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Chapter 5
I couldn’t make sense of the situation, so I just stared blankly at the piece of meat.
The Duke of Redmond was cutting up his own steak, sticking a piece on his fork, and feeding it to his pet cat. Was this really happening?
‘Well… whatever. I was never going to understand this man anyway.’
Accepting that much, I opened my mouth and took the meat Artipe offered. The moment I bit into it, the rich flavor of beef spread across my tongue, and my eyes widened.
The moment I swallowed, hunger surged through me, impossible to resist.
“Meow!”
With sparkling eyes, I urged him for more. Artipe skewered another neatly cut piece of meat and held it out.
I gulped it down without hesitation. The soft meat melted in my mouth and disappeared in an instant.
“Meow!”
“Eat slowly.”
Artipe fed me piece by piece, as patiently as a mother bird feeding her chick.
“Keck!”
“Didn’t I tell you to eat slowly?”
Chiding me, Artipe gently rubbed my back, then tilted his own glass of water toward me to drink.
The morning meal took twice as long as usual, and once it ended, Artipe left straight for his office.
Charlize returned to Artipe’s bedroom.
‘I really need to sneak into the library today… so why is he following me?’
Allen was sulking, staring at the scratch marks on his hands—the result of trying to carry her.
“Shasha, that was mean.”
He pouted.
“They say pets take after their masters. Figures you’d inherit the Duke’s good looks and terrible personality.”
Charlize glared at him with slanted eyes.
“Tsk, glaring at me like that won’t work. Hmm, fine. If I blow on it and make it better, I’ll forgive you this once.”
Allen, completely charmed by the cat’s big, round blue eyes, bounced toward Charlize, who was sitting on the sofa.
Disgusted, Charlize squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head.
“Come on, Shasha. Wouldn’t you rather live with me? Who’d want to be stuck with a cold, scary Duke when you could live with a warm, intelligent man like me?”
Allen even dropped to his knees on the floor so his eyes were level with hers.
“Ugh, get your face out of mine!”
“Eh~? Shasha, don’t leave me~”
Charlize leapt away in disgust.
Truly, everyone in the Redmond household was eccentric.
“Heeeng. So cold. But still—you’re too cute!”
Allen was about to chase after her again when a knock came at the door.
“Sir, the veterinarian has arrived.”
Shasha’s ears perked up.
“Let him in.”
Allen straightened up, pretending to be serious, as the vet entered.
“Welcome. I am Allen Bendingk, aide to Duke Redmond.”
“An honor. I am Joffrey Part, veterinarian.”
After brief pleasantries, they got down to business.
Unlike coachmen, many veterinarians came from noble families. They studied veterinary science at the Academy, but in truth, their main work was not treating animals, but research.
“This way, please.”
Allen led Joffrey to where Shasha was.
But both pairs of footsteps drew straight toward Charlize.
‘No…!’
Charlize darted down from the sofa.
If a vet examined her, he might notice she wasn’t an ordinary cat. Even if he didn’t, her unusual silver fur would draw unwanted attention.
“Ah—Shasha!”
Looking around desperately for a hiding place, she spotted the enormous bed and crawled underneath without hesitation. Dust clung to her fur, but she didn’t care.
‘If he finds me unusual, he’ll try to buy me off Artipe for research.’
There was no way a man devoted to animal studies would ignore a peculiar cat like her.
“Shasha! Don’t!”
Allen crouched down, reaching under the bed to drag her out—
“Wait!”
Joffrey quickly stopped him.
“What is it?”
“She seems frightened and hiding. Forcing her out will only scare her more.”
He explained kindly, with a reassuring smile.
“Animals are very perceptive. I think she knows who I am and is hiding from me.”
Joffrey rummaged confidently through his bag.
“You have to treat animals as you would children. Forcing them into treatment is worse than coaxing them gently.”
“But… is a cat really coaxable? Don’t they just pretend when it suits them?”
“Oh? You know your stuff.”
“I raise a cat myself. He does whatever he pleases. But Shasha seems even more temperamental than mine. Do cats’ looks and personalities always run opposite?”
That damned Allen.
Even while he insulted her outright, Charlize stayed perfectly still beneath the bed.
“Haha, maybe so—but isn’t even their haughtiness cute? Anyway, no need to worry. I have a method.”
With a theatrical tada!, Joffrey pulled out a small glass jar of apricot-colored puree.
“What’s that?”
Allen blinked innocently. Joffrey smirked.
“This is a cat treat I developed myself. For now, I call it ‘Churup.’ With this, even the haughtiest cats can’t resist.”
Proudly, he displayed his creation like a mad inventor admiring his own genius.
“Ohh, really?”
Allen was already resolved to buy as much of it as possible, even out of his own pocket.
Encouraged by Allen’s enthusiasm, Joffrey scooped up a spoonful and called gently:
“Here, Shasha. This is very tasty.”
He held the spoon toward the bed.
But Charlize only shrank back further into the shadows.
“…Shasha? Just a little taste?”
[… Silence.]
No response. Joffrey’s eyes shook violently.
“This is strange. I’ve never seen a cat refuse Churup.”
Allen quietly slipped his wallet back into his pocket.
“Then we’ll just have to bring her out by force.”
Joffrey crouched and reached under the bed.
He disliked using force with frightened animals, but if Shasha had an illness, leaving her untreated would be worse.
“Come now, Shasha.”
From either side of the bed, both men stretched out their hands.
Charlize darted to the very center, just beyond their reach, eluding them both.
“…Ha. Clever girl. If she had tried to run out, we would’ve caught her immediately.”
Allen and Joffrey lifted their heads, peeking at each other across the bed.
“What now? The Duke insists she be checked for illness.”
“What? She’s been living in His Grace’s chamber without an examination?”
Joffrey gasped.
“She was only brought in yesterday, so it hasn’t been long.”
“Still, animals carry many germs. Especially a stray—she’s bound to have health problems.”
Hearing that, Charlize trembled in the shadows.
“This is serious. I’ll have to recommend His Grace see a physician at once.”
Fear seized her. If the Duke’s health were endangered, what value would a mere cat have? He could dispose of her without a thought.
Even if nothing happened now, if she refused to be examined, she’d surely be thrown out.
‘If I’m cast out, could I even survive long enough to return to human form…?’
She didn’t need to answer. The truth was obvious.
How would she find shelter or food? What if other animals attacked? Surviving alone would be hard enough—finding a way to become human again nearly impossible.
“Well, then I’ll begin the examination while you—Shasha?”
In the middle of Joffrey’s grave words, Shasha finally crept out from under the bed, shoulders slumped.
Even as a cat, she somehow looked… defeated.
