PSW Chapter 55: Never Missed Once
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There were still no results regarding Bastet's encounter with the suspected assassins.
“These people are definitely not ordinary thugs. They had a clear purpose. But who is behind them? And why is their target Bastet?”
Nephthys closed the parchment containing the investigation details, which had yielded no progress. She looked at the black cat in the king’s arms, who was drooping weakly due to his injuries.
“They went through so much trouble—escaping right under the patrolling soldiers’ noses, wasting manpower, and risking exposure. If they were trying to assassinate the king, that would make sense. But assassinating a cat?
Has the matter of the Book of the Dead been exposed?”
But if it’s really for the Book of the Dead, seeking death under Pharaoh’s feet still doesn’t make sense.
Nephthys pondered for a long time but couldn’t figure it out. Hesse, however, turned to the king sitting on the throne, whose expression revealed no emotions, and said, “The woman who saved Bastet is no ordinary person. She is the Assyrian princess, Yano Arsadon. Could it be her…”
“I suspected her too, but the investigation doesn’t match up.”
Nephthys sighed. “This princess entered the ‘Dog Market’ even earlier than Bastet and went straight to a tent selling slaves. On the day she arrived in Egypt, she purchased a large number of Assyrian slaves, intending to free them and send them back to Assyria. I had my people look into it—this princess has always ransomed her fellow countrymen from foreign lands whenever she travels. It’s likely a strategy to build goodwill among her people. So, encountering Bastet wasn’t entirely a coincidence.”
Hesse frowned, deep in thought.
Nephthys also contemplated the many possibilities.
A potential faction of exiled remnants suddenly appearing within the capital city was no small matter. As long as she hadn’t captured them, she had to remain vigilant.
“Let Breton take over the Dog Market case. As for the Assyrian princess,” Yofar said indifferently, “she will be accommodated on the outer perimeter of the palace.”
Egypt did not have a designated embassy.
Foreign envoys were housed based on their status and diplomatic relations. Regular messengers could stay in the outermost palace buildings, while visiting princes—unless from a defeated nation—were usually accommodated closer to the palace’s inner quarters.
As for princesses?
Princesses were usually sent as potential brides. Naturally, they were housed in the harem, where the king could visit them at his convenience.
Nephthys and Hesse exchanged glances.
Nephthys: I thought the Assyrian princess got lucky. Saving Bastet should have earned her the king’s favor. But he’s placing her in the outer perimeter? Did I hear that right?
Hesse: Since when does the king care about women?
Nephthys: …
Nephthys twitched her lips: Fair point.
The king’s eyes only saw cats—fluffy, pettable cats. The only gender distinctions he cared about were male and female cats.
The beauty or gender of humans had never once made him pause.
Nephthys, somewhat resentfully, thought: Maybe the reason the king’s harem remains barren is that he’s spent too much time looking at himself in the mirror.
After witnessing perfection, everything else must seem mediocre.
Bastet, sprawled across Yofar’s lap, also didn’t quite understand. He wasn’t sure what “outer perimeter” meant, but judging by Nephthys and Hesse’s expressions, it wasn’t anything good.
Thinking of the kind lady who had saved his life, Bastet strained to tilt his head up and meowed at Yofar:
“Meow—” Yofar, Yofar, can you give the lady better treatment? She’s my savior.
“Better treatment?”
Yofar’s face darkened instantly as he looked down at him, platinum hair cascading over his shoulder in a sharp arc. He repeated, “You want me to give her better treatment?”
Bastet shrank back: “Meow…”
—Y-yeah? What’s the problem…?
Why did his expression change so suddenly?
Yofar’s voice turned dangerously cold. “She is the Assyrian princess.”
Bastet blinked in confusion and nodded: “Meow.”
—I know that.
Wasn’t diplomacy between nations a normal thing?
In Bastet’s time, men and women were equal. The Federation’s royal princesses frequently visited his country for diplomatic meetings. He hadn’t even considered the possibility of an arranged marriage.
Yofar: “…The Assyrian princess.”
Bastet’s feline face trembled.
“……” He repeated it twice. Twice!
The little black kitten felt like his human servant was shooting death rays at him!
He turned his pleading eyes toward the two High Priests, Nephthys and Hesse—
However.
