The Northern Grand Duke’s Hamster

“But…….”

“Yes, I’m listening. Go ahead and continue.”

I broke into a sweat and pressed my palm firmly against his shoulder. Of course, it was a futile attempt. Kyle remained completely unmoving, as if he were a solid rock.

“Your Highness.”

“Yes.”

“Your Grace?”

“Mm.”

“……Do we really have to talk in this position?”

Move aside a little! You’re too close!

I started pushing at his shoulders with both hands in frustration.

But Kyle still didn’t budge. Instead, he tightened his arms around my waist, pulling me even closer.

Now, he was sitting on the edge of the bed with me perched on his lap.

We must have been in this position for at least an hour now, facing each other. Yet, despite holding a full-grown adult man in his arms all this time, Kyle showed no sign of discomfort—not even the slightest hint of annoyance or exhaustion.

The only upside was that, for once, I could look down at Kyle instead of always having to tilt my head up to meet his gaze. That was a refreshing change, at least.

……No, no. That’s not the point here!

“You can let go. We can talk just fine like this. I’m not going anywhere.”

“I know.”

You totally don’t seem like you do.

[(―///―)]

Why are you blushing?! That’s not what this is about!

“So, you’re saying you’re from an entirely different world?”

“Yes. Maybe even from the distant future. The place I lived in had much more advanced technology than here. But in exchange, there was no magic or beasts.”

Kyle let out a faint, bitter smile at my words. That was only natural. After all, magic and beasts were the very things that had forced him into a life of endless war.

Regardless, I told him the truth—at least, a version of it. Just as I had done with Sen, I deliberately left out the fact that this world was actually the setting of a novel I had read, The Heart of Winter.

“I see…….”

Of course, my explanation wasn’t exactly smooth.

My story was jumbled, often with causes and effects presented in reverse order. At times, I even fell into sudden, awkward silences, struggling to find the right words.

Yet Kyle listened more intently than anyone ever had.

Even though what I was saying must have sounded utterly ridiculous, he didn’t look at me with suspicion. He never interrupted.

He simply held me close, nodding quietly, as if that was enough. As if he was willing to accept whatever I said, no matter how absurd.

“So, to summarize—you died in an accident, and an unknown being brought you back to life. But something went wrong in the process, and you ended up as a beast instead of a human.”

“That’s right. And the reason my abilities were mistaken for magic is that it wasn’t actually my power—it was the power of the one who helped me. That’s probably why it clashes with magic.”

“Divine power, perhaps…….”

Oh, they have that here too? This world’s lore is surprisingly detailed.

Kyle nodded, recalling how magic had failed to affect me when I was in my beast form, instead bouncing off uselessly.

“You said you need to perform a miracle in order to truly come back to life.”

“Yeah. I came to change fate. It sounds dramatic, but that’s essentially what it boils down to.”

I couldn’t exactly tell him that I had read the original story.

So instead, I decided to pass it off as having prophetic dreams. After all, everything I had read in the novel—and everything the system had shown me—aligned with their original timeline, the future before I intervened.

“And the fate you want to change…….”

“Yes. As you already know, it’s your survival, Your Highness. It might sound cruel, but in the dreams I saw, you died early. So, I thought if I could change that future, it would make a difference.”

“So you chose to save me in order to save yourself.”

“That’s exactly right.”

I gave an awkward smile, relaxed my body, and leaned into him.

“That’s why I told you, didn’t I? We share the same fate.”

Kyle fell silent for a moment. He was likely organizing this flood of baffling information in his head, trying to make sense of it.

Then, after a long pause, he patted my back and asked,

“Is there a reason you chose me? There are many people in this world. I doubt I was the only one who appeared in your dreams.”

I was resting my chin on Kyle’s shoulder, practically nestled in his arms. But at least this way, he couldn’t see my expression.

And thank God for that—because right now, I must have looked extremely weird.

“Just…….”

“…….”

“You looked lonely.”

From the moment I first skimmed that book and set it aside, the one thing that remained vivid in my mind was your loneliness.

That sorrowful death of yours—strangely enough, I couldn’t forget it, no matter how much time passed.

“I just thought… dying like that would be too sad. So, if I had to save someone, I wanted to save you. Even if you think I’m being presumptuous, I can’t help it. That’s just how I felt.”

“I see.”

“But it’s not like I ever expected to turn into a hamster. Sure, I crashed into one right before my accident, but still.”

Dying was bad enough, and yet, I even lost my human rights.

Come to think of it, wasn’t I the biggest victim in all this?

[⊙▽⊙)7]

Stop scratching your head. What am I supposed to do about this stingy ‘Reload’ time, huh?

