Chapter 12
“Do you have something to say?”
“The cat’s badly hurt. How are we going to treat it?”
I was momentarily at a loss for words at the obvious question. We couldn’t exactly call a veterinarian in the middle of the night. Fortunately, the cat didn’t seem to be in a critical condition.
I turned my head and stared quietly at Mikhail. Somehow, I had the feeling that he could easily handle treating a cat.
“You can treat it, right?”
“It’s not difficult.”
“Wow! Thank you, Sister!”
At Mikhail’s answer, Jeremiah ran over and threw himself into my arms.
…Mikhail’s the one who said he’d treat it, so why are you running to me?
I swallowed the words I wanted to say and mechanically patted Jeremiah’s back.
Davina, who was watching him with envy, suddenly wrapped her arms around my waist.
“Pat my back too.”
Well, I have two hands, so I can pat two people.
I moved my arms without enthusiasm, keeping my blank gaze fixed on Mikhail. It was a silent plea for help.
But Mikhail just ignored my SOS and gazed up at the full moon.
“Turns out there was no one there.”
“Yeah. Instead of a person, there was a cat.”
“Where do you think the person went?”
“Didn’t you say it might not have happened today, Sister?”
The children, standing a little distance away, chatted as they watched the cat being treated.
Thankfully, it didn’t even cross their minds that the person in the dream and the cat could be the same.
“Not everything in dreams comes true exactly. Let’s just say the three of us all had strange dreams.”
“Okay! Let’s go with that.”
“But… shouldn’t we still go out next time there’s a full moon?”
At Jeremiah’s worried question, my body gave a little twitch.
What a good kid. True, the boy in the dream did seem pitiful.
“Let’s talk about it when the time comes.”
I trailed off, thinking their interest and memory wouldn’t last long anyway. Jeremiah nodded reluctantly.
“Hey, look at Mikhail. He’s really good, isn’t he?”
In the meantime, Mikhail, moving with precise, confident hands like he was showing off some hidden skill, wrapped a bandage neatly around the cat’s leg.
Even the way he flicked the syringe tip and smoothly inserted the needle reminded me of a seasoned nurse with ten years of experience.
“When did you learn to do all this?”
“It’s a basic skill required of a Valienor butler.”
“What other ‘basic skills’ are there?”
Might as well list them—sounds useful.
“Handling all kinds of blades like knives and axes, managing various substances like sedatives and nutrients, and tending to nails and claws in all ways. Additionally, I hold seven imperial chef certifications, four sewing certifications, and, as a bonus, I can knit.”
“…Impressive.”
Though I’m pretty sure there were some odd skills mixed in there, it’s still impressive.
Mikhail tapped the cat’s rump twice before slowly withdrawing the needle. The cat remained limp and unmoving.
“The treatment is complete. It has a bit of a fever, but it’s not in serious condition. It should open its eyes within a day or two.”
“Good work. Go home and rest now—you’ve been working until dawn.”
“Yes, My Lady. I’m glad the cat’s in good condition.”
“Yeah. Guess it wasn’t as serious as it looked.”
In the dream, it was said to be a deadly poison. Could it be that, just like in the original story, it had already died once and revived as a cat, so the fatal injuries were already healed?
Foggy fragments of information about the male lead from the original work filled my mind—details I hadn’t looked into before, since I’d been focused on the Valienors.
The original male lead: Rishar Eldrian.
Crown Prince of the Eldrian Empire, legitimate heir born of the late Empress.
The Emperor favored the First Prince, Ricardo, son of the First Empress, over Rishar. A bloody succession struggle was inevitable.
In the original story, the struggle ended on Rishar’s 23rd birthday.
He was falsely accused of attempting to assassinate the First Empress, deposed, and eventually murdered by an assassin.
It was then that the Eldrian royal family’s long-legendary “Blessing of Reuman” activated:
“Just once, I shall give my soul to save an Eldrian child from death. That child will become the hero who saves Eldrian in its time of crisis.”
When Reuman’s blood, sealed in the royal pendant, touched Rishar’s dead body, he transformed into… a cat.
