Sickly? Husband's Contractual Wife

Chapter 79

“Yes, I’m just worried.”

Where on earth has this cat been roaming around?

With an injured leg, why is it still wandering so freely?

“And how is the white cat doing?”

It wasn’t Noir, but still, knowing there was another injured cat around made me feel compelled to care for it.

But even to my question, he remained silent.

Eventually, frustrated, I grabbed his sleeve and shook it.

“Yes?”

“Go see for yourself.”

Amoide gestured behind me with his chin.

“The cat has been bathed, its fur dried properly, and its leg treated.”

As I slowly turned towards the voice from behind, a familiar meowing reached my ears.

Meow.

A very familiar sound, one I’ve heard countless times, almost ingrained in my mind.

The second meow confirmed it was the sound I knew.

And then, a clinking sound.

The sound of the bell I attached.

Feeling a strange sense of unease, as Amoide had mentioned, I turned my body, and there, just like he said, was a snow-white cat nestled in the maid’s arms.

Nyah-ah-oh.

As soon as it saw my face, the cat in the maid’s arms began to squirm.

“Oh my, wait a moment.”

The lightly clawing cat wriggled out of the maid’s arms and hopped onto the floor.

Yay-oh-oh.

Then it came closer to me and started rubbing its face against my leg.

First the face, then the body, and finally, it wrapped its tail around my leg in a full circle, not forgetting a single step.

“It’s not Noir, is it?”

I murmured absentmindedly towards the cat I had never seen before, but who acted as if it knew me well.

“Yeah, it’s not Noir.”

“…Hmm.”

The soft, snow-white fur shimmered under the sunlight.

With familiar pumpkin-colored eyes gazing at me, the cat once again bumped into me.

“Even though I don’t know who you are, you don’t have a great sense of naming, do you?”

He chuckled lightly.

“Yeah.”

I muttered weakly.

“It looks like it has cataracts.”

While saying that, I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the cat rubbing against my leg.

“It’s such a unique cat, isn’t it?”

“…Stop teasing me.”

I snapped, glaring at him.

“You said you found it in the chimney. I knew it was dirty, but I never imagined it would be so… white.”

I truly had no idea. It felt like a magician had hidden a cat in a hat and performed a magic trick to change its color.

“You had never suspected it, even with those black smudges all over your hands?”

“Never.”

Since it was originally a black cat, I just thought it was dirtier due to the soot, I had no idea its fur was so white underneath.

“You generally don’t like people touching you, so it took me a while to even pet you.”

“That seems about right.”

Looking at his expression, I once again felt apologetic and struggled to find a place to divert my gaze.

“Anyway, I’m relieved you’re back. Where on earth did you go, disappearing like that…”

“There was a reason for it.”

Before I could ask him what he meant, suddenly, a strange meowing mixed in with the conversation.

Meow.

Somewhere, a very faint and tiny meow could be heard.

“A cat?”

I glanced down at Noir, who was rubbing against my leg.

Nyao-ong.

Nyao.

Similar to Noir’s, but clearly the cries of very young kittens.

And it wasn’t just one or two.

The kittens were meowing loudly, almost competing with each other.

“Where… Where are they?”

Cats. And kittens, at that.

The mother cat was probably…

“Noir, did you have kittens?”

“That’s right.”

He chuckled at my surprised expression.

“There are five of them.”

“Can I see them? Where are they?”

He pointed towards a room behind me.

I quickly opened the door and found a basket inside with squirming little creatures.

“Oh my goodness!”

There, nestled together in the basket, were kittens resembling their mother, some with spots, stripes, and even one with a black tail.

“I can’t believe it. They’re clearly…”

“I thought she had gotten fat.”

“Yes. Her belly did seem… round.”

“There was just too much fat covering them, madam.”

The maid who had bathed the cat chuckled.

“Is that so?”

My lifted corners of the mouth refused to come down easily.

The scent of milk emanated from the small kittens. As I looked at these tiny creatures, my heart fluttered.

“What a fool. If you take shelter under the chimney, the kittens could end up roasted.”

“It was considered safe there. After all, she was found there when first discovered.”

Despite being a bit dirty, it was warm, cozy, and could provide a sure hiding place away from prying eyes.

“It seems like the perfect place was chosen.”

