“Viloti, the weather’s great today. Are you in a good mood too?” Felyn looked at the rare smile on Viloti’s face—ten full seconds of it. Incredible.

“Am I?”

Viloti touched her cheek, tracing the unfamiliar curve of her lips.

After all… after all, Teacher Sophia had called him “Your Felyn”...

“Do I look weird when I smile?”

“Why would you think that?”

Felyn didn’t believe she was fishing for compliments. He just didn’t understand—how could someone so pretty doubt herself?

“Because I haven’t smiled like this in a long time. People used to say I looked strange when I did.”

Viloti spoke flatly, recounting the ridicule she’d received in the past. The air around them seemed to grow heavier, and even the sunlight dimmed.

“Strange? More like… strangely beautiful.”

Years of social conditioning had trained Felyn’s brain to respond reflexively with corny lines like that.

It was awkward.

But to someone who was in love, like Viloti, it didn’t matter. No matter how cheesy it was, anything Felyn said sounded good.

That’s what people called the love filter.

Her steps paused.

Those amber eyes widened slightly.

Then a faint blush crept up from her collarbones to her cheeks as she looked down.

Felyn scratched his face awkwardly. The atmosphere was getting too ambiguous, so he picked up his pace to create some distance between them.

In that push and pull of emotion, they soon arrived at the school gates.

It was Sunday. Aside from students involved in club activities, the campus was mostly empty.

Walking along the small path, Felyn realized he hadn’t returned to his school in quite a while.

The feeling was familiar—the lethargy and reluctance that came with the end of a break.

Just then, Teacher Sophia sent him another message: She wanted him to go directly to her office.

“The Royal Capital’s Early Admission Exam, huh…”

Felyn hadn’t had much time to study over the years. Even when he was in school, most of his mental energy went toward taking care of clients like Viloti and Adeline, and then there were nights spent awake with Zervanie, keeping her company. In the end, he often just slept through class.

Recently, Viloti and Adeline had helped him review for a while, and he’d passed the joint exams. But that was still far from enough.

This time, though, he’d been given a chance.

The Early Exam simplified the testing process.

If getting into the Royal Capital Academy used to be a five percent chance, it was at least thirty percent now.

Felyn suddenly wondered—Could it have been Adeline who helped secure this spot for him?

Before, he would’ve sent her a message to ask. But now…

He glanced at her name on the communication seal. Their last exchange was from the night before, when she’d asked if he’d arrived at the banquet hall yet.

“This feels kind of awkward…”

…

Felyn pocketed the seal. He still hadn’t figured out how to face Adeline.

“Meow~”

A faint meow echoed from the bushes along the path.

Viloti’s steps stopped instantly. She turned, scanning for the source of the sound.

“What’s wrong?” Felyn hadn’t heard anything.

“There’s a cat.”

Viloti stepped into the greenery, carefully following the sound.

Sure enough, nestled among the bushes was a tiny kitten. Thin, but not yet unhealthy. Its gray-and-white fur was soft and clean.

She gently scooped it up in her arms and cradled it close. The kitten didn’t struggle.

Just like its rescuer, it was soft and quiet.

“Felyn.” Her voice was tinged with a rare spark of excitement as she approached him.

“Look.” She gently pinched the kitten’s paw, showing it off like a treasure. The tiny paw brushed against a strand of her pink hair, revealing the gentle light in her face to Felyn.

“It probably has an owner, right?” Felyn noticed the collar and name tag around its neck.

St. Andros Academy strictly forbade pets.

Most assumed that meant no cats or dogs—but in reality, it meant no noble children bringing their bizarre pets: rhinos, crabs, beastfolk, magical beasts… even dragons.

Felyn gave the kitten a once-over. It seemed to be just an ordinary, though expensive, purebred cat.

“Looks like someone dumped it here.”

Back where Viloti had picked it up, Felyn spotted an open box with a few food scraps that had already been licked clean.

Viloti stroked the kitten’s head tenderly, “So pitiful…”

As if understanding her words, the kitten nuzzled into her chest and purred softly.

Probably a noble kid’s impulse buy, later rejected by the family, then abandoned.

It happened all the time at the academy.

Felyn had once been paid by the student council to help gather these abandoned animals and send them to shelters.

“I think the tag has its name. Let me check.” He stepped closer and wiped away the dirt.

[Hermi]

Why did that name feel familiar?

He studied the kitten again. Aside from its red eyes, it seemed completely ordinary.

“You’re not some legendary mage or supreme cultivator trapped in cat form, are you? What if you regain your magic one day and turn into a catgirl?”

Viloti blinked in confusion. She didn’t understand what he meant and looked between Hermi and Felyn with a puzzled expression.

Then a thought occurred to her.

“Felyn, can I—”

“No.”

Felyn knew exactly what she was going to say.

“Your father would never let you bring home a stray cat. It’s not sanitary.”

Viloti opened her mouth to protest… but closed it again, lips softly pouting.

She continued gently petting the kitten, amber eyes fixed on Felyn, full of silent pleading.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not bringing it home either.”

“I’ll pay you.”

“I don’t want your mo—”

“Two thousand a week.”

“…Why is my cat in your hands?”

Once again, Felyn lost to capitalism.

This wasn’t pet care. This was spiritual extortion.

“I’ll feed it whatever I eat.”

At that, Viloti suddenly pulled the kitten back into her arms.

“Then the poor thing would suffer too much.”

Felyn froze.

What did she just say?

What the hell did she mean by that?!

Was she saying he ate that poorly?!

Sure, he had dinner with Daiyi these days. The ingredients were high-grade, all covered by his client. But for lunch, he still brought food from home—made the same way he always had, never touching Daiyi’s money.

Viloti looked down at the kitten in her arms, a little guilty, avoiding Felyn’s gaze, “Then… can I visit often to see it?”

That, of course, was her real motive.

She genuinely loved cats and didn’t want this one to starve. Normally, she could ask her butler to care for it or send it to a shelter.

But if Hermi was living with Felyn, she’d have a perfect excuse to visit him regularly. At least once a week.

“Sure. You’re footing the bill, after all.”

Viloti didn’t smile outwardly, but her amber eyes curled ever so slightly, sparkling with a quiet joy as she looked at the kitten.

(End of Chapter)