PLML 29

CHAPTER 29

“Poppy, I said slow down!”

Poppy kept running excitedly, completely ignoring Jaina’s shouting. Thanks to the control device Theoris had attached, she wasn’t being dragged around, but her arm still hurt from the constant pulling on the leash.

Jaina sighed as she looked at Cotton Candy trotting along gracefully.

‘If only Poppy could walk as calmly as Cotton Candy…’

Recalling how Cotton Candy had instantly subdued Poppy earlier, Jaina spoke up.

“Cotton Candy, want to try calming Poppy down?”

“Kyuaong?”

Tilting its head, Cotton Candy stepped in front of the wildly running Poppy.

“Kyu, kyauw!”

Cotton Candy puffed itself up and barked something at Poppy. Poppy, who had been energetically bounding around, sat down with its ears drooping, looking like a scolded puppy.

Then, just like that, Poppy began walking calmly beside them like Cotton Candy.

‘Wow, my Cotton Candy really is the best.’

Jaina thought.

There was probably no monster in the world smarter than Cotton Candy.

Thanks to that, she was finally able to enjoy the scenery as they walked—until Cotton Candy suddenly darted ahead. It stood stiffly in front of a bush, fur puffed up and ears sharply raised, growling.

“What is it?”

Jaina peeked through the bushes and spotted a familiar-looking animal.

“Huh? A cat.”

It was a cat.

Cats were not commonly found in this world. Only the richest of the upper-class nobility could afford to keep them. They were considered rare animals.

‘That’s strange. It’s unlikely someone abandoned it…’

Jaina slowly reached toward the cat. Its black fur had a faint violet sheen. With a flick of its tail, it avoided her hand. Its upturned eyes closed and opened lazily, giving it a sultry look.

“Come here, kitty. I’m not a bad person.”

The cat’s clear golden eyes stared at Jaina. After a long moment, the cat suddenly leapt up and perched on her shoulder.

Cotton Candy cried out in shock—“Kyuk, kyuu!”—clearly displeased at the cat sitting on Jaina’s shoulder.

“Hey, kitty, how about getting down? I’ll hold you…”

When Jaina raised her hand to lift the cat, it batted her hand away with its paw as if saying, Don’t touch me.

‘Wow, what a diva. But then again, that’s just how cats are.’

She could’ve forced it down if she wanted to, but Jaina decided to leave it be.

In her past life, she was allergic to cats and couldn’t be near them. Now she had one sitting on her shoulder—it was like a dream come true.

She finished the walk with a sulking Cotton Candy and returned to the Grand Duke’s residence.

“My lady~”

Ellie came running, waving from afar.

“Ellie, it’s been a while.”

“Yes, my lady. But more importantly…! Isn’t that a cat on your shoulder?”

“Yeah, I found it in the forest.”

“Again? Now you’re raising a cat too?”

Since it followed her all the way back, maybe the cat had chosen her?

Jaina nodded.

“I don’t mind, but will His Grace be okay with it?”

“I’ll convince him. Nobles raise cats too, don’t they?”

“That’s true.”

Ellie reached out to pet the cat. But before her fingers could even touch it, the cat batted her hand away and climbed onto Jaina’s other shoulder.

“Seems like it doesn’t like being touched. It didn’t let me pet it earlier either.”

“Such a cold little thing.”

“That’s just how cats are.”

“Oh! By the way, my lady, His Grace is asking for you.”

“Got it. I’ll be there soon.”

Jaina left Cotton Candy, who whined in protest, in her room.

“Alright, kitty, time for you to get down too, okay?”

The cat didn’t respond. Not even a simple “meow.” Jaina tried to remove it, but it slipped away from her grasp again and again, dodging her hands skillfully. After a while, Jaina gave up.

‘I’ll have to tell Theoris about the cat anyway.’

Still carrying the cat on her shoulder, Jaina headed to Theoris’s room.

“You’re here.”

Theoris, now dressed comfortably, greeted her. His gaze immediately went to the cat on her shoulder.

The cat glanced at Theoris, then gracefully jumped down.

“Wait!”

Ignoring Jaina’s call, the cat strutted off to the window and settled in the sun. The sunlight made its fur shimmer with a soft violet glow.

“What is that?”

“Found it in the forest.”

“Jaina, you can’t just bring home any random animal.”

“‘Any random animal’? Cats are highly prized pets!”

Theoris didn’t argue further.

Jaina took a sip of the tea Theoris had prepared and went straight to the point.

