Even though I’d cleaned myself up as thoroughly as I could before coming back, Aria screamed the moment she found me in the morning.
“Roro, what in the world happened to you overnight? Hm? …Goodness, look at you. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Maong, maong, maoong—.”
Aria grabbed me and started peppering me with questions, but there was no way she could understand a word I said….
So I just became a pitiful cat meowing in protest.
She carried me into the bathroom and washed me all over again.
Once I looked in the mirror, I understood why she’d screamed the second she saw me.
My usually glossy white fur looked all frizzed out, probably from being singed. My coat was short enough that it wasn’t too obvious, but the real problem was my whiskers.
Every last one of them had burned short.
…Where had the handsome cat I could proudly show off anywhere gone?
A slightly stupid-looking cat was staring blankly back at me from the mirror.
Later that morning, Betty and her mother came to the teahouse.
The moment Betty saw me, her face lit up and she hurried over.
“Mom, this is Roro! He’s the one who saved Cookie yesterday.”
“Roro. Thank you so much for yesterday. Oh, you poor thing. You got burned so badly….”
Watching gratitude and guilt mingle on her face, I slowly closed and opened my eyes to tell her I was fine.
I let Betty and her mother stroke my fur for a while.
Maybe a minute later, Aria came out of the kitchen, drying her hands.
Only then did the two of them stop petting me.
“Oh, Aria! Hello!”
“Hi, Betty. Hello. Are you Betty’s mother?”
“Yes. You’re not open yet, are you? I’m sorry for dropping by so suddenly….”
“Not at all. But what brings you here…?”
Betty’s mother explained everything that had happened.
When Aria learned about the fire the previous night, her eyes widened.
“That little one was crying so desperately outside our door that he woke us up. Thanks to him, none of us were hurt.”
“Hehe. That’s right!”
“And Betty says he even went into the burning house and brought Cookie out. I’m still so grateful every time I think about it, so I wanted to come thank you in person.”
Betty’s mother sincerely expressed her gratitude and bowed to both Aria and me.
Unlike me, who remained perfectly calm, Aria flusteredly waved both hands.
“…I had no idea Roro had done something like that.”
When Betty’s mother said she wanted to repay us somehow, Aria became even more flustered.
“Repay us? You really don’t have to. If anything, I’m grateful Betty comes by every day to play with Roro.”
What are you talking about?
I’m the one who plays with Betty.
“I heard Betty’s been eating snacks here quite often too. At least let me pay you for those.”
“No, really. There’s no need….”
“Badraooork! Badraoooork!”
Heroine! For the love of God, take it!
Frustrated, I started yowling loudly beside Aria.
With both Betty’s mother and me pushing her, Aria finally accepted the pouch of silver coins.
Betty’s family would be staying with relatives while their new house was being built.
Apparently, Betty’s father was a carpenter, so rebuilding the house itself wouldn’t be a problem. On top of that, the villagers had all banded together and volunteered to help, so construction sounded like it would be finished fairly quickly.
“We’ll come visit often with Betty from now on.”
“Bye, Aria! Bye, Roro!”
The two left after a warm farewell.
Aria saw them all the way to the door, then turned around.
She picked me up from where I stood behind her.
“You snuck outside while I was asleep and went into a burning house… Haah. That was really dangerous.”
“Maong.”
“I’m proud of you for saving a life, but… if something had happened to you, I would’ve been so, so sad, Roro.”
I’d expected her to scold me.
Instead, Aria simply stroked my head in silence.
“…I’ll save this money and use it for you.”
“Myaaang. Myaang.”
Put it toward the shop. You were running at a loss.
Aria’s new menu item, the dessert of the day, wasn’t selling nearly as well as she’d expected.
The loyal male lead was basically the only customer who came in every day and bought one.
And because Aria hated the thought of wasting all the ingredients she’d stocked up on, she’d been eating them herself every morning and evening.
“Are you really not hurt anywhere, Roro? All your whiskers are burned off… Is that okay? You must’ve breathed in a lot of smoke too….”
“Myaaang.”
Put it toward the shop.
Aria stared at me, her face full of worry.
When I meowed again, she finally set me down on the floor.
“This won’t do. …I should ask if there’s a veterinarian in the capital.”
Aria muttered anxiously.
I followed her around, meowing the whole way, but she still ended up putting the pouch of silver coins into the safe.
******
For some reason, Raymon still hadn’t shown up even as noon approached.
In the webtoon, the male lead was always busy handling his duties as knight commander while also dealing with work as the future duke, so it wasn’t strange for him to miss a day.
