Under the Shadow of the Crown

“Find where that damn cat went, now!”

The Second Prince screamed at the top of his lungs. A man who appeared to be a knight stood there with a troubled expression, while the maids and attendants were frantically trying to soothe their superior. After assessing the situation, I checked inside my shirt. Oblivious to the severity of the situation, the cat licked its chops.

A groan hovered at the edge of my throat. The very cat the Prince was searching for—veins bulging in his neck—was currently in my arms. I didn’t know the full story, but it was obvious that if I stepped out there now, things wouldn’t end well.

A Prince famous for his foul personality. A cat. The third in line for the throne and a speechless beast. There was no need to think long about which was more important or which choice was safer.

“This is driving me crazy.”

Grit-toothed, I took off my jacket and tied the sleeves together. By fastening the bottom buttons toward the back, I managed to create a space just large enough for a cat, even if it was a child’s garment. I’d look ridiculous, but the area near the library wasn’t crowded. If I was lucky, I might not run into anyone. Even if someone saw me like this, it was a better outcome than the cat falling into the hands of the Second Prince.

I prayed it wouldn’t cry. Perhaps my desperation got through despite it not understanding human speech, because it remained quiet for now. I moved while staying low, practically crawling on the ground. I wanted to move faster, but I couldn’t run for fear of making noise. As I stepped cautiously, the shouting grew louder and then fainter, and my heart rhythmically shrank and pounded in tandem.

‘It’s injured, so it couldn’t have gone far.’

‘You said it couldn’t have gone far, yet you lost it! I told you to cut off its legs, so why didn’t you draw your sword?’

My arms, crawling through the grass, froze. I replayed what I heard, doubting my ears, but no matter how I analyzed it, he had indeed ordered a speechless animal’s legs to be severed just to catch it. Crazy bastard. An insult almost flew out of my mouth. I glared at the glimpse of sky-blue hair. The knight, who was forced to endure the tantrums of a Prince young enough to be his son, didn’t look pleased either. It seemed he was the one who had injured the cat’s leg on the Prince’s orders. He had to follow orders, yet he couldn’t bring himself to actually maim it.

The cat burrowed deeper into my arms. It was heavy for its size, and the weight around my neck from the makeshift jacket-carrier felt like it might snap my spine, but I could bear it.

The sounds of the maids trying to stop the Second Prince continued. The Prince, whom I desperately wanted to give a good thrashing, wouldn’t stop stomping around. I lifted my upper body and began to run a bit faster.

Fortunately, the flowerbeds were like a maze. The bushes grew taller and denser, to the point where someone passing right by wouldn’t be able to see me. I wanted to pick up the pace, but my arms shook from carrying the heavy weight. My lack of physical stamina was a curse.

Still, I felt the tension ease, thinking I had been successful. The sounds of the Second Prince’s tantrum had faded until I had to strain to hear them. Only then did the cat let out a belated “meow.” I stroked its head as if to say, You did well to stay quiet. Then, I heard heavy footsteps—the sound of solid, heavy metal clashing. Like a warning hint, the image of the knight’s sword I saw through the bushes flashed in my mind. The footsteps were clearly heading this way.

Shit.

I bit my lip and really ran this time. As expected, a middle-aged man’s voice followed me—likely the knight from before.

Naturally, the gap closed. It would be hard enough to escape alone, but running with a heavy cat that kept slipping from my tired arms made my legs feel like they would give out any second.

At this rate, I’d be caught. I frantically scanned my surroundings as the scenery blurred past. They say people develop sudden abilities in a crisis; I could practically feel how close the reaching hand was as if I had eyes in the back of my head. Then, I spotted a gap in the bushes that was thinner than the rest.

There. I put every ounce of strength into my legs. By the end, I wasn’t so much running as I was leaning forward into a fall. Seeing the world go dark, I squeezed my eyes shut and rolled. I crashed through the brush while clutching the heavy, warm body. Clearing an obstacle gracefully only happens in movies. The sky, the flowerbed, a fountain, grass, reddish-gold hair, shoes. My vision spun dizzily.

…Reddish-gold hair? My brain wasn’t working properly. I was disoriented from tumbling across the ground. Before I could realize what was happening, something sharp grazed my neck.

My body froze instantly. The sword was slowly pulled away. Only after hearing the sound of the blade clicking perfectly into its scabbard did I gasp for breath. If it had gone just a bit deeper, it wouldn’t have ended with just a scratch.

Red eyes curved without a hint of warmth.

“This is… a face I didn’t expect to see.”

Was this the price I was paying for complaining that my life was too peaceful?

