Chapter 04
“……?”
Bewilderment immediately rose on the woman’s face.
From what she’d heard, that person must be the duchess. If so, she was practically the one who had adopted Neya.
With that single thought, Neya had called the woman that.
The mom I’d dreamed of for so long is that beautiful?
The disappointment she’d felt when she first entered the mansion vanished completely, and before she knew it, her heart began to pound.
Of course, to the woman who had suddenly become a mother at their first meeting, it was nothing but bewildering.
“I’m not your mom. I’m Azure.”
“Azure Mom?”
“…Fine. Call me whatever you want.”
Azure gave up right away. She already felt a headache coming on.
“…….”
She looked at Neya, who had come closer, then tugged on one cheek.
“But are you really a cat? You just look human.”
“Kehae-yeo—”
“What’s ‘keha’ supposed to be?”
Since her cheek was being pulled, the words naturally came out garbled.
Neya took a step back, escaping Azure’s hand, then rubbed the cheek that had just been pulled and shouted,
“I’m not just a cat—I’m a Catsha!”
“Huh.”
At the sharp cry, Azure let out a dry laugh.
“How old are you?”
“Seven!”
“If a cat is seven, isn’t that basically middle-aged?”
“I said I’m a Catsha!”
Neya puffed out her cheeks in a pout. Since Catsha had the same lifespan as humans, a seven-year-old Catsha had the appearance and intelligence of a seven-year-old human child.
“…….”
Looking at Neya, Azure felt at a loss.
“Gerry alone is annoying enough. Now there’s one more hassle…”
Why on earth had the duke suddenly sent her something like this? It only irritated her.
“If you’re done greeting each other, please come out now. I’ll prepare a simple lunch.”
Just then, Shane’s voice came from outside.
As soon as Neya left the room, she found Shane standing in the kitchen.
“It’ll be ready soon, so please have a seat for a bit.”
Though Shane said that, Neya couldn’t resist her curiosity and walked up to him.
She struggled onto the small stool beside him and stood proudly at his side.
Shane, who was trimming cabbage, glanced at Neya and scolded her lightly.
“It’s dangerous.”
“I’ve never fallen even once!”
Neya declared confidently.
Well, she is a Catsha, he thought.
Her sense of balance would be far superior to a human’s. Shane didn’t stop her further and continued cooking.
Holding two eggs in one hand, Shane cracked them against the edge and slid them into the frying pan. A sizzling sound rose as the eggs cooked alongside the bacon.
While the bacon and eggs fried, Shane took out slices of bread wrapped in paper. His movements were very practiced.
Neya watched with sparkling eyes.
“I want to do it too!”
“…Pardon?”
Shane looked at Neya uncertainly. Her face was full of anticipation.
“….”
It would be much easier to finish quickly on his own, but seeing those eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
“Then could you take the packaged cheese and put it on the plate?”
“Yes!”
Neya answered energetically and picked up the cheese beside her.
With her small hands, she diligently unwrapped the cheese. It was nothing special, but Neya was completely absorbed.
As the two focused on cooking, Azure passed behind them.
She opened the cabinet enchanted with a cooling spell, took out a large bottle of milk, and drank a mouthful.
“Don’t drink straight from the bottle.”
“Mm.”
Despite the reply, Azure boldly drank directly from the bottle and left the kitchen.
“…….”
Neya paused mid-unwrapping and stared blankly at Azure’s retreating back.
Then she swallowed.
“I want milk too…”
Hearing the mutter, Shane chuckled softly and handed Neya a glass.
“Go ask the lady to pour you some. But only one glass.”
“Understood!”
Neya cried brightly, grabbed the cup, and headed toward the living room.
Azure was sitting at the dining table, drinking milk. Neya climbed onto the chair across from her.
“Milk, please!”
Holding the cup with both hands, Neya smiled innocently.
“…….”
Azure looked at her, then turned her gaze away. Soon, she began gulping down the milk in one go.
“……!”
As the milk steadily disappeared, Neya grew restless.
But Azure didn’t care and quickly emptied the bottle.
