Chapter 396: If: Imuir Hears Bai Yu’s Thoughts 4

Chapter 396: If: Imuir Hears Bai Yu's Inner Thoughts 4

The little cat thrashed wildly in Bai Yu's hands.

What was this! He was the Grand Duke of Illyria! How dare the doctor spank him!

He would make sure the doctor learned the consequences of offending a Grand Duke!

Unfortunately, Imuir was tiny, with short limbs. No matter how hard he flailed, he couldn’t reach the doctor’s arms, only fuming helplessly.

Damn you! Damn you! Damn you!

The kitten angrily imagined how he would punish the doctor tomorrow, but the next moment, he was already gathered up and pressed against the doctor’s chest.

Through the thin fabric, the dumpling was right in front of him. Imuir’s face was smushed against it, his whole body pressed to the doctor’s chest. When Bai Yu finally loosened his grip, the kitten shook his head, bewildered, and *"Meow?"*

Any thoughts of revenge or punishment had completely vanished.

By then, the doctor had already grabbed the kitten’s tiny stubby paws, lifting him up for inspection with a relieved sigh.

At the same time, Bai Yu’s inner thoughts clearly reached him.

*"So this is where you were. Good thing I found you."*

*"No idea how you got out, but you don’t seem hurt, and you’re full of energy. Should be okay."*

*"You… little menace. Gave me a scare."*

One thought after another spilled out. The doctor had always seemed so cold, and Imuir never knew he had so much on his mind.

And it was all about him.

Guiltily, the kitten ducked his head a little and quietly stretched out a paw to pat Bai Yu.

*"Don’t be mad, I’m fine."*

His timid demeanor seemed to amuse the doctor. A faint, soft smile appeared in Bai Yu’s usually cool eyes as he drew Imuir close. "Hungry?"

Imuir shook his head, then nodded.

The head shake meant he’d just had dinner, but the nod was because the doctor had fed him too many leafy greens—something cats naturally disliked. He wanted meat!

Eagerly, the kitten stared at Bai Yu, conveying his desire for a "snack."

Bai Yu: "What’s all the nodding and shaking about?"

Not that he expected a kitten’s intelligence to grasp his words. He simply rolled Imuir onto his back and rubbed his little belly.

Imuir stiffened!

Before he could struggle, Bai Yu chuckled. "Still nodding? Your belly’s already round. Must’ve eaten well while you were out. Where’s the hunger?"

Imuir smacked his hand away with a stubby paw, glaring stubbornly. "Meow! Meow meow meow meow meow!"

His voice rose and fell dramatically, as if cursing.

"Fine. You can’t have much, but a small treat won’t hurt." The doctor’s smile widened as he lifted the kitten into his arms. "I’ll take you to the kitchen."

The Grand Duke’s kitchen was at Bai Yu’s disposal.

As a valet who'd only been there a day, it wasn’t right to help himself to the master’s things, especially to feed a cat. But Bai Yu did it intentionally, hoping to get on Duke Imuir’s nerves fast.

He needed the Grand Duke to order his execution so he could return to modern society.

Imuir let out a suspicious meow.

He could sense Bai Yu's fleeting thoughts, but they vanished too quickly for him to catch.

Soon, however, Imuir forgot about this episode.

Bai Yu had already brought the kitten to the kitchen. Rolling up his sleeves to reveal his toned forearms, he quickly diced up a small plate of minced beef while the kitten drooled and pushed it forward.

Imuir buried his head in the bowl, licking it clean with loud *prprpr* noises, then leisurely licked his paws.

He cocked his head at the doctor and meowed: "Meow?"

Still hungry.

Bai Yu took away the remaining beef, his cold inner voice cut in: "Dumb cat, any more and you'll get a stomachache."

"..."

Though displeased with being called a "silly cat" every day, the full Grand Duke let it slide. He hopped gracefully off the counter and glanced back at the doctor: "Meow?"

Going back to sleep?

Of course, Bai Yu wasn’t about to sleep.

According to the story’s clues, there was a strictly off-limits area in Grand Duke Imuir's garden—a key to Bai Yu's mission. He decided to explore it tonight.

So the doctor took the kitten to the garden of the duke's estate.

Imuir sat obediently in Bai Yu’s hands, swishing his tail suspiciously: "Meow?"

What’s the doctor doing in the garden at this hour?

Insomnia? He could get the doctor a sleep specialist tomorrow.

That was what Grand Duke Imuir thought.

Meanwhile, Bai Yu followed the clues and found the entrance to the basement.

The entrance was tucked away in the weeds. The doctor wandered around many times before finally spotting it. To Imuir, it looked like Bai Yu had just stumbled on it while wandering and was merely curious.

When Bai Yu lifted the iron cover, he didn’t notice the kitten in his arms go rigid, frozen in place.

Imuir stared at the dark hole, curled up in the doctor's embrace, his head spinning.

What was in the basement was Imuir's biggest secret.

He was never the beloved son of the old duke, but rather the child of the old duke and a foreign tribute slave. From his mother, he inherited the bloodline of foreign slaves who could transform into cats.

