The ticklish sensation, the gentle pleasure, and even the faint twinge of embarrassment—it was all bearable. What mattered most was Justyn’s mood.
He said he was grateful I helped him return home.
Ries remembered the look in Justyn’s eyes as he met his gaze and offered thanks. That voice, that air about him—it lingered, impossible to forget.
Yet when Justyn spoke about his hometown, he hadn’t looked the least bit happy. That contrast tugged at Ries’s heart, stirring sympathy and quiet sorrow.
Of course.
Justyn had lived in near isolation even back at the mansion in the capital. Beneath that solitude lay years upon years of people’s fear and hatred, deeply ingrained.
Why would it be any different in his hometown? Still, a thought kept bothering him.
Why would he choose to go back to the ducal lands?
It wasn’t as if he had any good memories there. The curiosity gnawed at him so much, it made him want to pry into Justyn’s mind and see for himself.
“Thank you,” Justyn murmured.
Whether he knew what Ries was thinking or not, his hands kept moving without pause. Judging by the softness in his voice, his mood had clearly improved.
And the moment Ries realized that, sleep began to take him like magic. Justyn’s touch had always been that way—tender, like he was handling something precious and beloved. It melted away all tension, body and soul.
That wasn’t just a feeling; it was fact. Not long after, Ries was fast asleep, mouth hanging open.
“……”
Yet Justyn couldn’t look away. Through the small, parted mouth, a peek of pink tongue showed.
Watching him like that, he’d sometimes let out a small laugh without meaning to. It was unfamiliar… but slowly becoming something he was getting used to.
He gently tapped one of the whiskers. Ries’s closed eyelids twitched. Once those eyes opened, he’d see the cool gray irises he adored—like the shade beneath a tree on a hot summer day.
Yes. Just like that night.
That night under the full moon… when the world had sunk into darkness and those eyes had glimmered like stars.
Justyn let out a quiet breath and closed his own eyes.
…I promised I wouldn’t get greedy.
Whatever Ries wanted—no matter what it was—he would give it to him. Justyn reaffirmed his resolve, never stopping the gentle strokes of his hand.
Meanwhile, in the forgotten corner of the carriage, a fish—long left behind—was now forced to listen to the monologue of its descendant.
Ugh. What a frustrating kid.
It sighed inwardly.
Still, since it was the heartfelt wish of its beloved but painfully naive descendant, it would keep listening without protest.
***
There are times like that—when your eyes snap open for no reason at all.
When had he even fallen asleep? Ries blinked slowly. Judging by the red glow of sunset filtering through the silk curtains, quite a bit of time must’ve passed.
Everything else was just as it had been before he dozed off. Justyn still sat upright, Ketir was still fast asleep like the dead, and the carriage was wrapped in silence.
And yet, Ries’s heart pounded violently. His tail puffed up, fur standing on end.
“…Ries?”
Sensing the shift in his arms, Justyn stirred as if waking from a light nap—but Ries was too overwhelmed to pay attention.
His body refused to stay still. Eventually, he squirmed out of Justyn’s embrace and began pacing back and forth across the sofa, frantic. He had to figure out what was eating away at him, gnawing at his mind.
Justyn’s gaze darted nervously, unsure where to look. He bent forward, posture forgotten, and called out anxiously.
“Ries, what’s wrong? Is the carriage too cramped? Do you need to relieve yourself? Or maybe… you stayed in one position too long and your leg’s gone numb? If you’re hurt anywhere, please—no, just cry out once. Please?”
His voice tumbled out in panic. Some of the guesses were so ridiculous it made Ries want to roll his eyes, but surprisingly, it helped. The pressure in his chest eased just a little.
“Mrrrowww.”
He shook his head, trying to reassure him. And when he saw Justyn finally sigh in relief—
That’s it.
This dreadful emotion that had hijacked all his senses—
Anxiety.
A wave of unexplainable nervousness and dread tightened around his chest. He wasn’t panicking anymore, but his heart still beat like a war drum in his ears.
But now that his mind had cleared, he could finally pinpoint it. Ries whipped around and trotted toward the curtained window.
