Chapter 25
The faces of the women who saw my beautiful appearance turned pale.
“G–Good heavens…”
“What is this… She’s a stunning beauty…!”
Ignoring the maids who couldn’t even close their mouths, I turned away.
“Let’s go, Arin. I feel like I wasted time here.”
“Y-Yes, ma’am…!”
Arin hurried after me as I strode ahead.
“Lady Ishtar… Are you sure it’s okay? Lord Aziz warned you not to show your face if possible.”
“As long as I stay with Suleiman, rumors like this will keep spreading anyway. If I have to keep hiding forever, it’s better to reveal myself outright.”
“But still…”
“Don’t worry about Aziz. I’ll explain things to him. You don’t need to worry.”
Reluctantly, Arin nodded, following behind me with an uneasy expression.
‘I’ve done nothing wrong. There’s no reason for me to endure insults like that.’
If Aziz dares to speak of my safety, I’ll tell him to take responsibility and strengthen the guard—or protect me more proactively.
Since coming to the palace, I had been enduring quite a lot.
Of course, it was an unspoken, mutually agreed cooperation.
I also needed time before I could stand on my own here.
To fully return to being human—and for Aziz and Suleiman to pursue their own goals—we were only cooperating temporarily.
I quietly received their education, wore this suffocating veil everywhere… So naturally, they ought to do something for me in return.
Nothing in the world is free.
“…Still, I should find a way to protect myself.”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing. Just talking to myself.”
I recalled the assassination attempt last time.
As long as I stayed near Suleiman, there was always the chance of facing such dangers again.
‘I refuse to die miserably a second time. I need power.’
I thought of the power Ashtar had given me—
The power to manipulate and control water.
If I could train until I used it freely, ordinary dangers would no longer threaten me.
I wouldn’t need anyone’s protection.
I had already experienced an unpeaceful death once.
This time, I made a grand vow: I will survive until I die a natural death, living a healthy and wealthy life.
It was a bit laughable that my greatest wish after reincarnation was simply a natural death.
But still—eating delicious food, living happily and joyfully—that was my unchanging life goal.
Even if I had to endure hardships for the few years beside Suleiman, considering the long life that awaited me afterward, it was a worthwhile investment.
After running the calculations in my head, I glanced back at Arin, who was trailing after me anxiously.
She must have been fretting over whether my name would be tarnished by gossip.
Feeling sorry for her, I stopped and made her a promise.
“Arin, you might suffer a little because of me, but please bear with it for now. I’ll make sure to repay you later.”
“Oh, Lady Ishtar… I don’t serve you because I expect such things.”
“Then what do you want?”
“I don’t really want anything… Just to live quietly with my brother someday, the two of us together.”
“Fine. Within a few years, I’ll make sure you and your brother have a house to live in.”
“Oh my, hearing you say that alone makes me happy. Hehe.”
“Think I’m lying? Just wait and see.”
I was quite shrewd, after all.
In this temporary partnership, I held the advantage.
Though I hadn’t mentioned money yet since I wasn’t familiar with this world’s economy, I fully intended to demand hefty compensation for my labor later.
If they refused, the ones at a loss would be Aziz and Suleiman, not me.
Besides, since they called me the incarnation of their god or whatever, they couldn’t exactly treat me like a slave.
Smiling, I looked around the splendidly decorated palace.
With all that gold plating everywhere, the royal treasury must be overflowing.
“You seem to be in a better mood than before, Lady Ishtar.”
“Oh. Wow. You noticed?”
“Eh? Wow?”
“Uh… it’s just a habit of speech I use when I’m surprised.”
Watching Arin mutter, “Wow, wow…” like she was memorizing an English word, I chuckled.
‘And she can’t even see my expression clearly with this veil on.’
Whether I was in cat form or human form, Arin always picked up on my emotions with uncanny accuracy.
Feeling lighter, I hummed softly to myself and strode toward the library.
That day, after borrowing a mountain of books from the library, I returned to my room and ate an early dinner.
Suleiman usually ate outside, so we rarely shared meals.
Since his appointment as governor, he had been coming home quite late, no doubt overwhelmed by work in the early days of his position.
But unlike before, he no longer stayed up all night poring over documents.
