Following his instructions to go to his room first, I headed there immediately. My body was too dirty to sit comfortably, and just standing around felt awkward. So, instead, I started cleaning up the mess I had made earlier by smashing the fireplace. While I was busy wiping down the grimy floor, he returned.
“Alright, now speak honestly. What exactly do you know?”
“It’s nothing too significant.”
“Let me decide that.”
“…Do you remember when I mentioned I used that basement room before?”
“Yes, I remember. You said you used it exactly once.”
“The person who was imprisoned there at that time was that woman.”
By “that woman,” did he mean…
“You don’t mean the one who cursed the castle, do you? The woman who turned you into this beast because she couldn’t win your heart and was driven to despair?”
Kalz gave a brief nod. Hold on—then that smell of blood from the room earlier belonged to her? Did that mean Kalz had… No, now wasn’t the time to dwell on that.
“Then we should be even more excited! That means this information is definitely reliable, since it was left behind by the spellcaster herself.”
“I suppose.”
Was it really necessary for him to sound so indifferent?
I didn’t dare voice my confusion directly, sensing it might be a sensitive subject, but it just didn’t make sense. Even I was thrilled at the idea of possibly breaking his curse, yet Kalz himself didn’t show even the slightest enthusiasm.
After hesitating several times, I finally mustered the courage to speak again.
“Um, I might be crossing a line here, but can I ask you something?”
“As if you’ve ever held back from crossing lines before.”
“Could it be that you secretly don’t want to become human again? Maybe you’re reluctant to lose this beastly strength, or you’ve grown so comfortable living like this?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Good. That settles it, then.”
Ignoring Kalz’s judgmental gaze, I placed my hands confidently on my hips.
“We’re going to find it.”
“Find what, exactly?”
“The method to break the curse, obviously. If we find the other pieces of this copper plate, we’ll definitely learn how.”
“Do you even realize how many years it’s been? Small metal fragments like that would’ve disappeared long ago.”
Seriously, what was with this guy? He said he didn’t want to remain a beast, yet he was acting completely uncooperative. My confusion was starting to shift into outright irritation.
“But this fragment is still perfectly intact. That means there’s a good chance the others survived as well.”
“You want to waste your time chasing after some faint hope that might not even exist? Spare yourself the effort.”
“Alright—I’ve had enough!”
Finally losing my patience, I lifted my hand from my hip and jabbed a finger accusingly in his direction.
“You act like this isn’t your problem! Even I—someone who’s basically an outsider—feel fired up by this tiny glimmer of hope. Why do you always insist on seeing everything negatively?”
“It’s not negativity; it’s realism. I’m the one who’ll ultimately suffer the disappointment if I allow myself to hope.”
In contrast to my raised voice, Kalz’s tone lowered, tinged with resignation rather than anger. I understood, in a way. After living nearly a century trapped in beast form, it was natural for hope to fade. But he was missing something crucial. In fairy tales, the story only truly began once the two main characters met. Even if I wasn’t fully comfortable accepting the role of Beauty, there was no way I was going to join him in giving up.
“Fine. I won’t ask you to join me, then. But at least don’t get in my way.”
“You’re seriously determined to play detective in a hopeless cause?”
He stared at my stubbornly pursed lips, then let out a long, frustrated sigh. Eventually, he growled irritably, clearly giving up on convincing me otherwise.
“Do as you please. But if you neglect your duties because of it, I won’t tolerate that. Work first, and only use your spare time.”
“Yeah, yeah, understood.”
“And starting now, you’re forbidden from entering any areas of the castle other than your own room and places directly related to your work.”
“What?”
He’d never bothered to monitor my movements before, so why now? The timing couldn’t be clearer—he was deliberately restricting me from snooping around for clues. But where else was I supposed to find clues if not in the castle itself?
“That’s completely unfair. It’s not like I committed any crime.”
“I’d say destroying the wall of your employer’s bedroom qualifies as sufficient grounds for punishment.”
“That wasn’t intentional! Besides, you didn’t mention it earlier!”
“It just came to mind.”
“Wow, petty much? Wait, don’t tell me the library’s off-limits too?”
“If your duties don’t require it, naturally you’re not allowed there.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
This was serious. Now he was even trying to take away the greatest pleasure I had—the one thing that made all this exhausting labor bearable. What an evil employer!
“And how long exactly is this going to last?”
“I said ‘for the time being.’ I’ll tell you when I decide it’s appropriate to lift the restriction.”
Lift the restriction? Was I a dog now? Actually, even Gold roamed freely, making me feel worse than a dog! I was trying to help willingly, so why was he being this stubborn? It wasn’t even for my own benefit—it was for Kalz and everyone else here! He didn’t have to help, but did he really need to get in the way? I clenched my jaw, fighting back my irritation.
“Hey, can you stop being so unreasonable?”
“That’s exactly what I should be saying to you. Stop meddling in other people’s business.”
