Chapter 23

“Meow.”

A soft, fluffy paw tapped Karl’s cheek. But since Karl showed no sign of waking, a bored Azur began to tap his face with its tail.

“Meow.”

At the persistent touch of Azur’s tail, Karl’s eyes, which seemed like they would never open, slowly fluttered. The sun was already high in the sky, and the room was filled with light.

“Huh?”

Karl looked around in confusion. It seemed he had fallen asleep last night without even washing up. It was unbelievable. Since Daphne’s death, he had suffered from insomnia every night. Even when he did manage a little sleep, nightmares would always wake him up. But now, he had collapsed into a deep sleep without even washing, and he had no idea how long he had slept.

As if sensing Karl’s movement, an attendant knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

The attendant greeted Karl, who was frowning in thought, and then cautiously spoke.

“Sir Luca said not to wake you.”

“What time is it?”

“It’s morning tea time.”

“What?”

Prince Karl’s eyebrows twitched. It was the time he had promised to meet Iana.

‘Luca, that bastard! He must have done it on purpose.’

* * *

To invite someone and then not show up—wasn’t that beyond the bounds of etiquette? Iana, exhausted from another sleepless night, leaned back in her chair and glared at the empty seat across from her.

She had received the message, which was more like a one-sided notice than an invitation, just yesterday afternoon. 

Unlike Iana, who frowned as soon as she got the note, Lou let out a joyful cheer.

“Could it be that His Highness the Prince has finally fallen for you, My Lady?”

At Lou’s words, Iana scoffed, tossing aside the card the messenger had left.

“Falling in love doesn’t happen like this. Don’t you have to at least see someone’s face to fall for them? Since the last ball, Prince Karl and I haven’t even seen each other’s shadows.”

“Then what is this invitation for?”

“Curiosity? Maybe he wants to check if my reaction has changed. Even if I acted like a pushover before, the Marseille Grand Duchy isn’t a family that can be ignored so easily.”

Lou, in the middle of choosing a dress for tomorrow, stared silently at Iana.

“What?”

“My Lady, you’ve changed.”

It wasn’t just a change—she was a completely different person, but she couldn’t explain that to Lou. Iana gave a small smile and checked the appointment time. And then she despaired.

‘11 a.m.’

Of all times, it was right after lunch with the Grand Duke, during the only time Iana could catch up on her sleep. Iana’s expression grew grim.

“Yvon, I can’t refuse this, can I?”

“Would you really be able to refuse?”

Yvon replied with a mocking smile to Iana’s words. He almost seemed more excited than she was. His beaming face was so irritating that Iana glared at him for a moment before falling back into despair.

“Curiosity or not, that’s still ‘interest’. My Lady, opportunities like this are rare. His Highness Prince Karl is the one named as the next Emperor. Not just because he was born to the Empress. He’s outstanding and clever.”

“Right. My Lady, isn’t he the dream of every noble lady in the capital—no, in the entire Empire? And he’s so handsome. Just the other day, the maids were fighting over the portrait of His Highness that appeared in the newspaper.”

Praise for Prince Karl from Yvon and Lou rained down on Iana’s ears as she writhed in despair.

But for Iana, nothing was worth trading for precious ‘sleep’. For someone who begrudged even ten minutes of rest, all those compliments were just nonsense.

So this is how they treat her after she dragged herself here. Iana yawned long and looked around. Whatever the circumstances, the Imperial Palace looked peaceful as always today. In the quiet garden, only the maids, carefully watching Iana as they poured tea, came and went.

“Meow.”

Tilt. Iana cocked her head to the side. 

‘Did I hear that wrong?’

“Meow.”

Iana jumped up and began searching around. But no matter how hard she looked, she couldn’t find the source of the sound. Just as she was about to sit down with a frown, she heard a branch snap and the cat’s cry again. Iana walked toward the thicket of wild roses.

She let out a dry laugh. It was definitely the cat Yvon had sent as a gift. The white, blue-eyed cat looked as if it had been born and raised here, not just arrived yesterday. Despite its air of pride, it hadn’t abandoned its instincts; it had caught a sparrow and was staring down at it with its paw. The sparrow, still alive, fluttered its wings.

When Iana met the cat’s gaze, it raised its beautiful tail proudly and let out another long cry.

“Meow.”

Iana burst out laughing and reached out to pick up the cat.

“My, how clever. You even hunted! Wonderful! But shall we let this little bird live? Judging by your full belly, it doesn’t look like you caught it to eat.”

She picked up the sparrow to check for injuries. Placing it on her palm, the sparrow quickly recovered, hopped a few times, and then fluttered away.

After releasing the sparrow, Iana returned to her seat with the cat in her arms.

“Oh my, sorry I’m late, My Lady.”

When she returned, Karl was sitting at the table. He apologized with a smile that showed just how self-assured he was, not looking sorry at all. The irritation in Iana grew. Perhaps the original Iana, who had been such a pushover, was just defenseless against that handsome face.

After speaking, Karl looked back and forth between Iana and the cat. Outwardly, it seemed as if he was just looking at Iana, but the subtle movement of his eyes made it seem as if he was considering a connection between Iana and the cat. But that was impossible.

This white, lovely cat was chosen and sent to the palace by Yvon. In fact, Iana had only mentioned in her sleep that she wanted a white, blue-eyed cat, never specifying that it should have such long and elegant fur.

It was all thanks to Yvon’s taste.

“As expected, you look alike.”

At the prince’s words, Iana’s gaze sharpened. 

‘Who looked like whom?’

There were only Karl and herself here. If she had to count one more, it would be the cat in her arms. Since there was no way she and the pale prince looked alike, did he mean she looked like the cat? But how? In what way? Iana’s eyes flicked to the cat, then away.

“Those proud eyes, graceful movements, seeming cold but with a hint of naivety.”

Karl explained as if he had read Iana’s silent protest.

“Thank you for the compliment disguised as an insult.”

For a moment, the prince seemed at a loss for words, then burst out laughing.

“No, My Lady. Don’t misunderstand. It’s a compliment.”

“If you say so. Then, why did you call me here?”

Iana asked directly. She wanted to go home and sleep, even for a little while. Her days as Iana seemed even busier than when she had worked hard as Alis. Maybe it was because her body and environment had changed, but more than anything, there seemed to be more people who got on her nerves than when she had just focused on work without much thought.

“Why a cat, of all things?”

“Do you not like it? Shall I take it back, then?”

Iana replied nonchalantly. She couldn’t exactly reveal that she knew about Karl’s painful memories. The information about Karl was also a business secret of Alis. For the young Iana to simply know such things would be suspicious.

“That’s not what I meant, My Lady. Of all the gifts you could have sent, why a cat? Didn’t you used to prefer more extravagant things? You sent the most beautiful and splendid gifts before, but now it’s such a plain present. Ah! And don’t give me some line about the beauty or value of life.”

“Beautiful and splendid things… I’m suddenly angry at my old self, Your Highness. Just thinking about the money spent on those makes me upset.”

Iana let out a long sigh and continued.

“I just wanted to tease you. No matter how much you love and cherish a cat, it never truly gets tamed. A cat only does as it pleases. It doesn’t care about your circumstances. Just as you did with me, Your Highness.”

“My Lady, you’ve changed.”

Karl’s eyes narrowed as he glared at Iana.

“It’s as if you have no interest in me anymore.”

“You guessed right, Your Highness.”

Iana replied with a bright, untroubled smile—so unlike the hesitant smiles she used to give.

* * *