“K.”
When I slip inside, my patron springs to his feet and comes toward me. I’m scooped right up by him and carried over to the bed.
“Where the hell did you go?”
My patron asks. I don’t answer. I plant my feet on his chest, lean in, and press my mouth to his lips.
“…Did something happen?”
I sit quietly on my patron’s lap, naked, as he drapes a sheet around me. I nestle obediently against his chest as he pats my back, and I let out a sigh.
“Dinner?”
“I ate.”
“Where?”
“Just… ate.”
Apparently my answer doesn’t sit well with him—my patron lets out a faint sigh. I lift my head from his chest and look straight at him. The moment I meet those beautiful golden eyes, my chest tightens.
“Lyx.”
“Hm?”
I gently knead my patron’s cheeks with both hands. Even when I tug his cheek flesh outward, he’s still just annoyingly handsome. His build is perfectly fine like this, but without me, he’d turn into a lonely bastard all over again….
Even so, I miss my grandpa so much.
Seeing that Duke Licht today is what finally made me remember. I’d completely forgotten because I ended up in… that kind of relationship with this guy. My grandpa, my grandma, and my mom must be having such a hard time looking for me. Maybe my grandpa already grabbed the back of his neck and collapsed. My grandpa can’t live without me. Ever since my dad died, he’s lived only for me. If I’m gone, my grandpa, my grandma, and my mom will definitely be crying every single day. I have to go back as soon as possible.
“Lyx. What happened with that?”
“That?”
My patron asks back, pressing little kisses against my cheek. I hesitate for a moment, then open my mouth.
“That. The book. You said you’d find it.”
The lips that had been landing on my cheek stop dead. Slowly, he pulls his face back and looks at me quietly. I stare into those golden eyes, all traces of amusement gone, and ask again.
“The book. You still haven’t found it?”
***
“The book. You still haven’t found it?”
The moment I asked that, my patron’s face hardened completely.
He probably realized it too. That I was trying to find a way to go back. That’s why his expression stiffened like that.
The answer was disappointing. There were no such cases to begin with. Even after combing through the entire Imperial Palace archive, there was nothing. If it wasn’t there, that basically meant it didn’t exist at all. After giving that answer, my patron must’ve been worried I’d get depressed—he patted my back and promised he’d look into whether it might exist in another country.
When he promised again that he’d definitely find the book, his face was so rigid it made me feel guilty for no reason. We’d already become deeply involved, and now I was talking about leaving. If it were me, I’d feel betrayed too. But the only reason I entered the Imperial Palace in the first place was to find a way back. I don’t want to leave my patron behind—not even a little—but I still have to go home. Just like Duke Licht, my grandpa is getting old, and he must be waiting for me with his eyes going bad from staring too hard.
Maybe the shock was too much for him. That night, my patron lay there holding me tightly the entire time. He didn’t even give me the kisses he usually loved so much—he just held me in silence. Choked up with pointless guilt and regret, I stayed still… and at some point, I fell asleep.
Come to think of it, I still haven’t completely undone the curse. Even if I find a way back, I can’t go unless the curse is lifted. Here, I’m living like this because I met a kind patron, but if I went back like this and something went wrong, I might end up dragged into some biological research lab or something. Or my grandpa might see what I look like and grab the back of his neck and keel over.
“Oh. You’re here?”
Duke Licht greets me, sitting alone on a bench. I answer with a dignified meow and hop up onto the bench, sitting neatly beside him.
“……”
“……”
It’s quiet.
Both the old man and I sit there silently, staring straight ahead. Honestly, it’s not like we’re close enough to have much to talk about. If you really had to define our relationship, it’s something like: I’m feeding his son, and yesterday he shared half a sandwich with me? Yeah, about that level. And it’s not like I suddenly came to like him just because I ate the food he gave me yesterday.
I only sat next to him because being here reminded me of my grandpa. Seeing him sitting alone on a garden bench made me think my grandpa was probably doing the same thing without me. Looking at the old man by himself makes my chest ache for no reason.
“You see, my son…”
I glance at him when he suddenly speaks, but he’s still staring straight ahead. I turn my head forward again.
“…My son’s Simon. Not sure if you know him.”
I know him. I’m the one feeding that guy. We’ve shared a deep, manly bond.
“When he was young, he was such a gentle, obedient kid….”
No. Even now, he’s still awkward and clueless. Can’t even confess to a woman.
“The idiot ran away from home not too long ago.”
…Huh?!
Startled, I look at the old man. He keeps staring straight ahead. The wrinkled profile of his face looks oddly pitiful.
“He said he hated that damn political marriage and stormed out, but he won’t come back no matter what.”
So that’s why that bastard Simon was so broke.
“I send him money so he won’t suffer out there, but he just sends it right back, saying he won’t take it…. I wonder if he’s even eating properly.”
Wait, what? You were giving him an allowance? Sorry for misunderstanding you, old man.
“I try to see him face-to-face and talk things out, but he just won’t meet me. So I wait here sometimes, thinking I might run into him.”
I reach out with my front paw and tap Duke Licht’s slumped arm a couple of times.
Hang in there, old man. All kids are like that.
After receiving my comfort, the old man lets out a long sigh. I follow him and sigh deeply too. My grandpa is probably sighing like this while waiting for me as well—his shoulders drooping.
When I turn my head toward the garden, the sky is incredibly clear. On days like this, my grandpa would hold my hand and go for walks. Even when I didn’t want to go, I’d nag him to come with me just to make sure he got some exercise.
Ah… I miss my grandpa.
Once my thoughts drift to home, they won’t leave my head for even a second. My chest feels so tight it’s hard to breathe. I need to hurry back, rub my grandpa’s shoulders, and shower him with affection.
If we’re going to look into whether the book exists in another country, it’ll definitely take a long time. It’s not like where I came from, with airplanes or trains. They’d have to travel on horseback, and instead of searching on computers, they’d have to dig through books by hand. If we’re lucky, it might take a few months. If not, it could take years.
No. First things first—I need to completely undo the curse. No matter how I find a way back, I can’t go unless the curse is lifted.
Hmm….
I swish my tail gently as I think.
Wait. Now that I think about it, why don’t I just go to the witch and make her lift the curse? I’ve got a reliable patron backing me up—there’s no way the witch could talk back and refuse. I can just bring that mountain-sized Simon along and demand she hand over the cure. And since I fell into the forest near the Witch’s Cabin, maybe if I go back there, I’ll find a way home. I came from there, so it makes sense to return the same way.
Why didn’t I think of this sooner? Seriously, I’m kind of a genius.
I spring up from my spot. When I hop down from the bench, the old man looks at me. I give him a dignified meow in farewell and dash off toward the Crown Prince’s palace.
Old witch. Just you wait! Grandpa—wait for me! I’ll be back soon!
