It’S A Cat, Adopted By A Wolf Family? [EN]: Chapter 66

As expected, an incident occurred, but the schedule at the central training grounds was completed. Gridwolf’s visitors were scheduled to return to the mansion after a simple brunch at the training grounds.

Kitty, who had fallen asleep in her cat form, stretched out her front paws and yawned, then thought while doing some stretches.

‘Now it’s time to say goodbye to my brothers again.’

Just thinking about returning to the mansion, leaving behind the two she had been spending time with intimately for the past few weeks, already made her heart ache.

Kitty knew from experience that Cleed and Eden couldn’t completely fill Theo and Deon’s absence.

‘Cleed needs to wake up from his unconsciousness quickly.’

Kitty was relieved that Eden was okay and transformed into her human form. She was still wearing the clothes she had been wearing before turning into a cat.

‘Sleeping in animal form is more comfortable in many ways.’

Kitty hummed a tune to shake off her gloomy mood and left the room. She was on her way to eat a buffet-style brunch and was able to meet Theo and Deon.

“Kitty, you’re up early as always.”

“We were just on our way to pick up our Soft Paw.”

“I have to wake up early to see my brothers for even a little longer.”

When Kitty said it playfully, Theo and Deon drooped. The two leaned their faces on Kitty’s shoulders and walked listlessly to the dining hall.

“Kitty… let’s talk about sad things later.”

“Okay.”

Even after arriving at the dining hall, the two forced a smile and put nutritious food on Kitty’s plate.

“The training grounds have delicious tuna salad, Soft Paw.”

“We’re tired of it, though.”

“Ah, just a little salmon…”

Theo and Deon burst into light laughter as they watched Kitty, unable to give up the salmon.

“She’s still a baby wolf.”

“She’s an adult cat. She’s seventeen, you know?”

“To us, Soft Paw is always a baby wolf.”

Kitty puffed out her cheeks slightly and sat down. The Wievis father and son were sitting in front of Theo and Deon.

“Soft Paw, you seem to have slept well.”

Hogwood greeted Kitty warmly, and Eden also acknowledged her and continued eating.

Kitty suddenly felt it was a shame she hadn’t seen Eden’s wolf form during the succession ceremony and munched on the tuna salad.

“Mmm!”

“It’s delicious, isn’t it, Kitty?”

“Do you want to keep eating it?”

The large tuna pieces, fresh vegetables, and savory sauce created a fantastic harmony. Kitty smiled and nodded.

“It’s incredibly delicious. Eden, Hogwood, have you tried this?”

Hogwood chuckled as he looked at Kitty’s sparkling eyes. He had felt it before, but it was rewarding to feed this cat delicious food.

“I ate it so much in my younger days that I got tired of it. Tuna salad comes out every day at the training grounds without fail. Eden will be tired of it soon too…”

A question mark appeared above Kitty’s head as she listened. Only then did Hogwood realize he had made a slip of the tongue.

He glanced at his prickly son, but Eden didn’t care. Since they would be parting soon anyway, it was better to tell her now.

Eden waited until Kitty had finished eating to some extent before opening his mouth.

“Kitty.”

Kitty was surprised and widened her eyes when Eden, who hadn’t spoken to her at all in the training grounds, called her name first.

Eden suppressed the urge to stroke her slender silver hair and continued speaking.

“I’m going to stay at the central training grounds for a few years to train.”

“Yes…?”

Thud.

Kitty dropped the spoon she had been using to eat pudding onto the table. Kitty reflexively looked at Theo and Deon.

“Brothers, you… knew.”

Kitty sighed as she saw the Gridwolf brothers’ reaction, unable to meet her gaze.

Eden began to explain his situation as calmly as possible.

“Kitty, wolves learn about fighting at the central training grounds when they reach a certain age.”

She knew that, but she didn’t know it applied to the Wievis wolves as well. Kitty was surprised and asked back.

“Wh, when are you staying at the central training grounds from?”

Surely not. But Eden said in a calm tone without changing his expression.

“From today.”

“Ah…”

Kitty let out a small sigh. Her vision gradually blurred. Her breathing quickened little by little, and the tip of her nose tingled.

Theo and Deon are gone, and Cleed is unconscious, leaving the mansion empty, and now even Eden is gone. Kitty squeezed out a trembling voice and said to Eden.

“I really hate wolves.”

“……!”

At those words, about 350 wolf beastmen in the dining hall, who had been eating peacefully, widened their eyes in surprise and turned their heads.

Kitty realized that she was the only one who wasn’t a wolf here and got up from her seat.

“Kitty.”

Eden called out to Kitty, but Kitty didn’t stop and quickly left the dining hall.

* * *

‘Wolves, they’re really too much!’

Kitty returned to her room and pounded the pillow with both fists to vent her anger.

Theo and Deon knew but didn’t tell her the truth. Was it just them? All the wolves in the mansion hid the fact that Eden was leaving from her. There’s no way they wouldn’t know about such an important matter.

‘Eden must have told them not to say anything.’

And Kitty thought she knew why. Everyone, including Eden, was treating her like a crybaby, little furball.

‘Did they think I would cry until we parted if they told me in advance?’

Kitty huffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Her eyes were full of tears. She rubbed them so much that her skin stung every time she blinked.

