K’s ears, flattened against the high tree branch where he lay prone, twitched sharply. His black tail swayed lightly in time with the movement of his ears. But those subtle motions were swallowed by the pitch-dark forest, unseen by anyone.
Below the tree, a group of humans had built several campfires. There were quite a few of them—enough that the small clearing was brightly lit by multiple flames. From his perch high above, K silently observed the scene unfolding beneath him.
In truth, K had already been watching this group for half a day.
After escaping the Witch’s Cabin and wandering through the forest for three days and nights, K was completely exhausted. His body was worn down, but worse than that, he was on the verge of collapse from hunger. He had considered hunting something, but that was out of the question. Catching and eating wild animals crawling with disease and parasites was worse than starving to death. And then, just as despair had set in, he discovered the humans. Instead of approaching them directly, K chose to tail them from a distance.
The reason was simple. They were hunting.
K gazed down at the wild boar roasting over the campfire, his eyes clouded with complicated thoughts.
The sizzling meat and its rich aroma looked unbelievably delicious. In the past, he would’ve charged in without a second thought just to eat it. But things were different now. There was no guarantee these humans wouldn’t decide to catch and eat K as well.
K tapped the tree branch with his tail, lost in thought.
Eating cats isn’t common—but it’s not unheard of either. K clearly remembered his maternal grandmother once boiling a cat, claiming it was good for arthritis. And just because Koreans generally don’t eat cats didn’t mean these humans wouldn’t. Even if they didn’t eat him, they might covet his beautiful black fur. Or worse—like in medieval Europe, they might kill a black cat just for being unlucky.
Ah. I’m starving to death.
K smacked his lips as he watched the meat crisp to a perfect golden brown. The thought of sneaking down to steal a bite surged irresistibly through his mind. His fur was black anyway—if he suppressed his presence and approached carefully, they probably wouldn’t notice. But…
K flicked a glance at the large swords, shields, and arrows the humans carried. There was no rule saying he wouldn’t end up like that boar if he tried to steal food. Alternating his gaze between the fragrant meat and the weapons, K finally gave up on stealing it. That didn’t mean he was giving up on the meat itself—only on stealing it. There were other ways to eat it without resorting to theft.
First, he needed to observe the humans below more carefully, one by one.
He’d turned into a cat anyway. It wasn’t like he could lower himself to catching filthy mice. Depending on someone was his only option. There’s a saying, isn’t there? A dog’s life is the best life. If he found the right human to take him in, he could live comfortably for a while. Whether it was breaking the curse or finding a way back to his original world, he’d need to stay among humans—so wouldn’t it be better to rely on someone wealthy?
First, eliminate the spear-wielding riffraff running around. Eliminate the ones bustling about near the fires. Eliminate those dressed in shabby clothes. Eliminate the ones with rough, unpleasant faces.
K’s eyes gleamed sharply as he evaluated potential humans to mooch off for the time being.
After filtering out several groups, only a few remained. One particular campfire directly beneath the tree where K hid caught his attention—along with the men seated around it. Their attire, their weapons, and the way they sat calmly without moving suggested one thing. These were undoubtedly the ones with the highest status.
Among them, K focused especially on one man leaning back against the tree.
His clothing was luxurious and ornate, and even the way he sat radiated authority. There was no doubt he held the highest position there. K narrowed his eyes, tail swaying gently as he studied the man’s face. He looked quite young, yet his expression never changed—an emotionless mask that revealed nothing of his thoughts.
Will this work?
K swished his tail as he gauged the man’s reaction.
He looked fairly handsome and refined—not the sort who seemed particularly ill-tempered. If K acted pitiful, he probably wouldn’t be killed just for being annoying. …Probably.
After agonizing for quite some time, K finally decided to take the risk and approach that man. He rose to his feet.
“Nyaa—”
From deep within the dark forest came a plaintive cry. Soldiers who had instinctively reached for their weapons at the rustling sound relaxed their shoulders upon hearing it—but they did not let their guard down.
