Chapter 02
What Hyu blurted out wasn’t an answer to Neya’s question, but something else entirely.
Neya blinked in confusion. Seeing that expression, Hyu spoke in a choked voice.
“It might be dangerous. Of all places, it’s the Heartless Ducal House.”
“…Ah, you mean I’m being adopted?”
Only then did Neya realize what Hyu meant.
But while Neya herself had only been told that it was a ducal family, Hyu already knew the name of the house she was being adopted into.
“Heartless?”
At the unfamiliar name, Neya tilted her head.
The Heartless Ducal House.
They had long been in conflict with the Lopez Ducal House, but after the Lopez family formed ties with the imperial family, the outcome had already been decided.
On top of that, due to a certain incident, their once sky-high reputation had been severely tarnished. Now, everyone in the Empire cursed and pointed fingers at the Heartless Ducal House.
Of course, Neya—who had never had even the slightest interest in high society—knew nothing of this.
“Come on, it can’t be that bad. Dad chose the place, didn’t he?”
“Not bad?!”
Hyu snapped.
Neya flinched in surprise; it was the first time she had ever heard Hyu raise his voice.
“You don’t know because you’re ignorant. Those people are the worst kind.”
“…What does ‘the worst kind’ mean?”
“It means it could be dangerous, Neya.”
Hyu clenched his fist. In his violet eyes, there was a hint of deep sorrow.
“Hyu…”
Neya looked at him worriedly.
But what he said next was shocking to her.
“Neya, let’s run away.”
“What?!”
Neya jumped up immediately. She was so startled that her tail and even her cat whiskers popped out.
She hurriedly wiped her cheeks, tucking the whiskers away, and cried out in panic.
“What are you talking about?! If we did that, Dad and the sisters would be heartbroken!”
“I didn’t really think much of it until now. I didn’t even mind being sold off.”
Hyu spoke in a voice so earnest it was almost desperate.
“But… if you’re not even going to be treated normally, that’s a different story.”
“……”
Neya knew that if she gave an affirmative answer here, they could leave this place immediately. Hyu’s magical ability was that exceptional.
But she didn’t give the answer Hyu wanted.
“…No.”
Her voice was trembling now.
“I promised Dad. I said I’d be a good Catsha who doesn’t cause trouble…”
“……”
As if he had expected this, Hyu gave a bitter smile.
Neya was always an obedient, well-behaved Catsha—completely unlike Hyu.
“…Then, Neya.”
Hyu met her gaze and spoke in a firm voice.
“Hold on just a little longer, until I grow up more. I’ll come get you soon.”
“Huh…?”
Hold on? Neya couldn’t understand what he meant.
“…!”
But just as she was about to ask more, she faintly heard a staff member’s voice coming from down the corridor. Neya quickly turned around.
“Anyway, I’ll come again tomorrow, so don’t use magic and behave yourself!”
“…You’re starting to sound like the staff, Neya.”
“Got it, okay? Promise!”
Leaving only those words behind, Neya hurried out into the corridor.
That night, Neya couldn’t fall asleep easily. She was too worried about Hyu.
After tossing and turning for a long time, she finally got out of bed.
Hold on just a little longer, until I grow up more. I’ll come get you soon.
Hyu’s words from earlier kept bothering her. The expression on his face when he said them had been clearly different from usual.
Should I at least go check on him…?
She would definitely get scolded if she was caught leaving her room late at night, but Neya decided to break the rules just this once. Her worry about Hyu outweighed everything else.
Transforming into a cat, Neya muffled her footsteps as much as possible and headed toward the corridor where the solitary cells were.
Huh?
But the closer she got, the noisier the corridor became.
It was dawn, and it was a place people rarely came to in the first place.
Sensing something was wrong, Neya returned to her human form and peeked around the corner.
She saw Alex and several staff members standing in front of Hyu’s cell.
For some reason, the door to Hyu’s cell was wide open.
But Hyu himself was nowhere to be seen.
“Of all days, he finally causes trouble…”
Alex muttered wearily.
A staff member asked him,
“What should we do? Should we call a magician and try tracking magic?”
