067 – Seol-i

I explained what had happened in the vampire nest to Ella-ssi.

The overall story was similar to the one I had told Princess Asher in the morning.

Except this time it was “My cat is actually a True Ancestor vampire from the beginning.” was added in.

“You mean Kity-nim was such a powerful being?”

Myaong~

I had feared that Ella-ssi might become frightened of Isabella after hearing the story.

But Ella-ssi had known Isabella for some time now.

“…Really?”

To her, the True Ancestor vampire was simply a smart, adorable cat who obeyed her owner.

Of course.

The original progenitor vampire’s true form was much like that of a human, but this human guise, it was my sister Isabella she was playing.

“The primordial trueblood vampire… was a cat?”

*Myaong!*

To have turned the ancestor of all vampires into a cat.

It would be awkward should Isabella-ssi reveal her true self here and now.

“I didn’t even know such a being existed.”

“I am a being long forgotten.”

Surely, I had merely fallen asleep with my pet cat.

Merely patted my pet cat’s rump.

Merely bathed my pet cat who would sometimes throw a fit because she didn’t want to be washed.

From Ella-ssi’s perspective, though…

The man who would become her husband was sleeping with another woman.

Fondling that woman’s backside as he pleased.

Becoming a man who bathed with such a woman.

“The ancestor of vampires… was a cat…”

A decent excuse, in its own way…

“Come to think of it… when I asked, you wouldn’t tell me… what is kitty-nim’s name?”

Until now, Ella-ssi hadn’t seemed particularly curious about the name of the cat I was raising.

I had always steered the conversation away from the topic of the cat, and furthermore.

Isabella-ssi had skillfully deflected Ella-ssi’s interest, so she hadn’t been curious about Isabella-ssi’s name either…

And now, having revealed that my sister’s name was Isabella, she suddenly wanted to know the cat’s name.

‘What names were on the list, again?!’

In the past, fearing this might happen, I had come up with a few cat names.

Primordial trueblood vampire Nabi? Pass.

Primordial trueblood vampire Mochi? Pass.

Primordial trueblood vampire Yuni? Why only these kinds of names?

“Um…”

“Mihan-nim?”

Come to think of it, back then I had named them like that because I was worried a person’s name might sound strange on a cat.

But now, is it impossible for the name of the primordial vampire to be Danchoo, Jeomi, Juri, Baekgu… well, that’s a dog, Bosong, Toto, Mimi, Coco?

For a simple example, imagine sitting in the hospital waiting room and the nurse calling out, ‘Mochi-ssi, please come in~.’

Even a patient on the verge of death from illness would crawl out of the intensive care unit, thinking, ‘How can someone’s name be Mochi?’

So, trying my best to rack my brain…

Isabella-ssi’s alluring, snowy-white fur reminded me of white snow.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I was thinking of something else for a moment. It’s Seol.”

“Seol? Wow… so, dainty and pretty… a nice name.”

“Right?”

Isabella-ssi’s name as Seol… what’s with you, Isabella-ssi?

“…”

*Knock knock knock*

“Mya?!”

Abruptly, Isabella-ssi froze, rooted to the spot. I tapped the table just below her.

Startled, she practically leapt out of her seat…

*thump thump thump*

“..Where is Seol-nim going?”

“I don’t know.”

Suddenly, she darted off somewhere.

“..Is it alright to just leave her be?”

“She runs away sometimes, you know.”

“Ah… okay?”

…

Night had fallen.

Inside the Doppelganger diner, we waited for Isabella-ssi to return, but she remained conspicuously absent.

“It’s getting late. Should we head home first?”

“I will stay by Mihaen-nim’s side.”

“Truthfully, that’s the answer I was hoping for.”

Ella-ssi and I resumed our chatting, when…

“Hmm?”

I could see a couple entering the diner.

“Are they even open?”

Frankly, Doppelganger’s cooking was, well, subpar.

I never dreamed customers would willingly come to this tasteless place…

That couples would come to this expensive, flavorless establishment.

I was about to tell them they weren’t open, but…

“Excu-.”

“…Are you kidding me right now?”

“?”

Suddenly, the woman…

*Smack!*

‘Ooh…!’

I stopped mid-sentence, witnessing the woman slap the man across the face.

“We’re going to talk over dinner?”

“Because I’m hungry…”

“You just wanted to run away from that spot. Am I wrong?”

“No, honey. I really came here because I was hungry, I swear!”

“If you were hungry, you could have suggested any restaurant around there. Why come all the way out here, so far away?”

“This… this place is a real hidden gem, I tell you!”

“Hidden gem? Manage your ‘dick-den’ properly. If you’re tired of me, just say so.”

“It’s not that…!”

“What, you don’t want to break up because I have too much money?”

“Honey, just listen to me. It’s really not what it looks like…!”

Judging by the situation, it seemed the man had cheated on his girlfriend.

‘…Wasn’t the Mado Kingdom a country that permitted polygamy?’

If a woman was this angry in a country that allowed both polygamy and polyandry…

Just what had this guy done?

“You gave all the gifts I gave you to that *b*tch*? Like you gave them to her?”

“Listen… it’s, uh…”

‘Deserved a slap.’

Giving the gifts from your lover to the person you’re cheating with.

And pretending you were the one giving them?

And then getting caught?

Sigh…

“Tsk, tsk…”

The sudden appearance of a trashy drama, after so long, was easing my homesickness for Korea.

*Smack! Fwoosh-*

“?”

Suddenly, the woman slapped the man across the face with a wad of bills…

“Serve him the most expensive stuff here, everything you can. This is the last time I’m paying for him.”

