Chapter 37
Sophie crouched down to meet my eye level and looked at me.
“Are you staying in the Empress’s quarters too?”
“Yes. I’m your lady’s maid.”
I rubbed my face against Sophie’s ankle, and she smiled brightly before reaching out to stroke my fur.
“The lady is waiting in her room.”
“And the Empress?”
“The Empress went to have a meal with His Majesty, the Emperor.”
Ah, so aside from matters concerning Arno’s birth mother, the Emperor was trying to be an exemplary ruler. Maintaining a good relationship with the Empress and giving her some influence was part of that plan.
I followed Sophie with a light heart as she guided me to the room assigned to us.
“Miss, Lisette has arrived.”
“I’m back!”
The room was cleaner and cozier than I had expected. Instead of the ostentatious style of the Duke’s mansion, it had an elegant and antique charm.
Eloise spotted me and put down the book she was reading.
“Did you meet with Dr. Payson well?”
“Yes! He said she’s healthy today too.”
I didn’t mention the fluctuation in mana flow. It could just be a temporary phenomenon, and there was no need to worry her.
Lately, Eloise had started to show a tendency to be overprotective of me. She exhaled a small sigh, looking reassured.
“Lisette, I don’t think a cookie was enough to fill you earlier.”
“That’s right. I’m hungry, Eloise.”
“All right, let’s eat quickly.”
Sophie, ever perceptive, immediately brought in a trolley from outside as soon as Eloise finished speaking.
The meal was as good as what I used to eat at the Duke’s mansion.
After dinner, I finished reading the book Eloise had been reading, then bathed, while I rolled around to my heart’s content on the sofa.
Eloise watched my lazy behavior for a long moment and then said,
“You’ll be a bit busy starting tomorrow.”
“That’s fine! I played alone in the reception room just fine when I was with Marcel.”
Eloise’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
She sat on the bed and tapped the blanket as if beckoning me to come closer.
I trotted over and jumped onto the bed.
“While you’re here, sleep on the bed.”
“Okay!”
There was a sofa and cushions in the bedroom, but they weren’t as soft as the cushions I used at the Duke’s mansion.
Perhaps it was because I had fallen asleep a few times while Eloise was massaging me, but now I was accustomed to sleeping next to her.
Eloise, who had given me a spot, took some medicine from a cloth pouch and swallowed it.
“Sleep well, Lisette.”
“You too, Eloise.”
Soon, I could hear her breathing softly. The medicine must have been some sort of sleep aid because Eloise fell asleep almost immediately.
I tapped her cheek lightly with my paw, but she didn’t stir.
‘Then, let’s start.’
Etienne had told me not to do anything, but we couldn’t leave it alone today either; we hadn’t managed yesterday because we were apart.
What if the mana I had just released got tangled again? I placed my paw on Eloise’s palm and focused my mind.
Fortunately, nothing had changed over the day. I pressed firmly on the tangled areas, focusing on her limbs.
My paw tingled as if an electric current ran through it.
‘Still, it’s better than last time.’
“Hnng?!”
They say not to let your guard down. The sensation that had been in my paw suddenly spread throughout my entire body.
I rolled and tumbled off the bed.
It felt as if someone was stretching my body, and the pain gradually eased.
The white fur on my arms, once fluffy, had become smooth.
“Again… again.”
Had the previous incident not been a dream, or was I still dreaming now?
I awkwardly flexed each of my ten fingers and touched my face and limbs.
Even though my cat ears and tail remained, I had a human form.
‘Cold.’
Without fur, the cold felt piercing, and I shivered violently.
Crawling over clumsily, I grabbed Eloise’s cotton robe from the hanger.
The sleeves and hem dragged on the floor, but I tied them tightly with the belt to preserve body heat.
‘Am I going to turn back into a cat again? What if I stay like this? What do I say to Eloise? Etienne clearly said I’m not a beastman…’
If I were a beastman, my ears and tail wouldn’t remain.
Here, beastmen had two forms: full animal and complete human.
