Ries, who had been sprawled out in a drowsy heap, slowly rolled over and exposed his belly. The brushing, which had paused for a moment, resumed gently.
“Purr-r-r.”
A satisfied sound escaped him without thinking. The way the brush found every itchy spot—even the ones he didn’t realize were there—felt incredibly refreshing.
But baring his belly wasn’t just for that. He forced his heavy eyes open again. Justyn, wearing that black mask, moved rhythmically in front of him, focused entirely on brushing.
Ries stared at him. No—he pierced him with his gaze. And there was no way Justyn, sensitive to being watched, wouldn’t notice.
“What’s got you so worked up?”
Justyn asked, moving the brush in slow, gentle strokes. It might’ve looked like Ries was trying to peek under the mask for a glimpse, but that wasn’t it. Not even close.
The day he first recognized the curse beneath that mask… ever since then, Ries had occasionally seen something there.
He focused all his attention on the mask—specifically the left side, where the curse’s black veins had once emerged.
And when he stared long enough, concentrating hard enough… something would flicker just around the mask’s edges. A shadowy shimmer, barely visible…
“Meow?!”
His focus shattered in an instant. He jolted and looked down. At some point, Justyn’s black-gloved hand had drifted from the brush and come to rest gently on Ries’s stomach.
It tickled more, felt heavier… and warmer, like it might burn. The unfamiliar sensation made Ries flinch, his body tensing, tail standing stiff.
Justyn, just as surprised, looked down at his hand with wide eyes. Clearly, he hadn’t expected that reaction. Then he sighed and gave up with a soft groan.
Whatever. I give up.
Trying to think after a meal just made the post-food drowsiness worse. Ries let his body go limp, pretending not to notice the touch, and allowed the hand to stay.
Only then did the hand begin to move again, softly massaging his belly. It was a newly permitted area, so Justyn’s touch was a bit hesitant—but he was surprisingly good at it. Honestly? Ries felt like clapping for him.
“Myaaahng…”
I’m melting. Totally melting…
On one side, Ries got a belly massage. On the other, Justyn got to enjoy the squishiness of a cat’s tummy. Wasn’t this the ultimate win-win?
The room was warm. His belly was full. The hand stroking him was feather-light. With those three things in perfect harmony, Ries quickly dozed off.
Life didn’t get better than this. These days, every moment felt like happiness.
***
As usual, Ries trotted off for his daily walk, with Justyn seeing him off from behind.
He felt like humming. Seeing how much calmer and more at ease Justyn seemed lately made him even happier.
Before, even during these farewells, there’d always been a shadow of unease in Justyn’s expression. But that shadow was gone now.
Those were the eyes of someone who knew exactly where he belonged—and that place was here. That alone made all the difference.
Buoyed by the thought, Ries picked up his pace. Where should he explore today? His steps felt light, almost bouncy.
But it didn’t take long before a problem cropped up.
Where is everyone?
Weirdly, not a single person was around.
For someone like Ries, who usually followed others to decide on where to go, this was a real dilemma.
Should I just revisit an old spot?
Like the floor the servants used. Even if it seemed empty now, there’d be someone around eventually. It wouldn’t be boring.
Nope.
He lost interest almost immediately. Going there would just remind him of Justyn’s gloomy past. Not the vibe today. He scratched that option off the list.
Today, I’ll go wherever my paws take me!
Sometimes, you needed to have days like this.
If his future self could’ve seen him now, he probably would’ve begged him not to do it. But Ries, blissfully unaware, quickened his steps.
Up and down the stairs, to the ends of corridors and back again—he wandered the mansion for quite a while, completely absorbed in exploration.
And then—he caught a whiff of adventure. At the far end of the second floor, he stumbled on something that practically screamed secret space.
The wall… is open?
He’d been passing by a string of empty, unused rooms when he noticed it. It wasn’t a door. It was an actual wall—and it was slightly ajar.
As if drawn by a magnetic force, Ries stepped inside. It was pitch black at first, not a single light on. But the moment he crossed a certain threshold, the entire room lit up at once.
Lights burst forth like falling stars, dazzling and brilliant, flooding the space. At the same time, a massive red curtain that had covered an entire wall swept open with a dramatic rustle.
