CSTB Chapter 3

Did my family go bankrupt? Did they die in an accident? Is that why they haven’t come for me? But thankfully, it seemed like they were looking for me in one piece after all.

Judging from everything, this looked like a noble’s bedroom, and despite her brain feeling scrambled from being struck by lightning, Rose figured she’d finally been found by her owner.

‘You should’ve found me sooner!’

She was happy, but also frustrated and angry.

‘If you were going to find me anyway, couldn’t you have done it before I went through all that?’

Though she survived and adapted well, life as a stray cat had hardly been easy.

‘Why else would I have learned to kick with my hind legs!’

Pathetically, even though she was a human inside, she’d fought cats—tiny, weak things—with her whole heart!

‘Just let my owner show up. I’m going to bite them the moment they appear!’

She was angry, but also touched by the thought that someone out there had cared enough to search for her. That alone made her soften quickly.

Emotionally, she’d calmed down, but physically, she was still in immense pain. Every nerve in her body felt like it was on fire—she didn’t even know how to describe it.

Maybe something like every part of her body jolting in pain at the same time?

She’d never felt anything like it in her life.

Well, of course not. Who gets struck by lightning and lives?

“Where’s the doctor? Did someone go get one?”

“Yes, Madam Green. Hans ran out a while ago, so they should be here soon.”

“What took him so long? We finally found Miss Rose, and if something happens to her now… none of us will be safe.”

Rose’s body kept stiffening and relaxing in waves. Every time that happened, the sighs of the maids surrounding her grew heavier.

Judging by their reactions, she must’ve been a very high-ranking noble’s cat.

‘Forget the doctor, where’s my owner? I want to at least see their face before I die.’

Just as she was feeling too miserable and sore to stay mad anymore—BANG! The door practically shattered open.

‘What the heck?! There’s a fancy cat in here! Who barges in like that?!’

Even though breathing was painful, she still had enough strength to be annoyed. She yelled inside her mind while listening to the footsteps drawing near.

“Where is Rose?”

Rose’s eyes widened as she saw the face of the man who entered the room.

She’d felt so weak she couldn’t even lift her head moments ago, but suddenly—

‘Huh? I thought I was sick? Why do I suddenly feel great?!’

No joke, the moment she saw his face, strength surged through her body.

Even with difficulty, her head lifted instinctively just to get a better look at the man.

He looked about twenty-six, and Rose stared at him with an awestruck expression.

Eyes like molten suns, a mix of deep red and orange. Hair that shimmered like pure silver thread. A strong brow ridge, high-bridged nose, and lips so red and plump they put cherries to shame.

‘No way… this absurdly gorgeous man is my owner?’

He radiated noble dignity. Even if he weren’t the emperor, he could easily pass for a duke. He was a ridiculously beautiful man.

He outshone any male lead Rose had ever seen on a novel cover or imagined based on dramatic descriptions.

‘Ah, I’ve lived a good life. I can die happy now.’

If that was the last face she saw, then this life was more than enough.

Even her vow to bite her owner disappeared into thin air just looking at him.

But then—

“Your Majesty, you’ve arrived. Miss Rose is lying in bed.”

The maids quickly stepped aside and addressed him as “Your Majesty.”

‘Wait… this man is the emperor?!’

What?! The emperor?! Not just a pretty noble, but the emperor was her owner?!

While Rose squealed internally, the man called “Your Majesty” strode over and lifted her into his arms without hesitation.

‘There’s no way I’m this lucky… right?’

She doubted herself for a second—knowing from experience how cruel life could be—but the way his hand gently stroked her back felt incredibly familiar.

‘My body… my body remembers this touch!’

Rose practically whispered lines straight out of a steamy romance novel in her head as she melted into his arms.

She hated how her human soul was trapped in this cat body, but that touch—that touch—was making her purr out loud.

‘It’s real! This man is really my owner!’

Rose was so overwhelmed, she cried—literally, her eyes welled up with tears.

Having this stunning man right in front of her made all her pain feel like it would vanish.

