as the question came.

“Photosynthesizing,” I replied.

I was sitting out in the garden, basking in the warm, golden light of autumn. Once we headed north, the sunlight itself would feel different. Of course, I liked the pale, snow-like northern light too, but you couldn’t really enjoy it outdoors like this.

“Wanna take a walk?”

“Uh, s-sure.”

I awkwardly took the hand Ramande offered.

Ever since that conversation outside my room, things had felt a little awkward between us. Or rather, I had been the only one feeling restless. I was so worried he might think I saw him only as a blood donor or a personal healer if I slipped up even a little.

“What’s wrong?”

“W-What do you mean?”

“You said yes so easily.”

“What, can’t I say yes without you making a fuss?”

I pouted my lips, and Ramande chuckled.

“It’s because I’m happy.”

Happy… to make me exercise?

“Um… I heard there’s still no word about the Third Prince.”

“Yeah, I heard too.”

Ramande looked at me quietly, and when our eyes met, he turned away as if caught off guard.

“Why are you watching me like that?”

“Well… I thought maybe you’d be really worried.”

“What? That’s nonsense! People are being ridiculous, freaking out just because an adult hasn’t been seen for two days—ridiculous, I tell you… Ugh.”

I shook my head like it didn’t matter, but inside, I was silently exhaling a breath of relief.

‘Why is Ramande so sharp?’

The truth was, I was worried. So much so that it made my head ache.

I kept thinking about the way I had treated him at the end, how cold I’d been. His shattered expression still haunted me sometimes, jabbing at my conscience.

‘Maybe I went too far.’

When I heard he was drowning himself in alcohol, I just thought he’d bounce back like everyone does after a breakup. I never imagined he’d suddenly vanish like this.

Sure, logic told me it was possible—people sometimes disappear or run away when they’re distraught. But memories of everything that happened when I got involved with the Second Prince made me anxious all over again.

‘He’s a grown man. It’s not like he’d get sold off or anything… probably not…’

Even when he was dragged to the exiled princess Maya’s mansion, he talked like he had a way to escape.

“Priest!”

Just then, a servant came running, calling for Ramande.

“No rest for you, huh.”

He was busier than an idol. How did he even have time for romance? It wasn’t like he seemed to be seeing anyone.

‘…Or maybe the person he likes is one of the knights?’

Ramande often volunteered to assist the knight order. If it was a knight, he might’ve met her while being escorted to the temple.

I glanced around just to check, but didn’t see any women.

‘Maybe she’s off duty?’

While I was lost in wild speculation, Ramande spoke up again.

“I’ll walk you back to where you were sitting.”

“What am I, a  ninety-year-old granny or something?”

Sure, the garden was the size of a football field, but this was still my home. We had knights patrolling the area—it wasn’t like I was in danger.

“It’s fine. Go on.”

“Alright. I’ll see you later.”

He gave my hand a gentle squeeze before letting go and turning away.

I watched his back as he walked off, then stretched my arms out.

Tomorrow, Father, Ramande, and I were heading north. The whole estate was buzzing with preparations.

We were leaving light clothes behind, of course, but there was still a surprising amount to pack.

“The north… It’s really been a while.”

By the north, I meant the Karnian ancestral stronghold.

Most of the northern territories belonged to House Karnian, so it was referred to as “the North,” but the region was clearly divided into separate areas.

One of them was the Sermender region, where Ramande and I used to live.

Among all the temples and branches of the priesthood in Preseria, the Grand Temple in Sermender was the northernmost. Though even that was still far south compared to the Karnian estate.

‘I wonder if I’ll get to see the High Priest again.’

Maybe I could ask for one more protective charm before I went to find the spirit.

Given how fragile my body was already, the idea of contacting the fire spirit still scared me a bit—what if I ended up literally going up in flames?

“Ughh…”

Just as I was trembling at the thought, I tilted my head at a strange feeling.

“Hm?”

Up ahead, the neatly trimmed boxwood bush looked as if it were trembling along with me.

‘Is there something living in the garden?’

One of the favorite hobbies among nobles was landscaping (and bragging about it). Everyone knew—where there’s grass, there are bugs; where there’s dirt, there are mice; and where there are mice, there are cats. After the rain, you’d even see worms longer than my hair…

‘Ugh. Let’s not think about that.’

Anyway, I had even seen foxes dig burrows and give birth in the garden at the main estate. The gardeners did their best, but there were always places human hands couldn’t quite reach.

