บท 11: Can I Keep Her
"It's not like I'm truly trapped there, as you can see," Brunilda's voice was calm as a paw came up to brush at her muzzle after eating some of the raw fish. "At least I'm a cat rather than a dog—they don't expect me to listen to orders or even really do as they say."
Mattheus opened his mouth to argue but the words became stuck in his throat as Brunilda suddenly unsheathed her claws from her paw before reaching to grab a slice of raw fish to eat. Clearly, none of the maids thought to trim the murder mittens of its needles.
"In any case," Brunilda telepathically continued the conversation as she ate. "I'm at a position where I can find out a lot of information since no one expects a cat to be able to spill secrets. I didn't know it was you but I did hear about the disappearance in Glashaw Woods and you subsequently being found. Also overheard a lot of things about General Grant—both in his official capacity and also things about his familial situation back at home. That blond Marquess too, though it's mostly women gossiping about a handsome man so I'm fairly sure half the things were delusions."
"… But Brue, I can argue the same thing. If you can get into places, why do you have to stay at the Duchess's place? You can just as easily sneak in as you did just now." Mattheus thought about the access to information he had and turned a bit rueful. "Plus, I don't think the information—"
The feline form of Brunilda straightened up, ears flickering to attention. "Wait."
Mattheus turned to the door, where he saw her ears were turned toward. Barely a moment later, there was a short knock before the door opened.
It was Earl Crown, who must have just came back from the palace.
"Father! Welcome back."
"Yes. I just wanted to check in on you before I leave you to retire for the night. We can talk more about what will happen in the morning."
"Right. Of course. General Grant was experiencing anaphylactic shock but, underlying the symptoms of a very severe allergic reaction, he also seemed to be affected by some type of neurotoxicant. I managed to heal him with a bit of effort but it doesn't seem to be an accident, Father."
Earl Crown just hummed. "And you?"
"Ah?" Mattheus blinked owlishly, not understanding at first. Then it clicked and he reassuringly smiled as he replied, "I'm fine. It's not exactly the first time I've used this healing ability."
"I see. That's good. And Duchess Sophily's cat?"
Mattheus whipped his head to where Brunilda had been, only to see she was still there on the seat cushion of the plush armchair. He thought she would have made herself scarce but the only apparent thing she did was hide the takeout container.
Vivid green cat eyes stared back, the tip of her fluffy tail flicking just the slightest bit.
He turned back around with a winsome smile on his face as he faced his father again. "She seemed to have followed me back, Father. Can I keep her?"
"Her Royal Highness would undoubtedly not appreciate that, Mattheus."
"Yes, I suppose so." Mattheus gave a disappointed look.
"Hm."
"I will return her to the Duchess, Father."
"Good. I will see you in the morning then, Mattheus."
"Goodnight, Father," Mattheus said as he saw the older man off.
As soon as he closed the door, he looked at his friend.
"Interesting family," was Brunilda's only comment.
"Where did you put the container?"
"Underneath the chair."
Mattheus squatted down and saw the empty container, so he disposed of it back into his Inventory.
"Anyway, I suppose you have to stay now since it would be hard to explain where you went otherwise. It's also a good excuse to check up on the General."
He moved to sit sideways on the armchair as Brunilda hopped onto the back of the chair again. Throwing his legs over one side while his back was against the other, the position allowed him to continue to look at the dark-blue cat while sitting comfortably.
"Mattheus," Brunilda began seriously. "What happened tonight was basically an assassination attempt. It most likely has to do with the talks but the man is also a rather seasoned military leader and the timing could be a red herring. No matter the actual reason though, getting more involved would be dangerous."
The (currently) nineteen-year-old sobered. With a conflicted expression, he admitted, "Brue, I'm already involved."
"You already finished healing him, no? Other doctors can check up on him regarding after-treatment."
"Not that. I'm pretty sure Mattheus Crown is at fault when it came to the method of assassinating General Grant," he said softly, finally starting to voice aloud his worries the past two weeks. "And since I'm Mattheus Crown…"
The cat stilled. "What do you mean? Do you have memories of the previous owner of that body?"
Mattheus shook his head. "Just flashes of memories and occasional knowledge that suddenly pops up—usually because of a visual cue. But, well, he didn't die from an accident or even being at the wrong place at the wrong time."
Brunilda cut in before he could continue to answer her initial inquiry. "Are you saying someone killed the original owner execution style?" her tone was cold and serious as she hastily asked.
"Uh. Executions are done from the front, no?" He lifted a hand, moving his fingers to mime a gun, and visually gestured to the back of his head. "He was shot from the back."
"Did you see who did it?"
The man gave a helpless expression as he shrugged. "Totally clueless. I have suspicions as to why it might have happened though."
"You mean other than the fact that you're the youngest Crown?"
He exhaled. "… Brue, Mattheus Crown was a traitor."
The silence after that statement was heavy. Green eyes looked down at him, probably expecting an elaboration.
"He was part of some secret group I'm not really sure about. Just that he was revealing some potentially damning secrets, one of which was of General Grant's favorite food and allergy to shellfish."
Mattheus paused suddenly, recalling a specific memory he saw because of that damned pin that made him realize the Original was a traitor. His hands trembled a little and he reflexively clenched them to get them to still.
"Mattheus Crown was the cause of a town being wiped out. It was the only confirmed tragedy but considering what I learned earlier tonight… he might be the cause of much pain and blackmail with the information he's given to that group from his position in society."
"Hey…"
"Brue. I know the saying of 'visit not the sins of the father to the son' but I am, for all intents and purposes, Mattheus Crown now. Even if I want nothing to do with it, the fact is everyone else thinks I'm Mattheus Crown now. It's my fault."
The cat hopped down and Mattheus gave a small "oof!" as she landed on his stomach. Green eyes met pale gray.
"Well, I guess I really have to stay with you after all."
"What?"
"But wow, what is with your luck? To get transmigrated into a traitor? And while I don't agree with inheriting the original owner's mistakes, it is true everyone would think you are the original Mattheus Crown. And there is at least one person out there who wants you dead."
"Er…"
To be honest, he hadn't really thought about the killer after he was rescued since this property was pretty secure.
But now that Brunilda brought it up so bluntly, Mattheus was getting a bit concerned for his life again. There was someone out there that wanted him dead and he had no idea who it was.
It might even be someone that "belonged" on the property in the first place. Like one of the staff members.
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