“So that’s what happened.”
“I only found out this morning when a customer told me. You have no idea how shocked I was….”
Aria let out a quiet sigh and looked down at me. The concern in her gentle eyes was impossible to hide.
“He seems fine for now, but I’m worried because he breathed in so much smoke. Are you going to stay there, Roro?”
“…Maong.”
“I guess you really do like Father. Then enjoy your tea.”
Aria turned and walked away.
She headed back toward the male lead, apparently intending to continue their conversation.
His seat faced away from us, so I couldn’t see his face.
Yeah, hurry up and keep the male lead’s attention on you!
I’d been on edge the entire time Aria was standing here, terrified he might turn around and look this way.
“Maong.”
I called to him.
Lippert’s blue eyes lowered toward me.
I had to keep his attention on me as much as possible so he wouldn’t look toward Raymon.
“Maong.”
Hey. Don’t look anywhere else.
I called him again.
A large hand soon cupped my face.
“…Poor thing. You really did get all burned up.”
He muttered in a genuinely sympathetic tone as his thumb brushed around the base of my whiskers.
They’d grow back with time anyway, so I had no idea what there was to pity so much.
“You did something dangerous with this tiny body of yours.”
“Myaong.”
“You should reflect on what you did.”
“Maong.”
Why should I?
I gave him a sullen look.
Then, all of a sudden, he pulled out his trump card with his other hand.
“Want a snack?”
The salty smell of jerky brushed past my nose.
I immediately sat up with utmost solemnity and stared at him, telling him with my entire body to hand it over.
“You have to say please.”
“Mayang.”
“Please.”
“Myaaaaang!”
How the hell is a cat supposed to speak human?! Quit screwing around and give it to me!!!
I raised my right paw and smacked his chest over and over.
Lippert burst out laughing.
In the end, he obediently offered up the jerky.
As I chewed, he gave my head a few light pats.
I shot him a look telling him to move his hand, then returned my full attention to the taste of the jerky.
When I perked up my ears, I could hear the heroine and male lead talking in the distance.
“…I’ve never heard of a profession called a veterinarian.”
“Really? I thought there might be at least one doctor in the capital who specializes in treating animals….”
“There’s no such profession, but I have heard of someone who treats animals.”
“Oh, really?”
“More precisely, he’s a physician who treats horses. If you’d like, I can take Roro there and have him examined.”
“That would be wonderful. Thank you!”
…I’d been wondering what they were talking about.
Turns out they were talking about me.
Aria’s face brightened.
No, I’m telling you, I’m fine….
There’s no need to drag me all the way to some horse doctor in the capital!
This whole thing felt like it was getting more and more out of hand.
I quickly swallowed the jerky I’d been chewing and turned my head—
Only to find Lippert looking in the direction of the two of them.
Even the hand that had been petting me had gone still.
My heart dropped.
…Did he notice?
“Myaalk.”
I immediately bit his hand.
I sank my teeth harmlessly into the soft webbing between his thumb and index finger and tugged.
Thankfully, the distraction worked.
I succeeded in making him look at me.
“Hmm? Finished already?”
His eyes curved lazily as he looked down at me again.
Phew. Guess not.
Apparently he hadn’t noticed.
If he’d realized that Raymon—the target of his revenge—was sitting right here, his expression would’ve changed first.
“…What should I do? That was all I brought.”
Lippert seemed to think I’d gotten his attention because I wanted more jerky.
As if soothing me, he gently stroked my cheek and the underside of my chin.
“If you’re disappointed, want to eat my hand instead?”
Oh, for fuck’s sake….
Why would I eat your hand?
I glared at him.
“It should taste about as salty if you lick it.”
He even put a finger directly against my mouth, but I spat and pushed it away.
“You don’t want it?”
“Maooong….”
“And you’re not even biting me. Good boy.”
Tickle, tickle.
His fingers continued scratching under my chin and through the fur on my chest.
I lay on his lap and endured the humiliation.
Fuck. If I let him run into the male lead here, we’re screwed…!
That thought alone kept me going.
“I should be going now.”
“Yes. Take care.”
Thankfully, the male lead stood up earlier than usual.
The moment he left the teahouse, I shot upright and escaped from Lippert’s hands.
I moved well out of his reach and glared at him.
Lippert rubbed his chin, wearing the expression of a man confronted with a deeply troubling mystery.
