***
“Isn’t that His Highness the Crown Prince’s cat?”
At the count’s words, everyone’s gaze shifted in one direction. Where their eyes converged stood a single black cat. With its chin lifted high as it walked, its demeanor was so haughty it looked as though it were the true master of the imperial palace.
“Sir Licht. Is that the cat everyone’s been talking about?”
Simon, having been addressed, composed his expression and nodded.
“Yes.”
At Simon’s confirmation, a soft murmur of admiration rippled through the crowd.
Even in broad daylight, as the black cat crossed the garden, a large jeweled necklace hung around its neck, as if proclaiming the status of its owner. Against its pitch-black fur, the gem stood out all the more—a massive red ruby. It was such a famous jewel that people called it the Goddess’s Heart, a treasure passed down through the imperial family for generations.
“So the rumors were true—His Highness the Crown Prince really does dote on that cat. To place such a precious imperial treasure around the neck of a mere cat…”
“Indeed. Hahaha.”
As he quietly listened to the conversation, Simon’s expression stiffened almost imperceptibly.
The story of the Crown Prince returning from a hunt with a single black cat cradled in his arms was already well known. Keeping dogs or cats as pets was hardly unusual, but when it came to the Crown Prince, it couldn’t help but attract attention. From long ago, animals had been infamous for panicking the moment they came anywhere near him. And the Crown Prince himself wasn’t the sort to lavish interest or affection on any single person. Yet here was that very Crown Prince keeping a cat by his side and cherishing it. Stranger still, the cat showed not the slightest hesitation about remaining near him. It was impossible not to find it fascinating.
“In any case, this is a good thing. His Highness’s public image will soften considerably because of it.”
At the count’s remark, people nodded in agreement. But Simon wore a heavy expression as he watched the cat disappear into the distance. In his eyes, that cat was no ordinary cat. He’d thought so from the very first day he saw it, and as time passed, that suspicion had hardened into certainty.
Cats were intelligent creatures by nature, but that one went far beyond what could be considered normal. Even so, there was nothing Simon could do for now. The Crown Prince was paying that cat far more attention than anyone had expected.
“Well then, we should be off to the meeting. Make sure you convey everything properly to His Highness, Sir Licht.”
Simon snapped back to attention and dipped his head lightly. Watching the pro–Crown Prince nobles walk away, he cast a glance in the direction the cat had vanished. Once the morning meeting began, the Crown Prince wouldn’t be leaving the council chamber for quite some time. It was the perfect window to secretly follow the cat. Suppressing his presence, Simon began to move.
My patron pats my head and leaves the room. I flick my tail once or twice in lieu of a farewell. Never more than twice. Anything beyond that is decidedly unrefined.
My patron goes to work every morning. I don’t know exactly where he goes, but it’s definitely somewhere within the imperial palace. I’ve thought about going there at least once myself, but I don’t bother following him. Trailing after my patron would severely damage my dignity. If I did that, the humans would surely start thinking of the real me as nothing more than a loyal pet.
Once my patron leaves for work, the maids grow busy.
They change the bedsheets and begin cleaning. They scrub every nook and cranny so thoroughly you couldn’t find a single speck of dust.
When they bustle about raising clouds of dust, I quietly take the route of strategic retreat. I have absolutely no intention of breathing in dust stirred up by cleaning.
My patron’s palace is enormous. Even after leaving the room, it’s quite a walk before I can get a breath of fresh air. I could go out through a window and be outside in seconds, but I don’t do anything so lacking in elegance. I always pass through doors and head out into the garden properly. When I do, the humans guarding the doors light up and greet me with things like, “Going for a walk?” If a door happens to be closed, a few scratches with my claws take care of it. Once they hear the sound of my claws, the soldiers gladly open the door for me.
“Don’t climb the trees today.”
One maid speaks to me. I swiftly scan her from head to toe. Face: pass. Chest: pass. Smile: pass. Ninety-five points out of a hundred. Toward the maid who earned a passing grade, I let out a gentle meow instead of a smirk. The maid’s face flushes red as she fidgets and twists her body. I can easily guess her condition.
She’s already fallen hard for me.
Getting close to a woman in that state is incredibly easy.
For example, if I rub my head once against her ankle, she’ll gasp things like, “Oh my!” or “What do I do?” in delight. And if I add a soft, sultry nyaa, she’ll immediately scoop me up and bury my face in her chest. At that point, the game is over. She’ll gladly invite me to join her bath time or her bed. But instead of seducing her, I start walking again. I’m not an easy man.
