In an instant, the Grand Duke's eyes became extremely cold.

Bai Yu didn't panic at all, saying calmly, "Yes."

He even kindly added, "They are both very small kittens. The tabby is the older brother, and the tortoiseshell is the younger sister. They are both very pretty."

...Brother, sister?

In just a few days, he was calling them so intimately.

And they're both very pretty? How pretty could they be?

Imuel's nails dug into his palms, barely able to control his expression. He twitched the corners of his lips, revealing a superficial, mocking smile, and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, it seems the doctor really likes these two kittens."

Bai Yu remained calm: "Of course."

The Duke exerted force with his fingertips, and another teacup shattered.

The entire hall fell into dead silence. Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to breathe aloud.

They went back and forth, completely at odds with each other. With every word Bai Yu spoke, the old butler's forehead twitched. This old gentleman's usual cultivation had been fed to the dogs. Bead-sized drops of cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he hastily interrupted, "Bai Yu, silence!"

He forcefully intervened between the Duke and Bai Yu, laughing apologetically, "Duke, this person is new, hasn't been taught much, and doesn't understand the rules. I'll eliminate him right now. Please pick someone else, pick someone else, the others are all sensible."

Saying that, the butler grabbed Bai Yu's wrist, wanting to forcefully drag him away from the scene. However, before they could take two steps, Grand Duke Imuel suddenly said coldly, "Wait, did I let him leave?"

The old butler paused and let go, sighing inwardly, 'I can't help him anymore.'

In fact, he wanted Bai Yu to leave to avoid the Grand Duke's wrath and save Bai Yu from punishment.

The Grand Duke paced down from his seat, walked up to Bai Yu, looked him straight in the eye, scrutinized him carefully for a moment, and then raised his hand, reaching out towards the doctor.

System 55 shivered all over: "Here it comes!"

The system's vigilance was raised to the maximum, ready to shield the host's perception at any time.

But Bai Yu didn't dodge or avoid it, coldly meeting the Duke's outstretched hand. He thought it would be a slap or something, but Imuel's fingers tapped against the doctor's chest and plucked a... cat hair off his clothes.

Bai Yu: "."

Clothes getting covered in hair is a common problem in multi-cat households. No matter how diligently one cleans, it can't prevent fur from flying everywhere. Once shedding season arrives, it's like dandelion seeds floating in the sky. This hair must have accidentally stuck to him when he was trying on clothes.

The Grand Duke's cold white fingers twirled the cat hair, examining it under his eyes. His lake-blue eyes gleamed with a cold light, like tempered glaze. He carefully observed the hair, as if inspecting physical evidence in a plastic evidence bag.

—Golden-brown, not long, it should be a short-haired cat.

Imuel narrowed his eyes: "Is this the tortoiseshell's hair or the tabby's hair?"

Bai Yu: "..."

He paused subtly for a moment: "The tabby. Our tortoiseshell is a bit darker in color."

Our tortoiseshell?

Imuel started grinding his back teeth again.

The old butler took in the Grand Duke's unpredictable expressions, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and spoke cautiously, "Grand Duke, this selection...?"

Imuel sneered, snapped Bai Yu's file shut, and threw it back into the old butler's arms: "Him then. With two cats at home, old and young to support, and an insufficient salary, we can't have the kittens going hungry. Otherwise, the neighboring states will say that Illyria is littered with starving corpses and can't even afford to raise a cat."

Old butler: "..."

Bai Yu: "...?"

System 55: "???"

The system: "This isn't right! This isn't the direction it should be going!"

The Grand Duke's words were sarcastic and full of veiled barbs. No one present understood what he was trying to do, not even the most experienced old butler, who was completely baffled.

Fortunately, the old butler reacted very quickly and instantly agreed, nodding his head: "He is indeed a good candidate. Mr. Bai is a doctor, so he can conveniently help you recuperate. If you have a headache or fever in the middle of the night, it will be convenient to find him. I'll write down his name right now. Then, who would you like to select for the other position?"

Two personal valets needed to be selected, as they had to work in shifts.

Imuel lacked interest. He casually flipped through the resumes and pointed at a young man standing in the corner.

The selection ended hastily. The butler, sweating nervously, bowed to the Grand Duke and was about to lead everyone away when Imuel spoke again: "Bai Yu, stay."

