Chapter 5
I couldn’t make sense of the situation, so I just stared blankly at the piece of meat for a moment.
The Duke of Redmond was personally cutting his own steak and feeding it to his pet cat with a fork. Did something that absurd just happen?
‘Well, no. I can’t understand this man anyway.’
I quickly accepted it and bit into the meat Artyph held out for me.
The moment I chewed, the rich aroma of the beef burst across my mouth, and my eyes flew wide open.
The instant I swallowed, a hunger so intense it was unbearable swept over me.
“Meow!”
I urged him on with shining eyes, and Artyph cut another small piece and held it out.
I snatched it up at once. The tender meat melted away in my mouth, gone in an instant.
“Meow!”
“Eat slowly.”
Like a mother bird feeding her chick, Artyph diligently placed the meat into my mouth.
“Cough!”
“Didn’t I tell you to eat slowly?”
Chiding me, Artyph gently stroked my back and tilted his own glass of water toward me.
Breakfast, which took twice as long as usual, finally ended, and Artyph went straight to his office.
Charlize returned to Artyph’s bedroom.
‘Today I have to get to the library. Why is he tagging along?’
Allen was sniffling as he looked down at his scratched hand. He’d hurt himself trying to carry Charlize.
“Shasha, you’re so mean.”
Allen pouted and mumbled.
“They say pets resemble their owners, but why did you have to take after his bad temper along with his handsome face?”
Charlize narrowed her eyes into sharp little triangles and glared at Allen.
“Tch, no use glaring at me like that with those cute eyes. Fine, fine, if you let me blow on it, I’ll forgive you just this once.”
Allen, who found the cat’s round blue eyes nothing but adorable, flitted over toward Charlize, who had perched on the sofa.
Charlize squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away, as though unable to bear watching.
“Haha, Shasha. You like me better than the Duke, don’t you? Who’d you rather live with— that cold, scary Duke, or warm, intelligent me?”
Allen plopped to his knees on the floor, bringing his face level with Shasha, who sat on the sofa.
—Ugh, why are you shoving your face in mine?
“Come on, Shasha, don’t leave me~”
Charlize leapt away to another spot.
Everyone in Redmond’s household was peculiar in their own way.
“Hmph. So heartless. But you’re just too cute!”
Allen was about to chase after Shasha again when someone knocked on the door.
“Advisor. The veterinarian has arrived.”
Shasha’s ears perked up.
“Show him in.”
Allen stood up, putting on a solemn air, and soon the veterinarian entered.
“Welcome. I am Allen Bendingk, aide to the Duke of Redmond.”
“A pleasure. I’m Joffrey Part, a veterinarian.”
The two exchanged brief pleasantries before getting to the point.
Unlike coachmen, many veterinarians came from noble families. They had to study veterinary medicine at the Academy, and in truth, their main work wasn’t treatment but research.
“Please, this way.”
Still playing the role of the Duke’s aide, Allen led Joffrey to the very spot where he had just been crawling around.
Both Allen’s and Joffrey’s steps carried them straight toward Shasha.
‘No……!’
Charlize sprang down from the sofa in alarm.
If the vet examined her, he might notice she wasn’t an ordinary cat. Even if he didn’t, her unusual fur color would surely draw attention.
“Shasha!”
Looking for a place no human hand could reach, Charlize spotted the large bed and darted underneath without hesitation. There was plenty of dust, but she didn’t care.
‘He’ll pay Artyph to buy me.’
A man of research would never pass up the chance to study a curious cat.
“Shasha, no!”
Allen immediately ducked his head under the bed and stretched out his hand.
“Wait!”
Joffrey quickly cried out, stopping him.
“Yes? What’s wrong?”
“The little one seems frightened and is hiding. Forcing her out will only scare her more.”
With a kindly smile, Joffrey explained patiently.
“Animals are very perceptive. She probably sensed who I was and ran.”
He rummaged confidently through his bag as though he had a foolproof plan.
“You have to treat them as you would a child. If a child fears the doctor, it’s better to coax them gently than to drag them in.”
“But… is a cat even a creature you can coax? Don’t they just pretend when it suits them?”
“Oh, you know them well?”
“I have a cat myself. He does whatever he pleases. But Shasha seems especially prickly. Do cats’ looks and temperaments usually run opposite?”
That bastard Allen.
Charlize silently cursed from under the bed but didn’t move.
“Haha, you may have a point, but even their aloofness is part of their charm. Anyway, don’t worry. I have just the thing.”
Joffrey, with a triumphant flourish, pulled something from his bag. Inside a small glass jar was a peach-colored purée.
“What’s that?”
At Allen’s innocent curiosity, Joffrey smirked.
“This is a cat treat I developed myself. For now, I call it ‘Churup.’ With this, even the proudest cat is easy to lure out.”
He presented “Churup” with the air of a mad researcher basking in his own genius.
“Ohh, really?”
Allen resolved to buy as much of it as possible, even with his own money.
Puffed up by Allen’s enthusiasm, Joffrey continued,
“Come, Shasha. This is delicious.”
He unscrewed the lid, scooped a spoonful, and held it out.
But Charlize only shrank further into the corner.
“…Shasha? It’s really tasty. Just one little lick.”
—…
When there was no reaction, Joffrey’s eyes shook with disbelief.
“Strange. I’ve never seen a cat resist Churup before.”
Allen quietly slipped his wallet back into his pocket.
“Then we’ll have to get her out by force.”
Lowering himself to the ground, Joffrey reached under the bed.
He disliked using strength on a frightened animal, but if she avoided treatment out of fear, she might only suffer more.
“Come here, Shasha.”
From opposite sides of the bed, Allen and Joffrey stretched their hands beneath.
Shasha positioned herself dead center, narrowly avoiding both.
“Phew… clever girl. If she had darted out, we’d have caught her immediately.”
Still kneeling, Allen and Joffrey raised their heads slightly to peer at each other across the bed.
“So what now? The Duke brought her in from outside. We really must check her health.”
“What! She’s been in His Grace’s chambers without an exam?” Joffrey gasped in horror.
“She was only brought in yesterday, so she hasn’t been with him long.”
“Even so, animals carry many germs. And since Shasha grew up outside, she almost certainly has health issues.”
In the darkness under the bed, Charlize shuddered at their words.
“This is serious. I must advise His Grace to have his personal physician examine him at once.”
Fear gripped her. If the Duke’s health suffered, a mere cat like her would be dealt with easily.
Even if Artyph seemed fine now, if she refused to be examined, she’d eventually be cast out.
‘If I leave here, can I really survive long enough to return to being human…?’
No matter how she tried to deny it, the answer was obvious.
Where would she find food and shelter? And other animals could threaten her too.
Finding a way to be human again would be nearly impossible—survival itself would be a struggle.
“Well then, I’ll begin the exam while you… Shasha?”
As Joffrey spoke gravely, Shasha emerged from beneath the bed, looking downcast.
Somehow, her tiny shoulders seemed to sag with resignation.