“Honey…!”

“Don’t call me honey. And I’m going to make sure your family knows I left you because you’re a pathetic excuse for a man. Don’t ever get involved in my life again.”

“…Thank you.”

She spun on her heel and walked out of the store.

“…”

For a moment, the man stared blankly at her retreating figure, then snapped out of it and reached down to pick up the scattered money.

“Please, take a seat, sir.”

“…Huh?”

“We’ll bring out your dishes shortly.”

“…What are you talking about?”

The 6800 shillings lying on the ground were already all swept up by me.

“Didn’t the woman just tell us to serve you food from this store?”

“But that’s…”

“Oh? Should I go ask her myself then? Should I run over there and ask her??”

“…!! I-I’ll eat…!”

How dare he try to steal my precious 6800 shillings.

The amount I’d have to work to earn through 37 sessions of the Mihan Sleep Clinic’s services was now in my grasp; I wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip away.

“Then please, have a seat.”

These days, most of Korea has advanced to a system where you pay for food upfront.

So this wasn’t problematic behavior at all.

“The menu is omakase.”

“…What’s that?”

“The cook makes it all himself, you know. With today’s freshest ingredients.”

“..Pardon?”

“Just have a seat. Your dish will be out shortly.”

After settling the gentleman at a table,

He headed into the kitchen to assess what he had.

Pork, onions, chili peppers, scallions, and various spices, et cetera.

‘Okay, looks like I can whip up something decent, at least.’

It was *omakase*, but it seemed like only one dish would be appearing.

Of course, at Mihyeon’s *omakase*, refunds were a myth.

…

With the cooking nearly complete, he went to plate the dish when he heard an odd murmur from outside. Peeking cautiously, he observed:

“Ah, I see.”

“This… I really didn’t realize I was doing anything wrong…”

“You’re lacking common sense.”

“It’s just… this is my first time dating.”

“Even someone who’s never dated knows this is just plain etiquette.”

It was a man, heartbroken it seemed, pouring out his woes, which were less woes, more come-ons to Miss Ella.

Of course.

‘He’s trying to hit on her.’

The man, likely thinking Ella was just another customer in the shop, was laying on the charm, but

Even *I*, a romance imbecile, could see that Ella was regarding him with profound disgust.

‘Trying to hit on *his* woman, the nerve.’

Thus, ready to plate the Pork and Chili Stir-fry, he swiftly filled the plate, ready to ‘accidently’ tip it over the man’s face.

“My Lord!”

“?”

“?”

He saw his doppelganger returning, dragging a massive sack, stained with blood and brimming with… something.

Drag, drag, drag.

“The mission you charged me with has been accomplished!”

“Ah, good work, good work.”

The task he’d given the doppelganger was to present a wanted poster displaying criminals by Imperial standards and to capture as many as possible from the list.

Considering a single doppelganger would be able to capture, at best, one person,

*Zzzt!*

Suddenly, the sack was slashed open with a jagged blade, and a criminal leaped out, launching an ambush.

“Slumber.”

Startled, he still swiftly cast a sleep spell on the attacking thug.

“…”

With a look of sheer terror, the doppelganger now showed the face of impending doom when he received his order to kill the criminal.

‘Well, the prisoners in the dungeons aren’t pushovers, I suppose. It was unlikely that a doppelganger would be able to capture them in a fair fight.’

*Crack-* *Crack-* *Crunch-*

I watched the Doppelganger pulverize the criminal’s skull with maximum effort.

Then, I casually turned my head toward the male customer inside the shop.

“Sir.”

“Y-yes…!”

“The spicy pork stir-fry you ordered is ready, but will you be having it?”

It was a warning.

A warning to keep his hands off other men’s girlfriends and just get out of here.

Of course, I was killing him because he was a criminal, so I was also going to add a warning to mind his own business and live honestly without cheating in the future, when…

“N-no…!”

“The person you just saw die escaped from the Imperial Palace… Can’t anyone let me finish a sentence, honestly.”

As soon as the word “no” escaped his lips, the man bolted from the shop with every ounce of strength he possessed.

“I’ll bring him back…!”

The Doppelganger offered to catch him, but

“No, it’s alright. No need to go.”

I wasn’t exactly eager to give him a lesson he wouldn’t forget.

“Miss Ella.”

“Yes?”

“I happen to have cooked up a truly spectacular spicy pork stir-fry; would you like to try some?”

“Mihan-nim, you know how to cook?”

“…What do you take me for?”

“Ah…! N-not like that…!”

I ended up having dinner with Miss Ella, sharing the spicy pork stir-fry I had made.

…

“Hwah… It’s so spicy… So spicy…!”

“Ah, I apologize. I didn’t consider Miss Ella’s preferences when I made it.”

“It’s spicy… It’s spicy, but…! It’s delicious. My chopsticks keep going back for more…!”

I was feeling a sense of pride watching Miss Ella enjoy the spicy pork stir-fry so much, but that feeling was fleeting.

The sound of someone entering the shop caused me to quickly turn my head.

“Don’t move!”

The male customer who had fled the shop earlier was now storming inside with magic investigators in tow.

Of course.

“If you move… …you’re under arrest!”

“Yes, sir!”

The magic investigator, who was already familiar with me, didn’t hesitate to slap handcuffs on the informant’s wrists.

“Huh? Huh?? No…! They’re the ones who killed someone…!”

“We apologize, Mihan-nim! We’ll take care of this criminal!”

“Good work.”

“Sir, yes sir!”