The Elven Duke Reluctantly Marries The Cursed Lady - Chapter 61
Hydrangea stiffened as Violette remained seated on his lap.
Normally, she would have turned into a cat as soon as she sat on his lap.
So why didn’t the curse activate?
The grounds on which the Magic Division stands is in a corner of the royal palace. The basement of the palace is carved with various magic circles that act as wards, so that might be influencing the activation of the curse.
He tried touching Violette again.
From the tips of her long, beautiful fingers, her soft palms, her thin wrists, her cloth-covered arms, to her delicate shoulders, the cat shifting curse did not activate no matter where he touched.
He lowered her standing collar and touched the back of her neck.
His fingers brushed against her smooth, white skin as he removed her anti-escape ribbon. He wondered if the ribbon was also influencing the curse, so he tried removing it.
Tickled, Violette giggled.
Then, she looked up at Hydrangea with a smile so defenseless and innocent.
“C-cute…”
He was surprised at the words he just muttered.
What he found cute had nothing to do with cats at all.
What’s happening to me?
Just then, there was a knock at the door and his adjutant Quince entered.
The moment he stepped into the room, Hydrangea furiously glared at him.
His wife sat on his lap while he was touching her.
Such behavior was unacceptable in the workplace.
Quince yelped in surprise when he saw what Hydrangea was doing.
“Uwaah!! I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were having your kitty time together!!”
Quince rushed out of the room after saying that.
The moment the door slammed shut, Hydrangea came back to his senses.
What the hell is ‘kitty time’…?
Because of the illusion, others would merely see him petting a cat.
I guess that’s what Quince saw.
He was relieved that there seemed to be no problem— no, he had a feeling that it was a problem too. It was a secret that Hydrangea loved cats. Pomeranian and some of the servants in the Laudense household may have known about it, but so far, nobody from the outside has discovered it yet.
Of course, that also included Violette.
It would be quite troublesome if she found out that he married her just because she was affected by a cat-shifting curse.
His circumstances left him no choice but to marry Violette, and he did so albeit reluctantly.
Violette prodded the back of his hand, perhaps due to the fact that the petting had stopped.
Then, she looked at him again and uttered,
“Nyaa!”
It was a demand for petting that was easy to understand.
Violette speaking in cat is just so cute. So adorable. Isn’t she the cutest in the world?
Filled with those thoughts, he hugged her tightly.
She never scratched him no matter how much he touched or hugged her. Violette was quite tame in his arms.
However, they could not stay like this for long.
“Right, lunch…”
He let go of Violette and pointed at the basket on his desk.
“Go eat your food.”
“Nya!”
She happily looked into the basket as if she were hungry.
However, she made no move to eat and returned to Hydrangea’s lap.
“Fine.”
He placed her in a side hug and placed the basket of sandwiches on her lap.
This should make it easier for her to eat.
However, Violette only stared at the basket and did not eat.
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“Nyaa”
For some reason, it sounded like she said, “Yes, I am hungry.”
It was a mystery to him since there was no way he could understand cat language.
When he grabbed one of the sandwiches and handed it to her, Violette opened her mouth. However, she did not move to eat it.
There was only one reason for this kind of behavior.
“Wh–! Are you saying you want me to feed you? Me!?”
“Nyaa”
He seemingly heard Violette say, “Of course!”
She insistently tapped his hand and was rushing him to feed her quickly.
“Tsk… You!”
Although he grumbled and complained, he still brought the bite-sized sandwich to Violette’s mouth. She ate it in one bite and chewed with relish. He proceeded to feed her the second and third sandwich and blew on the tea from the canteen to cool it before letting her drink.
After eating three of the bite-sized sandwiches, Violette turned her face away when he offered her the fourth one.
It seemed she was already full.
“You haven’t even finished all of these small sandwiches yet!”
“Nya!”
“If you don’t eat more, then you won’t have energy!”
“Nyaa!”
“Fine, I’ll forgive you since you’re cute!”
Hydrangea exclaimed and let out another sigh.
This isn’t the time for this.
Why hasn’t the curse’s effect disappeared? I have to go and check the magic circle in the castle’s basement.
But before he could do that, he dispelled the illusion on Violette first.
A magic circle appeared beneath them and burst with a snap.
And with that, the illusion which made Violette and the people around her think she was a cat was broken. Violette appeared to be disoriented and limply leaned against Hydrangea’s chest.
“Hnn—?”
Violette seemed to gain consciousness immediately, but she screamed when she saw Hydrangea at close range.
“Wh-what’s going on!?”
Violette leapt away from his knees like a cat in one fluid motion.
“Wh-why was I on your lap!?”
“Weren’t you the one who sat on me?”
“Wh-why?”
“It seems the illusion worked so well on you that you thought you were a cat.”
“Wh-what!?”
Violette looked at Hydrangea with eyes full of disbelief.
“It’s true.”
“……”
“Moreover, your curse did not activate.”
“Oh my, you’re right. But why?”
“I suspect it’s because of the magic circle in the royal palace that works as a charm against evil influences.”
“Is that possible?”
“It’s an unprecedented curse, so I don’t know.”
“Are you sure I didn’t turn into a cat?”
“Yes, I’ve been saying that you didn’t.”
“If you’re doubting me, then go ahead and touch me,” Hydrangea reached out his hand to Violette. She approached him warily and lightly touched her husband’s hand, but—
[Umya!?]
“Huh?”
Violette was enveloped by the light from the magic circle that appeared beneath her which instantly transformed her into a cat.
