Bai Yu detoured from the garden back to the Grand Duke's sleeping quarters. Another manservant was guarding the door and made a "shh" gesture at him.

"Your Excellency Bai Yu, the Grand Duke is sleeping."

Grand Duke Imuel seemed to be a night owl as well, sleeping during the day and coming out at night. Having been busy all night, he started to sleep with the covers over his head during the day.

This manservant, who had been selected alongside him, was named Miller. His ancestors held a barony and were one of the noble families of Illyria. However, by his generation, the family had declined. Thus, they pushed their heir forward, attempting to win the Grand Duke's favor and add a brick or tile to their crumbling family.

In terms of background, Miller was far superior to Bai Yu, an illegal doctor running an unlicensed clinic.

Bai Yu had no intention whatsoever of competing with him for favor, simply saying, "Then I'll go back and rest first."

He hadn't slept all night either.

By the time Bai Yu woke up, it was exactly time for lunch at the Grand Duke's mansion.

After washing up, he put on the manservant's uniform and then, following the butler's arrangements, served dishes to Grand Duke Imuel.

The Grand Duke had obviously just woken up and wasn't fully clear-headed yet. His lake-blue eyes were misty, lightly glazed with moisture. Currently sitting upright behind the dining table, his gaze had been glued to the doctor the moment Bai Yu walked in. The gloomy expression between his brows had dissipated, making him look a bit dazed.

...The doctor looks really good today.

The manservant's uniform had a cummerbund. The leather boning cinched a beautiful waistline, and when he lowered his head, one could even catch a glimpse of the cleavage of his chest through the collar.

The doctor's pectoral muscles were also very beautiful.

Bai Yu: "..."

He stood to the side, waiting for the butler's arrangements.

Miller had arrived a step earlier. Holding a water basin, he wrung out a towel: "Grand Duke, please wipe your hands."

Immediately after, he tentatively reached toward the Grand Duke's sleeve.

Imuel was blanking out, but just as Miller was about to touch his skin, he abruptly withdrew his hand and immediately darkened his brow.

The old butler scolded in a low voice, "Step back, the Grand Duke dislikes being touched by others!"

Miller bit his lip and stepped back anyway.

Bai Yu stood to the side with his head lowered, thinking to himself: 'It seems this rule is true.'

Legend had it that the Duke hated it when cats were mentioned, but Bai Yu had said the word so many times his lips were practically worn out, and Imuel hadn't done anything to him. It showed he didn't really hate it. However, judging from his subconscious avoidance of touch, he truly hated skin-to-skin contact with people.

System 55: "Host, the opportunity is here."

Bai Yu casually took the water basin from Miller's hands, re-wrung the towel, and then directly grabbed the Grand Duke's wrist.

He half-knelt down, restraining the Grand Duke's wrist, forcing Imuel to open his palm. Then, he pressed the hot towel between his fingers and began wiping.

Imuel: "!"

The doctor's actions were full of aggression, forceful and irrefutable. The way he pinched the Grand Duke's finger bones was like a doctor gripping a diseased area. Imuel, on the other hand, was like a kitten picked up by the scruff of its neck by its owner. He was startled but could only submit, unable to struggle.

In a daze, Imuel even thought he had returned to the examination table, injected with anesthesia, leaving him completely at the doctor's mercy to be molded round or flattened.

But on the other hand, the doctor was in the half-kneeling posture of a subordinate, seemingly in total submission.

The Grand Duke's scalp tingled numbly: "Bai Yu!"

Bai Yu opened his hand: "Give me your other hand too."

Imuel: "Oh..."

He subconsciously and obediently handed over his other hand, but got a back full of goosebumps when the hot towel covered it again.

If he were in his kitten form, his fur would have already puffed up.

...Wh-Why did he immediately obey the moment the doctor spoke?

Imuel's worldview was shaken, while Bai Yu had already completed all the work of a manservant. The towel wiped between his fingers, their palms deliberately pressed together. The heat of the steam permeated upwards, steaming the skin red.

"..."

The Grand Duke stared fixedly at his open palm.

...Wants to knead.

...Wants his paws to bloom, and then knead.

...Wants his paws to bloom, and then knead on the doctor's chest.

The three thoughts progressed layer by layer. This had nothing to do with the Duke's own will; it was entirely out of the feline body's instinct. But when Imuel realized the thoughts in his mind, he staggered back two steps and unconsciously slumped into the chair.

What the hell was he thinking about!

If he were in his kitten form, he would have already raised a paw and slapped himself.

Bai Yu, maintaining the posture of holding the towel in surprise, watched the Grand Duke fall back into his seat: "Hmm? It's just wiping hands, why such a big reaction?"

System 55 lay prone on his shoulder: "Imuel really seems to hate being touched. His neck and ears are completely red. He won't die of anger, will he? But, but it's okay, Host, I'm already prepared to help you block your senses."

