JSOML 15

Chapter 15

Before long, Sonia returned with a shovel, and Luke gave her a brief rundown of the situation.

Sonia, who had decided to leave ahead with Pompom, waved her hand.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back!”

Luke hurried off to the office with Lery. His steps quickened, matching his anxious heart.

Upon arriving at the office, his pace halted. He whispered to Lery with a solemn face.

“Hoo. Sir Lery, I have a favor to ask.”

“Mya? (What?)”

Lery tilted his head.

It was amusing—both Luke, asking a favor of a cat, and himself, understanding and responding. It felt as if he were being treated like a human.

Having long since judged Lery to be a ‘genius cat who understood everything said to him,’ Luke continued.

“When you see His Highness, please give him a cute smile, okay? Promise!”

“…Mya! (…Okay!)”

At the earnest request, Lery nodded. Seeing him go to such lengths, it was clear that something out of the ordinary had happened.

*Knock, knock.* Luke steadied his breathing and knocked on the large door.

“Come in.”

Theodore’s voice came from inside, sounding different from usual. He was so subdued it was startling.

Luke entered, even muffling the sound of his footsteps.

‘Seems like something really did happen. He looks genuinely angry.’

The atmosphere was cold enough to freeze, and even Lery stared at Theodore stiffly.

Theodore, who had been flipping through documents irritably, furrowed his brow as Luke approached. His gaze remained fixed on the papers.

“Luke, are you running around after handling what I told you to?”

Sweating profusely, Luke grabbed Lery’s front paws and waved them around.

“…Y-Your Highness~ Please look over here~”

“…M-Myaa~ (…I-I’m here~)”

“…Lery?”

It was only at Lery’s pitiful cry, which could have made even a nursery rhyme weep, that Theodore finally looked up, his eyes widening.

He seemed quite surprised by the unexpected visit from his beloved cat.

But as quickly as it had appeared, the surprise was replaced by a smile. It seemed that just seeing Lery had softened his sharp mood.

“Your Highness, I’ve also brought the reply from Travia!”

So please, let go of your anger!

Luke seized the opportunity and placed Lery and the reply on Theodore’s desk.

Theodore, however, had no interest whatsoever in the reply from the Travia Empire. He simply buried his nose in Lery’s fluffy, ball-like body and inhaled his scent.

‘…Honestly, he’s impossible.’

This was the sequence of events Lery had grasped:

A path of manipulation had been discovered in the budget proposal submitted by the Treasurer.

Consequently, Theodore’s anger, upon realizing the problem belatedly, had soared to the peak of the mountain. Though he usually resolved any issue amicably, this case was something he couldn’t just let slide.

Luke had judged that Lery was the only one who could quell his anger.

And his judgment proved correct—after fully indulging in the ‘Lery Stabilizer,’ Theodore quickly returned to his gentle demeanor.

Theodore read through the reply stamped with the Travia seal.

—

…Therefore, I shall visit to foster harmony with the Centineo Empire. Once again, I thank you for the invitation and look forward to the coming days.

— Kaiden Velium Travia

—

The content was a positive response to the letter that had proposed a gathering for harmony.

Recently, ‘Travia’ had emerged victorious from its war with ‘Niebe.’

Once, ‘Centineo’ had also been a cooperating nation with ‘Niebe,’ but they had severed ties before the war between ‘Travia’ and ‘Niebe’ broke out.

This was because maintaining peace by supplying necessary war materials was more important than becoming a target for ‘Travia.’

“What does it say?” Luke asked, hovering around Theodore.

Theodore’s sculpted nose bridge crinkled.

“He says he’s coming because he wants to see me.”

“Ah… yes…”

“Lery, there’s going to be a banquet soon. Aren’t you looking forward to it?”

Theodore said, scratching under Lery’s chin pleasantly.

‘A banquet?!’

Lery, who had been dozing off on Theodore’s lap, finally perked up, his eyes sparkling. Just thinking about seeing a banquet hall, which he’d only ever read about in romance fantasy novels, piqued his interest.

Finally, it seemed something exciting was about to happen in his monotonous daily life!

The afternoon sunlight reflected off the glass bottles, creating shimmering borders.

The office was as quiet as a study room back in the Republic of Korea.

‘Everyone’s working hard.’

Lery let out a languid yawn and surveyed the office.

Even Theodore, whose abilities he sometimes doubted, was rolling his quill and reviewing documents.

“Myaaang. (The sun must be rising in the west.)”

“Yes, Lery. Isn’t it captivating?”

At the absurd reply, Lery’s face scrunched up unattractively.

Wanting to look impressive to Lery, Theodore had suddenly struck a model pose. The sight of his glasses perched decoratively on the bridge of his nose and his shirtsleeves rolled up was incredibly comical.

Luke, who had been glancing at Theodore, spoke up on Lery’s behalf.

“Just focus on your work, Your Highness.”

“…Why are you answering, Luke?”

“…Because it seemed like that’s what Sir Lery would say.”

“Myaa. (You’re both crazy.)”

Perhaps it was because of the mountain of piled-up documents, but there didn’t seem to be a single sane person here. Theodore was definitely the top of the ‘abnormal group,’ though.

‘Anyway. Such is the life of a cat.’

Could there be a more fitting expression?

Lery lay his small body down on the soft white blanket. It seemed that he needed to fall asleep for Theodore to concentrate.

Just as he was about to close his eyes, a knock was heard.

“I’ll get it, Your Highness.”

“…Stop that.”

