The Cat Wearing a Dog's Skin
I stared at the emperor, my mind racing. How should I deal with this sly cat who lies every time she opens her mouth?
When Elinor began spouting that ridiculous nonsense about being a lost puppy, Kaelus nearly burst out laughing at first. Never in his life had he encountered someone who would so brazenly twist the truth right in front of the emperor who ruled the entire empire. Watching her blink those clear, round eyes and pretend to be harmless, she really did seem like a puppy that had lost its owner, just as she claimed.
But the longer their conversation dragged on, the more certain he became. She was far closer to a cunning cat—hiding her claws while waiting for the perfect moment to strike—than any tame little dog.
…Am I really sitting here having these ridiculous thoughts?
For a moment he startled at his own musings and froze. He had thought his emotions had long since dried up and withered away amid the stench of blood that always clung to the throne room and the endless parade of fake, smiling nobles. Yet here he was, utterly captivated by the obvious lies spilling from the mouth of a single young lady.
When he noticed the corner of his mouth had unconsciously curved upward, he quickly schooled his expression back into icy composure. But the intense curiosity he felt toward her moved faster than his cooling reason.
As he gazed into her clear, limpid eyes, a mischievous impulse suddenly surged up like a sharp thorn.
Shall I poke at her a little more?
He was incredibly curious to see just how far this supposedly harmless Lucerne young lady could be pushed—how many more absurd lies she would spin to entertain him.
Kaelus casually dropped the artifact fragment into her palm, then stared at her without the slightest movement. It was unmistakably the gaze of a predator. He was watching to see what kind of hiss the cat would make next as it swung its soft paws, unaware it was already caught in a trap—or whether it would finally tuck its tail between its legs.
His crimson eyes flashed with dangerous amusement. The ball was back in her court.
Maybe this crazy emperor’s true power isn’t swordsmanship or magic at all. Maybe it’s ‘talking people to death.’
The way he kept looking at me and twitching the corner of his mouth made it painfully obvious he was pondering exactly how to roast and devour this small, fragile(?) young lady. He already seemed convinced I was Elian, yet I couldn’t figure out how to escape this uncomfortable situation as quickly as possible.
Wait a second. When you think about it, didn’t I technically report that there was a traitor? If you look at it that way, I gave him a benefit… so why is he hounding me like a petty jerk over one tiny little lie?!
I silently offered a moment of mourning for my eldest brother Cassian—the true mastermind behind all of this—while cursing him with every foul word I could think of once again.
Cassian, dear brother, in your next life I hope you’re reborn as a part for the artifact I love instead of me. Or maybe you’ll never get to go near wagyu again and will be forced to eat plain barley rice for the rest of your life…
In my mind I had already hung him upside down from a tree on the hill behind our estate, but on the outside I wore the most innocent and noble expression a duke’s daughter could possibly muster.
“Oh my, Your Majesty. Surely you aren’t mistaking me for someone else or misunderstanding anything because of this utterly common magic stone fragment… right?”
I elegantly flicked my fingers and pretended to examine the artifact piece in my palm with great care.
“Fortunately, it seems I may be able to offer you some small assistance.”
I continued smoothly.
“This appears to be a fragment of a common self-defense artifact that our Lucerne territory produces as souvenirs. I’ve heard they’re quite popular and sell rather well even to merchants in the capital, but I never imagined Your Majesty would be holding anything less than a complete piece—let alone a mere shard.”
Self-defense? More like a criminal disguise artifact. But since the color was similar, I decided to brazen it out.
“…A souvenir, you say?”
Kaelus’s eyebrow twitched.
I could feel the silent pressure of You expect me to believe that? but I doubled down, furrowing my brows in apparent concern.
“I had no idea Your Majesty would take such interest in something so trivial. Seeing you treasure even a broken fragment like this truly pains my heart. As soon as I return home, I will speak with my eldest brother, the head of our house, and have him craft the one and only highest-grade self-defense artifact in the world to present to you.”
I added the gesture of dabbing at my eyes as if squeezing out tears that refused to fall.
“Please accept this as the sincere loyalty of one loyal subject of the empire who feels heartbroken to see the Sun of the Empire carrying around mere fragments.”
Kaelus twisted his lips in clear disbelief. His eyes were practically screaming, Oh? Look at this one.
In truth, even I had a conscience that stung a little, but right now my life took priority over my conscience.
