#02"Miss, is there something wrong? I heard a loud noise..."
"...Ah, it's nothing. There's no need to worry. I've finished my bath, so please tell her that."
"Yes, my lady. If you need anything, please call me immediately."
After making the maid who was outside step back, the young lady turned her gaze back to the man.
"I can't let you stay here like this forever, especially since you're a grown man."
"Why is that?"
"I'm now a young lady of marriageable age and have already been to a debutante ball (a ball where daughters of the nobility attend to find potential husbands). If it was discovered that I was spending time with a stranger in that position, it would be a great tarnish to my family."
"Then, let's remain in our animal form in public. Would that be okay, my lady?"
It wasn't a bad suggestion. As long as he maintained his cat form in public, it might not be a problem—the thought crossed her mind, and the young lady patted him on the head with a chuckle.
"Yes, that's fine."
"Really? You really mean I can share a room with you, young lady?"
"That's right. However, you should only do it in front of me. Absolutely not in front of other people. Okay?"
"Yes, my lady!!"
The next moment, he embraced her with all his might. Before she could push him back, he rubbed his cheek against her neck and kissed her repeatedly on both cheeks. His grip was so strong that in an instant, the young lady was pushed against the wall and thrown onto the bed. Lip marks were left everywhere, and the neatly fastened front of her robe was in disarray.
"W-wait a second...! What are you doing...!"
"Why? You did the same to me just now, didn't you, young lady?"
With that, he pressed his lips against hers again. Her thoughts were running out of steam, and no matter how hard she struggled in his arms, she couldn't escape. His movements, showering her with kisses like a runaway locomotive, and his ticklish lips made the young lady's cheeks turn bright red again.
"That's because you were in cat form... but now you're different...!"
"It feels good to me and I just want to do more. Is this kind of thing not allowed between humans?"
"It's not wrong, but kissing between humans is something that lovers who love each other should do. It shouldn't be forced like this..."
"Then, my lady, please be my lover."
His eyes were so deep I felt like I was being sucked in. His arms were around me on either side, and there was no escaping this man.
Knock, knock
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. The young lady reflexively pushed him away and hastily straightened her disheveled clothes.
"Miss, I'll help you get ready. May I come inside?"
"Um, well, wait a minute. Just give me five minutes!"
The young lady regained her senses and quickly tidied up the area around the bathtub. He watched her intently.
"My lady, should I return to my animal form?"
"Yeah, Lucia will be coming in soon. Hurry up and go back to being a cat."
"I got it"
He has turned back into a black cat. Looking at him like this, he looks so small... It's hard to believe that the man and this cat are the same.
After finishing getting ready, I let Lucia, who was waiting for me, into the room.
"My Lady, it seems that Duke Telt, whom we met last time, will also be attending this ball. We must prepare properly."
"I see. Please. Here's the hair accessory."
"Yes, my lady. By the way, that cat...it seems very attached to you."
"I, I guess so... It's all thanks to Lucia, she treated me so well."
"I'm honored by your praise. I just applied some medicine and bandaged it."
The cat on my lap was warm and cozy. I unconsciously stroked it, and it placed its leg on my thigh, sticking to it in comfort.
"Rumble..."
"Well, you seem to be in a good mood. I guess you really like the young lady."
Every time his fur touched me, it tickled me, and a smile naturally spread across my face. I gently placed him on the bed and took off my clothes to change into my dress, and the cat, looking flustered, buried its face in the futon.
...So you feel embarrassed. I need to be careful too.
I tighten the corset on my dress. Every time I put it on, it's hard to breathe. But my reflection in the mirror doesn't look too bad. Lucia's skills are the best among the maids after all. I'm satisfied.
"My lady, the Duke is here."
With the help of the maids, she made her way outside the mansion, where the Duke, whom she had met at the previous ball, was waiting for her in his carriage. Her parents and servants, who had come out to see her off, seemed surprised, as no one had ever come to pick her up in person like this before. It seemed that the Duke had developed a strong liking for the young lady since the previous ball.
"I'll join you. I've been waiting for you to come out."
"It is an honor to have the Duke come in person."
It was a formal greeting. Deep down, he wasn't particularly happy, but he had to maintain his dignity as an aristocrat. He forced a smile in response, and before he knew it, the black cat was standing there, its fur standing on end and its sharp eyes glaring at the Duke.
"Grrr..."
Just like when he first met the young lady, the cat's tail was raised and its fur was standing on end, refusing to leave her side. He had no choice but to send a glance at Lucia, who immediately noticed and picked up the cat. As expected of Lucia, she was quick to notice.
I got into the carriage escorted by the Duke and waved to my family. Come to think of it, I didn't even know the cat's name. I'll ask it when I get back from the ball.
"The dress you wore last time was beautiful, but today's dress suits you very well."
"Thank you very much. Our maids are very skilled."
"Your appearance is also... truly beautiful."
As the carriage drove away, the Duke suddenly leaned closer and slowly stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. What a rude act. She could not forgive someone, even if it was the Duke, for touching her body without her permission, so she immediately brushed his hand away.
"Please stop. It's rude."
"teeth...?"
Just then, the driver announced their arrival and the carriage came to a halt. The Duke's voice was irritated, his brow furrowed deeply.
"I'm uncomfortable too. Let's go to the ballroom separately."
"Did you just reject me?"
"It wasn't a refusal, but rather the Duke..."
"How dare you speak to the Duke like that? You'll only make your position worse if you do that."
"Kyaa!!"
The Duke pulled the young lady's wrist from behind, his hand already showing red marks.
"it hurts..."
"I'll come to your house tomorrow to propose to you."
"Wh-what...?"
"I'm sure your parents would be happy to approve of your marriage to a duke, my future wife."
