Hey.
“……”
Hey.
“……”
What’s with you? You’re no fun.
I crouched and tapped Simon’s knee again as he sat there with a stupid, vacant expression.
Hey.
“……”
Still no reaction. He’s completely spaced out. I finally worked up the goodwill to mess with him a little, and he’s in total meltdown mode. I seriously have no idea what’s wrong with this guy.
Hey, Simon. Let’s plaaay.
When I tapped his knee again, he finally glanced at me. I tilted my head at Simon, who looked like he might burst into tears at any second. He stared at me blankly for a moment, then his face crumpled all at once and he let out a long sigh.
“Elena…”
Huh? Elena? The handkerchief girl?
“Elena’s getting married.”
Simon slammed his head back down toward the floor. I scanned the room once. Julia and the other maids weren’t around. Thank goodness. At least they didn’t have to witness this scatterbrained idiot’s disgraceful display. If Julia had seen this, her eyes might’ve rotted out of her head.
I looked at Simon with exasperation for a moment.
I went through all that trouble stealing a handkerchief for him, and what’s he been doing this whole time instead of making a move? A big, clumsy guy like him can’t even manage a single confession and now he’s wallowing in misery. Good grief.
“…Elena…”
In the end, I punched him squarely on the head. But damn, he’s sturdy—he didn’t react at all even after getting smacked. I considered hitting him again, then decided against it. No point hurting my front paw beating on a thick skull like his.
But as I kept watching, he actually started tearing up. Seriously?
If only I had hands right now, I’d grab him by the collar and shake the hell out of him. What a waste.
…Hey. Simon.
I tapped his head with my paw. No response.
Hey. Look at me.
I poked his cheek a few times. Still nothing.
Quietly, I pulled my paw back.
He looks like an idiot crouched there, but… he’s kind of pitiful, too.
Then again, it’s not entirely his fault that he’s such a clueless, big-bodied fool. What can you do about someone’s innate nature? Everyone just lives the way they were born. Thinking about this guy’s future makes a heavy sigh escape me. Even after he gets married, he’s the type who’ll be completely henpecked by his wife. Tsk.
I turned away from him.
Let’s see… which drawer was it again.
I walked over to the dresser in the corner, searched my memory, and bit down on the handle of the second drawer. Then I pulled with all my strength.
I stuck my head into the slightly opened drawer and spotted the basket Julia had put away not long ago. I picked up a gold coin from inside the basket and pulled my head back out.
I walked back over to the crouching Simon and set the gold coin down in front of him. Then I tapped his knee with my paw.
Nyaaang—
Hey. I’ll give you this, so go buy yourself some snacks.
Simon stared dumbly at the gold coin lying by his feet. I let out a long sigh and nudged the coin toward him with my paw.
Time passes and everything fades. Buy some snacks with this and cheer up.
After blankly looking back and forth between the coin and me, he blinked. Then, in a trembling voice, he asked,
“…You’re giving this to me?”
I went nyaaang and nodded while sniffing back imaginary tears.
But—huh? He picked up the gold coin and clenched it tightly in his hand, his eyes turning red at the corners. He looks like he’s about to cry for real. Guess he doesn’t get an allowance at home. The way he’s getting this emotional over a single gold coin… I suddenly feel really sorry for him. I mean, no matter how rich a family is, there are some old geezers who barely give their kids any spending money, or so I’ve heard…
…Wait. Don’t tell me he couldn’t even go on dates because he had no allowance?
I stared at him wide-eyed, and sure enough, he was stroking the gold coin with a tender, almost reverent gaze. Damn. Was he really so broke he couldn’t even buy a girl a gift or ask her out? A surge of pity welled up in my chest as I looked at Simon with sympathetic eyes. Poor bastard.
Screw it. Fine. Today, this hyung’s feeling generous.
I went back to the dresser, grabbed another gold coin, and set it down in front of Simon. He held one coin in each hand and called out “Nabi…” with tears shimmering in his eyes. Somehow, it made me feel like I might cry too, and I patted his shoulder with my paw.
Nyaaang—
Idiot. That’s just how the world is. So now, let’s play.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
The patron tapped my head lightly with his finger. I lifted my head and looked at him. His golden eyes had narrowed slightly. Looks like something’s bothering him again. I gave him a perfunctory meow out of politeness, then lay back down.
Beside me, I could hear the patron working again—the sound of a quill pen scratching across paper. It’s definitely different from a silent but forceful ballpoint pen or mechanical pencil. But I don’t dislike the sound. The soft scratch-scratch is actually pretty pleasant.
Still, I can’t easily forget Simon’s broad back as he left the room earlier. When the patron returned, Simon carefully clutched a gold coin in each hand and went outside. That massive back of his looked unbearably lonely…
I should start giving Simon an allowance from time to time. If he gets teary-eyed over just two gold coins, how poor is he supposed to be? A man needs ability—and money—to get a woman and get married. No matter how handsome or well-built you are, if you’re poor, it’s all meaningless. Just what kind of person is Simon’s father, letting his son live like that? Don’t tell me he even skims off the money Simon earns as a knight.
Wait… Simon’s surname was Licht…
Licht. Licht. Licht. Lich… Duke?
[The Duke of Licht told me to pass this on to you. He said nobles gave you an allowance? Must be nice, Nabi.]
[Looks like you needed some spending money. Here, take my gold too. Hahaha.]
Damn it! That old bastard!
The image of that geezer flashing through my mind made me rake my claws harshly across the desk.
So that damned old man was Simon’s father. He gives gold coins as “allowance” to a passing Phantom Cat, but doesn’t give a single coin to his own son? What a truly vile old man. Well, I did sense something rotten about him from the moment he tried to shove gold into my hands.
I made up my mind once again to make sure poor Simon always had spending money. Otherwise, he’s just too pitiful.
As I was thinking about Simon, something suddenly pressed against my head. When I looked up, the patron was sticking his face right back in again. I really don’t understand why he keeps shoving his face at me at random times when he’s supposed to be working.
When I stared at him, he smiled and held out a finger. Then, unbelievably, he gently scratched the bridge of my nose with it. I snapped at the finger and jabbed at it with my teeth.
Hey. Keep messing around and I’ll bite you for real. I might usually look mild-mannered, but once I get angry, I’m a scary man.
I stabbed at his finger with my sharp, fearsome fangs—but what the hell? The patron just kept smiling. No, he actually laughed out loud. One look at his face and he looked like he was enjoying this to death. Annoyed, I grabbed another finger with my paw and bit down on that one too.
I crunched down from the fingertip all the way down, chewing thoroughly, but his laughter only got louder.
I paused to consider something. Maybe I should really puncture this guy’s finger properly. Humans shouldn’t underestimate a cat just because it’s a cat—he might need a lesson that ignoring my fangs can lead to serious consequences.
As I seriously debated whether to punch a hole or not while gnawing away, this jerk suddenly pulled his finger back—then pushed a different finger straight into my mouth. He stared at me with eyes full of anticipation.
