I’ve only just woken up, but my mind is crystal clear. And inside my heart, something is burning fiercely.
That’s right. I’m planning revenge. From this moment on, I intend to take revenge on the maids—and on Julia—for the humiliation they inflicted on me yesterday. What you suffer must always be repaid. Even if the target happens to be a big-chested beauty, there can be no exceptions. Revenge must be carried out fairly.
The plan is simple.
The moment Julia sets down the washbasin, I’ll throw a front-paw punch. Julia, drenched in wash water, will finally realize just how angry I am. Of course, that won’t be the end of it. My humiliation and rage aren’t things that can be soothed with something so minor. I plan to flip the washbasin over three times in a row. That way, Julia will feel every bit of the misery I felt yesterday. After that, I’ll knock away the grooming brush about three times, then flip over the breakfast table three times for good measure. And then, I’ll knock the ink bottle onto the floor and turn the entire room into an ocean of ink. I mustn’t forget to soak my whole body in ink and roll around on the bed afterward. And then rub myself all over the curtains—heh.
The maids will undoubtedly lose their wits at the carnage and burst into tears.
Of course, I have more plans.
I came up with hundreds of methods while chewing over yesterday’s humiliation and shame. Even if I only carried out ten a day, I could torment them thoroughly for ten full days.
Ah. Just thinking about it makes me feel refreshed.
Without realizing it, I must’ve started purring softly. Lyx rubbed my head with a single finger. I let out a gentle “meow—” toward Lyx, my one and only ally. After being so thoroughly betrayed by the maids, Julia, and Simon, Lyx somehow feels even more reliable and lovable. I rubbed my forehead against his hand, silently conveying my feelings.
Julia walked over, carrying the washbasin.
I steeled myself once more. I calculated where Julia would stop, where the washbasin would be positioned, the timing of my front-paw punch, and how much force I needed to put into it. The gleaming washbasin was made of metal and looked fairly heavy at a glance. If I misjudged the punch, it might end up being nothing more than a light tap. If that happened, I might actually faint from sheer embarrassment. Still, I couldn’t exactly use my specialty—the airborne 180-degree spinning kick. That kind of full-scale action didn’t suit my dignity. I had to carry out my revenge with cool, detached composure. After all, I am a cold city man who never loses his calm under any circumstances.
Three steps. Two steps. One step.
I tensed every muscle in my body. And just as I was about to unleash a powerful front-paw punch—
“Kyaaaak!”
What on earth?
Julia spilled the washbasin all by herself.
I casually pretended to lick the paw I’d slightly lifted. Glancing around, it didn’t seem like anyone had noticed. Thank goodness.
“I—I’m so sorry!”
Julia floundered about with a deathly pale face. The maids and attendants turned just as pale as they hurried to clean up the mess. I watched Julia as she frantically wiped the floor. Her white hands trembled violently as she scrubbed. She was shaking so badly it looked like she might be having a seizure. Looking around, I noticed the other maids and attendants were trembling too—it didn’t look normal at all. Surely they hadn’t all come down with some kind of collective nervous disorder?
That aside…
I shivered as a creeping chill brushed over me.
Why is it suddenly so cold? Lyx, aren’t you cold?
When I looked up at Lyx, he was sitting perfectly upright, gazing down at the floor beside the bed. Following his line of sight, I saw the maids scrubbing away, shaking like leaves.
I looked back at Lyx. His face was completely expressionless as he quietly lowered his gaze, and there was a palpable aura about him. It was aristocratic poise in its purest form. I’m so used to seeing him smile softly when he’s with me that this side of him feels unfamiliar.
Meow—
When I called out, Lyx turned his head. His expression softened instantly, as if it had never been rigid to begin with. Maybe it was because of the hand stroking my back, but I no longer felt cold.
Looking down again, Julia and the maids were nearly done cleaning. Their hands weren’t shaking anymore. From their brisk movements, I could practically feel their determination to finish as quickly as possible.
