Chapter 13
I waved my front paw in response to the greeting I heard.
Hello.
“Oh my. Are you the cat I’ve heard about? You’re absolutely beautiful. You’re even cuter than you looked in the video orb. How can a creature on this earth be this adorable? If Cat-nim told all the lovable beastfolk to fold themselves up, this planet would probably fold in half.”
The woman asked me in a dazed voice, her eyes unfocused. For a moment, it even seemed like there was a hint of madness in them… but that must be my imagination, right?
The employee standing beside her doubted his own eyes as he watched the madam’s cheeks flush faintly with excitement.
She had always been someone who worked in a purely businesslike manner, no matter who came in—never showing any reaction.
I thought she wasn’t interested in anyone…
In nearly ten years—no, ever since that employee had started working here—this was the first time he had seen her like this.
In truth, Haila didn’t place much importance on making clothes.
To her, making dresses for noble ladies was just the repetition of the same process.
“Madam, Lady Serdihan says she would like to purchase a dress.”
“Alright. Set a date for her.”
“What should we do about Lady Fleur’s dress?”
“If we add some fabric underneath here, it should be fine.”
Since her early days—aside from the wife of the Cadelion family, who had come when no one yet knew of her work—all orders had been the same.
Even Ian Cadelion, who was called everyone’s muse, had been no different.
Just—Ah, he’s ridiculously handsome, at most.
After Ian Cadelion became the head of the family, the Cadelion household only placed clothing orders at fixed times.
“Madam, the Cadelion family has requested a custom order along with a video orb.”
“Alright.”
But it’s not time yet for their order…
Unlike her calm reply, countless questions swirled in her mind.
Has the head of the family changed? No, that can’t be it. As far as I know, Ian Cadelion is still the head. Then why…?
Why would they request a custom order now—and why include a video orb?
It’s not like Ian Cadelion would send a video orb with his face in it…
And yet, the cat she saw in that orb out of sheer curiosity was…
—
[Ariel, paw.]
[Oh dear. Ariel, I didn’t mean your hind paw.]
[Ariel-nim is giving a look that says “don’t talk nonsense.” Truly a proud cat.]
—
…adorable.
—
[Ariel, isn’t that my hair you’re holding?]
[Ariel-nim, what are you planning to cook by pulling out Ian-nim’s hair?]
[A witch cat? That would be troublesome. I was thinking of raising a cat, not a witch.]
[Ian-nim, Ariel-nim is glaring at you like you’re speaking nonsense.]
[Huh? Ariel, my hair just fell from your paw.]
[Even the way Cat-nim grabs hair is unbelievably cute.]
[Mari-nim… you’re capable of saying things like that?]
—
And fascinating.
How can such a tiny cat not be intimidated by the tiger in front of it?
Who in the world would dare pull out Ian Cadelion’s hair—or stick their paw into his hand?
At that moment, something clicked in Haila’s mind.
Watching the video alone in her workshop, completely losing track of time, she muttered to herself.
“I think I’ve fallen for it.”
“…No, I’ve definitely fallen for it.”
The way the cat treated the tiger like he was nothing—that was incredibly charming.
Looking around her desk, she saw that it was filled with sketches she had unconsciously drawn.
And then she realized—
Whether the cat was a beastfolk or just a stray, it didn’t matter.
It was her muse.
Shouldn’t black cats be a symbol of good fortune, not bad luck?
So this is what a muse feels like. Haila’s heart swelled.
Of all things… a cat as my muse…
She loved it.
“Haila-nim, this dress—”
“Take this design and start preparing production immediately.”
“Then what about the other orders—?”
“A more important order has come in. Finish this first, then proceed.”
Like a storm, Haila threw herself into designing and making clothes. In less than two weeks, she had produced enough garments to fill the entire Cadelion reception room.
What do I do… seeing it in person is different again.
She wanted to make even more.
She felt like she could create far better clothes than the ones already here.
Her heart raced with excitement.
—
“Introduce yourself first.”
Leaning back on the sofa beside Ariel, lazily crossing his legs and stroking her fur, Ian spoke in a flat tone.
But the way he stroked her fur felt… dangerously languid.
Why is his vibe like this today? This feels inappropriate for children to see.
