Let the Whales Fight, This Shrimp is Leaving! - Chapter 36

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 36
When I went so far as to toss the drawing aside, Deyan looked slightly hurt.
Let him be.
I wiped away the tear clinging to the corner of my eye with a finger and caught my breath.
“Ah, that was hilarious. Thanks to you, Sir, I haven’t laughed like that in ages.”
“I was not trying to be funny.”
“Oh, really? It was funnier than most jesters. You have a talent, Sir. Keep it up.”
“I am no jester, nor am I a painter.”
He poured out his frustration in a stifled voice.
Only after teasing Deyan a bit more about his dreadful drawing skills did I let him know about the Book on Holy Relics in the library.
“There might be an illustration of the weapon you saw in that book, so let us go look for it together.”
“If such an excellent method existed, could you not have told me sooner?”
“We don’t know for certain if there will be an illustration. Rather than wasting time for nothing, it’s more efficient to recall a definite memory first.”
“I suppose that is true.”
“I simply didn’t expect your artistic abilities to be even more inefficient.”
As if ashamed of his abysmal skills, Deyan’s face flushed bright red again.
Hoping to offer some comfort, I added with a bright smile.
“It’s quite all right. It lacks artistic merit, but it’s entertaining. At least it has one merit, so that’s something.”
“Is that meant to be comfort?”
“I’m teasing you.”
“You certainly have a sly side to you.”
“It comes naturally with politics.”
“Please, stop mocking me.”
“Shall I, then?”
It was getting fun, though.
Commending him for giving me such a good laugh, I readily decided to grant his request.
“Let’s head straight to the library. Joaquin Perez’s lackey might still be watching us from the corridor.”
“I shall escort you.”
Grasping the hidden meaning behind my words, Deyan rose to his feet after me.
Right then, an unidentified, faint sound tickled my ears.
“What was that noise just now?”
“Ah.”
Deyan seemed to have an inkling.
Letting out a brief exclamation, he began to read my expression warily, an expression that didn’t suit him at all.
“Something is chirping. Did you bring something inside?”
“I can explain.”
“The sound is coming from the wardrobe.”
Listening closely, a very tiny peeping noise drifted out.
It was so faint that one wouldn’t notice unless listening intently.
I must have missed it earlier because I was laughing so hard.
I strode over to the source of the noise and pulled the door open.
On the floor of the vast, empty wardrobe lay a thick, folded cloth.
And a tiny ball of fluff was squirming on top of it, crying with all its might.
“A kitten?”
“I… I apologize for bringing it to the room without permission. But I simply could not look away.”
Hurrying over to my side, Deyan thrust his large frame between me and the wardrobe, as if trying to hide the kitten.
“Step aside.”
I gave the bothersome man a gentle shove to the side and crouched down in front of the small kitten.
“Oh my goodness, how precious. It’s still a baby.”
From its dainty paws to its tiny, constantly opening mouth, there wasn’t a single part of it that wasn’t adorable.
I gently stroked the head of the small, warm creature with my index finger.
“Was this what you went out to pick up yesterday?”
“Pardon?”
“You took a walk in the middle of the night all of a sudden.”
“Did you see me?”
“Yes. Of course I was keeping an eye on you.”
When I deliberately emphasized the fact to let him know he was being watched, Deyan quickly offered an excuse.
“I only intended to walk for a short while, but my steps somehow led me toward the Wall. That was when I found this little thing entangled in the bushes.”
“Was its mother nowhere near?”
“She was there, but she fled when I touched it.”
“I see.”
I didn’t particularly think this baby kitten had been abandoned.
Cats were surprisingly clever creatures, and they were uncanny at sensing whether a human would bring them harm or fortune.
“Perhaps she trusted you and left her cub in your care. Asking you to raise it well.”
I scratched the head of the little fluffball with satisfaction before standing up.
“It’s fine, so keep it. You may take it with you when you leave later. If you intend to leave it behind, we can just raise it as a mouser in the kitchen.”
“Would that truly be acceptable?”
“Yes? What would be?”
When I questioned him back, Deyan continued hesitantly.
