The Northern Grand Duke’s Hamster

“Why is that? The imperial capital is quite far, so it would be difficult to take Cashew Nut along.”

Kyle looked at me with a surprised expression. As I met his gaze, I calmly smeared oil on my lips.

“Taking along a rat the size of a chestnut… No, a beast. What’s so hard about that? This is a good opportunity to take him to a famous beast scholar in the capital, get him examined, and feed him some good food. Besides, Your Highness, aren’t you uneasy about leaving Cashew Nut behind for days on end?”

“Hmm.”

“But no injecting mana! Just let him get checked. Weren’t you planning to take him at some point anyway?”

Kyle hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Soon after, he fell into thought again.

Having spent so much time together, I could now guess what he was thinking just by looking at his face.

Right now, he was probably wondering what kind of cage to put Cashew Nut in, what kind of cushion to use, and what snacks to pack. The subtle softening of his gaze and the slight upturn of his lips made it almost certain.

‘He wants to do it but keeps acting reserved.’

I smirked in satisfaction and nodded.

With this, both Cashew Nut and Shu could board the carriage heading for the imperial palace. The problem was that the capital was by no means a place we could reach in just a couple of hours.

‘System, open the shop.’

At my command, a blue system window shimmered into existence.

Soon, a variety of delicious and aesthetically pleasing items lined up before my eyes. I had noticed before that the more I used my Heart and Miracle Points, the more extravagant the shop became.

‘You must have it rough too.’

Watching the system update itself late into the night reminded me of my own struggles when I was developing games. It tugged at something sentimental within me.

Developers were more familiar with the night than the day, but that kind of life brought a lot of stress. People needed some sunlight to live properly. Back then, I wouldn’t have been surprised if I had grown mold from staying indoors so much.

And yet, ironically, I ended up reincarnating as a nocturnal creature. Life really never goes the way you expect.

With a sigh, I shook off my thoughts and flipped through the shop pages. What once had only one or two pages had now expanded to about four.

Let’s see. I needed to save as many Miracle Points as possible, but since the system had gone through the trouble of adding new items, a bit of window-shopping wouldn’t hurt.

‘Oh, this looks tasty. And so does this.’

It seemed like they had every kind of nut-based dessert available. Since I was only used to foods like rice soup and hamburgers, these kinds of visually appealing treats kept catching my eye.

You know what they say—food that looks good also tastes good. Of course, the cookies and bread Kyle gave me were already excellent, but elaborately decorated desserts like these just made me want to take a bite…

‘Wait. Is that why they made them look like this?’

I narrowed my eyes and stared at the system window.

[⚆_⚆]

Yeah, I figured as much.

Not that it mattered since I wasn’t buying based on looks anyway.

As I continued scrolling, my eyes caught onto a new item. It must have been added in the latest update since it had a flashy [NEW!] sticker slapped on the corner.

NEW! [Emergency Toffee Nut Candy x5 | Consumes 0.5% Miracle Points | Detects approaching lifeforms while held in the mouth.]

An incredibly generous item—five candies for just 0.5% of my Miracle Points. Plus, the effect was useful, so it seemed like a solid purchase.

Without hesitation, I bought the Toffee Nut Candy. Each one was individually wrapped, looking like little caramel-flavored hard candies.

I resisted the urge to try one right away.

“Are you done?”

“Huh?”

“You were waving your fingers at the air.”

“…….”

I clamped my mouth shut like a mute.

Fortunately, Kyle didn’t ask for an explanation.

So you’ve finally given up trying to understand, huh? I guess after seeing me do so many strange things, you’ve just decided to accept it. Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

“I’ll prepare your clothes in the same size as before.”

“You’re even getting clothes for me? I’ll be fine.”

“In the capital, people often judge others by their appearance. The formal attire from the North won’t be enough.”

Kyle’s voice was calm, but I couldn’t take it lightly.

I knew. Better than anyone, I knew.

This was something Kyle had experienced firsthand—the way the nobles of the imperial capital treated the people of the North.

Even beyond the original story, I had been treated like that myself. Seriously, those bastards were old enough to know better, yet they still acted so petty.

I scratched the back of my head and nodded. This wasn’t something to feel burdened about. If anything, it was also a matter of Kyle’s dignity.

“Alright then, I’ll leave it to you.”

“Likewise.”

There were still two weeks left until Sen and Belial’s engagement ceremony.

Plenty of time to prepare.

***

“This goes over there… Ah, and that should be loaded on that side.”

“It’s been so long since we last went to the capital, hasn’t it?”

“At least a year, I’d say!”

“Hold the reins tight. Double-check the carriage, too!”

From early morning, Blake Castle was as lively as a bustling market. Even I, who rarely woke up to noise, had my eyes snap open at the commotion.

I glared at the gap between the curtains where light was seeping through. Judging by the dimness, it must have been around six in the morning.

— Squeak-squeak. (Today’s the day, huh.)

With that, I instinctively sat up and stretched my body out. Then, though I really didn’t want to, I pulled out Kyle’s handmade strawberry sweater from the farthest corner of my nest and put it on.

