Chapter 43
The streets were quiet, likely due to the early hour. Noah surveyed the town, still immersed in the bluish stillness of dawn, and first sought out a place to stay. Then he turned to Regina and said:
“It’s cold, so go in and book two rooms. I’ll head to the carriage station to check if the carriage carrying the red-haired woman has arrived.”
“Can’t I come with you?”
Noah shook his head at Regina’s question.
“It’ll be faster if I go alone. On the way back, I’ll stop by this territory’s constabulary to file a report. It might take some time, so wait inside for now. If we catch that woman, I’ll come find you right away.”
“Will the constabulary be open this early?”
“We’ll see when we get there.”
While the basic regulations for constabularies generally followed those of the capital regardless of region, each territory had slightly different operational methods. Noah, judging that the sooner the report was filed the better, set off immediately.
“Regina, I’m freezing to death! Let’s go inside quickly.”
When Regina lingered outside the inn even after Noah had left, Snow, unable to bear it any longer, tapped Regina’s shoulder with his front paw, urging her.
“Okay, I got it.”
Regina was anxious and impatient to catch Rose as soon as possible, but seeing Snow shiver, she reluctantly entered the inn.
The inn seemed to double as a restaurant, as there were a couple of people seated at tables having breakfast despite the early hour. Passing by them, Regina went to the counter, handed over some money, and booked two rooms.
“Ahh, now I can live!”
As soon as they entered the room at the end of the third floor, Snow leapt onto the bed. Apparently pleased with the soft bedding, he rubbed his back against it, rolling this way and that. Seeing Regina sit in a chair at the table, he spoke up.
“By the way, are you sure the woman you saw was Rose? There’s no chance you were mistaken?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“How can you be so certain? Didn’t you only see her from behind?”
Regina answered as she took off the bag slung diagonally across her shoulder and placed it on the table.
“The cape with white fox fur she was wearing is from the Grace Boutique, the most popular shop in Evelyn territory. It was first released just last month. The dress and hat are from McKenna’s. I had waited months to buy those clothes. But they were stolen the very day I purchased them. There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize them.”
At this resolute answer, Snow opened his mouth, then closed it again. Right, he had momentarily forgotten that Regina was a house cat—no, a human—who had lived surrounded by all sorts of valuables.
“…I see. So what happens when you meet this woman? Will you regain your lost memories?”
“I suppose so?”
Regina answered vaguely. Lost memories. That would answer the question of whether Regina Evelyn had truly died.
No, in fact, she already knew in her head that ‘Regina Evelyn’ had died. Nevertheless, she needed to recover her lost memories to see the truth. Only then did she feel she could truly accept the fact that she was not human.
“…It feels strange. Until recently, I have vivid memories of begging my father to buy me pretty jewels.”
Regina murmured softly, covering her face with both hands. Snow, lying on the bed, raised his upper body to look at Regina with concern.
“…Regina, you look tired. Are you okay?”
“…Yeah.”
No, in truth, she wasn’t okay.
Why was the world so cruel to her alone? What terrible wrong had she committed to be cast out so harshly? A sense of resentment with nowhere to go filled her, making her feel stifled.
She had Regina’s memories, but she was not Regina. That’s why it was so painful to have to bear this loneliness entirely on her own.
Until now, she had pretended not to know these feelings. Survival amidst constant crises had been the priority. Regina, who had been protecting herself through a near self-defensive escape from reality, now trembled slightly as she was overwhelmed by the belated sense of reality.
Seeing this, Snow quickly jumped down from the bed and climbed onto Regina’s lap as she sat. He leaned against her diagonally, speaking in a comforting tone.
“Why don’t you try sleeping for now?”
“…Okay, let’s do that.”
Regina embraced Snow’s warm body as she got up and lay down on the bed. The sun seemed to rise late here, as the room was still quite dark. As she pulled up the blanket, Regina murmured softly.
“…Snow, I must recover my memories. But I’m terrified to death of recovering them. Isn’t that strange?”
“What’s strange about that? The memory you need to recover is the moment of your death, right? If that doesn’t scare you, you’re not alive.”
“Is that so…?”
“At times like this, it’s best to just sleep without thinking about anything. Thinking won’t solve anything. You’ll only be consumed by sadness.”
“…Okay.”
“Come here, I’ll keep you warm. Let’s sleep for now and think about it together with a clear mind when we wake up.”
Snow took the edge of the blanket in his mouth and covered Regina’s shoulders. Then he curled up on top of it. Feeling Snow’s solid warmth near her shoulder, Regina closed her eyes with a somewhat lighter heart.
-Click
Snow, who had been lying with his eyes closed on Regina’s shoulder for a while, perked up one ear at the familiar footsteps. It was Noah.
He heard him walking steadily, then entering the room next door. Snow, who had been curled up quietly, opened his eyes wide and got down from the bed.
-Ta-da!
Glancing back, he saw Regina sound asleep. Snow lightly jumped up to press the door handle, opening the door and going out into the hallway. If Noah had caught that red-haired woman, he would have come back and called for Regina, but the fact that he just went into his room meant he hadn’t.
