* * *
Finally realizing how worked up he had been, Lowell sat on the bed.
He still couldn’t stop worrying, but thanks to his lack of sleep the night before, he soon drifted into a light slumber.
He leaned back against the headboard, dozing off, and Felix, unable to watch any longer, tried several times to get him to lie down properly.
But Lowell just shook his head and, when he woke up, insisted, “I wasn’t sleeping.”
“You’re so stubborn.”
Felix had always thought Lowell was just determined when he set his mind to something.
But now he was realizing that his stubbornness was no joke either.
Evening approached, and just as Felix was about to call the knights back in, hurried footsteps echoed through the tower, followed by an urgent knock on the door.
Lowell, who had been nodding off, snapped awake.
“I wasn’t sleeping!”
“Sure. I know.”
Felix, having just seen him almost drool, pretended not to notice and turned to the door.
“Come in.”
Two knights entered.
Felix braced for bad news, but their faces were unexpectedly flushed with excitement.
“W-We found the cat.”
“H-He’s safe?”
Lowell shot to his feet, eyes wide with urgency.
The knights exchanged glances before nodding.
“Yes. No injuries. But…”
“If you don’t mind, would you come see for yourself? I think you’ll be quite pleased.”
Charis, who had been standing behind the others, spoke up.
Since he was closer to Lowell than most knights, he seemed to find it easier to make the suggestion.
“I’ll be pleased?”
Lowell was already hurriedly throwing on his coat.
Felix didn’t like the idea of going out in the snow, but seeing how excited Lowell was, he couldn’t bring himself to stop him.
He shot a glare at Charis, who flinched.
“It’s not far! Just the stables.”
Since there hadn’t been much need to use the stables recently, only the stable hands went in and out.
If Grey had been hiding there, it was no wonder they hadn’t found him earlier.
“Let’s go, quickly.”
As Lowell rushed to get dressed, Felix pulled out an extra coat and draped it over him.
“Even if you’re in a hurry, dress warmly.”
“I need to go before it gets too dark.”
Realizing how overly excited he sounded, Lowell tried to calm himself as he wrapped his scarf.
But his eager steps gave him away, and Felix stuck close to his side.
“Hold onto my arm. You’ll trip again.”
“Yes.”
Guided by the knights, they entered the stables, where several other knights who had gone searching were gathered.
As soon as Lowell appeared, Tia’s face lit up, and she waved.
The knights were keeping their distance, seemingly wary of Grey’s reaction.
Carefully stepping closer, Lowell gasped.
The stable, bathed in the warm glow of lanterns, felt cozy.
Nestled in the softest pile of hay was Grey—grooming tiny newborn kittens.
“Grey!”
Overcome with emotion, Lowell called out.
Grey, who had been keeping a watchful eye on the people around him, turned at the familiar voice.
His ears twitched, and though his meow was a bit hoarse, it was undoubtedly a happy sound.
“Can I come closer?”
Lowell approached cautiously, and Grey, seemingly unbothered, plopped down and waited for him.
As he knelt beside them, Lowell examined the tiny kittens one by one.
There were four in total, their fur fading from black to white.
‘Like ink running out…’
The weight of his daylong worries lifted, and Lowell let out a bright, relieved laugh.
Felix, though initially annoyed at how completely the kittens had stolen Lowell’s attention, found his own mood improving just from watching him.
“Aren’t they like little mice? How can they be this small?”
Lowell whispered, tugging on Felix’s sleeve, his expression one of pure wonder.
Felix, however, found Lowell’s delighted smile far more fascinating than the kittens.
“What should we name them?”
Lowell gently stroked Grey’s head.
Though Grey was likely on edge after giving birth, she purred and nuzzled into his hand.
“I thought you said you weren’t getting attached?”
Lowell awkwardly withdrew his hand.
“W-Well, it’d be inconvenient if they had no names…”
Felix held back the urge to argue about why they’d ever need to call the kittens by name.
“Name them however you like, but for now, make sure they’re fed. Once Grey is comfortable, we’ll move them to the servants’ quarters. Agreed?”
At Felix’s firm tone, Lowell hesitated before mumbling, “That’s probably for the best.”
But Grey, oblivious, only rubbed her head against his hand, demanding more affection.
“The kittens look hungry.”
The tiny, blind kittens wiggled closer, latching onto Grey’s belly.
Grey, momentarily distracted by Lowell, quickly resumed caring for her newborns.
Lowell watched, completely absorbed, before murmuring absentmindedly—
“Should I do something for the babies too?”
Felix frowned.
“Where did that come from all of a sudden?”
Lowell ran a hand through his hair, looking embarrassed.
“You even came all the way to the Grand Duke’s castle to find the best place for your children, Grey. And you take such good care of them, too.”
“You can’t compare beasts to humans.”
“Honestly, they’re not that different. Sometimes, we even learn things from them.”
As Lowell absentmindedly stroked Grey, he wondered if he should start prenatal education even now.
“If there’s anything you want to do, just let me know.”
Felix couldn’t quite follow Lowell’s delicate train of thought, but as long as it wasn’t something dangerous or required him to leave, he had no reason to refuse.
“Alright. I’ll think about it a little more.”
“If you’re done, let’s go inside now. Your cheeks are already red.”
“Understood.”
With a lingering gaze full of reluctance, Lowell got up from his seat.
Back in the tower, he found himself trying to think of activities for prenatal education—if only to distract himself from Grey, who still lingered in his mind.
‘It’s better to do something I’m already interested in and good at rather than struggling with something completely new, right?’
Rather than stressing over something he had no skill in, he figured it was best to choose something that suited his temperament.
That narrowed down his options significantly.
‘Exercise is out of the question with this body.’
Turning to Felix, who had just finished washing up, Lowell spoke up.
“Felix, would it be possible for me to learn how to paint?”
While studying art therapy, Lowell had discovered that he had a natural talent for drawing.
He also enjoyed it, so he figured it would be a good fit.
“That’s not difficult at all.”
“I’ll even paint a portrait of you, Felix.”
Lowell said confidently, and Felix responded with a small smile.
It seemed like the cat situation had come to a conclusion—for now.
However, a week later, on the very day Lowell’s art teacher was scheduled to arrive, Grey appeared in front of the tower, carrying his children in his mouth and settling in comfortably.
And just like that, Felix’s carefully laid plans to separate Grey from Lowell shattered completely.
* * *
