When Ruan Shu woke up, she had no idea where she was.
“You’re finally awake.”
The voice from beside her startled her so much that all her fur stood on end, bristling like a little spiky ball.
She turned her head nervously, only to see someone familiar.
The cat’s eyes widened even further.
“What’s wrong? Don’t recognize me?”
Almer chuckled softly. This little spiky furball was just too adorable; the more he looked, the more he liked her.
Seeing him, Ruan Shu’s bristling fur finally settled down, but she felt even more nervous inside.
After all, she had only recently learned that this person was actually His Majesty.
Ruan Shu wanted to say something, but as soon as she opened her mouth, all that came out was a soft “meow.”
Only then did she realize she was still in her cat form.
She was stunned. Wait, should she change back now?
“Shushu.”
Hearing him call her name, Ruan Shu looked at him in surprise. Did he… did he know she was Ruan Shu?
Could her father have told him?
“Your eyes are too recognizable.” As if he knew what she was thinking, Almer picked her up directly, his fingers gently brushing over her round eyes, his tone laced with amusement.
Ruan Shu instinctively closed her eyes, her tiny paws fidgeting nervously on her fluffy tail, her fur trembling slightly as she looked up at him with anxious eyes.
Almer’s voice sounded a bit hurt.
“Is Shushu really this distant with me? We’ve even exchanged letters before.” He gestured to the hair ornament dangling from his hair.
“I’ve kept the gift you gave me.”
And he wore it in such a blatant, obvious way, right there in his hair for everyone to see.
Ever since he started wearing that ornament, many ministers couldn’t help but glance at his head whenever they saw him, then at the Marshal of the Ruan family.
After all, Marshal Ruan had a similar ornament, though the design was different; it was clearly made of the same materials. The Marshal wore his discreetly at his waist.
As for His Majesty’s… it was not only on his head but also extravagant and dazzling, studded with countless sparkling gems.
Of course, everyone had decided to turn a blind eye to His Majesty’s little quirk.
Almer, while stroking Ruan Shu’s fluffy little head, thought in a good mood that Marshal Ruan didn’t seem too pleased about it.
Meanwhile, Ruan Shu, held in his arms: “….”
You’re making it hard for me to change back into my human form like this, Ruan Shu thought.
Following his gaze, she looked at the hair ornament, barely recognizing it as her own handiwork. It was so opulent and glittering it almost blinded her feline eyes, yet the way he wore it braided into his hair was surprisingly attractive.
She had to admit, he seemed well-suited for such things.
Ruan Shu stole a few glances at his hair.
With his long legs crossed, Almer reached up and touched the ornate accessory in his hair. “Looks good, right? You gave it to me.”
Ruan Shushuffled her paws on her tail, feeling a bit bashful. Plus, the one she’d given him hadn’t been nearly that extravagant.
Oh, right!
She suddenly remembered how she had fainted. That huge, terrifying creature!
Her small eyes darted around, anxiety creeping up on her. She remembered those thick legs and tail, the massive eyes, and the golden glint…
Golden glint?
Ruan Shu’s gaze landed suspiciously on Almer’s eyes.
Almer met her stare with an innocent look.
Hesitantly, Ruan Shu let out a soft, mewling sound in a sweet, almost babyish tone, asking, ‘Did you see a massive, dark, towering creature?’
Almer, understanding her question perfectly, paused, choosing to feign ignorance. The soft, tender voice of hers was delightful to hear. As for what she was asking about, he decided to pretend he hadn’t understood.
“What creature? I don’t know anything about that,” he said, inwardly amused. “I’m merely a passerby who kindly picked up a fainted little kitty.”
“Your Majesty…”
A calm voice came from outside the door.
Almer, holding the little cat, went to open it without hesitation, even giving her soft, tiny paw a gentle squeeze as he went.
The more he squeezed, the more he liked it, and he didn’t let go. How could such a tiny paw be so soft? Her whole body was so soft. Holding her, feeling her light, furry warmth—it was just perfect, in either her human form or her current beast form. Moving next door to Marshal Ruan had truly been the best decision.
Meanwhile, Ruan Xiao, the unwilling neighbor: “…”
The door opened, and Ruan Shu burrowed her little head further into Almer’s embrace, her fluffy ears drooping with anxiety.
Almer stroked her head as he accepted a dish of fragrant dried fish from the knight.
The knight shot a glance at the tiny cat in Almer’s arms.
So small…
When the door closed, Ruan Shu finally looked up, her little head peeking curiously at the dish in Almer’s hand.
The irresistible aroma of the dried fish wafted into Ruan Shu’s nose, too tempting for any cat to resist.
“Want some?” Almer asked, amused.
Ruan Shu lowered her head, too shy to respond.
“Here, these are all for you,” he said in a gentle, coaxing tone. To be fair, Ruan Shu really was like a little child right now—a simple, innocent little kitty.
Almer held out a dried fish for her. “I heard you like these. My chef prepared them just for you. Try it?”
Ruan Shu couldn’t resist the temptation. After all, it was right in front of her—what cat could resist that?
She was a bit grateful that, unlike ordinary house cats, star beasts like her could eat food with seasonings.
And this dried fish! It was even more fragrant and crisp than the ones her brother had taken her to try at restaurants; every crunchy bite was so satisfying, bones and all.
As she ate, the little cat grew more and more relaxed, the tip of her fluffy tail flicking back and forth in contentment.
She ate delicately, taking small bites, a soft purring sound rumbling from her throat that was soothing to listen to.
Compared to other star beasts, her sounds were unusually soft and delicate. Even her meows had a lilting tone, naturally sweet and endearing. Who could resist that?
Certainly not Almer at this moment. He wanted nothing more than to scoop her up and pet her, even feeling an instinctive urge to nuzzle her soft, furry little belly. But he restrained himself, not wanting to scare her.
With a slightly regretful look, he held back, finding a surprising amount of joy just in feeding her.
Almer rested his chin in his hand, petting her head after each piece of dried fish.
Ruan Shu looked up at him with her big, round eyes.
Almer continued feeding her, finding it impossible to shake off the desire to snatch her away and keep her as his own.
What should he do? Maybe he could somehow provoke Marshal Ruan into giving him a reason to stake a claim?
Ruan Shu, unaware of his wild thoughts, felt comfortably full after five fragrant fish snacks. Oh no… had she just filled up on snacks? Would Grandpa Butler scold her when she got home?
Oops.