“Meowrk! Meow!”
Scratch, scratch. He began clawing at the area around the window, completely forgetting his earlier promise not to ruin anything expensive.
The source of this unease—it was beyond the window. Something outside the carriage was stirring it.
Justyn watched him in silence for a moment, then knocked twice on the wall behind him, toward the coachman’s seat.
The carriage came to a gentle stop. The ride had been so smooth, Ries hadn’t even realized it was moving—but now that it had halted, he could feel the shift.
He turned toward Justyn, who had been behind him—and froze.
Justyn’s crimson eyes, usually calm and contemplative, had turned cold, like they’d been doused in ice water.
Ries’s breath caught in his throat.
Even though he knew that look wasn’t aimed at him, the sheer weight behind it sent a chill down his spine. Justyn’s gaze carried a pressure that made his whole body lock up.
“I’ll be back in a moment.”
“…Mrrrow? Nyaa? Nyaaang!”
“It’s dangerous outside. Don’t follow me.”
With that, Justyn flung the door open and stepped out. The unexpected boldness of his movement left Ries too stunned to react—until the door slammed shut behind him.
H-He just left like that?
Sure, he was the one who’d panicked first. He was also the one who’d made it obvious something was wrong. But that didn’t mean he wanted Justyn to walk into danger alone.
I need to go after him.
As his bonded companion, he couldn’t just dump the responsibility on his master and do nothing. Narrowing his eyes, Ries stared at the closed door.
If he used the sofa as a launching point, he could jump and grab the handle. He was just about to move when—
“Stop. We’ll only get in the way.”
A pale hand appeared out of nowhere and blocked his path—Ketir’s hand.
“Mrrrow?”
When did he wake up? No—more importantly—
“Meeowww!”
Why was he stopping him? What did he mean by “get in the way”?
But sometimes, tangled knots unravel on their own. For Ries, this was one of those moments.
KYAAAAAH!!
GUH-HK!!
AAARGH!!
Screams suddenly erupted from outside. Some were shrill and panicked, others raw with pain. Some sounded like the final cries of someone breathing their last.
Ries’s fur, which had just settled, bristled again.
These weren’t just panicked shrieks. They were screams soaked in terror—and suddenly, the dread Ries had felt earlier sharpened into something much darker.
Justyn…?
Was one of those screams his?
The thought alone made him sick. Sitting here, trapped in this boxed-in carriage, was unbearable. He had to get out there. He had to know Justyn was safe.
“Tch.”
But he didn’t make it far.
Ketir, who had moved with shocking speed for someone who’d just been asleep, blocked him completely, holding him back with stiff, unyielding arms.
Ries flared his claws, ready to slash—
“……”
—but stopped short.
He slowly lowered his paw.
It wasn’t that he agreed with Ketir. It wasn’t surrender. It was instinct. Even if he got outside, there was nothing he could do. His tail drooped. His body sagged.
Maybe noticing the change, Ketir cleared his throat and spoke in a softer tone.
“You don’t need to worry about the Duke. He anticipated something like this before we even left. We’ve taken all the necessary precautions.”
“……”
“It’d be ridiculous to think he could lose in a fight—ow, hey!”
Fight?
Did he just say fight!?
It felt like a lightning strike out of nowhere. Ries’s claws sprang out again, and Ketir flinched. His arms, which had started to ease up, quickly tightened around Ries again—clearly afraid he might try to bolt.
But instead, Ries went limp. So limp, in fact, he nearly slid out of Ketir’s grip entirely, like water slipping through someone’s fingers.
Even Ketir looked briefly stunned.
Yeah. He’s right. I’d only get in the way.
What could he do out there? At best, he’d run. At worst, he’d be taken hostage. And the worst-case scenario… he’d die.
Whoever was outside wasn’t here with good intentions. No one like that would show mercy to a small, annoying animal.
So Ries stayed still and waited—for the chaos to pass.
Whether that was lucky or unlucky, it didn’t take long.
The metallic clashes eventually ceased. The screams died down. Only muffled murmurs remained, and those clearly belonged to the servants who had traveled with them.
