I stared silently into the round, jet-black eyes that were gazing back at me.
In those glossy, bead-like pupils, a slightly dumbfounded reflection of myself appeared.
“This is…”
I opened my mouth in a dazed voice. At the same time, its head tilted to the side, and so did mine.
“Yes. It’s a hamster.”
72 hours since returning to human form.
Something that should not exist—something that looked exactly like me—was staring up at me with innocent eyes from inside a golden cage.
I had barely managed to regain my human body, barely restored my connection with the system, and now, another problem?
What the hell was going on this time?
Not long ago, I had unexpectedly become a beast companion, but that issue was resolved. The system was somewhat restored, at least temporarily connected, and now the Reload skill remained as nothing more than a simple function.
Everything should have been peaceful. And yet, suddenly—once again—a hamster had appeared.
Letting out a short sigh, I straightened up and turned my gaze to the servant who had brought the hamster house. Even at my less-than-pleased expression, he maintained as calm a voice as possible as he spoke.
“It’s a gift from the capital. His Highness the Grand Duke is busy with his official duties, so Sir Shu, I was asked to deliver it to you instead.”
“Right. But… why a hamster, of all things?”
“Well…”
The servant hesitated at my confused reaction before continuing.
“There have been rumors circulating near the capital recently. That His Highness Kyle, known as the ‘Grand Duke of Blood,’ is actually quite domestic, very frugal, and cherishes his pet hamster as if it were his own life.”
“Hmm.”
Well. That much was true.
I had no idea how, or for what reason, Kyle’s personal affairs—not even the political situation in the North—had spread all the way to the capital. But at least, the rumor wasn’t entirely wrong.
“And along with that, word has spread that at some point, His Highness ordered all the pet beast’s belongings to be moved into storage with an extremely bittersweet expression…”
“…And after that, the pet beast stopped appearing in public…”
“So, everyone started saying that the pet beast had finally passed away…”
“…Hold on. Finally?”
What, were they waiting for it to die or something? These bastards…
“I-I’m only relaying what I heard!”
Cold sweat dripped from the servant’s forehead as he hurriedly bowed and rushed out of the study.
And so, in the vast, almost hollow-feeling room… only the nameless hamster and I were left behind.
“…Sigh.”
I already knew that the political situation in the capital was becoming unstable and that Kyle’s rapid rise in power and prestige in the North had made him the target of many noble families eager to curry favor. He was no longer isolated in the North, after all.
That was why gifts arrived at an almost daily rate, along with countless letters—some even including wedding invitations.
Ah, well, at least Kyle was outright rejecting all of those. Honestly, what’s the point of sending him wedding invitations when he already has a lover?
Anyway, I understood that all of this was, in one way or another, beneficial to Kyle.
But still… Who the hell gives someone a new pet right after assuming their old one died?
And for the record, that damn pet beast is alive and well. No longer a beast, though—just a person who got his human rights back.
I put on a serious expression as I looked down at the hamster. Those round, innocent eyes stared back at me, as if to say, I don’t know anything.
“…Yeah. It’s not like this is your fault.”
I reached out and lifted the tiny hamster into my palm. As I gently smoothed its slightly ruffled fur, I could feel the faint warmth of its body against my fingers.
“…What am I supposed to do with you?”
Even with all the heating measures in place, the North—and especially Blake Castle—was no place for a hamster. It was far too cold. Not just cold. Freezing. Unimaginably, bone-chillingly cold.
Even with a body adapted to Korea’s winter chills, I had nearly frozen to death when I first arrived here. Especially in the depths of winter, even layering multiple thermal outfits wasn’t enough to stop the cold from seeping into my bones.
So how the hell was a hamster—one that fit in the palm of my hand—supposed to survive in this freezing climate?
If it were a northern field mouse, I wouldn’t have been as concerned. Those creatures ran across snowfields barefoot and still had the nerve to go “Ahh, refreshing!” It felt almost insulting to compare them to this tiny thing. My own past form had been something between a beast and a rodent, but this… this was just a hamster.
A hamster with golden fur and plump, round cheeks—one that looked exactly, uncannily like me when I was still a beast.
“…It really does look like me. Where the hell did they find this thing?”
No northern field mouse in existence would resemble me this much. In fact, it was nearly indistinguishable from a replica hamster. When I first saw it, I’d even thought, Wait, is that me?
[＼(O_o)／]
Even the system seemed shocked.
Wait a minute. How can you be surprised?
I stared at the system in disbelief before groaning and scratching the back of my head. Then, letting out a sigh, I placed the hamster back in its cage and spoke.
“Hey. System, try using Reload.”
For now, let’s go with hamster versus hamster.
Since Kyle happened to be away, this seemed like the perfect time to seriously consider what to do with this little guy.