Bai Yu turned around. The Duke was looking down at the resumes and didn't look at him: "Stay and eat with me."

His voice sounded inexplicably muffled, as if he was very unhappy.

The old butler: "...This?"

He was afraid Bai Yu would say something shocking again and anger the Duke half to death.

But Imuel just lowered his eyes and drank his tea, showing no intention of changing his mind.

The old butler had no choice but to say, "Understood. Dinner will arrive shortly, please wait a moment."

He led the other candidates out in single file. For a moment, only Bai Yu and Imuel remained in the entire hall.

System 55 was completely confused. It asked blankly: "What is the situation?"

This isn't what we agreed upon?

System 55 poked Bai Yu: "So are you going to stay and eat with the Duke?"

Bai Yu: "I can only stay, right?"

The final plot node had not been completed, so Bai Yu couldn't leave right now. Although he didn't know why Duke Imuel didn't fly into a rage, they still had a chance to complete the task.

Surviving was hard, but seeking death wasn't difficult.

The Duke was temperamental, and there were many taboos in the Duke's Mansion. Serving as his personal valet, he might become an eyesore at any moment and be dragged out for execution. Bai Yu wasn't panicked.

System 55 calmed down: "True, there's no rush right now."

Bai Yu sat down opposite the Duke. After flipping through the resumes, Imuel still didn't look at him. He simply stared at the floor and said coldly, "Doctors in Illyria rarely keep cats because cat hair contaminates operating rooms. Doctor, why do you keep cats?"

The Duke seemed to be brooding over Bai Yu's cats, unable to speak three sentences without mentioning them.

Bai Yu was a veterinarian; he couldn't possibly treat ordinary residents anyway, so he didn't care about having fur in the operating room. He just replied coldly, "They looked pitiful on the street, so I picked them up."

To be precise, he picked them up on the way to find the dumpling, but there was no need to inform the Duke of these details.

Imuel started grinding his teeth again.

—Picked up again. He was also picked up. The doctor really was overflowing with sympathy as always.

The Duke let out a weird "Oh," saying, "Stray wild cats, huh. They should be easy to raise. What does the doctor usually feed them?"

Bai Yu looked up at him, the coldness in his eyes deepening: "Goat's milk from the morning market, minced fish and beef, and sometimes some mussels."

Although they were indeed stray cats, the doctor didn't like the Duke's condescending tone.

...

The Grand Duke's pale fingers grasped the edge of the wooden table with a crack, his nails almost digging into the wood.

Goat's milk, beef, and mussels. It was actually exactly the same as what he ate!

Did whatever cat the doctor casually picked up receive this kind of treatment?

...He even, he even exuded coldness toward him for the sake of those two cats!

The Grand Duke's beautiful brows furrowed, and he pinched the corner of the table in dissatisfaction.

Before long, attendants brought over several plates. The meals inside were exquisitely plated; many were thickened with starch and drizzled with a ring of syrup, and some weren't even heated. Bai Yu swept a glance over them and guessed that Duke Imuel had a fondness for sweets and cold food.

He sat down opposite the Duke, gracefully picked up his knife and fork, and then spoke: "My lord, forgive my bluntness, but given your injuries, it is best to eat more high-quality protein, as well as zinc-rich foods like dried shrimp and seaweed, and iron-rich foods like shellfish and legumes. Please make sure to eat less raw, cold, sweet, and greasy foods like today's."

Duke Imuel had just begun recovering from severe injuries, and his face was deathly pale. Even though he was adorned with various gemstones, it was hard to conceal his sleepiness and fatigue. A patient like this shouldn't be eating the food presented today.

Bai Yu looked away.

In fact, if he had met Imuel in his previous life, Bai Yu would have advised him to rest for at least two months before going to the hospital for a full-body examination. Beneath the Grand Duke's bright and stunning face was an unconcealable haggardness. That assassination attempt had clearly damaged his foundation. He needed to be well-nursed; otherwise, this young Grand Duke would likely burn out and die young.

Bai Yu's tone wasn't very polite. He didn't sound like a valet making suggestions to a Grand Duke, but rather like a doctor giving orders to a patient.

System 55: "Beautifully done, host!"

The doctor was courting death again.

