The Northern Grand Duke and the Cat Are Not So Different

Chapter 20

Ruan liked the Daen family members.

Though their personalities differed, Julia, Hans, Joachim, and Magda were all kind and good-hearted people.

Suddenly waking up in another person’s body in a world with a completely different era, atmosphere, and basic common sense. In the early stages of his transmigration, Ruan was simply confused and bewildered.

Where was he, and what should he do? Could he return? Who was he, exactly? Nothing was certain, and nothing was easy.

What supported Ruan during that time was the Daen family. When Ruan suffered from confusion, they showered him with warm and transparent affection. When he truly knew nothing and didn’t know what to do, they patiently taught him how to live in this world from the beginning.

How could he not feel fondness and affection for such people? Without them, it would not have been easy to endure the early stages of transmigration. Ruan was always grateful for the unconditional support and affection from the Daen family.

And he was equally troubled.

He couldn’t help but know that everything he received at every moment was directed towards “Ruan Daen, the youngest of the Daen family.” Relying on feelings he shouldn’t receive always came with guilt.

Ruan was the only one who knew that the “Ruan Daen” they truly loved no longer existed. Yet he hid this from these people who were no less than benefactors to him, and instead parasitized on the kindness they bestowed.

Even if the Daen family didn’t know this fact, he himself couldn’t not know. Because he knew well what he was doing to them, Ruan was always troubled even as he was grateful for their affection.

A life where he had to feel guilty for being an uninvited guest just by existing even here. Does a person’s fate not change even when crossing worlds?

Maybe that’s why he became particularly attached to the cat. In front of the cat who knew only him, not “Ruan,” he didn’t have to feel guilty about being himself.

But… who would have thought that Julia, who always seemed calm, had noticed this.

Ruan looked at Julia with a startled expression. Julia, looking back at Ruan, began to speak somewhat abruptly.

“The people of Reinke are used to losing family.”

Regardless of whether Ruan was puzzled by this sudden topic, Julia continued in a calm tone.

“Because we’ve lost countless times, we know we can lose our loved ones at any time. That’s why we do our best every moment. To not lose them, and to have no regrets even if we do lose them. Even so, we can’t be without regrets… But Reinke is a place where it’s more rational to use even the strength to regret towards trying not to lose.”

After saying that, Julia paused briefly before speaking again.

“We lost our youngest son once.”

Ruan drew in a small breath at Julia’s resolute voice. Julia placed her hand on Ruan’s. The hand that grasped his with gentle strength was warm.

“And when we did our best to accept that, we got our son back again. So we just do our best for that son again.”

At those words, Ruan recalled the Daen family members pouring out their sincerity to a degree that could be described as solemn. They had always felt this way.

Now he felt he could understand what Julia was saying.

“If you’re going to continue living in Reinke, do the same. Reinke is a place lacking in everything, so act rationally and smartly.”

These were people who chose to act kindly and do their best at every moment as a strategy to survive in a barren and harsh place. People who chose kindness in order to act ‘rationally’ and ‘smartly’.

Julia, one of those people, asked,

“Are we precious to you now too?”

“Yes.”

Even if he felt guilty, that feeling was true, so Ruan answered without hesitation.

“Then don’t do useless things and express your affection in the way we want, doing your best. And think about what will make you happiest and do that. Even if we acted excessively, that’s ultimately what we want.”

In the end, it was telling him not to feel guilty and to choose the place and way of living that made Ruan most comfortable.

Of course, hearing this didn’t mean he would stop feeling guilty. But… he seemed to understand how to treat these people in the best way Ruan could.

“It wasn’t hard living with my family. The fact that I, who woke up knowing nothing, could live so well is all thanks to the affection my family gave me. Without my family, I couldn’t have been like this. Really.”

At Ruan’s honest words, a slight smile appeared on Julia’s stern face.

“Yes. I know. So come home often. Otherwise, your father will cry every day.”

“Yes. I’ll definitely do that.”

After extracting a promise that he would come home often for meals, Julia stood up. Joachim tried to rebel, claiming he still couldn’t let his youngest go, but… he was soon dragged away by Julia.

From that day on, Ruan officially began living in the Duke’s castle.

For some reason… with two suddenly softened cats.

* * *

When the Duke heard a sudden loud noise followed by his aide’s name while taking a nap, he thought something big had happened.

Sudden bad news was routine in Reinke, after all.

So he rushed out, and…

“I came to the Duke’s castle of my own will because I wanted to be by Your Grace’s side!”

Who would have thought he’d hear such a thing.

Although worried about the aide prostrated on the floor, the Duke couldn’t hide his excitement.

The Duke had been upset that the aide had been mistreating part of him. But now the aide, who had been discriminating against the human Duke… shouted loudly that he had come into the Duke’s space for the human Duke, not the cat.

Right. He had forgotten because the aide had been so devoted to the cat while putting the human Duke on the back burner… But come to think of it, the first time this guy came to the Duke’s castle was clearly because of the human Duke. In fact, when he first saw the cat Duke in the castle, didn’t he express surprise at how it was there?

The aide must undoubtedly like the human Duke as much as the cat Duke.

The Duke became very happy.

If that was the case, why was his way of treating them different despite having the same feelings? The Duke, whose understanding had broadened due to his good mood, quickly guessed the reason.

Until now, the Duke had spent time with the aide both as a cat and as a human. Although his form changed in the middle, he had spent long periods, almost all day, with the aide. Naturally, the Duke had enough time to become familiar with the other party to the point of feeling comfortable and understanding them.

But unlike the Duke, the aide perceived the cat and human Duke as separate beings… So he only had half the time to adapt compared to the Duke.

Moreover, unlike the cat, the human Duke was much larger than the aide.

The aide was a timid guy who couldn’t even reach out his hand when he first met the cat Duke, only offering objects with his scent on them… Even though he liked and followed the human Duke, he might have been unconsciously maintaining politeness because the other party was larger than him.

The Duke, who had been sulking about the differential treatment, became the most generous cat in the world when he realized the aide’s circumstances.

The Duke stopped being prickly towards the aide for a while and started showing a generous attitude. Both in human form and cat form.

To what extent?

“Lately, both you and His Grace seem to be in a really good mood. Did something happen to the cats… Did you two secretly get into catnip somewhere without me knowing?”

The aide, who had taken out a quill pen from somewhere that he had hidden away before, was babbling such nonsense while enthusiastically waving it.

Although the aide’s arm muscles were weak and his dynamic vision was poor, he knew how to wave the quill pen in a way that quite suited the Duke’s taste. Therefore, the generous cat played along for a while, indulging the aide who seemed to be doing his best.

The Duke was so generous that after playing to his heart’s content, the aide, who was in a good mood and lying down, watching the Duke’s mood… committed the atrocity of slyly bringing out a brush.

‘Even so, brushing is a bit…’

The Duke took revenge on the aide, who tried to commit an audacious act taking advantage of his generosity, by only damaging the brush and magnanimously forgave him.

While frolicking with the aide in such a relaxed and generous mood.

Deng- Deng- Deng-

The bell hanging on the castle tower began to ring. It was the signal warning of a monster attack.

Familiar with the situation, the Duke flipped his body as if he had never been lazily sprawled out and stood on all fours in an instant.

There was a problem in his territory. As the owner of the territory, he needed to go check quickly.

Since it was a time when the human Duke’s form was needed, he would normally have to return to his room to transform into a human, but…

The Duke looked at his aide, a member of his group and someone he trusted enough to sleep together with.

‘Is there really a need to do it secretly?’