PSW Chapter 29: The Cat Who Breaks the Tension
| Previous | Table of Contents | Next |
"Bastet, it's all up to you now!"
Nephthys' beautiful face was pale, dark circles shadowing her eyes. It was clear she had been staying up late, working alongside Yofar, barely getting any rest.
She lifted Bastet to eye level, blurting out a cryptic statement in a hurried tone.
"Meow?"
—What?
Bastet was utterly confused and wanted to ask, but Nephthys cut him off, speaking rapidly like a machine gun.
"The man named Saya—the one involved with the two princesses—has escaped! And he was never a slave to begin with; he's actually a spy from another kingdom!"
Bastet froze.
Nephthys continued, "He fled the palace the night of the banquet. That means he knows about our actions. At first, he was a slave purchased by General Konopo's sister. After escaping, he found her, convinced her to steal the general's command token, and eloped with her. But…"
Her rapid speech came to an abrupt halt. She locked eyes with Bastet, her gaze so intense that even the little black cat felt nervous. Finally, she continued,
"But when our people caught up, they found General Konopo’s sister dead—her body was discovered not far from the city walls."
"…"
"He didn’t kill her because she was a burden. He intended to kill her from the very beginning!" Nephthys' voice turned colder. "We found a letter on her body—left by Saya."
Bastet swallowed. Meow. What letter?
Nephthys pressed her lips together, hesitating before looking away. She didn’t disclose the contents. "It was a taunt. That’s how we confirmed he was a spy—and a high-ranking one at that. The king flew into a rage after reading it. General Konopo is currently kneeling inside. He has always been loyal, following the king into battle. But Yofar is considering executing him—Bastet, I need you to stop him!"
"…"
Oh. Stop him…
Wait, WHAT?!
Bastet’s green eyes widened. "Meow—!" I’m just a cat, not a person! And definitely not some beloved wife or anything! You want ME to stop him? Are you kidding?!
Nephthys insisted, "You don’t need to do anything. Just get close to the king. That’ll be enough to calm him down. You’re his favorite—his only one, Bastet!"
Bastet let out a sigh. "Meow~" I can't stop him. Yofar… he doesn’t like me anymore…
As soon as he said it, a bitter ache settled in his chest.
"Doesn’t like you?" Nephthys frowned. "That’s impossible."
"Meow!" How is it impossible? Bastet drooped his ears and flicked his tail. "Meow~" He locked me up, won’t let me go out, and hasn’t returned to the sleeping quarters. Isn’t that proof?
Even when he was busy in the past, he always made sure the servants brought Bastet to his side.
"Of course not!"
Nephthys denied it so firmly that Bastet blinked in surprise.
"The king locked you away and stopped taking you with him not because he dislikes you," she said seriously, her face still pale. "It’s because ever since that night, you’ve been afraid of him. He’s afraid you’ll run away—so he kept you in the sleeping chambers to stop you."
"…"
That explanation completely stunned Bastet.
He shifted his gaze, feeling guilty. He mumbled, "…Meow."
I… wasn’t that scared of him.
Nephthys raised a brow. "Hmm?"
Bastet: …Okay, maybe just a little…
But that was the reason he locked me up?!
Nephthys didn’t waste time arguing. She was too anxious about Konopo's fate. "Bastet, you have to believe in your importance to the king. Come on, we’re saving a life!"
Then, without giving him another second to hesitate, Nephthys put on a bright smile, held Bastet tightly, and pushed open the doors to stride inside.
Bastet wisely shut his mouth and chose to cooperate.
As they approached the inner hall, Bastet finally saw his long-absent human servant.
The air was suffocatingly still.
A terrifying pressure radiated from the other side of the room.
A man was kneeling on one knee, head bowed, his face hidden.
Yofar stood before him, his expression twisted with rage, exhaustion etched into the lines of his face. His full lips were pressed into a thin, tense line, his gaze sharp and merciless.
