TWFLLYM Ch 43

The Great Adventure of a Bold & Clever Cat (2)

She pointed toward the outside.

[Roserikta] "Clobell. Can you jump down from here?"

Clobellina hopped onto the terrace railing and peered over the edge.

[Clobell] "To that window ledge?"

[Roserikta] "Yes."

[Clobell] "That is child's play for a cat."

[Roserikta] "Then go down and open the window. I hope it isn't locked."

[Clobell] "Watch me."

She leaped gracefully through the air like a butterfly and landed perfectly on the lower ledge. She used a paw to push and pull at the glass. Within moments, she figured out the mechanism.

[Clobell] "Wait there. If I move this like this and that like that...... done! I opened it!"

Roserikta leaned over the railing. The terrace blocked her view of the window, but she chose to trust her cat.

[Roserikta] "Good job. Now move aside."

[Clobell] "Wait. Are you coming down too?"

[Roserikta] "I have to."

She refused to stay trapped.

Suspicion burned in her mind. If the carriage accident happened on purpose, someone wanted the Prince here for a reason. Whatever that reason was, it couldn't be good.

She couldn't just wait and watch.

She took a deep breath and blew on her hands. She tucked her skirt and climbed onto the railing. Turning carefully, she gripped the iron bars.

[Roserikta] "I am going. I am really going."

[Clobell] "Nobody said you weren't. Just come down."

I hope I don't die.

[Roserikta] "Here goes!"

She let out a small shout and stepped off. The sensation of empty space beneath her feet was terrifying. She clung to the railing with all her strength.

[Roserikta] "Oh...... I am going to die of fear."

[Clobell] "It is not even that high. You won't die from this fall. At worst, you might break a leg."

[Roserikta] "Don't say such scary things! Humans and cats are different. Just check my position. If I let go now, will my feet hit the ledge?"

[Clobell] "No. Lower yourself more."

[Roserikta] "Ugh...... I think this is my limit."

[Clobell] "Are your legs that short? Can't you stretch your body more?"

[Roserikta] "I am a witch, not a cat! Fine...... I moved lower. How about now?"

[Clobell] "It's close. Use more strength."

[Roserikta] "This is so frightening."

She gripped the bottom of the railing and lowered her body further. Her arms screamed in pain. Her fingers felt like they would slip from the cold iron at any second.

[Roserikta] "Clobell. Just asking...... are you sure I won't die? Is the broken leg a guarantee?"

[Clobell] "Sorry. I spoke too easily before. Looking at you now, humans are so heavy that I can't promise anything."

She pouted.

[Roserikta] "That is not helpful at all. I can't make a mistake."

[Clobell] "Obviously."

[Roserikta] "Look again. I did my best. Am I still far?"

[Clobell] "Your feet don't touch yet."

[Roserikta] "Phew......"

She took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and released one hand.

[Roserikta] "Whoa......!"

Her body swung violently. If she hadn't tightened her grip on the remaining arm, she would have plummeted. Clobellina shrieked in surprise.

[Clobell] "Rosie! Are you okay?"

[Roserikta] "I'm...... fine. No, I won't be fine for long. Check my feet! Can I reach now?"

[Clobell] "Move a little more forward."

[Roserikta] "Forward? Like this?"

[Clobell] "Just a bit more."

[Roserikta] "Got it...... Ah! I hit it!"

Her feet finally touched solid stone. Clobellina bit her skirt and pulled.

Roserikta fumbled for the top of the window frame and gripped it. From there, it was easy. She stepped onto the ledge and tumbled inside the room.

Thump!

She landed hard on her knees, unable to judge the distance in the dark.

[Roserikta] "Ow, that hurts."

[Clobell] "Are you hurt?"

[Roserikta] "I scraped my knee. It's bleeding."

[Clobell] "Tsk, tsk. Does it hurt a lot? You should exercise more. Your body is so slow."

She checked her knee and glared at the cat.

[Roserikta] "For your information, Clobell, humans don't usually jump from fourth-floor terraces to third-floor ledges."

[Clobell] "Whatever."

Roserikta stood up.

The Gibero house was definitely strange. This large room on the third floor was also empty.

[Roserikta] "This is so suspicious. Why are there so many empty rooms?"

Marks on the walls and floors proved that furniture and decorations had been here recently.

[Roserikta] "Where did everything go?"

Did they sell it?

Why would a noble family do that? Did they lack money?

She added this new detail to her list of suspicions.

[Roserikta] "Well, we will find out soon. Let's go, Clobell."

[Clobell] "Right. Let's find out everything."

Creak.

The door was unlocked. Roserikta and Clobellina walked down the empty hallway. Not a single servant appeared.

First, they had to find the white cat. Then, she needed to confirm the Countess' identity without pulling out any eyeballs.

[Clobell] "But I think the white cat wouldn't mind losing an eye."

[Roserikta] "Be quiet, Clobell. That won't happen."

[Clobell] "Hmph."

Clobellina pricked her ears and sniffed the air, tracking the white cat's scent.

---

[Countess] "You are even better to look at than I expected."

Her parlor smelled of enchanting tea. It was a scent Kalart had never encountered before—less like tea and more like a thick thicket of roses.

