IPBPBD 04

Chapter 04

Damn Rosy.
Emilina muttered a low curse.

It didn’t seem like Yang would eat something like this. But Rosy had shoved the sack into her arms, insisting she just trust him.

Because of his overconfident attitude, Emilina couldn’t bring herself to punch him again.

Just in case.

After all, this was the world inside a novel, where even absurd things could be possible.

That’s why, even on her way home, Emilina agonized over it several times.

She had heard of cats catching mice, but eating them? That was hard to believe.

Yet going back empty-handed—she didn’t have the face to see Yang.

She had bragged that she would bring him a snack, and it was difficult to assume on her own that he wouldn’t eat it.

Maybe, just maybe, he would enjoy it.

After going back and forth half a dozen times, Emilina finally arrived home.

“Yang, I’m back.”

At her voice, Yang—who had been curled up—pricked up his ears and lifted his head.

He came running under her legs and mewed, “Kya-ung.”

From the look of him, he must have been waiting all this time.

Emilina stroked his back once and set him on her lap.

“Yang, I brought you a snack.”

“Kya-ung?”

“My friend said you’d really love this.”

“Kyaong!”

Yang tilted his head with sparkling eyes, as if asking, What kind of treat did you prepare?

Taking a deep breath, Emilina opened the sack. She placed it in front of him and said,

“They told me you like mice, so I brought this.”

“Don’t hold back, you can eat it,” she murmured softly.

“Gya… ah?”

But Yang only flinched and didn’t make a move to eat.

His golden eyes trembled rapidly—it looked like he was terribly startled.

Rosy had said Yang might be wary of the smell, so it would be better to take it out and give it directly.

But Emilina didn’t have the courage for that, so she tried urging him instead.

“Yang, why aren’t you eating? They said it’s your favorite.”

But Yang only shivered, showing no sign of wanting to eat.

Instead, he buried his head between his front paws as if pretending not to hear.

Even when Emilina asked again, Yang went so far as to cover his ears with his paws.

As if saying, I don’t want to hear this anymore.

Emilina blinked in puzzlement at his stubborn refusal—then suddenly realized something.

“…Could it be, you don’t want to eat this?”

Nod, nod.

At last, Yang lifted his head and bobbed it up and down.

His eyes trembled faintly—he looked terribly shaken.

No, more than that—shocked. Almost as if saying, How could you even think of giving me this?

Feeling guilty, Emilina quickly pushed the sack out of sight.

And then she clenched her teeth, thinking of that damn Rosy.

That bastard—there are limits to jokes!

She gently patted Yang’s trembling back and made a vow in her heart.

She would definitely make that bastard pay.

Tock, tock, tock.

A man tapped his fingertips against the desk and spoke in a low voice.

“So, you failed?”

At his thorny question, the young man standing before him bowed his head.

“I’m sorry.”

“Where did you lose him?”

“He vanished somewhere in the northern forest.”

The northern forest, of all places.

The man clicked his tongue with a troubled expression.

Blood will tell, after all. It seemed the boy had heard something from his mother.

“Find him. Find him and kill him without fail. We must eliminate him before he awakens.”

“Yes, sir.”

At the merciless order, the youth bent his knees in a bow.

When the youth left the room, another man emerged from the shadows.

He was the only one the master allowed at his side—his most capable subordinate.

“A useless brat,” the newcomer remarked.

“You didn’t expect it to be easy from the start, did you?”

“Even so, finish this quickly. Lately, Rockbell’s eyes have been… unusual.”

“The old butler of the ducal house?”

“With his years, his intuition is sharp. I think he suspects me.”

“Oh? That’s quite some intuition.”

“Is this the time to admire it?”

“Either way, once you seize control of the ducal house, won’t he be someone you’ll discard?”

With a low chuckle, the man dismissed it as trivial.

The first man’s name was Royden Monteiro.

He was the younger brother and retainer of the late Duke Ditrio, who had died two years prior. And he was plotting the assassination of his nephew, Kirzen.

The day he was denied succession because he wasn’t the firstborn—and forced to take another surname—his ambition had begun.

“You’re right, but the filthier one’s past, the more flies gather. Take care of it before it becomes troublesome.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The subordinate bowed solemnly.

Royden waved him away.

As the man was about to leave, Royden added as if recalling something.

“And don’t forget to take care of him once it’s done.”

“A shame. George was a fairly competent pawn.”

When the subordinate muttered regretfully, Royden narrowed his eyes.

“You mean to spare him?”

“Of course not. Dangerous secrets should remain a secret only between two people. That’s what makes them beautiful.”

The subordinate shrugged with a cheerful tone.

Royden liked that answer—it amused him greatly, and he laughed heartily.

That was why he kept the man close.

In Royden’s life, there was no room for noise or loose ends.

That was why he never hesitated to kill.

When the subordinate excused himself again, Royden did not stop him.

Business was concluded—now each had to fulfill his duty.

Leaning back in his luxurious leather chair, Royden reflected.

If his brother hadn’t married a woman of low birth, things would never have come to this.

With a twisted smile, he thought of his nephew, Kirzen Ditrio, tainted with commoner’s blood.

Once that brat was gone, the Ditrio duchy would finally be perfect.

“Yang, are you hungry?”

Before bed, while Emilina was reading, she felt a vibration on her lap and looked down.

Yang, embarrassed, was licking his left paw as if pretending nothing happened.

“Are you hungry?”

Shake, shake.

“Liar. I can hear it right now.”

As if to respond, a loud growl, grumble came from his belly, making her laugh.

Yang’s stomach was always honest.

Maybe it was because he was growing—but even though she’d given him plenty of dinner, he still seemed hungry.

Smiling at how much he ate, Emilina carried him to the kitchen.

There weren’t any snacks, so she decided to make a late-night meal instead.

As it happened, the dough she had prepared with paya fruit was perfectly fermented.

A pancake experiment would be just right.

“Wait a little. I’ll make you something delicious.”

“Gyao?”

“Remember when we first met? That white, sweet fruit. I made this dough with the leftover pulp.”

Usually, after scooping out a paya fruit, the remains were mashed and pressed for oil.

Paya oil had many uses.

But the leftover pulp after pressing was too dry and crumbly to eat, so people either fed it to animals or threw it away.

Emilina had thought that was such a waste.

With a little creativity, it could be made into something tasty instead of discarded.

After some trial and error, she discovered that if she didn’t press all the oil out and mashed it carefully, the texture wasn’t so crumbly.

After two failed attempts, she finally got it right.

By adding milk and eggs, she had made a proper dough.

Now it was just time to taste it.

She heated the iron pan and poured the fermented dough onto it.

Chiii—

The sizzling sound and sweet aroma made her nose tickle.

The smell was so mouthwatering that she unconsciously swallowed.

Yang seemed the same—sitting neatly by the pan, staring blankly at the cooking batter.

When bubbles rose on the surface, Emilina flipped it deftly.

The golden-brown top was perfectly cooked, looking delicious.

She cooked the rest of the dough the same way and stacked the pieces into a proper pancake tower.

“Alright. Time to eat.”

“Kya-ung!”

Yang bobbed his head eagerly, smacking his lips.

He even thumped his tail on the floor in excitement.

Emilina served him a portion on a plate and set it before him.

Yang grabbed a pancake as big as his face and chewed thoughtfully.

Emilina cut herself a bite-sized piece and put it in her mouth too.

Thanks to the paya fruit’s natural flavor, sweetness spread across her tongue and melted away smoothly.

It was better than expected.

She took a few more bites, then glanced at Yang.

He was eating heartily, clearly enjoying it.

Seeing that, Emilina’s face lit up with a satisfied smile.