The old butler, watching their interaction, was about to faint.

What the hell kind of manservants did they hire!

He pointed at Bai Yu tremblingly: "Step back! You step back as well!"

Bai Yu picked up the towel and was about to leave when Imuel, slumped in his chair, spoke up: "...Wait."

His expression was still uncertain and startled, his usually slightly drooping eyes widened. Only then did Bai Yu realize that the Grand Duke had a pair of eyes very much like a cat's.

The eyelashes were long and thick, the eye shape charming and slanting upwards, making him appear haughty and noble.

The Grand Duke slightly adjusted his sitting posture, sitting back properly in an elegant and dignified manner before coughing once and saying, seemingly casually, "Ahem, Bai Yu stays to accompany me for my meal."

Bai Yu slightly raised an eyebrow, saying nothing.

He sat beside Grand Duke Imuel. Most of the time, he just ate his own food, occasionally helping the Grand Duke serve dishes.

The menu on the dining table had been adjusted by Bai Yu. Many of the raw, cold, and chilling foods were reduced, and more vegetables and tender, thoroughly cooked meats were added. Imuel was a bit of a picky eater. Bai Yu occasionally served him food, saying coldly, "Given the condition of your wounds, it's better to eat more of these."

It was still that 'listen or don't' tone.

Imuel looked troubledly at the leaves on his plate. Kittens naturally didn't like eating leaves, and it was the same even after transforming back into a human. He secretly glanced at the doctor, and still reluctantly took a couple of bites.

Biting it in tiny little mouthfuls, like a rabbit nibbling on grass.

Taking this in, Bai Yu was momentarily rendered speechless.

For some reason, this brutal and temperamental Grand Duke actually reminded him of a platinum-colored dumpling. The way he took small bites of his vegetables wasn't annoying; instead, it was rather cute.

For an unknown reason, he slightly softened his voice, reminding him, "Your body is already in a very poor state, with severe internal and external deficits. If you don't nurse it properly, you will run out of oil and your lamp will go out sooner or later. It's best not to stay up late. Official duties are better handled during the day."

This was yet another overstepping reminder. No superior liked hearing phrases like "run out of oil and lamp going out", but the Grand Duke merely paused before softly saying, "En."

Still looking very obedient.

The doctor paused, acting out of responsibility towards a patient: "May I take a look at your medical records?"

Imuel casually agreed: "I'll have them sent to your room later."

Bai Yu: "...Alright. If there's anywhere you feel unwell, please don't hesitate to tell me."

Although he was a veterinarian, he had also studied basic human medicine. This level of skill would be insignificant in his past life, incapable of treating diseases and saving lives, but in Illyria, where medical technology was limited, his advice still had its merits.

Imuel's fingers gripping the knife and fork slightly curled up: "Okay."

Soon after, both of them fell into silence.

The Grand Duke lowered his eyes, looking at the vegetables the doctor had placed on his plate, thinking absentmindedly: 'Unwell? Of course I will feel unwell. In a few days, it will be "that day" again.'

After serving the supposedly picky Duke his meal, the doctor returned to his bedroom in one piece.

The two manservants lived in one suite with two separate rooms and a shared living room in the middle. Miller was currently sitting on the sofa in the living room, flipping through the newspaper unhappily.

Bai Yu took off his coat. His gaze swept over the newspaper and stopped at a certain piece of news.

"Catgirl singer from Midnight Tavern disappears without a reason, whereabouts unknown."

"Newsflash from our reporter: The tavern 'Midnight', which recently went viral because of its catgirl singer, has been shut down in recent days due to illegal operations. The singer 'Eliza' is currently unaccounted for..."

Miller's gaze followed his across the newspaper, also stopping at that line of text. He said playfully, "Doctor, you were born in the Lower City, you probably don't know what a catgirl is, do you?"

Miller was a down-and-out noble. Even though he was down-and-out, he still looked down on pure commoners like the doctor from the bottom of his heart.

Bai Yu remained noncommittal.

In fact, this 'Midnight' bar was one of the gathering spots for the Black Robe Society. Hammerhead Shark had once mentioned it during a gathering, and he had also mentioned the 'catgirl'. At the time, Bai Yu thought the so-called 'catgirl' was just an ordinary singer wearing cat ears and a cat tail for people's amusement. But judging from what Miller meant, it wasn't that simple.

The doctor remained calm and collected: "I have indeed never heard of it. What's the mystery behind this 'catgirl' that makes so many people scramble for them?"

Miller sneered, "Of course you haven't heard of it. These things are very expensive. Most of them also have genetic diseases and are extremely delicate. Ordinary people can't afford to raise them. I've only heard of them too; I haven't seen one."

