ITIF Chapter 31

The Cry of Courtship

Meow.

“……?”

Meooooow!

Giselle Grante cried out sorrowfully once more.

Like a female cat in heat that once lured males from the windowsill of her bedroom.

“Ha…….”

Kavelaseth let out a hollow laugh as if he was dumbfounded.

Being laughed at made her situation seem somewhat ridiculous, but Giselle Grante raised her voice a little more.

Wooooomeooooow!

Covering his mouth and holding back his bursting laughter, Kavelaseth spoke.

“Go inside first, Mikhail. It seems a female cat in heat has snuck into the mansion.”

“Ah…… really?”

“Now that I know the identity of what was getting on my nerves, I’ll return soon too.”

Mikhail, who had been watching Kavelaseth’s silhouette in the darkness, soon turned around.

And he muttered as if to himself.

“Ah, already…….”

In the kitchen of Duke Amaterasu’s mansion, there was a cat named ‘Catsy’ employed as a mouser.

Catsy, who had begun to make the Duke Amaterasu’s mansion her territory several years ago, would cry out courtship calls throughout the night when spring and summer came with longer daylight hours.

Though Mikhail suffered sleepless nights tormented by those desperate wails for leaving descendants, he never drove Catsy away.

Rather, he encouraged the creature’s mating.

Only then would that act of crying out at the top of her lungs throughout dawn finally come to an end.

“Already…… it’s become that time of year.”

Mikhail walked sluggishly toward the conference room, letting out a pained groan while covering both ears with his hands.

Giselle Grante and Kavelaseth, who had been watching Mikhail’s retreating figure while holding their breath, finally looked at each other only when he had completely disappeared into the conference room.

“I think an explanation is needed for what you were doing here?”

“Of course. I’ll explain as much as you’d like. But before that, I’d like to move to a different location…… would that be alright?”

“As much as you want.”

Even after his response, Kavelaseth’s eyes were filled with a gaze as if looking at a fascinating creature.

Giselle Grante secretly let out a sigh and began walking.

His persistent gaze that kept clinging to her face was sticky.

Giselle Grante glanced at Kavelaseth’s face and cried out fiercely.

Whymeooooow!

‘Stop staring because it’s embarrassing.’

That’s what it meant.

****

After moving to a reception room not far from where they had encountered Kavelaseth earlier, a time of mutual questioning followed.

“What were you doing there at this late hour?”

“I woke up from sleep but couldn’t fall back asleep right away. Rather than spending time idly, I thought I’d read a book, so I came to the library.”

“…….”

Kavelaseth stared at Giselle Grante with an expressionless face.

For generations, the people of Duke Amaterasu’s family had greatly valued books.

Some called the people of Duke Amaterasu’s family sages or bookworms.

Mikhail’s love for books had continued from his academy days until now, and having read through all the books he owned, Mikhail became interested in Duke Amaterasu’s personal library.

Duke Amaterasu also greatly cherished his books, and once Mikhail secretly took out and read a book from his personal library.

Soon that fact was discovered, and Mikhail was severely scolded by Duke Amaterasu.

Mikhail said it was the first time he had been so severely scolded by Duke Amaterasu, who always wore a gentle smile and seemed kind.

‘But at this dawn, she tried to take out and read books from Duke Amaterasu’s personal library without permission?’

Kavelaseth realized that Giselle Grante was now making up a flimsy excuse.

At the same time, there was something he couldn’t understand.

‘Why did she tell a lie that would obviously be caught?’

If Mikhail had been scolded more severely than ever before, Giselle Grante wouldn’t be unaware of that fact either…….

While Kavelaseth was puzzled by Giselle Grante’s actions, she too had many thoughts.

‘There were definitely more people besides Kavelaseth and Mikhail. Just how many more are in there?’

Since it was late dawn when everyone was asleep, even small sounds would be heard loudly.

But from inside, only intermittent murmuring sounds leaked out, making it impossible to hear the exact conversation.

‘They must have taken special care with soundproofing……. was it a place used as a conference room?’

She too needed to know who was inside and what kind of conversation had taken place between them. Only then could she prepare countermeasures.

Since today was the important imperial event of the crown prince’s investiture ceremony, and since she was the one who had induced Philipo to appear there.

‘Rather than staying here, should I go to the stables?’

If she went to the stables right now and counted the number of horses, she would be able to roughly figure out how many people had visited Duke Amaterasu’s mansion at this dawn.

She might even discover family crests or something…….

“I have a question too.”

“…….”

“Your Grace, why did you come here? At this late dawn without any notice.”

“Hmm…….”

Kavelaseth made a low humming sound and crossed his long legs as he sat.