[Kalart] "......"

He stared at the Countess across his teacup.

It was a shocking experience. Seeing a cat look pretty was one thing, but seeing a human appear beautiful felt different. He couldn't look away.

He remained silent, counting every visual shock that hit him, as if speaking might make her vanish.

[Countess] "I wondered how beautiful a human could actually be."

She purred with laughter. The vibration of her chin traveled through his vision and into his mind. Kalart clenched his hands as if his own body were trembling.

[Countess] "I like you very much."

She smiled, her eyes crinkling. Her red lips moved slowly, shaping a temptation.

[Kalart] "......"

He didn't answer.

[Countess] "So quiet. Are you naturally silent? Or......"

She rose from her chair and leaned across the table. She placed her index finger under his chin, tilting his face up to meet hers.

[Countess] "Is it because you have never seen something as beautiful as me?"

Her sharp black eyes pierced his.

[Countess] "I like those eyes."

She whispered.

[Countess] "Dark, intense eyes. The darker they are, the better they hide things. Filthy desires, desperate thirst, or bottomless voids."

She spoke as if she knew his secrets.

[Countess] "I don't like things that are pure and clean. You suit the darkness much better, my Prince."

[Kalart] "......"

She smiled sweetly at the silent Prince.

[Countess] "As if we are one body."

She leaned closer. Her lips approached—a dark, blood-red rose color.

Count Gibero stood in the corner of the room, watching in silence. His eyes held only resignation and infinite love.

---

[Clobell] "Hmm? I smell her in here! It's true!"

They had searched for nearly two hours. Suddenly, she wagged her tail with excitement.

[Clobell] "Here! He is here!"

[Roserikta] "Here?"

They had explored the third and fourth floors, finding only empty rooms. Roserikta had been deciding whether to go to the second floor or cross to the next building.

Clobell stopped in front of a fireplace in a room at the end of the hall.

[Roserikta] "It's a fireplace. Did the white cat go inside?"

[Clobell] "How should I know? I just smell her."

[Roserikta] "Hmm."

Roserikta examined the fireplace. It looked normal. The hearth was large, but the space for wood was small. Behind it was a solid stone wall. No gaps existed for a cat to hide.

She leaned inside to look up the chimney. It was pitch black. She couldn't tell if it was blocked or led elsewhere.

[Roserikta] "Clobell. Could you climb up that chimney?"

Clobellina peeked inside and snorted.

[Clobell] "Me? Are you crazy? Why would I do something so insane? I would lose all my claws."

[Roserikta] "I agree."

She stood up and looked at the surrounding area instead. She noticed something different about this fireplace.

[Roserikta] "Clobell. Look at this."

[Clobell] "What?"

[Roserikta] "They removed every other decoration, but they left this clock on the mantel."

[Clobell] "Oh......? You're right."

Noble castles usually had fireplaces in every room, often topped with grand decorations. A large gold table clock with moving figures was a popular choice.

[Roserikta] "Suspicious, isn't it?"

She placed her hand on the gold clock. It wouldn't lift or slide.

[Roserikta] "That leaves only one option."

She gripped the clock with both hands and turned it to the right.

Creak, click!

The clock turned halfway and hit a latch.

Rumble!

The entire fireplace slid to the side.

[Clobell] "Wow! What is that?"

[Roserikta] "A secret passage."

She looked into the revealed space.

[Roserikta] "Or a hidden room."

It was the latter.

---

[Clobell] "What is all this?"

[Roserikta] "......"

The secret room was full. It held rows of strange, wooden boxes of various sizes.

Roserikta frowned.

[Roserikta] "What is inside? I have a bad feeling about touching them."

[Clobell] "Me too. I don't even want to look."

The cat pressed against her leg.

[Roserikta] "We have to look."

She hesitantly opened the lid of the top box.

[Roserikta] "......Ah!"

She screamed and slammed the lid shut immediately.

[Clobell] "What is it? What did you see?"

She clutched her chest and caught her breath before speaking.

[Roserikta] "......Bones."

[Clobell] "What?"

[Roserikta] "There were bones. I don't know if they are human or an animal."

[Clobell] "Yikes!"

Clobellina jumped back in horror.

[Clobell] "Bones? Why are there bones here?"

[Roserikta] "I don't know. But I can guess."

Sweat gathered on Roserikta's palms.

[Roserikta] "Black magic steals life and uses it as power."

[Clobell] "Ugh...... that is so scary. Is there really a black witch in this house?"

She looked at Clobellina with a grim expression.

[Roserikta] "Clobell. Can you still smell the white cat? Is she in this room?"

[Clobell] "Wait...... I was so shocked I forgot to sniff. Ah! Here! She is in here!"

She squeezed between the boxes and tapped one with her paw.

[Clobell] "It comes from this one."

[Roserikta] "Okay."

She calmly grabbed the box. It was smaller than the others.

[Roserikta] "I am opening it. Be ready, Clobell."

[Clobell] "I'm ready."

Clobellina didn't hide. She sat opposite Roserikta with her eyes wide and her paws tensed. She looked ready to strike anything that jumped out.

[Roserikta] "Here goes."

She swallowed hard. She opened the wooden box that smelled of the white cat.