Chapter 3
***
The next day, I woke up when the sun rose in the sky.
I yawned and stretched my legs. I felt as if I were getting up from a booth bed.
“Meow…”
If I were a human, I would assume that I was stretching, but I gave the impression of a cat attempting to do yoga.
I stretched out my front feet and carefully cleaned my pink paws, and trimmed the hair around my chin.
After washing my face in the morning, I saw a bowl of water lying in the cage.
‘When did this get here?’
Now that I think about it, I’ve been sleeping a lot since I came into this body.
It’s said that cats sleep for more than half a day.
Since it is normal to fall asleep while eating, I had to go to a safe place to eat food.
My appetite had improved, and my desire for sleep and eating had grown to the point that I honestly couldn’t handle it myself.
It feels like I’ve become a baby again.
‘Since I’m reborn, has my face changed then….?’
I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to return to my human form, but I wondered what my face would look like if it were possible.
‘Let’s just drink some water.’
As I was squirming and preoccupied with drinking water, I heard a rumbling sound from my stomach.
When the water went into my empty stomach, my poor starved stomach began to run wild.
‘Ugh, I’m angry…!!’
A change that occured in me, unlike before, my emotions as a cat were unstable for quite a while.
I couldn’t hold back the rising anger, and my front feet trembled.
“Kyaoong…!” (I’m hungry…!)
I didn’t expect myself to be this angry just because I felt hungry.
‘What’s this smell?’
Outside the warehouse, the smell of delicious food spread and my nose thumped on its own.
“Um, this is delicious. Did the chef pay attention to the food today?”
“I know. My mouth is filled with water.”
I stared blankly at the two men sitting at the table munching on something I presumed to be steak.
‘It looks delicious ·····.’
I wiped away the flowing saliva with my front paws and looked down at my stomach, which had become thin during the day.
My stomach was growling.
The sweet smell of food shook my stomach.
It was around yesterday afternoon when I was caught from the market yesterday, so I was starved almost all day.
I stroked my pitiful pink belly, and then grabbed the cage’s gate and cried out violently.
“Meow! Meow!” (Hey!! Give me food too!!)
The soldier who was eating, gave me a suspicious look when I shook the bars.
“What’s wrong with it? I hope it doesn’t have any illness.”
“Well, maybe it’s because it’s a stray cat. Don’t get too close, It’s a little messy.”
They stared at me as if I was something dirty, I responded by lowering my lower jaw.
‘Damn it, I’m furious.’
Unfortunately, what they said was true.
I groaned so hard all of last night to the point I threw up because of a hairball, but I couldn’t do anything about it because I was a homeless cat on the street.
‘How can I try to lure that guy Evelan in this condition…?’
I sighed as I looked down at my body covered in mottled fur.
The killing points of cats in my opinion are their soft fur, pink paws, and dazzling eyes.
Although I haven’t seen myself clearly since I turned into a cat.
My blurry appearance in the water hole didn’t seem bad.
‘First of all, kittens are like cheats since they can clean themselves just by licking their fur.’
However, my fur was not combed at all so I looked more like a round clump of fur rather than an adorable kitten.
‘Is there any other good way?’
I wondered if I should find a way to escape now when I heard some people babbling in the distance.
‘What is it?’
My hearing has improved ever since I became a cat. My ears perked up to listen to what they said.
There were about twenty people present.
“Everyone come out! Evelan is here!”
“What? At meal time, of all times…..”
The soldiers who were eating, urgently rushed out of the door.
They left so rapidly that the things on the table fell to the ground and rolled around.
Just then, a beautiful plump piece of meat, dripping with fat, rolled in front of me.
Gulp.
‘Oh, no! I didn’t swallow my saliva. No!!’
However, despite such internal excuses, saliva was already leaking from my lips.
The steaming chunk of meat was such a strong temptation for a kitten, that I couldn’t resist it.
I took a deep breath, and wiped away the traces of the saliva with my paw.
However, my insignificant reason quickly crumbled down like a sandcastle because of the fragrant smell that stung my nostrils.
“Meow…..” (I can’t stand it…..)
If I stretch my arm out long enough, I think I can grab the meat.
The question is whether eating the piece of meat would damage my reputation.
‘It won’t matter if no one sees it.’
For the past two weeks, I’ve been doing everything I can to make up for my meals.
There should be no big deal about eating a piece of meat, right?
Eventually, I stretched my feet towards the piece of meat through the bars of the cage.
My long toenail, which was sharp because it wasn’t trimmed in a while, touched the meat.
“A little more, a little more!”
I’m not lying, I think if I got closer by just 1cm, I could reach it!
“Kkiing…..” ( a little more…..)
Oh my God! Please let my claw touch that meat.
After a while, the paws on the soles of my feet were convulsing.
Finally, the tip of my claw was inside the edge of the meat.
‘Succeeded!’
When I scrambled for the piece of meat that was close enough, it rolled over a little towards the cage like a dice.
‘Right, just a little bit more, a little bit more…..!!’
After struggling so much, I finally managed to bring the piece of meat near my nose.
However, with a thump, big crooked feet that covered my field of vision slowly stepped on the meat.
“Me..Meow…..?!” (What, what is it…..?!)
It happened in an instant.
My eyes widened in despair.
“The floor is dirty. Pay attention to cleanliness.”
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!!”
As soon as the person finished talking, the luxurious shoes disappeared.
And then, horribly mashed meat appeared in front of me.
“Me.. meow….” (My.. my meat….)