“Nyaa—”
As if announcing his approach, the thin, fragile cry sounded again. Soon after, a small cat emerged, padding lightly into the flickering firelight. Once the soldiers confirmed what it was, they let out dry chuckles and released their grips on their weapons.
The black cat stopped at the edge of the firelight, pausing as though gauging the humans’ reactions. Once it sensed the softened atmosphere, it began to approach again with light, graceful steps. Its relaxed demeanor intrigued the soldiers, who watched with amused curiosity.
The cat moved with elegant confidence, walking straight toward a single spot as if it had chosen its target long ago.
“What should we do, Your Highness?”
Unlike the others, a knight named Simon kept his hand on the hilt of his sword as he asked in a low voice. In response, Calyx—who had been leaning against the tree—slowly lifted his eyelids.
The black cat with its glossy fur advanced toward Calyx at an unhurried but unwavering pace. Even as it passed through the ranks of soldiers, there was no sign of hesitation or fear.
“Your Highness.”
Simon urged him again.
In truth, they had noticed long ago that the cat was following them. It was a small, harmless creature, so they’d left it alone. But allowing an animal to approach Calyx so openly was another matter entirely. There was always the possibility—however small.
Perhaps sensing Simon’s intent to draw his sword at any moment, the cat suddenly stopped. About three meters away, it looked at Simon, then at the sword in his hand, and blinked slowly. Its tail swayed gently left and right, as if measuring something. Watching this in silence, Calyx finally spoke.
“Leave it.”
At Calyx’s words, Simon immediately removed his hand from the sword hilt. The cat resumed its approach.
Stopping directly in front of Calyx, the cat sat down, lowering its hindquarters to the ground. The knights seated nearby watched it with equal parts interest and caution. Up close, the cat’s fur was pitch-black without a single speck of dust. The way it sat so elegantly, unafraid of unfamiliar humans, staring straight at Calyx, was strangely fascinating.
As it sat there gazing at him, the cat suddenly turned its head. Its eyes landed on the well-cooked boar meat placed in front of Calyx. After staring at the steaming meat for a moment, it looked back at Calyx—and then let out a long, pitiful “Nyaa—.” It was clearly begging for food. The knights clicked their tongues inwardly. The creature was undeniably cute, but it had chosen the wrong person to plead with. The one it was begging was none other than Crown Prince Calyx.
Crown Prince Calyx had been famous since childhood for his cold and unyielding nature. His face was always expressionless, never revealing his emotions. Unaware of this, the cat glanced at the meat again and cried out “Nyaa—” toward the Crown Prince once more.
Watching the cat cry so weakly, Calyx suddenly lifted one hand. Seeing the hand extended toward it, the cat tapped the ground with its tail. A large hand that had held a sword since childhood would surely seem threatening to such a small creature.
The cat stared at the outstretched hand with narrowed eyes for a moment. Then it stood up from where it had been sitting, approached slowly, placed its front paw atop Calyx’s hand—and cried “Nyaa.”
The forest night was bitterly cold.
Even a creature wrapped in fur would surely feel it. Thinking this, Crown Prince Calyx looked down at the small life before him.
The black-furred cat was curled into a tight ball, fast asleep. Its body rose and fell slowly with each breath—it was in a deep slumber. From time to time, its nose twitched or its front paw jerked slightly, as though it were dreaming.
A little while earlier, the cat had shivered and climbed onto the prince’s stomach. Its eyes hadn’t even been open—it must have been half-asleep. Seeking a warmer place, it kept squirming until the prince covered it with a blanket. Wrapped between Calyx’s abdomen and the blanket, the cat finally sank back into a deep sleep.
Sleeping without fear atop a stranger’s stomach, the cat was remarkably small—perhaps a bit smaller than ordinary cats. Its body temperature was slightly higher than a human’s. The spot on his abdomen where the cat lay was warm.
How curious. Crown Prince Calyx thought this as he gazed at the cat.
