9 Human Again

"Meow~"

"The day is beautiful today, Young Master. Isn't it?"

Nolan, who had turned into a black cat, stretched his body and yawned. Atticus couldn't resist the urge to pet him and gently rubbed his stomach.

Atticus was sitting on a bench with Nolan in his lap, the cat purring contentedly as he stroked his fur. But after a few more gentle rubs along Nolan's stomach, the cat suddenly bit his hand. Atticus chuckled and stopped his petting.

Nolan crawled out of his lap and sat upright beside him.

"Meow~"

"Are you hungry, Young Master?"

Nolan let out a long meow as he glared at his butler, his ears turned sideways while his tail swished behind him.

A warm smile spread across his butler's face as he watched him. He raised his hand to pet him again, but Nolan hissed, jumped off the bench, and ran towards the manor.

Left alone, Atticus's smile faded, his expression turning grave as he gazed out beyond the gate. He sighed softly before standing and walking back into the house.

Cat Nolan slipped into his bedroom unnoticed by the servants. Although it was still early in the day, he felt an overwhelming urge to sleep. Too drained to do anything else, he leaped onto the bed, stretched lazily, then nestled into the pillows and settled down for a comfortable nap.

He spent the entire day sleeping, and by the time he woke up, it was already night. Hunger gnawed at him as he stirred in bed, groaning softly before pushing himself upright. As he sat up, he was delighted to realize he had returned to his human form.

Suddenly, the door to his bedroom opened. Atticus, who was carrying a tray with a fancy food bowl on it, paused by the door when he saw his master turning back into human again.

Nolan threw a glare at him when he saw him.

"It's good to see you back, Young Master," Atticus said, obviously disappointed to see his Young Master back in his human form.

Nolan crawled out of his bed and angrily stomped his feet towards his butler. Atticus watched his approaching small figure as he calmly stepped inside and closed the door behind him. 

Nolan knocked the tray he was holding, sending its content flying, "You told me you were going to find a way to turn me back to human last night!" he cried with indignation.

"I apologize, Young Master. My love for cats held me back to seek help right away." Atticus sincerely apologized, his eyes drifting over the naked body of his Master.

Hearing his sincere apologies, Nolan clicked his tongue and was unable to say anything right away.

"You are naked, Young Master. I will prepare your clothes and have the servants prepare your food, you must be starving."

Nolan glanced at himself and realized he was actually naked. Atticus then walked him toward his bed and gestured for him to sit down for a moment.

"My clothes…" Nolan gasped, "We must have left them behind," he added as he watched his butler prepare a pair of clothes from his wardrobe.

"I have already retrieved them and made sure to clean and destroy any traces left. Rest assured, Young Master, I have already taken care of everything."

Atticus closed his wardrobe and strode towards him with his clothes in his hands, "Now, let's get you dressed so you can eat your dinner."

Nolan raised a brow at his butler, "I'm 19, I can do it myself."

Atticus stopped in front of him and smiled, gazing down at him. "It is my duty to serve you, Young Master," he said. Then, leaning in closer with his eyes locked on his, he prompted the Young Master to lean back slightly. "And if that means dressing you even when you're 70, I will," he added with a somewhat playful tone but his face was serious and sincere.

Nolan felt his cheeks turning hot. He pushed Atticus's face away with his hand, feeling a sudden shyness, "Psh. You'll be dead by then."

He took the clothes from him and began changing on his own, unfazed by his butler's gaze. Once finished, he turned to him with his arms raised and a slightly smug expression on his face.

"See? I'm not a child anymore. I'm a grown adult."

"Good job, Young Master." Atticus smiled and walked closer to him. And to his surprise, Atticus pulled him closer to him and slid his fingers into the waistband of his pants.

"Hey… What are you doing?"

Atticus didn't respond and instead adjusted Nolan's pants, carefully aligning them on his waist before neatly tucking in his shirt. Once finished, his hands moved to his back, giving him a light pat on the butt.

Nolan flinched at his butler's unexpected action, "Hey…!"

Atticus chuckled softly, "That's for doing a good job, Young master."

"Excuse me?" 

"Now, allow me to put in your shoes."

Nolan rolled his eyes and walked back to his bed, sitting on the edge. "Hurry up, I'm starving," he said, crossing his legs and lifting a foot toward his butler.

A smile tugged at the corner of Atticus's mouth, feeling so much delight at the sight before he bent down in front of him and retrieved his pair of shoes.

Nolan once again flinched slightly as he felt the fabric of his butler's gloves brushed against the sole of his foot.

"Hey…" he mumbled and was about to pull away his foot from Atticus's hand.

However, Atticus held his foot in place and smiled at him, "This will be quick, Young Master."

And it was. Atticus quickly finished putting on his shoes before he stood up and offered him his hand. Nolan reached for his hand and stood up.

"We need to visit Elwin tonight. I have to check how he's doing."

"Understood, Young Master. Leave the preparation to me."

Nolan's stomach rumbled. Without further delay, Atticus quickly walked him out of his room for dinner.