I had no idea what to do in my human form. Just as I was racking my brain, Isaac stood up and spoke.
“I think I’ll take a walk before work. Want to join me?”
“Yes!” I quickly followed him, knowing his affection point would probably drop if I didn’t.
As we quietly strolled through the garden, the silence felt especially heavy today. We hadn’t spoken much to begin with, but today, the atmosphere felt unusually chilly. I really missed being a cat…
“Meow?”
Just then, a cat poked its head out from behind the bushes. It was the same ginger cat I had seen before.
“Meow!”
“Meooow!”
Wait, there wasn’t just one today? There were now three cats gathered.
Isaac looked puzzled. “Why are there so many?”
“Maybe because we’ve been feeding them. I think they brought more along…”
I nervously glanced at Isaac, worried he might decide to chase them away. He frowned slightly, as if it was troublesome, and then spoke.
“Go to the kitchen and get more food.”
“For Master…?”
“No. For the cats.”
Wait, he’s really going to feed them?
I stood there, surprised, and Isaac looked at me questioningly. “Is there a problem?”
“N-No! I’ll go get it right away!” I hurried to the kitchen to fetch the cat food.
When I returned to the garden with the basket, Isaac was sitting on a bench a little farther away. He gestured for me to go ahead.
The cats hadn’t left yet, so I filled a bowl with food, and they began eating right away. Watching them eat like that made me feel oddly satisfied. As I observed, I sensed Isaac slowly approaching from behind.
“… They’re eating well.”
“They must’ve been hungry.”
Isaac gazed at the cats with a curious expression.
I whispered softly. “Master, won’t more cats show up if we keep feeding them like this? Is that okay with you?”
“Why?”
“Because we might run out of food, and they’ll keep coming to where they’re fed…”
“Then we’ll feed them if they’re hungry.” He said this quietly as he watched the cats. “It must have been tough for you living on the streets, too.”
Hearing him say that made something tug at my heart.
As I stood there, one of the cats finished eating and started rubbing its face against my hand. It was probably because I had given them food. Even though Isaac was the one who ordered it, the cats seemed to ignore him. That made me feel a little guilty.
I picked up one of the cats, gently holding its paw, and waved it toward Isaac. “Come on, let’s say thank you for the delicious food.” I bowed with the cat as if we were both thanking him.
Isaac gave me a curious look.
Why is he looking at me like that? I was about to let the cat go, feeling embarrassed, when Isaac suddenly smiled.
[Isaac’s affection has increased by 10]
[Current Isaac’s affection: 44]
Huh? I’m not sure why, but it worked…!
As I stared at him while still holding the cat, Isaac spoke.
“I don’t understand why you go out of your way to do things like this, even though you dislike me.”
“I don’t dislike you!”
I was scared of him, but I didn’t dislike him. However, Isaac didn’t seem convinced.
“Then why did you leave me yesterday and go off on your own?”
“That’s because…”
I couldn’t tell him it was because I was going to turn back into a cat… I hesitated and then gave a vague excuse.
“I was just really worried about my lover since he was hurt. I wanted to be alone with him.”
Isaac’s expression shifted slightly as if he was pondering something. After a moment, he asked quietly, “What do you like about him?”
Sigh. I didn’t expect him to ask something like this. Suppressing the urge to sigh, I answered. “Um, he’s kind and caring.”
“So you’re saying I’m neither kind nor caring?”
I didn’t understand why he was asking this, but I felt like I needed to say something to make him feel better.
“No, you’re kind and caring too, Master.”
“That’s it?”
What else does he want me to say?
As I hesitated, Isaac looked straight at me and asked, “What about something you don’t like?”
His current behavior… But how could I say that out loud? Plus, the thing I disliked most was the fact that he had killed me once before… Still, I had a feeling he wouldn’t let me leave without an answer.
After thinking it over, I finally said, “…Sometimes you can be a little scary.”
“When?”
“Like when you saved me before… You were a bit harsh with the other person. It was a little frightening…”
I wanted to mention the time when I was a cat, but that wasn’t possible… Still, the context was similar. When he allowed the doppelgänger to attack people while trying to protect me, I felt the same fear.
Isaac listened to my explanation and then, looking somewhat confused, said, “Even though I was trying to save you?”
“Yes…”
Isaac looked like he didn’t fully understand, but he nodded. “Got it. I’ll be more careful. Anything else?”
“No, that’s it. I like everything else.”
“…Really?”
[Isaac’s affection has increased by 6]
[Current Isaac’s affection: 50]
It seemed like my answer pleased him as his affection point went up again.
Isaac stepped closer and whispered, “Alright. Then don’t avoid me anymore. I’ll make sure there’s nothing for you to be afraid of.”
The way his voice softly brushed my ear made me shiver a little.
As he started walking back toward the mansion, I hurried after him, leaving the cat behind.
Is this really the Isaac I know? I can’t believe he said something like that… I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but I didn’t feel bad. In fact, my heart was fluttering slightly. Though I didn’t understand why.
* * *
Night had come. I had been summoned back to the Dias mansion, sitting quietly on the sofa in the study.
Sigh, it’s been a while since I’ve been here… After four days, the Dias mansion looked the same as ever. But Isaac wasn’t here. He should’ve been here with me, but it seemed like he wasn’t coming tonight. Should I be glad about that or not?
In the past, I would have been happy because it was easier to save money when Isaac wasn’t around… But lately, I found myself disappointed not seeing him. I even missed the way he used to pet me.
No, snap out of it! This is no time to be thinking about getting petted.
The third floor had been unlocked, so I had to get moving.
“Meow!”
First, I needed to find the grand duke and fulfill his second request, as well as hide the clues on the third floor.
I didn’t know how much progress the others had made in the past four days… I needed to hurry.
I decided to start by searching for the grand duke—Raphael—and hiding anything related to Isaac. I’d also need to check in on Lian. But it seemed like I was the only one summoned tonight.
As I carefully wandered around the third floor, I noticed a door slightly ajar.
…Sigh. Right, there’s a clue about Isaac in there. I should take care of this quickly.
I took a deep breath and stepped inside. The room contained a collection of bisque dolls. Each doll was about the size of a real baby, and there weren’t just a few of them—there were dozens. Each one was delicate and pretty, but seeing them all together like this was rather creepy. The dolls were all facing the wall, their backs turned as if hiding from someone’s gaze.
I hesitated, then cautiously took a step into the room. At that moment, all the dolls turned their heads to look at me. Their heads had twisted in the opposite direction, and they stared at me with their eerie eyes. Then, the sound of their teeth clicking began to fill the room.
[We need to find the seeker!]
[The game of hide-and-seek begins!]
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DOLLS 😭