"Wow! So much free food, Cassius!" I shouted, unable to resist the temptation as I addressed to my cat, Cassius, who is always with me.

And he isn't just an ordinary cat! He is a cat with the ability to speak and think like a human being.

Ever since I was a child, Cassius had been my constant companion.

I even thought he was my real parent because I grew up without a mother or father. Nevertheless, he became the father figure I recognized despite our differences.

But even though Cassius is a cat, he taught me things that helped me survive in Apollo.

You won't believe that a cat raised a human! Haha!

"Don't make it obvious that you're sneaking so much food! Someone might see you! Just act casual, Arkcray!" Cassius whispered who's perching on my right shoulder.

"Here it is! I'm being subtle!" I replied as I stealthily slipped the bread into the bag that I was holding.

"That fish! It looks expensive and delicious! Get that one! Hurry before it's gone!" Cassius whispered.

"Just a moment, okay? It won't be you who'll be embarrassed if they see us! It'll be me!" I retorted.

"You're so slow, Arkcray!" Cassius said irritably.

"If you say one more word, Cassius, I'll hang you upside down!" I annoyingly replied.

"Ugh! I wish you never grew old! It was easier when you were younger! You were more obedient! Now that you're a hundred years old, it's difficult to give you orders!" Cassius said to me.

"Tss!" I muttered and approached the place where there were plenty of fish.

"Praise the kings of Apollo! Let us gather for an announcement!" an Apollan shouted.

"I wonder what announcement King Gideon and King Agustus has to make? Let's listen, Cassius." I said.

"Listen while you're getting food!" Cassius whispered.

And as the Apollans gathered in the center...

"There! They're not looking anymore, Arkcray! Quick! Sneak in and get as much food as you can!" Cassius whispered.

"Here it is! Here it is!" I said as I swiftly put the bread into my bag.

"People of Apollo, I have wonderful news from the Kingdom of Helios, the most prosperous kingdom in all of Gaia!" King Gideon announced.

"King Daemon is the ruler there, right, Cassius?" I asked while grabbing food and continuing to sneak it in.

"Yes, he is the king but don't meddle with that because you don't have any business in Apollo! You don't even know how to heal!" Cassius said.

"How will I learn then? Studying is just so tiresome. Besides, I grew up with you, and we've been doing all sorts of things! Haha! You just taught me how to survive outside!" I said, laughing.

"King Daemon wishes to visit Apollo and bring gifts to us in gratitude for the help we provide whenever we send Apollans to heal them. It's a beautiful vision of the Kingdom of Helios joining hands with us Apollans! And because of this, we will celebrate the arrival of the Helian king a week from now! So let us prepare and work together to give him a celebration that will bring him joy!" King Gideon announced, receiving applause from everyone.

"Hey, Cassius! Another celebration! We can sneak in food again!" I said.

"Excellent! And the king of the Helians will arrive! The food they will prepare is likely to be even more delicious!" Cassius replied.

"Have you seen what King Daemon looks like, Cassius?" I asked, "Because I haven't yet."

"You would not want to meet him especially when you see his eyes, because he's terrifying. Besides, he's a very cruel king! But despite that, many say that his striking handsomeness is alluring. Many women want to be his queen, but King Daemon has no time for that." Cassius replied.

"Ah, maybe he's not ready to have a queen yet. Or maybe, he wants a king? Haha! Like King Gideon and King Agustus, even though they're both men." I said, laughing.

"Each race has its own customs, Arkcray. You shouldn't compare them. You should respect King Daemon's decision. All he wants is power. That's why he doesn't want a queen because he doesn't want someone to succeed him on the throne." Cassius said.

"King Daemon is so greedy! But we don't care about that because we live here in Apollo." I said with a smile, and we continued listening to the announcement while sneaking food!

"I want to give a presentation to King Daemon. So, we will invite some Apollans who want to join and offer a dance for King Daemon," King Agustus said.

