Chapter 32
I don’t understand why both of them act so annoyed or irritated at me, yet still engage in this silent rivalry.
Étienne scoffed at Raoul’s words.
“You don’t know that Lisette is scheduled to return to the palace soon, do you?”
“Huh? I’m going to the palace?”
What kind of nonsense is this? When did they suddenly decide to take me along after I had so clearly refused before? I asked, but Étienne remained silent.
“I understand your concerns, but it’s Lisette’s mealtime, so I will take her with me,” Sophie, the quiet savior, stepped forward and extended her hand to Raoul.
Raoul hesitated but handed me over to Sophie, as if he at least intended to let me eat.
Finally, I felt at ease. Eloise followed her dance with Marcel, but her gaze kept drifting toward me.
Surely she’s not planning to come up to the second floor while dancing, right?
“Don’t worry, young lady. You’re a princess, after all.”
“Right? And Marcel is right here, too.”
“Of course.”
Reassured by Sophie’s words, I slipped past the nobles and entered the playroom.
“Please, eat.”
I gazed at the lavishly prepared spread of dishes: flounder meunière, beef steak, and even blueberries—everything was arranged beautifully.
“Eat your fill and enjoy the playroom. You didn’t get to play properly earlier.”
“As expected… Sophie is the best.”
I regretted not being able to fully enjoy the room earlier because of the nobles’ watchful eyes.
After eating the food Sophie served me, I indulged freely in the cat tower and cat wheel.
A full belly, the beautiful music from outside, and my own private space—this was the perfect moment. I completely enjoyed my playroom, forgetting for a while that I might be dragged to the palace tomorrow.
Exhausted from playing, I must have fallen asleep because I woke to a dimly lit bedroom and groaned.
“…Huh.”
Hearing Eloise’s moans, my body reacted on its own.
I climbed onto the bed, rubbed my sleepy eyes, and massaged her limbs gently.
Whoosh—
Eloise’s swirling mana forcefully hit my paws. My front paws trembled, and the fluctuating mana burst out.
Thud—
“Ouch!”
The rebound sent me off the bed, and I landed on my butt.
As I tried to soothe the soreness, I realized the sensation felt strange.
It wasn’t the fluffy fur I was used to—it was smooth and soft.
“Uh… huh?”
Looking at my front paws, I saw five small fingers instead of pink paw pads.
Tilting my head, silver-white hair cascaded down. I couldn’t understand what was happening. Had I died and possessed another body? Yet the surroundings remained the same.
“What… is this…”
Suddenly, my head felt dizzy, and my vision blurred. My entire body grew heavy, as if crushed by something.
Unable to comprehend what was happening to me, I lost consciousness. The world turned completely black.
How much time had passed? The floor was hard and cold, and I curled up as tightly as I could.
Clack. A cautious sound of a door opening reached me.
“Oh my, Lisette!”
Hearing the hushed exclamation, I managed to open my eyes halfway.
Sophie looked at me anxiously, scanning me from head to toe before letting out a sigh of relief.
I, small and curled, was scooped up by Sophie and laid on a soft cushion. Judging by Sophie’s presence, it seemed to be morning.
Recalling the shocking scene from last night, I murmured half-asleep:
“Sophie.”
“Yes, Lisette. Why are you sleeping on the bare floor?”
“I’m a cat, right?”
“Of course. The most adorable cat in the world.”
Had it all been a dream? Fully opening my eyes, I saw my front paws still covered in soft white fur with pink pads.
What a strange dream. I shifted restlessly, hearing rustling on the bed.
“Miss, you’re awake?”
“Yes. What is it?”
“Ah, I was worried because Lisette was sleeping on the bare floor at the door. Sorry for causing a fuss.”
Bowing her head, Sophie spoke, while Eloise raised only her upper body and waved her hand.
“No, it’s fine. Since the Second Prince is coming, it’s not bad to get an early start.”
“I’ll place the washbasin here. Oh, and Lisette, gifts started arriving at dawn and have filled the playroom.”
