CHAPTER 32
“And she’s caring enough to mistake me for someone in the same situation and let it slide.”
Just like last time, this time too, Minerva ultimately gave in.
Even if he had pushed her with Aslan’s help, Minerva had every right to refuse.
And yet, the reason she reluctantly agreed was because she mistakenly believed that her family circumstances and Lloyd’s were similar.
Because she saw Ayla in Aslan, and herself in Lloyd.
“Damn it. I shouldn’t have said our situations were the same.”
For Ayla, from the very beginning, there was only Lloyd—her father.
Unlike Minerva and her daughter, they hadn’t known each other long, and there wasn’t a drop of shared blood.
He felt guilty that Minerva, misled by his lie, was going out of her way to be kind despite the awkward circumstances.
Of course, fulfilling the request to return safely was something he had to do.
Lloyd wanted to give her a gift that might help ease his guilt.
“I didn’t think she’d say she doesn’t need jewelry.”
And she even used Ayla as the reason.
What in the world could he give her that would make his heart feel even a little lighter?
What was it that Minerva wanted most right now?
“Ah, right.”
Like a miracle, one thing Minerva desired most came to mind.
Safety.
For now, the Emperor was keeping a close eye on everything, but it was only a matter of time before Mars succeeded the throne.
Mars might keep Minerva alive to make her suffer longer, but the Crown Princess, Gabrielle, was different.
Unlike Mars, Gabrielle despised leaving loose ends. She would make sure Minerva was eliminated for good.
It wasn’t a pleasant task, but Lloyd would go to the Capital regardless.
Moreover, he had the authority to have a private audience with the Emperor.
“Maybe I can finally repay the princess properly.”
With that, Lloyd began planning something that Minerva would undoubtedly try to stop him from doing—maybe even cling to his pants leg to stop him.
The servants would prepare Ayla’s room on their own, so there wasn’t anything in particular for me to do.
There was only one thing I needed to prepare.
With a deep sigh, I stared at Aslan, who was grooming himself beside me.
Sensing my gaze, Aslan paused his grooming.
“Mom, what’s wrong?”
Aslan, oblivious to everything, blinked his clear eyes and asked.
That made me even more worried.
Why on earth did I say I’d take care of Ayla? Seriously!
I must’ve been blinded by sympathy. Not just me—Aslan was suspicious in his own way too.
“That kid Ied, polite yet shameless?”
Two against one—it was completely unfair.
But what could I do? I had already agreed.
“Can Aslan really hide the fact that he’s a cat?”
Things like his unnatural jumping ability or his automatic reaction to birds could be brushed off.
We could just say he’s athletic or really likes birds.
But grooming—that was the real issue.
It looked strange no matter how you spun it.
Licking his hands could be explained—say there was something on them, like crumbs.
But what about licking his own hair?
I pressed a handkerchief to Aslan’s saliva-drenched hair and asked,
“Aslan… Do you really have to groom? You just had a bath.”
“That’s why I’m doing it. My body smells weird. Especially my hair.”
“That’s not a weird smell—it’s a fragrance! A soap fragrance!”
“Ugh.”
Aslan frowned as if he really couldn’t understand.
That made me even more nervous about the month we’d be spending with Ayla.
Even if this wasn’t your typical fantasy world with magic, would we really be able to keep the impossible fact that a human turned into a cat a secret?
Aslan’s behavior screamed cat, and a smart girl like Ayla would definitely find something strange.
“I should’ve said no, even if it killed me!”
I’d been completely dragged into this by Ied.
Unaware of my concerns, Aslan resumed grooming, only to frown again.
“Human tongue is uncomfortable. No matter how much I lick, it doesn’t get clean.”
“Well… yeah, of course it wouldn’t. A human tongue is different from a cat’s…”
“Then what do humans use their tongues for? They can’t even groom.”
Um… That’s something Aslan doesn’t need to know just yet.
I changed the subject.
“More importantly, Aslan? You know Ayla’s going to be staying with us starting tomorrow, right?”
