It’S A Cat, Adopted By A Wolf Family? [EN]: Chapter 116

“Eden, if you don’t cooperate, you might not see Kitty’s face again.”

Deon said in a fussy voice. Instead of flinching, Eden calmly retorted.

“You guys know that if this doesn’t go well, you’re going back to the central training grounds, right?”

“…….”

Theo and Deon were reminded of the days when they couldn’t use the Eden card [a metaphorical ‘get out of jail free’ card] with those words.

‘I’ll have to spend the holidays on a hard bed again.’

‘I won’t be able to enjoy the luxury of roasting marshmallows in the fireplace.’

To live comfortably in the training grounds, they needed Weevers’ head and the co-leader of the wolves, who was ranked first.

The life of a wolf is unpredictable. The two made an implicit agreement to prepare for any eventuality.

“Okay. Well… instead, I promise not to bite your gloves off or undo your shirt buttons.”

“I won’t.”

“Good. Eden, welcome to Gridwolf Manor. Although I’ve seen you often.”

“My mother and father are in a meeting right now. You’ll be able to see them at dinner later.”

However, even after receiving the Gridwolf brothers’ belated welcome, Eden didn’t budge, as if waiting for something.

Theo and Deon seemed to know what he was waiting for.

“Our Soft Paw is training in the training grounds right now.”

“That’s right. Ever since she got the necklace, she’s been very busy practicing archery.”

The two wolves were confident that they could preach for more than an hour about how diligently Kitty was participating in the training.

However, Eden, who had obtained information that Kitty was not coming, had no intention of going along with their stalling tactics.

“Then I’ll go and rest since I’m tired.”

“…Tired?”

“Yes.”

Eden answered, looking anything but tired, and headed to the study in the mansion. It was a place filled with memories of young Kitty.

He reconfirmed that there was no one else in the study and reached into his arms. A neatly folded letter was taken out.

[To Kitty.]

Eden checked again for typos and scanned the bookshelf. In which book should he hide the letter so that Kitty could find it?

His gaze was fixed on a thick atlas bound in brown velvet.

‘She liked to nap on this.’

Eden recalled the classes he had with Kitty.

If this book with the soft cover was placed in the sun, Kitty, who didn’t want to study, would secretly turn into a cat and climb onto the book.

Watching Kitty curl up into a loaf shape and dry her fur in the sun made all the gloomy thoughts disappear.

In the afternoon, when the sun became stronger, Kitty’s white fur absorbed the light, making her look like a sacred animal.

‘She probably doesn’t know that I deliberately put the book in the sun to see that sight.’

He knew that putting the book in the sun was not a good way to store it, but he couldn’t help it.

Eden took out the atlas. Thanks to young Kitty often napping on it, the book smelled like her.

“…….”

Should I ask her to let me have this book later?

As Eden thought that and inserted the letter between the pages, someone opened the door and came in.

“Teacher!”

Surely Kitty was training in the training grounds.

Eden belatedly realized that Theo and Deon had deceived him, but he didn’t feel bad.

Having an unexpected meeting with Kitty was always welcome.

However, there was a catch this time.

“Kitty. Didn’t you forget something?”

“Ah.”

Kitty counted to three in her head and started a noisy welcome.

“Eden! I missed you so much. Was the journey comfortable?”

From the moment she peeked at Eden talking to her brothers from afar, something seemed to be wrong with her body.

Eden was a very perceptive wolf, so she wanted to make a fuss to divert his attention before he noticed.

‘It’s a little embarrassing if he finds out I’m conscious of him.’

But Eden, whom she faced, didn’t seem to care.

“You forgot something else besides that.”

The moment Eden approached, she could hear her heartbeat very loudly in her ear. Kitty looked at him, pretending not to care.

Pop—

The moment their eyes met, one ear popped out. Eden, who discovered the protruding cat ear, touched the end of it slightly and smiled.

‘Oh my god. Eden is smiling.’

Kitty’s other cat ear popped out as well. Eden held the soft ears in his hands and stroked them, whispering.

“I told you to call me by my name when we meet next time.”

“…….”

“Not Teacher or Eden.”

Kitty swallowed the sweet saliva that had gathered in her mouth. It felt like just yesterday that she was having classes with this prickly wolf in the study, so it was difficult to call him by his name.

Eden stared intently at her, who was hesitating with her lips moving, then stroked her cheek slightly as if tidying her hair.

The moment his thick knuckles touched the downy hair on her face, the cat tail she had been trying to hold back popped out.

‘This wolf is doing wolf things again!’

But Kitty couldn’t refuse Eden’s sweet touch. A cat was such a weak being in the face of a wolf’s tyranny.

“E, E… den.”

Satisfaction spread across his face. Kitty said once more as if possessed.

“Eden.”

“Yes.”

