Chapter 70

In the past, someone had expressed a desire to read a story about Alek's close aide, so I tried writing a short story about Amon. It consists of two short tales.

"Leon, I'm thinking about finding a bride for you soon."

After finishing his business within the knight's guild, Amon Antore visited his mother and was surprised by her unexpected words, raising his head.

"A bride for Leon...?"

Thinking his name had been called, a cat that had been rubbing its face against a large palm purred affectionately.

Amon's stern face softened at its cuteness, but he quickly tightened his expression under his mother's gaze, which seemed to say, "Are you listening?"

Leon, the cat Amon currently loves, is a mother's pet. He has black fur on his head, back, and tail, and a white belly, making him a calico cat. His personality is laid-back and affectionate, and he is a male cat just over a year old with wet, black eyes.

What makes Leon especially adorable are his paw pads, which have a pink and black pattern. The first time Amon saw them, he was so charmed that he nearly collapsed.

You might have noticed by now, but Amon, with his sharp eyes and the Antore family's characteristic hawk nose, is actually a big lover of cute things.

His tall, well-built body is the ideal image of an Antore guild member, and everyone thought a fierce hunting dog would suit Amon, but that's not the case.

Amon prefers round-eyed, affectionate cats that purr and cuddle over agile hounds with pointed noses and tight waists.

That's why Amon often finds reasons to visit his mother.

When his mother married into the family, she brought a kitten with her and has always had a cat by her side. Leon is the fourth generation cat, and it's not an exaggeration to say that the Antore family's three brothers grew up with each generation of cats.

Of course, the three brothers, including Amon, try their best to hide this quirk. A strong, imposing Antore man being a big fan of cute cats is something they would never want anyone to know.

With his mother conveniently leaving the room, Amon took the opportunity to lavish attention on Leon.

He reached out to the fluffy fur, savoring the soft, luxurious sensation.

"You're also going to have to choose a bride. It's tough, isn't it..."

He couldn't help but mutter this because just the other day, his father had told him, "It's time for you to settle down."

"Marriage..."

Amon is twenty-five this year. When the emperor changed, the political situation was unstable, and he couldn't think about his own marriage. However, with Emperor Alek's reign now in its third year, the country has finally settled down.

His father's words about settling down were quite natural, and Amon intended to follow them, but he was not entirely enthusiastic about it.

The reason is that Amon is not good with women.

Amon, from one of the top ten noble families in Ancheze, was quite popular in social circles.

At balls, he was always surrounded by nobles who wanted to connect with the Antore family, and he never lacked dance partners.

However, when he was alone with a woman, he found it difficult to make conversation.

Amon has no particular hobbies and has never visited a popular opera house.

He can hold a conversation in the arts because he has a general education, but it's not interesting to him because he has no interest in it.

Just as he was getting anxious about this, an incident occurred.

One day, while Amon was resting in the garden, he overheard several young ladies gossiping about him.

They said he was a boring man and that if they married him, their married life would be a dull one with little conversation. Amon himself had felt that conversations with these ladies were superficial, but learning that they thought this way internally, even as they approached him with moist eyes, made him develop a mild distrust of women.

Just the thought of spending his life with such a woman made his future seem bleak, and he wondered if there was even a woman in this world who could get along with him. Feeling down, Amon stroked Leon's throat and sighed.

"Well, it will be what it will be."

Regaining his composure, Amon picked up Leon with his large hands.

When he pressed Leon to his chest to stabilize him, Leon purred affectionately, and Amon couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

According to his mother, she has already found a potential bride for Leon.

She also mentioned that one of the cat-loving nobles she is close to will visit the Antore family soon.

Amon was also supposed to be present to see how Leon got along with the new cat.

He was looking forward to the day, wondering what kind of cat it would be.

While he found calico cats like Leon adorable, he also thought the tortoiseshell cat he saw in the city the other day was smart and not bad.

He smiled, remembering the short-haired brown tabby at his aunt's house, which was mischievous and cute. Feeling neglected, Leon hit Amon with his tail and walked away.

A few days after his mother's talk, a young lady visited the Antore fortress.

Behind the young lady was a maid carrying a wicker basket, which had small holes on the side.

Occasionally, a cat would peek out of the holes, meowing adorably and drawing the attention of the maids passing by in the corridor.

The cat that was coming today seemed to be a bit cautious, so his mother said she wanted to let it get used to the place before introducing it to Leon. The plan was to let the cat play in the room and calm down before meeting Leon.

As he headed to the guest room, imagining various scenarios, he found that the cat and its owner had already arrived.

The cat he was looking forward to seeing was still in the travel basket.

"Amon, this is Lady Relisia from the Volga family. You must have met her when you were young, do you remember?"

Amon's mother greeted him with a smile as he entered the room, but unfortunately, Amon wasn't listening.

That's because at that moment, a white cat's head appeared from the hole in the basket.

The snow-white cat meowed affectionately, and when the Antore lady noticed her son standing there in a daze, she gave him a sharp elbow to the side.

Usually known for her grace, the lady has a bold personality.

If her son behaves rudely, she doesn't hesitate to give him a strong jab, which she did now. However, Amon, who is always in good physical shape, didn't feel the pain from a woman's elbow.

On the contrary, the lady who delivered the attack was the one who seemed to be in pain, rubbing her elbow.

Still, being nudged by his mother made Amon realize his rudeness, and he quickly turned his attention to the owner.

The young lady smiled shyly when she met his gaze.

She looked to be about seventeen or eighteen.

She was tall for a woman, with a well-proportioned, slender figure.

Her features were delicate, with intelligent black eyes and soft, wavy brown hair framing her face. At this point, Amon remembered that she was a relative.

The Volga family, he recalled, was where his great-grandfather's sister had married.

Taking the hand she offered, Amon kissed the back of it.

"I am Amon Antore. Pleased to meet you."

"I am Relisia Volga."

After introducing herself, Relisia immediately opened the basket and picked up the small white cat, noticing Amon's obvious interest.

"This is Lily."

Amon was completely charmed by the cuteness of the white cat.

While his mother's cat Leon is also adorable, the cuteness of a pure white cat is indescribable.

"She is seven months old. She is a delicate cat and may take some time to get used to people and other cats, but please take good care of her."

Lily's nose and the inside of her ears were a light pink, and the rest of her was covered in fluffy white fur.

Her eyes were a mysterious blue, and she was looking at Amon with a bit of caution.

If only I had brought a cat toy...!

Amon deeply regretted his oversight.

He was here to evaluate Leon's potential mate, so bringing a cat toy would have been perfectly reasonable.

Amon gently reached out to Lily, but she fluffed up her fur and hissed, clearly scared of the new person.

"It's okay, Lily."

After soothing the frightened Lily, Relisia bowed to Amon. "I'm sorry, she is a bit cautious. Could you please give her some time to get used to the place and people?"

When Lily was released into the room, she found a narrow space between the sofa and the furniture and squeezed into it, apparently finding it comforting.