Its golden eyes resembled Sigmund’s exactly, and its fur was a glossy black, like Sigmund’s hair.
Just looking at the lovable creature, it drooped its ears and tugged at the hem of her skirt as if asking to be held.
It was impossible not to embrace it.
“Wait just a moment.”
Romiya, as if spellbound, handed over the luggage she was carrying to a knight escorting her and then picked up the kitten.
As the tiny, warm creature, small enough to fit in a mug, touched her hands, a spontaneous exclamation escaped her lips.
“You’re so cute. I want to nibble you!”
Unable to resist, Romiya kissed the kitten’s head. The kitten blinked its eyes open and closed as if it felt ticklish.
It was unbearably adorable.
“Ah, how can you be this cute?”
The kitten’s cuteness didn’t stop there. Staring up at Romiya, it suddenly licked her chin.
“Oh my!”
Romiya’s eyes widened in surprise before she burst into a bright laugh. She nuzzled her cheek against the kitten.
“I’m not your mom.”
“Meow.”
The kitten, undeterred by Romiya’s words, kept licking her chin, cheeks, and hands. Romiya let out a clear, joyful laugh.
“Do I seem like your mom? Should I be your mom?”
Saying so, Romiya looked at the kitten in wonder. Most cats were wary of strangers, but this kitten seemed completely unbothered.
“I want to take you home and raise you.”
Romiya stroked the kitten’s fur as she spoke. At her words, the kitten, which had been enthusiastically licking her hand, flinched. It couldn’t possibly understand human speech, yet it seemed startled by what she said. Romiya spoke again with a face full of regret.
“Well, I guess that wouldn’t work. You’re still too young. You must’ve lost your mom, right?”
No matter how cute the kitten was, Romiya couldn’t truly become its mother.
The kitten looked incredibly young, even at a glance. It seemed it hadn’t been born more than two months ago.
“Your mom must be nearby, right?”
Romiya looked around. A kitten this young wouldn’t be wandering alone near the main road. Surely, it must have lost its mother.
“I’ll help you find her. Wait a bit.”
Seeing how irresistibly cute the kitten was, Romiya thought there must be someone around who knew about it.
“Sir Litten, may I search for this kitten’s mother? I’d like to ask the nearby merchants.”
“Of course.”
Romiya sought permission from the knight escorting her. The knights readily agreed to her request.
“I’ll send the luggage to the royal palace first.”
“Thank you.”
The escort knights stepped back to avoid disturbing Romiya. Holding the kitten, she entered a nearby shop.
“Hello, may I ask you something? Have you seen this kitten? It seems to have lost its mother.”
At Romiya’s question, the merchants shook their heads.
“This is the first time I’ve seen it. Strange. For one so young, you’d think we’d have seen it around here before.”
“I saw a pregnant cat recently, but this one looks completely different. It doesn’t seem like that cat’s kitten.”
Unfortunately, no one seemed to know the kitten’s identity. After speaking with the merchants, Romiya looked worriedly at the kitten.
“What should we do? Nobody knows you. You must have come from very far away.”
Feeling deeply sorry for the kitten who had lost its mother, Romiya gently kissed its head.
The kitten purred, making a sound of contentment. After a moment of contemplation, Romiya spoke to the knight.
“Could you inform them at the palace that I’ll be a little late? I want to look for the kitten’s mother a bit longer. If I still can’t find her, I’ll have to ask someone else for help.”
“Do you have someone in mind?”
“There’s a hospital nearby run by Lady Kailas. I heard she likes small animals. I’d like to ask for her help, just for a while.”
“Ah, you mean the ‘Wing of Healing.’ That’s a good idea.”
At that moment, Sigmund, who had been basking in the warmth of Romiya’s arms like he was in heaven, snapped to attention.
‘She’s taking me to the Wing of Healing? Kailas will immediately realize something’s off when she sees me!’
Initially, when Sigmund had allowed himself to be held by Romiya, he hadn’t planned on hiding his identity for so long.
At first, it was just to give Romiya the joy of holding a kitten for a short while before revealing who he really was.
But the problem was…
Romiya was too beautiful.
Even when she was simply standing, her beauty was breathtaking, but when she smiled brightly, it left him utterly spellbound.
The harmless, utterly pure smile she directed at him differed from the one she gave Sigmund. It completely obliterated his sense of reason.
When he found himself staring at her with dazed eyes, Romiya had leaned in and kissed him.
Before he knew it, he had started licking Romiya’s chin.
The warmth and softness of her skin on his tongue were irresistible to Sigmund.
‘Just ten minutes in her arms.’
‘No, make it an hour.’
He already loved nibbling, licking, and cuddling Romiya when he was in his true form. However, as himself, he couldn’t indulge in it as freely—perhaps because they were still in the early stages of their relationship.
‘Back then, I could do as I pleased.’
