Chapter 29
At times like this, I had no choice but to be shameless.
“Eloise, look at this! I drew it really nicely!”
I tapped the portrait with my white front paw, but her suspicious gaze didn’t soften.
Wagging my tail, I pressed my face into Eloise’s hand.
“But I still look prettier in real life, right? Right?”
I hated saying it like that, but I had no choice if I wanted to survive.
Even if Eloise adored me, I couldn’t let my guard down.
After all, she was still the villain, and the original story was still ongoing. Eventually, she patted my head.
“What was I thinking.”
Knock knock.
“Milady, the mistress is calling for you. She also requests that Miss Lisette come along.”
I heard the maid’s voice through the knocking.
Eloise furrowed her brows slightly, then quickly adopted her usual doll-like expression.
“Mother must have read it too.”
Eloise instinctively tried to pick me up, but I got down from the sofa first.
A strange silence lingered between us.
“…Let’s go, Lisette.”
“Y-yes.”
It wasn’t that I was avoiding her deliberately; the timing just didn’t match.
Following Eloise’s elegant, ladylike steps with my short legs thumping along, I heard the maids giggling.
“Ah, so cute!”
“Shh, be careful. Don’t you know, ‘Lisette hears what you say at noon’?”
“Eh, that’s just something guilty people say.”
She had a point. I wasn’t blaming innocent people.
Whenever I ran around the mansion, the staff who weren’t at fault were busy doting on me.
Many of them gave me snacks, hoping to pet me even once.
“Milady, we have brought Miss Eloise and Miss Lisette.”
From now on, my official title in the Ducal family had become Miss Lisette.
That counted as quite a rise in status. I used to be “the cat” in the palace, after all.
Life was a cycle of falls and rises.
As the reception room door opened, the Duchess appeared, elegantly sipping tea and reading the newsletter.
“Sit down.”
“Good morning, Milady!”
I greeted her cheerfully as soon as I sat, and the Duchess’s lips twitched.
Did she dislike being called “Milady”? Maybe I should call her Duchess instead.
But she soon smiled gracefully.
“Yes, the weather is quite nice for this time of year.”
The chill softened, making the Duchess much more approachable.
She was exactly like her daughter.
Eloise, on the other hand, seemed unfamiliar with this side of her mother.
“What did you call me here for?”
“Unlike yourself, you’re getting straight to the point, Eloise.”
With a light gesture from the Duchess, the maids placed refreshments in front of Eloise and me.
Even though we had eaten not long ago, the sweet aroma made my mouth water.
No wonder Eloise was called a greedy cat.
“The Kalenian nobles seem very interested in us, don’t they?”
“The higher you are, the more eyes follow.”
“I plan to rise even higher, so they won’t dare even look at us.”
Only the Duchess of Monclair could say something like that.
I had expected to be scolded for appearing in the newsletter, but luckily, I wasn’t.
Relieved, I started munching on cookies.
“We’ll be hosting a banquet at the mansion after a long time. Eloise, how is the reception room construction going?”
“The carpenter is visiting today. Surely, Mother…”
“Have it completed within a week. Spend whatever it takes; it should be so grand that no one dares speak carelessly about it.”
“I’ve told you before, but Lisette belongs to another—”
“I think I’ve said it several times already. It’s too late now.”
Now I could speak too, sharing a conversation known only to us.
I rolled my eyes, alternating my gaze between Eloise and the Duchess.
Though it wasn’t the icy chill of last time, there was still a subtle discord.
“You will be the star of the banquet, Lisette. We’ll also unveil the reception room, which will be your playroom.”
“Huh? Milady?”
The cookie in my mouth fell.
I couldn’t understand why she wanted to elevate me instead of glorifying the Ducal family itself.
“And we’ll change your title. ‘Catherine’ would suit you better than Milady.”
I expected her to target the real power of the Ducal family, but this development was beyond my imagination.
“Catherine…?”
“Yes, Lisette.”
I knew the Duchess liked me, but I never thought she’d do something on my behalf.
All I wanted was for her to get along with Eloise and for the family not to collapse.
“A banquet for me… Is that really alright?”
“Of course it is. It’s Monclair. This is a celebration of your speech, Lisette.”
The reason for the banquet was absurd.
The newsletter called me the demon cat for speaking, and now they were celebrating that?
The Duchess never failed to exceed expectations. I wondered if Eloise would grow to be that formidable too.
“Mother.”
“The invitations have already been sent through Hans. If you want to add anyone else, tell me today.”
Eloise seemed about to stop the Duchess, but her drive was one step ahead.
If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it.
“Then, can Étienne come too?”
He said he’d come if things got dangerous, but he hadn’t appeared the last time Marcel showed up at the tea party. That left no choice but to summon him forcibly.
“Hmm. I also sent one to Her Majesty the Empress, but we should send copies to the Crown Prince’s and Second Prince’s palaces as well.”
“Mother, they’re both busy with state affairs.”
“Inviting is our wish; whether they come is theirs.”
As the Duchess said, those who come, will come; those who won’t, won’t.
She had a maid bring paper and ink, and soon the elegant handwriting filled the sheets.
Two identical invitations were quickly completed.
One read from “Catherine Monclair,” and the other from “Lisette of the Monclair Ducal Family.”
“The inviter must sign the invitation. Extend your front paw.”
When I stretched out my right paw, a maid carefully applied ink to the pink pad.
It seemed I was to press my paw as a signature. Nervously, I pressed it onto the paper.
Four dots appeared above a triangular cloud shape. It looked insignificant.
“Well done.”
The paw print dried, the invitation was folded neatly, and sealed with sealing wax.
The Duchess pressed her ring with the engraved crest over it.
Étienne wouldn’t ignore an invitation. That’s just how he was.
Marcel had to be included as well.
“Milady, the carpenter you summoned has arrived.”
“Go see him. Make it grand and splendid within a week. And don’t forget the invitation list.”
“Sigh… Yes, Mother.”
I busied myself cleaning the black ink off my pink paw with the unbleached cloth the maid gave me.
Then Eloise picked me up lightly.
“Eloise, I can walk.”
“If you want to leave your signature in the hallway, I’ll put you down.”
Seeing the ink on her green sleeve, I stayed quiet.
The ink was still damp.
“If it stains, come to me.”
“Yes, M-Miss Catherine.”
I almost said “Milady” again but corrected myself at the raised eyebrow of the Duchess.
On the second floor, the usually unnoticed right reception room door was wide open.
Inside, a strong young man was waiting.
“Milady, pleased to meet you. I am Malcolm, the carpenter, introduced by Lady August.”
“Yes, Malcolm. I hope you meet expectations.”
“I will do my best.”
The carpenter bowed deeply.
He rummaged through his tools and spread out what looked like blueprints on the table.
“You said you wanted to decorate Miss Lisette’s play area, so I’ve expanded on the currently popular cat furniture trends.”
The furniture in the blueprint looked like a cat tower I had seen at a friend’s house in my previous life.
Several cylindrical pillars, hammocks connecting the pillars, and platforms to climb on—everything was perfect.
“What’s this? The dome is inverted.”
“Oh! This is our workshop’s masterpiece: a glass cat hammock. Nobles love it because they can see the cats lounging comfortably.”
“Not glass—crystal would be better.”
“Yes! Understood. We’ll change this part to crystal.”
With a few more modifications and additions, the cat tower became larger and more luxurious.
