It was painfully obvious that the last thing the plush figure wanted was to be involved in any way. And yet, what could he say?
“It’s a possessed doll. It’s got one of Justyn’s ancestors living inside it. It got caught speaking once, so now it’s pretending to be a fairy!”
…There was no way he could say that.
And surely, even the Crown Prince hadn’t expected an answer like that.
Unaware, Harrison continued to gaze at the thing with a look of fervent curiosity. Ries tried to dodge that intense stare, acting as though he hadn’t noticed—but the longer it lingered, the more it made his cheeks prickle.
“Why so quiet?”
Had he given up on getting a reply from Justyn? It seemed like all that silent urging in his eyes was now focused squarely on Ries.
His deliberation lasted barely a second.
As he sat politely, rolling his eyes in their sockets, Ries suddenly went poof—vanishing in a flash. In the blink of an eye, something stirred within the pile of clothing he’d left behind.
“…Huh.”
Poking its head out from the bundle was a yellow cheese-colored cat. Silently reverting to his mute form, Ries had executed a perfect escape.
“…Heh.”
The Crown Prince stared, stunned into silence.
This was nothing short of a masterful evasion.
“Please don’t put him in an uncomfortable position,” said Justyn.
“Then will you explain it for him, Duke?”
“……”
One person—or rather, one cat—tucked himself behind his master’s back, while the master himself remained stone-faced and silent.
Harrison already knew that no matter what he did, that mouth wasn’t going to open.
That’s exactly why I pushed the other one instead…
His eyes, brimming with regret, fell upon the Duke’s back. The fur on the cat’s body bristled, and it gave a visible shudder.
He didn’t seem to want to hide completely, but he clearly wanted to keep an eye on the situation. That internal conflict translated into an awkward pose: front paws clinging tightly to Justyn’s back, hind legs planted firmly on the sofa.
Altogether, the image said one thing loud and clear—
A cat standing on two legs.
“……”
The corners of Harrison’s mouth twitched.
He tried to reason with himself: He’s a Beastkin. There’s a person inside. Don’t laugh… But the giggles kept slipping through.
That ridiculous pose in that plushy little cat body was just not fair.
In the end, Harrison shook his head and raised the white flag.
“Alright, alright. I admit defeat. That’s a scene I’ll never forget… You really know how to dodge a question, don’t you?”
“Mrr?”
With his ears perked straight up, the round-faced cat tilted his head in confusion. Apparently, he had no idea how absurd his pose looked.
Harrison didn’t bother pointing it out. Instead, he spared the plush doll on the cushion one last glance before rising from his seat.
“I’ll be returning to the capital tomorrow. My retainers have been practically begging me, and I’m starting to lose patience. I wish I could stay longer, but my schedule won’t allow it.”
He added one more line, his voice still laced with good humor.
“If you ever plan to visit the capital, do come see me.”
“Understood.”
“You’re not even going to ask why? Are you assuming it’s for another sparring match?”
“……”
His silence was answer enough. Harrison shrugged, as though he’d expected it.
“I wouldn’t mind a duel, of course, but not this time. Do you recall the Black Market purge the Imperial Family led ten years ago?”
“Yes.”
“That operation forced many of the big players in the underworld to go into hiding. Thanks to that, crime rates in the capital and nearby cities dropped significantly.”
If only things had stayed that way… Harrison’s expression darkened.
“But recently, our investigators have discovered signs of new factions rising. Every single one of the captured suspects spoke of the ‘Black Market.’ Like moths to a flame, they were drawn in by the name alone—fools and scum, all of them.”
“……”
“No one’s been able to verify the organization’s existence yet, but I’m convinced. The Empire’s filth—those cockroaches that once flattened themselves to the ground to survive—have crawled back from the depths and are gathering around a new base.”
Justyn didn’t respond. His eyes suggested he’d sunk into deep thought.
And Ries—who’d released his grip on Justyn’s arm and taken a seat of his own—was similarly silent, rolling a certain word over and over in his mind.
“I’ve been hearing that name a lot lately…”
The Black Market. He’d heard it from Embio. From Sefiut, too.
From what he’d gathered, they had once played a major role in hunting and trafficking Beastkin. No matter the era, they seemed to attract trouble.
But telling Justyn about that…
“I’d like to ask you to join the investigation,” said Harrison.
I knew it. Ries’s face instantly soured.
“Haha, those eyes of yours are sharp as knives. I envy you, Duke, for having such a fiercely loyal companion.”
“……”
“I didn’t mean it as a compliment, but still.”
The complaint didn’t register. Justyn calmly petted his adorable little feline, loyal and protective to the end.
Once, twice—his hand moved gently. Harrison, watching with thinly veiled distaste, eventually started speaking again. He was just as persistent and shameless as his counterpart.
“In any case, I won’t force you. But I am certain you’ll end up helping me. How could you not?”
His gaze narrowed, a faint smile on his lips, and drifted toward the cat nestled against the Duke.