Beside him stood that man Bastet had seen before—the one who always smiled but definitely didn’t seem like a good person.
As Nephthys entered, the weight of both their gazes landed on her—and on the little black cat in her arms.
Bastet: "…"
The killing intent! It just doubled!!
The ever-smiling Breton caught sight of the cat and his eyes flickered with intrigue. Bastet noticed that, for some reason, the tension in the room slightly eased—at least for the kneeling general.
And Yofar…
The burning anger in his expression wavered just slightly when his eyes landed on Bastet.
The rage still simmered in his gaze, but his lips were no longer pressed quite so thinly. His voice, however, remained ice-cold, sharp enough to cut through bone.
"Reason."
Yofar looked at Nephthys and asked coldly.
Nephthys maintained her composed smile. "My King, the maids told me that Bastet has been unwell. Being locked up these past few days has also affected his spirit. I was afraid something might happen, so I ordered the attendants to bring him here immediately."
The perfectly healthy, well-fed Lord Cat: "…" Alright then.
Playing along, Bastet rolled his eyes, let his tongue loll out, and contorted his face in a lopsided, sickly expression. Then, he let out a couple of weak, pitiful meows.
Yofar frowned at the sound of Bastet’s feeble cries and reached out. "Give him to me."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Sensing that the king was no longer radiating murderous intent, Nephthys let out a breath of relief and carefully stepped forward, gently placing the black cat in Yofar’s arms.
Bastet maintained his ‘sick cat’ act, stiffening his four legs straight up, exposing his soft paw pads, and rolling from Nephthys' embrace into Yofar’s. His drool smeared onto the king’s pristine white robes.
Yofar held Bastet like a baby.
But the moment he looked down and saw the cat’s glossy black fur, lively darting eyes, and ridiculously exaggerated sickly expression, he instantly saw through the act.
Bastet whined dramatically, "Meow~"
Oh, woe is me! I am in pain! I don’t know where, but everything hurts! Ah, I suffer! Oh, Mother of Mercy, the agony~
Yofar pressed down the corners of his lips, stopping himself from smirking. He asked, "Are you really sick?"
Bastet nodded furiously. "Meow~" Yes, yes! Look at my tongue—it must be a stroke from eating too much fish!
Yofar pinched one of Bastet’s paw pads and raised an eyebrow. "But your paws aren’t hot."
"Meow!"
My heart is hot! I have heartburn!
"And why would you have heartburn?"
"Meow…"
This… uh…
Bastet sneaked a glance at Nephthys, who silently mouthed: "Keep going!"
There was no way out.
Bastet's furry little face grew warm, his whiskers twitching nervously. He hesitated before softly meowing:
"I…"
"Hmm?"
"Actually…"
"Hmm."
"I missed you so much that…"
"…"
Silence.
Hearing no response, the little black cat cautiously peeked up—only to find himself reflected in Yofar’s eyes.
Those deep blue irises, sharp as gemstone facets, now seemed to catch sunlight, shimmering with warmth.
Like a frozen lake in the heart of winter, which, instead of being icy and treacherous, had miraculously transformed into a hot spring—steam rising, gentle heat enveloping him, wrapping him in a comforting embrace.
"Little thing…"
Yofar suddenly leaned down.
Startled, Bastet shut his eyes, only to feel a slight warmth press against his damp little nose.
…He kissed me.
Bastet dumbly opened his eyes, staring at Yofar’s softened expression, the faint smile curling at the corners of his lips.
"Thump,"
"Thump,"
"Thump,"
The little black cat licked his lips.
Suddenly, his mouth felt dry.
His tongue felt hot.
____
[Author’s Notes: Mini Theater]
Bastet: …I think I just got butterflies.
Yofar (frowning): The plot is too slow. I don’t mind if we skip to the part where we— [Censored—]
Dumb Author: …
Dumb Author: I mind!!!
T/N: Please give support on my ko-fi page, thank you🍊🍊🍊
Comments
Post a Comment