“Hmmm…. Why are you pushing me away again?”
Then he rose from his seat and held a hand out toward me.
Like he was offering a truce.
“Weooong.”
So what?
I gave him a sidelong glare, immediately turned around, and fled.
“Haha. I really can’t figure you out.”
His lighthearted laughter drifted after me.
Lippert kept following.
I took six vigorous steps.
He caught up in only two.
Why are you following me?! I’m done with you, asshole.
Before I knew it, we were circling the hall in some ridiculous game of tag.
What was this, come catch me if you can?
Feeling thoroughly miserable about the situation, I stopped running.
Which, naturally, meant he caught me.
“Those are some dissatisfied eyes.”
“…Maong.”
Lippert picked me up and carried me back to the window seat.
I wasn’t happy about it, but I stayed still in his arms and sat on his lap.
Just that little bit of running had left me out of breath.
I was quietly catching my breath when he wrapped one hand around my left leg and pressed his thumb against my paw pad.
A sharp sting suddenly shot through it.
“Hyaak!”
That hurts!
I struggled to get away and accidentally scratched the back of his hand in the process.
A thin line of blood welled from the wound.
Seeing it made my conscience prick a little.
Though, in my defense, this was his fault too.
Why would you suddenly start touching it?!
I opened my mouth to yowl in protest—
Then closed it again.
The expression on his face when I looked up was unusually cold.
I retracted my claws and watched him cautiously.
Lippert spoke.
“I heard cats hide it when they’re in pain. Seems that really is true.”
I flinched at the subdued tone of his voice.
It was only a mild burn. It would’ve healed in a few days.
I’d deliberately kept from showing it because I didn’t want Aria to worry.
I had no idea how this bastard had noticed.
Still, at least he didn’t seem angry.
For a second there, I’d thought he was pissed because I scratched him….
Just as I started to relax, his blue eyes instantly turned vivid bloodred.
He whispered an incantation I couldn’t understand.
A small red symbol—the same one I’d seen before—appeared.
A moment later, the symbol vanished in an instant.
And the stinging pain from the burn on my paw pad disappeared as though it had been washed away.
“Myaya! Maoooong!”
What the hell! Something this minor would’ve healed on its own!
I immediately started protesting.
“That’s strange……. I treated you, so why are you crying even more miserably now?”
“Myamyak! Myaaong!”
That wasn’t treatment! You took it onto yourself!
“You won’t hurt when you run now. See? It doesn’t hurt even when I touch it, does it?”
Lippert spoke as he gently touched my soft paw pad.
Just as he said, it didn’t hurt at all.
But I still didn’t like it.
The fact that the burn I’d suffered had been transferred into Lippert’s body left a bad taste in my mouth.
It felt like I owed him something….
Anyway, I didn’t like it.
“Next time you get hurt, don’t hide it from me. All right?”
Unable to understand anything I was saying, Lippert simply smiled at me with that pleasant expression of his.
“Promise me.”
Fine!
Next time I get hurt, I’ll definitely tell you!
I’ll make absolutely sure I tell Lippert!
I made the vow in my head and meowed loudly in agreement.
“There we go.”
I purred under his touch, rubbing my head against him over and over.
Then my senses suddenly returned.
…Fuck, what was that?
What the hell did I just do?!
For a second, I’d answered him as if I were under some kind of spell.
He must’ve pulled some shitty brainwashing trick on me.
You wanna die?!
I immediately exploded in fury and bit his hand.
Lippert didn’t seem to care.
With the fingers of his unbitten hand, he gently stroked my shortened whiskers.
“Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do about your burned whiskers.”
At some point, his eyes had returned to blue.
Now he was openly looking at me with pity.
The evil god’s power wasn’t omnipotent.
It couldn’t transfer old scars or truly severe physical injuries.
And if an actual body part had been severed, even he couldn’t do anything about it.
The webtoon mentioned that limitation too.
Near the end, there was a scene where the villain, Lippert, lost an arm and struggled afterward.
“I feel bad that I can’t help.”
What are you talking about? Worry about yourself!
Maybe it was because I knew how miserably this bastard was going to die in the future, but that only made me like this even less.
Stop being nice to me. You’re supposed to be the villain….
I narrowed my eyes and glared at him.
My tail thumped against his thigh again and again in irritation.
Lippert merely gazed back at me with endlessly gentle eyes.