Nephthys smiled slyly: Ah~ The king is angry. Angry that Bastet didn’t care about the marriage alliance at all. When you like someone, this is what happens—if they’re jealous, they’re annoyed, but if they’re not, they’re even angrier.
Heh, the king whose harem has been gathering dust finally meets his match…
Nephthys, who had spent years worrying about the king’s barren harem, was gleeful. She felt like she could eat an extra bowl of rice tonight.
The ever-stoic High Priest Hesse also looked like he couldn’t bear to watch: Even if the king wants to dote on Bastet, he really shouldn’t expect a cat to grasp all this. Gods, must we really worry about such things?
The two High Priests, one smiling, one deadpan, both stared at the little black furball, silently urging him—
Nephthys: Go appease him!
Hesse: Go, or he’ll explode again.
Bastet: “……”
Bastet: …Are you telling me that every single human in this damn palace can communicate telepathically with their eyes?!
I AM A CAT. A CAT!
It was as if he could hear a system notification chiming in his mind:
Ding! Due to your low intelligence, you are unable to decipher the other party’s gaze. Please reconnect.
The little black furball was on the verge of tears. He desperately tried to sync his brainwaves with the two High Priests, but before he could, Yofar had already picked him up and plopped him onto a soft cushion. Without a word, the king turned on his heel and strode away, his retreating figure radiating an ominous aura.
The two High Priests immediately followed, but not before casting one last glance at Bastet.
That look—so full of pity and helplessness—was the kind an old eunuch would give a concubine who had just angered the emperor and was about to lose favor.
Bastet: “……”
Bastet: I swear to god…
The worst thing about palace life wasn’t the power struggles or the hidden dangers—it was the fact that nobody ever just said what they meant! Everything had to be guessed!
The tiny black kitten, furious beyond words, curled up and bit his own tail.
“Hmph~~~ tui!” They bully me, I’ll bully you!
Little tail: …
Black furball: “Awoo—ptui, ptui, ptui!”
Little tail (*￣︶￣): …You’re such a dog.
—
Meanwhile…
“What is wrong with the Egyptian king?! How could he make the princess stay in the outer palace? No king has ever arranged things this way! Our princess is beautiful and intelligent, yet he puts her in the outer quarters… This is an insult to Assyria!”
The lady-in-waiting who had served Yano since childhood looked furious. As soon as the palace attendants left, she turned to the princess in the center of the room and complained bitterly.
“The king thought sending you to Egypt would mean a better life, but now it seems staying in Assyria would have been better!”
The other maids and attendants also looked displeased. The Egyptian king had deliberately placed them here—there was no way this was unintentional. A king’s actions influenced how his entire nation perceived things. If this wasn’t a snub, then what was?
“Enough.”
Yano finished inspecting the room, then turned to her lady-in-waiting with a stern warning.
“This is not Assyria. If there are words that should never leave your lips, then don’t say them at all. Otherwise, don’t expect me to protect you. Understood?”
The lady-in-waiting begrudgingly lowered her head and muttered, “…Understood.”
Seeing her comply, Yano’s expression softened slightly. She beckoned the woman closer, and as soon as she did, Yano leaned in and whispered in her ear:
“Have our people familiarize themselves with the Egyptian palace. Treat the palace maids with smiles… Wear some jewelry and ask about the king’s pet—that black cat. Find out where it usually appears.”
“……”
“The Pharaoh may have placed us in the outer quarters, but he hasn’t forbidden us from moving around. So, we will do exactly as we please—use your brains!”
“……”
“We can… You understand, don’t you?”
The lady-in-waiting’s eyes lit up upon hearing this. She turned to the smiling Yano and nodded vigorously. Lowering her voice in excitement, she whispered, “Princess, you’re brilliant! I’ll take care of it right away!”
With that, she quickly gathered the Assyrian maids and hurried out the door.
Yano watched her attendants leave, then removed her veil, revealing a delicate and graceful face. Even though things had taken an unexpected turn and placed her at a disadvantage, the warm gray-brown eyes she possessed held not a hint of panic.
After all, from childhood to now—
Whatever she wanted, she had never failed to obtain.
—
T/N: Please give support on my ko-fi page, thank you🍊🍊🍊
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