"A dance? Perfect! I'll probably see some beautiful Apollans again! Hehe!" I said, delighted.

"Stop it, Arkcray! We're going to the celebration to snatch food!" Cassius said.

"You're always about the food, Cassius! You know, I'm going there to have fun and not just for the food! Plus, there might be games where we can win some money! You know I'm lucky with those games. Hehe!" I boasted to Cassius.

"Yeah! But people always end up stealing your prizes! You're too quick to trust the people around you!" Cassius annoyingly said, "Just keep getting the food!"

"Here it is! I'm almost done taking all that they've prepared!" I replied with a smirk.

And while I was focused on sneaking the food, someone suddenly tapped my right shoulder, startling me!

When I turned around, it was none other than...

"King Gideon?" I said, surprised. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"I've been watching you from afar, Arkcray, and I saw you sneaking the food." King Gideon said.

I bowed my head in embarrassment.

Then I handed him the bag that was filled with food.

"I'm sorry, King Gideon. It's because Cassius was ordering me around!" I said, feeling ashamed.

"Hey? You're worthless, Arkcray!" Cassius whispered to me and retorted.

King Gideon laughed at us, and luckily, he is very kind and gentle.

To be honest, you're the one who would feel embarrassed in front of him if you did something wrong because he wouldn't get angry with you. Instead, he would calmly talk to you to resolve whatever troubles a person.

"Both of you, always fighting with each other. Are you ready to study healing, Arkcray?" King Gideon asked.

"Umm I want to, but, I'm embarrassed. People will just laugh at me because I can't read or write." I said, feeling shy.

"You know what? I've come up with a wonderful idea because of you!" King Gideon said with a smile.

"What is it, King Gideon?" I asked.

"I will appoint teachers who can help the Apollans who don't know how to read and write. It's a noble endeavor, isn't it?" King Gideon asked me with a smile.

"That's excellent!" I replied with a smile to the King.

"By the way, if you want to help with the celebration, we are always open." King Gideon said.

"Will there be anything for us in exchange? Food? Money?" Cassius asked.

"Hey! Cassius, don't speak to the king like that!" I whispered to Cassius.

King Gideon just laughed at us because we were about to start another argument with my mischievous cat!

"Free food and compensation for your help. And, the King of Helios might have more to offer if he likes our reception." King Gideon said.

"Alright, King Gideon! Cassius and I will help!" I said with a smile.

"It's just you, Arkcray! I'll just sleep on the side." Cassius replied.

"Don't expect to share in what I get, okay?" I replied with a grin.

"I'll leave you two now, Arkcray and Cassius. If you need anything, the palace is always open to you both." King Gideon said as he left.

...

...

...

We have started with the preparations for the arrival of King Daemon and I was assigned to help with cleaning the venue where the celebration will take place.

While I am cleaning, Cassius is comfortably lying on the side with his belly exposed. As for me, I am just watching the beautiful women practicing their dance moves as I sweep the floor.

"Arkcray, are you going to watch or clean? It seems like you want to join them in their dance!" Cassius remarked.

"They are just captivating! Especially that one woman who will have the chance to perform the traditional Apollan dance in front of King Daemon. She is the most beautiful of them all!" I said cheerfully as I embraced the broom.

"Stop indulging in your fantasies! I bet you have memorized all their moves from watching them!" Cassius retorted.

"To be honest, I may have actually memorized them. Every move of each dancer, the sequence and everything." I admitted.

"You know, you're actually smart but you're just lazy! If you put in some effort, I think you would become a great healer because you quickly grasp things. You're a fast learner," Cassius said.

"It's just too tedious to listen. I would even doze off when you tried to teach me back then." I replied.

"You really are useless, Arkcray! Just focus on cleaning!" Cassius said.

I continued sweeping while watching the dancers rehearsing, and my body couldn't resist moving along with the rhythm.

...

...

...

