Thank you SquishyRyo for the Ko-fi!! 💕
【 Chapter 55 】
It was a scene in which there were no words to describe it other than a sacrifice. Instead of landing gracefully like a cat, it hit the ground.
“Ugh!”
I was startled and quickly lifted the guy up.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen a cat that falls on its face rather than its paws.”
There was no bleeding, but there was a thumping sound. I slightly raised my hand to see if there was any pain in the inside, just in case.
“Can I touch it?”
However, there was no need to ask. As soon as I touched him, the boy wailed and shook his head vigorously as if he didn’t feel any pain.
“Are you telling me not to go?”
I asked carefully as I sat down.
I cautiously sat down and asked. Then the creature stood up firmly on its hind legs and placed its soft front paws on my shoulder and face.
“Nyaaa……”
It was like the mysterious turquoise-colored eyes were shimmering.
‘It seems like it wants to say something…’
If only I could speak cat language. I wish I could do that instead of just leftover magical powers from dealing with spirits. But for now, this is all I can say.
“You have very pretty eyes.”
I looked into his eyes as if possessed. However, this unusual cat did not react like a cat at this time either.
“Meow.“
Instead of turning his head, he also looked deeply into my eyes.
It was when I felt that as time went by, something seemed to be intertwined other than the gaze. The maid came in with a knock.
“My lady, the boiled egg you mentioned.”
“Yes… Leave it there.”
As if waking up from a dream, I answered with a bewildered answer, took a small teaspoon of mashed yolk, and put it out to the cat’s mouth.
“Come on, let’s eat.”
Even if external injuries can be treated with potions, eating is the way to regain energy. Initially, the cat was hesitant, but when I reassured it that it was safe, it obediently ate the yolk with great gusto, as if it hadn’t eaten in days. Then, it devoured all the boiled eggs with incredible vigor, as if it had been starving.
‘I thought you starved for three days.’
I smiled happily and stroked the back of the guy who didn’t want to get off my lap. It was so cute that it blinked its eyes slowly and yawned slightly because it was full.
No, correction.
‘This cuteness is enough to break my heart….’
However, I couldn’t keep holding it like a mother chicken.
“Don’t you think you should go back home?”
Twitch.
Even though it was obvious that its ears were flattened back, the cat pretended not to hear and just closed its eyes.
‘Ummm.’
Don’t you really understand? I asked half-doubtfully.
“You don’t want to go? Do you want to live with me?”
Then, right away, he stood up and looked at me sparklingly.
Twinkling, twinkling.
Twinkling, twinkling.
The large, moist eyes that seemed to roll down glistened, clearly hoping for something.
There would be no human being in the world to endure this appearance. At least I couldn’t be that cold-blooded.
‘Is this what it is? Is that what it is?’
In fact, the ‘Mya!’ he shouted may have meant ‘Raise me, human!’
My past life, no. I think I saved the country in my previous life.
I ask with excitement.
“All right, now you’re living with me. Got it?”
I hugged his slender honey-colored body and kissed his moist nose.
“Meow!”
If it had a sensitive personality, I might have snapped and lashed out with a broomstick right then and there. But instead, the cat stood up, nuzzled my shoulder, and gave my cheek a few licks.
‘Have you ever seen a dog-cat like this….!’
Not only that, but the cat also had a playful side to it. Until the evening, I spent time with it, naming the cat and learning more about it.
‘And you like me so much……? Is it because I treated you?’
It was almost too much to handle seeing this for the first time today, and I felt shyer around it than I do around cats. Plus, it seemed to understand my words all too well.
“Elle.”
“Meow!”
When I called its new name, it answered right away.
“What color should I use?”
I immediately picked pink when I showed some of the thread bracelets left in the drawer with the amount of string around my neck.
“Do you like this?”
I asked it to check, and it rubbed its head in my hand.
“Oh, you’re so cute.”
As I rubbed from the forehead down to the back and patted its buttocks, its long tail wagged gently. I wondered if I should try touching its tail too, but maybe it wouldn’t like it. While I was pondering, a maid came in and informed me.
“My Lady, we’re all set.”
“Ah… It’s already time to go to bed.”
I didn’t realize how time flew by with Elle around. I hung a pendant that was dangling on the bracelet Elle chose on the table.
“Now, shall we go?”
“Meow?”
As I entered the bathroom, murmuring to myself, Elle stiffened up in my arms as if it had finally sensed something ominous.
“Oh, do cats hate water?”
I was worried that it might hit something and make a thumping noise here and there if it went into the water, so I cautiously soaked one of Elle’s feet in warm water, but it continued to stiffen without any particular reaction.
‘That’s good enough…. Is it?’
“Wait here for a minute.”
With the help of the waiting maids, she took off her clothes and went into the bathtub with Elle.
“Myaaaaa.”
Suddenly, Elle, who had been covering its eyes with its front paws, began to twist its body as the water touched it. Worried that I might lose it, I hugged it tightly and whispered to comfort it.
“Shhh, you have to wash yourself clean to get into the blanket.”