"You pervert...! Ouch!!"
This time, a sharp pain ran through my wrist. He gripped me so tightly that I couldn't shake him off. I would rather live alone than marry a man like that. No matter how high-ranking my family was, I could never marry someone like that.
"My lady, the Duke has come to see you."
With the help of her maids, she left the mansion and saw the Duke, whom she had met at the ball the other day, waiting in his carriage. Her parents and maids, who had come out to see her off, seemed surprised, not expecting the Duke to come to pick her up in person. It seemed he had taken a liking to the young lady at the ball the other day.
"Would you like to join us? We've been waiting for you to come out."
"I'm delighted that the Duke has come all the way to visit us."
It was just a polite gesture. Deep down he wasn't too keen on the idea, but he had no choice but to smile in order to maintain his aristocratic dignity. As he forced a smile and acted amiable, the black cat suddenly stood on end and glared sharply at the Duke.
"Grrrrr..."
Just like when they first met, the cat remained by her side with its tail raised and its fur standing on end. Reluctantly, she gave Lucia a wink, and she sensed it and picked up the black cat. As expected of Lucia, she could read her mind.
Escorted by the Duke, I got into the carriage and waved to my family. Cat...Come to think of it, I still haven't asked her name. I'll ask her after the ball is over.
"The dress you wore last time was lovely, but today's dress suits you very well."
"Thank you very much. My maid is very skilled."
"You look…very beautiful, too."
While they were walking, the Duke suddenly came close to her and slowly stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. What a rude act. Even though he was the Duke, he had touched her without her permission, and anger welled up in her, so she quickly shook off his hand.
"This kind of behavior is troubling. Please stay out of my way."
"Huh...?"
Just then, the driver's voice was heard, "We have arrived," and the carriage came to a halt. The Duke's voice rose in displeasure, and his brow furrowed deeply.
"I'm offended too. Let's go to the ball separately."
"Are you going to reject me?"
"Rather than rejection, the Duke has taken control of my body without my consent--"
"How dare you talk back to a noble. Do you realise that you are the one at a disadvantage in this situation?"
"Kyaa!!"
The Duke pulled her wrists hard from behind, and red marks were already visible on her wrists.
"Ouch..."
"I'll come to your house tomorrow to propose to you."
"Wh-what...?"
"Your parents would be happy to marry into the duke family, right? My future wife."
"Are you crazy?! Ouch!"
This time, she felt a sharp pain in her wrist. He had a strong grip and she couldn't shake him off. She would rather live alone than marry a man like that. Even if he was a duke, she could never marry a man like that.
"Put this down..."
"Tell me you'll marry me right now. Right now!!!"
"No... It's insane to marry someone like you..."
Crash-
At that moment, she escaped from him and was pulled into someone's arms.
"…?!you…!!"
"Miss, please close your eyes—"
With that, he covered the young lady's eyes with his hands and kicked the duke away. Just before her vision was obscured, she caught sight of his eyes. His eyes had already lost focus, and his pupils were blurred. The cover only hid most of her face. She could not see the duke's filthy expression, which she did not want to see.
"My lady, were you preparing in your room just now in order to come to a place like this?"
「…」
"Let's go somewhere quiet for now."
She couldn't keep up with him and wondered why he was walking so fast. She tried desperately to keep up, but he saw that she couldn't keep up and slowed down. Her dress was so tight that she was out of breath after just a few steps. Eventually, she couldn't go any further and sat down on a bench under a streetlight. He knelt down before her.
"How did you get here...?"
"When you left, I followed your scent. I have a good sense of smell."
"It's really...amazing."
When she nuzzled her face into his thigh, the tension seemed to ease as she gently stroked his head with a small laugh. After staring at him for a while, he suddenly stood up and put his arms around her waist.
"what are you doing now…!"
"Your daughter seemed quite distressed, so I was wondering if there was anything I could do."
He said, frantically trying to untie the tightly knotted strings on her dress. Normally, he would untie each knot one by one, but the way he came up with this adorable method to untie the knots made her chuckle.
"This knot is tied pretty tightly... I don't think it will come undone..."
Snap-snap-snap
...In the end, it was a strong cat that managed to rip the string apart with force.
The moment the string was torn, she felt a sense of relief and ease in her breathing. Her eyes filled with laughter at his surprised expression and behavior.
"Hahaha, you couldn't untie the knot so you ended up ripping it!"
"I'm sorry, my lady... I just wanted to make your life easier."
"It's okay, thanks to you I can finally breathe again. But..."
At that moment, she began to worry again about him being exposed to the cold. It was cold and windy, and he would easily catch a cold if he continued like this.
"Isn't it cold? If you keep walking around dressed like this, you'll catch a cold..."
"I've lived like this my whole life, so it's fine."
"That won't do. I have to stop by the clothes store tomorrow."
"A clothing store? What do you do there?"
"It's a clothes shop. I'll make you some clothes that fit you perfectly. You need to wear proper clothes, at least when you're in human form."
"My Lady..."
Her words seemed to fill him with emotion, and he suddenly hugged her. The fact that she gave him clothes—no, more than the clothes themselves, the fact that she had thought of something for him, that she had made something for him—made him very happy. He buried his face in her neck, and as always, she gently stroked his head.
"Now that I think of it, I still don't know your name. What's your name?"
"If I tell you my name, will you call me by it?"
"Of course. When you call someone, you should call them by their name, right?"
「…」
Those eyes again. Deep eyes that seem to draw you in. They're the same eyes I saw on the bed in that room. It's fun to be with him. When I'm with him, the whole environment feels bright and refreshing. I'm so lucky to have him by my side.
I want to call his name soon.
"My name is...Taehyung."
"...Taehyung."