Portraits?
Behind it were portraits of people he didn’t recognize.
Ries’s jaw dropped in awe. He couldn’t even begin to guess how much effort the artists had poured into each painting.
Every canvas looked like it was breathing, alive. It felt as if the artist had poured their very soul into each stroke. Lined up in a row like that, the scene was nothing short of majestic.
He stepped closer to one. It was hung lower than he expected, so he could easily read the name etched beneath it.
Edler Laufe.
A familiar name. He looked at the next one.
Lenus Laufe.
And the next. And the one after that. Every single portrait ended in the same surname: Laufe.
By then, he was starting to piece things together.
This place… it must’ve been a portrait gallery for the previous Dukes of Laufe.
Ries had the sinking feeling he’d just walked into somewhere he absolutely wasn’t supposed to be. Slowly, he began to backpedal.
Seriously, why the hell was this open?
Sure, barging in uninvited was partly on him—but wasn’t the real issue whoever left the wall wide open? Whoever they were, they had to be ridiculously careless.
Even while he grumbled, his little paws kept moving. It had been ages since he’d felt this creeped out—his pea-sized heart was thudding like crazy.
I’m definitely getting pets from Justyn when I get back, he decided, turning to make his way out the way he came.
And that’s when his gaze snagged—completely against his will.
“……”
All the cautious steps toward the exit didn’t matter anymore. His body just… moved. Drawn in.
In the far-left corner, at the very end of the line of portraits, hung a single frame—off by itself, separate from the rest. Ries found himself standing in front of it.
He shifted his eyes downward to read the name engraved beneath.
Sefiut Laufe.
He leaned in to get a closer look at the man’s face.
…And instantly froze.
Holy crap. He’s gorgeous.
The paint had faded more than the others, probably because the portrait was so old. But even with time having drained the color, it couldn’t hide the man’s looks.
This wasn’t just “handsome”—this was unnatural.
The height and definition of his nose, those sharp, sculpted features—it was like a master sculptor had carved him out of marble and someone had somehow turned that into a painting. Whoever painted this must’ve poured their entire soul into it.
But that wasn’t the only reason Ries couldn’t look away.
Those eyes… they’re just like Justyn’s.
Specifically, they were the same vivid crimson. Deep, glowing red, almost hypnotic—like they were pulling him in with some strange, unshakable force.
And just like that, a thought popped into his head.
Is that what Justyn looks like?
Ries tried to picture Justyn’s face beneath the black mask… but honestly? He couldn’t recall much. That curse had always been so overpowering, swallowing up half of his face and leaving little else to remember.
But now the curiosity wouldn’t go away.
He couldn’t stop wondering what Justyn would look like if that curse were finally lifted.
He stood there for a long time, just staring up at the portrait, thoughts spiraling.
Crap.
Like waking from a fog, Ries suddenly came to. This isn’t what I came here to do. He shook his head hard, trying to scatter the swirling thoughts from his mind.
Didn’t I say I was going to leave? he sighed, letting out a soft piyoong—a squeaky, involuntary sound that echoed a little in the quiet space.
He turned his back on the painting. Honestly, he’d be way better off going back and curling up beside Justyn than wasting time on weird, pointless daydreams.
“……”
But then, without warning—
Utterly without warning—an eerie thought took hold of him.
There was something behind him.
It wasn’t just a passing feeling—it was instinct. Pure, bone-deep intuition. He knew no one else was supposed to be here. Just one old painting on the wall behind him. And yet…
He couldn’t shake it.
Alarms blared in his brain. His fur stood on end. His breath hitched.
Something was wrong.
He didn’t want to turn around. He shouldn’t turn around.
But his body betrayed him.
Like a broken machine, Ries’s head creaked to the side.
And there—right behind him—stood something.
—Well, well.
It was… a face.
A human face.
Only… about 80% transparent.
His mind stuttered and froze. What do you call a person that see-through?
A ghost.
A… ghost?
No. No, no, no.
Was that the sound of the genre changing?!
While Ries stood frozen in horror, the ghost opened its mouth—and spoke in a chilling, whispering voice.
—You… can see me.