Just as he let out a short, disbelieving laugh and seemed about to retort—
Hiss. Crackle—
A spine-chilling scraping sound tore through the quiet air of the reception room.
When I turned my head, an unbelievable sight unfolded before me. The golden vine pattern on the wall that I had clearly purified with light earlier was now writhing grotesquely, like the muscles of a slaughtered beast.
What… what is this? I definitely burned it away with light!
The black mist was no longer at the level of mere haze. From invisible cracks beyond the wallpaper, impure substances poured out like sticky black liquid seeping through. They clumped together in midair, then stretched out like the long legs of a starving spider and began slowly encroaching upon the room.
What was even more horrifying was Kaelus standing right in front of me. He stood with his arms crossed, completely motionless, as if he knew this bizarre phenomenon all too well. Not a trace of fear could be found in his crimson eyes.
I couldn’t tell whether this darkness was something he had lived with his entire life—like a sickening stench he could never escape—or whether his arrogance as the master of this space made him believe even these impurities were under his control.
His red eyes slowly traced the black tentacles rising from the wall. Even as their energy brushed against his cheek, he didn’t dodge. Instead, he twisted his lips in a mocking smile at the darkness. His gaze soon returned to me.
“Why, Lady Lucerne. I know we are seeing the same thing, so there’s no need to try and deceive me.”
Kaelus took one step closer.
“Shouldn’t you do something about it this time, just like before?”
His lazily ringing voice was clearly laced with enjoyment. He knew. If left alone, those black hooks would draw nearer and nearer, trying to swallow both me and the emperor. He was a hunter patiently waiting for me to reach my limit, burst out with the light inside me, and ultimately confess my identity as Elian myself.
You’re supposed to be the strongest in the empire—why are you just standing there pretending not to know? Are you telling me to die here or what?!
The tips of my fingers convulsed wildly. The silver cylinder in my pocket that had been resonating since earlier was already screaming, burning hot as if it had exceeded its limit.
Should I release the light and expose my identity, or should I just take the hit as I was? The moment when all choices were about to vanish—
An extreme cold that seemed to freeze every ounce of oxygen in the reception room crushed the air.
Crack. Craaack—!
The black mist froze pure white in midair before it could even touch my skin and shattered into pieces.
Then, piercing through the eerie silence, a tremendous explosion shook the entire reception room.
BOOOOM—!
The massive golden door crumpled like a sheet of paper under some enormous physical force and flew all the way to the end of the corridor. Through the shattered doorframe, blue sword energy stormed in like a blizzard.
“Elinor Lucerne!”
My savior walked in with silver hair adorned with sharp frost—my eldest brother Carlyle. With every step he took, the ornate marble floor froze pure white and cracked beneath him. Even the ashen-faced Knight Commander Elik didn’t dare block his path and simply stepped back.
The usual cold composure was gone. The reception room was filled only with a desperate killing intent that declared he would cut down even the emperor if he had touched his little sister.
Carlyle didn’t offer Kaelus so much as a single word of greeting. No—his eyes didn’t even seem to register the Sun of the Empire at all. With an expression of pure annoyance and displeasure, he lightly flicked his fingers toward the wall where the black energy had been writhing.
Crunch—!
The sticky, living spiderwebs of darkness instantly crystallized and scattered into snowflakes without leaving a single trace. It was an overwhelming display of power and a clear warning.
“Carlyle, brother…!”
The moment his broad shoulders filled my entire field of vision, I finally let out the breath I had been holding. Carlyle now stood before me like an iron wall, roughly wrapping his arms around my trembling shoulders.
“As expected, the imperial palace is uncomfortable in more ways than one.”
Carlyle turned his head and stared directly at Kaelus. The air in the reception room grew so taut from the clash of wills between the two men that it felt suffocating.
“My, my.”
Kaelus let out a small chuckle and shrugged as if nothing had happened. The predator who had driven me to the edge of a cliff moments ago was gone. In his place stood a mere idler who looked disappointed at having missed an interesting spectacle.
“The duke’s entrance is rather rough.”
Carlyle didn’t answer. He simply removed his cloak—carrying that unique chilly winter scent and heavy warmth that was so distinctly his—and draped it over my shoulders. Then, still holding me protectively, he gave the emperor a short, dismissive jerk of his chin. That was the last courtesy he offered.
“Let’s go, little one. I had them bake a meat pie with wagyu A5.”
Whoof. I was saved. Finally, it was time to escape this crazy hunter’s grasp and go home.