Blood In Rose

Chapter 12

"He's not simple, is he..."
So I say to myself as I sit on my bed.
I realize how much this day has made me tired.
(I'll be working from tomorrow on. I should get some rest.)

Sleepiness carries me away as soon as I crawl into the bed.

Day 2

"*Sigh* ... I feel a little tired already..."
I've begun working as a maid in the hotel.
Though the cleaning and whatnot weren't any harder than I had imagined...
Every room I went in was full of surprise.
Even though there are guests that look just like humans, some of them have ears and tails like animals...
... And there are some of them who become transparent and disappear right in front of me like ghosts...
(Half the guest here aren't humans, huh...)
"I guess that's why you'd expect from a hotel bridging the humans and non-humans."
I stop for a while to take a break.
As I look at the armor lined up the hallway...
"Ah!"
One of the armors suddenly bows to me and starts walking away.
(That almost made my heart stop...)
"I should just finish my chores right away and get back to my room."
With that in mind, I stand in front of the next room.
"That room needs no cleaning."
"Oh?"
I turned around to see Raymond standing there.
"The guest in that room will not be up for another 50 years. Just leave him be."
"50 years...?"
"Understood? Now move one to the next room."
"... Understood, sir."
Raymond doesn't look like he'll accept any questions, so I do as he says.
"Alfred...?"
On the way to my room after I finished all the chores for the day, I spot Alfred.
(What is he doing there...?)
(He's getting little packets out of his pocket...)
When I get closer to him, I see that he is lining up little packets of candy by the window.
Right by the candy lies Spade, sleeping.
"Alfred, what are you doing?"
"...?! That's my question!"
Alfred looks embarrassed for some reason.
"I'm on my way to my room. In done with my chores."
"Then go to your room already."
"You're not going to tell me what you're doing?"
"... Now that I think about it, this guy is usually in your room."
After mumbling that, he looks at me.
(Is it my imagination or are his cheeks a little red...?)
"...I just thought that I should feed that cat."
"Feed the cat?"
I look at those candy as I ask.
"You mean you want to feed him these...?"
"Anything wrong with that?!"
"Well, nothing is wrong with that intention."
"Nothing wrong with THAT, but... Alfred, these aren't what cats eat."
"What do you mean?"
"These are what humans eat. As snack, that is."
I take one packet by the window. It looks like nothing but a piece of candy.
"Sweets for humans? ... Oh, that cook..."
"Cats have food that they prefer to eat."
"No matter how much of these sweets you offer, Spade won't be interested."
"... So you know a lot about him?"
"Yes, I think I know much more about him than you."
Hearing this, Alfred looks into my eyes.
(I guess he wants to know about cats.)
"For instance, cats have a habit of chasing after small things that move."
"Small things that move...? Does it include this?"
Saying that, Alfred holds out his golden pocket watch that he usually carried on his waist to Spade.
"Try swinging it."
"Like this...?"
Spade open his eyes tediously at first. The next moment, his eyes light up.
"Meow!"
Spade plays with the golden watch swinging about from Alfred's hand.
(So cute...)
"I'd never have thought about trying this..."
"Mee-OW!"
Spade cat-punches the madly swinging watch.
"?!"
In shock, Alfred drops his watch on the floor.
The lid of the watch opens and I see a mysterious emblem.
"What's this...?"
"This is proof that I'm a descendant of Harold."
Picking the watch up, he tells me.
" I'd rather talk about this cat. That was a cat-punch right there, wasn't it? I'd never thought I could experience it..."
"... But it looks like he won't play with me anymore."
Spade has curled up again in his sleep.