Setting down the empty bottle, Azure wiped her mouth and frowned.
“Ugh, my stomach feels heavy.”
“My milk…”
It was just one glass she hadn’t gotten, yet that alone plunged Neya into despair. In an instant, her eyes welled up.
“I knew this would happen…”
Shane came out of the kitchen, sighed at the sight.
“Neya, there’s another bottle of milk in the cabinet. I’ll get it for you later.”
“There’s more…?”
“But only after you finish eating.”
“Yes, okay!”
As if she’d never been on the verge of tears, Neya beamed.
And a little later—though it was already late afternoon—the three of them finally ate lunch together.
The menu was sandwiches packed with vegetables. Seeing the sandwich placed in front of Neya, Azure asked in puzzlement,
“She’s a cat, right? Shouldn’t she be eating feed?”
“…….”
Shane looked at Azure with clear disgust.
“You’re swearing at me with your eyes?”
“Neya, don’t mind her. Please eat.”
“Thank you for the meal!”
Neya greeted cheerfully and picked up the sandwich.
For something made quickly, it looked surprisingly well-prepared. When Neya took a big bite, her face lit up.
“It’s delicious!”
“Really? That’s a relief.”
Seeing her reaction—so different from Azure’s—Shane smiled unconsciously. No matter what he made for Azure, she always ate silently.
“Do you always make the food, Shane?”
“You can just call me Shane.”
At his words, Neya immediately changed how she addressed him.
“Do you always make the food, Shane?”
Shane chuckled softly and replied,
“Only breakfast or a simple lunch. Usually the maid prepares meals and leaves.”
“I saw earlier—you were cleaning too…”
Shane had introduced himself as a butler.
Since she was to be adopted into a noble family, Catshop Catsha studied nobles little by little. That was why Neya knew the difference between a butler and a servant.
“But butlers don’t usually clean, right?”
“Haha, true.”
At Neya’s question, Shane lifted the corners of his mouth in a bitter smile—one that didn’t look pleased at all.
“I was hired thinking the same, but when I came to my senses, I’d become a general handyman.”
“You should’ve been prepared for that much when you decided to follow me.”
Azure replied indifferently while eating her sandwich.
I heard Mom was kicked out…
Then why would Shane bother following her all the way to this old mansion?
Suspicion filled Neya’s face as she looked back and forth between them.
“Um… are Shane and Mom in a relationship?”
“…….”
Both of them immediately stiffened.
“That’s a horrible thing to say.”
“Neya, you shouldn’t say things like that so casually.”
“…?”
A question mark popped up in Neya’s head. She’d only asked if they liked each other—why did they dislike it so much? She couldn’t understand.
After the meal ended, Shane began clearing the plates.
Azure spoke to him,
“Shane, coffee.”
“…….”
Shane glanced at Azure disdainfully, then asked Neya,
“Neya, shall I bring you some milk?”
“……!”
Neya nodded vigorously. Saying he’d be right back, Shane headed to the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Azure was reading a book on the table, looking terribly bored.
The once-bright sun had tilted, and the sky gradually turned the color of sunset. Orange light streamed through the large window, wrapping the interior of the countryside mansion.
As Azure brushed her golden hair aside and read with her gaze lowered, the sunset light settled on her eyelashes.
She looks like a princess…
Neya stared at her blankly. If a fairy-tale princess really existed, wouldn’t she look like Azure? She was that beautiful.
Just then, a knock sounded at the front door.
“Shane, open the door!”
Azure called out without lifting her eyes from the book. But Shane didn’t come out of the kitchen.
“Tch, guess he didn’t hear.”
“I’ll open it!”
Neya hopped down from her chair. Liking the princess-like Azure so much, she wanted to earn her affection.
Neya trotted over and opened the front door. Since the house was small, the living room and entrance were only a few steps apart.
As soon as she opened it, a smell brushed her nose, making her frown.
Alcohol…
It was similar to the scent she’d noticed earlier in Azure’s room.
Neya slowly lifted her gaze.
Only after craning her head for a while did she finally see the face of the person standing there.
Standing in front of the house was a man she didn’t recognize.