“No need. It’s better to throw away merchandise we can’t handle. Even if we catch him, once he’s developed a rebellious streak, he’ll just keep running away. The cost of finding him would be even higher.”
Alex gave up on Hyu with ease. What’s more, he reacted as though he had expected this from the beginning.
“…Merchandise?”
It was a word Neya had never heard in her life.
Alex let out a deep sigh.
“This is why we shouldn’t have taken in a half-breed in the first place. I’ve just wasted money.”
Unlike how he acted in front of Neya, his expression was cold and indifferent.
He spoke to the staff waiting beside him.
“For now, focus only on Neya. Hyu might have let something slip before running away, so keep a close watch on her.”
“Yes, understood.”
After hearing the response, Alex irritably loosened his necktie.
“The Catsha race is exceptionally good at escaping. If she runs away after the adoption, we’ll have to pay all the compensation.”
“……”
After hearing that much, Neya immediately ran off in the opposite direction.
Her mind was in chaos.
Hyu had run away? And Alex had abandoned him so easily.
With countless thoughts swirling in her head, Neya ran without looking back.
Several days passed, and Neya’s adoption date drew near.
“That’s amazing~! A ducal house, right?”
“If Neya wears a dress, she’ll look just like a princess!”
Friends around her showered her with words of congratulations, but Neya’s expression remained dark.
Hyu still hasn’t come back.
Would she never see him again like this? Since that day, Neya’s mind had been filled with thoughts of Hyu.
She had been dressed up nicely for the adoption and was even wearing her most treasured dress, yet her mood showed no sign of lifting.
Following a staff member, Neya headed to the largest room in the cat shop. It was the room Alex usually used to receive guests.
When she entered, Alex was already talking with someone else. She could vaguely hear part of their conversation.
“You’ve been working hard, taking care of that woman’s affairs, Shane.”
“I can only be grateful for your concern.”
At Alex’s words, the man called Shane gave a crooked smile. He looked extremely displeased about something.
Then Alex noticed Neya and smiled.
“Neya.”
As a result, Shane’s gaze also shifted toward her.
Unlike his earlier irritated look, Shane smiled brightly when their eyes met.
“Hello, Neya. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
He was a man with long green hair neatly tied back. Through his angular glasses, gray eyes—of the same color as Alex’s—were visible.
“I’m Shane, a butler from the Heartless Ducal House. I look forward to working with you.”
Despite the handsome man’s polite greeting, which made for a favorable first impression, Neya remained silent.
Soon, Alex smiled and spoke to her.
“Neya, make sure you behave yourself and be a good girl over there, okay?”
“……”
If this had been the usual Neya, she might have smiled and answered.
But now, she couldn’t help but doubt Alex’s words.
If I don’t behave and be good… will I be abandoned too?
Just like Hyu, would she be discarded so easily? A vague fear crept over Neya.
“…?”
Seeing how quiet she was, a hint of puzzlement crossed Shane’s face.
Is she scared about going somewhere unfamiliar all of a sudden?
Or perhaps she had already heard rumors about the ducal lady.
After finishing his thoughts, Shane smiled at Neya.
“You said your name is Neya, right? It’s a lovely name.”
“…Thank you.”
“There’s no need to worry too much. If you’re nervous, shall we hold hands as we go?”
His words were nothing but gentle.
Since she liked holding hands, Neya didn’t refuse and tightly grasped the hand Shane offered.
She felt its warm temperature.
Even as she said goodbye to the staff and friends she had grown attached to, Neya felt nothing but gloom. The same was true after she boarded the carriage with Shane.
Throughout the journey, silence filled the carriage.
“……”
Shane glanced at Neya, who sat across from him, then cautiously spoke.
“This is a bit different from what I heard. I’ve never heard of a Catsha with such a gloomy expression.”
It was meant as a light joke to ease the mood, but there was sincerity in it as well.
Neya was always described as lively and bright, so that was how Shane had heard of her too.
But now she hadn’t smiled even once, her face gloomy the entire time—it was only natural for him to be curious.
“Are you sad about being separated from your friends?”
He knew the atmosphere of the cat shop was quite good, which was why he asked. But Neya only shook her head.
After hesitating for a moment, Neya finally spoke.
“Actually… my friend disappeared not too long ago.”
