Reincarnated in The Royal Tutor?!

Chapter 6

I stared at the black cat and the cat stared back at me.

"Your Highness?" Finn meekly addressed me after we've been staring at each other for longer than normal.

I paid him no mind.

In front of me was a scrawny little kitten. It was barely as big as my hand and was covered in filth with one eye crusted shut. The tiny thing mewled up at us and it was hoarse and pitiful. The cat then gingerly paddled over to me, its skinny body weaving around my legs as it rubbed up against my legs.

I bent down and picked the small kitten up. It squirmed slightly in my grasp, before seeming to adjust and letting out a harsh sounding purr as I scratched its ears. The tiny thing was skinny and overall just plain pitiful.

A few distances away, the coachman impatiently tapped his foot. What an insolent fellow.

"Edward," Theodore's stern voice called, "Put that thing down. It is dirty and will infect you with diseases."

"Fuck no," I replied nonchalantly.

The man reprimanded, "Language." He was the only one besides Eins who even bothered to do so anymore.

My attention was drawn to a larger cat was peeking out of the alley, hissing when he saw me holding the kitten before trotting away angrily. I noticed some dried blood on the kitten's fur despite there being no visible injuries and realized that this tiny kitten was barely surviving out here.

It made me feel guilty, which I shouldn't be. It was just a dumb kitten. Yet the feeling was there.

"I'm taking him back with us," I declared. As expected, my declaration was met with refusal.

"B-But your Highness—"

"No. You are not taking that back." Theodore narrowed his eyes. "Had it been a more...sophisticated breed, then I could have persuaded his Majesty for you. This is simply a stray from an unknown alley in the middle of Wienner. Unacceptable."

"Don't worry about Father," I waved off his concerns. "I'll do something about it later. If he refuses, I'll let him go after he's fed and groomed."

"There is still the concern of him carrying diseases that could infect the palace. You wouldn't want the Queen Mother, his Majesty, her Majesty, and His Highness Prince Eins to fall sick, now would you?" He pointed out. Finn was switching his gaze between us nervously.

I smiled, "You seems to be well-versed in town shops. Surely finding a veterinarian wouldn't be out of your league?"

Theodore's lips pressed together in annoyance. I was right and he knew it, too. The coachman's foot-tapping was getting quicker.

"...why are you doing this, Edward?"

I stared. I didn't expect him to ask me that, "'cause I wanna. Why?"

"That's not a good enough reason, but fine," He sighed. "Schneider, take that cat and go sit with the coachman. Do not touch Edward unless absolutely necessary until you've clean yourself. Edward, come here so I can disinfect you."

He somehow whipped out a spray bottle along with some rags and clothes before helping me change my shirt and wipe my hands clean. I understand that it is necessary since the cat came from a dirty place and it'd be bad for someone of my station to get sick, but I couldn't help but feel like this is a little much. Theodore kinda reminds me of Sebastian from Black Butler with his 'I'm-ready-to-deal-with-any-issues-that-comes-up' attitude.

The trip from then on was uneventful. We stopped by a small veterinarian and get the kitten a checkup. It was mostly fine, and there are no harmful diseases found on the cat for now. Bathing the thing was a pain in the ass, but somehow we got through it. I was also given a bath for the first time in a commoner's house, and it was nowhere as grand as the baths in the palace.