Leonard asked in a sharp voice. Then, the veterinarian bowed his head and opened his mouth.
“No matter how much I listen with a stethoscope, only one heart beats. It’s strange for only one heart to beat even after an injury. Feline humanoids need two hearts to survive.”
“……In what sense is it strange? What exactly are you trying to say? Don’t beat around the bush and just give me the conclusion.”
Instinctively, Leonard felt uneasy. Because of that, he had no patience to calmly wait for the veterinarian’s roundabout words. He felt like a lit fuse, ready to explode at any moment.
“It’s just a hypothesis. I don’t know for certain about feline humanoids either. So…… please don’t take it too seriously…….”
“I told you to just give me the conclusion.”
“S-Sorry! It might be…… that the lifespan is shortening.”
For a moment, it felt as if the world had stopped. Leonard couldn’t say anything and just stared at the veterinarian. Then, without realizing it, he glanced at Yellian. Yellian was sleeping, breathing with his chest rising and falling steadily.
“Say that again.”
“W-Well…… it’s just a hypothesis. Since only one heart is beating despite the injury, which is fatal for a feline humanoid…… the current state can’t be considered normal by any means.”
“So…….”
He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence, ‘Does that mean the lifespan is shortening?’ In his confusion, he didn’t know what to say. Uncharacteristically, he clenched and unclenched his fists, repeatedly opening and closing his mouth.
“I’m truly sorry for saying this……. As I said before, it’s not certain…….”
“The lifespan shortening…… does it mean what I think it means? ……Is he dying?”
The veterinarian apologized, but Leonard didn’t have the composure to listen to him until the end. At Leonard’s words, the veterinarian, not knowing what to do, eventually spoke up.
“I’m sorry…….”
Unable to bring himself to say that Yellian was dying, he wore a guilty expression.
It felt like the whole world was collapsing. Everything seemed to be breaking and shattering. Yet Leonard tried to maintain at least a semblance of calm.
“Then tell me a treatment method. There must be some way, right?”
“W-Well……. It’s impossible to make a stopped heart beat again. It’s the same for humans…….”
“Damn it!”
It felt like the rationality he had barely held onto was snapping. Leonard even forgot that Yellian was sleeping and cursed loudly. Only because Yellian was nearby could he barely suppress the urge to destroy everything.
“Tell me a method, whatever it is! Tell me a treatment! I can do anything! I have as much money as needed. So…….”
“I’m truly sorry…….”
It felt like all strength drained from him. Leonard realized from the veterinarian’s apology that there really was no solution.
The veterinarian had told him everything he knew, and among that, there was no means to resolve this situation. Leonard felt like crying out of the overwhelming despair.
Leonard looked at Yellian. Behind the peacefully sleeping Yellian, the entire world seemed to be crumbling.
* * *
“……Leonard, Leonard!”
Waking up from sleep, Yellian first called out for Leonard. He couldn’t tell if the last time he saw him was a dream or reality.
Soon, upon spotting him, Yellian felt happy and involuntarily started purring.
“Leonard, are you asleep?”
Leonard, lying next to him, gave no response. His eyes were tightly shut.
Since seeing him asleep was quite rare, Yellian moved closer to Leonard’s face and admired the sleeping Leonard.
Thanks to his long eyelashes, there was a shadow around his eyes. His high nose bridge and deep eye sockets contrasted, making his already sharp features appear even more distinct. His tightly closed lips also looked quite pleasing.
“Geumdong is…… over there. That’s a relief.”
Geumdong was sleeping on his back with Gamja. Seeing that, Yellian felt relieved and shivered his tail slightly.
Focusing on Leonard’s face again, Yellian snuggled close to his side, curling up into a ball and lying down.
“I’m sleepy again…….”
Sleep was contagious. Since Leonard was sleeping, and Geumdong and Gamja were sleeping too, Yellian also felt drowsy, his eyes repeatedly closing.
He didn’t know how long he had slept, but it felt like he had slept enough, yet it was strange that sleep was coming again.
Yellian tried to shake off the drowsiness by deliberately widening his eyes, but it didn’t last long. Soon, he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
The steady sound of his breathing echoed peacefully. Only then did Leonard open his eyes.
“…….”
In truth, Leonard wasn’t sleeping. He had been quietly watching Yellian. Then, when Yellian seemed about to wake up, he quickly closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.
It wasn’t that he meant to deceive him. He just…… didn’t know how to face Yellian and had no choice but to pretend not to notice.
He thought he might burst into tears if he looked at him. He didn’t want to cry in front of Yellian.
It wasn’t about petty pride. It wasn’t some foolish stubbornness that a man shouldn’t cry in front of others.
He just didn’t want to appear weak in front of him. If Yellian found out that his lifespan was shortening, the one who would suffer the most would be none other than Yellian himself. He couldn’t cry and break down in front of such a Yellian. It would make Yellian even more distressed.
Therefore, Leonard had to hide his emotions. He wasn’t confident about how to suppress the despair that kept welling up, but he had to hide his sadness by any means necessary. He believed that was the way to help Yellian.
* * *
“Where did he go…….”
Rubbing his sleepy eyes as he got up, Yellian looked around for Leonard, who had disappeared in the meantime. It was certain he wasn’t in the bedroom. He even checked the bathroom, but Leonard was nowhere to be seen.
“Is he in the office?”
Yellian jumped down from the bed and headed toward the office. The office door had a small door attached for Yellian to pass through easily. It was something Yellian had whined for and obtained. Yellian pushed the door and entered the office.
“Leonard!”
Spotting Leonard sitting at the desk, intently looking at documents, Yellian called his name and toddled toward him on his short legs. Excited, his tail stood straight up and trembled wildly.
“Are you awake?”
“How long did I sleep?”
“You slept all day.”
Feeling slighted by Leonard, who kept his gaze fixed on the documents without even glancing at him, Yellian narrowed his eyes in dissatisfaction.
However, that feeling lasted only a moment. Normally, when Leonard was working, he often focused on his tasks and didn’t look at Yellian. It was probably just Leonard’s habit, so there was no need to feel hurt every time.
“I slept a lot. Ah, Leonard! This isn’t the time for this, that crazy Francois……!”
“That guy has already been arrested and put in prison.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Yellian wanted to know how Leonard had caught Francois. How did he know that Francois had tried to kidnap Geumdong?
“How did you find out?”
“After failing the crime, he fled the duke’s estate. He had already emptied his belongings before escaping. There were many suspicious traces, so I immediately issued a warrant for his arrest, and it didn’t take long to apprehend him. At first, he denied the crime, but as soon as torture began, he quickly told the truth.”
“Don’t let him off! How dare he try to kidnap our Geumdong. I knew something was off about the way that guy looked at Geumdong.”
As Yellian huffed and continued speaking, Leonard gently stroked his head, then applied more force, pushing the scalp back. As a result, Yellian’s eyes widened dramatically.
“What are you doing?”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing.”
“How can I not worry when my scalp is being pushed back! I won’t let this slide, really!”
Angered by Leonard’s behavior, Yellian swung a soft punch toward Leonard. Of course, with his short legs, it didn’t reach.
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