The doctor didn't know how long he had been comforting the kitten before it finally quieted down completely.

The dumpling fell asleep leaning on his belly just like that.

Bai Yu pinched the bridge of his nose with a headache, thinking to himself, 'Looks like I'll have to ask for a leave of absence from the Duke's Mansion.'

As the Duke's personal valet, he shouldn't leave his post without permission, but with the dumpling in this state, Bai Yu truly couldn't feel at ease leaving him home alone. After much thought, his only option was to ask for time off.

He took advantage of the kitten's nap to make a quick trip to the Duke's Mansion to ask for leave. The old butler looked at him with a strange expression: "You don't need to come to the mansion for the next few days. The Duke is not here."

Bai Yu: "The Duke is not here?"

The old butler nodded: "This is also a habit of the Duke's. The Grand Duke's mother passed away early, so every month he leaves the mansion for a few days to stay at his mother's old residence on the mountain as a way of mourning. For these next few days, you and Miller are free to do as you please. Miller has already gone home, and you do not need to come either."

Bai Yu's brow twitched.

This habit of the Duke's could be described as utterly absurd.

Not to mention that the Duke had suffered serious injuries and had not yet fully recovered, so leaving the warm Grand Duke's Mansion for his old residence in the suburbs might make his condition worse. Just speaking of the fact that Illyria was currently in a precarious state, with various factions restless and eager to make a move. Although the Duke held a high title, he could not rest easy. The territory was at risk of turmoil at any moment. At such a time, he abandoned his official duties every month, unfailingly heading to his old home?

Bai Yu frowned: "The Duke goes to stay at his old residence in the countryside without taking any servants?"

The old butler: "The Duke wishes to mourn his mother. He loathes being disturbed during his mourning and never brings servants."

"..."

Even more absurd.

The Grand Duke of Illyria was of noble and precious status, pampered since childhood. How could he live staying at an old countryside residence without servants? Could he even use an earthen stove or cook a meal?

Bai Yu suppressed the strange feeling in his heart: "Then may I ask where the Grand Duke's mother's old residence is? Once the Duke finishes his mourning, we can go bring him back."

The old butler kept a deadpan expression and warned, "Mr. Bai, if you want to live well in the Duke's Mansion, look less, ask less, and just do your job. The Grand Duke never reveals his mother's residence, and you'd better not inquire about it either. This is one of the Duke's reverse scales. Knowing too much will do you no good."

Despite saying this, the butler still cast a profound look at Bai Yu.

Bai Yu didn't observe taboos at all; he was aiming straight for them. Given what this man had done in the Duke's Mansion these past few days, if it were anyone else, they would have been dragged out and executed by the Grand Duke ten thousand times over already. Yet, this person was still alive and kicking, living perfectly well.

The old butler intuitively felt that the Grand Duke and the young doctor in front of him might have some unknown secret, but his professional ethics kept him from ever asking too much. Simply suppressing his doubts, he looked at Bai Yu with eyes like he was looking at a bewitching enchantress seducing his master, then let out a sigh and turned to leave.

Being a butler was hard these days.

Bai Yu: "..."

System 55 flew to the side, its small screen flashing as it displayed a thinking expression: "Isn't this a bit off?"

Having stayed with Bai Yu for so long, the system had also gained a bit more shrewdness.

Bai Yu: "It is indeed off. There must be some secret, but it's not something we need to concern ourselves with."

He was just a wandering soul from another world here to do a mission. Whatever secrets Grand Duke Imuel had, it had nothing to do with him.

Gaining three days off for nothing, he could just go home and feed the dumpling.

Passing by the market, Bai Yu conveniently bought a few things.

He didn't know what the dumpling had encountered while wandering outside, but it suddenly became incredibly clingy. From the vigilant kitten it was when it first arrived, it had turned into a little gummy bear. Bai Yu felt a faint ache in his heart for it, so he was exceptionally meticulous with its food and quite indulgent.

He indulged the dumpling as it rubbed up against him, indulged its desire to eat anything, even indulged it in driving its younger brother and sister out of the room, and indulged it in using the doctor's chest and abdomen as a bed, curling its tail into a fluffy ball on top of him.

Thus, Imuel truly experienced the most comfortable Mutation Period he'd had in years.

He was like a piece of cotton candy that couldn't be shaken off, firmly stuck to the doctor. Wherever Bai Yu went, he went, meowing for hugs. He wouldn't even let Bai Yu off when he was reading a book or a newspaper. The doctor felt pity for him and couldn't bear to refuse, silently acquiescing.

As for Tabby and Tortoiseshell, they did not receive such good treatment.

The doctor was already physically and mentally exhausted from dealing with one Platinum Dumpling, and he was in no mood to deal with the energetic brother and sister pair. Therefore, the two kittens could only watch helplessly as their "brother" monopolized the doctor's shoulders, meowing in jealousy.

Imuel hugged the doctor, only revealing a small head from behind the doctor's back, his little tail perked up.

Under the jealous gazes of Tabby and Tortoiseshell, the pain of the Mutation Period didn't seem so hard to bear anymore.