“Other people’s…business?”
He wasn’t wrong. I’d even called it “someone else’s issue” myself. Strictly speaking, Kalz and I were practically strangers, tied only by an insignificant master-servant contract.
Yet, why did hearing him say “other” make me feel so disappointed? It was as if my efforts to help were being rejected before they’d even begun.
Of course, I had no intention of giving up.
“Well, if that’s the case, isn’t whether I meddle or not none of your business? Just ignore it.”
“That’s completely diff—”
“And from now on, I’ll eat dinner alone. I’m about to become incredibly busy, so I won’t have time for the dining hall.”
“Stop being so childish—”
“And one more thing! Since we probably won’t meet for a while, I’m letting you know now: I’ll be going out on my next day off—and the following one too. Goodbye.”
I deliberately cut off Kalz’s words, sharply delivered my final message, and turned away without hesitation. From behind me came his deep, weary sigh, but who cared?
Just you wait, Kalz. When I finally discovered how to break this curse, I’d wave the solution right under that lion’s nose and smugly say, “Want to know? Then roll three times to the left, three times to the right, and bark ‘woof woof!’”
***
A week had passed since the start of my cold war with Kalz, and his petty antics had only grown worse, finally crossing the line into outright absurdity.
“You want me to wash all of this?”
An enormous mountain of dishes towered at the sink, covering every inch of available space. It looked like every single dish from the castle had been piled up here. I glanced at Elizabeth, whose ears flattened in irritation as she flashed her teeth—clearly as baffled as I was. Even Almond, who delivered the absurd order, looked uncomfortable.
“Since it’s the new year, I thought we might try out all our dishes and replace the ones we don’t like.”
“I understand the reasoning, but does it really have to be every dish in the castle? Even if every single resident used a new dish for each meal, snack, and midnight snack, we’d still have leftovers!”
“Well, only by trying each one thoroughly can we determine which dishes we truly prefer, right? Haha…”
“Ha! The guy who never even steps foot near the kitchen now wants to meddle with our plating? Do you even have a conscience?”
Elizabeth’s tail puffed up in anger, and her voice sharpened dangerously. Butler Squawk’s face had gone pale, and he purposefully avoided her gaze, locking eyes only with me.
“Even dishes we rarely use should be cleaned regularly, shouldn’t they?”
“Oh, wonderful reasoning. But tell me, Butler Squawk—was this your brilliant idea, or was it the damned lion bas—Kalz’s?”
“Ahem. Well, I’ll leave you to it, then. Good luck!”
“And just where do you think you’re running off to?!”
Elizabeth lunged at Butler Squawk with claws fully extended as he darted toward the door. It was a shockingly serious hunt, fierce enough to make me flinch. But Butler Squawk, clearly anticipating this attack, expertly maneuvered his way out of the kitchen like an acrobat. Watching them, you’d think they were genuinely fighting for their lives.
“Unbelievable—of all chores, washing dishes!”
Elizabeth, having failed to catch her prey, muttered irritably as she savagely pawed at Butler Squawk’s fallen tail feather. Honestly, I understood her frustration. From everything I’d seen, Elizabeth was definitely not a water-loving cat—she had simply endured dishwashing until now out of pure professionalism.
“Elizabeth, let’s split the tasks. I’ll handle the dishes, and you just focus on preparing the meals.”
“Really? But there’s far too much for one person.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll manage. If I don’t finish today, there’s always tomorrow.”
“Then I’ll count on you. You’re a lifesaver.”
“No problem at all. Also…”
It felt uncomfortable to admit, but I couldn’t lie to a friend who was stuck suffering with me. With guilt gnawing at my chest, I confessed quietly.
“Actually, if we’re being honest, this whole thing is my fault.”
“I know.”
“You…know?”
“It’s obvious. You fought with Kalz, didn’t you?”
How did she figure that out? Then again, suddenly skipping dinners and Kalz’s childish retaliation had probably made it obvious to everyone in the castle.
“But it really is strange. He wasn’t like this before. Why he’s behaving so immaturely only towards you is beyond me.”
Knowing that someone else shared my confusion about Kalz’s childish antics eased my frustration a little. Elizabeth placed both paws gently against my cheeks and spoke softly, comforting me.
“I don’t know exactly what happened, Briel, but you really are a good person. Never doubt yourself.”
“Thanks, Elizabeth.”
While savoring the comforting sensation of her soft paws—a reward in itself—a sudden chill ran down my spine.
“Yes, you’re genuinely good. Especially compared to that cowardly man who only knows how to run away. Compared to him, you’re practically an angel.”
“Haha…”
My cheeks prickled uncomfortably. Elizabeth, I appreciate the compliment, but could you maybe retract your claws? Of course, I didn’t need to ask who “that man” was—it was clearly the one who’d vanished moments ago, leaving only a tail feather behind.
Butler Squawk and Elizabeth…just what exactly was their relationship?