There was no in-between, half-human, half-beast form like mine. My mind was in turmoil when the window suddenly flew open.
‘What… what is it?’
A strong wind blew, and a small silhouette appeared by the window.
Short hair mixed with silver and brown shimmered under the moonlight.
Even in the darkness, golden eyes shone and stared at me.
“I told you not to do anything.”
“Etienne…”
He entered the room and closed the window. The wind no longer blew in, but my body still trembled.
I tried to take a few clumsy steps toward him, but tripped and collapsed.
I had gotten used to walking on all fours, so my feet got tangled.
“You talk a lot, but you don’t listen.”
“Etienne, what do I do? Why did I become human? My ears and tail are still here. Am I really a demon cat? What should I tell Eloise?”
Etienne approached and held my tiny, delicate hands.
Warmth flowed from his hands into my cold fingertips, calming me slightly.
“Take a deep breath.”
“Hhh…”
“Exhale slowly and fully.”
“Fuuu…”
“Keep repeating it.”
With no one else to trust right now, I did as he said. Something flowed into my fingertips.
My body, still tingling, began to calm. After about ten deep breaths, my vision lowered sharply.
The cold no longer bothered me. Looking down, I saw a white cotton bundle resting on Etienne’s hand.
“You said I’m not a beastman, right?”
“I’m checking.”
“I’m scared.”
I was scared. What if I changed again suddenly? Or what if it really was demonic power?
The thought of being something that was neither human, beastman, nor cat was horrifying.
My tail hung limply to the ground.
“Don’t worry. Wherever you are, I’ll help you just like now.”
“You even changed at the Duke’s mansion…”
“Back then… you had already turned back into a cat.”
When I murmured reproachfully, he answered straightforwardly. As promised, he really came wherever I was. Why didn’t he say anything?
In the silence, I heard the rustling of a blanket.
“I’ll go check quickly.”
“Okay.”
Etienne disappeared through the window as he had appeared before.
I watched the moonlit windowsill for a while after the window closed, then slowly returned to the bed.
No matter how strong the medicine was, Eloise slept peacefully amidst all the commotion.
I curled up as close to her as possible.
It felt just like in my past life, holding my mother’s hand while waiting for the gifted child test results.
“No matter what I become, you’ll still care for me, right?”
Even without a spoken answer, I knew. Whether I was a beastman or a talking cat, or even a demon cat, Eloise wouldn’t change.
I now knew that despite her cool exterior, she was warm-hearted.
Three days passed peacefully.
Staying in the Empress’s quarters, all I did was watch Eloise attend her lessons.
Every day I had tea with the Empress, and in the evenings, Eloise and I enjoyed quiet meals together.
For better or worse, I did not revert to human form again.
I wished for things to continue smoothly, but I looked down at the dining table with a somber face.
“Eat quickly. I hear you like blueberries?”
“Thank you…”
The Emperor smiled heartily and offered me the meal.
That morning, a servant visiting the Empress’s quarters had informed Eloise of a lunch with the Emperor.
It was a sudden invitation, but she accepted it calmly.
I worried she might choke seeing the Emperor for the first time during a meal.
‘Judging by what the Empress said in the original story, the Emperor wasn’t exactly a good person.’
It seemed I had no reason to worry about choking; the table was piled with nothing but blueberries in front of me.
Even if I liked blueberries, they were usually just a dessert.
To serve only that while ignoring all the other delicacies on the table seemed unfair!
“You shouldn’t be picky, Lisette.”
Eloise, sensing my thoughts, pushed the mountain of blueberries aside.
She picked some fish from another plate and added a piece of meat.
She really was an angel, not a villain.
“Okay, got it, Eloise.”
Playing along as the obedient cat, I ate the carefully prepared fish.
Perhaps because it was the Emperor’s meal, the fish quality was exceptional.
I didn’t know the type, but it was tender and rich, melting in my mouth.
“This is the first time I’ve seen this side of Eloise. When the crown prince is born, he’ll grow up very well.”
Even though they weren’t married yet, they were already talking about the crown prince.
