It was exactly the fourth day since meeting and parting with Duke Orlov. Yellian had turned human.
While sleeping in bed with Leonard, Yellian woke up to find itself human. Needless to say, it was completely naked.
Startled upon opening its eyes, Yellian quickly wrapped itself in the blanket. Then it called for Leonard, who wasn’t beside it.
But Leonard didn’t answer-likely because he was in the middle of washing up in the bathroom. In the end, Yellian quietly waited for him to finish.
After a long while, the bathroom door finally opened. Leonard emerged wearing a robe. His toned, broad chest peeked through the robe’s opening…… But that wasn’t the issue. Yellian quickly snapped out of it.
“Leonard! Help me!”
“What’s the…… When did you turn human again? You were still a cat when I woke up.”
“I don’t know. I just opened my eyes like this. Anyway, can you give me some clothes?”
“Hmm…….”
“Don’t even think about refusing. Just hurry up.”
“Was I that obvious?”
“Extremely.”
“Fine, if I must.”
Leonard muttered briefly before pulling out Yellian’s clothes from a drawer in the room. Since Yellian frequently shifted between human and cat forms, he kept spare clothes ready for emergencies.
“Don’t look!”
“I already…….”
“Gah! Just don’t look, okay?”
“Tch, are you a human or a cat? Fine.”
Leonard clicked his tongue after hearing Yellian’s threat, which sounded no different from a hiss.
Once Leonard turned around, Yellian began dressing. It wondered why it kept switching between human and cat forms. If there were at least some rules, it wouldn’t be so maddening-but there were none.
“I’m dressed.”
At Yellian’s words, Leonard turned back. Yellian stood there with a bashful expression, its flushed cheeks looking quite lovely.
Leonard lightly kissed Yellian’s reddened cheek. Yellian’s eyes widened in surprise, and its face turned even redder. Touching its heated cheeks, Yellian finally shouted.
“Wh-What was that?!”
“Just because your cheeks were red.”
“What does my red cheek have to do with kissing?!”
“Hmm. Aren’t they quite closely related?”
Leonard’s flawless logic left Yellian speechless. It had no idea when he’d become so unreasonable.
Knowing it would only lose in an argument, Yellian stopped pressing him and walked past.
“Where are you going?”
“To wash up! Don’t follow me!”
Leonard silently chuckled at Yellian’s prickly response, thinking how cat-like it was-fitting for a feline humanoid.
After showering, Yellian found Leonard reviewing documents as usual.
Aside from time spent playing with Yellian, Leonard was always busy with paperwork. Yellian wondered what kept him so occupied.
It wanted to ask but knew it wouldn’t understand the answers, so it stayed quiet.
“Gamja, you’re adorable today too.”
“Mew.”
Spotting Gamja sprawled under the sunlight, belly exposed, Yellian rubbed its plump tummy.
Cats usually dislike belly rubs, but Gamja seemed indifferent-neither minding nor caring.
Its reaction was so cute that Yellian sat down and started petting it properly, pressing its pink paw pads and squishing its sweet little face.
“Mrow.”
Gamja meowed as if telling Yellian to stop, but its cuteness made Yellian laugh. Still busily petting, Yellian suddenly froze.
“Leonard?”
“Dry your hair. You’ll catch a cold like this.”
He placed a towel over Yellian’s head and began drying its dripping hair.
His touch was gentle and soothing, so Yellian stayed still. In response, Leonard worked even faster.
“Thank you.”
Only after most of the moisture was gone did Leonard stop. Though still damp, it was the best a towel could do.
Yellian smiled brightly at Leonard, who then patted its head.
“Not bad.”
“What isn’t?”
“Getting to see that smile just from drying your hair a little.”
“Wh-What…….”
“Definitely a good deal.”
Leonard called it a good deal, but Yellian was so embarrassed it could scream. The original work’s “mad duke” was unbelievably sweet and kind, even making cheesy remarks without hesitation.
Whether he knew Yellian’s feelings or not, Leonard flashed a dazzling smile before returning to his desk.
That smile lingered in Yellian’s mind like an afterimage. If anything, Yellian felt it was the one getting the better deal-Leonard’s smile was that beautiful, enough to make its heart race.
Pretending not to notice its pounding heart, Yellian busily petted Gamja. With every stroke, beige fur fluttered into the air.
* * *
An unexpected guest arrived-Larissa. Cheerfully greeting them, she had come to Leonard’s office this time, not the reception room, thanks to his permission.
Seeing Larissa’s bright smile, Yellian was glad she hadn’t visited while it was a cat.
“What brings you here?”
“Ah, first, take this. One of my regulars, a girl named Lena, runs a pie shop. I swear it’s the best in the capital. She baked this yesterday.”
The pie Larissa presented looked and smelled amazing. Yellian wanted a slice immediately, but Leonard eyed both the pie and Larissa warily, so it held back.
“No poison. Or sleeping drugs. Here, I’ll eat first. Would you like to pick which part, my lord?”
“……Never mind. Looks delicious.”
Leonard seemed to trust her. Only then did Yellian cut a large slice.
The crust was so crisp it crackled when cut. Inside was a filling of what looked like stewed apples. Yellian eagerly stuffed a big bite into its mouth.
“Mmm! Mmm! Amazing!”
“See? Told you it’s good.”
Yellian nodded vigorously, nearly teary-eyed. Though the duke’s estate served top-tier desserts, this pie was on another level.
Taking another hurried bite, Yellian was overwhelmed again.
Watching this, Larissa smiled proudly before turning serious and looking at Leonard.
“I didn’t come just to deliver pie.”
“You’ve found something, then.”
“Yes! I’m a famous fortune-teller in the capital, you know. All sorts of clients visit, even from other regions.”
Yellian was skeptical-her readings hadn’t felt accurate before-but it kept quiet and focused on the pie.
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