MTLNOVEL 23
The cold wind had cleared, and the sunlight was warm.
I looked in turn at the carriage prepared at the entrance of the castle, at Belial standing in front of it, and at Sen. Wrapped in a thick velvet cloak, Sen had her light brown hair pinned up as she gazed up at the castle.
Just as the descriptions in Heart of Winter had not been exaggerated, under the northern sun, she looked more beautiful than ever.
Indeed. Even the proud prince had fallen for her. No, if anything, Sen was too good for him.
“Thank you, Your Grace. …I sincerely apologize for leaving so suddenly.”
Kyle looked down at Sen with his usual stoic expression.
Even though he said nothing, a faint smile spread across Sen’s face. It must have been because she could see his unspoken concern and encouragement for her in the silence.
Kyle Blake was that kind of person. Cold and blunt on the outside, yet someone who genuinely cared for and cherished his people.
Sen smiled brightly.
“I’ll be fine wherever I go. I won’t forget the kindness you’ve shown me.”
“Alright.”
Kyle responded indifferently. But in that short reply and in his gaze, there was an unmistakable sentiment for someone who had once been his vassal.
Sen and I exchanged no further words. We had already asked everything we needed to ask and heard everything we needed to hear. So, all that remained was a final, unburdened glance between us.
Belial, too, was unexpectedly well-behaved. He approached me, offering a brief word of thanks for saving him during the chandelier incident. Though he did exchange a few arrogant words with Kyle, his gaze slightly boastful, the sharpness from our encounter in the library was absent.
Kyle, not wanting to stir up any unnecessary trouble just as they were leaving, simply extended a polite hand in farewell.
Fine, fine. Take Sen and leave already. Don’t go shedding tears now, live well. Go get your revenge, and don’t go strutting around in front of Kyle.
I shot Belial a look that practically screamed hurry up and get lost. Fortunately, he complied. As the carriage receded into the distance, the people around us let out sighs of relief.
“I thought something was about to go down.”
“Tell me about it. I swear I aged ten years….”
“I still dream about that chandelier. Damn it….”
I could feel Kyle looking at me like he was absolutely proud of me. Yeah, well, better to suffer than let things explode. At least I managed to block that disaster with my back.
Still, my gaze remained fixed on the carriages. As they grew smaller and eventually became mere black dots in the distance, a strange feeling settled in my chest. It almost looked like they were being swallowed by mist.
‘…Forget it. Worry about what?’
The biggest problem here was that I was spending most of my day living as a damn pet hamster.
“You said you wanted to go to the study for the beast?”
I signaled to Kyle with a glance, urging him to hurry up. I only had two precious hours in this form. Time was gold, so let’s get moving, Your Grace.
At this point, I had practically mapped out every path in the castle. My past life’s skill of finding the shortest route to the cafeteria in any office building was proving its worth. A weary office worker would do anything to save even one step.
“Let’s see. Was this the fastest way?”
I strode ahead confidently. Of course, compared to Kyle, it was like a sparrow trying to puff up its chest in front of a stork, but he seemed content to follow from a step behind rather than overtaking me.
Soon, we reached the staircase leading to the study. Up we went, climbing the spiral steps… and climbing… and climbing…
My pace started slowing. Precisely at the fifteenth step, my legs began to drag.
Wow. Even my modern-day corporate worker stamina had been faithfully reloaded into this life.
“Damn it. What, no escalator…?”
“What?”
Kyle stepped closer with his long strides. I grumbled a response.
“Nothing much.”
He doesn’t even know what an escalator is. Tsk. A true northern bumpkin.
“It’s a thing where the stairs move on their own, so you don’t even have to walk.”
“…”
Kyle looked at me like I had just said the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. Then, without hesitation, he scooped me up into his arms.
“The stairs are made of bricks, so they obviously won’t move on their own, but you’d prefer to be carried, right?”
“Wait, hold on—”
This man just picked me up like I was a sack of potatoes.
I glanced at Kyle, then at the distant top of the staircase, and quickly abandoned any thoughts of resistance. Fine. As long as we got to the study, it didn’t matter how.
As he climbed the steps with steady ease, I swiftly pulled up the shop menu.
[❤ Love Love Corner~❤]
…No matter how many times I saw this, I never got used to it.
[Current Balance | ❤×323]
[Replica Hamster to Ease Loneliness (Duration: 30 minutes) | ❤×100]
Wait. Last time I checked, I had 320. Where did these extra three come from? Is it multiplying on its own or what?
Even with the increase, I barely had three hundred or so. And if I wanted to buy a replica hamster, I needed a hundred… meaning I’d have to spend nearly a third of my total balance.
Ridiculously expensive.
I glared at the empty air.
Lower the price, damn it.
[(〃｀ 3′〃)]
Why. Honestly, it’s not exactly cheap. And of all things, the replica hamster—what I actually need right now—is the most expensive.
…Wait. No way.
[（゜ー゜）]
Don’t you dare look away.
I narrowed my eyes and glared at the system before reluctantly purchasing the replica hamster. Instantly, a flashy system window adorned with pink hearts popped up.
[‘Replica Hamster to Ease Loneliness’ has been added to your inventory!]
‘No, no, that’s not right!’
Not the inventory, it should go in the hamster house! If I pull it out from my pocket all like ta-da, here’s your hamster~, my head will be rolling before I even finish saying “ta-da.” Do you know Kyle’s personality!?
[‘Replica Hamster to Ease Loneliness’ has been added to your inventory!]
How unfair. Seriously.
“Haa…”
I let out a deep sigh, and Kyle gave me a slight shake in his arms.
“What’s wrong?”
“Life’s just tough.”
“Are you short on money?”
