Cuteness Saves All Things
The anniversary had come.
It was the tragic day Emperor Karsion's children had fallen, snuffed out in vain.
When I opened my eyes early that morning, I felt it at once: the air wrapping the Imperial Palace was not as it usually was. The maids who always fussed over me with cries of "Lord Blanc, you're so cute!" had their lips pressed tightly shut, and the faces of the knights passing in the corridors were dark. As if by some unspoken pact, everyone wore a black ribbon over their heart, and heavy curtains had been drawn across the windows, so that even the light could barely enter.
"Lord Blanc... come here."
The maid in charge gathered me up with hands far more careful than usual. Instead of the usual finery and ribbons, she wrapped a black cloak around my body.
"Kyau?"
What's this supposed to be? Why is everyone acting like this?
I wanted to fling off that stifling cloak that instant, but instinct told me this was not a day to throw a tantrum. The grim aura drifting through the air made the tips of my fur stand on end.
Is it someone's memorial day?
I followed the maid quietly out of the Imperial Palace.
A massive carriage stood waiting before the main gate. A black carriage, as if to match the mood of the day — painted entirely black, without a single ornament. In front of it stood the butlers I knew so well.
Emperor Karsion. Crown Prince Demian. Princess Kailian.
All three were dressed in black from head to toe, the men in formal uniforms, Kailian in a dress. Their eyes flickered restlessly, as if something in them could not sit still. In Kailian and Demian especially, a deep guilt had settled in their gaze. It was hard to believe these were the same people who had been laughing and chattering over bear meat only a few days ago. Their eyes were flooded with dark feeling.
"Kyauu..."
A family memorial day, then...?
My butlers would not even meet one another's eyes. The guilt of having killed their own siblings with their own hands, and the horrific memories of that day — those feelings had become invisible shackles, binding all three at the ankles.
"Your Majesty, all is ready."
Advisor Lucas reported it quietly.
"Let us go."
The Emperor's voice seemed dry, yet it trembled, unsteady.
The Emperor boarded first, and Demian and Kailian followed. I read their faces, then hopped up into the carriage after them.
A jolt. The door shut, and the carriage began to move.
For years, whenever the anniversary came, they had taken separate carriages and visited the cemetery at different hours. Seeing one another's faces had brought on the madness, and the pain of it. But today, for the first time, they were going to the cemetery together.
In that suffocating silence, the only sound was the turning of the carriage wheels. Demian stared blankly at the scenery beyond the window. Kailian clutched the handkerchief in her lap so hard her knuckles had gone white. The Emperor had his eyes closed, his cane gripped tight in his hand. Not one of them opened their mouth.
I had thought they had grown much closer of late, but before the vast wall of this anniversary they were still what they had always been: sinners, and wounded survivors.
I fidgeted on the Emperor's lap. I can't breathe. Crushed under their grief and gloom, I feel like I might die. I hated this heavy silence. I hated watching my butlers suffer, eaten alive by sorrow.
"Kyaaam!"
I yawned on purpose, mouth stretching wide enough to split. At that absurd sound shattering the stillness, all three pairs of eyes snapped to me at once.
I got up from the Emperor's lap and hopped across to Demian, who sat opposite us.
"Kyau."
Cheer up, Butler. A face like that would only worry the ones who left.
I swept my tail across Demian's chin. He flinched and looked down at me, and I set a warm front paw on the back of his cold hand.
"Kyang."
There's a Divine Beast right beside you.
Another hop, this time onto Kailian's lap beside him. She was biting her lip, holding back tears. I burrowed into her arms and nuzzled my head against her.
"Purrrr..."
Don't cry. I'm here. Your master is right here, so don't worry.
My Purr Song filled the carriage. A steady vibration, a warm body — the most primitive comfort there is for a worn-out heart.
Kailian's rigid shoulders loosened, just a little, so slightly it was almost nothing. She lifted a trembling hand and stroked my back. The soft give of fur met her fingertips.
"That's right. We had you, Blanc."
Kailian's voice lifted the sinking air. Demian, too, put on a faint, bitter smile and caught my tail for a moment before letting it go.
"In that black cloak you look just like a little gentleman... even if you're usually a gluttonous little menace."
"Haha. So he does. He looks quite distinguished."
The Emperor opened his eyes and joined in.
"Kyau..."
If you're going to praise me, just praise me.
It was not a complete release, but at least a crack had opened to breathe through. Until the carriage reached the cemetery, I hopped diligently from lap to lap, sharing my warmth — hoping that my heat might heal, even a little, those hearts riddled with wounds.
The Imperial Cemetery was still. Midway up a secluded mountain, on a hill heaped with white snow, four gravestones stood in a row. The old trees around us had shed every leaf, leaving only gaunt branches, and a cold winter wind blew through, stirring my cloak.
The Emperor, Demian, and Kailian stood side by side before the stones. For a long time, none of them could speak. They only traced the names carved into the cold granite with their eyes, calling up the faces cut into their memories.
The screams of that blizzard night. The memories of siblings gone mad, swinging blades, and of killing those siblings with their own hands — all of it was crashing over them again.
