Bai Yu was stunned for a moment, but Imuel had already made his move, stripping away Bai Yu's clothes.

The doctor's sudden poisoning had obviously frightened him out of his wits. Imuel urgently needed to confirm certain things, such as the doctor's state of health, the doctor's feelings for him, and for instance... the relationship between them, as well as the doctor's love.

Of course, they could have maintained their demeanor and carefully tested the waters until they confessed to each other and surrendered their hearts. But neither Bai Yu nor Imuel were expressive people; Bai Yu was overly calm, while Imuel was afraid of getting hurt. This probing game was destined to be a protracted one until someone broke the deadlock.

But after this severe illness, Imuel didn't want to wait anymore.

His movements seemed quite rushed, and before Bai Yu could even stop him, the duke let out a muffled groan, furrowing his brows in pain.

The Grand Duke's thick, gorgeous brows scrunched together as he drew in small, quiet breaths, moving cautiously. Even though he was the one who started it, the one who took the initiative, in the end, he was also the one who couldn't take it and collapsed onto Bai Yu's body.

A layer of sweat had also broken out on the little cat's skin, like the oily patina on a jade bracelet that had been played with for a long time. He rubbed against the doctor's shoulder and bit his neck to vent his frustration, leaving behind a shallow set of teeth marks. Out of his feline instincts, Imuel then stuck out his tongue and gently licked the wound.

Bai Yu let out a very light hiss of pain.

Two veins popped out on his forehead. This awkward, half-finished situation was agonizing. Imuel was uncomfortable, and Bai Yu didn't dare to move. Though for different reasons, both of them were sweating. In the end, they remained in a stalemate, testing the waters and coaxing each other...

By the time Imuel was completely exhausted, his lake-blue eyes brimming with tears as he collapsed beside Bai Yu, an unknown amount of time had passed.

Bai Yu comfortingly stroked his back. Midway through, they had blindly fumbled onto something, and the little cat couldn't control himself for a moment, unexpectedly popping out his tail. Now, that fluffy, platinum pinecone-like tail was draped over the doctor's wrist. The tip of the tail twitched along with its master, looking as though it hurt terribly and hadn't fully recovered yet.

Bai Yu pinched the tail. The fur was smooth and felt wonderful to the touch, so he easily lifted it to his lips and planted a gentle kiss on it.

Imuel: "!"

The fur on his tail exploded outward, looking even more like a fluffy pinecone.

In the next second, the tail abruptly retracted from Bai Yu's fingertips. Imuel looked back and let out a sigh of relief upon seeing his form was finally back to normal.

Having completed this ritual, Imuel seemed to have obtained some sort of permission, some kind of brand. He no longer kept a reasonable distance from the doctor, but rather reached out his hands with perfect justification, grabbing the doctor's arm and snuggling into his embrace.

This was his first time getting intimate with the doctor in his human form.

Bai Yu's slender fingers threaded through Imuel's hair, resting against his scalp, and gently rubbed his head.

Although he didn't say anything, his attitude was already perfectly clear.

The heart in his chest beat rapidly. Imuel tightly grasped his fingers, thinking to himself, 'The doctor is mine now.'

If it could be said that Bai Yu had a chance to leave before, then starting from today, he would justifiably possess the doctor, just like a cat claiming its territory. He would use his identity as the Grand Duke of Illyria to firmly bind this person to his side. From now on, no one else would be able to share the doctor's intimacy with him.

Not even a cat.

Having gone this far, Bai Yu would never have the chance to back out.

Imuel leaned against the doctor, clenching his paws tightly as he schemed how to foster out the tabby and tortoiseshell in the mansion. He narrowed his eyes slightly, revealing the cunning slit pupils of a cat, and then almost tyrannically announced, "Mr. Bai, from today onward, you are the Duke's partner."

Bai Yu smiled softly. "Of course."

He pinched the little cat's human ear. It was just as sensitive as his cat ears, turning red at the lightest touch. Imuel pressed down on Bai Yu's hand. "I'll go call the doctor for you."

Even though Bai Yu looked to be in a good mental state—perhaps even a bit too good in certain aspects—Imuel still needed to confirm it.

The old doctor arrived quickly. He clicked his tongue in wonder at Bai Yu. After drawing blood and running tests, he read the report carefully three times before speaking doubtfully, "Your Excellency, your condition is extremely good. It's as if..."

Imuel: "As if what?"

The old doctor: "As if you were never poisoned to begin with."

Bai Yu seemed to have recovered his health overnight. His complexion was as usual, his movements were completely normal, and all his biochemical indicators were incredibly ideal. He didn't even go through a recovery period.

But Imuel was still uneasy.

He pushed Bai Yu down on the bed and demanded he rest for half a month. Bai Yu's bones had grown soft from all the lying around. Ultimately, he let out a sigh and grabbed hold of Imuel. "Grand Duke, lie down. Let me tell you a story."

Imuel: "...?"

He was long past the age of listening to stories.

But since the doctor said so, he lay down and watched the doctor take off his glasses and calmly say, "It's a fairy tale."

Imuel knew what fairy tales were. Like the Arabian Nights, parents would read them to their children before bed. His mother couldn't read, and it was certainly even more impossible for his father to read stories, so he only had a vague impression. These stories mostly had happy endings; they were likely tales of princes and princesses going through endless difficulties to finally be together.

Occupying the doctor's chest in his human form was quite inconvenient, so Imuel transformed into a little cat. With an arrogant swagger, he claimed the doctor's embrace and lifted his eyes to look at him.

