If he wasn’t imagining things, Diana had definitely said,
“…I’m scared of him.”
She looked genuinely terrified.
“Oh dear.”
Sensing her fear, Chesif gently wrapped his arms around her head. Diana’s eyes flew wide as her forehead bumped into his chest.
“Duke Laufe does have… a bit of that intimidating side. I get why you’d feel uneasy.”
His soft, downturned brows radiated sympathy. And those careful hands, treating her like something fragile and precious? Diana’s expression quickly relaxed.
“You’ve clearly been through a lot. For someone who came all the way here to treat him, he should be showering you with gratitude, not leaving you so upset. If you’d like, I’ll file a formal complaint with Duke Laufe myself.”
“What? No, I—”
“I wouldn’t hesitate to clash with the Duke’s household if it’s for your sake.”
“Chesif…”
Strawberry, who’d been eavesdropping with great interest, flinched. The vibe was getting weird.
And that sinking feeling turned out to be right.
“Uhh, wait, Strawberry’s watching—”
“What would a cat know? Honestly, you should be giving me all your attention right now.”
Already stuck together like glue, the two of them wrapped even tighter around each other. Their faces drew so close their noses nearly touched—then finally, their lips met with no space between.
“……”
And then came the unmistakable, unmistakably lewd sounds.
With a grumpy face, Strawberry got up and walked away.
His expression was far too human for a cat, but the couple locked in their passionate kiss didn’t notice a thing.
He’d seen it coming from the start. The way they kept “accidentally” brushing hands while petting him, blushing like teenagers—it was bound to happen sooner or later. One of them had definitely been scheming.
With a cat’s sharp hearing, there was no escaping the wet smooching noises in this room. Strawberry slunk off, determined to find the farthest possible place from that mess.
He crawled under the thick curtain he’d scoped out earlier. Nestled by the window, it was mercifully far enough for the gross background noise to be muffled.
He pressed a fluffy paw to the windowpane and looked outside. He could feel his jaw slowly drop.
Damn, that’s fancy.
The cold glass told him the weather wasn’t even warm, yet outside, the garden was bursting with flowers, as if enchanted.
He didn’t know the first thing about gardening, but even he could tell: that took a ridiculous amount of money and manpower.
He couldn’t tear his eyes away. Like he was hypnotized, he just stared and stared, soaking in the view over and over.
Then, on the surface of the window, a small, fluffy figure appeared—bright yellow fur, no trace of a human left. Just a cat now.
They say cats love staring out windows.
Was it just because he’d become a cat? He tried to laugh it off—but the joke wouldn’t stick.
…Because deep down, he knew. That wasn’t it. He just missed the outside world.
He’d been stuck in this mansion for a while now, and nothing about his daily routine had changed. Trapped in a tiny storage room all day, nibbling on scraps. Dolling himself up and acting cute whenever Diana visited.
As if waking up in a cat’s body wasn’t humiliating enough, this damned place didn’t even pretend to care about rights—human or feline.
At this point, it was a miracle he hadn’t lost his mind. He gave himself a silent round of applause for his mental fortitude… and still felt bitter.
How long am I supposed to live like this?
He already knew the answer. The same monotonous cycle, over and over again.
“Strawberry, where are you? I thought you went this way…”
Lost in thought, he barely registered the voice calling out. Guess their little make-out session was over. He let out a half-hearted meow.
“Meow.”
“Oh, there you are.”
A pale hand gently lifted him. Strawberry cast one last longing glance out the window.
“You like it outside, huh?”
“Mrow.”
“Wait, did you just answer me? What a clever boy.”
Diana’s soft laugh made her flushed face look even redder. Her lips were a little swollen too. Must’ve had a real good time, huh.
He couldn’t help but grimace.
When she reached up to stroke between his brows, he pulled his head away, twisting and squirming in her grasp.
Apparently startled by how smoothly he slipped out—his body practically liquid—Diana fumbled to catch him.
But he was already trotting off, and she hurried after him with a flustered smile.
“Strawberry, are you mad at me?”
“……”
Mad? Who, him? That was way too cute a word for what this was. He just didn’t want to watch that nauseating make-out show right in front of his face, that’s all.
“I’m sorry, okay? I promise I’ll be more mindful next time. Can you forgive me—just this once?”
“……”
“Are you really that upset?”
But Diana seemed to be taking it way more seriously than he expected. Her face clouded with guilt as she trailed after him, and it was honestly starting to get annoying.
“Hmm… Then how about this: I’ll bring double the treats next time. The blueberry snacks from earlier? Or your favorite—strawberries? You also really liked those dried sweet potato bites the other day… Should I just bring everything?”
His ears twitched before he could stop them.
“Or maybe we could go for a walk together? You were staring out the window for so long—don’t tell me you’re curious about the outside?”
“Mrow?”
But then—bam. Even more tempting than food. Her next offer sent a jolt of interest through him, and Strawberry’s eyes sparkled.
“Meow!”
Like he’d never been sulking in the first place, he instantly launched himself at Diana’s feet. He could bet anything his eyes were sparkling enough to give Puss in Boots a run for his money.
Diana, clearly delighted, turned to Chesif with a bright grin.
“Chesif! Can we take Strawberry for a walk?”
“…A walk?”
Chesif—who hadn’t batted an eye even when she’d practically been tailing a cat around—finally opened his mouth.
His narrowed blue eyes flicked between her and the cat, unreadable. Then, after a long pause, his expression softened with what looked like reluctant indulgence.
“If it’s just the garden.”
“Yay!”
“But not today. The sun’s about to set.”
“Oh… You’re right. Strawberry, we’ll go for a walk next time, okay? Promise.”
She held out her pinky with a playful smile. Strawberry gave it a lazy tap with his paw and tilted his head.
Weird. Why had Chesif agreed so easily? This was the same guy who kept him locked up in a storage room all day. Letting him walk outside? That wasn’t like him.
But the unease didn’t last long.
The moment Diana left the room, Chesif’s expression turned ice-cold, like a switch had flipped.
“Get rid of him.”
“Yes, Marquess.”
“Ugh. I swear, that disgusting furball is going to drive me insane.”
He even threw in a sneer of pure contempt. Being carried like a sack of potatoes was bad enough, but that look? That was pushing it.
So maybe that’s why he snapped. Normally, he’d put up with the manhandling. But not today. Not with that attitude.
So he raised his claws and fought back.
“Argh!”
The servant yelped as Strawberry raked a paw across his hand. He dropped him with a curse, and another servant quickly rushed in to grab him again—but the damage had been done.
“You little—!”
“Wait! Ult—!”
The furious man reeled back and struck.
Pain exploded in his skull.
“Mrowwwk!”
A strangled yelp tore from him as his body went limp. Stars burst in his vision, and a rush of voices rang around him like an alarm.
“Are you out of your mind?! You hit him?!”
“Tch. It’s not like I punched him full force. I was pissed, okay? Just gave him a little smack.”
“But what if the Marquess finds out—?!”
“So what if he does? Everyone knows he can’t stand the damn thing. He only keeps it around to impress that cute priestess. As long as there’s no visible injury, no one’s gonna care if I land a hit or two.”
Their voices were becoming clearer again. The pain was dulling. His head, once fuzzy, was slowly starting to clear.
But all Strawberry could do was blink in disbelief.
So wait.
Did I just get hit?
Like, actually punched? In the head? His tiny, squishy, fluffy cat head?!
Okay, fine—he hadn’t exactly been cooperative. He’d scratched the guy. But still, wasn’t this a little much? A bit extreme? Way past the line?
Way past.