“So Mother succeeded.”
Eloise slowly got off the bed and washed her face with the water Sophie had prepared.
I did the same, grooming myself until I felt somewhat accustomed, and then we had a simple breakfast.
After eating, Eloise leisurely read the social newsletter.
“Interesting. Such a sudden change in attitudes, as if flipping a palm.”
I pretended not to look but secretly read some of it.
The newsletter was full of praise about the banquet at the Duke’s residence yesterday—including mentions of me.
It was time to see for myself if the Duchess’s “hunt” had been successful.
“Eloise, I want to go look at my gifts.”
“Alright. I don’t know if we can finish before His Highness arrives, though.”
I wondered just how many gifts there could be, but the moment I stepped into the playroom, my jaw dropped.
Despite every corner being filled, the maids kept bringing more gifts.
Eloise began by opening the largest ones first.
“This is a statue sent by the Marchioness of Winston. She said having two cats in the statue looks better than just one.”
Ah, the Marchioness who praised the cat statue—I remember now.
The gifted cat statues had sapphire eyes and golden bodies, crafted so delicately they seemed almost alive.
“The meaning is too obvious,” Eloise murmured softly while opening the next gift—a small cat outfit that seemed like a miniature version of the dress she wore yesterday.
“Lady August must have worked hard overnight.”
“Oh! It’s beautiful! I want to wear it later!”
“Yes, we’ll try it at the next banquet.”
She smiled slightly and patted my head.
Gifts continued non-stop—clothes, cat toys, jewelry. I had never received such lavish presents in my past life.
I suddenly recalled my younger brother’s extravagant birthday party and my own modest one.
I was really glad to have become Eloise’s cat.
Soon after, Sophie announced Marcel’s arrival.
“Miss, the Second Prince has arrived.”
“Alright. Let’s go, Lisette.”
Following Eloise to the parlor, we found Marcel leisurely drinking tea.
He stood when he saw Eloise, who formally greeted him.
“Peace to Callenia, Prince Marcel.”
“Peace to Callenia, Princess Monclair. Tea here really is the best.”
“This is the tea Mother likes the most.”
Marcel and Eloise sat down, and I curled up as close as possible to Eloise.
“Lisette, aren’t you being overly cautious?”
I swished my tail on the sofa in frustration.
“Marcel, when you sent me off so freely before, why now are you taking me along?”
“What do you mean ‘taking along’? Your Highness, you came just to talk about Lisette, didn’t you?”
Eloise looked at me in surprise, questioning, and Marcel scratched his cheek and smiled innocently.
That smile felt like spring sunlight, but to me, it wasn’t warm.
“The newsletter was full of stories about Lisette’s banquet.”
“I didn’t think Your Highness had seen it. So you must be saying you’ll take her?”
“I had prepared it even before the newsletter came out. I’m thinking of taking Lisette to the palace.”
I’d only just gotten my room, and now I had to leave. Leaving my cat tower, which still smelled of fresh wood, behind—where would I even go?
Pouring tea into the prepared cup, Eloise whispered quietly.
“Have you found a new owner in the meantime?”
“No. Lisette’s owner is Princess Monclair.”
“A temporary owner, then.”
“Yes, temporary. It’s nothing major—I just want to examine Lisette at the palace for a few days. It’s not common for an ordinary cat, not a beastman, to speak, you know?”
Perhaps speaking out was my mistake. Hearing this, the vividness of last night’s experience made me uneasy, far too real to dismiss as a dream.
“True… She isn’t hurt or feeling unwell from northern mana, is she?”
“No need to worry. Étienne wanted to check on that too.”
Étienne had said I wasn’t a beastman. If not even an ordinary cat, then what exactly am I?
I felt unsettled, aware of Eloise’s gaze on me.
“Take her. After all, she was only supposed to be temporarily cared for, and you have promises with Lisette.”
“Once the examination is over, I’ll return her to the Duke’s residence.”
“No need to return her.”