Of course, since my limbs were short, I had to roll around in the bedding a few times before I finally managed to get it on properly. But seriously, no matter how many times I thought about it, he really nailed the size perfectly.

— Squeak… (Ugh. What a life.)

After dusting off the sweater, I stared intently at the door for a moment before using Reload.

Kyle was too busy to fuss over me right now. Not that I was complaining—it wouldn’t exactly be dignified for him to be commanding troops with a hamster cage in his arms. And frankly, it would be a problem for me, too.

‘Alright then…’

I used Reload from my secluded spot.

A bright light flashed, and when I opened my eyes, I was back in my familiar room. On the bed, a neatly folded set of clothes awaited me—Kyle’s doing, no doubt.

I took off the sweater, stored it in my inventory, and changed into the prepared outfit.

The high-quality silk draped smoothly around my body, flowing elegantly. Though it lacked extravagant decorations, it exuded undeniable luxury. Even the gold embroidery had an intentional, meticulous touch.

‘Even the pants fit perfectly at the waist.’

As I examined my reflection in the mirror, a thought suddenly struck me, making my eyebrows rise.

“…How the hell did he get my size right?”

Seriously, this guy was impossible to figure out. He couldn’t have measured me in my sleep, and he’d never asked me directly.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

I turned and opened it to find a familiar servant standing outside, his face barely able to conceal his excitement.

“His Highness Kyle has ordered the beast scholar to be brought here.”

“Oh. Thanks. But before that, there’s somewhere I need to stop by.”

“…Pardon?”

Ignoring his confused blinking, I led him toward the study. There, I grabbed the black cloth I had prepared in advance, draped it over the hamster cage, and held it tightly in my arms.

This was now a top-priority item. No matter what, I had to protect it for at least half a day.

“Let’s go.”

The servant, still peering curiously at me, tilted his head but quickly followed.

As I walked behind him, I checked my Miracle Points. After buying a couple of cookies and some candy yesterday, I had exactly 20% left.

I had only managed to achieve this feat by haggling with the system so aggressively that I practically squeezed every last bit out of it to lower the cookie prices. Of course, that also meant I had to endure a whole day of passive-aggressive protests from the system.

[(￣へ￣)]

Hey. You think I do all this just for myself?

…Well. Okay, maybe I do.

“This is the carriage you’ll be taking.”

The servant who had escorted me outside gave a polite bow before scurrying off. His steps were so light he was practically floating—he must be heading to the capital as well.

Well, it had been a whole year since anyone last went to the imperial capital. It made sense for people to be excited. I’d heard that the climate and atmosphere of the capital were so different from the North that it felt like traveling to a foreign land.

Of course, that was Kyle’s take on it.

“Shu.”

“FUCK—!”

I jumped in sheer terror. My heart nearly burst out of my chest.

I whipped my head around to find Kyle standing there, holding a cloak, looking down at me.

“Could you please make some noise before sneaking up on me?!”

“I didn’t realize you could jump that high.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake! Stop messing with me!”

As I grumbled in a hushed voice, Kyle draped the cloak over my shoulders, a low chuckle escaping him.

“I figured I’d have to search the castle a couple of times to find you. Were you in your room the whole time?”

“Of course. Who wouldn’t be, when someone personally prepared their clothes? Oh, and I brought Cashew Nut with me, so we don’t need to stop by the study.”

I glanced down at the hamster cage in my hands and tightened my grip on the cloth covering it. No way in hell was I letting anyone see inside.

“You went through the trouble. I’ll carry it from here.”

Kyle reached for the cage, but I subtly dodged his hand, turning my body away.

“Ah, come on. I can hold onto him just fine. You’ll be busy during the trip anyway, so leave Cashew Nut to me and focus on your work.”

“Then, at least let me see his face—”

“Hey! Do you even know what time it is?! Don’t wake him up! Beasts have routines, too!”

Before he could protest further, I quickly hopped into the carriage and claimed a seat. Holding the hamster cage like a sacred treasure, I cradled it in my arms protectively.

Kyle followed after me, took a seat across from me, and remarked, “I won’t take him from you. You can relax.”

“…You swear?”

“…Have you been tricked that often?”

I mean… yeah, kind of. But I wasn’t about to admit that, so I just unclenched my hands and shoulders instead.

My shoulders were stiff from being on edge the whole time. I let out a small grunt and stretched, but just then, Kyle pulled out a small crinkling bag.

“Still, I should at least feed him—”

“I ALREADY FED HIM!”

I bolted toward the window like a bullet, eyes sharp with suspicion. Kyle, the bastard, just laughed.

“…You enjoy this, don’t you?”

Yeah, you love teasing me, don’t you, you smug piece of shit?

Kyle’s smirk softened into a quiet smile, and he tilted his head slightly, resting his chin on his hand. His eyes met mine directly as he spoke.

“I always feel good when I’m with you.”

At that exact moment, the carriage began to move. A light breeze slipped in through the tiny window I had left ajar.

Like him, I rested my chin on my hand and turned my head away with a sulky expression.

The tips of my ears felt a little warm.

Even though the wind was plenty cool.