Raymon arrived earlier than usual the next day. He had come to keep his promise to take me to the physician who treated horses.
Unfortunately, Aria had a business to run and couldn't come with us.
"These are Roro's favorite treats. If he cries because he's hungry, please give him one at a time. This is his favorite blanket. He always sleeps with it. And this is..."
We were only going to be apart for one night, but Aria had packed all sorts of things for Raymon to take with him. He accepted each item with a solemn expression, listening carefully to her explanations.
"Please take good care of Roro."
"Of course. I'll look after him."
Before we left, Raymon fastened a collar around my neck. It looked similar to the one I'd worn at the count's estate.
I guess it's enchanted to stop me from wandering beyond a certain distance.
"Well, we'll be off, then."
Raymon carried me out of the teahouse in his arms, and Aria came all the way to the door to see us off.
He headed around the back of the teahouse, walking toward a dense stand of trees before stopping at a particular spot.
A cool breeze swept between the towering trees. When Raymon took out a blue magic stone, it began to glow.
The empty space before us suddenly warped, revealing a hidden magic portal. The portal shone blue, and I could almost feel the tremendous energy radiating from it.
...Are we sure this thing is safe? Because it looks like it's about to give me radiation poisoning.
I looked up at Raymon skeptically. Apparently mistaking my expression for fear, he spoke quietly.
"It's all right. There's nothing to be afraid of."
He tightened his arm around me and stepped into the portal.
Our surroundings changed in an instant.
We had arrived inside a room where not even the slightest breeze stirred.
In the webtoon, the male lead had installed a portal in one of the rooms of his ducal estate, allowing him to travel to a specific location and visit the teahouse every day. This had to be the ducal estate.
Raymon crossed the room without hesitation, opened the door, and strode down a long corridor.
Only when we reached a room at the end of the corridor did he finally set me down.
The first things that caught my eye were a desk large enough for someone to lie on and the towering stacks of paperwork piled upon it.
Apparently, this was Raymon's private office.
So this is the house I'll be living in someday, huh?
While I wandered around at my leisure, looking this way and that, Raymon took a seat at the desk in the middle of the room and began going through his paperwork.
I continued my quiet exploration, careful not to disturb him, before settling down by the window.
A few minutes later, someone knocked on the door.
"Good morning, Lord Raymon."
A young man entered carrying another stack of documents. Judging by his attire, he seemed to be the estate's butler.
"I'll leave the documents requiring your approval here. How would you like your lunch prepared?"
"Something simple, please."
"Certainly."
"And something for the cat."
"Pardon?"
Raymon silently glanced toward the window.
Only then did the young man turn his gaze in my direction.
"A-a cat, I see."
His eyes widened. Apparently, I'd been so quiet that he hadn't even noticed I was there.
I'll be living here as the family cat someday. I look forward to your hospitality.
"I'll arrange something for the cat to eat as well."
Quickly concealing his surprise, the young man bowed politely and left the room.
Until lunch arrived, Raymon and I quietly occupied ourselves with our respective activities.
******
The afternoon sun was shining brightly.
After roughly three hours, Raymon finally rose from his seat and took me outside.
We climbed into a large carriage drawn by six horses.
And our destination turned out to be none other than the imperial palace.
Huh?
I could only stare up at the magnificent palace in bewilderment.
Weren't we supposed to be visiting a physician in the capital who treats horses?
Raymon walked straight into the palace as casually as if he owned the place.
Hey, hey! Are you allowed to just waltz in here like that?
I looked up at him questioningly, but Raymon said nothing.
Fortunately, it seemed he'd arranged an appointment in advance.
"Welcome, Lord Raymon, future Duke of Dekalen. Allow me to escort you inside."
An imperial attendant who had been waiting for us bowed deeply to Raymon, then began leading us somewhere.
I draped my front paws over Raymon's forearm and took in the extravagantly decorated corridors as we went.
The corridors at the ducal estate were pretty long, but these seemed to stretch on forever. The palace was also laid out in such a confusing way that if I wandered off on my own, I'd almost certainly get lost.
After what felt like an eternity of walking, we arrived at what appeared to be a reception room.
The moment we entered, a woman who had been sitting inside sprang to her feet.
"It's an honor to meet you, my lord. My name is Helen Schroeder."
The curly-haired woman bowed her head in greeting.
"Her Imperial Highness informed me of your visit. As the eldest daughter of the Schroeder family, which has been responsible for the health of the imperial family's finest horses for generations, I promise to do my very best with this examination!"
What? Why is the imperial princess involved? ...Oh. Now that I think about it, the male lead's aunt...
It finally came back to me.
