When Yellian opened their eyes again, it was nearly evening. Having slept like they had fainted for a long time, they felt dazed even after waking up.
With a blank expression, Yellian looked around the room and soon realized that Geumdong and Gamja were not there, snapping back to reality as if doused with cold water.
“Geumdong! Gamja!”
Even though they called out urgently, there was no response. Of course, there was no sign of them either.
Worried that they might have fallen asleep with the window open, Yellian quickly checked it. Thankfully, it was closed.
While looking around for Geumdong and Gamja, Yellian was just about to lie flat on the floor to check under the bed.
“What are you doing?”
“Ahh, you startled me!”
At the sudden question, Yellian clutched their chest in surprise. Looking up, they saw Leonard standing beside them.
Yellian was about to complain about how he moved without making a sound, like a ghost, when they noticed Geumdong and Gamja sitting by their legs, their face lighting up with joy.
“Geumdong! Gamja! Where have you been? You scared me. I thought you had disappeared.”
Yellian scolded them lightly while patting both Geumdong and Gamja on the head. Geumdong let out a ‘kyuung’ sound in his own way, while Gamja cried out with a ‘mi-myam-aot’.
“Don’t scare me like that. Especially you, Gamja. Do you know how worried I was, thinking we had just reunited and then got separated again?”
Yellian lightly scolded Gamja again, gently pressing their head with a fingertip. In response, Gamja flattened themselves, looking confused.
“Yellian.”
“What?”
At Leonard’s sudden call, Yellian kept their gaze fixed on Gamja, rubbing their belly while asking.
“You just said you thought you had just reunited and then got separated again. When did you meet this one before?”
“…….”
Yellian, completely distracted by Gamja, hadn’t even realized they’d said that. Flustered and unable to respond immediately, they froze, and soon Leonard asked again.
“Why can’t you answer?”
“Well, it’s just that, before I met you, Leonard, we used to live together.”
It wasn’t a lie. Though they omitted the crucial detail of it being before they were transported to this world. Since they hadn’t technically lied, Yellian tried to calm their startled heart.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, yes……. I mean, why wouldn’t I be sure?”
Though their heart was still pounding, Yellian pretended otherwise. Leonard looked skeptical but, fortunately, didn’t press further.
“Then how did you reunite with this cat? How did it get into the estate?”
“Well…… I’m not sure if it was a coincidence or what, but anyway, I found them hanging from the top of a tree outside the window. I thought it would be dangerous to leave them there, so I brought them inside. I’m sorry for doing it without permission…….”
Before Leonard could say anything, Yellian apologized first, cautiously gauging his reaction while continuing.
“Leonard, I have one request…….”
“Do as you like.”
“What? I haven’t even said it yet…….”
“It’s obvious. You want to keep this cat, don’t you? Do as you like. With a dragon and a feline humanoid already living in this estate, one more cat won’t cause any trouble.”
At Leonard’s response, Yellian almost threw themselves at him in a hug.
They had been sure he would say no. They had been worrying about how to convince him if he refused.
But what a surprise this was. Leonard agreed so readily, even before Yellian could finish speaking, allowing them to keep Gamja.
“Thank you!”
Overjoyed, Yellian thanked him enthusiastically before tightly hugging Gamja. Gamja let out a pitiful ‘waeng’ sound.
Struggling to escape Yellian’s embrace, Gamja squirmed and eventually melted like liquid, slipping out of their arms.
“This one’s name is Gamja. Steamed Gamja.”
“I’ve been curious about something since Geumdong.”
“Yes!”
“Are your naming choices something you’ve agreed on with the other party?”
“What?”
“Tch, never mind.”
Leonard, after asking an incomprehensible question, clicked his tongue and shook his head.
Not understanding why he reacted that way, Yellian tilted their head in confusion before pulling Gamja, who was grooming themselves with a blank expression, back into their arms.
* * *
“Shush, shuk! Shushushuk!”
After an early dinner, they had dessert. Today, it was a sweet peach pie filled with plenty of peaches, paired with tea.
Yellian’s eyes sparkled as they carefully cut a piece of the pie with a fork and took a bite. The fragrant, sweet taste of peaches blended well with the slightly plain but crispy texture of the pie.
Thinking that the chef at the duke’s estate was indeed the best, Yellian was about to take another bite of the pie.
“Shuk! Shushuk! Shushushuk! Shuk! Shuk!”
The annoying sound that had been bothering them for a while continued. With a face full of irritation, Yellian put down their fork and glared at Elton.
As soon as Elton saw Gamja, he had quickly fetched a fishing rod toy from somewhere and was completely captivating Gamja with it.
Not content with just enthusiastically waving the fishing rod-shaped toy, Elton also made strange noises with his mouth, practically running around the room while shaking it. As a result, Gamja was going absolutely wild.
Having found an amusing toy, Gamja looked genuinely happy. Seeing this, Yellian’s expression turned sour.
Honestly, Yellian was glad that Gamja was having fun, but deep down, they couldn’t help feeling a bit jealous. Gamja, no matter how much they liked playing, shouldn’t be so quick to give their heart to a stranger.
Hiding their hurt feelings, Yellian started viciously stabbing at the innocent pie with their fork. Leonard, who had been quietly savoring his tea, finally couldn’t hold back any longer, opening his eyes wide and glaring at Elton.
“Can’t you stop making that blasted noise?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I got carried away trying to play with them. Please overlook it. Look how much Gamja is enjoying this.”
Elton scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Despite his excuse, Leonard still looked thoroughly annoyed.
“Do you really have to do that with a cat?”
“Hunting play? Of course! It’s essential for cats.”
“Calling all sorts of nonsense hunting play, huh.”
Leonard clicked his tongue in disapproval. Though Elton seemed a bit deflated by his reaction, he carefully set down the fishing rod and vigorously petted Gamja’s head. Gamja, seemingly pleased, made a purring sound like a boiler running and slowly closed their eyes.
“Still, you’re really lucky, Gamja. I’ve heard stray cats have been disappearing lately, but you managed to find your way here safely.”
“Stray cats are disappearing?”
Unable to ignore Elton’s words, Yellian put down their fork and asked, to which Elton nodded.
“Yes, that’s right. Even three of the cats I feed have gone missing……. Not just me, but others who take care of stray cats around here say they’ve lost a lot of them too, and they’re quite upset about it.”
Hearing this, Yellian also felt unsettled. Of course, it wasn’t a stray cat they personally cared for that had disappeared, but as someone who used to feed Gamja back in Korea, they knew how awful it would feel if Gamja suddenly vanished one day.
Of course, life is unpredictable, so reunions like this can happen, or perhaps they were adopted into a good home, but it’s hard not to worry first before thinking positively.
As Yellian looked at Gamja with a face full of concern, Gamja slightly opened their eyes. As if sensing Yellian’s complicated feelings, they toddled over with their short legs and hopped onto Yellian’s lap.
“So cute…….”
Unconsciously muttering to themselves, a bright smile appeared on Yellian’s face.
Seeing Yellian’s expression brighten, Leonard felt a sense of relief inwardly. He had been uneasy seeing Yellian worry over Elton’s story.
Though he didn’t show it, Leonard was also bothered by Elton’s story. Back when he knew nothing about cats, a stray cat disappearing would have felt like someone else’s problem, but now it felt oddly personal.
Thinking that this matter might need some investigation, Leonard quietly sipped his tea.
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