While Ries was completely lost in admiration, everyone else suddenly sprang into action as if a spell had been broken.
Case in point: the chief steward, who rushed straight to the Count.
“What in the world do you think you’re doing, Duke!”
The collapsed Count twitched slightly but showed no signs of waking. Justyn, now holding Ries again, gave the man a casual once-over.
“Looks like he passed out from high blood pressure.”
“No, your cat just—”
“Even if it jumped at him out of nowhere, that’s hardly enough to make someone faint.”
“I’m not here for word games! You owe a formal apology—”
The steward practically screamed as he blocked the Count with his body, as if protecting him. That’s when Ries took a good, long look at him.
“Oh dear. Not in great shape, is he…”
Justyn murmured openly, not bothering to lower his voice. The steward’s face turned red with rage—
“G-Gods above, this is bad. The curse must be worsening, Duke!”
Ketir’s perfectly timed backup shot deflated him instantly. The steward, who had looked ready to charge like a raging bull, turned pale and slowly backed away.
Thanks to that, Justyn was able to stroll into the mansion unbothered, leaving the chaos behind.
Oh.
Cradled in his arms, Ries rested his front paws politely on Justyn’s shoulder and curiously looked around.
He spotted the steward still yelling, Ketir brushing it all off with practiced ease, And the Count, still lying there completely out of it.
Guess that actually purified him.
The black mist that had been clinging to the Count’s body had vanished without a trace. Apparently, not just the cat punch but even a full-body headbutt could count as a purification method.
I really just tackled him out of sheer frustration…
He should keep that in mind next time. Could be handy for dealing with certain annoying types. Still…
Knocked out cold by a cat? That’s… surprisingly fragile.
Ries gave him a pitying look.
***
“Uuuugh…”
Averitt let out a long groan as he opened his eyes. It was the same ceiling he saw every morning, yet for some reason, it felt unfamiliar. That strange feeling only lasted a moment.
“ARGH!”
He screamed as pain exploded from his abdomen, hips, and the back of his head. His stomach—no, his solar plexus—hurt especially bad, like someone had slammed a fist right into him.
What the hell? Why am I in so much pain?
Despite the discomfort, he tried to figure out what was going on. Didn’t take long. His thoughts began to clear, and memories from just before he blacked out came flooding back.
That final image burned in his mind: something bright yellow charging at him like a missile—
“DAMN IT!!”
He jolted upright with a curse, his pride in tatters.
How humiliating could this get? Like owner, like beast, huh?
Grinding his teeth, he yanked the call rope in frustration. Moments later, a servant burst into the room.
“C-Count! You’re awake! Are you alright? I’ll summon the physician right away—”
“Hold it. First things first.”
Averitt pointed to the side—more specifically, at the room he was in.
“Why the hell am I here?”
That strange, unfamiliar feeling when he first woke up hadn’t been his imagination. He was supposed to be staying in the Duke’s chamber. But this was clearly a guest room.
The servant trembled as if he’d known this moment was coming.
“W-We were told to move you here by the Duke, sir…”
“What? What the hell are you talking about!”
“H-He said we needed to clear your belongings quickly to get the room ready by tomorrow, so… I-I’m truly sorry!!”
The Count’s face flushed with fury, then turned pale. The servant bowed instantly, a perfect 90-degree angle, but Averitt’s rage only continued to boil.
From the servant’s perspective, this was no different from a natural disaster. If the Duke wanted to use his own room, who could possibly stop him? With the Count unconscious, Justyn now held the highest authority in the mansion. He’d acted decisively, reclaiming the room without delay.
The only one who had tried to stand in his way was the chief steward…
“I don’t see the problem, sir. The Duke is simply using the room that was originally his.”
“But someone else has been staying there. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to wait and discuss things properly once the Count has recovered—”
“So what, you want to drag a sick man out of bed just to put him back to work? My word. That’s a truly appalling way to treat your superior. Your sense of empathy is downright tragic.”
“Wh-When did I ever say that?! Don’t twist my words!”
“Ah, don’t worry. As your ever-considerate subordinate, I’ll speak for you instead. From the looks of it, the Count has lost weight since the last time we met. Clearly, it’s from overwork and an irregular diet. You really should take this chance to rest properly.”
“Excuse me? The Count hasn’t lost a single pound recently—No, enough with the nonsense! And this is all your fault he collapsed in the first place!”
“Our fault? Please be mindful of your language. I might have to report this to the Duke. Unless, of course, you’re hoping for a private one-on-one with him? I won’t stop you.”
“Grrgh…!”
Thrown off by Ketir’s smooth deflection, the steward was too slow to react. Not that Averitt cared about any of this in the slightest—and even if he’d known, he wouldn’t have forgiven it anyway.
Averitt immediately bellowed,
“Bring him to me! I don’t care what excuse you use—just drag him in front of me!”
“Um… well…”
“Damn it, what now?!”
“He says he’s not feeling well… He’s shut himself in his room. Sh-Should I go fetch him?”
“……”
The mouth that had just been spewing rage suddenly went quiet. The servant stole a quick glance at his expression.
“…Get out of my sight. Useless fool.”
“M-My apologies! I’ll go call the physician ri—”
“I SAID GET OUT! I don’t need anything from you!!”
The servant barely escaped with his life after the Count’s furious roar. Left alone, Averitt could do nothing but let his anger boil over, hurling everything within reach in a fit of rage.
But even then, he didn’t dare go to Justyn himself. If he said he wasn’t feeling well, that meant the curse had worsened. Watching that bastard writhe in agony would’ve been a satisfying sight, sure…
But the thought that Justyn might touch him—or that they’d be breathing the same air—was repulsive enough to root Averitt to the spot.
It was fear imprinted in his blood.
When he first heard Justyn had returned, all he felt was revulsion.
What, coming home to crawl into his own grave?
According to the family records, those afflicted by the curse rarely lived past their early thirties. But in every case, the symptoms had appeared just before their tenth birthday or in their early teens.
Justyn, on the other hand, had been cursed from birth. Which meant his condition should’ve been so advanced that it was a miracle he was still alive.
So Averitt had assumed he’d given up on treatment, come back to quietly wait for death. But when they finally met face-to-face…
Justyn was full of life—shockingly so—and more than that, he’d changed.
Averitt bit his nails anxiously. The man who used to let everything slide had suddenly started calling him out on every little thing, completely throwing him off.
“Damn it. At this rate, I’m going to get kicked out.”
His position at the top of House Laufe had only been possible because Justyn didn’t care to take it back. But if the Duke really was reclaiming his rightful place, Averitt would have no choice but to step down.
“No. No, no, no… You think I’m just going to roll over and let that happen?”
He yanked the call rope again. First, he had to figure out how far along the curse had progressed. Only after that would he get to the bottom of what caused this sudden change.
***
Rain beat hard against the windows. Just a few minutes ago, the sky had been a brilliant blue. Now, it was buried beneath thick, brooding clouds.
As a child, he’d found this kind of weather enchanting. But as he grew older, he came to understand—it was nothing more than one of the many headaches that plagued the Duchy.
Justyn sat at the edge of the bed, while Ries, who’d been watching the rain from the window, hopped down and curled up in his lap.
“Ries.”
He’d already let everyone know he wasn’t feeling well. That meant no more uninvited guests for the time being.
Purr… Purr…
The steady, rhythmic vibration of Ries’s purring filled the quiet room. Justyn closed his eyes.