In Illiria, this bloodline was no gift—it meant shame and slavery. If anyone connected the child born here to the duke himself, the Grand Duke's position would be in jeopardy.

Imuir never expected the doctor to find this place.

Logic told the Grand Duke to call the guards right away to stop Bai Yu, throw him out of the estate, or even exile him from Illiria. But the kitten bit his lower lip and let the doctor proceed.

The doctor was the first person in this world to treat him so kindly. Imuir couldn’t bring himself to do it.

But more than anything, he wanted to know—what would the doctor think after seeing the documents in the basement?

Would he, like those noble marquises and high-society ladies, believe that the bloodline of foreign tribute slaves was lowly and deserved a lifetime of servitude?

Would he think that half-human, half-cat races were all monsters, ugly and revolting?

Would he believe these disgusting things should be locked away in the basement forever, just for others’ entertainment?

That’s what most people in Illyria thought. Imuir had kept his identity hidden all this time, and now, as the most noble duke in Illyria, those malicious slanders and prejudices could no longer harm him.

But… but the doctor was different.

If the doctor held such views, Imuir thought, it would probably break his heart.

Lost in thought, the kitten unconsciously dug his claws deeper into the doctor’s collar, even revealing a hint of his nails, until the doctor gently took his paw and squeezed the soft pad.

Bai Yu said, “Easy there, kitten—claws in.”

Imuir obediently retracted them but remained sullen, his wide eyes locked onto the dark basement, his tail flicking restlessly.

—The doctor loved cats so much. Would that love extend to a slave who could turn into a cat… or even a duke like that?

—But what if the doctor hated it? What then?

Before Imuir could sort through his feelings, the doctor had already descended the ladder into the basement. He lifted the lantern to illuminate the surroundings—the basement was large but split into cramped little cells, like a dungeon.

In the center of the hall stood an iron bed, its four corners fitted with leather restraints, and dried bloodstains near the foot, as if something brutal and bloody had once occurred here.

Bai Yu’s frown darkened, his expression turning stormier as he read.

Imuir peeked nervously, first observing the doctor’s grim expression, then reading the documents by the lantern’s glow.

*"Tribute slaves from neighboring lands: two pairs of male cats, one pair of female cats, one died en route from infection."*

*"Basic selection and disposal completed. Passable ones locked up."*

*"Researchers standing by, ready to start breeding trials."*

Imuir knew this document—hell, he knew every single one down here.

These were things he had personally experienced.

The basement’s history was too ugly to face again. Imuir had always loathed dark, damp environments, and now, merely looking at it, just looking at it made his fur stand on end.

Bai Yu lowered his gaze and immediately noticed the kitten’s distress.

Cats spooked easily, and unfamiliar environments could easily stress them. Bai Yu regretted bringing the kitten down here.

At times like these, familiar scents, familiar surroundings, and a patient owner’s comfort were needed.

So, as the kitten’s fur puffed up and his back arched, Bai Yu gently pinched his ears, turning him toward himself, then cradled him securely in his arms.

The doctor murmured soothingly, “It’s alright. We’ll leave soon.”

Pressed close, listening to the doctor’s steady heartbeat, feeling his warmth, and his hand stroking his fur in steady motions, Imuir gradually calmed down and let out a soft, quiet mew.

…Okay.

The kitten in Bai Yu's arms finally settled down, allowing him to continue poring over the documents. Meanwhile, one after another, the doctor's mental murmurs reverberated in Imuir's ears.

"The old duke was running human experiments down here?"

"Why are there records about cats as well?"

"Slavery still persists in Illyria, huh? Filthy remnants that should be burned to ashes."

"Who knows how many lives were harmed by these so-called experiments. These poor people, these poor cats... The old duke truly was a wretched old monster."

"Imuir's reputation isn't too bad—he's the one who abolished it. In that regard, he's infinitely superior to the old duke."

After finishing the last document, Bai Yu exhaled a quiet sigh. And in Imuir's ears, he heard yet another mental murmur from the doctor:

"May the unjustly slain find peace."

Bai Yu was a staunch atheist through and through, but faced with such horrific ends, all he could do was wish them peace.

The kitten peeked out from the doctor's embrace, staring at Bai Yu's elegant jawline for a long while before retreating back into his arms with a soft meow.

The doctor really was different.

His disgust upon seeing the records was genuine, and his sympathy for the slaves and cats was equally real. Imuir secretly thought that although Bai Yu often maintained that stern facade, appearing cold and intimidating, and even disciplined a kitten that one time, he had genuine gentleness at his core.

Imuir really liked him!

Imuir really wanted him!

Imuir took a deep breath and buried his face in the doctor's chest.

The doctor's warmth dispelled the chill of the basement, and the kitten yearned to sprawl out, pressing its entire belly against him.

Meanwhile, Bai Yu, having reviewed everything, climbed back up to the surface and closed the metal manhole cover.

At the same time, Imuir once again heard Bai Yu's mental voice:

"After breaking so many taboos, can I really secure the duke's contempt?"

"...?"

Imuir cocked his head quizzically, peeking out again.

"Meow?"