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the baby kittens, each one gradually falling asleep after nursing.

“But… ”

Suddenly, I became worried about the future of these kittens. Where would they go when they grew up?

“… ”

Without saying a word, I heard a whispering voice above me, as if from a creator.

“Let the cats be raised in the mansion.”

“… ”

“Even if they can’t catch mice, they’ll have other tasks.”

With that, he left. It was probably to clean up his torn clothes and dirty body. And I just stood there, surrounded by cats, staring blankly at Amoide’s retreating figure.

—

Since Amoide rescued Noir and the kittens, I was engulfed in profound contemplation.

Amoide not only saved Noir but also the kittens, all at once. He even allowed them to be raised in the mansion.

How could I repay him?

I wanted to repay him with something proper. Something special, full of sincerity, and something that would make him happy beyond measure.

“What could that be?”

I racked my brains, but nothing came to mind.

He lacked nothing. Every gift I could give him could be replaced with money.

In the estate of the Iffrit Duke, there were safes filled with all kinds of treasures collected by the previous dukes, including rare books, paintings, and sculptures.

What could I give to someone who grew up surrounded by such things to truly move him?

No matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t come up with a suitable answer.

“I can’t make him a teddy bear.”

I sighed deeply, and Lorna suggested, “What about handkerchiefs? You fold them so neatly.”

“I don’t like that.”

I replied curtly.

“That’s something… you do in a special relationship.”

Rona seemed to understand my muttered remark and nodded sympathetically.

“In that case, you definitely shouldn’t give them as gifts.”

“That’s right. And you absolutely shouldn’t give anything to Robert.”

“I won’t. But… what would be good?”

“Hmm…”

Something that couldn’t be obtained from anyone else. Yet, a gift that also contained the giver’s sincerity.

“…Ah!”

Suddenly, I remembered studying cookbooks to make him something. Those books that made him blush with embarrassment when I brought them to him to interpret.

“Should I give it another try?”

—

“Madam, do you really have to go there yourself?”

Rona yawned deeply, sitting opposite me. It was already the fifth time she yawned. Understandably so, since it was much earlier than usual waking hours.

Rona sat, nodding off several times before banging her head against the carriage window and then sitting up straight, trying to stay awake.

“Of course.”

I was feeling sleepy too. I tried my best to keep my eyes wide open, warding off sleep.

“It’s something rare to find.”

“What is it?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

“Isn’t it better if I just go alone?”

“You want to send me alone?”

“I mean, what if I get cheated?”

I said firmly, and Rona, with a whimper, slumped her shoulders. There was no rebuttal, as she understood the reasoning. She knew well enough that she had a thin skin and often got excited over various rumors she heard here and there.

 

“This kind of sincerity… Master must be pleased. He’ll surely be moved when he tastes the dish you made.”

“That would be nice.”

“He definitely will.”

I hoped this early morning trip would be worth it. Please.

“But what kind of dish?”

“A fish dish.”

I spent the night searching through Jean’s cookbook, selecting and modifying recipes to suit his taste.

“He’ll definitely love it.”

“Even going to buy the ingredients yourself, that’s really…”

“Is it really unusual?”

“No, it’s truly the power of love.”

Even in her sleepy state, Rona didn’t forget to make heart shapes with her eyes.

Before we knew it, the carriage was nearing the harbor. When I opened the window, the strong smell of the sea began to waft in.

As the carriage stopped, I, along with Jean and Rona, got out of the carriage.

“Look over there, look.”

The harbor was bustling with foreign ships coming in and out.

“That’s quite… a big ship.”

Among the many ships, there was one overwhelmingly large and eye-catching vessel. It appeared to be a passenger ship due to its considerable size, and many people were boarding it.

“It looks like a ship coming from a neighboring country.”

As the ship successfully docked, passengers began pouring out, carrying their travel bags.

“Wow, look over there.”

However, in the early morning hours, fishing boats dominated the scene. It was because it was the time when fishermen sold the fish they caught overnight. As the freshness of the fish decreased over time, the prices tended to drop. Therefore, if one wanted to buy the freshest fish, it was best to visit the harbor in the early morning hours. Of course, it was a very difficult time for those not used to it. They had to resist the sweet temptation of early morning sleep and travel for over an hour by carriage from the city center.