I Became a Cat That Sleeps with an Obsessive Tyrant Every Night - Chapter 45

Her body seemed to have warmed up sufficiently. Even during sleep, her body temperature was steadily rising, so it didn’t seem like she was having a nightmare.

If that’s the case, pushing any further would be unreasonable.

“Now, that’s enough.”

She probably didn’t even know what she should stop, but it was a limit for her.

“Isn’t she too defenseless?”

Killian, who had gently laid her on the bed, held Reinette’s hand and muttered discontentedly.

At the same time, Reinette, as if placing a ball in his hands, buried her face in his hands without any hesitation, and his crimson pupils froze in an instant.

Even in her sleep, she seemed to be seeking warmth as she moved.

“…This is driving me crazy.”

Brushing aside his black hair, he finally carefully covered her face.

* * *

“It’s fortunate that she recovered quickly,” said Baron as he set down the teacup. Killian’s gaze shifted beyond Baron to the bed.

Under the canopy adorned with small crocuses, pansies, and hyacinths, Reinette, surrounded by plush blankets and cushions, was vaguely visible.

“We were worried about hypothermia, but she improved so quickly within a few hours. It’s quite remarkable.”

While Baron was relieved that she had recovered, he found it somewhat astonishing that the hypothermia that had troubled her for the past three days disappeared so quickly during the brief time he left the room.

“…Indeed, quite remarkable.”

Killian, unsure of what else to say, repeated Baron’s words and instead took a sip of his tea. It wasn’t easy to mention the fact that he had been holding Reinette, who trembled like a cedar tree.

Uttering such a statement could easily lead to misunderstandings, especially when Reinette had not nestled into his embrace with any impure intentions.

“You Highness, will you take her with you again?” Baron cautiously asked, and Killian’s gaze suddenly sharpened as he lowered his eyes.

Setting down his teacup, he silently smiled.

“Well?”

Killian’s sly smile was aimed at Baron.

Baron had asked before whether Killian would take Reinette back to his castle. While there was some merit in Baron’s argument that it might become a problem if she were found in her human form, Killian himself was the one who could protect her most perfectly.

“Isn’t it better to let her stay here, both for her and Lady Vivian? It’s risky for her presence to be discovered while staying at the castle.”

“The safest place for Reinette is by my side, Baron.”

Baron looked at Killian with a slightly surprised expression in response to his answer.

Although the Crown Prince responded in his usual charming tone, there was an underlying strong warning that seemed to be conveyed.

While he maintained his usual precarious and languid smile, there was an intense fierceness in that refined smile, revealing a vehement aversion to anyone encroaching upon his territory.

“Where I can see. Where I can grasp. That’s the safest place.”

Killian concluded neatly, staring at Baron.

Instead of responding, Baron quietly lowered his gaze to his teacup. He carefully chose his words and slowly began to speak.

“Your Highness, we are diligently monitoring the entrance of strangers to ensure that no one can casually discover what is happening here.”

“The Marquis is nominated for the position of the Ministry of Magical Affairs.”

“…”

“While this mansion might be the safest when you’re present, there will likely be frequent occasions when you have to leave. It’s not just about managing the imperial capital; there will also be investigations into magical occurrences throughout the entire empire.”

Killian’s words made Baron realize something, and he touched his forehead as if struck by a sudden realization. The thought crossed his mind that he had just mistakenly compared Killian to Emperor Adolf.

“If you were to appear in the imperial court and take a position, many would have no choice but to keep a close eye on the Marquis.”

Leaning back against the chair, Killian pressed his eyes closed, as if suppressing the accumulated fatigue, and let out a deep sigh.

Baron was well aware that the Crown Prince had hardly slept since bringing her here. He could imagine how tired Killian must be, but Killian seemed indifferent, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

The Crown Prince’s words were true. After the powerful magic detected in his nature, the Duchsen family had gained approval for their employment, transitioning from ordinary nobility to members of the royal court.

Baron, now a noble and a mage who needed to access the imperial capital, found that the mages under his command hadn’t yet developed magic strong enough to match his, and the senior students undergoing intense magical training were each specialized in different fields.

The most trustworthy among them was his son, Harrid, who would inherit his title in the future, but Harrid was still young.

“I understand what you’re saying.”

Nodding seriously, Baron suddenly looked at the fireplace. In the moment when the warm air seemed to fade slightly, he noticed the flames of the fireplace, adorned with undying red poinsettias, flickering weakly.

As Baron momentarily lifted his hand to kindle the embers in the fireplace, Killian, taking a sip of his tea, casually raised his empty hand. In an instant, the flames flared up menacingly.

“…”

Surprised, Baron looked at Killian for a moment before turning his gaze back to the fire. He knew that Killian possessed an auror with the essence of fire, but he had not expected him to use it so freely, effortlessly, and without difficulty.

Who could have taught him how to use an auror?

“And Baron, one more thing.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Baron quickly focused his attention on Killian’s voice.

“I plan to reveal Vivian to everyone.”

As Baron, taken aback, began to object, Killian calmly continued his plan in a quiet tone.

