The Northern Grand Duke and the Cat Are Not So Different

Chapter 6

Ruan went straight to meet the cat, but honestly thought he might not be able to meet it.

Isn’t it usually in fairy tales that teach lessons about not acting recklessly, where you belatedly realize the problem and rush over, only to find that the sacred being that caused the trouble has already disappeared?

‘Wait! But isn’t it human instinct to start babbling nonsense when meeting a cute creature? Is that really such a reckless act to cause this kind of situation?’

He felt a bit wronged, but anyway.

As this was inside a fantasy novel, he was terribly nervous about whether the same pattern would apply… Fortunately, when it was time to meet as they had the day before, the cat appeared.

It appeared so confidently that Ruan wondered if it even knew what it had done.

The cat, whether it was truly a mystical creature or not, understood speech and admitted that it was responsible for turning the Duke into a cat.

However, the problem was… it seemed this cat knew how to cause trouble like a cat, but didn’t know how to fix it.

‘So does this mean that from now on, the Duke… will have to live as a cat for the rest of his life?’

Ruan was stunned with shock and guilt.

‘Is it really the case that because of me, the perfectly fine Northern Duke has turned into a cat?’

Of course, Ruan thought cats were great beings, but this was an entirely different matter.

It was a case where someone else’s precious son, born human by his parents, had turned into a cat overnight. And while his personality was unknown, the Northern Duke, who had definitely been producing results, had become a beast that couldn’t keep its composure at the sight of curtains swaying in the breeze.

And all because of Ruan Daen, who was just a passing resident equivalent to number 13.

‘How am I supposed to handle this….’

In fact, the previous Duke and Duchess had given birth to a sturdy, fine cat son from the beginning, and Dietrich Reinke had been a furry beast unable to keep his composure at the sight of swaying things ever since he developed what could be called eyesight. But this was a fact unknown to the current Ruan Daen.

Therefore, Ruan seriously pondered how to deal with this situation as ‘a person who acted recklessly in a fantasy world and completely changed someone else’s perfectly normal life.’

And as a result of his contemplation… he realized there was no answer.

It’s not like he was possessed by a great magician or some overpowered being like others. How could he, a possession novice who didn’t even know what not to do in a fantasy world, handle such a major incident when he was just a pitiful office worker stressed out by an evil boss?

Even when asking a high school girl to become a magical girl to protect the world, they usually provide at least a competent mascot. But Ruan, an office worker without dreams, hope, or energy, only had a giant cat with a strangely stern face that only knew how to cause trouble.

‘In terms of being able to cause trouble but not being able to clean it up, am I not much different from the cat….’

In conclusion, Ruan, whose ability to clean up messes was not much different from the cat’s, had no ability to turn the Duke back into a human.

The only thing Ruan Daen, who had nothing but guilt, could do was…

‘I have to treat the Duke well. I really have to do my absolute best to treat him well.’

All he could do was to serve the Duke, who had suddenly become a cat, with utmost sincerity and dedication.

The one fortunate thing was that Ruan was a 26-year veteran cat owner.

It was clear that the Duke, a cat newbie who had just become a cat, and moreover, didn’t even realize he had become a cat, would have no idea what a cat needs or what to be careful of.

Ruan resolved to meticulously take care of all those things and diligently look after the Duke, who was now no different from a newborn kitten in terms of being a cat.

His resolution was so solemn that he didn’t even realize he was treating the Duke, whom he had been so afraid of, like a baby cat.

* * *

Recently, the Duke’s satisfaction with life had been extremely high.

He couldn’t have imagined that life could become this comfortable. He was bewildered by this unprecedented level of ease.

And the one who provided this supreme satisfaction was… his newly appointed aide.

‘They said he lost his memory after being hit by an orc.’

Did he gain some ability to assist cats instead?

The aide was suspiciously competent.

He seemed to do his job even better than the former head butler, who was the only outsider who knew that the members of the Duke’s household were cat beastkin.

Until now, the Duke had inevitably lived with numerous inconveniences due to living with those who lacked understanding of cats. It wasn’t possible for the Duke to improve everything himself, so he had just endured and lived with it…

Recently, when he suddenly thought, ‘Isn’t it strangely comfortable now?’ he would find that the new aide had already taken some measures.

Like the chair placed by the window so he could comfortably look outside.

Or the diet where ingredients with strong bitter tastes that he couldn’t eat well had disappeared.

Or the disappearance of fragrances that gave him headaches when he smelled them.

When he thought, ‘What’s this? Why isn’t it uncomfortable?’ and asked, it was all changes brought about by the aide’s touch.

It wasn’t just these inconspicuous actions.

Whenever the aide said he wanted to try something and was left to it, he always brought unexpected results.

When he suddenly wanted to change the furniture arrangement in the office, the aide rearranged the Duke’s seat into a much more enclosed and cozy structure. With the place where he spent most of his day changed into a stable structure that could be fully seen at a glance, the time he spent on edge noticeably decreased, giving him that much more leisure.

There were countless other things that had changed due to the competent aide.

All of these drastically improved the quality of life, making the Duke more comfortable and in a better mood than ever before.

He would find himself purring without realizing it.

As a result, the Duke’s household members became intimidated by the Duke’s suddenly rough and fierce sounds and began to be cautious around him… but that wasn’t something the Duke cared about.

‘As expected, my judgment was right.’

The new aide was a talent that needed to be held onto at all costs.

It was the same now.

“Your Grace, here are the results of the recent patrol.”

The Duke was receiving a report from a knight who had gone on patrol outside the castle.

While listening to the knight’s words.

“The areas where we need to pay particular attention to orc movements are marked in red here, please check.”

Looking at the report, the Duke immediately became displeased.

Red, they say. What color is that supposed to be?

Cats are basically red-green colorblind. Whether it was marked in red or green, it all looked gray to the Duke.

As the Duke’s demeanor suddenly turned fierce, the knight became flustered.

“Your Grace.”

The aide approached unhurriedly and, pointing to a map of the Reinke area placed on one side of the desk, said:

“On the map, this area, this area, and this area seem to have changed significantly compared to the last report. Would you like to look at it along with the previous report?”

In a voice not too loud to be jarring, the aide pointed out the areas the Duke couldn’t perceive without drawing attention to it, and even quickly brought out the previous report.

The Duke stared at the face of the aide who placed the report in front of him.

Even as the Duke openly stared at him, this clever aide slightly averted his gaze instead of challenging him with eye contact, so as not to offend the Duke.

‘As expected…’

He’s a good one, isn’t he?

The aide continued to act and think as if he already knew what the Duke needed before he even asked.

And he rarely showed off or sought credit for it.

Although he knew it wasn’t true, there were moments when he wondered if this guy might also be a cat.

To the extent that such futile thoughts occurred, the Duke had never met anyone in his life who provided such convenience and comfort.

The Duke was very fond of this aide who was polite, smelled good, and was both sensitive and competent.

And now, with this consideration added to his previous fondness, at this moment, that feeling of ‘liking’ swelled to an extreme.

As he looked at him, he felt that even that pale face standing beside him, looking out for anything he might need, seemed quite nice.

‘I really need to keep this guy by my side.’

As my aide.

‘My aide,’ huh.

The Duke quite liked the sound of that.

A cat’s emotional changes were immediate, and cats never held back from doing what they wanted.

The Duke reached out and lightly grasped the chin of the aide standing next to him.

He could clearly feel the aide’s rapidly beating pulse with his fingertips.

Feeling that pulse, the Duke brought his face close to the aide’s…

And rubbed the flat area between his ear and cheek against the aide’s face persistently.

* * *

‘Crazy.’

Ruan’s mind went blank.