Chapter 33
Both Marcel and I turned to Eloise at the same time in surprise.
“Lady Eloise, what do you mean?”
“You’ll keep her at the Imperial Palace for now, then later send her to her new owner. Constantly changing environments isn’t good for young Lizette.”
“Eloise, then what about my room?”
When I placed my front paws on her knee and asked, her teal eyes trembled.
Even as I was carried into the carriage in Marcel’s arms, Eloise didn’t answer me.
Looking at her one last time as she saw us off, I asked again.
“Eloise, am I really going to live at the Imperial Palace?”
“You promised. You must behave there.”
That was the last thing she said to me. From the moment I was loaded into the Imperial carriage, I shut my mouth.
I finally escaped the villainess’s mansion, but I didn’t feel happy at all.
If I’d known it would be like this, I would’ve run on the cat wheel a lot more yesterday.
The Imperial Prince’s Palace felt enormous after so long.
Everyone working there welcomed me, but no one was as close as Sophie.
Marcel had work to attend to, so he left me in the parlor and rushed to a meeting.
Before long, lunch arrived—premium steak—but it wasn’t even warm.
After chewing only a few pieces, I curled up in the corner of the parlor.
“You’re not dead, are you?”
“Meow.”
Etienne appeared at some point and gently poked my back.
There was no fear of the future here. No worries about the original story. No villainess.
But also no cat tower. No blueberries. No Sophie. No Eloise.
Nothing but things missing.
“You.”
“Meooow.”
“You can talk, you know.”
“Dunnoow.”
Maybe life was better when I was just a cat. I don’t know.
I did everything I could to survive at the duke’s house, but now that I’m at the palace, I don’t want to do anything.
Etienne quietly stroked my back.
He used to hate cats, but now he was trying to comfort me in his own way.
“You’re not acting weird because of your identity or anything. I figured it might be the strange mana from the northern mountain range.”
He thought I was depressed about what I was. That was part of it, but my chest just felt empty.
Like the first night I lived alone in a small room—free, but strangely lonely.
Still, unlike back then, someone was beside me now.
“Etienne.”
“Yeah.”
I didn’t like the silence, so I called him.
I didn’t even know what I wanted to say, so I just said whatever came to mind.
“Why do you hate cats? Do you hate me too?”
“…I just have bad memories with feline-type beasts. You… I don’t particularly hate.”
Not particularly hating me? I was so touched I could cry.
I wriggled closer to him. I needed warmth right now.
“Am I… really not a beastkin?”
“…Probably.”
“Tch. What’s with ‘probably’?”
He didn’t answer. He just stared at me quietly.
Silence fell again, so I kept moving my mouth aimlessly.
“You said you’d come save me no matter where I was. Were you even listening to my situation?”
“You cried so much when you couldn’t speak. Still loud as ever.”
“I trusted you completely, you know. I’m disappointed.”
“I was watching. From breaking the vase the Empress gifted to becoming the true power of the duke’s house.”
The real power was the duchess, not me.
I pouted and muttered, but I felt relieved knowing he had been watching.
It made me believe that if I were ever truly in danger, he would come.
“Two men begged me desperately to protect you.”
“That’s not the story I heard.”
“You went through a lot. Not just causing trouble.”
“…Thanks.”
For the first time, I saw Etienne smile.
He was usually expressionless or sulky, so I rarely saw any changes in his face.
His first smile was so mysterious and faintly wistful that it made my feline heart tremble.
He’s only thirteen, but when he grows up, it’s going to be dangerous. This kid.
“Don’t smile like that in front of girls. You’ll get reported.”
“Reported? For what?”
“For marriage registration.”
I quoted a joke I’d seen on social media in my past life, and Etienne’s expression crumpled so hard that even the word displeased felt too elegant.
Which made things very awkward. I must’ve left part of my brain back at the duke’s house with Eloise.
“It was a joke. Laugh a little.”
“Maybe you were better off just meowing.”
“You’re so mean!”
He was mean, but thanks to that, my loneliness eased a little.
Knowing it was his way of caring made my heart feel warm.
While we were bickering for a while, Marcel returned—with my former personal physician and royal veterinarian, Payson.
“Miss Kitty! Long time no see! Oh wait, it’s Lady Lizette now, right?”
“Payson! Long time!”
“My goodness, how are you so cute even when you talk?”
Payson stared at me with soft eyes. Marcel chuckled and said,
“Payson, no matter how great a vet you are, I doubt you’ll find anything just by staring.”
“Oh! Sorry!”
Only then did Payson place me on the table and start taking out medical tools.
One by one, he checked my body with them.
I rolled to the right and rolled to the left repeatedly.
“Hmm. First of all—”
“First of all?”
“You’ve gained a lot of weight.”
…I know. I can tell when I look in the mirror. I buried my face in my paws as Payson and Marcel snickered.
So humiliating. Evil men.
“You’re growing healthily. I don’t see any other issues.”
“What about mana? And your thoughts on her speech?”
“The mana detector shows reactions similar to the northern mountains’ impure mana, but also different. As for speech… I’ve never seen a case like this, so it’s hard to say, but I believe she always had human thought. From the very first word she spoke— ahem, the word, you know.”
Payson bit his lip. Considering my first word was ‘son of a b*tch’, I understood.
Holding back laughter, he continued.
“Normally, cats or dogs only express limited sounds. But Lady Lizette forms perfect sentences. Even though no one taught her.”
All three of them stared at me. I don’t know anything. I am just a normal cat.
I shamelessly met their gaze, and Payson turned back to Marcel.
“It’d be best to keep monitoring her mana daily. There’s a small chance she might be beastkin.”
“A small chance, huh.”
“Of course, I don’t mean to dismiss or doubt Etienne’s opinion. We just want to consider all possibilities.”
“Right. Thanks. Please take care of her.”
“Yes. Then, Lady Lizette, see you tomorrow.”
Payson cheerfully waved and left the parlor.
Marcel seemed to be done for the day as he removed his jacket and tie and hung them over the sofa.
Then he lay down on it. I leapt onto his stomach.
“Ugh.”
He made a noise—maybe I really did get heavier.
Before, he could handle me easily when I climbed on him.
“Sorry, Marcel.”
“No, it’s— it’s fine. Lizette, you’ve really grown.”
Marcel reached out and scratched my chin. Hm. Not quite right.
Eloise’s chin scratches felt so much better.
“Marcel, is the northern mountain range really that strange? They called me a demon cat.”
“According to the founding myth, a demon defeated by the first emperor lies asleep there. They say impure mana gathers there, and any being who drinks it goes mad. No one knows how much of it is true or legend, but the impure mana is definitely real.”
I knew about impure mana.
I just wanted to know what was there that made me become possessed. I thought Marcel, who investigated and hunted in the northern mountains, might know something, but that hope fizzled.
“There’s a wolf beastkin village there.”
Etienne added. I think it was vaguely mentioned in the original story too.
It was said to be freezing and barren, but livable for those who hunted and endured the cold.
So the Empire willingly ceded the land to them.
Marcel turned his head and asked Etienne,
“Is the chieftain doing well? Nothing unusual in the north?”
“Same as always. Now that it’s winter, they’re busy with many things.”
Curled up on Marcel’s stomach, I drifted off to the sound of their talk about the north.
Marcel’s body heat was warm, but compared to the cool warmth I had grown used to, it felt unfamiliar.
Eloise better not get sick while I’m gone…
