The boy who always kept his glossy black fur immaculate looks a complete mess now. As if he’d rolled around on the dirt, his entire body is caked in dust, and around his mouth there are even clumps of grass stuck together with moisture. He’s normally the sort who can’t stand filth. To have gone this far just to bring this back—he must’ve done the very best he could, in his own way.
Even if it’s only a single small glass vial, to keep from dropping such a smooth object he must’ve adjusted his grip with his tiny mouth over and over again. Holding it for so long must’ve made his jaw and teeth ache terribly. And he endured all of that hardship for one reason alone—to bring this to Calyx. This incredibly small boy.
Calyx pressed a hand firmly against his chest.
For a moment, his breath nearly hitched as something surged up violently inside his chest. So intense it was almost impossible to control… That swelling something ballooned as if his chest might burst, then slowly seeped through his entire body and dispersed.
Calyx clenched the glass vial tightly in his hand, smiled at the boy, and spoke.
“Thank you.”
At the brief words, the boy’s eyes sparkled brightly. He thrust his small chest straight out, struck a proud pose, lifted his chin, and let out a meow. It’s nothing, really, he seemed to be saying.
Calyx carefully lifted the dirt-covered boy into his arms and pressed his lips to the small head.
The boy’s tiny body was small enough to be fully cradled within both of his hands.
It was both fascinating and delightful that such a small, fragile life would approach him of its own accord. Each day that passed, the boy who nestled against him so easily grew larger inside his chest. No matter how well he fed him or how carefully he put him to sleep, the boy’s actual body stubbornly refused to grow—but the boy within his heart expanded without restraint.
As he stroked the purring boy’s back, Calyx felt a twinge of regret.
Even this tiny form is adorable and lovable, but right now he misses the human form he can only see at night. Even if the boy is still small as a human, it’s different—there are simply more places to touch, to hold close. The boy’s black fur is incomparably soft. But the smooth feel of his skin when the fur disappears was exquisite as well.
Should I look forward to tonight?
Calyx folded away his lingering regret and narrowed his eyes.
“Your Highness.”
At the voice calling him from the side, Calyx turned his head and held out what he was carrying.
It was the small glass vial. Simon accepted it, made a strange expression, then glanced sideways at the boy sleeping soundly, purring softly.
“Did he give this to you, Your Highness?”
His reaction was clearly skeptical. Calyx smiled as he toyed with the sleeping boy’s head atop the soft cushion on the desk. Reading affirmation in that smile, Simon’s gaze grew complicated.
“He’s a clever one.”
At Calyx’s words, Simon silently agreed with his eyes.
Having chased after the boy continuously under orders, Simon would know that cleverness well enough. And he would also know that it went far beyond what could be dismissed as mere feline intelligence.
An excessively clever little black cat. And at night, a small black-haired boy who suddenly appears.
Evading the watchful eyes of knights on high alert to infiltrate the Crown Prince’s bedchamber is impossible—especially if it happens every single night. And at the same time, the cat’s presence vanishing entirely is just as impossible. No matter how hard it is to accept, there is only one explanation. The two are the same being.
Because of Calyx’s command to keep absolute silence, Simon suppresses his doubts. The other knights will be doing the same. They likely hold a vague, unspoken certainty—but none of them will ever voice it.
Tap—
Calyx tapped the desk lightly with his fingertip, redirecting Simon’s attention away from the boy.
As long as the boy is having fun, he doesn’t care who he spends time with or what he does while awake. But the idea of sharing even a moment of the boy’s sleeping time with someone else—he wouldn’t allow that, not even slightly.
“Shall we sever the exposed line cleanly and switch over to the next one?”
Simon asked after collecting himself. Calyx gazed at the boy, utterly exhausted and purring softly in sleep, and fell briefly into thought.
He’s been working desperately in his own way—if there’s no visible result at all, he’ll be disappointed. But if the Emperor were to wake up at this point, it would cause a fair amount of trouble.
“Should we just kill him…?”
At Calyx’s muttered words, Simon’s eyes sharpened instantly.
“If you give the order, I can carry it out immediately.”
At the trace of eagerness in Simon’s voice, Calyx let out a low laugh.
The Emperor’s death…
Compared to keeping him drugged and asleep, it would certainly be a cleaner solution. But it would be a waste to dispose of him so easily.
His greedy uncle is far more useful remaining peacefully asleep, doing nothing more than occupying the Emperor’s seat. At least until the remaining imperial faction is completely eradicated. If the Emperor were to die now, the residual opposition that had only just begun to gather would quietly burrow back underground—and that would become an unnecessary source of trouble after he ascends the throne.
As he thought about the current Emperor—his uncle—killing intent must have leaked out before he realized it, because Simon clenched his fist tightly. Calyx reined in his murderous aura and checked on the boy. Fortunately, the utterly spent boy was simply sleeping deeply.
“Keep him asleep. And…”
As he stroked the curled-up boy’s back, Calyx added,
“Tell him the Emperor has awakened. That should do.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
***
“Then he is?”
The patron asks in an intrigued tone. I snap up the piece of sweet-tasting fruit pushed in front of my mouth and start chewing.
“Mm. Well, so that Park Hyeokgeose is my great-great-great-great-grandfather’s… anyway, something like that.”
“I see.”
At my mumbled explanation, the patron nods. I shoot him a look that says, We’re both royalty, so don’t nitpick over pointless details. Honestly, I’m not even wrong. Park Hyeokgeose is the founder of the Miryang Park clan, after all.
The patron pops another piece of fruit neatly into my mouth. I start chewing again.
But seriously, this guy’s affection deprivation seems to have flared up badly.
Somewhere along the line, he put me on his lap—and at some point after that, he started stroking my back and head however he pleased. I missed my chance to swat his hand away, not even knowing exactly when it all began. Lately he’s been touching me so much that I’ve gotten used to it.
It’s not that I dislike it. If anything, it feels good, so there’s no urgent need to stop him… But still, I’m not a cat—I’m a proud man. Isn’t it kind of wrong to touch me this freely?
Hmm…
As I’m pondering, more food appears in front of my mouth. I accept it and chew, erasing the pointless thoughts. Grandpa and Grandma used to sit me on their laps and stroke me every day too, so whatever. As long as I feel good, that’s all that matters.
“Hey, Lyx.”
When I call him softly, the patron brings his ear right up to my mouth. I curl my hand slightly around it and whisper.
“They say the Emperor woke up?”
At my whisper, Lyx gives a small nod. I clear my throat with a ahem, forcibly wiping away the smile creeping onto my lips.
I really want to tell him this is all thanks to me, but I already got my thanks while in cat form, so there’s nothing I can do. I can’t exactly tell him that I’m that cat. No matter how impatient I was, I probably should’ve waited until night and told him properly in my human form.
“Then things should ease up a bit now, right?”
I ask cautiously, watching his reaction. He chuckles, a low rumble in his throat.
“Well… even if he’s awakened, he’ll probably be bedridden for a while.”
“…Is that so.”
Damn it. Then all that trouble was for nothing. What really matters is the workload dropping—only then do we get more time to play together. Well, I did at least lighten his worries, so I guess that counts for something.
While I’m lost in thought, the hand stroking my head slides lower and starts to fiddle with the nape of my neck. I hunch my shoulders at the ticklish sensation and giggle.
“Hey. That tickles. Hih—”
When I start kicking my legs wildly, a large hand grabs my waist and hauls me back up. Then it slips slyly inside my clothes and disappears from view.
