Chapter 9
***
In the end, I returned to the prince’s room and, as he ordered, I was thrown into the corner of the room.
‘What should I do from now on?’
The thought of having to stay with him in this frightening room in the future gave me a headache.
As I was pressing my temples with my front paws because of the headache, someone powerfully opened the door and came in.
“Hello, cat!”
A cute girl with freckles on her cheeks suddenly appeared.
Light brown hair, a round face, and good-looking eyes.
It feels familiar as if I’ve seen it somewhere, but I can’t remember where I saw her.
‘When did we see each other…?’
While I was deep in thought with my pink ears pricked up, the girl ran in and hugged me.
“I thought we would see each other again!! It’s great to see you again.”
“Nya, nya……?” (Who are you……?)
I hugged the girl and looked back at my memories with my cheeks pressed.
‘Oh, is that the maid I met when I first came here?’
She seemed to be the same kind of good-looking maid I had seen when I first arrived at the palace.
“Ah, it really feels like a dream. Finally, there is a cat in this desolate prince’s palace! You don’t know how long Arin has been waiting for this day.”
The girl shivered and rejoiced as if she was an ardent fan of mine.
With her face pressed close to my nose, her eyes twinkled, and her gaze was so passionate that it was a bit overwhelming.
‘I think I’ve seen that expression somewhere.’
It was probably around the time I was in high school.
Having dreamed of owning a cat for a long time, I went to a cat cafe with my friends.
“Hey! Look at that cat! So cute!”
“Leave it. I will definitely become a cat butler someday.”
Perhaps at that time, I was making a similar expression to Arin.
‘It’s kind of disturbing.’
To be honest, I didn’t feel bad because she liked me, but I was somewhat depressed because I remembered my past life and my current situation.
But my melancholy soon disappeared.
This is because Arin took out all kinds of cat-related toys from her arms and started shaking them.
“Cat, here it is! Grab this one!”
Ring, ring!
What Arin was waving in front of me was a toy that was made of goose feathers, bells and hung on a stick.
Colorful bells hung from the stick, which looked very similar to a modern cat toy.
‘Hey, I’m a human too! Do you think I will catch something like that!?’
I was jumping and jumping to catch the feathers waving in all directions with my front paws!
“Huhu, will you be able to catch this too?!”
“Kyaong! Nyaoong!” (Okay! I’ll catch them all!)
I, who was concentrating on playing with the sound of grumbling, belatedly realized my behavior.
‘Ugh! What the hell is this!’
I covered my head with both front paws and sat down in frustration.
But Arin, unaware of my feelings, stroked my forehead and poured out her compliments.
“You did a great job! How is it that a baby cat is so quick?”
Arin gave a shocked expression and she hugged me tightly.
‘Ah, my dignity ends here. I’m done.’
Falling into sorrow, I fell into the girl’s arms and burst into tears.
Arin rubbed my cheek as if I was lovable, and then flicked her fingers as if she remembered something.
“Right! This was it. It’s a masterpiece of of a toy that I made myself!”
Arin gave a sullen smile and took a mouse-shaped, palm-sized doll from her pocket and began to wind her up.
It was a really great toy, as Arin said.
As soon as the main spring was released, I was completely obsessed with the rat doll that ran around the room like crazy.
Entrusting my body and mind to the cat’s instinct alone, ‘Aaaaang!’ I made a noise and chased after the mouse.
Arin looked at me like that and clapped her hands and liked it.
After that, I fell in love with the dozens of toys Arin laid out.
But somehow I had a sad time.
***
Half an hour after Arin showed up, I was completely exhausted and drooping on the cushion.
“Nyaaaaaa…”
Born as a human being, the primate of all things, I burned away the cat’s instincts to my heart’s content.
I must have been depressed, but the feeling was surprisingly refreshing.
Falling into a languid sense of fullness, I was singing a song without realizing it.
Even my cat used to show a satisfied expression as if her stress was relieved when she played hard like this.
Maybe I had the same expression as my pet cat back then?
“Cat, I’ve been making something delicious. You worked out hard, so eat your best! You are at the age of growing up.”
…… No, I’m much older than you. It’s been a long time since I grew up.
Mumbling in my heart, I ate this cat food from the spoon that Arin reached out to me.
‘Wow, this is incredibly delicious…!’
Baby food, which is clearly nutrient-dense, had a deep flavor and taste to be called cat food.
It was thick as beef bone broth, and I was deeply moved by the savory taste.
“Oh, eat it. Yes, you are good!”
When Arin blew, cooled it to a suitable temperature, and handed it to me, I rushed towards the spoon.
“Nyahoooong.” (It roughly means that you are eating in a hurry.)
Having lost my reason, I showed my appetite with the spirit of chewing the entire spoon.
When I had a lot of baby food on my plump cheeks and fur, Arin smiled and wiped my face.
“There is enough food, so eat slowly, dear kitten. From now on, I will take care of you from one to ten.”
This girl, who once raised as many as five cats, was a considerable veteran butler.
Maybe because I’ve been a cat lover since I was young, why am I expressing my interest?
I took care of myself before…
As a kitten full of intelligence, sophistication, and culture like me, this is the part where I can be sensitive.
In other words, the toilet and sanitation problems were completely solved, and I was able to enjoy a more comfortable life.
Arin, 16, was a chatty girl who liked to babble for her age.
Thanks to this, I was able to collect considerable information about Arin and this place.
This is the royal palace in the capital Easton, and it is said that the sultan and the royal family all reside there.
The royal palace of Sulayman, the highest ranked among princes, was originally located deep inside the palace.
However, he was appointed governor and recently moved to this detached palace close to the official residence.
Also, Arin, who worked as a maid in the royal palace, will be my exclusive maid.
