Chapter 36: What does the cat likes? (4)

TL : Zimming

Eunhan looked up at Blake in surprise. Blake picked Eunhan up again.

“When I was young, there was someone who showed up and treated me when I was sick. It was a man in black robe.”

Blake hasn’t had a good night’s sleep since he was cursed.

One day, he was driven out from Francia palace. The sentence of the curse was mixed with the pain and nightmares, digging into his tender flesh, so he wanted his father every night.

But Tenstheon never came. Then, when he became accustomed to enduring pain alone, giving up enough not to call his father even in his dreams, a man in black robe appeared. When he appeared, he felt a little relieved.

Blake thought it was a dream. He thought it might be a vision created by loneliness.

His curse did not spread further after marrying Ancia. The nightmares have also disappeared. And he didn’t see a man dressed in black robe again. That’s why he was so sure that it was a dream.

Blake slowly stroke the black cat.

“The man in black robe have a mysterious black power yet a pure energy.”

Eunhan flinched.

“And now I feel the same power as that man from you.”

The Crown Prince knew everything. It was not a situation that could be avoided by pretending to be a cat. Eunhan has decided to admit frankly.

“Meow.”

Blake let him go.

Eunhan jumped down from Blake’s arms, then he returned to his original form. Then he went on one knee.

“I greet you, Your Royal Highness, the hope of the Empire. My name is Eunhan.”

Blake was not surprised when the cat suddenly turned into a person. On the contrary, he lifted Eunhan’s chin and looked closely at his face.

“You were the one then too.”

He thought it was an illusion created by exhaustion of pain and loneliness. But it was a real person.

“Under the emperor command, I have secretly guard the Crown Prince.”

“His Majesty sent you…”

Blake thought he was cursed by a goddess and abandoned by his father. Although Ancia kept telling her that the emperor cared about him, he didn’t believe her.

But what she said was true. The emperor did not abandon Blake completely.

“Are you from the East?”

When he was young, he couldn’t see his face properly. Eunhan, who he met again after a few years, has an exotic appearance with black hair and eyes.

“Yes, I came from the east.”

If the Asteric Empire was founded with the help of the Goddess of Light, Chang was a country built by the power of dragons.

Some of the Chang’s royal families were chosen by dragons, and they were called the ‘selected one’ and became respected by all.

But the one who chose Eunhan was the Black Dragon. The black dragon was an ominous power that covered him in darkness and it was prophesied that he will lead the country to extinction.

The emperor tried to kill his own son, Eunhan. Everyone pointed a finger at him as ominous. It was the first time Blake heard about it.

“But your power is very pure.”

‘Different from me….’

Blake hold back his words and looked at his face.

“You said it was a secret mission, why did you suddenly reveal yourself as a cat?”

“I miss my home town food.”

“Food??”

“Yes. Her Highness’s food reminded me of my old memories, and I couldn’t stand it.”

Blake recalled his memory. The first time he appeared was on the day when Ancia made the cauldron dish.

But the black cat, regardless of food, appears when Ancia practices waltz or reads books and hangs around.

With Blake’s sharp gaze on him, Eunhan bowed his head.

“For personal reasons, I disobeyed my master’s orders. I will tell him all the facts and be punished. I will ask for your forgiveness, Your Highness.”

“You don’t have to. You’ve protected me for a long time. I don’t want you to be punished.”

“But…”

“Don’t tell anyone. I’m not going to tell anyone about you either.”

“Thank you.”

With a determined voice, Eunhan bowed his head deeper. Even though, he became a cat that deceived everyone, Blake said he would keep the secret rather than to punish him.

A cold voice penetrated into the ear of Eunhan, who was overwhelmed with emotion.

“So never hang around Ancia again.”

“…….”

The freezing cold energy raided Eunhan. Eunhan looked up in surprise.

Then their eyes collided.

“I won’t forgive you if you play a futile trick on my wife again.”

“……”

Blake warned coldly.

Ancia is Blake’s everything. He won’t forgive anyone who hurt or disturb her. Also, Blake was anxious. Eunhan’s long eyes without double eyelids and the strong yet soft lines harmonized with the Eastern style that Ancia likes.

In Blake’s eyes, Eunhan looked like a man who was better at everything than himself. That’s why he didn’t want to make Eunhan and Ancia meet.

***

“Father, I’m here.”

Entering the office, Collin, the emperor’s aide, sprang to his feet and welcomed me.

“Your Highness, welcome.”

“Did you wait for me?”

“Of course, I wait every day for Her Highness to come.”

“It seems like you’re waiting to go home, not me.”

“For me, Your Highness is the goddess that allows me to going home.”

Collin was humorous and deft, unlike his looks.

I didn’t know that they have such a side, because the original story only focused on their dark side.

“It is only you who can free me from the endless rush of work.”

He spoke jokingly, but it was 100 percent true. The busiest person in the Empire would be Tenstheon and the next would be Collin.

I’ve rarely seen him leave work on time.

“Don’t talk nonsense and go on.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Tenstheon frowned. Finally, with Tenstheon’s permission to leave the office, he ran out, Collin resented and organized the papers.

“If Her Highness didn’t come, I would have stayed here all night.”

“Collin, do you want to live in the Imperial Palace for the rest of your life?”

Collin trembled when the fearless emperor said so.

“Your Majesty, I will now leave you two alone.”

Collin hurried out of the room with courtesy. From his back, I can see the sorrow of a weary office worker. I feel sorry for him.

That doesn’t mean that my father is a vicious boss. He thought highly of Collin’s abilities and gave him his own title, and his salary is huge. It’s just he doesn’t give him time to spend his money.

“Father, you’re overdoing it, aren’t you?”

“You nag at me as soon as you get here?”

“It’s not nagging.”

“It’s cold, but your clothes are too thin. I have to buy your more coat.”

The emperor glanced at me. I could guess why he was busy. He’s also looking for a way to lift Blake’s curse.

Blake’s not feeling well these days, so he’s in a hurry.

“No, there’s a lot of clothes I haven’t worn yet. Now, try some of this.”

I took out the tofu dishes I made today and put them on the table.

“It’s a dish like snow.”

The moment I heard him, I laughed.

“What’s wrong?”

“You say the same thing as His Highness Blake.”

They were very different in character and appearance, but sometimes they really felt like father and son.

“…Did the child say that?”

Tenstheon has changed a lot in three years. At first, he avoided the issue of Blake outright, but now he has become a little more frank with his feelings.

“Yes, He said it looked like pudding.”

“Pudding,…I guess so. What’s this?”

“It’s tofu. I made it from the beans you gave me before.”

“You made these dishes out of beans?”

“Yes. His Highness even peeled the beans himself.”

“Blake can do that too?”

He looked at the white tofu with a deeply moved face.

“Yes. If you had come to the palace, Your Majesty would have seen Blake open the beans.”

“……”

He put white tofu in his mouth without saying a word.

“How is it?”

“It has a unique taste. Wasn’t it hard to make?”

“We made it all together. Terry, the chef, did a lot of the hard work. It was really hot and delicious. It would have been really really good if my father came to the palace…”

“Even though it’s cold, It’s still delicious.”