I'd grown so used to seeing Raymon visit a little village teahouse every day that I'd almost forgotten. In this world, the male lead was essentially one of the most powerful people around, second only to the imperial family.
His aunt was the empress, and the imperial princess was his cousin.
He'd known the princess, his older cousin, since childhood, and the two were close enough to ask each other for personal favors.
But hang on... Did he seriously bring in a specialist who looks after the imperial family's incredibly expensive thoroughbreds just to give a cat a checkup?
...That was like taking a Kia Ray to a service center that specialized in Lamborghinis.
I looked up at the male lead in disbelief.
Unfortunately, Raymon didn't notice my expression. He simply set me down on the table.
Miss Helen began taking out her professional equipment and examining me thoroughly.
She listened to my chest with a stethoscope, parted my fur, and inspected my skin through a magnifying glass.
"His singed fur will grow back, so there's no need to worry too much about that. Fortunately, there don't appear to be any burns on his skin."
You really can tell when you're dealing with a professional.
I cooperated with the examination, obediently extending my front and hind paws whenever she needed them.
"His mouth is clean, and so are his ears. His owner must take excellent care of him. He has a healthy amount of muscle and body fat, too. You must be feeding him well... If he could just lose a little of that belly fat, he'd be a magnificent cat."
There it is again. My damn belly fat...
What am I supposed to do when it just won't go away?
My eyes went a little dull.
The examination was over quickly.
"Maong."
Thank you.
I sat obediently and meowed my thanks, prompting Miss Helen to praise me.
"And he's so gentle and intelligent! He cooperated with the examination almost as if he understood everything I was saying..."
For some reason, she looked genuinely moved.
"Most animals show signs of discomfort during their first examination. I've seen countless intelligent thoroughbreds over the years, but I believe this little fellow might actually be smarter than a horse!"
"...Is that so?"
Raymon gazed down at me, looking rather unconvinced.
I was a little offended.
Hey! You heard the expert! Are you looking down on me or what?
Miss Helen, the only person who's ever recognized my superior intelligence. I will never forget you.
******
We returned to the ducal estate before sunset.
Upon entering the mansion, Raymon headed upstairs instead of going straight to his office.
I lay comfortably in his arms, enjoying the luxury of being carried everywhere.
On the third floor, Raymon stopped outside a room, knocked, and went inside.
A boy who had been reading a book looked up.
He had the same dark blue hair as Raymon and looked every inch the young master of a wealthy noble family.
"Brother!"
The boy jumped to his feet.
He hurried over, and Raymon gently stroked his hair.
"Luiden. Have you finished all your lessons?"
"Yes! I don't have any more lessons today, so I was reading a history book. Oh! What's that cat?"
"I'm looking after a cat for someone I'm close to. His name is Roro, and he's a boy."
The boy couldn't take his eyes off me.
"Wow. He's adorable! May I hold him?"
"Of course. Just make sure you hold him carefully with both arms so he doesn't fall."
Luiden's eyes sparkled as he reached up with both arms.
He took me from Raymon and carefully cradled me against his chest.
I feel a little guilty about letting a kid who looks about nine years old carry me around.
"I need to go to the knights' headquarters for a little while. I'd like you to look after him while I'm out."
"Me? I've never looked after a cat before... Are you sure that's all right?"
Still holding me, Luiden looked up at his brother anxiously.
The usually stoic male lead only ever showed genuine tenderness in his eyes when looking at two people: the heroine and his little brother.
"Of course it is. Just keep him company and play with him in your room."
Raymon spoke gently, and Luiden nodded with all his might.
"I'll take good care of him!"
The brothers had quite an age gap between them, which somehow made the whole scene even more heartwarming.
******
"Hello, Roro. Would you mind if I played with you?"
"Maong."
Luiden was such a polite boy that he even spoke respectfully to his own older brother. Apparently, that courtesy extended to cats as well.
He treated me like some precious young lady from a noble family.
"You can sit here. It's nice and soft, so your bottom won't hurt, right?"
He laid a thick cushion on the floor for me.
"If you get thirsty, you can drink this. Oh, would you prefer warm water or cold water...?"
He even prepared two separate bowls of water.
You really don't have to go that far, kid.
When I simply sat there looking indifferent, however, he grew dejected and stepped back.
"...I'm sorry. You didn't want to play, did you?"
"..."
"I've never spent time with a cat before, so I wasn't sure what to do... I won't bother you. You can relax there as much as you like."
Apparently worried that he might stress me out, Luiden sat down a short distance away and observed me.
He held a book in his hands, but his eyes kept drifting toward me.
He looked like he desperately wanted to pet me but was holding himself back because he knew he shouldn't touch me without permission.