Looks like he didn’t get enough sleep after being tormented until dawn. Lying sprawled out like this is amusing, so even when Calyx pokes his belly with his finger, he only squirms a little—no sign of waking up.
What should I do?
Calyx thinks as he pokes the boy’s belly with the tip of his finger.
If he leaves him like this, he’ll easily sleep for several more hours. Just the documents the boy is lying on amount to several sheets—and all of them have to be handled today. And what about the reports that keep coming in by the hour? Still, looking at the boy sleeping so deeply, he doesn’t feel like waking him.
At the repeated poking, the boy wriggles, then neatly gathers both front paws in front of his chest and mutters in his sleep, “Auuung—.” Calyx lets out a quiet chuckle.
Ever since meeting the boy in the forest, there hasn’t been a single day that wasn’t pleasant.
At first, he took him in out of pure curiosity. What kind of creature was he, to approach him so fearlessly? It was fascinating. Despite his small body, the boy had an impressively high nose and a strong sense of pride, which Calyx found entertaining. Then one day, without realizing when it happened, the boy purring under his touch became dear to him—and he witnessed the boy turn human.
When he looks at the boy, he finds himself smiling without realizing it. Sometimes he only noticed he was smiling when he happened to look in a mirror. Now, smiling no longer feels awkward.
He had lived a life solely to avoid death. Just to survive, just to reclaim the throne that was rightfully his—he lived for that alone. From a young age, he was thrown into battlefields meant to kill him, moving from one to another, living like a machine. Even after subduing his uncle and fully seizing the imperial palace, nothing changed. He simply continued to live.
And then, a single black cat approached him.
Because of the killing intent and scent of blood ingrained in his body, even animals—and especially sensitive young boyren—avoided his presence. Yet this small boy padded over without hesitation and sat beside him. Crying sweetly, he begged for food, and without a shred of restraint, climbed onto his chest and fell asleep there.
The clever, greedy little thing showing blind trust only toward him is unbearably satisfying. Since meeting the boy, his days have shifted from merely living to living with joy.
All he wishes is for this to continue, just as it is.
***
I’m scared of the night.
Sometimes little kids say that. But amusingly enough, they’re not the only ones. It’s something a middle-aged man might say too, while downing a bottle of soju with coworkers after getting off work.
“My wife bought new underwear yesterday. The night’s scary.”
I used to just snicker whenever I saw scenes like that on TV—never thought I’d be the one saying it.
Simon. This hyung of yours… the night’s scary.
I let out a long sigh, but Simon’s staring off into space, lost in thought. I shake my head and mutter inwardly.
Forget it. What would you know?
Simon and I are sitting side by side by the fountain.
Evening’s creeping in, so I’m in the middle of evacuating. But going into hiding alone would’ve been boring for sure, so I dragged Simon along with me. I brought him to be my personal mood-maker, but the bastard’s half out of it and completely useless. It’s truly tragic.
Darkness is already settling around us. Night is approaching.
Right about now, my patron’s probably getting ready to transform into a mouth monster. Tonight, too, he’ll definitely catch me, turn me human, and do lewd things. This guy doesn’t stop at kneading my ass—he’s been eyeing the space between my legs like a hawk. That’s why, tonight of all nights, I have to succeed in hiding.
But still… How am I supposed to kill time?
I glance sideways at Simon. Still completely out of it. If I had to guess, he’s definitely got a new woman. That’s why he’s sitting there with his soul halfway gone. I even make sure to give him a decent allowance now, so I just hope he works up the nerve to confess properly. Then we could finally have some real, heartfelt conversations. As if talking to the current him about being scared of the night would get through. Tch.
Leaving the spaced-out Simon behind, I quietly stand up.
Come to think of it, this guy’s also one of the patron’s knights. If the patron ordered it, he might toss aside brotherhood and all and personally deliver me straight to him. It’s safer to ditch this guy too and hide alone.