“Every Black Market cell that’s emerged so far has shared a common trait. They all manage to acquire rare, beautiful, coveted treasures like ghosts sniffing out gold. And wouldn’t you know it—there just happens to be one such treasure sitting right next to you, Duke.”
“…Are you threatening me?”
The air turned cold in an instant. Justyn’s voice cut through the room like a drawn blade. His crimson eyes, sharp and full of warning, locked with Harrison’s—but the Crown Prince only shook his head.
“I’d never. I told you, I don’t want to see the Empire make the same mistakes again. This isn’t a threat, it’s a warning.”
“……”
“I’m not that foolish, Duke. I don’t have a habit of tightening the noose around my own neck.”
With slow, measured steps, Harrison approached the door. Once he reached it, he stopped and added one final comment.
“Since I was young, I’ve always been surrounded by parasites trying to take what’s mine. That’s why I’ve spent so long figuring out how not to lose anything.”
“……”
“The answer I found was this: Take before it’s taken from you. I still believe that’s the best strategy. And now that you have something to protect, Duke, you should give this matter serious thought.”
He’d laid out both the threat and the solution in the same breath.
Less a threat than a warning. And more than a warning, it almost resembled… concern. That’s how Harrison saw it.
Even if the Duke was cursed and confined, Harrison had immense respect for his capabilities. Now that what might be the last living Beastkin was at his side, his value had only increased.
He didn’t want that value to be lost to some senseless misfortune.
“Of course, it’s not like I’m completely selfless. If you help me, the whole thing will go much faster. You’re not the kind of asset I can just pick off the street, you know. It’s the constant struggle of someone in my position.”
Despite the tension in the air, he smiled with ease.
“You don’t have to answer right now. My instincts tell me you’ll be coming to the capital soon anyway. And you did promise to visit. I expect you to bring good news when you do.”
His hand turned the doorknob.
Once he stepped out, the door clicked shut. The neat sound of his shoes on the floor gradually faded until it disappeared altogether.
—And that’s exactly why I said I don’t want to deal with him.
At last, Sefiut sprang to life.
He dropped the act like he’d been waiting for the moment the door closed. Ries, who had been watching Justyn for a cue, forgot himself and frowned deeply.
—Who does that? Tosses you into a cold bath and then a hot one right after. Kid, you better watch yourself. There’s always a few of that type in royal families… Wait. Don’t tell me… You’re already on his radar?
“Eep…”
No point denying it.
Yeah. He definitely noticed me…
An uneasy feeling welled up inside him. The evidence was undeniable.
—He’s the kind who loves manipulating people. Twisting situations, nudging you into action with just the right words… But the worst part? He thinks he’s acting on principle, not out of malice. Tsk tsk, poor thing. You’re caught in a real mess.
“……”
Ries shriveled even further. The more he listened, the more he was convinced: He’d gotten tangled up with a truly dangerous man.
Sefiut was right.
He’d been observing the Crown Prince for quite some time now. Not once had the curse ever latched onto him. Which meant—he bore no ill will toward Justyn.
But then… a flicker of a memory came back.
…Or maybe just once?
There had been a moment—so brief he thought he imagined it—when a wisp of black mist had tried to cling to the prince, only to scatter immediately.
Back then, he’d brushed it off as a trick of the eye.
It made sense.
The curse that haunted Justyn reacted to all forms of negative emotion. It could sniff out malice like a bloodhound, even if the person tried to hide it. Once it caught a whiff, it stuck like glue.
Unless, of course, someone knew how to sever and suppress emotions—cut them off at the root without hesitation. But that wasn’t easy.
Feelings didn’t come with on-off switches. And malice, above all, was especially clingy.
To be able to escape the curse’s notice…
That would take a cold, decisive person—someone who’d trained themselves to slice through feelings again and again until they could do it without a second thought.
Someone who’d done it so many times they’d become invisible to the curse itself.
Ries was on the verge of getting lost in thought again when Sefiut chimed in with a knowing question.
—So, what now? I don’t think you should reject it outright.
“!”
Ries’s mouth fell open, and his eyes widened with sheer betrayal.
“Mrrr? Myaaauuugh! Hiss!”
—What? What was that? ‘Petty’? ‘Hypocrite’? Excuse me?! You brat, watch your mouth when you’re talking to an elder!
“Mrrroww! Hissss!”
—N-Now you’re calling me two-faced?! That was an insult, wasn’t it?! You ungrateful little squirt! After all I’ve done, this is how you treat me?!
Ries could hardly believe it.
So he got to badmouth the Crown Prince and act all high and mighty—and now Ries was supposed to just walk right into that man’s trap?!
As he hissed and spat in outrage, Sefiut’s tail twitched furiously. He snorted indignantly—then suddenly paused, struck by a sobering realization.
“……”
Right… the master can’t understand me, huh. That would explain why no one was reacting.