“Yes.”

At Theodore’s stern look, Luke smiled awkwardly and opened the door. But he quickly returned, his face pale.

Luke bleated like a goat.

“Your Highness… You actually went through with it…?”

“It seems they’re finally here.”

Theodore’s face, as he set down his teacup, lit up. He pushed the documents aside and pulled out a large, thick catalog, flipping it open.

Curious, Lery leaped onto Theodore’s desk.

“Mya? (What is it?)”

“Yes, it’s a shame a cat can’t be the model, isn’t it?”

‘…What is he talking about?’

Lery lightly ignored Theodore’s comment and turned his gaze to the catalog.

The catalog contained design drafts for dresses for small dogs.

At that moment, a gloomy aura emanated from Luke.

Lery glanced sideways at Luke. Sure enough, he was half out of his mind, looking dazed and limp.

‘That master of mine caused another mess!’

Ugh. As expected.

“Is he waiting outside?”

“Yeeesss…” Luke barely managed to answer, clutching onto his fraying sanity.

Images of the recent past flashed through Luke’s mind like a lantern slide. It was Theodore who, even amidst his busy schedule, had pestered him to hold a meeting about ‘cat dresses.’

—

‘Luke, by any chance, the dr… for Lery…’

‘You mean the dragon, Your Highness?’

‘No, the dr…’

‘You mean the dwarf, Your Highness?’

—

He had tried to shut him up at the mere mention of the ‘dr’ in ‘dress,’ but that had apparently been his mistake. In the end, Theodore had summoned the costume department staff to the palace.

‘Haaaa.’

Luke could only helplessly thump his own head in frustration.

A dizzying scene from the banquet hall unfolded in his mind.

Lery in a colorful dress, Theodore with a proud, chin-raised expression, the nobles whispering amongst themselves…

This was practically confirming the rumor of the ‘Crown Prince who’s crazy about cats’ as fact.

“Lery, shall we go pick out your dress?”

“Mya? (My dress?)”

Whether he knew of Luke’s worries or not, Theodore picked up Lery and leisurely left the office.

Upon arriving at the dress room, a well-mannered attendant drew back the curtains.

With a dazzling flash of light, a grand spectacle of all kinds of dresses unfolded before Lery’s eyes.

‘What is all this!’

Lery was taken aback. He thought he had grown accustomed to a luxurious life by now, but there were still surprises in store.

There was a dizzying, overflowing array of adorable dresses made from high-quality fabrics and colorful accessories.

‘How much do all these cost? I knew he was crazy about cats, but… I didn’t expect it to be this extent.’

As he stared, mesmerized by the sheen, Theodore sat on the sofa and gestured to the attendant.

“Show me the most expensive ones.”

“Your Highness!”

Luke, having belatedly come to his senses, rushed after them.

“Surely, Your Highness, you’re not going to pick out… all of them, are you?”

“Of course I am. They’re clothes for my Lery.”

“Ehh?! But what about Sonia’s input?!”

“I know Lery’s mind better.”

“Myaang. (Yeah, right.)”

What a man who interprets things as he pleases.

Unable to hold back, Lery snorted.

“See, Lery agrees.”

…He was completely wrong again this time.

Soon, neatly tied boxes were arranged evenly. The attendant untied the ribbons in order and introduced the products.

“These are specially imported from other countries.”

The outer surfaces bore labels from various nations.

Lery, who had been dazed by the overwhelming quantity, discreetly examined the boxes. Curved letters were lined up like a train.

Even when he tried to read them, deciphering was impossible. He could barely make out the prices.

‘Are these really clothes for an animal? This isn’t missing a decimal point, is it?’

There seemed to be an excessive number of zeros attached.

Theodore opened the pink box in the center first and asked.

“Is this a Rubio product?”

“Yes, Your Highness. It’s made with rare gems mined there.”

Azalea-colored gems, embedded like petals on rose-colored silk, added a lively touch.

This seemed more than enough to accentuate Lery’s adorable charm. Theodore asked with a satisfied smile.

“Lery, what do you think?”

“Mya! (That one’s pretty!)”

For some reason, this dress especially appealed to Lery.

It was strange. He hadn’t been taken with the other products, but this one caught his eye.

What was the identity of this captivating item? Curious, Lery shifted his gaze to the lid.

Then, something unbelievable happened. Unlike the products from other countries, the characters on this one were perfectly legible.

—

“Work of ‘Minus Fairy,’ Head Designer of the Rubio Kingdom. 50,000,000 Pennies.”

—

‘Eh? What’s this?’

Lery tried reading the letters on all the other boxes as a test. However, the other letters felt like lines devoid of intrinsic meaning.

‘What is it?’

Lery’s sapphire-like eyes began to tremble. A complex mix of emotions surged, as if he was forgetting something important.

Lery read a little more of the letters on the back of the box.

—

“This dress, meticulously crafted stitch by stitch by ‘Minus Fairy,’ is the only one of its kind on the continent…”

—

Even the sweeping cursive script was read effortlessly.

‘That’s impossible…’

Lery clamped his mouth shut with a wad of fluff. Reading the language of the ‘Rubio’ Kingdom didn’t seem like mere coincidence.

“Let’s go with this one. And a few more…”

“Yes, Your Highness. Let me confirm the measurements first.”

Even while the staff measured him, Lery couldn’t easily shake off his shock.

‘Does this cat have some connection to the Rubio Kingdom?’

It felt like he had finally found a clue regarding his body, which had been full of questions until now.