Dictating the Duke's diet was obviously a suicidal act. Although doing so was beneficial to the Duke's health, Grand Duke Imuel was conceited and temperamental. Bai Yu didn't want to drag out the battlefront too long; he hoped Grand Duke Imuel would despise him as soon as possible and then execute him.

Having said that, Bai Yu put down his knife and fork, quietly watching the Duke, waiting for his reaction.

Grand Duke Imuel didn't have much of a reaction.

He was originally frowning, obsessing over the cats. Hearing Bai Yu suddenly say this, a smile unexpectedly surfaced on his face, which was pale from excessive blood loss. Then he lowered his head to eat, mumbling vaguely, "...Mm."

—When he was a cat, the doctor had been like this too. Because he couldn't eat too much on the first day, the doctor forcefully took away the dumpling's fish paste and bowl of milk. Although Imuel was unhappy, he knew the doctor was doing it for his own good.

"..."

Bai Yu frowned slightly. Out of professional habit, he still added, "If you are willing, my lord, I can write down some dietary therapy recipes and give them to the kitchen."

Imuel kept his head down, picking up food, avoiding the dishes Bai Yu had specifically called out: "Mm."

Incredibly obedient.

By the time the meal was finished, the moon had already risen above the branches. Personal valets had a one-month training period, and the trainer was the old butler. This elder was waiting at the door, intending to take Bai Yu away.

Bai Yu thought, 'Troublesome.'

He didn't want to learn any valet etiquette, but right now there was no better way than to follow the butler. Bai Yu stood up: "Please lead the way."

But the Duke put down his food, elegantly wiped his hands, and said, "Bai Yu doesn't need to learn etiquette."

The purpose of etiquette was to standardize behavior, making a servant's every move pleasing enough to the eye in order to please the master. But Bai Yu was already pleasing enough. Imuel didn't want to be apart from him at all; he just wanted to quickly put him within his line of sight, preferably in the same sleeping chambers.

During his past few days in the Grand Duke's Mansion, Imuel would always jolt awake in the middle of the night. Blood loss made his hands and feet icy cold, and he often fell into nightmares. Although the knife wound had healed, it still throbbed with dull pain from time to time. The Duke tossed and turned alone, unable to sleep, convulsing and shivering in the night, only able to sleep for a few hours a day. Adding to the pile of official duties he needed to handle and his lack of appetite, his spirit was slightly listless; he was actually worse off than when he first returned.

That feeling was truly uncomfortable.

Imuel immensely missed the times when he slept in the doctor's embrace.

The doctor's body temperature would warm the blanket nicely. The doctor's fingers would stroke his back, petting down along his fur, making him feel very safe.

Now, of course, he couldn't share a bed with the doctor. But the Duke's valet was required to sleep in the room next door to the master. When the door was left open and Imuel tossed and turned at night, he would be able to hear the doctor's rhythmic breathing, as if he was still lying beside him, protecting the kitten in his arms.

Just thinking about that scene made the nightmares subside a little.

The Grand Duke lowered his eyes and actually revealed a smile. Unlike his usual mocking or cold sneers, this smile was gentle and tranquil, as if he had thought of something happy.

The butler paused: "No need for etiquette training?"

"Correct." Imuel said. He was just about to order Bai Yu to start working immediately and move across from him tonight, when Bai Yu suddenly spoke, interrupting him, "Then can I go home for a bit?"

The butler had already been rendered speechless by this audacious young man. His blood pressure soared, and his heart skipped a beat. He was just about to reprimand him severely when he heard Grand Duke Imuel slowly speak beside him, showing no sign of anger: "...You may. Did you leave something behind? I can order someone else to fetch it for you. Or if there is anything else inconvenient for you, you can say so as well."

He really wanted to sleep with Bai Yu. Even if they couldn't share a bed, sleeping separated by a door was also good.

Bai Yu, however, said, "I haven't left anything behind."

His expression remained as cold as ever, continuing to challenge the Grand Duke's bottom line: "It's just that my cats must be hungry. I want to go home and feed them."

Crack—

The butler looked up in fear and trepidation, seeing that the last cup in the Grand Duke's hand had also cracked.

The Grand Duke, who had just been gentle and tranquil, instantly wore a gloomy expression. He revealed a fake smile, and immediately said sinisterly, "Is that so... I've suddenly changed my mind. You'd better go learn etiquette with the butler."