And here it is, the day of the celebration where the most powerful king in Gaia, King Daemon, will arrive in just a few moments.

King Gideon and Agustus made sure that this celebration will be well-organized and beautiful.

Even Cassius and I dressed appropriately to appear presentable in front of King Daemon.

As I wandered around, I noticed that the group of female dancers were in disarray on one side.

So, I approached them and asked what was happening.

"Argh! I don't know how I can still dance! I sprained my ankle!" said the woman sitting on the floor, visibly in pain.

She was the same woman given the opportunity to dance in front of King Daemon.

Oh no! This isn't good! Their presentation will be ruined if this woman can't dance. She's beautiful and a great dancer.

"Do you think you can dance?" another female dancer, who was with her, asked.

"I don't think I can dance in my current condition." the dancer responded, worried.

They started to panic and worry since they would be performing in a short while. Even I felt nervous because this is an embarrassment for the kingdom of Apollo.

"Does anyone here know her part?" one of their group members asked.

No one answered because they all focused on rehearsing their own parts.

If you ask me, I know every part of their dance. But I can't join since they're all women! Haha! King Daemon wouldn't be pleased if someone like me, a man, performed a female dance. It might even ruin the whole celebration.

The sound of bells rang, indicating that King Daemon had arrived in Apollo's land.

The group of dancers was restless, unsure of how to proceed when their key dancer who's injured.

"Pay homage to the King of Helios, King Daemon!" shouted one of the guards.

Cassius arrived and perched on my head.

"Let's go, Arkcray, it's starting. You want to see King Daemon, right?" Cassius asked.

"Yes, but there's a problem with the group of dancers. The lady who's assigned for the crucial part of the dance got injured, and the prepared celebration will be ruined!" I told Cassius.

"That's their problem, Arkcray. We have our own duty and that is to sneak in some food!" Cassius whispered.

"Don't any of you know her part?" one of the dancers asked with concern.

"No. And even if I wanted to help and dance her part, I might make a mistake in front of the King of Helios. I don't want to be punished if I embarrass myself!" another dancer replied, and everyone agreed, worried about making a mistake in their solo performance in front of the King.

"What about you, Arkcray? You know every part of their dance, right?" Cassius asked me, and all the female dancers looked at me simultaneously.

"Did we hear that right? You know the dance, Arkcray?" one of the female dancers approached me, holding my hands with pleading eyes.

"Umm... Hehe!" I shyly replied, "I know it somewhat."

The female dancers exchanged glances as if they were planning something.

"Arkcray, we'll split the earnings that we'll get with you! You'll be the one to perform the most important part of the presentation! Okay?" one of the dancers said seriously.

"Me? Are you all crazy? I'm a man and you want me to perform a female dance? Do you want us all to be in trouble?" I said, laughing.

"Arkcray, you're our only hope! No one else knows the dance like you, just as your cat, Cassius, said!" another dancer added.

"Besides, with a little makeover, you'll look like a woman! You have long, beautiful, and soft hair, smooth and fair skin, rosy lips and cheeks, and most importantly, you are already beautiful for a man even without any make-up!" another dancer said.

"No! I might irritate King Daemon. If that happens, he might kill me once he finds out that a man is performing in front of him!" I replied, worried.

"Get ready, you're about to perform. It's just fifteen minutes away, so prepare to go to the stage." one of the event organizers said and left.

"Umm, I think I need to go to my place where I am asked to clean!" I said and was about to run when the ladies grabbed me and refused to let go!

Huhuhu!

"I still want to live! Please!" I pleaded, feeling like they were binding me, "Cassius! Help me get away from them!" I shouted.

"That's your problem, Arkcray! I'm going to eat! Good luck with your dance! Hehe!" Cassius said and left.

"You really are a useless cat and a father!" I yelled, realizing I had no choice but to succumb to the dance group's hold and be taken to a room to be dressed like a woman!

What are you all going to do to me! Huhu!

...

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