“Where should I find the mother cat? Lady Kailas said she doesn’t know Sig. I asked merchants all day long, but it was no use. I really wanted to find Sig’s mother for him…”
Sigmund couldn’t believe his ears. It was unthinkable, but Romiya was distressed over Sigmund’s nonexistent mother.
‘Dragons don’t have mothers, Romiya!’
While Sigmund silently screamed, Romiya muttered to herself.
“I wanted to help more because it resembles Lord Sig… Haa.”
Sigmund was overcome with regret. He desperately wanted to smack his past self, the one that used to purr contentedly in Romiya’s arms, on the back of the head.
Romiya murmured helplessly.
“How foolish. This child isn’t Lord Sig. Trying to repay this child for the guilt I feel toward him…”
“…….”
“I always just take and take. If only I could remember even a little of the past, but I can’t…”
Hearing Romiya’s heartfelt words, Sigmund felt as though his chest was being torn apart. At last, he made up his mind. He couldn’t delay any longer.
He had to leave this place now!
He had to return to his true form!
“Nyaaang!”
Sigmund squirmed to escape from Romiya’s arms. But then, a problem arose. When Sigmund suddenly tried to leap out, Romiya, startled, grabbed hold of him.
“Ah, Sig! It’s dangerous!”
Indeed, Romiya’s arms were too high for a kitten to safely jump down. Of course, to Sigmund, who was far from an ordinary cat, the height was as trivial as a speck of dust. Nevertheless, unaware of this, Romiya couldn’t help but hold onto Sigmund.
“Why is he acting like this all of a sudden? Sig, calm down.”
Romiya, at a loss, stood up.
“Are you bored because I’m sitting still? Ah! Sig!”
Even amidst the commotion, Sigmund was desperately attempting to escape. It wasn’t easy. Had he been a real cat, he might have used his claws to escape Romiya’s arms. But Sigmund, unwilling to hurt her, found it an impossible feat.
“Could it be that the mother is nearby?”
Romiya glanced around. With Sigmund struggling so fiercely to escape, she wondered if his mother had shown up.
“I don’t see her. Where could she be?”
Not knowing for sure if the mother was nearby, Romiya couldn’t let go of the kitten. If she lost him, she might never see him again. Moreover, a lone kitten might end up in danger.
“Sig, just wait a bit. If your mom shows up, I’ll send you right back to her.”
Sigmund felt like he was about to burst.
I’m not a cat! And dragons don’t have mothers!
At that very moment.
“Myaaong!”
A sound akin to that of a savior rang out. Sigmund turned his head sharply.
Stray cats began to appear leisurely from an alley opposite the café where the knights were staying. Luckily, among them was a black cat.
‘That’s it!’
If Romiya wanted to find Sig’s mother, then he just needed to create one!
Sigmund’s golden eyes glinted sharply as he locked onto the black cat. Sensing the presence of a great being, the black cat, in the middle of grooming itself, flinched. Sigmund directed a commanding spell at the cat as if firing magic.
‘Come here, now! From this moment on, you’re the mother cat!’
A mere creature like a cat could never resist the power of a dragon.
The cat’s eyes quickly lost focus as it began approaching smoothly. Sigmund raised his voice, seizing the opportunity.
“Miyaaaooong!”
“Oh, could it be? Sig, is that your mom?”
“Nya!”
Forgetting that he was supposed to pretend not to understand human speech, Sigmund eagerly nodded his head. His mind was set on returning to his true form as soon as he escaped Romiya’s sight.
Fortunately, Romiya, overjoyed to have found the mother cat, dismissed Sigmund’s unusual behavior.
“Haa. Thank goodness. She was nearby.”
As Romiya visibly relaxed, Sigmund also let his guard down slightly—just slightly. He couldn’t fully relax until Romiya was completely reassured.
“Here, go to your mom.”
Romiya carefully set Sigmund down. Like a bullet, Sigmund darted toward the stray cat.
The stray cat, as instructed by Sigmund, stopped at an appropriate distance and sat quietly. As Sigmund approached, it licked his head as if it had been waiting.
The wet roughness of the tongue pressed against his head. Sigmund tried his best not to register the sensation of a cat’s tongue as he turned to glance at Romiya.
“Goodbye, Sig.”
Though it had only been half a day, Romiya already looked heartbroken, her face filled with regret.
Sigmund also felt reluctant to part from Romiya’s arms, but he knew they would meet again in just a few minutes, so he turned away resolutely.
But just as he was following the stray cat into an alley, slinking out of sight—
“My lady, may I have a word with you?”
A smooth baritone voice called out from behind. At first, Sigmund assumed it had nothing to do with him and quickened his pace. But the response that followed stopped him in his tracks.
“What do you want to talk about?”
“Were you, by any chance, searching for that kitten’s mother?”
“Yes, I was. Why do you ask?”
Sigmund couldn’t resist turning his head anymore.
The moment he looked back, sparks flew in his vision. A stranger was standing next to Romiya!
“As I thought, my guess was correct. Not only are you beautiful in appearance, but you also have such a kind heart. Truly, my eyes were not mistaken.”