After crying for a while, she could understand a little why Eden had made such a heartless decision. Kitty Gridwolf was a crybaby, little furball. The tears didn’t stop.

“Too much…”

Kitty blew her nose into a handkerchief and cried. She was thinking of staying locked up in her room like this and jumping into the carriage when it was time to leave the training grounds.

She would leave for the mansion without showing Eden and her brothers her face. Only then would the betrayal seem to subside a little.

‘…I haven’t even asked what that was yet.’

Kitty recalled the strange moment she had felt when she and Eden were having a lesson in the study and their faces were close together.

A moment when time seemed to stop for a while, and she could look at every corner of Eden’s face without moving her eyes.

A strange feeling of her heart in her chest splitting and rising to her ears, her face flushed as she heard her own heartbeat loudly.

But Eden ended the lesson as if he wouldn’t give her a chance to ask, and now he even said he would be locked up in the training grounds to train.

‘Such a heartless and prickly wolf. I’ll be alone when I go to the mansion….’

It was around the time Kitty was about to cry again.

“Kitty. Aren’t you going to look at my face?”

Eden’s voice was heard with a knock. Kitty instinctively felt intimidated by the cold yet calm question.

Even after revealing to everyone that she was a cat, Kitty listened to Eden well.

A small and weak cat was an infinitely small being in front of a cold-hearted wolf who, if he wanted, could not even talk to her and keep secrets from her.

“…Come in.”

Kitty said with a pout. Eden, who entered the room, still had an emotionless face.

Seeing him not paying attention to her made her feel like she had lost for some reason.

‘He’s leaving without even giving me time to say goodbye, and he’s so confident!’

Should I hit him on purpose? Kitty gripped Gridwolf’s bow tightly with a sulky face.

Seeing that, Eden chuckled and lowered himself in front of Kitty, who was sitting on the bed.

As his handsome face got closer, Kitty inhaled without realizing it. A cool and clean musk scent permeated deep into her body.

“Kitty, I’m sorry. I thought it would hurt my heart to see you cry.”

Eden apologized in a low voice. He didn’t do things like avoiding the subject or being prickly like when he was young. The honest apology rather seemed to announce that there was not much time left until their separation, and the tip of Kitty’s nose tingled.

“Eden…”

In the end, Kitty hugged Eden and cried. It had been a long time since she had put down the bow she had been holding to hit him.

Even though she was seventeen, Kitty’s body was still so small that she fit snugly into Eden’s arms.

‘Eden must be sad too. I can tell because his heart is beating fast….’

He might be crying inside because he’s sad about the separation. Kitty decided that she, the kind one, would put up with it for the prickly wolf.

“Kitty. No more hugging than this.”

Eden said firmly, as if separating a child. Kitty sniffled and straightened her body.

Kitty’s face was imprinted on his shirt.

“……”

Feeling embarrassed, Kitty tried to rub the stain left on his clothes with her sleeve, but even that was stopped. Eden acted as if he didn’t want her to touch him.

Feeling sad, Kitty picked up the bow again and asked weakly.

“Eden, do you not like me touching you?”

“Now you’re even threatening me while crying.”

“Hmph…”

Kitty became sullen and put down the bow. The cat ears that she didn’t even know she had put out drooped.

Eden let out a sighing murmur as he looked at Kitty, who was clearly showing that she didn’t want to be separated from him.

“…When is this going to grow up?”

When will she be able to use the ‘bite anywhere you want’ that she has been saving up so preciously? Eden felt frustrated as he looked at the still innocent Kitty.

“Yes?”

“No, never mind.”

The sound of a bell announcing the summons of the carriage was heard in the distance. Eden gently grabbed Kitty’s shoulders and made eye contact.

“Kitty. I’ll only be apart this time, and I won’t leave you alone again.”

His voice was somehow earnest. As if he would be with her even after she became an adult and left the Gridwolf mansion.

Kitty, whose anger had subsided a little just by his low voice and pleading face, asked back in a sulky voice.

“But we’re going to be apart for years. My brothers still have to be at the central training grounds for another year…”

“I can do it faster than Theo and Deon.”

Even if it was an impossible schedule, it didn’t sound like a boast when Eden said it. It seemed like he could really finish the central training grounds course in a year.

Kitty nodded with teary eyes. Her soft palms cupped Eden’s cheeks.

Kitty demanded according to her cat instincts.

“You’re my teacher and one of my closest wolves, so you’ll let me have a goodbye kiss, right?”

“……”

Eden’s eyes shook greatly at the innocent voice without any intention. Before he could even ask what the goodbye greeting that cats were talking about was, his head nodded on its own.

Kitty briefly brought her lips to Eden’s cheek, just like she always did to her dad and brother when they left for a mission. She could feel his body tensing up.

As soon as she took her lips off, Eden turned his face away and got up. A gruff voice followed again.

“Now that you’ve said goodbye, wash your face and come out.”

“Yess.”

Eden quickly left the room, leaving Kitty behind as she headed to the bathroom to wipe away her tear marks.

The moment he leaned against the door, all the strength drained from his body. His black wolf ears peeked out. Eden couldn’t come to his senses because his heart was pounding.

‘…Are cats originally so charismatic?’

Suddenly a goodbye kiss with an indifferent face. They’re worse than wolves.

He sat down and rested his forehead on his knees, cooling his flushed face.