“I assumed you would not care for animals.”
“Whatever made you think that? You hardly know me.”
“Well, did you not act quite indifferent toward the fish in the fountain?”
“The fountain?”
What on earth was this man talking about out of nowhere?
As I blinked in confusion, unable to understand what he meant, Deyan explained in a bit more detail.
He said it happened when I was invited to the banquet of the Adorif Empire and received his escort.
“When you asked what happens if the ornamental fish get sucked in, I replied that we pull out the ones trapped and killed by the pipes, and you remarked that it was pleasantly simple.”
He added that my expression back then held not a shred of sympathy.
Hearing Deyan’s explanation, I vaguely recalled the incident.
“Ah. So you viewed me as a cold-blooded monster with no heart or soul?”
“I did not go quite that far.”
“You did think it a little, then.”
“I will not deny that.”
Amused by his rather bold attitude, I let out a soft chuckle, then picked up the kitten and gently placed it on the bed.
“I wasn’t talking about the ornamental fish.”
Flustered by the sudden change of scenery, the kitten tottered and walked diligently across the blanket.
“I meant that I liked the simplicity of how the fountain was managed.”
If a part is blocked, broken, or rotten, you remove it and replace it.
Because there are far more things in this world that are not nearly as straightforward, I merely appreciated that simplicity.
“I like animals. So there’s no need to hide it because of me.”
Speaking lightly, I urged Deyan forward, saying we should truly head to the library now.
When he naturally extended his arm to escort me, I gladly rested my hand upon it.
Perhaps because my mood had been utterly ruined by Joaquin earlier, Deyan’s plain, unembellished demeanor stood out in stark contrast.
If it had been that bastard, he undoubtedly would have tried to hold my hand in a disgusting manner.
Look at him even now.
He was slyly attaching his own person to tail me.
“It seems we’re still being watched, right?”
“Yes. He is following from behind the pillars.”
Pretending to look down at me, Deyan checked behind us inconspicuously, his voice dropping low.
“It is a man. Judging by how clumsy the tail is, he does not seem to be trained.”
“Even so, he’s just monitoring me.”
It was entirely predictable. Joaquin was an arrogant man who thoroughly looked down on me, so he must have judged that such a clumsy tail would suffice.
“Shall I leave him be?”
“Yes. Let’s give him a stomachache from frustration.”
With the petty intent of having him report back with plenty of exaggeration, I pointedly pressed myself closer to Deyan.
Like this, it would look less like an escort and more like a pair of lovers walking arm-in-arm.
‘Let’s see just how creative you can get.’
I scoffed at Joaquin’s clumsy shadow and kept my eyes forward.
“My Lady.”
“Yes?”
“Your hair has caught on your ornament.”
“Oh, has it?”
It must have gotten tangled when I was clutching my stomach laughing earlier.
I considered fixing it myself, but keeping the watcher in mind, I deliberately leaned my head toward Deyan.
“Would you mind fixing it for me?”
“Is that quite alright? I feel as though I might ruin your hair if I touch it.”
“Then you must be careful and use your discretion. We’re being watched from behind.”
“Do not blame me if I ruin it.”
“Oh, I will.”
Ugh. Letting out a low groan, Deyan timidly placed his hand upon my head.
Even this gesture made me compare him to Joaquin all over again.
At the very least, it was a relief that Deyan was a human being endowed with proper common sense and manners regarding how to treat a woman.
“It is done. I believe your hair is undamaged.”
“Thank you.”
I looked up at Deyan, who remained cautious even after receiving permission, and offered a faint smile.
Imagining the guise of a shy, young maiden who had just fallen in love.
At that moment, Deyan, who had been staring down at me blankly, swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing deeply.
“Are you smitten?”
“I am not.”
“It’s fine. Since I am beautiful, I will generously understand even if you are smitten.”
“I am not smitten. I am merely flustered.”
“Your face has turned red.”
“That is because it is warm.”
Deyan denied it desperately.
I teased him all the more as I stole a glance behind us.
I could see our tail scurrying frantically down the corridor.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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