In her past life, he’d freely cuddled Romiya whenever he liked. But unfortunately, that was all in the past. Romiya had no memory of it now.
In any relationship, the one who loves more tends to hold back more, especially in the beginning. For Sigmund, his feelings were compounded by millennia of longing. With the self-control of a dragon, he was doing his best to restrain himself.
‘Half a day. Let’s just stay like this for half a day.’
But now, there was no need for restraint. Why? Because he was a kitten! Succumbing to temptation, Sigmund decided to indulge in cuddling Romiya as much as he pleased.
“Are your teeth itching, little one?”
When he gently nibbled her without hurting her, Romiya assumed he was teething and burst into laughter. Hearing her laughter only made Sigmund more excited.
‘Is this heaven?’
Forget about the dignity of a dragon; he was starting to wonder if he should periodically transform into a kitten just for moments like this.
While he was enjoying his own version of a perfect date, Romiya suddenly announced her plan to take him to the Wing of Healing.
‘What do I do now? Should I make a run for it?’
Only then did Sigmund realize how embarrassing his behavior had been.
‘No matter how weak I am in the face of love, this is too much. I can’t let myself be this pathetic.’
Though, honestly, transforming into a kitten just to approach Romiya was already the pinnacle of pathetic.
‘And Kailas is in a relationship with Julios! If Kailas discovers what I am, she might tell Julios, who might then show Heinz the future he foresaw.’
Of course, it wasn’t a relationship yet, just mutual unrequited love. But in Sigmund’s eyes, it was basically the same thing.
‘Anyway, once I’m back in my true form, I plan to grab Julios by the collar and drag him to Kailas. Those two getting together is just a matter of time.’
…Though, the bigger issue was if Sigmund’s embarrassing actions came to light first.
Imagining Kailas discovering his identity and Romiya hearing about it made Sigmund feel as if he’d been doused in cold water.
‘Yes. I’ll escape. Once Romiya finishes checking the fruit shop, I’ll make a run for it.’
Sigmund made up his mind. However, the thought of leaving this sweet embrace tore his heart apart. Fighting back tears, Sigmund thought to himself:
‘No, I’ll wait until Romiya reaches that fountain and then bolt. Or maybe… once she arrives at Kailas’s hospital, I’ll make my escape…’
Was this what a fly trapped in a Venus flytrap felt like? His mind told him to flee immediately, but his body refused to comply.
The mere thought of being humiliated in front of Kailas briefly brought him back to his senses, but the moment he caught Romiya’s scent, he was once again like a kitten intoxicated by catnip.
‘Not just my body—did my mind turn into a kitten’s too?’
Lying limp with his chin resting on Romiya’s hand, Sigmund pondered.
“Hello! Are you looking for that kitten’s mother?”
A voice suddenly jolted Sigmund back to reality. He snapped his head up.
A small boy with brown hair smiled as he greeted Romiya.
‘Heinz! That little brat!’
Sigmund bared his teeth without thinking.
The boy’s eyes widened in surprise, as if to say:
“Did Lady Romiya just see that face of yours?”
In other words, he wondered if Romiya had caught Sigmund’s momentary lapse from his innocent, pitiable lost-kitten act.
Sigmund flinched, realizing he might have slipped up after maintaining his guise so diligently as a grieving kitten teething in sorrow.
“Yes, I am. Do you know anything about this kitten?” Romiya asked.
“Of course! I even know its name.”
“Really?”
Sigmund shook his head desperately, wondering what nonsense this brat was about to spout.
Naturally, Heinz ignored him entirely.
Growing anxious, Sigmund resolved to use magic to send Heinz flying.
But first, he needed to escape Romiya’s arms!
…However, he failed.
Romiya quickly grabbed him as he tried to squirm out of her hold.
“What’s gotten into you all of a sudden? You can’t jump down from here—it’s dangerous.”
Then, she hugged him tightly. Naturally, Sigmund was immobilized. Heinz, on the other hand, grinned victoriously.
“This kitten has quite the temper, doesn’t it?”
“Huh? No, not at all. It’s been very gentle.”
“That can’t be true. Animals live up to their names.”
“What’s its name?”
“Sig. Sig.”
“Sig? Really?”
“Yes. A name you’re very familiar with, right?”
Romiya looked down at the kitten in surprise. Sigmund froze stiff.
Heinz smirked and added with a mischievous grin:
“It’s named after the great dragon.”
“Oh, I see.”
Sigmund, who had been tense as a bowstring, stared at Heinz in disbelief. Heinz, of course, paid him no mind and was clearly having the time of his life.
The sharp-eyed mage had noticed Sigmund’s inner turmoil from the beginning.
Teasing Sigmund was immensely entertaining because there was nothing the dragon could do about it. To see Sigmund so restrained and hesitant was a rare delight.
Heinz was determined not to let this golden opportunity go to waste.
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