Snow clicked his tongue and went outside the inn, stepping into an alley.
“…This is such a hassle. Still, cats probably have more information than humans.”
With a “hmm” and a nod, Snow shivered once more in the cold wind, then hurried deeper into the alley. Though he was meeting the cats of this territory for the first time, he figured they’d quickly become friendly if he used his fists.
* * *
Regina, waking from a short sleep, rubbed her eyes and got up.
“Snow?”
She called for Snow in the quiet room, but there was no answering voice. Regina, wondering if he might have gone downstairs, put on her coat and came out into the hallway.
Unlike dawn, the first floor was now bustling with people having breakfast.
“Snow, where are you?”
Regina’s voice was quickly drowned out by the noisy chatter of people.
“If you mean the cat, it went out about an hour ago.”
Hearing Noah’s voice from behind, Regina turned around and bumped the back of her head against his chest. It was because she had suddenly stopped while going down the stairs.
“Mr. Noah! When did you get back?”
“…About three hours ago?”
“Really? Why didn’t you call me…”
“You seemed to be sleeping, so I didn’t want to wake you unnecessarily. Let’s sit over there for now. It’s crowded here with people coming and going.”
“Ah, okay.”
Noah pointed to the opposite side as he spoke. Regina quickly went down the stairs and found an empty table in a corner. A staff member who had been busy moving between tables approached and handed Noah a menu.
“I’ll have a hot coffee. Here, order whatever you want to eat.”
Noah ordered coffee from the staff and passed the menu directly to Regina.
“Yes, thank you.”
When Regina ordered potato soup with freshly baked buttered bread, the staff took back the menu, noting down the order. Regina waited for the staff to move away, and seeing no one nearby, she asked Noah:
“How did it go? Did you find Rose?”
“No, we couldn’t find her, but it’s certain she’s in this town. A red-haired woman in exactly the outfit you described arrived here about two hours earlier than us.”
“Really? Shouldn’t we go look for her right away then?”
“I’ve already alerted the constabulary to prevent that woman from leaving the area. Constables are guarding the carriage station and the town entrance, so don’t worry, we should be able to catch her soon.”
“…I see. Thank you, Mr. Noah.”
Noah silently nodded at Regina’s thanks. Just then, a staff member came over to place a cup of coffee, and a brief silence fell between the two. Finding the quiet awkward, Regina laughed exaggeratedly and said:
“Haha, it’s fortunate that Rose was wearing the clothes she stole from me in the carriage that day. It made her easy to recognize. If she had been in different attire, it might have been difficult to be certain just from seeing her from behind.”
“…I see.”
“Here’s your potato soup and bread.”
Once again, the staff’s hand abruptly came between them, setting down the food. Watching the back of the staff who had plonked down the dishes and swiftly left, Regina offered Noah some bread.
“Would you like to share?”
“No, coffee is enough for me.”
“I see…”
Rejected, Regina put the bread she was holding into her mouth. Satisfied with the unexpectedly rich and soft taste, she smiled, then suddenly looked down at her own attire.
The coat and clothes she was wearing were warm and practical, but not cute. They were truly traveler’s clothes. Recalling beautiful dresses adorned with elaborate lace, coats with luxurious fur, and hats with elegant decorations, she chuckled inwardly.
‘…Well, such things are meaningless to me now, so it can’t be helped.’
Still, she felt a bit empty somewhere. It was close to a longing for a past that could not be returned to. Regina quickly took a spoonful of warm soup to shake off the gloomy feeling.
“Wow, this soup is really delicious! I should order another one for Snow when he comes back.”
“…Do as you like.”
Noah looked at her for a moment, then lowered his gaze to his coffee cup.
A little later, as Regina finished her meal, Noah stood up.
“I’ll visit the constabulary once more, so make yourself comfortable.”
“You’re going again?”
Regina also stood up, looking puzzled.
“Yes, they said I could get the wanted posters around lunchtime, so I’ll go pick them up.”
“Ah, then I’ll walk around the city a bit. I might be able to find Rose by chance.”
“…”
At those words, Noah looked at Regina silently for a moment.
‘Being a fairy, she shouldn’t be killed by humans, but…’
The problem was that Regina was different from ordinary fairies. As things kept happening that defied Noah’s predictions, even he found it difficult to be certain of her safety. Moreover, she hadn’t molted yet, so in terms of abilities, she was essentially no different from a human.
“See you later, Mr. Noah. I’ll be back before sunset.”
Taking Noah’s silence as permission, Regina turned away with a light farewell.
“…Be careful, and don’t get hurt unnecessarily.”
“…!”
Regina stopped in her tracks and turned back with a surprised face. Noah, disliking that expression, slightly furrowed his brow and strode past Regina. He regretted his unnecessary words, but couldn’t take them back.
“Yes, I won’t get hurt! Thank you for worrying about me!”
Regina called out to Noah’s back with a bright smile, but he hurried his steps without looking back.