I’d gotten used to that kind of environment by now, to the point where I even felt a bit curious about what might pop out next.

That same curiosity sparked now, and I slowly approached the boxwood bush.

As if it had heard my footsteps, there came a startled gasp—“Hrk, hck!”—followed by a weak, trembling whimper.

“Mya…”

“A cat…?”

But the meow sounded weak, almost awkward… like another animal was trying to imitate a cat.

‘Maybe it’s injured?’ It didn’t run away when it sensed me; instead, it felt more like it was calling out to me.

Since cats were territorial creatures, maybe it had fought with another animal and wandered in here, wounded.

“Oh—yep, definitely a cat.”

It had somehow found the one spot among the dense branches with just enough space to hide.

But its condition wasn’t good. Its sleek honey-colored fur was covered in shallow and deep scratches.

When it saw me, it let out another awkward “mya,” almost like a sigh of relief, and then closed its eyes.

“So you were calling for me… Wait—hey! You can’t pass out now, can you?”

I knew next to nothing about animals, but I couldn’t just leave a creature this injured on its own.

I quickly unwrapped the light shawl I had draped around my shoulders and gently picked the cat up.

“Ugh, goodness…”

It was surprisingly heavy. A groan slipped from my mouth.

“How can something barely bigger than my forearm be this heavy?”

I thought about calling for a knight to ask where Ramande had gone, but then remembered—he was busy.

‘If he gets a moment to breathe, he should use it to go on a date or something.’

Back when I didn’t know, it was one thing. But now that I suspected, I couldn’t bring myself to get in the way.

Abandoning that thought quickly, I carried the cat to my room and laid it on the table, shawl and all.

“You’re really hurt, huh…”

When I opened a potion bottle, a cool, minty scent spread through the air. Familiar with the smell, I slipped off my gloves and carefully applied the potion to each and every wound.

While I waited for it to soak in, a maid brought warm water and towels.

“Oh, right.”

As soon as the door shut behind her, I realized—once the cat woke up, it would probably need food.

But…what should I feed it?

“I’ve never raised a pet before…”

I vaguely remembered, back in my previous life, reading that milk and raw fish weren’t actually good for cats.

It stuck with me, probably because I had always thought cats loved those things in cartoons and movies.

“Hmm…”

Still, I couldn’t just let it starve. I stepped out and called the maid back.

“Could you bring me a few boiled eggs, mashed? And absolutely no salt.”

“Understood.”

Just then, another awkward meow came from the inside of the room.

“Mya!”

Already awake?

I quickly closed the door and rushed over to find the cat lifting its head and glancing around. Its ears and tail were standing tall—practically reaching for the ceiling.

“Mya…!”

Seeing me, it let out a relieved cry that made me smile before I realized.

“Hungry, huh? I asked them to boil some eggs for you. Alright, let’s get you cleaned up.”

As I picked up the warm towel, the cat’s tail shot up again. This time, its fur fluffed up with a poof—as if an explosion had gone off.

“Easy, now. Sit still.”

It looked like it was torn between running or staying, but eventually it sank back down, almost like it had understood what I said.

“Good kitty.”

Every time I gently brushed over it with the towel, it flinched a little, but it didn’t run away. When I tried to wipe its legs, it even stood up on its own.

“Wow, what a good kitty.”

As I continued to praise it over and over, I reached the final step—wiping its bottom—and found myself mumbling without thinking: “Oh, so this is what they mean by ‘peanuts.’ Makes sense, actually.”

I had just come to understand why people called it that when—

The cat, which had kept its eyes tightly shut and lay motionless until now, suddenly leapt into the air.

“Mya! Mya! MyAAACK!”

“W-what’s wrong?”

“Hiss! Mya…!”

It scrambled around on top of the shawl, stomping in panicked little hops like it didn’t know what to do with itself.

“Wait… did that offend you?”

Could it actually understand the word peanut? For the record, I hadn’t even touched the thing!

I hesitated, then lowered the towel and stood up.

I was pretty much done cleaning anyway, and something told me I shouldn’t push it any further if it was this upset.

“Okay, I’ll let you rest. Just eat a little, and then I’ll let you go.”

I knew it wouldn’t understand, but its strange behavior made me feel the need to explain myself anyway.

‘It probably feels more at ease alone than with someone hovering around.’

It was a wild animal, after all. I figured it might have only cried out earlier from sheer survival instinct.

Just as I turned to leave—

“Mya!”

The cat suddenly yowled in a tone that somehow sounded desperate, then dove… straight under the table.