The warmth of his hand stroking her cheek increased. Kitty looked up at him with a flushed face.

“Call me one more time, Kitty.”

Each word he uttered in a low voice was engraved in her heart. It felt like time was passing slowly whenever she was alone with him in the study.

Just as Kitty was about to say it one more time, a voice lower than Eden’s echoed in the study.

“Eden. I’ll call you as much as you want.”

“…….”

It was Jackal, his hair cut so short that his scalp was visible, making him look even more intimidating.

“Welcome to Gridwolf Manor. As head of the family, shall we have a cup of tea together and reminisce?”

Kitty read the emotions smoldering in Jackal’s eyes. It was a look that could be believed even if he rolled Eden in a blanket and threw him into the river.

Eden could have refused with the excuse of being tired, but he answered politely.

“Yes, Lord Jackal.”

“…….”

Jackal looked at Kitty with mournful eyes and isolated her from Eden.

* * *

‘It seems my father succeeded in defense [referring to Jackal successfully separating Kitty and Eden].’

At the dinner table, Theo and Deon suppressed their laughter as they watched Eden’s seat, far away from Kitty.

Kitty was next to Karis, and Eden was sitting next to Jackal, so he didn’t seem to have time to look around.

The Gridwolf brothers decided to entrust the matter of Kitty and Eden to their parents and began to be wary of others.

It was Hashka, the head of the Gray Sleigh Merchant Guild, who had just arrived.

‘I heard his momentum is no less than a wolf’s.’

‘He’s not as prickly as I thought?’

Rumors about Hashka were rampant in the guild. As the manager of the largest guild, he had high standards and great pride, so he never revealed his true feelings to anyone.

“Miss, did you receive the scented oil I sent? I heard that scented oil is the best for moisturizing your hands.”

But why was such a high-nosed guild leader wagging his tail to look good to Kitty?

“Ah, Lord Hashka. I tried applying the scented oil you gave me in cat form, and I think my soft paws have become even more moisturized!”

Moreover, Hashka’s attitude of listening attentively to Kitty’s words was not simply that of a merchant trying to please a trading partner.

‘I’d believe it even if Kitty’s maternal grandfather was a dog beastman.’

‘Our Soft Paw has brought in another beastman as a doormat.’

The two wolves thought it was a very Gridwolf-like thing to do.

“Nero is speeding up the search for Jerian by mobilizing night cats. The head of Foxstein has also sent fox beastman support.”

“Cleed did?”

“Yes. He is accelerating the pursuit by using the finger fragments that the head of Weevers cut off the other day.”

“That’s a relief, Aga.”

Karis stroked Kitty’s back.

As dinner ended and dessert was served, Hashka carefully brought up the topic.

“By the way, Miss, I have information I heard from a merchant who frequented the bear’s territory.”

“Are there any merchants that the bear beastmen have permitted?”

“No, that friend is on the dark path… he’s a hybrid of a bear and a sled dog beastman.”

“Ah.”

“Anyway, he said he leaked information that he thought would be good for the Miss to know.”

Information that I should know. Kitty put down her fork with a strange sense of tension.

“You might be able to hear the last words of two dead cat beastmen in the bear’s territory.”

“…Yes? Perhaps their names are?”

“Both were cats named Icarus.”

Kitty clenched her hands tightly under the tablecloth. She remembered the bear beastmen confirming the deaths of her father and brother the other day.

She thought Katrina might know something about their deaths, but she didn’t ask because she thought it was too early.

She had a desperate desire to face the traces left by her loved ones.

“Is there anything like a will left behind?”

“Hasn’t the bear’s territory been with holy objects for a long time? So there seem to be natural objects with magical power.”

“Natural objects?”

“Yes. The moment the cats were killed, it was recorded on a stone near them, and the residents who felt uneasy about it offered the stone to the head of the family.”

If it was a stone with traces of dead cats, those who didn’t know might feel uneasy about it.

But if it was something containing the images of the two Icaruses, it would be very precious to Kitty.

‘If it’s traces of my father and brother…’

Moreover, it was Jerian’s henchman who killed them. There was a high probability that Jerian, who inherited Blue Moon’s immunity, was also nearby.

‘Maybe I can catch evidence that Jerian colluded with the panthers.’

If she had received this information before, it would have been useless. The conservative bear beastmen would not explain the affairs within their territory to other beastmen one by one.

But now that she was heading to the bear’s territory after receiving an official request for support from the Polly family, the situation was completely different.

“…If there are any traces left by my father or brother, I will definitely go and see them. If we subdue Sigma, the bear beastmen will cooperate as well.”

Kitty said in a determined voice.

“Kitty, tell me if they don’t cooperate with you.”

“Kitty, if you want, I can get their cooperation right now.”

Jackal and Eden added almost simultaneously.