I wander aimlessly when a delicious smell drifts over from somewhere.
I sniff the air. This is definitely food. And not just any food—perfectly grilled meat.
Now that I think about it, I ran off without eating dinner. After dinner, I’d obviously be scooped up by the patron and dragged straight to the bedroom, so I had no choice. The moment the smell hits me, my stomach growls loudly. Hunger comes crashing in, and I head toward the source of the scent.
Hmm…
Hidden in the bushes, I spy on the back of an unfamiliar man.
He’s sitting alone on a bench at one side of the garden, staring blankly ahead. It’s already getting dark—sitting there all alone like that, he must be a loner like my patron.
The smell is definitely coming from him. Judging by his back, his clothes look expensive—clearly some noble bastard. Looks like he’s eating dinner alone on a garden bench. Stealing a lonely guy’s dinner doesn’t sit right with me. But starving isn’t an option either. A Crown Prince’s cat skipping dinner? That’s just asking to be struck by lightning.
After a moment of deliberation, I head toward the bench.
I creep up quietly, sit by the man’s feet, and let out an affectionate, “Nyaaang~” while looking up at him.
Hey. Mister. Give me some food…
……
……
Agh!! It’s that Licht geezer!!
“So you’re His Highness the Crown Prince’s cat.”
Duke Licht says, looking down at me as I freeze solid. Panicking, I end up allowing his hand to stroke my head.
Unbelievable. I just let out a cute “Nyaaang~” in front of this evil old bastard.
He didn’t seriously think I was flirting with him, did he?
By the time I finally get a grip on myself, I’m already plopped down firmly on the bench beside him. This geezer—he’s properly evil.
I glare viciously at Duke Licht.
I was not being cute to ask you for food, okay? Seriously. Absolutely not, got it?!
Did he understand me? The geezer pauses with something sandwich-like halfway to his mouth and looks at me quietly. I glare even harder.
If you misunderstand and think I was acting cute for you, I’ll shred your face into a cleaning rag!
Looks like he’s intimidated. He stays still.
I puff out my chest and snort at him.
Don’t let appearances fool you—I’m a cat who even feeds your son. What’s with you, huh?
After a moment of silence, Duke Licht lowers what he was about to eat and starts fumbling with the paper wrapping. Wondering what he’s doing, I watch as he spreads the paper out on the bench between us, cuts the sandwich in half, and plops one half down squarely on top of it. Then, while stroking my head, he says,
“Here. Eat.”
…Huh. Has this old bastard lost his mind?
Staring at him in disbelief, I watch as he pushes the sandwich closer to me.
“You look hungry. Go on and eat.”
A delicious smell wafts up from the sandwich near my paws. Looks freshly made.
When I just keep staring, the geezer reaches out, strips away the bread and vegetables, and leaves only the meat. Then he pushes it toward me again.
“Go on. Try it. It should be quite good.”
I alternate my gaze between the meat and the geezer’s face a few times.
He strokes my head again. Touching my head without permission—how utterly disrespectful. And yet, the blasphemous old man just keeps urging me to eat.
I tap the meat lightly with my front paw, then glance up at him. His face is lined with deep wrinkles. Suddenly, I think of my grandpa, and my chest tightens. Whenever my grandpa was eating and I showed up, he’d always split his food in half and try to give it to me. No matter how much I refused, he’d coax me gently, saying, “Go on, eat. Go on.” Only after I ate would he finally eat himself.
“Here. Go on.”
After staring at the meat Duke Licht nudges toward me, I carefully take a bite.
It’s not cut into small pieces like my patron does, so I tear off a big chunk with my molars and chew slowly. It’s… pretty good. Well, not as good as what I usually eat, but still.
As I chew and glance at him, he starts eating the other half of the sandwich too, his face wearing a satisfied expression.
“Good, right?”
The old man asks. Without answering, I tear off another bite of meat and start chewing, nom nom.