Watching that, I can’t help feeling a little conflicted. A young lady scrubbing floors—doesn’t that sound like something straight out of Cinderella? Honestly, I’d feel better if I’d been the one to spill it myself. This awkward, half-baked outcome just leaves me unsettled.
I firmly pulled myself together as my resolve began to waver.
I can’t start feeling sorry over something like this. Compared to everything I suffered yesterday, this is nothing. I have to put aside this half-hearted sympathy and carry out my planned revenge. Because a cold city man never forgets a grudge.
“S-sorry…”
A maid whimpered with a pale face. The others nearby gathered and quickly began cleaning the floor together. Watching their coordinated movements, I fell into thought.
Something’s strange.
This isn’t how I imagined today going at all. According to my plan, I should be joyfully swinging the blade of revenge by now. Instead of getting revenge, all I’ve been doing is watching one maid’s mistake after another. Something is definitely off.
Every maid and attendant in the Crown Prince’s palace is a veteran. They don’t make even the smallest mistakes. And yet today, they’re unusually clumsy. No—calling it “frequent mistakes” isn’t even enough. It honestly looks like they’ve all collectively lost their minds.
It started with Julia spilling the washbasin. After that, a maid bringing Lyx’s clothes and accessories dropped them on the floor by accident. Then the maid assisting with dressing made one absurd mistake after another, and then an attendant serving the meal spilled a plate. Every single action has been riddled with errors.
Thanks to that, my revenge plan has long since gone down the drain. With accidents happening one after another, now I get nervous every time a maid moves. I keep wondering what they’ll drop next.
Watching more closely, I think I can vaguely guess the cause.
Every maid who makes a mistake has a deathly pale face, with hands and bodies trembling violently. It’s not just the ones who mess up—every maid in the room is like that. It’s not like they all came down with hand tremors at the same time, so that leaves only one explanation: the cold.
Come to think of it, the chill is especially sharp today. Even I, with all my fur, can feel it—so how much worse must it be for humans?
Lately, nothing’s been going right.
It’s not like I can take revenge on maids who already look like they might bite their tongues and die from their own mistakes. As regrettable as it is, I’ll have to put it off for now. They say a gentleman’s revenge can take ten years and still not be too late. Delaying it a day or two won’t hurt.
Ah. I’m bored.
Now that my long-anticipated revenge has been postponed, boredom comes rushing in. Normally, this would be the time I’d mess around with the maids or with Simon. But I’ve decided I’m not playing with them anymore. Which means I’ll have to deal with this boredom on my own.
What should I do for fun?
I sank into thought. Even then, I didn’t forget to maintain an elegant, dignified posture.
I stared intently into the air, thinking it over, but no good ideas came to mind. Naturally so—I’d already eliminated the most important component: the maids.
Kneading glutinous rice dough. Listening to the sound of gold coins. Trying on clothes I like. Switching necklaces one by one. Playing hide-and-seek.
All of my favorite games involve the maids. But if I try to do something else, Simon becomes the problem instead. He blocks me at every turn, saying everything I want to do is dangerous.
I feel an odd sense of emptiness.
Just cutting out the maids and Simon leaves me with this little to do? It seems I’ve been relying far too much on humans. I’ve grown lazy, soaked in the comfort of palace life. That’s something I need to reflect on.
Ah. I’m bored.
My entire body feels itchy with boredom. But I can’t go outside in this cold weather. If I foolishly go out anyway, there’s a 120 percent chance I’ll catch a cold. I’d end up pathetically walking around with snot dripping from my nose. There’s no helping it. I’ll just have to seduce Lyx into playing with me.
Our diligent Lyx is completely absorbed in work.
Watching him work so hard makes me feel both proud and a little sorry for him. With the Emperor constantly ailing, it seems all the work has fallen onto Lyx alone, so he’s always drowning in tasks. Even so, he never frowns once and quietly gets everything done. As my patron, he’s truly ideal. After all, working hard to support me is the patron’s duty.