The man, dressed more neatly than a commoner, pushed back his stylishly groomed blond hair and placed a hand over his chest with a deep smile. He bowed courteously.
“Forgive my sudden intrusion, my lady. The truth is, I’ve been watching you for some time.”
“What? You’ve been watching me?”
“Indeed. In this square, you alone shone so brightly. I couldn’t take my eyes off you. It seems I wasn’t the only one to notice your radiance, however…”
The man’s gaze turned icy. He glanced over his shoulder. The knights from the café were hastily approaching.
This man appeared to see the knights as his rivals.
“They, too, have been staring at you incessantly. I could no longer bear to see your light stolen by their gazes.”
“…Pardon?”
“If you’ll allow me the chance, may I introduce myself to the beautiful you? Should you choose me, I will ensure their vile eyes never linger on you again.”
Romiya, momentarily taken aback by the man’s bold approach, quickly waved her hands in protest.
“Ah, I think there’s been a misunderstanding. Those gentlemen weren’t looking at me because they like me—”
“Enough humility. Beautiful lady, please acknowledge your charms.”
“No, that’s not it. It’s not about acknowledging or denying my charm. I actually have someone I’m seeing—”
“Of course, someone as lovely as you would naturally attract admirers. But whoever it may be, please compare them to me. I am Whitten of the Volker family, established in honor of the great dragon Sigmund, the progenitor of Genos—”
“Kyahng!”
Whitten, the overly self-assured man, didn’t get to finish his sentence. A sudden creature leapt out and struck Whitten’s cheek.
“Ugh!”
It wasn’t a strong force, but it happened so unexpectedly that Whitten stepped back a few paces in surprise.
He touched his cheek in bewilderment, and upon confirming the black figure, his eyes widened.
“A cat?”
“Hissss!”
A black kitten, no larger than the size of a palm, stood blocking the space between Romiya and Whitten. With a feeling of disbelief, Whitten checked the dirt smeared on his cheek, and his face contorted.
The kitten had indeed hit him.
“What is this?”
Consumed with self-love, Whitten couldn’t accept the fact that such a filthy creature had laid a paw on him.
It irritated him even more that he had embarrassed himself in front of a woman he had recently taken a liking to.
‘This is why all stray animals should be eliminated!’
Pulling out a silk handkerchief, Whitten vigorously wiped his cheek and ruffled his hair in frustration. Then he turned to Romiya and flashed a mechanical smile.
“I must have shown an unsightly side of myself. My apologies, milady.”
“Sig?”
“Ah, so you remember. Yes, I’m Whitten of the Volker family, established in honor of Sigmund’s achievements…”
“Sig. Where’s Mom… and what are you doing here now?”
“Hisssss!”
The kitten bared its teeth fiercely. Whitten felt anger boiling up to the top of his head.
The plan was simple—seduce the lady first and then deal with that wretched cat. Resolving himself, he put on his smiling mask once more.
“It seems the kitten is truly grateful to you, milady. It must have misunderstood my actions. Come here, kitty. I’m not a bad person, you know. I’ve just been captivated by the lady’s beauty.”
Just as Whitten bent down to pet the kitten’s head…
“Argh!”
A sharp pain wrapped around his hand. The kitten had bitten down hard, glaring at him with fiery eyes. Startled, Romiya quickly scooped up Sig.
“Sig! How could you bite someone?”
“Haha. It’s… fine.”
Looking down at his hand, Whitten’s eyes bulged. It was not fine at all. Despite its small size, the kitten had bitten so hard that his flesh was deeply indented.
“There’s a hospital nearby operated by the Wing of Healing. You should go there quickly.”
“This? It’s nothing… I’m perfectly fine.”
Trying to act nonchalant, Whitten’s face twisted more and more. The wound hurt too much to feign strength in front of the woman who had stolen his heart at first sight. The fact that he’d been bested by such a tiny kitten made his anger flare anew. Before seducing the woman, he decided, he’d have to get rid of that wretched kitten first.
“Please hand over the cat to me. A beast that harms people must be properly trained. I have a servant nearby who can take care of it.”
Instinctively, Romiya stepped back to protect the kitten.
“Ah!”
Unfortunately, Romiya lost her footing. Whitten thrust out his bloodied hand to catch her. Romiya staggered even more and ultimately lost her balance. As she braced for impact and tightly shut her eyes…
Thud!
She had expected to fall on her bottom, but there was no pain. Instead, she felt herself enveloped in a firm embrace and caught a whiff of a familiar scent. Cautiously, Romiya opened one eye. Whitten was staring at her in shock.
“Who… who are you?”
“The husband of the woman you were messing with.”
Startled, Romiya opened her eyes wide like a rabbit at the voice that came from above her head. Whitten, too, was dazed by the sudden appearance of an extraordinarily handsome man. The man, whose beauty was almost terrifying, spoke in an even more dangerous tone.
“No, the husband from her previous life. No, not a man—a dragon.”
“…What?”
“And this time, I’ll be her husband again…”
“…What??”
And then, at that very moment…
“Sig? What brings you here?”
A voice broke the strange standoff.
Sigmund, who had been glaring at Whitten as if he would kill him, suddenly flushed a deep red.
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