“I don’t know if I should be saying this, but I thought the Duke would hole himself up in that dark, gloomy mansion for the rest of his life. Even last time, when I summoned you, it was your first time leaving the estate in months, wasn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“For you to make this kind of choice… Ah, of course, I support your decision. It would’ve been even better if you’d told me in advance!”
“I’ll try to do that.”
Ries flapped his ears hard, looking thoroughly grumpy. Even after they parted ways with the group from the temple, the conversation continued in much the same fashion—meaning only one of them was talking.
Why does he talk so much?
Surely he should be running out of topics by now. And yet, the Crown Prince showed no signs of stopping—as if he had a bottomless bag of stories. In more ways than one, he was a remarkable man.
Some might say Justyn, responding to the Prince’s endless chatter with nothing but curt replies, had nerves of steel himself…
But who was Ries? He was Justyn’s one and only feline companion—the sole being to share the greatest secret of his life. No matter who the opponent was, Ries would never blame his master. In other words, he was a deeply biased cat.
Even as the conversation dragged on, Justyn continued to walk the Crown Prince through the Duke’s estate. Despite having claimed he’d give him a tour, he hadn’t introduced a single part of the mansion.
After encountering about four servants who turned ghost-pale and bowed at ninety-degree angles, Justyn finally flung open the door to a room in a quiet, deserted corridor.
Sunlight poured through cracked curtains, glinting across a leather sofa and a polished hardwood desk—a space well-suited for a short conversation.
Justyn gestured for the Crown Prince to enter.
“Please, make yourself comfortable.”
“Didn’t you say you’d be giving me a tour of the mansion?”
“I know you came here to talk.”
“Oh dear, you caught me.”
The Crown Prince’s sulky expression vanished in an instant. He stretched his lips into a grin and settled easily onto the wide sofa.
Justyn sat across from him, and Ries took his place within view of the Prince. But something didn’t quite sit right.
He came here to talk?
When did that signal ever get exchanged? Just as Ries tilted his head, an unenthusiastic voice came from across the room.
“Well, I suppose this is the result I wanted, but you’re as cold as ever, Duke. I truly did want that tour.”
“……”
“Can you imagine? A personal tour by Duke Laufe himself—noblemen across the Empire would be lining up for the privilege!”
The man joked effortlessly, like someone who’d done this many times before. But Justyn remained unfazed—his silence pressing down like a wordless command: Get to the point already.
“You won’t even humor me with a single word. You’re no fun… Oh well.”
The Crown Prince gave a theatrical shrug, then began rummaging through his clothes as if he’d packed something special. …What was that smell?
Ries twitched his nose, sniffing vigorously to find the source of the delicious aroma. His pupils dilated as his eyes locked onto the man across from him. The Crown Prince smiled and pulled something out of his coat.
“The moment I heard the Duke was raising a cat, I had this prepared. I harassed our chef endlessly before leaving—the poor man went through hell.”
A sealed container and a neatly designed dish appeared from the Prince’s hands. One after another, the unexpected items were placed before them, completing the setup.
He opened the lid and poured the contents into the small dish. By now, Ries’s nostrils were flaring wide.
“…Ries?”
“……”
Justyn noticed the change, but it was already too late. Despite the soft call, Ries’s attention was utterly consumed. His little feline head whipped around, burning with desire.
I want it… No, I mean, still—
The scent, like nothing he’d ever experienced before, gnawed mercilessly at his reason. To eat, or not to eat—that was the battle. Caught between ravenous hunger and deep suspicion, Ries wavered again and again until—
“Here. I brought this just for you, so go ahead and enjoy it.”
The sight of that elegant hand offering him the dish shattered what little reason he had left.
“MnyaaaAAAWng!!”
Before Justyn could react, Ries launched himself toward the Crown Prince—or more accurately, the dish he was holding.
He buried his face into the smooth bowl and started eating with single-minded intensity.
“Chup chup chup.”
With every lick, a rich, savory flavor burst across his tongue. It was like the very essence of fish had been condensed into one perfect form, with not a hint of fishiness—only a mind-numbing depth of umami.
Oh—ohhhh…!
Ries was sure of it: even as a human, he’d never tasted anything like this. It wasn’t just good—it was a whole different species of flavor.
“Oong nya nyaa nyak oong aang.”
From the cat engrossed in devouring his meal came strange noises—part hum, part purr. Hearing it up close, the Crown Prince’s lips twitched with amusement.