Miller was consciously showing off the life of Illyria's upper-class nobles to Bai Yu. Cat-people were unknown among the commoners, but they were an open secret among the nobles: "They were originally a breed cultivated by a neighboring country, using slaves for experiments. I heard the experimental process was quite bloody. It could make partial feline traits appear on the slaves' bodies, such as cat ears and cat tails, making them look very cute. Later, someone gave a few to the former Grand Duke, and they were also pets that the former Grand Duke liked very much."

"..."

Bai Yu's brow twitched slightly.

Human life in Illyria was worthless. Having been here for so long, Bai Yu knew this much. But for Miller to use such a degrading tone, using words like "one" and "pet" as if those living, breathing people were really just furniture like chairs or ornaments, disgusted him.

Bai Yu's fingers holding the teacup paused, and he asked casually, "So those people are now..."

He wanted to ask if those people were still in the Grand Duke's mansion. Miller waved his hand: "My dear doctor, it seems you really have never been in contact with high society. Those things are not people, they are the lowest class of slaves. They do not fall under the scope of legal citizens of Illyria. Even if they are tortured to death, they are not protected by the law."

"..."

Bai Yu thought of the modern history he had once studied. As the torrent of industry rolled forward, the nobles defended their remaining glory with decaying rules, using them to preserve their family's face.

Miller was exactly the same.

Bai Yu had no intention of arguing with this kind of person. He picked up his coat, smiling, his tone gentle and his enunciation clear: "Alright then, Your Excellency. Your noble etiquette truly leaves me in utmost awe. It's just that, while you are smugly stepping on commoners and slaves to enjoy your noble glory, make sure you pray to God that you don't one day end up destitute and lose your dignity."

After saying that, he pushed the door open and walked straight out.

Miller originally only wanted to elevate his own status to intimidate this country bumpkin, but being hit head-on by this barrage of words, he couldn't react in time: "You..."

The doctor's words always struck directly at the sore spot; he had a very venomous tongue. Miller was a down-and-out noble, whose greatest fear was ending up destitute and losing his dignity.

Bai Yu grabbed his windbreaker and went out the door: "Dumbass."

—He rarely cursed, and he hadn't lowered his voice at all.

System 55 shrank back in fear: "Host, aren't you afraid he'll take revenge on you?"

Bai Yu said coldly, "In the Duke's mansion, he has no one to rely on. How could he retaliate against me? He doesn't dare to poison me, nor does he dare to do anything else. At most, he'd go compete for favor and cry to the Duke, making the Duke detest me. But if he has that ability, wouldn't that be just perfect?"

He was just worrying about having no way to make the Grand Duke detest him.

System 55: "Host, then where are we going now?"

Bai Yu: "Going home to feed the cat."

He and Miller worked in shifts. Since Miller wanted to fawn over the Duke, he would just go home more often to feed the cat.

The doctor buttoned his coat and put on his hat, concealing his manservant attire, and quickly walked out of the Duke's mansion.

No one noticed that Grand Duke Imuel was sitting in the study directly across the window.

Ever since transforming back into his human form and returning from the doctor's house, nearly a month had passed. His next mutation period was right around the corner.

Just like any previous mutation period, Imuel's body began to undergo subtle changes. His hormone secretion became abnormal, his moods were volatile, and his whole person was restless and anxious.

Every mutation period was very difficult to endure. Imuel had to carefully disguise his identity so that others wouldn't notice any abnormalities in the noble Grand Duke's body, while also enduring the dull pain in his bones and muscles. Therefore, before this period arrived, he especially wanted to be close to the doctor.

By the doctor's side, he had spent the most comfortable mutation period ever.

Bai Yu's fingertips were burning hot, and his massage techniques were experienced. Staying under his warm blanket, all harm was isolated outside. Imuel liked that feeling.

Therefore, while working in the afternoon, he quietly moved and relocated to an empty study opposite the doctor's room.

Every word spoken between Miller and Bai Yu was heard by his ears.

He heard Miller's loud boasting, heard his evaluation of cat-people, and all kinds of degrading remarks... Imuel remained expressionless. Reaching his position, he had heard similar words countless times. Whether it was about slaves or servants, these were long-standing consensuses among Illyria's nobles; Imuel didn't care.

But at the thought of these words being heard by the doctor, he still couldn't help but scratch the desk.

...What would the doctor say?

The doctor swore.

It was the first time Imuel heard him swear. The doctor's personality was cold, and his voice was cold too. Even when swearing, his tone was steady and indifferent, as if he wasn't saying dirty words, but rather uttering some professional terminology.

Excessively sexy.

Imuel watched as he put on his windbreaker, donned his top hat, and stood up to leave with large strides. His tall, slender back was stretched extremely long under the sunlight.

The Grand Duke silently clenched his fists.

He wanted to knead again.