In fact, for the past few days, he had slept so soundly that he was still fast asleep even after I woke up in the morning.
A few times, he hadn’t stirred at all until I tapped his cheek repeatedly with my paw.
That evening, I picked up a book titled “A Kingdom’s History Through the Lens of Love” and became so engrossed that I read until the sunset was long gone.
‘This history is surprisingly interesting.’
The Ashtal Kingdom had a thousand years of history, filled with countless love stories.
The book I had chosen was practically a romance novel, with a particular focus on harems.
Since people of any status or nationality could enter the harem, the stories unfolding within were as dramatic as any play.
Both men and women could ascend to the throne of Sultan. And if a woman became Sultan, she could also maintain a harem of men, just like male rulers.
‘So women can have harems of men, too.’
Though sometimes, if the Sultaness didn’t want that, she could establish a cat harem instead—done as a ritual to pray for the kingdom’s well-being.
I was so absorbed in the endless stories that I didn’t notice how late it had become.
Then suddenly, I felt strange.
“Ugh…”
The symptoms that came just before I transformed into a cat—
A parched throat, and the sensation of blood vessels tightening all over my body.
When Suleiman was near, this never happened. But alone, the transformation always came with some pain.
“Meow.” (It happened again.)
Sitting in my chair, I sighed deeply as my body shifted into that of a small cat.
‘Another failure.’
Lately, Aziz had been trying different spells to help me stay human longer.
Sometimes I could last half a day; other times the effect wore off immediately.
Today was the latter—Suleiman had stopped by briefly in the afternoon to restore my human form, but it hadn’t lasted.
I’d hoped to hold out until he came back, but clearly I was too optimistic.
“Meow…” (Sigh…)
I pressed my temples with my paws, trying to ease the headache, when suddenly dizziness swept over me.
‘Ugh, so dizzy…’
I slipped, tripping over the clothes I had been wearing.
“Kyahhh!” (Ahh!)
For a kitten like me, the drop felt like a roller coaster plunge.
But just before I hit the ground, a large, strong hand caught me.
“Careful. You’ll hurt yourself.”
“Meow…?” (Suleiman…?)
Shaken, I teared up in fear.
“From now on, read in my bed in the afternoons. You never know when you’ll change—it’s too dangerous.”
I weakly nodded, and another tear rolled down my cheek.
“Meow…” (I was scared…)
Suleiman sighed softly, holding me close and stroking my back.
“My little kitten is a crybaby. You cried before, too.”
Before? When?
‘Could it be… then?’
I remembered that moment when our eyes had met—while he was drenched in the assassin’s blood.
As I blinked up at him, a fresh pearl-like tear rolled from my eye.
He frowned slightly and brushed it away with his thumb.
“…Don’t cry. I’ll make sure to come back earlier next time.”
Embarrassed at crying like a child, I rubbed my eyes with my paws.
For some reason, when I was a cat, my rationality seemed weaker than as a human.
‘Must be the transformation messing with me.’
Compared to the time I had played with Arin’s handmade cat toy until I felt humiliated afterward… a few tears were nothing.
“Let’s go to bed. I’ll carry you.”
He moved me gently to his bed.
While he undressed and slipped into a robe, I stole a glance at his back. He noticed and turned.
“What? Do you have something to say?”
“Meow, meow.” (No, nothing.)
I shook my head quickly, but he still looked at me suspiciously.
‘Seriously though… that body is incredible.’
His shoulders, arms, and back were packed with solid muscle—clearly forged through rigorous training since youth.
The scars scattered across his body showed that he had fought real battles as well.
I remembered the overwhelming presence he had when wielding a sword.
Now dressed in loose pants and a nightgown, he put out the light and stretched across the bed.
The pleasant crackling of the firewood lulled me toward sleep… until suddenly, he rolled over.
“Meow!” (Yikes!)
To me, a kitten, the motion was like a giant toppling over—the whole bed shook.
Startled, I instinctively clung to the nearest thing—Suleiman’s body.
Apparently, my claws had come out, because he winced.
“…That stings.”
When I realized where I was clinging, I nearly fainted.
I was latched onto his broad, bare chest, exposed by his open robe—
Digging my claws in, holding on for dear life!
