Evil Dragon Chapter 20: Cat Teaser

Chapter 20: Cat Teaser

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: CaiCai, Kris

 

Lin Nuo picked out a teddy bear with brown eyes & a cherry red dress and was ready to take it to the cashier. He walked back to the window display, carefully inspecting the bears, toy soldiers, and music boxes that Rennes had glanced at before. 

Which one had caught Rennes’ eye? Was it the bear wearing a vest and a bowtie or the knight bear with a sword and shield? Should I get him a gift too? As a token of gratitude for training me? Lin Nuo pondered. But Sir Rennes, being so serious, didn’t seem to fit with cute teddy bears and such, did he?

A vision of the solemn Rennes holding a knight toy bear popped into Lin Nuo’s mind. Surprisingly, the image didn’t seem too out of place. While Lin Nuo was debating, Rennes, one step ahead, placed something on the checkout counter.

Rushing over with the teddy bear, Lin Nuo discovered a long, slender stick with a great spring, adorned with shiny seashells, jingling bells, and feathers dusted in gold.

“Is this… a cat teaser?” Lin Nuo asked with uncertainty.

The chubby store owner, coming to ring them up, grinned, “Yes, a cat teaser. It’s quite popular. We sell all sorts of toys here, not just for kids but also for little animals.”

Suddenly, Lin Nuo wasn’t conflicted anymore. So, Rennes was looking for this thing earlier. That meant he didn’t need to buy him another gift. Lin Nuo wondered, But does he own a cat? I didn’t see one in his room yesterday.

After they left the toy store, Lin Nuo, holding the ribbon-tied teddy bear, curiously asked, “Teacher, do you have a cat?”

Rennes didn’t look at him but raised the cat teaser in his hand, “No.”

Even more intrigued, Lin Nuo asked, “Then what will you use this cat teaser for?”

Rennes finally glanced at him, his black eyes glistening under the streetlight, “To tease other pets.”

Now Lin Nuo was more puzzled— So what other pets did Rennes own? Where did he keep them? Did he have a basement or some kind of pocket dimension filled with… um, little creatures?

After training Lin Nuo each day, did he release a group of little monsters to play with and tease?

For some reason, this thought made Lin Nuo uncomfortable. Summoning courage and determination from somewhere, Lin Nuo persisted, “What kind of pet do you have? And where do you keep it? You’ve never mentioned it before.”

As they walked out of the alley and boarded the carriage, Rennes placed the cat teaser beside him and calmly said, “A very special pet. It roams freely. When the time comes, I’ll let Your Highness see it.”

Then, he closed his eyes, effectively ending the conversation.

Lin Nuo sat in bewilderment on the opposite side, clutching the teddy bear, full of questions but unable to voice them. So, he kept them to himself all the way back to the palace, even when they mounted their horses again.

Once the stable hand had settled the horses, Lin Nuo bid Rennes goodbye, holding the teddy bear obediently.

Unexpectedly, Rennes didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he stopped and asked, “When do you plan to give the teddy bear to that ‘little lady’?”

Lin Nuo truthfully replied, “Tomorrow morning. After my classes, I always go to the garden near the wild trees to find her.”

Rennes remarked seriously, “So Your Highness has time every morning to accompany a child. It seems Your Highness’s schedule isn’t that tight.”

Panic surged within Lin Nuo. He hurriedly said, “Ah, that, that time is barely squeezed out! It’s already tight enough! Please don’t let the king add more lessons!”

Rennes seemed contemplative, “Oh, so His Highness the Prince would rather squeeze out time to play with a child.”

Lin Nuo felt his face flush; something about that statement didn’t sit right, and he couldn’t argue against it because it was true. So, he just grunted in frustration and prepared to leave.

But Rennes continued, “Since today’s gift was chosen by Your Highness and myself together, shouldn’t we also give the gift together tomorrow?”

Wide-eyed, Lin Nuo exclaimed, “Huh?”

He didn’t find the logic in having to give the gift together just because they picked it out jointly. But he didn’t mind Rennes accompanying him to give the gift. Perhaps Nana would be happier to have an extra brother playing with her? So, Lin Nuo smiled, nodding repeatedly, “Sure, sure, let’s do it together tomorrow. I think Nana will be very happy.”

Maybe it was Lin Nuo’s overly cheerful demeanor, or perhaps it was the night breeze that tousled Lin Nuo’s stubborn hair, but Rennes couldn’t resist. He reached out and smoothed down those two rebellious strands of hair on the prince’s head.

Under the moonlight, with his hair adjusted by Rennes, Lin Nuo felt awkward but managed a forced smile before quickly running off.