[◐▽◐7]

……Forget it. It’s not worth the effort.

“Another revelation?”

Kyle asked as he watched me trail off and stare blankly into the air.

“It’s not anything grand enough to call a revelation. More like… a trivial, pointless bit of chatter.”

[!(►__◄)!]

What? What now?

Why are your eyes wide like that?

“At least I didn’t completely get the short end of the stick. I met a good master. And even though I spent more time as a beast than a human, Your Highness still treated me well.”

“So your time in human form is limited.”

“Pretty much. Right now, it lasts about four hours. At first, it was only thirty minutes—you have no idea how much trouble that caused me.”

I sighed, launching into a complaint about how I’d barely had any clothes at the start.

I grumbled about how I had to wander that freezing castle barefoot, wearing nothing but a flimsy shirt. Kyle, listening, gave me an apologetic smile.

“So that’s why you had to steal clothes. And here I was, thinking you were some kind of pervert.”

“……Pervert? Seriously? I do have some dignity, you know! I couldn’t just walk around naked! Oh, speaking of which, could you give me some proper clothes this time?”

“Can you carry a sweater around with you?”

“The materials are special. It’s not free, but still.”

I jerked my chin toward the neatly folded sweater beside the bed. I was currently borrowing Kyle’s clothes because I refused to wear that sickeningly cute strawberry-patterned sweater.

Kyle followed my gaze, saw his handiwork, and muttered in an aggrieved tone, “That was knitted properly, you know.”

“Yeah, but is that really an appropriate design for a twenty-seven-year-old man? That?”

“I just assumed my Cashew Nut would wear it. You wouldn’t know, but when you have it on, it’s incredibly ador—mmph.”

His mouth! This damn mouth!

Panicked, I clamped both hands over his lips.

I mean, how could he still call me adorable when he knew there was a full-grown man inside his beloved beast? And with such a straight face, too?!

“That thing you were about to say earlier.”

Kyle’s voice was muffled under my palms. The warmth of his lips against my skin startled me, and I quickly pulled my hands away.

“You called yourself my partner.”

“……Oh, back when I first disappeared.”

In reality, I had meant partner hamster, but before I could clarify, I panicked and ran away.

Hearing that, Kyle let out a helpless laugh.

‘Is he really enjoying this that much? He’s been laughing a lot today.’

I had expected him to feel betrayed. To think I was some weirdo.

“Doesn’t it sound absurd?”

Kyle, perhaps worried I’d tip backward, gently took hold of my wrists and shook his head.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t shaken. But as I listened, I realized that the facts lined up.”

He ran through everything that had happened so far, then let out a small sound of realization.

“So that’s why you never ate the mealworms.”

“Exactly. So please, I beg you, stop putting those in my food. And while we’re at it, maybe tone down the kissing, too.”

“……Kissing?”

“You don’t remember? Every time you left or came back, you’d pick me up and kiss me at least five times—”

Mid-complaint, I suddenly felt his grip tighten around my wrists, and I snapped my mouth shut.

Kyle wasn’t looking at me anymore. His gaze was turned away, his ears faintly red.

Was he… embarrassed?

Well, considering how many times he had kissed me without realizing what I really was, I suppose it made sense for reality to hit him hard now.

“Why are you the one getting embarrassed?”

If you get flustered, you’re just making me feel even weirder!

Trying to break the awkward atmosphere, I spoke up.

“When you think about it, you’re kind of a victim in all this, too. You thought I was just some cute, intelligent beast, after all.”

“Cute and intelligent.”

Kyle muttered the words while looking away.

……What? Me? Now? Seriously?

“Well, at least you were kind to me.”

“…….”

“It was nice, you know?”

The mood in the room shifted.

Kyle, still holding my wrists, moved one hand up to lightly grip my shoulder. Even through the loose fabric of the shirt, his palm felt strangely warm.

“I never thought of myself as a victim.”

“…….”

“Did you just say it was nice?”

Wait. That’s not what I meant—

‘……This isn’t what I meant, though?’

A strange silence filled the space between us.

Kyle stared at me intently, his gaze deep and unwavering. It felt as if he was silently seeking permission.

“…….”

I could have pulled away if I wanted to.

He wasn’t restraining me.

Even without moving, I could have spoken up.

I could have told him that this was too much, that he should let me go, that he should at least look away.

But I didn’t.

No, I couldn’t.

As if I were pinned under the weight of his gaze, all I could do was stare back at him.

His eyes curved slightly, as if satisfied. His grip on my shoulder tightened just a little.

He softly whispered my name.

And then, ever so slowly, he leaned in.

I did nothing but watch.

As if hypnotized.

As if intoxicated.

As if, once again—

I was falling in love.