A bright light enveloped me, and I felt my body shrink in an instant. I thought I’d never have to turn into a damn hamster again.
As I opened my tightly shut eyes, the first thing I saw was a hamster staring at me with an intense gaze—like it had just found a long-lost sibling.
—Squeak! (What the hell?)
The golden-furred hamster—henceforth, Fake Shu—started circling around me, sniffing at me out of nowhere. It seemed like it was trying to confirm whether I was truly its own kind.
…Is this really happening?
I frowned and slowly inched backward. But before I could escape, Fake Shu seemed to have finished its little inspection and, having accepted me as its kin, started rubbing its back against me.
—Squeak! (Hey! Get off!)
A shiver ran down my spine.
I struggled desperately, using my tiny limbs to push Fake Shu away. But for some reason, this pea-sized hamster had an absurd amount of strength. Instead of shaking it off, I ended up tangled with it, forming a fist-sized ball of fur.
—Squeaaaak! (I said, get off!)
At that very moment, the study door burst open. I immediately perked up and lifted my head.
Kyle was striding toward me with his long, confident strides.
—Squeak! Squeak! (Kyle! Get this thing off me! It’s stupidly strong!)
“Shu.”
—Squeak! (Yes! I’m right here!)
“What possessed you to turn back into a hamster?”
Kyle’s voice was filled with deep emotion as he reached into the hamster cage.
Beaming brighter than I had all day, I eagerly stretched out my tiny front paws toward him.
But Kyle… didn’t pick me up.
He grabbed Fake Shu instead.
“You’re as adorable as ever today.”
—Squeak. (Excuse me?)
“How about joining me for a meal? The knights happened to bring in a fish-type beast today. I’m sure you’d love it.”
…They say people go speechless when they’re truly dumbfounded.
I stared at Kyle in complete shock as he rubbed his cheek against Fake Shu.
Then, in a fit of frustration, I kicked the glass wall of the cage and yelled.
—Squeeeak! (Are you insane?! I’m right here!)
“Yes, yes. I understand your feelings completely.”
—Squeaaaaak! (Like hell you do!)
As I started thrashing around in sheer rage, the ever-so-shameless Kyle finally let out a laugh.
He set Fake Shu down and spread his arms, as if calling for me to come to him.
“Shu.”
That was all I needed.
I immediately canceled Reload and dove straight into his arms.
Of course, I didn’t just snuggle in quietly. Clenching my tiny fist, I gave his shoulder a solid punch.
Kyle burst into laughter.
“Haha.”
“How can you be so shameless? Seriously, you should be an actor! You’d win Best Actor without even trying!”
I stretched his cheek in annoyance, but he only laughed, wrapping an arm around my waist.
“Sorry. You were just looking at me too adorably.”
“You do realize you can be a real menace sometimes, right, Your Highness?”
“Impossible. It’s love.”
He replied smoothly, lowering his head toward me.
I narrowed my eyes at my shameless lover but eventually let out a small sigh and closed my eyes.
Soon, his slightly rough yet warm lips brushed against mine, his breath tickling my skin.
But his lips pulled away much quicker than usual—too quickly. A disappointed expression surfaced on his face.
“I have to go soon. We have a strategy meeting regarding the Northern Mage Corps after this. Will you be joining?”
Well, with preparations for the grand banquet underway, the entire castle had been bustling. Kyle was already overwhelmed trying to coordinate trade officials for incoming supplies and greet noble guests who had arrived earlier than scheduled.
At this rate, even if he had three bodies, it wouldn’t be enough.
“I don’t mind… but what about that?”
“Ah.”
It seemed he had already heard about the ‘gift’ on his way here. Kyle’s expression turned awkward.
“It would be difficult to return it now. More importantly, the journey from the capital to here must have been hard enough on the little thing.”
I understood what he meant.
If we sent it back, the hamster might not survive the trip.
Regardless of whether we wanted the gift or not, handling a living creature so carelessly would leave a bad taste in our mouths.
So there was only one option left—keeping it.
If rumors spread that the hamster had died, it would weigh on my conscience, probably enough to keep me up at night.
Who the hell thought this was a good idea? If I find them at the banquet…
I ran my hands down my face and ground my teeth.
“Let’s just eat, Your Highness.”
For now, we needed to take care of the immediate tasks at hand.
I grabbed the coat he handed me, ready to leave the study together. Just then, Kyle called for a servant and ordered the hamster to be moved to his bedroom.
…
“…?”
“What’s wrong?”
Not only was he moving the hamster, but he also told them to bring over all the pet supplies and nuts stored in the warehouse. He was thoroughly preparing for it.
“…No, it’s nothing. You just seem really happy, that’s all.”
Well, as long as he was enjoying himself…
And just like that, an unexpected hamster walked into our lives.
Honestly. What a coincidence.