…Someone really needs to put Ian to sleep.
With his slightly disheveled suit and relaxed posture, he even looked decadent.
But Haila, as if she couldn’t see Ian at all, kept her eyes fixed only on Ariel.
“Oh my, I completely forgot to introduce myself. Cat-nim is just too adorable. I am Madam Haila.”
Ah, Haila… I feel like I’ve heard that name before.
—
“This jewel and dress are a matching set…”
—
Something the head butler had said while showing me around the mansion flashed through my mind.
Something about a dress made with diamonds crafted one by one by artisans… for the previous lady of the Cadelion house.
“She’s the owner of Boutique Serian.”
Haila gracefully lifted her skirt and bowed slightly, like an elegant swan gliding over water.
After finishing her greeting, she winked at me.
“Madam, if there’s something wrong with your eyes, you should visit a physician later.”
With Ian’s voice as background noise, I stared blankly at her.
Wow. She’s so pretty.
Madam Haila was like a rose with thorns.
Her long, fiery red hair curled like flames.
Her mysterious crimson eyes seemed capable of captivating anyone. The dress she wore—black and deep red with embroidered roses at the hem—enhanced her dazzling charm.
She was exactly like a rose you couldn’t help but touch, even knowing it had thorns.
Especially the fact that she wasn’t intimidated by Ian at all—that was no small thing.
She’s definitely someone who’ll go far. If you’re pretty and rich, you’re basically an unnie.
Hello. I’m Ariel. I’m probably that tiger’s…
I glanced at Ian, then pointed to myself with my fluffy paw.
Not a companion animal… maybe a pet cat…?
I nodded, finishing my introduction in my head with a small paw greeting.
Receiving my greeting, Haila stood frozen, staring at me with overwhelming emotion.
Her face practically said, Oh my! How could this be!
She brushed her red hair back.
Seeing the adorable cat in front of her made her heart ache.
Well, if Ian Cadelion picked her up…
She had already thought the cat was clever and cute from the video—but she hadn’t imagined it would be this lovely.
I want to remake the clothes.
Now that she saw her in person, the clothes she had painstakingly created seemed somehow lacking.
The soft fur, the slender body—and especially those luminous light-green eyes that seemed to draw people in.
Recently, she had gotten a fortune reading that predicted a fateful encounter.
This had to be it.
I’ve been wanting to try something different…
The cat’s cuteness ignited Haila’s professional spirit even more.
I’ve met countless clients, but I’ve never felt like this before.
“May I try petting her just once?”
“No.”
Ian cut her off firmly.
I’m fine with it though?
Why are you saying no?
When I shot him an incredulous look, he smiled brightly.
“I’m the one who brought her.”
You practically dragged me here.
With a sulky expression, I climbed onto the back of Ian’s hand and bit his glove.
He removed the glove from his other hand and offered his finger instead.
“Ariel, don’t eat things like that. Eat proper food. It’s bad for your health.”
I don’t eat leather in the first place.
When I lifted my head, I saw bite marks on his finger.
“So, did my finger taste good?”
What are you even saying…?
I turned my head away toward Haila.
“Which tastes better—leather or my finger?”
Neither!
“I like it, though. Having Ariel’s marks on me.”
Stop saying weird things.
At my narrowed eyes, Haila, who had been watching us, spoke up.
“Oh my—what should I do? This level of cuteness could grind the universe to dust.”
“Our cat is a genius cat. She can even curse with her expressions, so there’s nothing she can’t do.”
Allen puffed out his chest proudly.
How does being able to curse with expressions equal being good at everything?
And is that even a compliment?
I scrunched my nose, unsure whether to take it as praise or an insult.
“Right. A once-in-a-century genius cat.”
Ian said lazily.
Unlike his teasing tone before, his voice now carried fatigue.
How does someone’s aura change so fast?
At this rate, he could charm anyone.
For the sake of world peace or anything—someone please put Ian to sleep.
A once-in-a-century genius cat, my foot.
You were just asking whether leather or your finger tasted better.
Seriously, someone needs to put him to bed.
I turned away from the drowsy, nonsense-spouting Ian and looked at Mari—
only to see her nodding seriously in agreement.
Oh, my head…
My temples throbbed.
I pressed them with my paw.
