Chapter 24

"What? Why would I?"

Beatty recoiled at the absurd accusation.

"Ahaha. Yeah, that would be strange."

The boy, who had thrown out the ridiculous comment, merely chuckled as if it had been a joke.

Beatty gave him an odd look before returning to preparing the tuberosum.

"…You wouldn’t have a reason to, at least."

His voice was too quiet for her to hear as he murmured the words to himself.

Scrape, scrape.

Beatty lifted her head after finishing her preparations.

I should separate the stems… Oh! And I need to boil water too.

She placed a few tubers into a pot of water and set it over the fire, while rolling a few others into the embers.

I can’t let them burn completely, so I should push them toward the ash-covered coals instead…

After a while, she poked one with a stick to check its texture. The tuberosum had softened nicely.

Wrapping a hot one in a thick cloth, she examined its rough, bumpy exterior.

"It kinda looks like a lizard’s hide," the boy remarked.

"Isn’t this the one they call the ‘Devil’s Seed’?"

Beatty, unfazed by the ominous nickname, explained how to eat it.

"…So if you eat this part first, it’s fine."

She held out a piece of the stem—

"Ah."

Only for the boy to lean in and take it directly from her hand.

I was just going to hand it over…

The unexpected action made Beatty flustered, and she instinctively looked away.

"It looks ready, so here, try this one."

Wanting to demonstrate how to eat it properly, she peeled back the thin outer skin, revealing the steaming white flesh inside.

"For something called the ‘Devil’s Seed,’ the inside sure looks like an angel’s color."

"…Weren’t you hungry?"

Beatty, unimpressed by his musings, simply pressed the half-peeled tuberosum into his mouth.

"…."

His eyes widened slightly in surprise, but he soon chewed without complaint.

Seeing him eat so earnestly made Beatty feel oddly satisfied, but watching him eat it plain made her feel a little bad.

She rummaged through the embers while grumbling.

"This would be better with salt or sugar… Are you okay eating it plain?"

"……."

"If you were that hungry, you should’ve eaten with me earlier—"

Chomp, chomp.

She trailed off as she noticed how quickly he was finishing his portion.

Now moving with urgency, she dug through the embers.

Oh, these ones look done.

The outer skin had blackened, but once she brushed away the burnt bits, the inside was perfectly cooked.

"Here! Roasted tuberosum!"

She proudly presented the golden-brown pieces, her excitement evident.

***

The small cabin was lively.

Beatty bustled around, energetically exploring every corner like an enthusiastic investigator.

Pfft.

The boy couldn't help but smile at the sight.

Still as diligent as ever.

Her tiny hands moved so deftly and determinedly.

His gaze softened as he watched her.

Still small. A little clumsy at times. But completely captivating.

And those eyes…

They weren’t looking at him right now, but when they did, they were the only ones that truly saw him.

Dark like the night sky, comforting, steady—

Just for a moment, when their eyes had met earlier, he had nearly said something.

Nearly told her who he was.

Forgetting, for a split second, that his left eye was hidden behind his eyepatch.

Seriously. I was the one who decided not to say anything.

He scoffed at himself.

Pathetic.

Mocking his own foolishness, he let out a bitter smile.

"…?"

Before she could turn and catch the expression, he wiped it away.

***@@novelbin@@

Oh, the rain stopped.

Beatty peeked outside.

The once-gloomy sky was now brightening, and a beam of light pierced through the treetops.

As she gazed absentmindedly at the shifting scenery, a distant sound reached her ears.

─!

"Ah—!"

Huh? What was that?

Just as she tilted her head in curiosity, the boy stood up and extended a hand.

"Shall we go check it out?"

Click.

As soon as he opened the door, the sound became clearer.

"Lady Beatty!"

"Miss Beatty!"

Her eyes widened.

"Oh!"

They came looking for me!

Her face, which had been tinged with faint worry, instantly brightened.

"I’m here! Over here!"

It was probably the loudest she had ever shouted.

Ah, if they’re heading down the mountain, I should ask if I can go with them—

Her cheeks were flushed from calling out so loudly, and she turned to tell the boy—

Tap.

"Huh?"

But before she could, a hand landed gently on her head.

"Well then, I’ll be off."

A warm pressure settled atop her hair, light but deliberate, as if to leave behind a lingering trace.

"Stay safe, milady."

And in the next moment—

He was gone.

"What—?"

She turned, startled, but there was no trace of him.

Where did he go?

Frantically scanning her surroundings, she found no sign of him.

Not in the cabin, not anywhere nearby.

"Miss Beatty! We found her!"

By the time the search party arrived, the boy had disappeared as if he had never been there.

***

From a distant treetop, far beyond ordinary sight, the boy watched as people gathered around the small figure of Beatty.

"Huh. Beatty?"

It was a name he had never heard before.

Realizing she hadn’t told him, a hollow feeling settled in his chest.

Well, I didn’t tell her who I was either.

Of course, he had reasons for keeping his identity hidden. But still, it was amusing how one-sidedly unfair it felt.

"And she’s a lady… Not a servant?"

That was another thing he hadn’t known.

Now that he thought about it, she had never actually said she was a servant.

He had just assumed, based on her plain clothes and where she had been staying in the ducal household.

And besides…

His gaze flickered toward the black-haired figure racing toward her at terrifying speed.

The young lion beastkin, who had looked anxious even on the battlefield, only relaxed once he had confirmed Beatty was safe.

The boy’s eyes narrowed with interest.

"She’s under Aslan’s protection."

His focus returned to Beatty.

"This calls for an investigation."

He had to find out exactly who she was.

The small, precious star he had once known—

Was now someone he had to understand all over again.

Despite suppressing his presence completely, he sensed something amiss.

Damn.

Before Carl’s searching gaze could land on him, the boy vanished for good.

"Taily!"

Carl had been searching in another direction, but when he heard her voice, he rushed over immediately.

"Big Brother?"

Wrapped snugly in blankets by the ducal knights, Beatty turned to look at him.

"You! Hand over that beast!"

Carl’s burning gaze locked onto the Snowstorm Squirrel, which was pretending to be a scarf around Beatty’s neck.

"Ah!"

Beatty quickly shielded it with both hands.

"Move your hands. I need to rip it off you."

"N-no!"

I need this squirrel to talk to that so-called Constellation again!

Remembering how the mysterious being had cut off right before answering her, Beatty desperately defended the creature.

"I-it didn’t mean any harm—"

She tried to make excuses, but Carl’s skeptical expression didn’t budge.

Still, she gave it her all, rambling about how harmless it was—

But then—

Huh?

Dizzy…

Her vision blurred. White spots flickered at the edges of her sight.

The people around her swayed.

"—!"

The last thing she saw was Carl’s panicked expression before everything went black.

"What?"

Carl repeated, as if he had misheard.

"What the hell do you mean?"

The physician, who had been urgently summoned, was sweating bullets.

"L-like I said…"

The young master’s piercing glare bore into him.

The problem was, the physician’s diagnosis made absolutely no sense to Carl.

"She got sick from getting rained on?"

What was she, a piece of paper?

How could mere water droplets put her in bed like this?!