Don't Be Obsessed With Your Cat Butler - Chapter 14
While she briefly stepped away, Nox couldn’t tear himself away from the canned food. Staring intently at the unfamiliar and curious item, he unconsciously licked his lips at the rich, savory smell that strongly stimulated his sense of smell. Even after she returned, he couldn’t take his eyes off the can.
“Hm? Why aren’t you eating?”
Only after hearing her words did Nox realize that it was meant for him. More surprising was the fact that this strange-looking thing was food. It smelled absolutely delicious, but its unfamiliar appearance made him hesitant to eat it. As he hesitated, she set down a bowl of water and picked up the can.
“Here, just smell it first.”
He’d already gotten more than enough of the scent. He could tell it was delicious just by the smell alone. But did he really have to eat it like this? Wouldn’t it be easier to just return to his human form?
Nox suddenly realized something that had been nagging at him for a while.
Could this woman… be mistaking him for a regular cat?
In the past, there had once been true animal cats—ancestors of the cat werebeasts. But they had disappeared at some point. Even if it wasn’t that long ago, it had still been at least a hundred years.
Was she a mage after all?
She might look young on the outside, but maybe she was over a hundred years old on the inside. Mages could easily alter their appearance, after all. While he narrowed his eyes in suspicion, Sia went outside again.
Soon returning, she used a spoon to scoop up the food and held it out in front of him. As she approached, the savory aroma grew stronger. Saliva dripped from his mouth before he could stop it, and he couldn’t hide his embarrassment.
“It’s okay to eat it. Ah…”
Sia murmured as she looked at the handsome black cat, who still wasn’t moving.
“Is it because this isn’t food from this world?”
Come to think of it, only Cola had ever eaten the canned food, so maybe that was why. Just as she was falling into serious contemplation, Nox was just as deeply troubled—because it smelled too good.
Ugh, I can’t take it anymore.
Forgetting all about his noble dignity and status as a duke, Nox gobbled the food from the spoon in a single bite. The suspicion and caution from before were meaningless—he swallowed it in an instant and widened his eyes in shock.
He had eaten many foods in his human form, but he had never tasted something so explosively flavorful. Was it because he was eating in his animal form? Or was this mysterious food simply overwhelming in taste?
Unable to determine the answer, he found another spoonful held out to him. This time, he licked it up without hesitation. This stuff… is incredibly good.
“Mroww-mrowww…”
“Huh? That sound?”
Being the prepared cat butler she was, Sia could distinguish between different meows. It was something she had learned from watching CatTube videos.
“That’s the sound they make only when something tastes really good. Oh my gosh. This is insane. You’re insanely cute.”
Covering her mouth with both hands, Sia enthusiastically scooped up more food and brought it to Nox’s mouth. He finished the can in no time at all, and wore that same baffled expression he’d been showing all day.
His triangular mouth hung open. Sia hated that she couldn’t capture the adorable expression in a photo. Ever since she arrived in this world, her smartphone had completely stopped working.
Covering her face with both hands, she sighed in frustration, then peeked through her fingers to look at the cat. His mismatched-colored eyes locked onto her gaze like missiles.
He stared, intently, in a way that felt different from any normal cat. No—actually, all the cats she’d seen in this world had gazes that felt much more aware than the ones in Korea.
“…And come to think of it, haven’t most of the cats here been surprisingly calm?”
She remembered having to practically beg cats at cafés to sit on her lap. Even with Cola, it had taken so long to build trust.
Realizing that the cats here were different from the ones she knew back home, Sia fell silent in thought. Just then, a dainty paw plopped right onto her lap.
“Eep!”
Afraid Karin might hear, Sia clamped both hands over her mouth and let out a tiny scream. The paw pressing down on her lap was overwhelmingly cute.
Having devoured the food like it was vanishing into thin air, Nox was briefly stunned, but soon came to a decision.
Well, I already agreed to be with her. I should take responsibility.
[Thank you for the meal. I wouldn’t call this payment, but starting tomorrow I shall—]
Trying to speak with dignity, Nox didn’t get to finish.
“Oh my god! Pink jelly bean paws!”
Sia grabbed one of his paws and rubbed it all over her nose.
“Oh, that scent! I finally got to do this! Long live the Pelles Empire!”
Nox slightly regretted it.
He realized now that promises should not be made lightly.