Sure, it was a bit bitter that she’d reincarnated as a cat and not a person, especially with a man like this as her owner, but… still, not bad.

Actually, “not bad” was putting it lightly. This was like winning the lottery.

She was the emperor’s cat. That alone meant she’d be treated like royalty.

And to top it all off, her owner looked like that?

Not only would her body be pampered, but her eyes would feast too. What better life could she ask for?

‘Ahh… finally, a sunny day in my life. Even if I had to be a cat to get it.’

Rose was deeply satisfied with her current situation.

‘Hey! Don’t touch me there! That’s off-limits!’

When the doctor finally arrived, he examined her without any sense of modesty, even flipping her over to check her stomach.

“Breathing and heartbeat are strong. And she responds to sound by moving her ears. If she rests well for about a week, she should regain her original form.”

“She should?”

“Ah… well, I’ll stay at the palace and monitor her recovery daily.”

Rose managed to suppress her desire to bite the doctor’s hand full of holes.

She’d almost gotten angry, but whenever she saw the emperor’s face, she couldn’t help but smile again.

Anyway, moving on—

—Lightning?!

From the maids’ gossip, Rose pieced together what had happened.

She had disappeared from the palace a month ago.

Since she had free reign of the palace gardens, everyone assumed she’d come back on her own—but then she vanished.

Of course, the emperor searched for her frantically, but it wasn’t easy.

That made sense. Rose had been found in Ramsdam Marketplace, a whole hour away by carriage.

‘Life really is full of twists…’

It was sheer luck that she was struck by lightning.

The tree she’d been under was over 500 years old, and one of the knights sent to investigate recognized her. That’s how she ended up back here.

—How did she end up there…?

The emperor immediately suspected someone had intentionally abandoned Rose.

Because of her eyes.

‘Huh? What about my eyes?’

Rose didn’t quite understand, but the emperor bit his lip slightly, casting a shadow over his beautiful face.

Something about her eyes, and someone throwing her away…

She was curious, but even that thought faded in the presence of that face.

‘How can someone look sexier just by frowning…?’

She didn’t care about backstory or mystery anymore. The emperor was so subtly alluring, her heart felt like it was pounding twice as fast.

‘Ugh, I’m going to die from a heart attack.’

No matter how long she stared, she couldn’t get used to his face.

And then, as if he noticed how intently she was looking up at him, the emperor lowered his head to meet her eyes closely.

‘This man is really my owner!!!’

He seemed to be making sure she was okay with his own eyes. Rose felt a rush of emotion at the thought and cheered internally.

But then—

“You shouldn’t be standing around looking so dazed, should you?”

The emperor suddenly wiped the warmth from his face and glared coldly at the maids.

The already-quiet room turned icy, like a winter dawn.

The maids didn’t even try to explain themselves. Heads bowed low, they trembled in silence.

Though his gaze wasn’t directed at Rose, even she found it hard to breathe under his pressure.

There was not a trace of warmth on his face now.

‘No wonder… no one has anything good to say about the emperor.’

Even when he was showing her affection, he wasn’t exactly warm. To others, he was much colder.

His default was a chill that radiated even when he wasn’t speaking.

And judging by how much the maids were shaking—

‘Is he… a tyrant?’

It seemed likely. A common trope in novels, sure, but she now wondered: just how terrifying was he that people were this afraid of him?

‘Still… people who like animals can’t be that bad, right?’

Well, that wasn’t always true, but this man didn’t seem like one of the exceptions.

And no, it wasn’t just because he was insanely handsome! …Okay, maybe it was.

But come on—he was the emperor, dazzlingly gorgeous, and had the kind of chest that would feel like an ocean of comfort even if he were a woman. There was no way he wasn’t the protagonist.

‘I think I get the setup now.’

The cold emperor of an empire, but warm only to his woman—or currently, his cat.

He might be prickly now for some unknown reason, but he was definitely the type to find happiness with a sunshine-like heroine.

‘So… does that make me the love messenger between them?’

And then, Rose finally asked herself the most important question—one she should’ve considered long ago.

‘So… what story is this, anyway?’