Chapter 37

The two barely made it onto the train and sat facing each other. Or more precisely, Noah was already reclining with the back cushion lowered. He looked quite tired even before the journey began

“What kind of place is Hoern?”

“…Well, I know it’s a region with a lot of snow.”

Noah’s tone as he answered with his eyes closed was the same as usual, so Regina naturally felt less awkward.

The two were conversing as if nothing had happened. As if Noah hadn’t been severely injured, and Regina hadn’t run away and been caught again.

“Snow?”

“Yes, they say in midwinter, snow piles up higher than rooftops, enough to build walls of snow along the streets.”

Just then, Noah’s bangs fell across his eyes. The platinum blonde hair seemed to tickle his eyes, making him frown slightly. Regina gazed at his face. Noah surprisingly knew quite a lot, and although he seemed annoyed, he always answered her questions.

He might be kinder than she thought. The thought suddenly occurred to her.

“Hoern is closer than you might think. We’ll be there after a short nap.”

“Ah… okay.”

Noah opened his eyes, which had been closed, when Regina didn’t speak for a while. Hearing his words, Regina took out a blanket, spread it, lowered her backrest, and reclined. Because she had turned halfway and closed her eyes, she didn’t notice Noah not averting his gaze.

She also didn’t notice the various complex emotions, including uneasiness, that briefly flashed in his eyes.

* * *

“Ugh, compared to the capital, this really is midwinter.”

The Hoern territory they arrived at was different from the very air. As soon as they stepped off the train, Regina shrank from the strong wind hitting her skin. The air she breathed was so cold it stung her throat.

“The capital is unusually warm too.”

-Thump.

“Mmph!”

As he said this, Noah took out his coat from the luggage and draped it over Regina’s head. Regina, who had lowered her head as her vision was suddenly blocked by the coat, lifted it with her hands and looked back.

“We left most of your clothes behind, so wear this until we buy new ones.”

“Um… okay. Thank you.”

Noah was bothered by Regina’s light clothing, as they had discarded many of her clothes to stop his bleeding. He felt somewhat better only after seeing Regina tottering in the oversized coat.

The two, now in thick clothes, left the train station and headed down to the village within the territory.

“There are a lot of people on the streets despite the cold weather.”

“This weather is probably considered warm here.”

“Haha, that’s right! In Hoern territory, this temperature is spring, spring!”

The one who suddenly joined the conversation of the two passing by a sign that read ‘Welcome to Hoern Territory’ was a large middle-aged man. He was wearing a coat made of animal skin and fur.

“Hello.”

“Hello, miss! You two look like travelers, how about staying at our inn?”

When Regina greeted him in response to his gruff but jovial voice, the man laughed loudly and pointed to the building next to him. Noah, who had been looking for a place to stay, nodded after briefly scanning the building.

“Sure. Oh, and I’m looking for someone. Have you seen a young woman with red hair who came from outside in the past month? Her name might be Rose, or she might be using a different name.”

“This is a tourist area! Especially in winter, we have a snow flower festival, so there are many people coming and going. It’s hard to remember everyone.”

“A red-haired woman? She hasn’t stayed at our inn. There are three inns in this area, so you should ask at the others too.”

Just then, a voice was heard from behind the man. Regina tilted her head to the side and peered out, revealing a small girl who had been hidden by the man’s large frame. The girl with dark brown hair tied on both sides had cute freckles scattered across her nose bridge.

“Nancy! Where have you been? Dad’s been looking for you!”

“I’ve been with Dad the whole time. I told you to lose some belly fat. It’s because your belly is so big that I’m hard to see, Dad.”

“Haha, that’s my girl! My daughter Nancy has a much better memory than me, so she’s probably right! Hahaha!”

The man laughed heartily and picked up his daughter, saying he’d show them inside. As the girl wrapped her arms around her father’s neck, Noah asked another question.

“Then can I ask one more thing? Have you heard any rumors about someone suddenly disappearing and reappearing, or coming back to life after dying?”

The girl, now at eye level with Noah due to being held by her father, looked down at him with round eyes at the strange question. She was silent for a moment as if recalling something, then spoke as if remembering.

“It’s not about a person, but I’ve heard a similar story.”

“What? Really? What kind of story?”

Regina approached Noah’s side and asked instead. The girl’s eyes suddenly sparkled when she saw her.

“You’re a pretty sister. Even prettier than the doll Dorothy was bragging about! Would you play with me for an hour? Dorothy said she can’t play today because she caught a cold, so I’m bored. If you play with me, I’ll tell you.”

Regina turned to Noah, flustered by Nancy’s words as she answered with a bright smile. Noah then made a different suggestion.

“How about helping her instead of just playing? She’s having trouble without a coat, so she’d be really happy if you went shopping for clothes together.”

“Really?! Okay! Dad, put me down! I want to go with Sister right now!”

“Oh my, Nancy, we shouldn’t bother our guests…”

At the mention of going shopping for clothes, Nancy patted her father’s thick arms. When the man put his daughter down, Nancy ran over with her short legs and grabbed Regina’s hand.

“It’s okay! I’m helping her! Right, handsome mister?”

“Yes, that’s right. Now, will you answer my question?”

“It’s Henry’s cat. They say the black cat of Henry, who lives in the largest mansion in our village, suddenly died and came back to life one day. I heard Henry crying and telling the story because he was scared. I’ve answered now, so can I go with Sister?”

