Chapter 21
That aide would surely be by the Grand Duke’s side for life. Of course, the aide’s opinion wasn’t asked, but since the Grand Duke had decided so, it was certain to be that way.
If that was the case, wouldn’t it be better for the aide to know that the Grand Duke was a were-animal, like the former head butler who lost his life when Reinke fell?
The direct lineage of the Reinke family, a cat were-animal clan, all had strong identities as cats. As a result, they were often indifferent to human affairs and overlooked many things without much thought. To compensate for this, they shared secrets with certain retainers, having them pay attention to complex human matters and assist with the cat Grand Duke’s daily life.
These were the ones known as ‘head butlers.’
It was tradition for the Reinke family’s head butlers to know the Grand Duke’s secret alone and pass it on to their successors during the handover. However, due to the calamity that struck Reinke a few years ago, the former head butler died suddenly, cutting off both the secret and the task of assisting the cat Grand Duke’s life.
Although no major problems had occurred because of this yet, it was about time to fill that position… The aide, who had excellent abilities in assisting cats, would surely perform that task admirably as well.
And in addition to that…
There would be the added benefit of the aide, who had found the human Grand Duke difficult, realizing that he was actually the cat they had been comfortably showing affection to, and becoming more comfortable with the human Grand Duke as well.
The Grand Duke looked at the aide, lost in some unknown thoughts. How would that pale fellow react upon learning that the cat he slept with every night was the human Grand Duke?
The aide liked both the cat Grand Duke and the human Grand Duke very much. Then, if he learned that the cat was the human Grand Duke…
‘It’s like adding something good to something good.’
In the Grand Duke’s mind, the cat-like calculation of ‘good thing + good thing = very good thing’ was completed. Imagining the aide rejoicing so much he’d run around the territory three times upon learning the truth—though that would be too much for that weakling’s stamina—the Grand Duke felt satisfied.
The Grand Duke decided to reveal the truth to the aide.
Cats never postponed what they had decided, and the Grand Duke immediately transformed into his human form.
* * *
It was the first time Ruan heard the bell signaling a monster attack.
The time he had possessed was during spring, when Reinke was at its most peaceful. The bell ringing after so long signaled the end of that peace.
Although it was the first time Ruan actually heard this alarm that he would hear countless times from now on, he knew exactly what it meant. After all, the first thing the people of Daen made sure to remind the youngest, who had lost not only his memories but even basic common sense, was Reinke’s warning system.
‘When the bell rings twice in succession…’
It meant the situation could be handled by the knights, so there was no need for Ruan, who wasn’t a knight, to do anything. This was one of the milder situations among the alarms routinely heard in Reinke, but… for Ruan, who was hearing such an alarm for the first time, it was impossible not to be tense.
Instantly, countless worries began to fill Ruan’s mind.
‘If the situation were to worsen…’
It would have been a problem even if he were alone, but Ruan had dependents. His gaze fell on the massive ball of fur that had been sprawled out carelessly until just moments ago.
The fur ball had suddenly stood up, perhaps startled by the sudden loud noise.
Cats are naturally sensitive animals. Although Ruan had never experienced it himself, he had often heard stories about how difficult it could be to evacuate when cats hide during disaster situations. And Reinke was a place where disaster situations occurred routinely.
‘Should I prepare a disaster evacuation kit for cats and conduct evacuation drills just in case?’
While Ruan was thinking practical thoughts like how big a laundry net would need to be for that giant cat to fit in, as he’d heard they were good for evacuations…
Perhaps because he was in the middle of thinking realistically.
He couldn’t properly comprehend what was happening right before his eyes without any warning.
No, he perceived it, but he couldn’t understand it.
So, the scene of the massive ball of fur wriggling on the bed suddenly becoming a naked Northern Grand Duke as big as a door was imprinted on Ruan’s retina…
But the brain refused to process the information received through the optic nerve.
However, the brain’s strike was forcibly terminated soon. This was because the naked Grand Duke, whom Ruan had hoped was just an image mistakenly transmitted due to a temporary error in his optic nerve, began to move.