If anything, the insane part is that he somehow finds time in that schedule to come see the heroine every single day.
Even while working, Aria kept glancing toward the door whenever she had a moment.
She usually looked like she secretly expected the male lead to show up, but today she seemed especially desperate for him to come.
Well, it made sense.
When someone who showed up every day suddenly didn’t, of course she’d notice.
Before I knew it, it was already four in the afternoon.
Yaaawn.
I was sprawled across the cushion on the windowsill.
I hadn’t slept properly the night before, so I was exhausted.
Personally, I liked sunbathing once the sunlight had softened a little.
It wasn’t blindingly strong anymore, and the warmth was just right.
It made everything feel peaceful.
I was lazily watching clouds drift past the window through half-lidded eyes when—
Jingle, jingle.
At the sound of the door opening, I casually turned my head.
Dark navy hair was the first thing I saw.
He came.
I thought he wasn’t going to show up today.
I gave the male lead an indifferent greeting with my eyes.
“Raymon!”
Aria suddenly rushed out of the kitchen.
I looked at the heroine in mild surprise.
She’d been waiting for him that badly?
What’s this? What’s this? What’s going on between these two…?
That sudden hit of dopamine chased away every trace of sleepiness.
Still sitting in a loaf on the windowsill, I watched the two of them with intense interest.
“You’re late today. I thought you weren’t coming.”
“I’m sorry. Something came up this morning, so I was delayed.”
“No, there’s no reason to apologize. I just… I kept waiting for you.”
“…You were waiting for me?”
A ripple passed through Raymon’s blue eyes.
“Yes. Well, there’s something I really need to ask you. Do you have time?”
Aria clasped both hands tightly and looked at him with pleading eyes.
The tips of Raymon’s ears turned faintly red.
“What would you like to know? If it’s something I know… I’ll answer anything.”
“Let’s sit down and talk first. Don’t order tea today. It’s on me.”
“No. I came here to drink tea as well, so I should pay for it.”
“It’s fine. I have something I want to ask you too….”
The two sat down at a table farther inside, near the kitchen, and continued talking.
I stayed on the windowsill, enjoying the heroine and male lead’s fresh, innocent flirting.
Then the door opened again.
“One moment. Welcome.”
Aria immediately stood to greet the customer.
I turned my head.
And froze solid.
“Hello. A cup of black tea, please.”
“Of course. Have a seat. I’ll bring it right over.”
The genre had gone from romance to thriller in a single second.
The villain and the male lead were about to come face-to-face!!
Lippert knew what the male lead looked like.
If they met here?
Something that wasn’t supposed to happen until the latter half of the webtoon might happen right here and now.
I sprang up from my spot and landed on the floor.
“Myaaang.”
I blocked Lippert’s path and rammed my head straight into his leg.
Fortunately, my provocation worked, and Lippert looked down at me.
“Yes, hello, Roro.”
He bent down and ran a hand along my back.
“Usually, you barely even look at me when I come in…. You’re awfully enthusiastic about greeting me today.”
His tone sounded puzzled, but his voice itself was clearly pleased.
“Myaaalk.”
Quit talking and follow me, asshole.
I took the lead, planning to guide him toward a window seat as far from the kitchen as possible.
Then my front legs suddenly left the floor.
Lippert had picked me up.
Without warning, he turned me around so I was facing him.
“Hmm?”
His expression stiffened.
“What happened to your face?”
You bastard.
What kind of thing is that to say the second you see someone?
What, because you’re handsome?!
“Did you get burned?”
…Oh.
My whiskers.
You should’ve said my whiskers!
I quickly tucked away the teeth I hadn’t even realized I was baring.
Then, embarrassed, I smacked my lips with my tongue.
“Your fur looks a little singed too….”
Lippert stared intently over my face and body.
The smile gradually faded from his face.
Something about the look in his eyes after the amusement vanished was almost murderous.
W-What the hell is with that look?!
Still holding me in his arms, Lippert walked over to a seat by the window and sat down.
Then he quietly stroked my ruffled fur, over and over, without saying a word.
The heavy silence didn’t last long.
Aria approached our table.
“Here’s the tea you ordered. Enjoy.”
“Thank you.”
Clink.
The faint sound of the teacup being set down rang out.
At the perfectly ordinary exchange, I lifted my head.
At some point, Lippert had returned to wearing the gentle smile of a priest.
“By the way, Aria. What happened to Roro?”
“Oh, well… last night, Roro went into a house that was on fire….”
Lippert’s expression turned strange, as though he couldn’t quite believe what he’d just heard.
Aria added a little more explanation.
“…Apparently, Roro saved Cookie.”