The owner of the shoe opened the cage’s gate and stared at me quietly.
“Is there a cat in here? Let’s get it out.”
I belatedly figured out the situation, and I showed my teeth by shaking my tail.
‘I don’t know who you are, but you’re dead.’
If you want to leave here, you’ll have to first fight with me.
I put saliva on my paws and rubbed them gently to throw a satisfactory punch.
Creak.
The rusty cage door opened and then a soldier’s hand lifted me high.
Suddenly feeling like I was hanging in the air, I resisted fiercely by throwing punches in the air.
“Meow, kyaaangg!” (Get off, put me down!)
This is a complaint.
Is it okay to just grab a grown lady like this?!
“This is the one. I think she has the most similar conditions to the one Evelan-nim has been looking for.”
“Hmm.”
My fierce fists stopped at the name of Evelan.
Maybe this guy is the walking lottery I’ve been waiting for.
‘…..You’re younger than I thought.’
People here seem very scared of him, so I thought he was an old man.
The man I was waiting for, Evelan, looked about the same age as me.
With his light brown hair and sharp eyes, he seemed like a fastidious person.
It was difficult to find expression on a face that gave a dry and hard feeling for his age.
‘I mean, you have to look good to me so you can live a peaceful life.’
It was a little late for proper appearances, but I coughed and tried to look decent.
However, cold words came out of Evelan’s mouth as he stared at me.
“It’s dirty and ugly.”
I know that too. You don’t have to explain it so rudely!
I was about to stifle with a fit of anger, but I tried to hold it in and smiled.
But the smile soon turned into a rotten one.
Because Evelan started to touch me around with his gloves on, as if he were touching something dirty.
“Fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any bugs.”
“Kyarangg.” (You son of a b*tch.)
We’ll see about you later. You’ve earned a meow punch from me.
I was grudgingly grinding my teeth inside, when a gloved hand came up and lifted the fur covering my eyes.
“Oh.”
With a surprised expression on his face, Evelan put his face close to me.
“She has clearly odd eyes. The colour matches with the one I’m looking for.”
When Evelan showed interest, a mustached man who looked like the captain stepped forward.
“She’s the best one we’ve ever caught. One eye is amber and the other is dark blue. Although odd eyes are said to be common, only a few are so distinct in color.”
What, I was an odd eyed cat?!
“All right. I’m taking this one with me. Let’s get ready to leave right away.”
“Yes!”
The man who answered coolly, put me in another mobile cage.
It seemed that one of my problems had been solved.
Unlike before, I was put in a cage that was completely closed on all sides and was loaded into a wagon’s luggage compartment.
Rattle, rattle.
The pitch-black darkness and the disturbing vibrations mixed in, dizzied my ears.
When it came to this point, no matter how large the walls were, the cat had to be intimidated.
“Meow…..” (It’s a bit scary…..)
It would be great if I could know where I’m going.
But for a poor kitten who lost her human rights, such a wish was a luxury to a kitten.
‘Should I have just run away?’
As my courageousness became the size of a pea, I began to regret my previous obedience.
‘I don’t know if I can do this…’
Even the strict-looking guy I saw earlier, Evelan, didn’t look like he liked for some reason.
Regardless of the state of my mind, time passed by steadily.
The time that I thought would never end, passed and the carriage finally stopped somewhere.
After the person holding the cage opened and closed dozens of doors, I was finally able to reach my destination.
“Well, we’ve arrived. Come out, cat.”
I cautiously stepped out of the cage, guided by the gentle voice of the girl who seemed to have brought me.
“Meow…..?” (Huh, what is this…..?)
My eyes widened when I saw the scenery that spread before me.
Wasn’t the palace in the Arabian Nights exactly like this?
The landscape decorated with mosaics and sculptures against the background of an open marble building covered with exotic palm trees was truly splendid.
‘Is this a dream….?’
It was like someone was trying to brag about how rich they were, so they had a lot of gilding all over the place. I stared to the point my eyes began to ache.
I gulped as I looked at the columns decorated lavishly with rubies, diamonds and lapis lazuli.
‘…If I just pick up a few jewels, I can get money and wouldn’t have to starve, right?’
As for how to convert jewelry into money with a cat’s body, is a matter to be considered later.
Even if the operation to have a personal butler was unsuccessful, it was clear that it would be a sufficient asset.
“Dear cute cat, please sit here and wait for a moment. Don’t make a fuss and stay calm.”
A good-looking girl who looked like a maid smiled broadly and placed me on a soft cushion.
After the girl left for a while, I, who was sitting quietly and respectfully, ran to the pillar studded with jewels.
‘If it’s like that, I might be able to reach it…!’
Jump.
Using the cat’s instinct to jump upwards with all my might, my body stiffened like a spring.
“Meow…..!” (That’s it…..!)
My aim was a crimson coloured diamond which looked expensive among them all.
If you steal that one, you’ll be able to enjoy the rest of your life and wouldn’t have to worry about starving!
‘Higher, a little more!
Bump.
As I jumped vigorously with inflated hopes, the pillars were naturally scratched by me.
Perhaps the way I was scratching the column was similar to the way a cat scratches a cat column.
When the tip of my toenail touched the jewel, I suddenly heard a loud laughter behind me.
“Pu, puhaha….!!”
Who, who is it?!
Surprised, I stopped moving and slowly looked back.
There stood Evelan, who was looking at me with strange eyes, and an unidentified man covering his mouth with his hands and holding back his laughter.