IPBD CHAPTER 7

“Hey, little one, little one.”

“Mm….”

The child stirred a few times before groggily opening his eyes.

His golden irises, strikingly contrasted against his jet-black hair, left a strong impression.

So strong, in fact, that it felt like someone came to mind.

‘Who was it?’

Unable to pinpoint the thought, she tilted her head in confusion.

At a glance, he resembled Yangi turned human… but was that just her imagination?

It also felt like there might be another figure he reminded her of.

While Emelina pondered over the blurry memory and examined the child, he finally woke up fully and sat up.

Oh, my goodness.

Emelina’s face flushed with shock.

The blanket slid down, fully revealing the child’s body.

And when her gaze involuntarily shifted downward…

‘Oh. Um. So he’s a boy.’

That realization struck her—but wait, that’s not the point!

Why wasn’t he wearing a single stitch of clothing?!

Emelina’s green eyes trembled with panic.

So that’s why his bare skin had felt so distinct earlier.

Still, she had expected him to at least have some underwear on… Or was that even stranger in this situation?

At this point, she seriously wondered if Yangi had truly turned into a human.

It wasn’t a completely baseless thought, considering Yangi never wore clothes to begin with.

For example, no underwear or anything resembling it.

But imagining a cat wearing underpants… Ugh.

Now that was a bizarre mental image she didn’t want to entertain.

While Emelina was lost in such thoughts, the child noticed her reaction and, with a quick glance at her, pulled the blanket over himself to cover his body.

Emelina decided that the first thing to do was to get the child dressed.

A short while later, she handed the boy some of her old clothes from when she was younger.

She initially planned to help him dress, but the child seemed embarrassed, so she left him to do it on his own.

‘Does he even understand enough to feel embarrassed?’

Thinking this, Emelina sat on the sofa and waited patiently.

Before long, the boy pulled the blanket over himself, and the lump beneath it began wriggling in odd little movements.

The sight was so adorable that she chuckled quietly.

Not long after, the boy appeared to have finished dressing and sat on the edge of the bed.

Emelina composed herself, then asked in a soft, measured tone,

“Are you done dressing?”

A small nod.

As the boy bobbed his little head, the clothes slipped off his shoulder.

Though Emelina had picked the smallest clothes she could find, they were still too large for him.

She approached him, carefully adjusted the fit of his clothes, and sat down beside him.

After deliberating on how to broach the subject, she finally spoke.

“Are you… Yangi?”

For someone who had been so hesitant, her question was surprisingly direct.

The boy looked up at Emelina, gazing at her silently.

In that moment, Emelina unconsciously held her breath.

Seeing him up close again, she realized something astonishing—

He was an extraordinarily handsome young boy, to the point that her jaw nearly dropped.

‘Wow—’

So this is what it feels like to be captivated by someone’s face, she thought.

His delicately refined features were flawless, and his golden eyes gleamed brilliantly, even in the dim light, enhancing his already striking appearance.

It was a face that practically screamed potential for greatness as he grew older, leaving Emelina in awe.

While she was busy marveling at him, the boy hesitated for a moment before nodding.

That nod confirmed it: he was indeed Yangi.

“Hah…”

Finally regaining her composure, Emelina felt at a loss for how to react.

Though she had suspected it, the reality that her cat had turned into a human was still hard to believe.

At the same time, pieces of the puzzle began falling into place.

Things like his ability to understand speech, his unfussy eating habits, and especially his refusal to eat mice—all of it made sense now.

Damn it. Emelina grit her teeth at the memory of those humiliating moments she’d rather not recall.

‘Just you wait, Rozie.’

I will repay this humiliation no matter what.

While Emelina was silently fueling her resolve, a knock sounded at the door.

Knock, knock.

Startled, Emelina hurriedly pushed the boy onto the bed and covered him with the blanket to hide him from sight.

There was only one person who could come to her at this hour—her parents.

Well, technically, with no servants in the house, her parents were the only ones who could come by.

In any case, getting caught with the boy would undoubtedly lead to a scolding.

“Sorry, kiddo. Just stay quiet for a little while.”

Fortunately, the boy complied without resistance.

He must have been holding his breath because there wasn’t a single sound from him.

After whispering a quiet thanks, Emelina walked toward the door.

As she cracked it open slightly, her suspicions were confirmed.

Standing there with worried expressions were the Klein couple.

Katie peered through the narrow opening and asked,

“Milie, is something wrong? We heard a scream.”

Oh no—right, I screamed earlier.

Emelina had completely forgotten, and now it made sense why her parents had come.

She hastily made an excuse.

“Oh, that… I had a nightmare. I’m fine now, so you can go back to bed.”

“It wasn’t because of the black cat, was it?”

Mactran’s face was lined with concern.

Now that she thought about it, her father wasn’t particularly fond of Yangi.

No, to be precise, he outright disliked him.

To him, black animals were symbols of misfortune.

He constantly tried to persuade Emelina to get rid of Yangi, warning that bad things would happen.

Katie didn’t say it outright, but she, too, seemed to harbor a quiet distaste.

Of course, Emelina always let such talk go in one ear and out the other.

“Father, really? How could a nightmare have anything to do with Yangi?”

“Maybe not, but… still, you’d better be careful with that black cat.”

“There’s no reason for you to suddenly have a nightmare otherwise,” he added quietly.

Hearing this, Emelina grew a little annoyed.

She knew her father meant well, but his rigid attitude was frustrating.

Her response reflected her irritation.

“Father, those are just old superstitions. Nothing has actually happened, has it?”

“Well, no, but still…”

Mactran faltered, his face full of hesitation as he swallowed his words.

He was caught between worrying for his daughter and fearing her anger, unable to do anything but squirm.

Emelina, meanwhile, realized too late that she had been harsh.

But it was too late.

Her father already wore a deeply hurt expression, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

Watching the exchange in silence, Katie let out a soft sigh.

“Millie, you might be right that we’ve been too biased. But there’s no harm in being cautious. Rumors like that don’t come out of nowhere.”

“Yes, Mother. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Emilina then turned to look at Mactran.

“Father, I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to say it like that.”

“Mill…!”

The moment Emilina sincerely apologized, Mactran’s face lit up with emotion as he opened his mouth to call her name. But Katie raised her hand to stop him.

Truly, a wise mother.

Without a doubt, her father would have turned into a doting fool, gushing over his daughter.

Mactran let out a groan of frustration, but Katie paid no attention.

“Alright, my dear. There’s still some time before morning, so try to get some more sleep.”

“And no more nightmares,” Katie added, planting a gentle kiss on Emilina’s left cheek.

Jealous of his wife’s affectionate gesture, Mactran quickly kissed Emilina’s right cheek twice in succession.

Emilina chuckled warmly, returning their kisses and bidding her parents goodnight.

After seeing off the Klein couple, Emilina turned back and pulled the blanket off the child.

The child was curled up like a cat, patiently waiting.

“Sorry about that. It must’ve been uncomfortable for you. My parents showed up unexpectedly, so I had to send them away first.”

The child sat up and shook his head, signaling it wasn’t a problem.

So he’s fine, Emilina thought, though it would’ve been better if he spoke. Curious about his voice, she asked gently:

“Can you not speak?”

He shook his head.

Ah, so he can speak; he’s just not doing it.

Maybe he’s just shy, Emilina thought with a small smile, brushing her hand softly over the child’s head.

He sat quietly, letting her pet him as if it was a familiar comfort.

Then, Emilina suddenly remembered the matter of names.

“By the way, what’s your name?”