‘What is this.’
The naked Grand Duke, having descended from the bed, began to approach Ruan.
‘What on earth is going on?’
At the sudden approach of a naked man, and his workplace superior at that, Ruan unconsciously stepped back.
The Grand Duke stared at Ruan like that.
Having lived as the Grand Duke cat’s butler for a while and closely observed the Grand Duke cat’s joys and sorrows, Ruan could detect the Grand Duke cat’s displeasure even in this confusing situation where he didn’t know what was what and couldn’t comprehend what he had seen.
Faced with this familiar and realistic element amidst all the unreality, Ruan regained his ability to speak. He opened his mouth carefully, as if thinking his utterance might have some physical impact on the situation.
“Your… Grace? How did you get here…?”
It was a question denying the situation he had witnessed and demanding an explanation that might make sense, even if such a thing might not be possible. And this fantasy world betrayed Ruan’s expectations, as it always did.
The lips of the Northern Grand Duke, who looked exactly like the Northern Grand Duke, parted and…
“Because I’m a cat.”
…a sound that seemed like it would deal critical damage to Ruan, who had low resistance to such things, came out.
‘But…’
It was a fact, even though it felt like hearing something he shouldn’t have when said in that way with that face. After all, Ruan was well aware of the fact that the Grand Duke had become a cat person. It was surprising that the Grand Duke himself was aware of it, but…
‘He looks so nonchalant that I thought he definitely wouldn’t know…’
How could a person be so unfazed knowing they had become a cat?
That aside, what was important now was… why the Grand Duke had appeared, naked no less, in place of Ruan’s giant fluffy cat.
Ruan cautiously asked.
“Your Grace. Do you happen to know where the black cat that was on my bed until just now… has gone?”
The Grand Duke, for some reason looking a bit triumphant at that question, said:
“That cat is me.”
My little… well, not little, but precious, fluffy, and soft Blackie and the Grand Duke…
What?
Hoping that his auditory cells had malfunctioned, Ruan asked again.
“…Pardon?”
Then the Grand Duke, as if confirming the well-being of Ruan’s auditory cells, repeated with precise pronunciation.
“I said I’m that cat from earlier.”
He even added one more sentence, as if to deliver a killing blow.
“The cat that sleeps with you every night, I mean.”
As Ruan was in shock,
Dong- Dong- Dong-
The bell rang once again.
“Hmm. I should go.”
The Grand Duke, looking in the direction of the bell sound, said this and then began to stride towards the door.
Ruan, whose vision had narrowed due to the series of intense situations, only then remembered. That the Grand Duke had been naked all this time.
“Your Grace! Please wait a moment!”
Ruan, who couldn’t let the Grand Duke wander around naked regardless of what the situation was, quickly pulled a blanket to cover the Grand Duke’s body.
“Like this, go to your room and put on some clothes…”
Before he could finish saying to go out after dressing, the Grand Duke, who had been looking down at the blanket Ruan had tightly wrapped around his body…
Suddenly crumpled down.
“…Your Grace?”
Ruan looked at the spot where the Grand Duke, who had been nearly 2 meters tall until just a moment ago, had been standing. There was… only a pile of blankets left on the floor, having lost its large support.
‘What on earth is happening…’
Ruan, who had witnessed the Grand Duke disappearing before his eyes amidst all the confusion, absently reached out to the pile of blankets.
And just before Ruan’s trembling hand touched the blanket, the pile of blankets moved with a twitch.
“Your Grace?”
As the startled Ruan quickly lifted the blanket…
The familiar black cat was looking up at Ruan.
“Cat…?”
At Ruan’s usual call, the cat narrowed its eyes, wrapped its lush tail around Ruan’s trembling wrist, and then brushed past as if stroking him.
Ruan blankly watched the back of the cat as it trudged towards the door. He watched until the cat suddenly raised its body, opened the door with its front paws, and then neatly closed the door as it left.
“What… on earth is this…”
* * *
The Grand Duke…
Seemed to be a cat.