The dumpling wagged his platinum-colored tail, like raising a small flag of victory, blatantly telling Tabby and Tortoiseshell, "See, I'm still the most favored in this house."

The two kittens arched their backs and hissed at Imuel. Imuel felt smug from being hissed at, finally getting back at them for being ignored on the roof. He wrapped his two short paws around the doctor's neck, and then, right in front of Tabby and Tortoiseshell, he suddenly leaned over and planted a loud smooch on Bai Yu's cheek.

Mine!

He's mine!

Anyway, whatever the kitten did would be indulged. The doctor had kissed him too, so what was wrong with him giving a kiss!

The doctor had been cleaning the kitchen and looked at the dumpling with quite a bit of surprise. He raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly bothered, and said, "I don't think you're feeling that uncomfortable anymore. How about you get down?"

Imuel: "!"

No! Absolutely not!

He hugged even tighter.

Bai Yu was rendered speechless, feeling that this kitten was perhaps too human-like. He shook his head and let the kitten be.

The next afternoon, Madam arrived as promised.

She carefully observed the clinic, making sure that no one had approached Bai Yu all afternoon, before pulling down the brim of her hat and slipping into the clinic.

The Black Robe Society had already informed Bai Yu of her arrival, so he was not surprised. Like an ordinary doctor facing a patient, he skillfully pulled out the examination table and asked politely, "Madam, where are you feeling unwell?"

With a patient present, Imuel was placed in a cardboard box off to the side. Inside the box was a soft little blanket, allowing the kitten to lie comfortably on top.

The Duke pawed at the edge of the box, poking his head out to peek over, and then furrowed his non-existent little eyebrows.

He recognized Madam.

Back when Hammerhead Shark said he wanted to catch cats, he was with Madam.

But Bai Yu was a doctor, and Imuel couldn't disturb his normal consultation.

Madam had specially put on makeup today, applying a thick layer of white powder and concealing the color of her lips, making her look haggard and sickly. She cleared her throat, weakly covered her lips with her hand, coughed twice, and then said weakly, "I caught a chill in the wind at night. Now I'm having cold sweats all over and don't feel too well, so I wanted to have you take a look."

Bai Yu played along with her act, shining a light to check her eyes and tongue coating: "It's not serious. Taking some medicine will fix it."

He prescribed two doses of tonic for Madam.

Madam thanked him politely, then took out her wallet. While paying, she pressed the banknotes along with a small bag into Bai Yu's palm.

"Thank you, Doctor. This is your consultation fee."

Bai Yu discreetly slipped it into his pocket: "I wish you a speedy recovery."

Madam nodded and walked quickly out the door. After looking around for a moment, she lowered the brim of her hat again.

After seeing her off, Bai Yu used the opportunity of going to the restroom to wash his hands to take the items out of his pocket.

It was a bag of white powder and a sticky note.

The note read: "The drug is colorless and odorless. Please put it into the Grand Duke's tea or food about two hours before he convenes the meeting."

Bai Yu tore the note to pieces, flushed it down the drain, and then picked up the powder, holding it before his eyes to observe.

It was granular and white; its effects could not be determined just by looking.

System 55: "Are you going to do as the Black Robe Society said?"

Bai Yu: "I'll hold off for now and make a decision on the eve of the meeting."

Grand Duke Imuel might not necessarily be a good person, but he could be called a good Grand Duke.

During the few days Bai Yu stayed at the Duke's Mansion, Imuel had been dedicated to his official duties. After he returned to his position, the chaotic situation in Illyria had eased, and the armed brawls and shootouts between gangs and thugs on the streets had decreased significantly. The city-state as a whole was relatively peaceful. For the residents at the bottom of the city, this was already a rare period of recuperation.

If he had to choose between Imuel and the Black Robe Society as the supreme leader of Illyria, Bai Yu would choose Imuel.

—At least Imuel wouldn't point a gun at civilians and drug people left and right.

But on the other hand, Bai Yu's mission had reached a deadlock. The Grand Duke's tolerance toward him was unbelievably high, and he desperately needed a breakthrough to force the Grand Duke to make a move against him.

The mission rules stated that he must not actively reveal his undercover identity, but if he were to be found out, it shouldn't matter.

Bai Yu tucked the medicinal powder safely away close to his body, lowered his eyes, and walked back to the consultation room, pretending that nothing had happened.

After the three-day holiday, Bai Yu returned to his post.

The Grand Duke arrived belatedly two hours after his return, and then immediately buried himself in the study to handle the political affairs that had accumulated over these past few days.

The study was full of core secrets. Bai Yu and Miller, as novice valets, were not allowed to enter. He was happy to be at leisure, so he simply grabbed a handful of fish from the kitchen and went to the lake to feed the swans.

With the work being light and uneventful, Bai Yu went to bed early. He turned off the lights and looked through the window, only to see that the Grand Duke's room was still brightly lit.

With political affairs backlogged for three days, he didn't know how late Imuel would have to work to handle them.

This had nothing to do with Bai Yu. He closed his eyes, but before he could fall asleep, he heard the call bell by his bed.

This was the Grand Duke's summons bell, and it only rang in his room; Miller's room did not ring.

