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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Bark!
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Sir Evan doubted his ears for a moment at the command to bark. But the lynx's impudent gaze clearly said, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and bark."
Not a word had been spoken from the start, and now it was demanding he bark more? Evan felt wronged, absurd, and furious, something bubbling up inside him.
At this rate, if he didn't smack the creature right then, he'd regret it forever. Without thinking, Evan clenched his fist and swung it at the beast's white head.
But the punch sliced through empty air with a whoosh, never landing.
The nimble lynx dodged swiftly and scampered toward the bed where Lianus slept, leaping up with a bound.
Evan paled as the bed rocked violently and shouted to stop it.
"Hey, hey! What are you...!"
He'd meant to warn it not to wake His Highness, but his voice boomed louder than expected. Evan froze mid-sentence and glanced at Lianus.
Thankfully, His Highness remained asleep, but the damned lynx paid no heed to Evan's caution. It crept closer to the sleeping prince and began slapping his small, round forehead with its naughty paw.
The smacks rang out crisply.
"W-what are you doing? Stop that right now!"
"Rian, wake up."
Smack, smack.
Nihil ignored him and kept slapping Lianus's forehead.
Evan lunged to grab Nihil by the scruff, but the ruckus finally proved too much. The baby kitten stirred and grudgingly opened his eyes.
"Ugh, uwuung..."
Evan halted, still dangling the insolent lynx by the scruff, upon seeing the baby kitten rubbing his eyes as he just woke.
Lianus blinked wide-eyed at the bizarre scene greeting him upon waking, looking back and forth between Evan and Nihil.
"Nil? Sir Evan? What are you doing?"
"Ah, well, Your Highness, it's... um..."
Unlike Evan, who floundered for words, Nihil answered boldly despite being held by the scruff.
"I'm bored."
Evan pressed his temple hard.
Ah, bored, huh.
So this lynx spouted nonsense about barking out of sheer boredom and smacked the sick baby kitten's forehead.
"Nil, you were bored! I slept too long, huh? Sorry!"
Ah...
Evan let out a sigh.
Choose the worse one: the lynx who woke the sick baby kitten noisily out of boredom, or the baby kitten apologizing despite his illness because the lynx was bored.
Evan was at a loss for words. He simply set the lynx down gently beside the baby kitten.
Freed, the lynx crawled on its knees toward the baby kitten, who beamed happily in response.
Evan's head spun.
It wasn't even noon yet, but his mind and body were already exhausted. He wanted to give up thinking altogether.
"Nil, what should we play?"
"Hand."
Now the lynx was treating His Highness like a pet. The innocent, purely kind baby kitten tilted his head but obediently offered his hand anyway. Evan's gut began to boil.
Nihil grasped Lianus's proffered wrist. He lowered his eyes slightly and held the position for a few seconds.
"...Woke up a bit early. Want to sleep more?"
"What? No, I don't want to. I'm not sleepy anymore."
Lianus shook his head vigorously, wrist still held. Watching this, Evan narrowed his eyes and ventured cautiously,
"You know how to take a pulse?"
Nihil glanced at Evan before refocusing on Lianus's wrist.
"Just enough to gauge condition. Not in detail."
"Where'd you learn that? Know herbs too?"
"Mountain ones, roughly. Why?"
"...Nothing."
"Boring."
Lianus watched their exchange with bright, curious eyes, then marveled as he touched his own wrist.
He felt his large vein pulsing. But that was it. All Lianus knew was that his heart was beating.
"I can't tell. But Nil, your speech keeps changing?"
"...Huh? Oh."
Nihil realized his speech was inconsistent and shot Evan a glare full of blame—this is all your fault—though his blank expression only showed slightly furrowed brows.
"Don't talk to me."
Nihil glared and declared something like a breakup, but Evan stared back as if observing a fascinating creature.
It really wasn't deliberate.
A spark lit in Evan's eyes.
In that case...
"I'm a bit hurt by that."