He should have turned into Reuman himself, but because the blessing had weakened over time, he became a cat instead.
A plain black cat, with nothing of the “beast” in it.
“…Haah.”
Damn it. How did it get so tangled?
The Rishar I saw in my dream had definitely been running from assassins.
And he turned into a cat nine years earlier than in the original.
The Empress had only recently died, so the First Empress’s faction shouldn’t be that strong yet…
To send assassins already? That’s bold.
While I was deep in thought, my siblings had crept right up to the cat.
“This is the first time I’ve seen a cat this close.”
“No it’s not. You’ve seen one with me.”
“When? I don’t remember.”
“When you were three. What, are you an idiot for not remembering?”
“Sis! He called me an idiot!”
“Sister, she once called me a moron too!”
“When did I do that?!”
“You said it in front of Sister last time!”
“…Oh, right.”
“See? I told you.”
“You two—…”
Before I could tell them to shut it, they clamped their mouths shut. Very satisfying. Training was paying off.
“Enough fighting. Save it for tomorrow.”
“Yes, Sister.”
“Okay, Sis.”
Most parents would give some textbook lecture like, “Don’t call your brother stupid!” or “Apologize to your sister!”, but as a seasoned eldest daughter, I knew that sort of thing was useless.
If they’re going to fight anyway, might as well be this harmless about it.
In my past life, my siblings used to throw dog poop at each other—not metaphorically. They’d save up the neighbor’s dog Happy’s dried droppings to use as weapons.
“Cat poop—no, let’s just name the cat. It’d be a disaster if it wakes up and we don’t have a name.”
“A name? What should we call it?”
Jeremiah’s fair cheeks flushed with anticipation.
If he found out the stray cat he picked up was actually a person, he’d be shocked.
Davina, pretending to think, blurted out a name without hesitation.
“It’s all black, so… Blackie?”
…Well, at least she didn’t say “Black-ass.”
Jeremiah, on the other hand, had clearly put too much thought into his choice.
“With its sleek, glossy black fur, I sense a noble aura. How about Igspheltopetaronium?”
…If he were born in Korea, he’d definitely have a trail of embarrassing nicknames on social media.
“Both rejected. Davina, think a bit deeper, and Jeremiah, pick something easy to say.”
The two stared intently at the cat, mumbling nonstop.
“Sis, what about Kkami?”
“Sister, how about Nyanguardium Nebiursa?”
“Let’s think some more. I’ll think too.”
I thought about common names like Naby or Coco, then shook my head. I wanted something meaningful.
Since the Crown Prince’s original name was Rishar…
“Let’s just go with Liri. Liri Valienor.”
My naming sense made both siblings pout. Neither looked thrilled.
“Hmph… it’s better than the one Brother came up with.”
“It’s better than the one Davina thought of…”
“Then Liri it is. Now, go to your rooms and sleep. The sun’s about to rise.”
“Yes, Sister. Goodnight, Liri.”
“Can’t I sleep with you, Sis?”
“People are supposed to sleep separately.”
Having exhausted most of my energy since dawn, I shooed my siblings out of the room. The sky outside was already growing pale—it was almost sunrise.
I didn’t care about anything else. I was dead tired.
I picked up the softly sleeping cat, blanket and all, and carried it to the bed.
I closed the white bed curtains and looked in from outside. The dark little lump was just barely visible, but hard to recognize as a cat.
“…Whew. Now I’m really going to sleep.”
I collapsed onto the bed, burying my face in the pillow. What a ridiculously long dawn it had been.
“Cat!”
I woke with a start to find the sun high in the sky.
I could’ve sworn I’d fallen asleep with the cat by my pillow, but now it was by my feet.
Having such a huge bed all to myself had ruined my sleeping habits. Tossing and rolling across the mattress like I was swimming had become second nature.
“I didn’t kick you, did I…?”
I approached and gently stroked the cat. The feeling of its unusually soft fur was strangely addictive.
It still had a slight fever, but its breathing was calm. It looked like it could open its eyes at any moment.
“Hmm, you are kind of cute. Having fur this soft should be illegal.”
At my muttered comment, the cat’s body gave a sudden twitch.