As I did, its movements suddenly stopped.
But the sound of breath coming out in different colors from its slightly open mouth was not reassuring. Suddenly anxious, I desperately took off Elle’s paw, which covered its eyes.
“Elle, open your eyes. Okay?”
“Uuuugg….”
“Do your eyes hurt?”
“Kuuuugg….”
I was even more anxious because I only heard the sound of pain.
“I’ll be careful not to let the water in.”
I carefully removed the eye discharge and gently stroked it for a few minutes. Then, Elle slowly opened its eyes. But when my image was reflected in its blue eyes, it suddenly whimpered and fainted!
💧
Surprised, I ended up calling for Ramande.
Ramande’s voice, copying my words, somehow seemed to grind his teeth.
“Take a bath together…. did you…?”
“Yes, but it was very nervous and eventually fainted…..”
Ramande sighed deeply with an inexplicable expression as he looked at me, who was washing up in a hurry, roughly wiping my body and explaining.
“You, really…..”
And when he saw Elle, a deeper sigh continued.
“This is really…..”
Finally, one more time, furiously sweeping his head.
“Where the hell did you get this from?”
“Why? Is there anything strange about Elle?”
“Elle?”
“It’s its name.”
Since I decided to raise him, I put letters in common in my sisters’ names.
“Oh, my. Even its name.”
Ramande’s tone of voice was brimming with irritation.
‘Something’s not right.’
Were you even called on a date?
But it’s not even the first time I’ve called him in at night. He has never had this reaction before.
“Ramande, do you hate it?”
“I don’t like it? Whether I like it or not, this…..”
“What’s wrong with you? It’s just a cat.”
“Just a cat? What kind of cat is this? Have you see cat’s paw this big?”
Ramande lost his mind and lifted Elle’s limp feet.
“The legs are too thick to think of as kittens. Even a bunch of black fur on the end of the ear. It’s similar to lynx, but….”
It was a complex face that couldn’t be defined.
“But I don’t have any spots on his body. He has no beard, and he has a long tail.”
“Ramande, you…. know a lot about cats, don’t you?”
“It’s because you used to go crazy about wanting to raise it.”
“In the past?”
Oh. Come to think of it, this happened when I was in a temple.
There was a time when I fell in love with a stray cat who sneaked in and talked about cats day and night.
“Do you still remember that?”
Just as she thought that she was admiring Ramande’s memory as the days went by, Elle’s beard trembled and his blue eyes slowly revealed.
“Meow…?”
“Elle, are you okay?”
Elle, who was used to the stroking hand, shook its head, and as soon as it saw Ramande, it made a strange sound that was neither ‘Khiiii’ or ‘Chhiii’.
“Elle?”
I thought it was sneezing, but suddenly the collar of my robe, which Ramande spread open, was pulled tight.
“What’s the matter?”
“…..A cold wind blows.”
“It’s okay.”
However, there was no ability to withstand Ramande’s serious and fierce glare.
Hmmmm. I shrugged my neck and said.
“Eh, Elle seems to be okay too, so I’ll just sleep.”
When I lifted his heavy body and hugged him tightly, Elle buried his head in my chest as if he had been waiting.
“No way.”
Ramande raised one eyebrow and asked fiercely.
“You’re going to sleep with it?”
“Yes.”
“No. Do you know what it is and sleep with it?”
“I couldn’t just left it alone. And it’s this small.”
“Tak….”
Pfft. Ramande, who had been in a bad mood the whole time, strangely burst out a small laugh at those words.
“Still not. Come in with bug that bites on the bed.”
“Hiiiiik!”
When Elle made a sharp sound as it pulled its lips in protest, Ramande pointed out the gap.
“Look. Fangs are really long, too. I’m sure it’s a beast.”
“……”
Elle closed its mouth.
“You can’t do that, Elle. Ramande took care of you.”
I made eye contact with Elle and said firmly.
Even though Ramande was suspicious, it was very difficult to attack.
“You have to get along. Do you understand?”
Of course, I also asked Ramande.
“Elle is very smart. You can’t say bad things in front of him. Understand?”
“Indeed. He’s smart, isn’t he?”
“Then.”
“That… Are you going to take him to the north?”
“Yeah.”
Ramande, who was tapping his fingers on his forearm with his arms crossed, sighed again, suddenly hooting.
“Then you should be friends with me.”
“Really?”
“I’m telling you, how can you raise it without me?”
Ramande erased his serious expression and stroked my hair as usual.
“Wow! Did you hear that, Elle? You have to like Ramande from now on.”
But it’s too early to be happy.
“So sleep with me.”
“What?”
In the meantime, Ramande took Elle from me and stuck him by his side.
“What?! What!”
“Then, sweet dreams, Minuelle.”
And he rushed out without giving me any chance to catch him.
“Talk to me…..”
When I heard it, I relaxed and laughed. As expected, it was interesting to see Elle, who understood well, even Ramande.
“Siily, just be honest.”
💧
Thank you for reading!