Bai Yu had no choice but to get up, change into his valet uniform, and rush to the Duke's bedroom. There was only one lamp lit in the room, and the butler and guards were nowhere to be seen. The Grand Duke had changed into loungewear. He was weak from illness, so emaciated that he could barely hold up the clothes, giving off a somewhat frail and sickly air. Yet, his appearance remained beautiful. At this moment, he was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring intently at Bai Yu. His lake-blue eyes reflected the lamplight, the flickering orange-yellow spots falling into his depths like a handful of crushed stars.

Bai Yu bowed: "Summoning me late at night, is there something the matter, Duke?"

Imuel asked softly, "Does what Mr. Bai said before still count?"

Bai Yu paused. He had only been at the Duke's Mansion for half a month and hadn't interacted with the Duke many times. For a moment, he truly didn't know what he was referring to, so he simply asked, "What did I say?"

Imuel: "That I could look for you anytime I felt unwell."

That was Bai Yu's promise as a doctor to his patient.

Bai Yu breathed a slight sigh of relief: "Of course. That is my duty."

He observed the Grand Duke's complexion.

Imuel had just returned from his old residence in the countryside, but his complexion was so awful he looked like he was suffering from a severe illness. The color of his lips was three degrees paler than Madam's when she had powdered her face with sickly makeup.

If it were in his past life, Bai Yu would advise him to go to the hospital immediately, rather than consulting a pet doctor.

But now, he could only stand firmly by the bedside: "Please tell me about your symptoms."

The Grand Duke paused subtly for a moment.

What symptoms could Imuel have? It was nothing more than the aftermath of the Mutation Period, but he couldn't explain these things to the doctor, let alone have them treated, so he gave a vague reply: "Perhaps I caught a cold, blowing in a bit of chilly wind."

Bai Yu frowned.

Imuel's condition was a severe internal deficiency, absolutely not a cold. But the Grand Duke insisted on his claim and wouldn't yield. Bai Yu inexplicably felt a spark of anger and said coldly, "Your Grace, if that's the case, I'm afraid I cannot treat your illness."

If the patient himself didn't care about his body, concealing his illness and avoiding treatment, refusing to disclose his condition, what could a doctor do?

He cast a glance at Imuel: "If you are truly unwilling to say, I can only prescribe some tonic formulas."

Having said that, he stood straight up, turning to leave.

"Ah, don't."

Despite the valet overstepping his bounds like this, Imuel showed no intention of getting angry. Appearing slightly anxious, he lunged forward from the head of the bed and reached out to grab Bai Yu's sleeve. His cold white fingers gripped tightly, forcing a tinge of light red into his fingertips: "I don't need you to treat me."

Bai Yu's frown deepened.

The Duke looked as though he was suffering a severe loss of qi and blood, yet he called for a doctor and didn't want treatment. In the dead of night, was he taking him for a joke?

Seeing his expression, Imuel imperceptibly twitched his ears. If he were in his kitten form, he would probably have airplane ears again: "I meant to say..."

Imuel looked up at him, stating slowly, "Stay and keep me company."

It was now the end of the Mutation Period. The unbearable agony in his muscles and bones had long subsided, leaving only an imperceptible ache in the crevices of his bones. During this time, Imuel could live normally and handle official documents without needing a doctor at all.

However, the kitten who had experienced companionship and hugs found it very difficult to adapt to the lonely, long nights anymore.

Having grown accustomed to the doctor's body heat, today's quilt felt exceptionally cold. Imuel tossed and turned for a long time, unable to control himself. A thought kept clamoring in his mind. After tossing around in hesitation, he still called for the doctor.

—He wanted Bai Yu to keep him company.

Bai Yu couldn't figure out what he was thinking: "Then what do you want me to do? Please be explicit."

Imuel looked up at him, probing, "I want to sleep on your lap?"

The kitten had already grown used to sleeping on the doctor's lap, abdomen, and chest, but the Duke hadn't slept there even once.

Bai Yu raised his eyebrows high.

Although he was the Duke's valet, this was still an impolite request.

Imuel bit his lower lip again, belatedly realizing it was inappropriate. He let go of the sleeve, maintained the etiquette of a Grand Duke, and lifted his chin slightly: "There is another bed in my room, or, could you sleep there?"

That was a chaperone bed, originally intended for servants to rest on at night.

Bai Yu paused slightly.

The Duke had long, slender limbs and a strikingly beautiful face. The curve of his profile was incredibly exquisite, like a work of art polished bit by bit with a file by the best craftsman in Illyria. Yet, as Bai Yu looked at him, for some reason, he thought of the round little kitten at home.

Those lake-blue eyes were exceptionally similar.

The Grand Duke's face was pale, with only a hint of flush on his cheeks, as if he were running a low-grade fever. He wasn't very old, somewhere between a teenager and a young adult, at a slightly green age. If this were Bai Yu's past life, he would still be in school.

A sick person always needed extra comfort.

The doctor leaned over and touched his forehead, which still bore cold sweat, let out a soft sigh, and eventually gave in.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, thinking to himself, 'Go to sleep then. It's just sleeping on a lap, it's not like I'll lose a piece of meat.'