Back in his room, without even changing clothes, Lin Nuo flopped onto his bed and couldn’t help but think, I thought I wasn’t afraid of this person anymore! Why did my heart beat faster just because he touched, strictly speaking, just my hair? When will I overcome this issue?

Burying his head in the pillow, wrapped in the soft blanket, Lin Nuo tossed and turned until he finally felt a bit more comfortable.

—

His class the next morning was a dance lesson. As soon as the class ended, a servant came to inform him that Sir Clement was waiting in the lounge.

Lin Nuo, not daring to waste time changing clothes, hurriedly rushed to the lounge. He intended to greet the teacher first, ask the man to wait a little, change his clothes, and then head to the garden together.

Lin Nuo had just finished two hours of dancing. His forehead was slightly sweaty, his face still flushed, and he was wearing his dance outfit. This custom-made outfit wasn’t as splendid as an evening gown but was adorned with black swan feathers around the collar and cuffs. It contrasted with Lin Nuo’s fair skin, making his neck look exceptionally pale, and his eyes unusually bright.

When Rennes saw this breathless youth running towards him, he couldn’t help but pause for two seconds, momentarily forgetting to shift his gaze from the young man’s face.

Lin Nuo didn’t notice anything unusual about Rennes. He came to a stop in front of him, catching his breath, and then politely informed him that he would change his clothes and requested Rennes to wait for five more minutes. After saying that, he dashed back to his room, leaving Rennes silently standing there, gazing at his retreating figure.

Five minutes later, Lin Nuo returned in casual attire, carrying the teddy bear. Perhaps due to changing clothes hurriedly, his cheeks were still pink, and his unruly hair was sticking up again, evidently unattended to after the quick change.

Rennes pursed his lips, restraining the urge to reach out and fix the hair, and said, “Your Highness doesn’t need to rush.”

But Lin Nuo replied, “Ah, Nana often waits for me early. I’m afraid she’ll be upset if she waits too long. Let’s hurry.”

Rennes suppressed a twitch of his mouth and said no more. When they reached the area near the wild trees, Nana was indeed waiting for Lin Nuo. The child held a ball and was absentmindedly tapping it on the ground.

As usual, there were no attendants beside her. According to Nana, Irene, the lady who looked after her, would toss Nana into the garden and then go play cards or chat with other attendants once the other family members had left the house.

Lin Nuo saw Nana’s listless appearance and unconsciously quickened his pace, producing a series of footstep sounds. Hearing the steps, Nana, who had stopped playing with the ball, looked over and saw Lin Nuo. The ‘young lady’ lost her composed demeanor entirely, yelling “Brother Linno!” while bouncing and rushing over.

“You’re here! You’re here! I thought you weren’t coming today!” Nana reached Lin Nuo, excitedly stomping her feet.

Lin Nuo tousled her messy hair and handed over the teddy bear, saying, “I told you I’d come back as soon as possible. Look, this is a gift for you.”

Seeing the pretty bear, Nana’s eyes sparkled with excitement. She hugged the bear tightly, almost unable to believe it. “Is it really for me?!”

Seeing Nana so delighted, Lin Nuo felt happy too and quickly added, “Of course, it’s a gift for you. This was chosen by me and this brother here for you.”

Only then did Nana notice the person beside Lin Nuo.

Rennes wore a gentle yet indifferent smile on his face, bowed slightly, and said, “Nice to meet you, beautiful lady.”

Nana felt a bit embarrassed, taking a step back while holding the teddy bear, executing a standard curtsy, then looking up at Rennes. “Thank you, handsome brother!”

Lin Nuo couldn’t help but laugh. “I picked it with him; why are you only thanking him?”

Ignoring Lin Nuo, Nana continued to blink at Rennes, curiosity written all over her face. Rennes lowered his head slightly, allowing the child to scrutinize him.

“Oh!” Nana suddenly exclaimed, “Handsome brother, I’ve seen you before!”

“Oh?” Lin Nuo wasn’t too surprised by this remark, assuming Nana might have seen Sir Rennes at various gatherings before.

Unexpectedly, Nana was excited. “I saw you in Linno’s sketchbook! Brother Linno was sitting under a tree and drawing you!”

Lin Nuo’s cheeks immediately turned warm. He stuttered, trying to explain, but before he could, Rennes spoke, “Oh? He was drawing me?”

There was a hint of curiosity and a nearly imperceptible spark of amusement in his tone.

Nana nodded, continuing with the teddy bear in her arms, “Yes, Brother Linno drew you so well! After drawing, he even added a pair of devil horns to you!”

The atmosphere in the forest suddenly chilled. Rennes calmly asked, “So, he portrayed me as a demon?”

Although Rennes’ tone hadn’t changed much from before, Lin Nuo felt his legs weaken, nearly collapsing.