I jump up onto the edge of the fountain and dip my front paw into the water, swishing it back and forth as the ink bleeds out. I put my paw in and pull it out repeatedly, washing the ink away until it’s clean. Then, up on the stone ledge, I diligently stamp wet paw prints over and over, drying it off.
The sunlight is blazing, so my front paw dries quickly. I sniff it—sniff sniff—and there’s still a strong ink smell lingering. But that can’t be helped. I’ll just have to endure it until evening bath time.
Hmm… what should I play with now?
As boredom comes rolling in, I sit on the ledge and lazily swish my tail.
I already stopped by the maids’ waiting room earlier. After stamping ink paw prints all over my patron’s face, there’s no way I can just go back right now. But I don’t want to return to the Crown Prince’s palace alone either. Normally, this would be when I’d drag that kid Simon around to play, but he’s been assigned some mission and hasn’t shown his face for days.
Ah. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored… huh?
I focus on a figure in the distance.
A knight walking briskly along a secluded path that people rarely use looks oddly familiar.
Who was that again?
After a moment of thought, I get to my feet. I was bored anyway. Might as well follow him.
Something’s suspicious.
I narrow my eyes.
The knight keeps deliberately choosing only out-of-the-way paths to walk along. He’s definitely wearing a knight’s uniform, but something about him feels off. There’s something fishy going on. He could be a spy, like Uncle Bondre used to be. I awaken my alter ego—code name 00K.
I follow carefully, but suddenly the knight comes to an abrupt halt. I hold my breath and watch, and then he suddenly whips around.
“……”
“……”
The moment our eyes meet, he freezes—then his face drains of color. He covers his face with his hands and bolts like a madman.
…What?
I stare blankly at the knight’s retreating back as he runs off with both hands covering his face. I have no idea what that was about. Did his identity as a spy get exposed, so he ran? I debate for a moment whether I should chase him, when something flashes through my mind.
Come to think of it… that guy had faint claw marks on his face, didn’t he?
Claw marks. Claw marks. Claw marks….
***
“Lyx.”
“Hm?”
“I saw a knight today.”
“You did?”
“He had claw marks on his face.”
“…Did he?”
My patron responds in an unconcerned voice. I narrow my eyes, pushing his face away with my palm as he tries to lean in.
“But those claw marks looked exactly like mine.”
“Hm.”
My patron pauses, looking thoughtful. Then he smiles with his eyes and says,
“Sounds like he keeps a cat.”
I stare hard at my patron’s calm face.
Despite my suspicious gaze, he doesn’t change his expression in the slightest—completely composed. If he’s this calm, then maybe my suspicion really is unfounded. A kind, innocent guy like him couldn’t possibly lie without showing it on his face.
Still, something feels off.
I’m not completely sure, but the claw marks on that knight’s face looked similar to the ones I left on that bandit’s face before. And the way he covered his face and ran the moment he saw me is suspicious too. Maybe he really did get scratched by a cat, like my patron said—but then how do you explain the fact that he looked familiar?
Without relaxing my suspicious expression, I grab my patron’s cheeks firmly with both hands and pull my face close to his.
“Hey. If you’re lying, you die.”
At my murderous threat, my patron gives a gentle eye-smile and nods. I take a deep breath and slowly open my mouth.
“Did you set fire to the Eastern Forest?”
I stare straight into my patron’s golden eyes. My heart thumps hard for no reason. I don’t think he did—but if I don’t confirm it, I know it’ll keep bothering me.
After a moment of silence, my patron slowly speaks.
“Nothing like that happened.”
The instant I hear his answer, I let out a huge sigh of relief.
Of course not. Why would someone this kind ever set fire to such a massive forest? I must’ve mistaken someone else. I’ve been so bored that I started having weird ideas. After all, my patron would never lie to me.
I quickly hug the pillow beside me and launch myself onto the bed. Then, as he sneaks closer, I shriek sharply at him.
“Touch me and I’ll cut it right off!”
But it’s useless. He’s already sprawled down beside me, wrapping his arms around my waist and wriggling closer.
“I’ll just touch a little. Yeah?”
His coaxing voice is gentle. And of course, he’ll keep that promise. He always does. He’ll just touch me a little, get me completely worked up, and then once he asks if it’s okay to go further, it’s game over. I flinch as his fingers rub over my nipples. A bad feeling washes over me—today, my asshole doesn’t seem like it’s going to survive.
“Mnngh.”
The boy twists his body, giving his hips a small wiggle. Calyx slips his hand between the boy’s legs, a subtle, knowing smile on his face.
He didn’t lie to the boy. He didn’t set the fire—the knights did. At the time the fire broke out, he himself had been sitting obediently inside the Imperial Palace.
Well. If the question had been phrased a little differently, it might’ve become a bigger problem.
For example, if he’d been asked whether he ordered the forest to be set on fire… that might’ve been a bit troublesome. Though even then, he would’ve had his own way of dealing with it.
“H-hey, don’t.”
The boy squirms.
“Shh. I promised—I’m just touching.”
Calyx presses his lips to the pale nape of the boy’s neck, sliding his fingers between the boy’s cute ass cheeks. For now, he’s just touching. Just touching.
He never lies to the boy he loves. And he never breaks promises.
Never.
