Chapter 7

It was only a verbal promise with nothing guaranteed beyond his words, but Linus didn’t seem like someone who would lie.

And even if he turned out to be a liar who treated promises like dirt, there wasn’t anything I could do about it.

What would I do, kill this sweet man to keep him quiet?

Since I’d decided to trust him, trusting him was the only option.

“Thank you, Linus.”

“A secret shared only between you and me… how exciting.”

If you smile like that, I’m the one who gets more excited.

I couldn’t help smiling back at the smile that looked warm enough to melt snow, and then I suggested our next walk.

“If it’s all right with you, let’s walk together again. Next time, I’ll show you the garden at the Titanoa estate.”

“I’m free tomorrow as well, Ayrbet.”

Linus answered before I even finished speaking, and I burst out laughing.

It wasn’t because he matched my taste looks-wise; I was genuinely starting to like this man.

Linus Piction was a name I’d never heard before, so he must be a background character.

That meant he likely wouldn’t get tangled up in the complicated events to come. And more importantly, when someone is this sweet, how can you not want to get close?

And well, my goal for my second life is to enjoy all the sweetness I can.

* * *

After finishing my pleasant walk and returning home, I found Ruby standing in the exact same place, in the exact same posture.

Her face was still full of worry, so I felt guilty and tried joking with her.

“Ruby, don’t tell me you were waiting here for me the whole time?”

If she were her usual self, she would have fussed that of course she had, but instead she spoke with a tense expression.

“The duke is looking for you, my lady.”

“Father?”

“Yes, I don’t think he’s in a good mood.”

“Why?”

When I widened my eyes and asked, Ruby lowered her voice and whispered.

“I think he was displeased to hear that you went to the Piction estate.”

That was an unexpected answer.

I could understand him worrying because I went out alone, but being displeased?

It wasn’t like I went out with a stranger – I visited the home of his close friend’s son.

If even Father, who rarely shows emotion, had shown irritation, then it seemed I really had done something wrong.

Maybe, unfamiliar with the customs of this world, I’d made a serious mistake without realizing it.

Thinking I might get scolded, I trudged toward Father’s study.

After knocking and entering, Father rose from behind his large desk and gestured toward the sofa.

I sat, studying his expression carefully, while he looked at me silently for a moment.

He was someone whose thoughts I could never read from his face, so my eyes darted around nervously.

Then, after a long while, he finally spoke, beginning with something I never expected.

“I am considering bringing in your future husband as a son-in-law.”

“What?”

“With your condition, how could you manage living in an unfamiliar household? While I am alive, stay under my protection.”

I thought he would scold me, but what was this unexpectedly touching display of fatherly affection?

In short, he was saying he wouldn’t allow his frail daughter to suffer through life in another household.

Those tender words didn’t match his expression at all, so I lifted my head and looked at him.

In his purple eyes, the same shade as mine, I could feel affection pressed down and held tightly in place.

My body is more than perfectly fine, but I’m also fine with a son-in-law, Father.

I hadn’t been Ayrbet Titanoa for long, but I had already grown deeply attached to the people of the Titanoa estate.

I had decided I would happily enjoy the sweetness here for a long, long time.

And I also wanted to become closer to Father, whom I hadn’t yet been able to bond with.

I was about to reply that I would gladly agree, moved by his words, when Father continued.

“So do not grow too attached to the Piction boy.”

Another development I did not expect.

I had just decided earlier to include Linus in my grand beekeeping business of life.

It seemed the reason Father had been displeased about my outing was because I’d been with Linus.

“Is it because he cannot be taken in as a son-in-law?”

“That is part of it, but…”

Father trailed off, uncharacteristically vague, not giving a clear answer.

That meant there was another reason besides Linus being a duke’s heir. But what was it?

Linus was flawless to the point you’d need to scrub him to find a blemish.

Father, and the people of the Piction estate as well, were clearly misunderstanding something about him.

He was handsome, kind, sweet… truly a honey-like man.

At this point, stepping in to defend Linus would have been strange, so I only rolled my eyes quietly.

Fortunately, Father didn’t continue the subject and changed the topic instead.

“The engagement announcement that was canceled yesterday will take place next week.”

“So that’s how it turned out.”

I quickly agreed, glad to avoid the awkward topic.

From Father’s words, it seemed the two-day meeting hadn’t managed to identify what the black hole actually was.

Reasonable enough, because it was a gate.

The emperor must have decided that the crown prince and Larienne’s marriage was more urgent than dealing with a gate.

Unlike a mysterious, ominous hole, the empire’s political situation, practically on the verge of civil war, was a clear and immediate danger.

“His Majesty will host a banquet for the announcement, so let us attend together.”

“Yes, Father.”

Because of the gate, I thought things might change, but it looked like the story was moving along the original plot after all.

Whatever happens, the protagonists of this world will take care of this world’s problems.

All I needed to do was find that chubby talking cat as soon as possible and stop him from messing with this world any further.

I returned to my room thinking I should sweep through the Butterfly Garden the moment I entered the palace, banquet or not.

I wondered if I should build some kind of trap, and before I knew it, night had grown deep.

After Ruby poured out a bucketful of worries before retreating, I lay on my bed and closed my eyes.

Then the window creaked open, and a fluffy white puffball slipped into the room.

A mackerel-patterned cat with a neat center part in its fur poked its face in and spoke to me.

“Hey.”

It was him. The very same fat cat.

“You!”

I jumped from the bed and lunged, grabbing the fat cat by the scruff… well, what I assumed was the scruff, that plump, soft neck.

“Ghk. Let go, nya. That hurts, nya.”

The cat flailed its short white arms.

Even if this creature had come to ruin my sweet possessed life, I couldn’t commit animal abuse.

I let the fat cat go and closed the window first.

After blocking every escape route, I fixed it with a hawk-like glare and asked:

“You, right? This was your doing?”

“What are you talking about, nya?”

“The gate. That dungeon yesterday, you’re the one who created it, aren’t you?”

“What nonsense are you spouting, nya? Himong would never do something like that, nya!”

“Don’t lie! If you didn’t do it, then why would a dungeon appear in this world?!”

“That’s exactly what Himong should be asking, nya!”

The fat cat… who insisted his name was Himong, stomped his paws angrily.

I learned today that even cats have expressions.

He glared with all his might, voice rising, and his face looked truly offended.

“Do you know how badly Himong got scolded by the director because of that dungeon, nya?! Everyone thinks Himong is an easy target, nya?! I should just quit this job, nya! It’s disgusting, nya!”

Was this really something a cat should be saying?

I was so stunned I couldn’t even respond, and he continued with something even more ridiculous.

Himong said he was so stressed he developed alopecia, and even showed me a bald patch on the back of his head.

I blew out a sharp breath and tried calming the fat cat drowning in workplace despair.

“Who said you’re an easy target? I’m just asking. Why are you getting so worked up?”

“Ayrbet-nya should try being in Himong’s position, nya!”

“And what exactly is your position? No, seriously, what even are you? Who’s this director you mentioned?”

After yelling for quite a while, Himong finally seemed to calm down and answered in a subdued voice.

“Himong is an agent from the Dimensional Management Bureau, nya. I was dispatched after detecting an anomaly in this dimension, nya.”

He answered with what sounded like sincerity, but I understood even less.

What is the Dimensional Management Bureau?

What kind of place works cats to death?

No…this was probably not the time to debate animal labor rights.