Naturally, Giselle Grante’s gaze moved in that direction.

Under the dim light, his shadowed muscular thighs particularly caught her attention.

“I can definitely answer that question. I didn’t come to see you, miss. So I hope you won’t harbor any unnecessary misunderstandings or expectations from the start.”

Kavelaseth spoke with a smile, and Giselle Grante swallowed the sigh that was about to burst out.

His ability to dodge questions was of professional level. Enough to feel somewhat tiresome.

‘What would be the best approach?’

Even if she continued asking questions like this, Kavelaseth seemed like he would skillfully slip away.

She was very curious about the content of the secret conversation that Kavelaseth, Mikhail, and other unknown people had been having in secret at Duke Amaterasu’s mansion in the late dawn, but there was no way to force him to open his mouth.

‘I should just return to my bedroom today.’

It was when Giselle Grante had finished making her decision. Kavelaseth spoke as if casually mentioning it.

“Ah, right. I should pay the admission fee. It was quite entertaining, you see. The script that you wrote, miss. Though it was brief.”

“……?”

Giselle Grante couldn’t immediately understand the meaning of his words and furrowed her brow.

Then Kavelaseth added an explanation.

“I never imagined it. That the mistress’s son would appear at the investiture ceremony.”

In an instant, Giselle Grante’s gaze looking at him changed sharply.

‘He knows I did it? ……How?’

But her bewilderment was only momentary.

‘There’s no way he could know, he’s just testing me right now.’

When Giselle Grante reached that conclusion, Kavelaseth opened his mouth again.

“I have a question too.”

“…….”

“How did you manipulate the tyrant emperor to your liking?”

Giselle Grante pretended to be startled and opened her eyes wide.

“Oh my! You’re saying something that would be terrible if someone heard, Your Grace. How could I possibly influence His Majesty the Emperor?”

“That’s what I find fascinating and curious too……. a young lady who has never once directly faced the emperor in her entire life…….”

Kavelaseth rose from his seat and slowly walked toward Giselle Grante, then placed his hands on the table in front of her.

And with slow movements, he bent his upper body to meet her eyes.

The dim light cast shadows on his perfect features.

Giselle Grante didn’t avoid his red eyes that seemed to see through her soul, but met them directly.

“……How you grasped the emperor’s personality and acted accordingly.”

“…….”

Until her death, she had followed the behavioral principles of her father, the emperor, and had read his autobiography dozens of times.

And she had always chased after his back.

When she someday stood in the same position as him, she didn’t want to hear that she fell short of the previous emperor.

But at some point, she realized.

That the emperor she respected and the emperor viewed by the world were very different.

While living within the imperial palace, surrounded by people who followed the emperor, she couldn’t know.

The fact that the emperor was not a sage ruler, but a tyrant. That the emperor was a cold-hearted human who could mercilessly kill even his own blood to achieve his goals.

So she knew well.

“I’m sorry. I really don’t understand…… what you’re talking about, Your Grace?”

But Giselle Grante responded innocently.

Kavelaseth, who had been looking down at Giselle Grante as she persisted in claiming ignorance, soon smiled brightly.

“Well, even if I don’t hear it directly from your mouth, if I want to find out, I’ll gradually learn.”

Kavelaseth turned around. As if to return to where he originally was.

“Oh, I’ll pay for the admission fee of the play I watched thanks to you by keeping quiet about this situation to Mikhail.”

Only after adding one more comment before leaving did Kavelaseth stride away.

Giselle Grante, who was about to add a word to Kavelaseth’s retreating head, soon stopped.

The fact that the people of Duke Amaterasu’s family were serious about books was something she knew well too.

Although Duke Amaterasu showed quite a lenient attitude toward his daughter, it didn’t seem like he would tolerate unauthorized entry into his personal library.

Since Kavelaseth had decided to overlook her poor excuse, there was no need to bring it up and fall into trouble.

“Not a cat but more like a wildcat……. the cry of a female cat calling for a male to mate…….”

Kavelaseth’s voice could be heard faintly from far away, as if he was muttering.

Giselle Grante glared at his retreating figure while wrinkling her nose.

But when he completely disappeared from view, shame washed over her.

Giselle Grante tightly closed her eyes and rubbed her dry face.

With this, she had created yet another dark history in front of Kavelaseth.

****

When Kavelaseth returned to the conference room, Mikhail asked him.

“Kavel, why are you so late now? Were you…… chatting around?”

For some reason, Mikhail’s eyes were slightly upturned. Just like he was jealous.

‘Did he see me with Giselle Grante?’

Without responding, Kavelaseth only raised one eyebrow.