“Well now… that’s an adorable sound. No wonder you’re so fond of him.”
It sounded like a compliment, but for once, Justyn had no reply. His dazed gaze remained fixed on his cat’s plump little backside.
The Crown Prince turned to him.
“Duke? Don’t tell me you’re worried about your pet?”
“……”
“Ha! I never imagined you’d be the fretful type! No need to worry. I can assure you there’s nothing questionable in the food—I’d stake the Imperial Family’s name on it.”
Even so, Justyn stayed silent.
It wasn’t until Ries’s pink tongue began scraping the bottom of the dish that he finally snapped out of it, eyes sharpening as he turned to the Prince.
“…The recipe.”
“What?”
“The recipe. What is it?”
“……”
The Prince’s ever-composed face wavered in rare confusion. He blinked a few times at the sight of Justyn’s deadly serious expression, then burst into laughter.
“Pffwahahaha!”
It was a raucous, undignified laugh—one that would’ve sent his attendants into a panic had they witnessed it. But here, no one stopped him. And so, he laughed. Heartily. For the first time in ages.
***
Ries stared at the now-empty dish.
“Aeng…”
His fluffy little face reflected back from the gleaming white bottom of the bowl. With a groan, he shut his eyes tightly.
He and Justyn had shared so much already. He’d promised—promised—to preserve his dignity as a human being. But here he was again, betraying that resolve to follow his instincts.
Still… that smell was cheating.
It wasn’t fair. Especially not when he was in a cat’s body with a hyper-sensitive nose, and it just happened to be around feeding time. How was he supposed to resist that?!
In the end, Ries had devoured a divine snack, snapped back to his senses only after the Prince’s loud laughter and Justyn’s sudden question about the recipe. The embarrassment came later.
“I’ll ask the chef to prepare more. Next time, I’ll make sure you get some.”
“……”
Justyn actually got the recipe from the Crown Prince. A mystery scrap of paper, now carefully inscribed with ingredients, was folded and tucked into his coat like a sacred relic.
Ries buried his face in the floor.
Meanwhile, the Crown Prince, finally recovering from his fit of laughter, looked at Justyn with newfound reflection.
“…You’ve changed a lot.”
“Thank you for pointing that out.”
“Indeed. This—this right here. I never thought I’d see the day you’d thank someone so readily.”
His gaze slowly drifted to the cat who was now covering his face with both front paws. Seeing him so embarrassed, the Crown Prince let out a quiet chuckle.
“Hm. Come to think of it, our little feline friend doesn’t know my name yet. I’m Harrison von Astot, Crown Prince of the Empire. And you are?”
“…?”
The next words accidentally saved Ries from his overwhelming shame. Blinking in confusion, he stared at what was suddenly being offered to him— a huge hand, easily large enough to cup his entire face.
Yes. The damn Prince was holding out his hand for a handshake—while introducing himself to a cat.
He wants… to shake hands? With me?
And yet, instincts forged long ago betrayed his logic. He reflexively placed his paw into the man’s palm— and got gently shaken up and down.
A real handshake.
A handshake. Between a Crown Prince and a cat. No matter who heard it, they’d think it was a joke.
“Ries.”
“Oh, what a cute name. It suits you. I never knew the Duke had such a knack for naming.”
Meanwhile, the two humans calmly exchanged introductions, leaving one shell-shocked feline behind.
Their conversation drifted on gently—until…
“Well, I must say, I’m delighted with the enthusiastic reception. It makes all the effort worthwhile. I think I’ve shown enough sincerity—don’t you agree, Duke?”
“I’m listening.”
“Ah, I like how quick on the uptake you are.”
Just like that, the tone shifted.
Ries knew, instinctively—this was it. They were finally about to learn why the Crown Prince had come to the Duke’s estate.
Golden eyes, gleaming like molten metal, curved into a faint smile as they fixed on Justyn.
“I heard something quite intriguing from the capital.”
The Prince leaned back comfortably on the sofa as he began.
“There’s talk of a man. Brazen enough to break into a noble’s mansion, and spreading wild stories—like something out of a fairy tale—claiming that impossible things actually exist.”
“……”
“Everyone dismissed him as mad, but I uncovered something fascinating in his past. Do you know what it was?”
His gaze slowly swept the room, until it landed—on Ries.
“Just a few months ago, he visited House Laufe’s townhouse. And he was there… to treat the Duke’s pet.”
