Chapter 75
“Um… Amoide?”
I called out quietly, and Amoide turned to me with a face that seemed to say, “What’s up now?”
“I… wanted to talk…”
Before I could finish my sentence, he interrupted, “I just want to rest.”
He settled himself into a long chair, his legs extending beyond the edges despite its size.
And from that chair…
There were all sorts of things.
Yeah, all sorts of things.
Whether it was something done in a drunken haze, a spell cast under the moonlight, or simply being swept up in impulse, there were memories that couldn’t be forgotten.
Even though I bravely suggested forgetting them, even though we seemed to agree, those events never quite faded into oblivion.
“What’s wrong?”
His question, sounding annoyed, snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Oh, sorry. Take a break then.”
He raised his right hand, almost as if shielding his face from me.
As if he couldn’t stand the sight of me.
I hesitated, watching him for a moment, but he didn’t move his hand away from his face.
“Okay, okay.”
I made the door slam shut deliberately.
Whether it startled him or not.
As I walked away with heavy footsteps, a sudden thought occurred to me.
“Why am I so angry?”
Even I couldn’t understand myself.
Why?
I was the one who suggested forgetting everything, brushing it off as if it never happened.
But his cold attitude caught me off guard.
And now that I was on the receiving end of it, it didn’t feel pleasant at all.
Recalling how he outright rejected our conversation earlier, a deep sense of resentment washed over me.
“It’s not like I have any reason to be upset.”
I wasn’t blaming Amoide for avoiding me.
Seems like he doesn’t want to deal with me either.
Because he can’t stand the sight of me…
My thoughts turned increasingly negative, like water accumulating and stagnating into foul-smelling muck.
Why am I like this?
Wasn’t it better for both of us to forget?
After all, they were unpleasant memories, just mistakes.
If we agreed to forget, then we should let go of the bad feelings too.
But it didn’t seem like Amoide or I could achieve that perfect state of forgetting.
“Ugh, I don’t know.”
“I hurried along, thinking about fetching Noir’s food.”
As I crossed the moonlit garden on my way to the Moonlight Pavilion, my mind was filled with one thought.
Forget, let it go.
It was me who suggested we forget about it.
So let’s not dwell on it.
Lost in thought, I soon found myself at the entrance of the Moonlight Pavilion.
As I opened the door to the lonely structure, a chill unlike any other enveloped me.
“Noir?”
I called out cautiously to Noir.
But there was no response.
Only the echo of my own voice reverberated in the silence.
“This is strange.”
Normally, when I call his name, Noir would immediately respond with a meow from somewhere nearby.
But today, there was not even a meow, not to mention the rustling sound of his movements.
“Noir, where are you?”
I called out again, louder this time, but all I received was the same eerie silence.
I stood there, holding the food bowl, and looked around blankly.
“Did he go into one of the rooms…?”
There were a total of seven rooms in this annex.
I searched both the first and second floors, leaving the food bowl behind, but all I found were furniture covered in white cloth; there was no trace of the black cat anywhere.
“Noir.”
I murmured helplessly.
“Where did you go, seriously?”
The estate was vast.
If he decided to hide, he could be anywhere.
But cats are territorial animals, and if they stray from their designated area, they become extremely anxious.
There’s no way he went out on his own.
I couldn’t know how or where he got in, but surely the estate was safer than the harsh outside world.
At least he wouldn’t go hungry.
Despite my growing concern, there were no clues to be found about finding Noir.
“Noir…”
* * *
“Calling out for Noir one last time, he still didn’t appear.”
“This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.”
I looked around in confusion at the unfolding scene before me.
“He’s not over there either?”
At first, I had been wandering the garden alone.
I searched everywhere—behind bushes, beyond pruned trees, even among the rose bushes.
As I wandered, the gardeners and servants began to watch me with curious eyes.
Then one of them approached and asked, “May I help you with something?”
Word spread that I was searching for the black cat, and soon a massive search operation was underway.
Since taking over Greta’s responsibilities in the household, the servants had become even more courteous towards me.
It seemed like it was more than just filling in for Greta; they genuinely seemed kinder towards me.
Even if it was temporary, it meant a lot to me.
Well, that’s good.
Having goodwill from the people I encounter regularly was important.
Thanks to that, I also received help in finding Noir.
Just as I was feeling pleased about it all, I heard a familiar voice from behind.
“What’s going on?”
Amoide suddenly appeared, and the servants all bowed in greeting.
“Oh, Amoide. How did you come here?”
“I was out for a walk and heard some commotion.”
“A walk? Why…”
Before I could ask why he was alone, he responded.
“I might as well not walk at all without you around.”
That was true.
Of course, it was true, but…
“I shouldn’t say it in such an unpleasant way.”
“Why?”
I felt a hint of impurity in the gaze directed at me.
Amoide looked at me sharply.
“It’s nothing. I just thought your long legs would be convenient for walking.”
I hastily came up with an excuse.
“Well, having shorter legs would be different from walking with someone else.”
Ah, really.
I was about to say something else, but suddenly felt multiple gazes on me.
“…”
When I turned around, the gardeners, the servants, even Rona, all quickly averted their eyes.
It seemed like they had been staring and turned away as soon as I noticed.
“Hmm, hmm.”
I straightened up again, feeling embarrassed.
Taking it as a signal, the servants began to search the bushes even more diligently, as if they hadn’t heard our conversation and continued their tasks.
“There, come this way.”
I grabbed his arm and pulled him along.
Contrary to what I thought, he willingly followed me as I led him towards the shaded area of the building.
“How far are we going?”
As we reached the shadowed area of the building, he suddenly spoke up.
“Oh.”
I let go of the fabric I was holding onto.
“Neither of us wants to fight in public, right?”
“True, but we’re not going to fight here.”
I looked him up and down as he spoke.
Yeah, that makes sense.
I hadn’t brought him here to fight.
“You look like you’re lost in thought.”
His slow words made me feel uneasy for some reason.
“Not really interested in what I’m thinking?”
“Not particularly, but go ahead, wherever.”
“If I were taller, I’d like to grab you by the collar once.”
“…”
He was silent for a moment.
“You’re not curious about what I’m thinking?”
“Why should I be?”
I shrugged, raising and lowering my shoulders.
