“Oh my. That’s His Highness the Crown Prince’s cat.”
“Oh my goodness. How adorable.”
The noble ladies fluttered their fans, whispering softly among themselves.
Where their gazes were fixed was a small black cat, chin lifted high as he strode forward with unmistakable pride. His jet-black tail stood straight up, his steps light and measured. From head to toe, there wasn’t a single flaw to be found—his bearing was elegant and confident in every respect.
“I hear His Highness became much gentler after bringing that cat with him. The same man who used to be terrifying just to make eye contact with.”
“Oh, absolutely. They say he smiles constantly whenever the cat is around. But when the cat isn’t there, he goes right back to his usual self. That’s why anyone who has business requesting an audience always asks the chief attendant first whether the cat is with His Highness or not.”
“Thanks to that, it seems only the chief attendant’s pockets will grow thicker.”
The noble ladies let out small bursts of laughter.
Whether they chatted and laughed or not, the cat continued briskly on his way and slipped through an open door into the palace.
Arriving in front of the Crown Prince’s office, the cat let out a “nyaaang—” toward the knights standing guard on either side of the door. Seeing him, the knights opened the office doors slightly.
As the cat padded lightly inside, the Crown Prince—who had been seated at his desk, working—lifted his gaze. The moment their eyes met, the Crown Prince spoke first.
“K.”
At the call, the cat replied with a gentle, “Nyaang—.”
Without hesitation, the cat sprang up onto the desk and bumped his head lightly against the Crown Prince’s hand, thump, thump. Then he rubbed his head and cheeks against it, purring deeply. Watching the cat nuzzle into his hand, the Crown Prince let out a low, pleased chuckle.
“Are you done playing around now?”
As he asked, scratching the cat’s nape with his fingers, the cat answered, “Nyang—.”
There was no way a human could understand a cat’s words, and yet the Crown Prince replied, “Alright.”
After enjoying the scratching at his nape for a long while, the cat stretched out sideways atop the documents the Crown Prince had been reading just moments ago. Then, with his front paw, he tapped—tap, tap—the feather pen held in the Crown Prince’s hand. When the Crown Prince gently swayed the feather pen back and forth in front of him, the cat’s front paws flailed busily through the air.
As the cat swung his paws earnestly, trying to catch the feather, he seemed to grow annoyed when it wouldn’t come easily. Suddenly, he froze completely. Then, narrowing his eyes, he stared quietly at the Crown Prince before, in a flash, snatching the hand holding the feather pen.
Apparently no longer interested in the pen itself, the cat clamped down on one of the Crown Prince’s fingers and began to chew—gnaw, gnaw—on it. Despite the small but quite sharp fangs sinking into his finger, the Crown Prince’s face was filled with nothing but delight.
“K.”
When the Crown Prince called him, the cat, finger still in his mouth, met his gaze. Smiling with his eyes, the Crown Prince poked at the cat’s fangs with the bitten finger and spoke.
“Shall I have them bring you a new necklace?”
“NYAANG—!”
The cat answered loudly before the words had even fully left his mouth.
At the sight of the cat sitting bolt upright, staring at him with sparkling eyes, the Crown Prince burst into laughter.
“Alright. I’ll have it brought today.”
“NYAANG—!”
The cat answered loudly once more and began to purr, goro-goro-goro.
The Crown Prince quietly observed the cat, who looked to be in exceptionally high spirits. Then, gently stroking the cat’s back, he spoke again.
“K. It’s time to lift the curse now, isn’t it?”
At the Crown Prince’s words, the cat suddenly narrowed his eyes and sharply smacked away the hand stroking his back with a front paw. Snorting at the Crown Prince with narrowed eyes, the cat grabbed a red ball of yarn from a basket on one side of the desk and hopped down to the floor.
“K.”
When the Crown Prince called him, the cat glanced back briefly before scampering out of the office, the ball of yarn clenched firmly in his mouth.
Once the cat disappeared beyond the door, the Crown Prince leaned back against his chair and let out a faint sigh.
A short while later,
“Your Highness. News has just come in, this—”
A man who had entered the office hurried toward the Crown Prince and began to speak, only to snap his mouth shut mid-sentence. From the Crown Prince’s body—seated there with an expressionless face—an overwhelmingly sharp aura was spilling out. The man, his face turning pale, staggered backward step by step before finally blurting, “I will report again later,” and fleeing at lightning speed.
The office fell silent once more.
The Crown Prince, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly let out a soft snort of laughter. Murmuring something under his breath, he narrowed his eyes. And at that very moment, far away, the small black cat who was rolling around here and there among the maids, clutching the ball of yarn, suddenly shuddered as if a chill had passed through his body.