The garden of the Crown Prince’s palace is vast. Perfectly manicured flowering trees spread out like a painting. Just strolling through what’s visible to the eye would take hours. But over the past few days, I’ve already explored the entire garden. I even climbed a tall tree yesterday to confirm it, so I know it’s true. That’s why I’ve decided to leave the Crown Prince’s palace and explore the imperial palace as a whole. This isn’t just about a sense of adventure. I’m curious about the palace, yes—but more importantly, I’m looking for a way to break the curse. Sitting around in the Crown Prince’s palace waiting for the curse to lift would be idiotic.
“Oh my. That black cat—could it be His Highness the Crown Prince’s cat?”
I’ve been walking for a while when I hear a hushed whisper. I glance over and see elegantly dressed noblewomen staring at me and whispering among themselves. When our eyes meet, the fluttering of their fans quickens. I lift my chin sharply and resume walking. Every step draws stares intense enough to make my face prickle, but I pretend not to notice and ignore them. If I responded to every single one, I wouldn’t have enough bodies even if I had ten.
This damn imperial palace is crawling with humans wherever you go. Everywhere I pass, I’m bombarded with their gazes and whispers. Some ill-mannered humans, who don’t even know me, call out, “Kitty,” or “Nabi.” Some even gesture and make “pspsps” sounds at me. I’d love to leave claw marks on their pspsps-ing mouths or the backs of their hands, but I decide to forgive them out of magnanimity. Getting unnecessary blood on my precious claws and catching some disease would be a disaster, after all.
The attention is so irritating I’d like to change my route, but that’s not easy either. What if I passed through trees or bushes and ran into some disgusting insect? Even though I’m a cat now, I used to be a human living in a cutting-edge city of the 21st century, so I absolutely lose my mind at the sight of bugs. Just looking at them makes my skin crawl—if they latched onto my body, I’d probably faint on the spot. So I have no choice but to walk along the paths humans made for themselves.
…Hm?
For some reason, the back of my head has been itching for a while now. It feels like someone’s staring at me from behind. I turn around, but there’s no one there. Well, there’s no way a human could tail me without being caught by my sharp feline senses. It must’ve just been an itch.
That aside, there has to be a library somewhere in this imperial palace—but where on earth is it? One garden ends only for another to appear, and after passing one massive building, yet another rises ahead. It’s dizzying, not knowing what’s where. If I were in a human body, I could just grab a passerby and ask, but in this body, I can’t even properly ask for directions, let alone speak a single word.
I stop for a moment and look around. Then I think.
Where the hell is this place?
I think about it, but there’s no way to know. Of course there isn’t—I’ve never been here before. It’s not that I’m lost. I just don’t know where I am.
Come to think of it, I’m starting to get thirsty, and my legs hurt too. Normally, by now, I’d be eating snacks prepared by a maid and taking a nap while leaning against a cushion.
I scan the passing humans. But they only look at me with interest. I try giving them a thirsty look, but not a single one steps forward to offer me water.
Suddenly, I miss my patron. When I so much as look at him like I’m thirsty, he immediately brings me water…
I pull myself together from my brief bout of gloom and decide to look for my patron. Thinking about it, having my patron guide me would be far easier than wandering the imperial palace alone in search of the library. If I ride in his arms, my legs won’t hurt, and if I’m thirsty or hungry, he’ll promptly offer food or drink. Honestly, while we’re on the subject, there’s no human who understands my feelings better than my patron. All I have to do is go meow once and he immediately brings me what I want. If I ask him to take me to the library, he’ll figure it out and take me there on his own. Definitely.
Damn it. I went through all that trouble for nothing.
I turn my body around and start to step lightly back the way I came—then freeze.
But… which way was that?
No matter how I look at it, that is…
Simon studied the black cat with puzzled eyes. The Crown Prince’s black cat was walking with the same haughty, chin-raised air as before. It looked so dignified and imposing, like a victorious general returning from triumph. But Simon, who had been tailing the cat for some time now, noticed that the black tail, once held proudly high toward the sky, was gradually drooping closer to the ground.
When he first began following it, the cat had been exactly as it appeared—utterly regal. It padded lightly down the middle of the road, and even when it encountered nobles or noblewomen, it didn’t move aside. Instead, it stopped boldly and stared straight at whoever stood before it, as if to say, Why should I move? You move.
If the other party had been human, there would’ve been a problem. But people, without exception, smiled and willingly yielded the way to the cat. When they stepped aside toward the edge of the road, the cat lifted its chin and continued padding lightly down the center.
