What did Justyn ever do wrong? All he did was sit quietly and receive treatment!
Sure, the mansion’s atmosphere was eerie, and maybe someone might’ve flinched at the sight of his bare face. But that didn’t give anyone the right to slander him.
You don’t know anything…!
Living in this tiny body must’ve dulled his thinking. There was no other explanation for why he was this furious.
Ries glared at Diana, seething. The voice in his head egged him on—wouldn’t it feel so damn good to bolt over and smack her, even just once?
But he didn’t act on it.
“……!”
Black mist. From his low vantage point, Ries spotted something impossible to forget—bold and unmistakable, invading his vision.
Diana—wrapped in a thick shroud of pitch-black mist.
There was no time to think. The treatment was over. If he hesitated now, she’d disappear.
Ries bolted like a shot.
“KYAAAAAA!!”
Her reaction was immediate—intense. Diana screamed like her soul had jumped out of her body, as if that sudden flash of white had nearly killed her on the spot.
Even Justyn flinched in surprise. Not because Ries had leapt out from under him, but because Diana’s scream had been that loud.
She only noticed the small cat after the parlor door opened and closed once.
Outside, the Holy Knight who’d come with her was protesting, but Diana ignored him completely.
“Strawberry!!”
She half-rose, eyes shimmering with tears, hands clenched tightly in her skirt. Her entire posture radiated desperate emotion.
That was the face of someone who’d longed for this reunion—pure, tearful joy. Her pale fingertips reached out, like she couldn’t wait to embrace him.
Ries immediately twisted away, dodging her hand. Her face visibly fell, joy draining away. But Ries didn’t care.
Ugh.
He recoiled inside.
That cursed black mass stuck to her face was even more repulsive than before. Like a yawning hole had replaced her features.
Even if it wasn’t there, he still wouldn’t have let her touch him. Justyn’s feelings mattered a hundred times more.
But Diana didn’t give up with one rejection. She took a shaky breath and spoke with forced optimism.
“It’s just because it’s been so long, right? I—I missed you so much. I thought you ran away because of me… Even Chesif’s been so worried about you.”
Ries scoffed coldly. Diana might believe that, but that guy? Please. When he heard Ries had run off, he probably celebrated in secret.
He probably threw a little party for himself—finally rid of the ‘nuisance’ that vanished on his own.
“After you disappeared, I searched for you for a while. I only stopped because I thought there was no hope… Won’t you come back with me? Chesif would be so happy to see you!”
She kept going, spilling hopeful words like she couldn’t stop. But the more Ries listened, the more buried memories started surfacing.
The days he’d spent with her were among the few good ones at the Marquess’s estate. He had even felt genuinely grateful back then.
But that’s where it ended.
If she had paid even a little more attention, she might’ve noticed something wrong with Chesif’s behavior.
If she’d looked a little closer, she might have realized that the cat she adored so much had been living in something close to abuse.
But Diana hadn’t.
Her love and affection were only ever for what was right in front of her. She never looked past that. That’s why Ries had never counted on her.
Time passed. And now—today—Ries had someone else.
Someone more dependable, gentler than anyone else in the world… and sometimes even adorably awkward.
More importantly, the one thing that mattered most—
You dare insult Justyn?
He remembered every word they’d whispered behind Justyn’s back. The two of them had made quite the pair.
And now, after traveling with someone openly hostile toward him, Diana had the nerve to try and take Ries away—without even acknowledging the person standing right there?
Whatever sympathy Ries might have had for her was officially gone. He scoffed and hopped into Justyn’s lap.
“Ah…”
Only then did Diana seem to realize Justyn had been sitting there the whole time. The glow on her face faded into chalk-white dread.
The hilarious part? Justyn looked just as pale. Without his mask, every emotion showed clearly.
…Wait. Why is Master…?
The hand stroking his back was trembling—so much so that it made Ries worry. When he focused, he could even hear Justyn’s breath, tight and shaky with anxiety.
Ries froze.
No way…
After everything we’ve been through, did you really think I’d just run off with her?
Seriously?
If Ries had been in his human form instead of a cat, he wouldn’t have held back. He would’ve demanded an answer right then and there. And if the reply had been “yes”? Well, let’s just say Diana better have braced herself—for a fistful of collar and a whole lot of fury.
Justyn, completely unaware of the crisis he’d narrowly dodged, remained oblivious to how close things had come to blowing up.
Meanwhile, Diana—
“Y-Your Grace! Please… please let me take Strawberry with me! I’m begging you!”
She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself as she shouted with dramatic desperation. Ries blinked in disbelief.
Where had the girl who was supposedly shaking in fear of Justyn gone? Should he feel grateful she managed to push through that fear to make a request?
“No.”
The answer came without hesitation. Justyn’s expression was carved from ice as he delivered his cold refusal—without so much as sparing her a glance.
“And his name isn’t ‘Strawberry.’ It’s Ries.”
“Th-That can’t be…! But! But Strawberry was the cat the Marquess and I raised together!”
Her voice rose, unintentionally loud. Realizing it, Diana froze, glancing around nervously.
“I-I’m grateful you took care of him when he went missing, but now that he’s found his rightful owner, I think he should come home with me. That’s where he belongs.”
She got the words out, though her voice shook the whole time.
The Marquess.
At that word, Justyn’s brows twisted into a deep scowl. The weight behind his glare doubled, and Diana instinctively shrank back.
Still seated, Justyn reached down and gently stroked Ries, who was calmly kneading his lap like nothing had happened. That small act seemed to steady him, and with no hesitation left, he moved.
He picked up his mask, slipped it back on, and exhaled sharply—like he’d been holding back something barely restrained. His voice that followed was filtered, cold, and final.
“He’s my family. I’m not handing him over. And if you speak of Ries like he’s just some object ever again…”
He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to. Diana collapsed on the spot, knees buckling beneath her. The message was clear.
Watching all this, Ries felt a quiet, deep satisfaction.
Yeah. That’s how it should be.
Say it with your chest. Say I’m yours. Say I’m family. That moment of doubt, that flicker of hurt from earlier—it vanished without a trace.
In its place… Ries flicked his gaze toward Diana and observed her carefully.
The black mist coiling around her was worse now. Denser than before. What had clung only to her face was now spilling over her shoulders.
He’d meant to just watch for a bit longer—but forget that. He narrowed his eyes, locked onto the swirling black, and began calculating his leap.
His feline instincts took over. His hindquarters wiggled as he readied to pounce. By the time Justyn noticed something was off, it was already too late.
“Myaaaork—!!”
With a fierce cry, Ries launched like a cannonball.
His target? Diana’s—well, head.
He raised a paw, ready to slap her straight on—but in a last-second flicker of mercy, he redirected the strike. The mist had reached her shoulder anyway. Close enough.
He swung, claws in, but with all his strength.
“Kyah!”
Diana didn’t even know what hit her. She shrieked instinctively, then blinked in confusion a second later, trying to process what had just happened.
Her expression shifted slowly. Realization dawned—she’d just been smacked by a cat.
Meanwhile, Ries was already back in Justyn’s lap like nothing had happened.
Justyn, catching on in an instant, calmly stated:
“He says no.”
Ries’s jaw dropped slightly.
No, he wasn’t imagining it—there was definitely the faintest trace of amusement in Justyn’s voice.
Yup. That was a smirk.
And definitely a mocking one.