A cat – it was unexpected information. Nancy tugged on Regina’s arm, seemingly impatient that Regina was still standing there blankly even after she had answered. Noah handed over the luggage Regina was holding and gave her a pouch of silver coins.

“Buy clothes and other necessities. Meanwhile, I’ll go to the other inns and ask about Rose. When we return here, we’ll visit the house of this child named Henry.”

“Ah… okay. I understand.”

Regina answered as she was half-pulled away by Nancy.

* * *

Nancy was a capable child. She not only took Regina to a place selling practical and inexpensive clothes but also picked out a good winter coat by checking the leather quality. Thanks to her, Regina had quite a bit of money left after buying clothes. Grateful, Regina bought her a small hair ribbon and lots of snacks, making the cute freckled face bloom with joy.

“Thank you, Sister! It’s really so pretty! Oh, I want to show this off to my friends. Can I go ahead? If you follow this road straight, you’ll reach our house. You won’t get lost!”

“Yes, sure. Be careful on your way!”

“Okay, see you later!”

Excited, Nancy ran off in the opposite direction to show off to her friends. Regina waved goodbye to her and started walking down the road she had been shown. There was a certain charm in walking an unfamiliar path and taking in the scenery.

The road lined with houses had low walls about shoulder height extending along it. The pointed, conical shape of the house roofs also looked quite unique. As she was walking, admiring the similar yet different roof shapes, she noticed a black tail moving slowly on top of a wall a little distance away.

“Huh? A tail?”

As Regina tilted her head and took a few steps closer, she saw a black furry lump curled up on the wall, partially hidden by tree branches. Approaching closer out of curiosity at how it was perfectly balanced on the narrow wall much thinner than its body, the black furry lump finally raised its head.

– Meow.

It was a cat, completely black all over. It stared at Regina and meowed once, as if telling her to come no closer.

It was when their eyes met, those clear amber eyes.

– Snow!

Suddenly, a young boy’s voice was heard from behind. As Regina turned around at the highly excited voice, unfamiliar memories flooded her vision. It happened in an instant, like snow piled on tree branches suddenly falling with a thump.

* * *

The life of a stray cat born in a cold region was quite harsh. First, there was a lack of prey, and even a slight cold wind would quickly deplete food in the forest. Even when coming down to the village and looking around for warm places, people’s hearts would harden when heavy snow fell, making it difficult to get food.

“Shoo, get away! Ugh, a black cat, how unlucky!”

Moreover, if it was a black cat, the degree of hardship increased tenfold.

“Meow!”

Nimbly dodging the long stick wielded by an old human, he ran out with dried jerky in his mouth.

-Tap, tap tap.

But he was confident. Whether he had black fur or stripes, he was healthier, smarter, and quicker than other cats. Sneaking into kitchens and snatching food was a piece of cake. Compared to when he was young, waddling like a duck barely able to walk, it was like he had grown wings.

In human terms, this might be considered his prime.

After eagerly tearing at the jerky with his sharp canines and thoroughly licking even what was stuck to his paws, his mood improved considerably. He stretched his back, shook his body once, and started walking again.

Recently, he frequented the largest mansion in this village. This place had a garden and a kitchen incomparably larger than ordinary houses, and being so spacious, it had many hiding spots, making it a place all cats yearned for.

-Whoosh, thud.

And it was just as difficult to get into. Not only was there a huge dog guarding the mansion gate, drooling and baring its teeth, but there were mouse traps set all over the mansion.

However, none of this was a problem for him. Making an unbelievably high jump, he clung to a crevice in the mansion wall and easily climbed up, stretching his legs. He quietly hid his body in the tree branches in the garden while the stupid dog was barking at the wrong place.

His long black tail swayed leisurely, feeling good.

Once inside, it was his world. Only foolish cats would get caught in mouse traps. He ate small amounts of food unnoticeably during the quiet early morning hours and slept in a warm corner.

With a warm back and a full belly, this place was paradise, heaven. Ignorant humans might dislike his black fur, but thanks to his dark fur, it was easy to sneak in and hunt.

Hmph, he sneered at human foolishness, then licked his fur to groom himself before raising his head to look outside. Winter had arrived, and heavy snow was falling outside the mansion.

Having made his spot in a gap under the mansion’s roof, he enjoyed the spectacular view from high up, swaying his tail back and forth.

“Huh? A cat?”

His black tail caught the eye of Henry, who had poked his head out of the window gap below, because he had been distracted by the scenery and let his guard down. At the young boy’s voice, the fur on his back stood on end, and he quickly got up to run away.

Young humans were violent and cruel, being less mature and more ignorant.

“Wow, it’s all black fur but only the paws are white? It’s like you’ve been walking on snow. How cute!”

At those words, he stopped mid-leap and turned around. Cute? Was he talking about him? As he poked his head out again after half-hiding his body, Henry smiled brightly.

“Kitty, how about ‘Snow’ for your name?”

“Meow.”

Snow for a black cat’s name, what a naming sense that shows a lack of knowledge.

“Yeah, you like it too? Snow, come here! I’ll give you something delicious!”

Suddenly named Snow, he washed his face with his front paws a few times, then turned his back and left with a swish. If you thought I’d fall for being lured with food, you haven’t lived long enough in this world.

Still, it wasn’t that unpleasant. Even he thought his white paws were cute and lovely. Hmph, Snow laughed and curled up to sleep.