Would he follow if I used polite speech?
"Hurt by wha—... Ah."
Nihil's face crumpled. He caught on instantly, cutting off mid-sentence. His pride stung at falling for the trick; a pillow flew straight at Evan.
Evan took the hit without dodging. It smacked his face squarely, but his lips curved up.
Pity—the lynx was quick on the uptake, but there was hope.
To fix the lynx's speech habits, polite speech was a small price.
"It hurts if you throw pillows like that."
"That's why I thr—... Get lost."
"What, what? What game is this?"
Amazed inwardly at Nihil's restraint in not yelling, Evan sighed as Lianus looked between them in confusion, utterly lost.
Not wanting to drag this out, Nihil changed the subject abruptly.
"It's nothing. Rian, your kni— er, guard hasn't slept since yesterday, barking— I mean, nursing you nonstop. Why not send him to rest?"
"What? Sir Evan, go rest! I'm staying in today, so no need for a guard."
Evan noted Nihil's stumbles but met the baby kitten's wide-eyed gaze with a smile.
"No, Your Highness. With all the servants dismissed, if I leave too, you'll have to move yourself. And hiding that lynx every time someone comes? You won't relax. I'll handle errands, so rest easy. I can rest here plenty with permission. Shall I fetch some toys now?"
"I'll hide myself, so just go— just go."
A grinding sound echoed—Nihil's teeth. His face barely changed, but his jaw clenched visibly.
More fun than expected, Evan thought, smirking again. He picked up the thrown pillow, dusted it off, and tucked it into Nihil's arms like a gift.
Nihil eyed it, tempted to throw it back, glanced at Lianus, then set it down neatly. He kneaded it a few times, straightened the lopsided feathers inside, and placed it nicely by the headboard.
"Hmm, better if Sir Evan's here. It might be tough, but could you stay?"
Evan nodded with a victor's smile at Lianus's thoughtful reply, promising simple toys before opening the bedroom door.
A faint thumping—like pillows being smacked—followed. Evan chuckled unwittingly.
His meeting with the Queen and 1st Prince was already forgotten.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Despite Sir Evan's efforts, the "Lynx Tongue-Stretching Operation" ended in failure. The thoroughly sulky lynx ignored him completely whenever spoken to.
Worse, when it needed something, it bossed him around with mere nods or chin jerks like a superior. Evan's insides threatened to burst before the lynx's tongue ever lengthened.
Now, one baby kitten, one guard dog, and one wild lynx sat around on the bed playing Old Maid.
Evan had balked at climbing onto His Highness's bed, but the cute, lovable baby kitten's coquettish pleas to join proved irresistible. If that beggar lynx can, why not me? With that, he climbed up and sat.
The heavy, bulky Evan sank the mattress deeply where he sat. Nihil, cross-legged and shuffling cards indifferently, tilted sideways and bonked his head on Evan's elbow.
"..."
His cards scattered across the bed. Nihil furrowed his brows to scold Evan, but Lianus burst into giggles, leaving him to scoot away with a subtle expression.
The game repeated an odd pattern: whoever held the Old Maid (Queen card) after Nihil's hand emptied lost with high probability.
Nihil excelled at reading faces, hiding his own, or faking expressions—perfect for psychological games like this.
Lianus couldn't hide his well but keenly noticed subtle changes in others. His obliviousness meant he spotted them but didn't connect the dots.
He'd confidently pick after seeing Nihil's faint frown—only to draw the Old Maid. It had happened countless times.
Evan hid expressions decently and was quick-witted, but Nihil saw right through him. He could only guess from the naive baby kitten's unguarded face—useless.
Mid-game, Nihil asked Evan indifferently,
"Need an Ace?"
"..."
"You do."
Nihil toyed over Evan's cards a few times, plucking the Spade Ace neatly. He paired it casually and tossed the two cards down.
Evan, who prided himself on his poker face, tore at his hair in agony after losing the Ace so easily.
How many times is this now?!