Chapter 47
I was completely buried in Suleiman’s broad shoulders, flailing helplessly, unsure of what to do.
Then he bent his head low until his cheek pressed softly against mine.
“…So soft… and warm. Can I stay like this for a bit?”
Wait, excuse me!!
I do know that baby kittens are soft and adorable by nature, but—
‘You’re too close, it’s bad for my heart!’
But my protest couldn’t make it past my lips.
Suleiman buried his nose and lips into my fluffy white fur and inhaled deeply.
His hot breath brushed the back of my neck, making me shiver with unbearable ticklishness. Yet, because he held me tightly like a child clutching a favorite toy, I couldn’t bring myself to tell him to stop.
‘Still… how long are we going to stay like this?’
To anyone watching, it would look like a huge man hugging a tiny cat that dangled from his chest—but somehow, it felt like he was the one leaning on me.
Just as I was debating when to ask him to let go, my eyes caught sight of his arm and shoulder through the gap in his robe—wrapped tightly in bandages.
“Meow?” (What’s that?)
“Ah… this is embarrassing.”
Looking a bit troubled, Suleiman gently pulled me away and adjusted his robe.
“Meow, nyaaa?” (You’re hurt?)
“It’s nothing serious. Just a small wound.”
A small wound?! That much of an area wrapped up and you call it small?!
I stared at him incredulously, but he just averted his gaze, pretending not to notice.
Annoyed, I puffed up my cheeks and narrowed my eyes. The thought that he might have gotten hurt somewhere I didn’t know about made me strangely angry.
“Meow.” (Let me see.)
I marched up to him and boldly yanked his robe aside.
“Ištar, don’t do that.”
He reached out to stop me, but I bit his hand—hard.
“Meow! Hisss!” (Enough—just stay still!)
Maybe he couldn’t bring himself to use force against me, because he froze, looking utterly defeated.
With all my might, I tugged at his robe until it slipped down with a soft rustle, revealing his bare upper body.
“Meow…” (Gasp…)
Seeing the wound, I clamped my paw over my mouth.
Even outside the bandaged area, his skin was dark with bruises, veins bulging and broken beneath the surface.
‘Good heavens… that must hurt like hell…’
I gazed at his bandaged shoulder and arm with sorrowful eyes.
Then Suleiman quietly pulled his robe back up and spoke.
“I was poisoned. The affected area is wide, but it’s not an external wound. Don’t worry.”
“Meow…” (Still…)
Looking closer, I could see faint traces of blue energy creeping up his neck—the mark of venom.
If he’d been poisoned, it must have happened before his return from the diplomatic mission, during that reported ambush.
‘But… he didn’t show any signs of being in pain.’
He must have been treated by healers or priests after returning to the castle, but seeing how far the poison had spread—it must have been agonizing.
How could he hide it so perfectly?
Now, he seemed more concerned about my worry than his own pain.
‘That hurts…’
To think that I’d been living so close to him without realizing how much he was suffering—made me feel like such an idiot.
Unlike when I’m human and tend to hide my feelings, in cat form, my emotions came out too easily.
My mismatched eyes glistened with tears that soon dripped onto the bedsheet.
“Meow… meow…” (Sniff… hic…)
“Ištar… don’t cry.”
Suleiman, looking lost, gathered me up—sheet and all—and gently patted my back.
I cried in his arms like a child. His comforting strokes were the softest and most tender they had ever been.
“If I’d known you’d react like this, I would’ve told you sooner. It’s not a serious injury, so please, don’t worry too much.”
“Meow?” (Really?)
“Yes. I’ve built a resistance to most poisons. This one just takes longer to detoxify.”
Still, it must hurt.
When I frowned and pointed to his arm in protest, he chuckled faintly.
“…Maybe I’m just used to pain. It doesn’t bother me anymore. Since you came, even the worst of it has eased.”
I blinked, remembering that Suleiman suffered periodic seizures from the curse.
At first, his health had seemed unstable, but after living with me, the symptoms had nearly vanished.
‘Wait… if I can lessen his curse and pain, maybe I can heal this poison wound too?’
It didn’t seem impossible.
His seizures had nearly stopped—that meant I was already giving him some sort of healing or purification effect.
‘But… how exactly do I do it?’
To amplify healing, I’d have to use Ashtar’s divine power.
But I hadn’t yet begun proper training with Azize—I didn’t know how to channel it consciously.
Resting a paw on my forehead, I racked my brain until I remembered what Ashtar once said:
‘Remember the energy flowing inside you. Please, try it for me.’
‘Try…? Like praying?’
‘Yes. You could call it that. But listen carefully—don’t doubt. Believe it will work, and it will.’
The goddess Ashtar had told me that divine power comes from faith and the will to help.
And I was basically a chosen vessel of the gods, wasn’t I? Maybe prayer alone could ease his pain.
“Meow, mew.” (Well, it’s worth a shot.)
Closing my eyes, I rested my paw gently on Suleiman’s shoulder.
“Ištar…?”
I felt him tilt his head in confusion, but I ignored it and silently prayed for his recovery.
Like a mother’s healing touch, I softly stroked the wounded area up and down.
‘Heal, heal… don’t let him hurt anymore.’
He might be the one who made my heart race these days, but he was also my companion—my… caretaker.
‘And honestly, the person I trust most.’
Arin counted too, of course, but what I felt toward Suleiman was something sturdier, deeper.
I squeezed my eyes shut and kept murmuring inwardly, ‘Heal completely. Please, please heal.’
After a while, light began to bloom from my paw.
“This is…”
A soft violet glow spread, wrapping around his forearm.
The divine energy seeped into his skin, and Suleiman gasped softly.
“The pain… it’s completely gone.”
He unwrapped the layers of bandages from his arm. The white cloth fell away in loose coils to the floor.
The bruised, poisoned skin was completely restored—his natural color returned, the bulging veins gone.
His firm, smooth skin gleamed faintly under the morning light.
‘Wow… unbelievable. I’m a total genius!’
All I did was wish with all my heart, and the wound just—healed?!
Overwhelmed by my own power, I hopped excitedly in place, the earlier sadness completely forgotten.
Suleiman flexed his arm, astonished.
“Even the cut from the arrow is gone. Truly incredible, Ištar.”
Pleased by his praise, I puffed out my chest and proudly tapped it with a paw.
“Meow! Nyaa! Meow!” (I’m amazing, aren’t I? Shower me with praise!)
Apparently understanding the gist, he chuckled and lifted me into his arms.
Then—smooch—he pressed his lips against my temple.
“Thank you, my goddess of fortune. I’m so glad you’re here with me.”
His crimson eyes softened, reflecting me in them, and a smile—more beautiful than any I’d ever seen—spread across his face.
‘Ahh… my heart’s going to explode.’
The way he looked at me—it was like honey dripping from his gaze.
Feeling my ears burn bright red, I quickly covered them with my paws.
This iron-blooded man, cold even to his own mother, smiled like this only at me.
Even toward Hürrem, he had always been distant and cynical.
And wasn’t this the same man who once drew a sword on me and warned me to stay away?
It was hard to believe he was the same person.
Now, those once-frightening eyes looked at me with warmth and affection.
When our gazes met directly, my heart pounded so hard I thought it might burst.
“Meow…” (This is bad…)
I had no choice but to admit what I’d been trying so hard to hide—
That the man others called cruel and ruthless…
was starting to look, to me, unbearably lovable.