It was a method that Baron had never imagined or anticipated.

Baron repeatedly stared at Killian’s face, holding his breath. Killian, after revealing his plan, tilted his head back, speaking in a slow, drowsy tone.

“Oh, and while I’m away, Reinette must not feel any cold at all.”

* * *

“Are you awake?”

I opened my eyes vaguely and felt Irina hurrying over to me.

“I came a bit late. How are you feeling? Is your body okay?”

For a moment, I wondered if I’d gotten out of the nightmare with such difficulty, only to have it come back to haunt me, but then I saw my front paws covered in white fur.

I hadn’t turned into a cat in my dreams, had I?

I hadn’t had any nightmares, and my body was feeling refreshed, so I was kind of jumping for joy, but I was a little unhappy that I woke up as a cat.

“Oh, by the way, the crown prince went to the castle for a while.”

He went to the castle? Does that mean this isn’t a castle?

“Meowah…….”

Of course it was. Because I have Irina in front of me right now.

Which meant there was a good chance this was Count Duchsen’s castle.

I hadn’t been paying attention last night, but it looked like Killian had brought me here while I was asleep.

Yeah, and this bed is different from the one in Killian’s bedroom, right?

“!”

Suddenly, the image of Kilian, who had embraced her on this unfamiliar bed, overlapped with the memory.

I remember my head hanging off him as I lay there, and the feel of his big hands under my waist, gently lifting me up and into his arms.

‘Put that on and hold me.’

And didn’t I blurt out something incoherent!

I jumped up and down at the sudden memory.

“What’s wrong?”

Irina’s face was filled with wonder as she found me standing there in a pile of hair, but I just shook my head like I was dying to tell her.

I can’t. No matter how cold it is!

My five senses revived as I stood headlong toward the crown prince, like an animal seeking shelter in the cold of winter.

What I would do if I came face to face with Killian. My mind was already turning into a blank slate.

Okay, maybe it’s better that he’s somewhere else right now.

I had to figure out what I was going to do if I saw him.

“He said he’d finish his work and come back, but I don’t know when that’ll be. I heard he left in the early dawn before I even arrived. Were you in a lot of pain? I received that letter three days ago, and the fact that you’re still here means it wasn’t a mild symptom…”

Irina received the letter three days ago?

That meant I hadn’t woken up for at least three days.

Looking out the window, I saw the sun setting in the late afternoon.

“I received a letter saying you suddenly came here, so I left immediately, but it was quite a distance, so I just arrived. Where were you hurting? Harrid said you had a mild cold, but…”

Irina, who had dipped the towel in water, returned and wiped my eyes, speaking rapidly.

She seemed visibly anxious.

Come to think of it, Irina had already experienced losing the original owner of this body, ‘Vivian,’ once.

If anything were to happen to this body, she couldn’t help but be haunted by vague and ominous premonitions.

I couldn’t precisely understand the current situation, but I could roughly grasp that Irina had arrived here without knowing the exact reason for my presence.

She had set out immediately upon receiving a letter stating that I had come to the Duchsen Marquisate, indicating that she had come here in quite a state of surprise. It seemed unwise to blurt out unnecessary words without hearing any information yet.

“Miyao.”

As I pretended to extend my face further towards her, signaling her to wipe it, Irina let out a deep sigh.

“Sorry. I tried to come sooner, but I was in a very distant region. I remembered something I heard when I was young while learning about plants. But since everyone here didn’t know, I found it strange. However, Sanua said his grandmother, who knows about herbs, might know, so I went there… No, that’s not important right now. Anyway, so…”

“Mew-mew?”

I repeated quickly, not wanting to miss what Irina had said.

Because maybe her memory would give me another clue to the oracle.

“Huh? What kind of flower is that, Polly…… Pollyta……?”

Irina frowned slightly, as if she wasn’t sure, and pondered.

“It was one of those names. I haven’t seen it myself, and I only heard it from my mother, so I’m not exactly sure. But she insisted that it was important to remember because it might be needed someday.”

She must have said that for a reason. I stared at Irina, trying to remember the names she’d mentioned.

“She added that it was something to be passed on to her daughter when she was born, and then to her children, but I don’t think my mother knew the exact words either, because she’d never seen them before, so it wouldn’t have been easy to remember the exact names, and neither would I. But then you said, ‘Tell me anything that comes to mind,’ so I tried to find out what the plant was.”

Irina told Sanua about her herbalist grandmother, Anne, and how she had traveled to Chevillon, the southernmost part of the Empire, to meet her, but shortly after arriving, she received a letter and was forced to return here without meeting her.

If she said I’d need it someday, it must be important.

I’ll have to find Grandma Anne and ask her.

“…….”

Smart.

Just as I was making up my mind to go to Chevillon with Irina, there was a knock on the door.

“May I come in for a moment? Sanua is here with me.”

It was Baron’s voice. I nodded coldly, and Irina replied, “Yes, please come in.”

“Welcome, Your Majesty. We were just about to come in, too.”

“What, Your Majesty?” I heard Baron’s welcoming voice as we met in the hallway.