"Hh…"
Kailian's shoulders heaved. She could not hold it back in the end, and clamped a hand over her mouth. Demian clenched his fists and bowed his head. His nails dug into his palms until blood beaded there.
The Emperor put his strength into the hand on his cane and, with difficulty, opened his mouth toward the stones.
"Have you been well?"
Wind moved between the gravestones that gave no answer.
"Your father has come. So late... coming all together, so terribly late... I am sorry."
The Emperor's voice trembled. The same apology every year. The same regret every year. The guilt of a father who had sent his children on ahead pressed down over the whole cemetery, heavy as a stone. The air grew unmanageably dark again.
That was when I climbed down from the Emperor's arms and walked toward the four gravestones.
Tap. Tap. Crunch.
"Blanc?"
Demian called out in surprise, but I did not stop.
I came to a halt before the first stone, the grave of the Second Prince. Cold granite stood tall there. I lifted a front paw and tapped it.
"Kyau."
Hello. I'm here. I'm Blanc.
Then I rubbed my cheek against the stone. It was my own kind of greeting, a mark of friendliness. The rock was cold, but that did not matter. To me these stones were not dead things. They felt like my butlers' family.
The three of them held their breath and watched. I moved to the next stone, and the one beside that, greeting each in turn. At the graves of the two princesses, whose smiles had been so lovely, I swept the snow from the stone with my tail. Like greeting friends I had not seen in a long time, I ranged across the cemetery, leaving my scent and my warmth.
And last of all, I came to the smallest stone. The grave of the youngest prince, dead at the most tender age. A child who would have been only a little bigger than me. I crouched before it, and took out what I had been hiding deep in my coat.
A piece of the finest smoked jerky I treasured most — the one I had secretly packed that morning.
I set it down before the little stone with a soft plop.
"Kyung."
This is really, really good. Grandpa snuck it to me, but I'm giving it to you. You eat it.
This was, by my own measure, the greatest sacrifice I could make — and the finest gift I had to give. I put both front paws together against the stone and closed my eyes.
Don't hurt. Don't be cold. Eat lots of delicious things where you are, and be happy.
I prayed with all my heart.
From deep inside my body, a hot surge of Divine Power stirred. The wish that they might be at peace kindled the miracle in me.
A low hum rolled through the air, and light burst from my front paws. At first no larger than a firefly, it spread in an instant and wrapped the entire gravestone.
"Ah...!"
Kailian cried out.
It was a gold so bright it stung the eyes, yet not harsh in the least — a warmth that gathered everyone into its arms. The light embraced the youngest prince's stone, then rolled like a wave to his sisters' stones, and on to his brother's.
A wish for their peace. Warm golden light poured from a Divine Beast's paws and wrapped the silent graves, driving back the winter's chill.
The gray cemetery drowned in an instant in that warm gold. The cold winter wind stopped. The snow around the graves melted away in a slow, gentle thaw. At the tips of the gaunt old branches, tiny buds swelled as if they might burst into flower — a miracle.
"Blanc... you."
Emperor Karsion called to me in a trembling voice. He set down his cane, came forward slowly, and sank to his knees. Wrapped in light, the gravestones felt as warm as living children.
"Yes... it's warm. You won't be cold anymore."
Tears rolled down the Emperor's face. They were not tears of pain. They were a father's tears of relief and release, laying down a burden carried far too long.
"Are you watching, my children?"
He looked at each shining stone in turn, and spoke in a voice that trembled, yet held a smile.
Demian came forward and knelt as well. Resting a hand on my head, he spoke toward the stones.
"You see this one? Thanks to this tiny creature... we've started laughing again. If you could see him, you'd have found him adorable, I'm sure."
"That's right... if my sisters had seen him, they would have hugged him all day and never let go. They might have loved him even more than I do."
Kailian wiped her tears and smiled, bright and clear.
For the first time, instead of saying they were sorry, they told their dead siblings about Blanc. The small, laughter-filled stories we had built together filled the cemetery. While they talked, the heavy, damp smell of death that had crushed the place scattered into the sky with the sacred light. In its place, a warm, aching fondness took root.
A soft wind rose then, tickling my fur. It felt as if someone were stroking my head. I lifted my face toward the empty air and blinked. In the light, faintly, four smiling shadows seemed to be waving.
"Kyau?"
Heading off? Bye. I'll make sure this uneasy family is happy — that's a promise.
I waved a front paw at the empty air. The light faded slowly, but that warm afterglow was carved deep into the cemetery.
"Shall we... go now, Father."
Demian, who had lingered there a long while, rose from his place. His eyes were steadier than they had been on the way here.
"Yes. Let us go. The children... they look at peace now."
The Emperor took the stones into his eyes one last time, then scooped me up in one sweep of his arms.
"Thank you, Blanc."
He stroked my head. Through that rough hand, his heart came through.
We boarded the carriage again. The road back was not gloomy as the road there had been.
"Father. What shall we do for the meal when we return?"
"Well. Blanc gave away his own jerky, so he must be starving. A warm stew packed with meat, perhaps?"
"Sounds good. We'll have to replace the jerky we lost because of Blanc, too."
Kailian poked my belly and laughed, playful.
"Kyaang!"
I didn't steal it! I gave it as a gift!