Chapter 17

"It's been a while, Miss Rachel."

"Yes, Lord Theodore."

A few days after the letter, Rachel's condition had stabilized. Today, she welcomed Theodore in the reception room.

She didn't know what Louis and Theodore discussed together, but Louis had acknowledged Theodore's visit today. The prince was planning to come today as well, but he couldn't because he was too busy.

Theodore tied his long silver hair with a black string. He was wearing a black robe. With his slender, tall build and sweet looks, Louis and Theodore would take the gaze of the women when they walked together.

Yet even if Theodore was famous with ladies, he still wasn't engaged. Since he had a younger brother, he wasn't that concerned about marriage. But Louis told her that the reason was 'he's a weird person.'

"Did you sleep well at that time?"

"At that time?"

"Ah, you didn't see my face at that time, eh? When I came here last time, you looked uncomfortable. So I forced you into slumber using magic."

Theodore lifted the cup placed in front of him and took a sip. Then he grinned, his expression resembling a mischievous boy.

Now that Rachel thinks of it, she remembered that she suddenly felt less choked and became more sleepy that day.

So it's his magic.

"Thank you very much for the other day. You even took the time to visit me."

"Nah, I'm just accompanying Louis. It's not a big deal."

Rachel was surprised to hear Theodore call the prince with his first name. Even if they were close, that might stir up a problem.

Noticing Rachel's surprised face, Theodore nodded. "I know. We treat each other equally in private. But I naturally won't talk casually with him in front of other people."

"Other people?"

Eh, I'm included in that 'other people', right?"

"My intuition tells me that I can talk like this in front of you."

"Your intuition?"

"Yeah. It's quite important to rely on that! Anyone will get tired if they are always serious about everything, you know? Whether it's me, that prince, and you."

"Do I look tired?"

"Well, you don't, but your aura tells me that you're worrying over something. I don't know what happened, but why don't you relax your mind a bit more?"

"Relax my mind, huh?"

"Yeah. You should live more comfortably. We shouldn't brood too much over getting or losing anything special. It's too unimportant. Just live with a smile!"

Rachel couldn't understand his words.

Theodore knew nothing about her. He didn't even know what happened to her, how what she had done. And yet, he could say that so carefreely.

However, it might be because he didn't know. Because he didn't know, he could see something that Rachel didn't notice.

Even so, "just live with a smile"?

Rachel realized that she was too caught up with the past. However, she had been too desperate every day and didn't think of what should she do to move on.

Even if the way he said those words were nonchalant, it had a heavy meaning. After listening to that, Rachel suddenly felt like a block of ice melting under the sun.

She didn't even notice that she had an absentminded face. Theodore took a piece of madeleine on the table and threw it into his mouth. He chewed it for a while, took another sip of the tea, and sighed. Then he finally started talking again.

"I mean, you're special, aren't you?"

"'Special'? Do you mean as the fiancée of the crown prince?"

"Well, you're also special since you can make Louis shows that kind of expression," Theodore said and laughed in ridicule, nodding his head several times. Then he pointed at Rachel's lap. "There's also that, but I'm talking about that. That's your cat, right?"

What? A cat?

Rachel reflexively looked on her lap. But there was no cat. All she saw was the cloth of her dress and her hands on it.

"Huh? You can't see him?"

"Eh?"

"Ah, right! You don't have any magic power. But you will be able to see him if you give him a name."

"Name?"

"Yes, yes. I forgot about your condition. There's a black cat on your lap. How will you name it?"

Eh? A black cat?

Black cat.

Black cat...

Black?

"Black."

"How uncreative!" Theodore laughed out loud at her answer. He covered his face with one of his hand and slapped his thigh with his other hand, repeatedly laughing, "Black, she said!"

Moreover, Sarah, who was standing by Rachel's side, turned her face away. Her shoulders were shaking.

They don't have to laugh that much, right? It can't be helped that I don't have any ideas sincehe suddenlyasked me to make a name.

Rachel pouted.

"Really, I never heard someone name their spirit 'Black'. It sounds like a name for a house cat!"

Hm?

What?

A spirit?

"Eh, you can see it now, can't you? He's on your lap."

Still puzzled with what Theodore said, Rachel moved her neck and looked down...

There, she saw a black cat.

Lying leisurely on Rachel's neck, the cat mewled. "Meow."

Huh? Where did you come from!?

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