Chapter 20 - A Peaceful Afternoon
"Kuro, look! A feather wand!"
Ten days had passed since then, and I had been trying out various toys to win Kuro over.
By the way, I had assumed spirits didn't eat. However, a series of incidents occurred where the sweets Samuel made for my room would suddenly vanish. When I looked at Kuro, I noticed crumbs around his mouth. Even when I asked if he had eaten them, he just turned away with a nonchalant meow. But I was certain. The culprit was Kuro.
Spirits didn't need to eat to survive, but perhaps they ate things they liked? I asked Theodore-sama about it during his next visit. 'Oh, spirits eat,' he had said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 'It's not good to give sweets to normal animals, but it doesn't hurt spirits. Apparently, they like tasty things.' I was shocked. Most spirits were fickle and returned to the forest quickly, so their daily habits weren't common knowledge. A spirit like Kuro, who stayed by a human's side constantly, was a rarity.
But then I realized: I could use sweets to bond with him! I had heard that using treats was a great way to get animals to trust you. It was the perfect plan! Or so I thought. As it turned out, Kuro took a liking not to the sweets themselves, but to Samuel, the one who made them. Whenever Samuel entered the room, Kuro would immediately rub against his legs. Samuel couldn't see spirits, so he only looked confused at my envious glares.
And so, I had returned to my original plan: winning him over with toys. Cats were supposed to love feather wands, right? I waved a stick with several fluffy white feathers attached to the end in front of him. "Kuro, Kuro, let's play."
Kuro gave it a brief glance and turned away. However, his eyes kept darting back to the fluttering feathers. Finally, as the wand brushed past his paws, he couldn't help himself—he swiped at it. But his paw only met thin air. Frustrated by the miss, he began to creep toward the wand, his eyes locked onto the tip. Thwack! Thwack! Watching him try to pin it down with his paws was truly the most adorable thing I had ever seen.
"It seems he's taken a liking to it."
A voice sounded from above me. Oh dear, I had been so engrossed in Kuro that I hadn't noticed my guest. Standing beside me was His Highness, his golden hair shimmering in the light from the window as he watched us with a gentle smile. Louis had come to visit for the first time in a while.
"I didn't know you were such an animal lover, Rachel."
"...I've shown you something embarrassing."
"Not at all. It makes me happy. You completely forgot I was here, didn't you? Just watching you act so naturally washes away all my daily fatigue."
"Ugh... I didn't forget..." I broke into a cold sweat as I gave my awkward excuse. Louis knelt beside Kuro, lowering his head and letting out a soft, amused chuckle. Then, he looked at Kuro and said, "Theodore has been keeping me updated, but you truly do seem to be doing well."
"Yes! Theodore-sama's guidance has been wonderful! For the past two days, I've even been able to walk to the Garden for a stroll." I spoke with a bit too much excitement, my voice rising with energy. Louis watched me with a warm, happy gaze. Suddenly realizing how close our faces were, I felt a flush of heat in my cheeks. I cleared my throat and sat back, trying to regain my composure.
"May I try?" Louis asked, pointing to the feather wand. I tentatively handed it over. "Thank you."
Louis turned his attention to Kuro and began to wiggle the feathers. "Kuro, come here."
Kuro was once again mesmerized by the moving toy. Who could have imagined the Crown Prince playing with a cat toy? If Cyril saw this, his face would surely twitch in disbelief—or he would smirk and use it as teasing material for years. After a while, Kuro seemed to lose interest. He ignored the wand entirely, walked slowly over to his bed, and curled up to sleep.
"He's quite charming."
"Yes, he truly is."
"So it seems." Louis continued to watch Kuro with a fond smile. I found myself smiling along with him. Just looking at Kuro filled me with a sense of affection.
"Still, a Spirit of Darkness... I was surprised when I heard."
"You couldn't see him either, could you, His Highness?"
"Of course not. Theodore is the outlier here. Even among the royalty, there is no one with his level of ability right now."
"I see."
"But Kuro is a mysterious existence, isn't he?"
"...Are you curious about him?"
"I am. He affects the kingdom, and I love researching the unknown. But right now, there is something I care about even more."
"Something even more important?"
"Yes. You. Lately, I find myself thinking about you quite often. I find myself wondering what I can do to make sure you can live with a smile." Louis looked me straight in the eye and let out a small sigh, a troubled but gentle smile on his face. "So? Is there something you want to tell me?"
"How did you..."
"You've been looking for the right timing to say something for a while now, haven't you?"
He had seen right through me. As expected, His Highness's powers of observation were second to none. It was true; I had something I intended to tell him today.
"Yes. There is something I must tell you, Louis."