While I sat there unable to react to this surreal reality, the Crown Prince—kneeling his precious knees on the dirt—pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it to my neck. As the cloth touched the skin I hadn’t even realized was hurt, a stinging pain flared up.

“Usually, if something is hiding in the bushes, it’s something that needs to be cut down. My sword moved instinctively.”

I couldn’t even answer; I just let out ragged breaths. The Crown Prince’s voice was perfectly gentle, and his touch was soft. However, seeing those eyes—which made no effort to hide their chill despite the upturned lips—I couldn’t possibly mistake this for kindness. Like prey meeting the eyes of a snake, my body instinctively recoiled.

The Crown Prince, his lips twitching in a half-smile, was about to speak when the heavy footsteps following me rounded the bushes. The knight stopped dead upon seeing me and the cat, then noticed the Crown Prince a beat later due to the thick shrubbery.

“Your Highness.”

The knight, appearing greatly flustered, knelt and bowed his head. The Crown Prince received the greeting leisurely.

“Sir Kalone.”

The knight’s expression upon lifting his head was strange. Well, the sight of a kid with a jacket wrapped around them holding a cat, bleeding from the neck, while the Crown Prince personally wiped the wound with a handkerchief… it was an altogether bewildering combination. If I were him, I would have slapped myself to see if I was dreaming.

“Seeing you running around so urgently, I assume something has happened.”

“Prince Tethion is…”

The knight hesitated, unable to finish. He couldn’t easily expose the younger Prince’s faults. What would be the point of enduring the young Prince’s tantrum if he just ended up reporting it all to the Crown Prince anyway? Only after the Crown Prince gently prodded him did the story pour out like a burst dam.

“A cat?”

“Yes. The one… that boy is holding.”

I could tell by the way his eyes flickered toward me—he didn’t know my name.

But I couldn’t relax. It wasn’t common for a child who wasn’t royalty to be wandering the Imperial Palace, so it was only a matter of time before my identity was revealed. If that knight reported back exactly what he saw, the Second Prince might come charging into Erkel’s palace without hiding his temper.

“Is there anyone else here besides me?”

The Crown Prince’s words were unexpected. He told the knight to forget seeing me or the cat and to use him as an excuse. The knight complied immediately; the Second Prince would likely tuck his tail and run once he heard the Crown Prince was in the area. None of the Crown Prince’s siblings were fond of him. Except for the Princess, they all lived in something closer to fear.

The knight bowed deeply once more and departed. This time, he didn’t even glance in my direction. He’d probably get chewed out for losing the cat, but I felt no sympathy.

“You must have been very startled. The wound isn’t deep, but it’s best to have it treated.”

“…Yes.”

I clenched and unclenched my trembling hands until they steadied. I couldn’t let the Crown Prince keep holding the handkerchief to my neck forever. Unsure if this was the right thing to do, I placed my hand over the handkerchief, and he let go without lingering, standing up smoothly.

The cat, which had been resting quietly in my arms, pushed against my chest with its front paws. I patted its back and pulled it close again. Be good. Please, just stay still.

“As an apology, I shall prepare a gift.”

“No, that’s not necessary.”

I tried to shake my head but stopped, remembering the blood hadn’t stopped yet. The Crown Prince kept that same polite smile as if my answer didn’t matter in the least.

“If I sent you back with nothing, that retired Count would come marching to the palace. The Count has quite a temper, after all. And my aide would be furious too. Besides…”

His words were so realistic I couldn’t argue. Trailing off, the Crown Prince looked down at his handkerchief and lowered his voice to a murmur.

“How could I possibly treat you with neglect?”

The Crown Prince, who apparently hadn’t brought a single soul with him, actually offered to go fetch a doctor himself. I declined, thinking of the poor doctor who would be terrified to see the Crown Prince appearing out of nowhere. I practically begged him to just take me back to Erkel’s palace. The Crown Prince muttered something like, “I’m glad my brother is so well-trusted,” and led me nearby.

I added one more request to the Crown Prince, who was finally listening to me: “I don’t want my family to know.” He smiled silently, took the cat from me, and pulled me along by the hand. As expected of someone who had lived in the Imperial Palace his whole life, he chose paths that were completely devoid of people.

The problem was that the path was much rougher and longer than expected. By the time I saw a familiar building, I felt like a helium balloon at a theme park. I wasn’t walking on my own strength; I was being dragged here and there by the Crown Prince’s hand. I started to wonder if this jerk was messing with me on purpose. But even if he was, I had no strength to complain—neither socially nor physically.