She was supposed to take on a role similar to a nanny.
Since I’ve entered his residence, on the surface she was my butler and the owner was Sulayman.
However, he was busy with government affairs and could not take care of me directly.
‘That’s really fortunate.’
If he says he’ll take care of me, I’ll probably run away because I’m scared!
In fact, the reason I’m barely holding on to my sanity here right now is because he’s the only key that can help me regain my human form.
“The cat is a new arrival, and today the Ministry of Finance has received enough funds. I will take care of you as the prettiest and most beautiful cat in this royal palace!”
Arin clenched her fists, and her enthusiasm flared up.
“Nyaang……?” (What funds……?)
“The prince’s inauguration as governor is not far away, so we need to match the cat’s attire and buy a lot of accessories. Haahh, you don’t need just one or two! I think I will be too busy for a while.”
The girl’s face flushed red with excitement. That was definitely her exhilarated expression.
‘What do I have to do with the inauguration ceremony of the governor-general…’
As I yawned, I narrowed my eyes.
I wanted to dig more info out of Arin, but I was too sleepy and didn’t have the energy to do so.
Nodding my head in all directions as if headbanging, I ended up lying down on the cushion.
Then, with a grungy, grungy sound, I slowly fell into the world of sleep.
At that moment, I felt a warm girl’s palm gently stroking me.
“Sleep well, dear cat.”
With the sound on the side, a warm blanket covered my body, and I slept.
***
I woke up around the time the sun was setting outside the window.
I have heavy eyes that keep falling down…!
I rubbed my eyes with my paws.
Beyond the hazy view, I could see the flames of the fireplace that the servants had diligently built.
Whoa.
Stretching, I glanced around the room that I wasn’t used to.
When I sniffed and smelled, the whole room had a pleasant smell peculiar to a cloth that had been washed clean with soap and dried in the sun.
As I walked closer to the bed, a warm scent of musk and soap filled my nose.
‘I think it’s a scent I’ve smelled somewhere.’
I closed my eyes and pricked my ears, concentrating on my sense of smell.
The low fragrance that calms the mind reminds me of someone’s image. Although it is warm and soft, there’s a sharp corner to this scent…
“What are you doing now?”
“Kyaaan!” (Surprised!)
A cat that was so startled that it jumped out of place and ran away behind the curtains in the corner of the room.
I trembled and shook my head to examine the identity of the person who appeared.
He was the master of the fragrance that covered this room, Prince Sulayman.
“Were you exploring the room? That’s extremely animal-like behavior.”
What are you doing?
I’m the warrant of everything! Of course… I look like a cat, but…
“Nyaaong.” (Sheesh.)
I inflated my cheeks and made a small gnashing sound in rebellion, but he didn’t even see me.
Sulayman unbuttoned his robe and shirt and trudged into the room.
Throwing away his clothes and sitting on the edge of the bed, he started a rough, dry wash.
‘Whoa……’
I glanced at him, who looked somewhat tired, put my paw on my forehead and sighed.
What’s wrong with you?
When I met him in the sultana’s garden earlier in the day, he seemed fine.
The look on his face when we met again… It was a mess.
With the reddish sunset blanketing over his body, he gave me the feeling of a beast suffering from terrible fatigue.
Is it because he’s royalty?
He was a man with a sense of intimidation that no one could easily approach.
But strangely, he now looked very close and precarious.
That feeling of pity somehow stimulated my heart.
‘Hey, are you seriously ill…?’
Although he was forced to live together with me in the same room, I became a little worried, so I plucked up the courage and sneaked out from behind the curtain.
I crept towards the bed with cat footsteps.
Then, with his eyes closed, I plucked up my courage and pressed my leg on his forehead with the sole of my paw…
“Nyao…?” (Where does it hurt…?)
Suayman woke up late to the sound of me meowing.
“… Get lost.”
He looked down at me with cold eyes. It was a gaze with a clear intention to refuse.
‘Oh right. he doesn’t like me.’
Even when the sultana asked me to take him, he looked quite disliked.
I was awkward for a moment, but my paw…
When I took it off, he opened his mouth again.
“You.”
“…?” (Me……?)
Suayman’s bright red eyes stared at me sharply.
Gulp.
I was dazed by the pressure he exuded, and I was sweating profusely.
“I warn you, don’t even think about walking around me. You are really a soul.
If so, you would understand the level of such a threat. Right?”
Feeling goosebumps, I quickly nodded my head up and down.
I shook it so quickly that my jaw hurt.
“… Do you really understand? Wonderful.”
Sulayman, who had a bitter expression on his face, mumbled softly as if to himself.
“You have to stay in a room with a guy like me. It’ll be very hard for you to succeed.”
“Ha ha,” he laughed out loud. The first time I saw his smile, it gave me a sad feeling.
It was a laugh that felt somewhat empty.
‘I think I’d rather like to look at that scary face earlier.’
He is a prince who has nothing to envy, but why does he look a little pitiful today.
But I shook my head and decided to fix my thoughts.
‘Don’t be fooled by his handsome face. I have three noses right now, who cares about whom?
I quickly turned around and headed for the cat-only sofa Arin had prepared for me.
Then, burying myself on the soft sofa, I nodded and began to doze off.
Every time I woke up to the sound of a crunchy pen, I saw the same scenery in front of my eyes.
Sulayman sits at his desk, looking at the documents and signing them.
I looked at him with squinting eyes.
He had returned to himself, as calm as he had when I first met him.
‘Do you only look like that when you sleep and work?’
Somehow I felt sorry for him.
‘I wish you could always be like that. If you walk around with a scary face every day, it’s a waste of that handsome face…’
With that thought, I buried my head in the pillow and swam through the deep, dream world with a loud roaring sound.
So the first day of the prince’s residence passed.