“Theo, I hate slow-burn drama plots.”

“…Slow-burn what?”

“You know, the kind where people hide little things, get misunderstood, argue for no reason. I hate that. I like you, Theo. So I don’t want us to go through stupid misunderstandings over things like this, like rumors of cheating or me being close with Ferus.”

“So… you’re not close with Ferus?”

“Don’t even bring him up! I can’t stand two-faced people like him.”

At her words, Theoris’s expression darkened slightly.

‘He is his brother… maybe I was too harsh.’

“Well, I mean, if you want me to get along with him, I guess I could try…”

She tried to soften her words, but Theoris shook his head.

“No. I… don’t want you getting close to anyone but me.”

“Alright. I’ll try.”

Jaina then told Theoris everything that had happened with Ferus. As he listened silently, his expression grew colder. A deadly glint shone in his eyes.

“Oh, and he said he wants to call me by a pet name too.”

Crack. The handle of Theoris’s teacup made a sharp noise. Fortunately, he caught the cup before it spilled.

“Theo, are you okay? Did you burn your hand?”

“No.”

He answered in a low, heavy voice and slowly stood up.

“Theo?”

“I’ll be back. I have somewhere to go.”

His eyes, filled with madness, revealed exactly where he intended to go.

‘Oh no, not that.’

Jaina quickly grabbed his hand and made him sit back down. He looked completely unhinged. If she hadn’t stopped him, he would’ve stormed the palace.

His clenched fist trembled.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned the nickname.’

She’d only said it to avoid future misunderstandings, but clearly, this wasn’t the right time.

Jaina soothed him as best she could, passionately emphasizing how much she hated the nickname “Zenne.” Meanwhile, the tea on the table had grown lukewarm.

Once Theoris calmed down, Jaina brought up the conditions Ferus had set.

“I’m fine with it. Theo, for now, we don’t really have a choice but to go along with what he says.”

“No. I won’t allow you to meet him alone.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll never do anything to make you ashamed.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about. I trust you, Jaina. It’s Ferus I don’t trust. If something happens to you because of him, I… I couldn’t stand it.”

Jaina had assumed Theoris’s objection stemmed from jealousy—but it wasn’t that. He trusted her deeply. What he couldn’t bear was the thought of her being in danger.

‘What do I do? How can I convince him…’

Theoris was being stubborn, even more so because this was about Jaina’s safety.

As she racked her brain for a solution, a familiar voice rang out.

“Tsk, what a pathetic display.”

11. I Tame Monsters… and People Too

At the sudden sound of Ashins’s voice, Jaina looked around in surprise. She couldn’t see him anywhere.

‘What? That was definitely Ashins’s voice…’

A crazy thought crossed her mind.

Clear golden eyes, fur with a subtle violet tint—the cat she had picked up looked suspiciously like Ashins.

“Lord Ashins?”

“Yes.”

The cat spoke.

‘What the—’

Jaina jumped and clung to Theoris. She nearly cursed out loud.

“I was going to pretend not to notice, but watching you two was just too painful.”

The cat leapt from the windowsill, did a somersault mid-air, and transformed into Ashins in a swirl of violet smoke.

Unlike the startled Jaina, Theoris remained calm.

“Theo, don’t tell me you knew?”

“I had a rough idea.”

“Then why didn’t you say anything?!”

“I’ll tell you next time.”

As the two spoke, Ashins clicked his tongue behind them.

“Is this how you treat a guest? No tea or anything?”

“We don’t have any spare cups.”

Theoris lied without hesitation.

“Theo.”

Jaina gave him a look, and he reluctantly had Homel bring tea. Ashins took a sip, frowned, and dropped five sugar cubes into it.

‘He’s supposedly hundreds of years old, but he has a child’s taste buds.’

Jaina stifled a laugh.

“So why are you here, Lord Ashins?”

“Why not? This is my body. I can go where I please.”

“But this is my house.”

“Quit talking back. You’re no fun.”

Sensing the conversation was going nowhere, Jaina stepped in.

“Lord Ashins, someone as wise as you surely didn’t come here without a reason. May I ask what brings you here?”

Ashins smiled, pleased by her respectful tone.

“Theo, learn from her.”

“Don’t use my wife’s name so casually.”

“Possessive, aren’t you?”

After giving Theoris a glare, Ashins finally explained why he came.

He knew Ferus was interested in Jaina. That’s why he hadn’t revealed more about her powers in front of Ferus.