It was as if he were asking: "What kind of fairy tale?"

Bai Yu paused for a moment and started by talking about a cat.

He said that once upon a time, in a distant city-state that was wealthy and peaceful, there lived an evil duke. Stricken by lust, he forcefully married a beautiful catgirl from a neighboring state, and they gave birth to an unloved little cat.

The little cat's childhood was lonely and miserable. He was discriminated against and abused by his older brothers. He would get injured and was used as an experimental subject by an illegal doctor at a clinic. And then, there was a...

Here, Bai Yu paused for a moment and said, "There was a little elf."

In this era, Imuel probably wouldn't be able to understand what a "System" was.

Imuel asked, "Does this elf have a name?"

Bai Yu: "...55. The elf's name is 55."

55, who was currently squatting on the windowsill looking at the moon, resentfully let out a sneeze.

Bai Yu: "The little elf thought the little cat was very pitiful, so he selected a pet doctor. He had rich experience in taking care of little cats, so 55 asked the doctor, are you willing to go to that distant city-state to pick up a cute little cat?"

The little cat perked up his ears.

Bai Yu: "The doctor, of course, agreed."

"And so, he took over for the illegal doctor in the clinic. Following the elf's guidance, he found a little cat on the riverbank..."

The doctor in the story picked up the little cat, treated his wounds, bandaged him up, and made beef mush for him. Then, the little cat recovered.

The doctor continued, talking about how his mission was completed and he wanted to go home. The elf told him that as long as he repeated the original host's ending and was killed by the little cat who had transformed back into the Grand Duke, he would be able to return home.

Hearing this, Imuel abruptly grabbed his sleeve. For the first time in front of Bai Yu, the little cat extended his claws, snagging the fabric of his pajamas.

Bai Yu pinched his ear. "Of course, the doctor ultimately didn't complete this mission."

He talked about the doctor entering the duke's mansion, about those comical and ridiculous attempts. And finally, he talked about how he found his weeping little cat in the basement of the grand duke's mansion.

This was truly far too bizarre of a story, but Imuel didn't interrupt the doctor. Only when he had finished narrating did he sullenly ask, "So what is the ending of the story?"

He tugged at Bai Yu's sleeve. "Will 55 send the doctor back?"

Bai Yu shook his head. "No."

"The doctor decided to stay, together with his little cat."

As a pet doctor, the little cats brought by the clients were all terribly afraid of him. They wouldn't let the doctor pet their fur, nor would they let the doctor kiss their tummies. Bai Yu had always wanted to raise a cat of his own, but firstly, he was truly too busy and had no energy for it. Secondly, he had looked for a long time but couldn't find a little cat that caught his eye.

Bai Yu's friends had once complained that Bai Yu was a perfectionist, picky and overly fastidious. He wouldn't rashly take charge of a little life, nor would he rashly allow them to disrupt his routine. But Imuel was an exception.

From the very first glance, the platinum little cat was one he exceptionally liked.

Therefore, Imuel hugged him with a death grip.

The little cat had been utterly alone for so many years, but now he had finally found an embrace that he could securely tuck himself into.

In the Duke's Mansion, there was a new favored subordinate.

That masked manservant skyrocketed through the ranks, rising from a baron to a viscount. Slowly, he became the second most powerful figure in Illyria, second only to the Grand Duke.

Within three years, the Black Robe Society was uprooted entirely. Their crimes were endless and too numerous to record. The interrogators worked overtime, peeling back the layers one by one. In the end, they finally pinpointed the mastermind behind the scenes.

The Duke's uncle, Rhys, was thrown into prison. His crimes were compiled into a booklet, totaling over a hundred charges. Even an entire page of the Illyria newspaper couldn't print them all. Amidst furious curses from the public, he was sentenced to death by the tribunal.

Meanwhile, the Duke's personal guards patrolled the streets and alleys, cleaning up the street thugs and gangs. By the time the crackdown concluded, Illyria's public security environment had greatly improved.

During the drastic shift in Illyria's power, that favored subordinate became an undeniable force behind the scenes. Some said he uncovered the conspiracy, while others said he led the purge. He was an invisible hand at the center of power, representing the Duke's highest will.

The public was extremely curious about this newly minted Count of the Silver Mask, and various rumors ran rampant. Some said he had an ugly appearance and a ruined vocal cord, serving merely as a living target pushed to the front lines by the Grand Duke; once the Black Robe Society was eliminated, his time would also be up.

But one year, two years, three years, five years passed... he always remained by the Grand Duke's side, never leaving.

This count had his own residence but never went to live there. The maids in the mansion changed round after round; old staff left, and newcomers were selected. Yet, at every handover, the seniors would tell the juniors: "Follow the orders of the Count of the Silver Mask as if they were the Duke's."

If someone asked the reason, the seniors would smile and say, "Because they are one entity."

The Count of the Silver Mask was like a phantom in folklore. The maids were both curious and afraid of him. Finally, one night, they bumped into him.

—This legendary ugly favored subordinate was actually excessively handsome.

He wore a satin tailcoat, his features as cold and handsome as the moonlight high in the sky. At this moment, he was holding the Duke's hand, throwing food into the lake to feed the swans.

Several new pairs of swans had been added to the lake. Many had just fallen in love and were affectionately intertwining their necks. Meanwhile, the favored subordinate likewise took the Duke's hand and placed a kiss upon the Duke's forehead.

Just like the ending of a fairy tale.