“Not exactly rolling in it. So, Your Grace, how about paying me generously for checking on the beast?”
Still holding me in one arm, Kyle opened the door to the study with the other and said, “Since I was the one who requested help first, I have no intention of compensating you inadequately.”
Right. I hadn’t even touched my first paycheck thanks to getting possessed, miracle points were damn hard to earn, and now a third of my Love Love or Labu Labu or whatever-the-hell points had been wiped out. So yeah, I better at least get my hands on some cash.
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
We arrived in front of the hamster house. Kyle, without hesitation, started rummaging through the nest and decorations in search of Cashew Nut.
“Where did it go?”
It’s not there, you idiot. It’s right here.
I mentally smacked my chest in frustration. I couldn’t even tell him that I was his pet hamster. Oh? Right. I couldn’t even tell him.
Whatever. Let’s get this over with.
“If you go digging around like that, you’ll scare the beast.”
Kyle’s hand froze mid-motion. Then, after a pause, he gave a slow nod.
“…That makes sense. My apologies.”
That apology was probably meant for Cashew Nut. Which, technically, was still me.
I nudged him aside and carefully reached toward the bedding. I needed to pull out the replica hamster without making it obvious…
“You can touch it directly.”
Kyle spoke with confidence.
“Cashew Nut is toilet-trained. Isn’t that genius?”
…Are you insane? If it wasn’t toilet-trained, then it’d just be a regular animal. I mean, to be fair, I guess from his perspective, that would be impressive.
I gave him a complicated look. Kyle, on the other hand, seemed genuinely proud.
“At this rate, I feel like it’ll start talking soon. It’s so adorable and intelligent.”
[Current Balance | ❤×224]
Do you even hear yourself? A beast speaking human language? What, are we going for a my baby just said ‘daddy’! moment here?
The man was a hopeless doting father. Just thinking about it made him look stupidly happy.
“If that happens, Your Grace might just float away in sheer joy.”
Kyle fell silent for a moment. He was probably imagining Cashew Nut talking. There’s nothing to imagine, dumbass. I’m literally right here, chattering away.
While he was distracted, I swiftly reached into the nest and pulled out the replica hamster.
“Oh, here it is.”
Act natural. Act completely natural.
I was a magician. In my past life, I was a magician. The kind that could flip a single dove, a piece of cloth, and a hat into a spectacle that left all of Korea in awe. Fooling a single Northern Grand Duke should be nothing.
I placed the replica hamster in my palm and pretended to examine it.
‘Hmm.’
For a fake, it was surprisingly well-made. It breathed, blinked, and even moved its little limbs in a natural way. It looked like a real hamster, but it was oddly docile.
As I flipped it over to inspect its belly, Kyle muttered, puzzled, “…It looks a bit different.”
I froze. Wait, you can tell the difference!?
What’s different? The appearance? The behavior?
I shot a glance at the system, signaling it to do something. In response, the replica hamster let out a small “squeak.” There. See? It even squeaks. Even sounds exactly the same.
But Kyle only furrowed his brows further at the sound.
“Is it sick? It’s not usually this quiet.”
“How would you know?”
I was hoping he’d elaborate so the system could adjust accordingly. Come on, I need detailed feedback here.
But Kyle’s response was completely unexpected.
“I know through love.”
“…Love.”
His eyes were practically dripping with honey. This man. I swear to god.
[Current Balance | ❤×225]
Unlike miracle points, these hearts seemed to accumulate on their own, even when I did absolutely nothing. Well, good. No telling when I’d need another overpriced item.
I glanced at Kyle, then subtly turned my back to him while pretending to adjust the replica hamster.
“Let’s see, our beast.”
Kyle muttered dryly behind me.
“It’s my beast.”
What the hell. Drop the possessive, will you? And stop giving me that jealous look.
“There’s nothing to worry about. Looks healthy. Though, it’s gotten a bit…”
Did I really eat that much? Just saying it out loud felt unfair.
“It’s a bit on the plump side, but that’s not a problem. Just leave it be. It’s about to hit a growth spurt, so don’t force it onto a vegetarian diet or anything. And don’t try feeding it raw food either—it might cause digestive issues. You’re not feeding it mealworms or anything, are you?”
Kyle flinched.
“…I heard rodents like those. Thought it could practice hunting, too.”
“What kind of barbaric nonsense is that? What, are you planning to raise it properly and then release it into the Northern wilds?”
I slipped the replica hamster into the nest and deliberately put on a strict tone.
“Don’t feed it weird things. Give it food that even humans would eat. Cooked beef, chicken—that sort of thing. Beasts can surprisingly handle fatty foods well, so you don’t have to boil everything.”
Yeah, because boiled food is bland as hell. Would it be too suspicious if I asked for seasoning, too?
“Fruits, too. Give it plenty of those.”
Kyle listened attentively and nodded seriously.
“Alright, I’ll do that. But with Sen gone, getting those things will be…”
He trailed off, subtly glancing at me. His expression practically screamed, Can’t you handle that instead?
Well, making connections with Kyle in this form was important anyway. Two hours a day should be enough.
I put on a magnanimous expression and nodded. Fine, I’ll do it. For the sake of my quality of life as his pet hamster.
“Thanks.”
Kyle spoke honestly.
“I don’t really know how to put this, but… yeah. Thanks to you, I feel relieved. Is there anything you want in return for taking care of Cashew Nut?”
No need to think twice.
The reward for all hardships is, obviously—
“Money.”
I brought my thumb and index finger together, forming a circle.
“Money works just fine.”
“…”
“The more, the better.”
Alright, Lord Blake, time to cough up some coin. Owning a pet hamster is expensive, you know? You get it, right?