Thankfully, simple-minded Aslan quickly lost interest in tongues and nodded excitedly.
“Yep! I’m really looking forward to it. Since the uncle’s not around, Ayla will be super lonely, so I’m going to share my toys with her! And if I see any birds or mice, I’ll hunt them and give them to her!”
Sweet thought—but absolutely not in practice.
Especially the second one.
I looked Aslan straight in the eyes and said seriously,
“Listen carefully, Aslan. You must never bring birds or mice to Ayla.”
“Why not?”
Aslan frowned and tilted his head, confused.
“Mom and other people—do they not like birds or mice?”
“Nope, they don’t.”
“But tonight’s dinner was chicken. That’s a bird too, isn’t it?”
…Well, when you put it like that, it’s hard to argue.
Technically, it is a bird, isn’t it?
But if I started debating this with him, we’d never reach the end.
For Aslan, simple and straightforward explanations worked best.
“People don’t eat flying birds, okay?”
“Then why don’t they like mice?”
“Because they’re dirty.”
“So picky for creatures who don’t even groom…”
That’s rich—coming from the pickiest animal of all: a cat.
Still, Aslan seemed to get it.
“Okay. That’s too bad, but if people hate them, Ayla will too. I won’t do it.”
“Yes, good boy, Aslan.”
I patted his head, and Aslan squinted happily, purring.
And yet, every time I taught him one thing, there was something else I had to caution him about.
Recalling his usual behavior, I spoke firmly.
“And absolutely no running on all fours, no widening your pupils and twitching your butt. Don’t groom in front of Ayla, and definitely don’t groom her. No purring when you’re happy, and no scratching your claws on trees in front of her either. Also…”
As my lecture dragged on, Aslan’s gently curved eyes gradually narrowed into slits. Then, he finally jumped off the bed with a bounce.
“Whatever! Mom, you nag too much!”
“Oh my! Did you just—?! I’m not even done talking!”
“Hmph! I’m not sleeping with you anymore!”
“What? Weren’t you the one excited about getting your own room and still insisted on sleeping next to me every night?!”
“Starting today, I’m sleeping alone!”
Aslan stuck his tongue out at me and dashed off to his room.
I’d bet anything—he’ll be back in an hour.
I rubbed my forehead and collapsed onto the bed.
“Ah… I’m seriously worried…”
Can we really get through these two weeks without incident?
I may have dug this grave myself, but I think I dug it way too deep.
At that very moment, in the grandest room of a mansion luxurious enough to rival the royal palace—
A beautifully middle-aged woman with rare mint-colored hair, elegantly pinned up, was leisurely enjoying her rest.
Sitting comfortably on a sofa and listening to a report, the woman slowly lifted her eyelids.
“So… Lloyd found out.”
Her voice was soft and languid, yet the man reporting to her bowed his head in fear.
“My apologies, Lady Priscilla. I should’ve handled it more thoroughly…”
“And how would you have managed that?”
Priscilla’s gaze slowly turned to the butler.
As if amused, one corner of her mouth curled upward while she corrected his foolish assumption.
“No matter what he’s like, he’s still my son. You people couldn’t possibly fool his eyes.”
“I overstepped. Please forgive me.”
The man bowed low.
Perhaps slightly mollified, Priscilla crossed her legs and gently touched her lips.
“Still, he figured it out sooner than I expected… Deborah, was it? From what I hear, Ayla doesn’t trust her father much. I doubt the girl told Lloyd directly.”
Priscilla tapped her cheek slowly with her slender index finger.
The man, nervous and awaiting her next words, swallowed hard.
The room was so quiet, the sound seemed deafening.
After a long pause, Priscilla asked,
“And that woman and Ayla’s maid… They’re imprisoned, yes?”
“Yes. Due to His Grace the Grand Duke’s strict orders, it’s unlikely they can be smuggled out.”
Frankly, the man thought he had answered well.
But Priscilla’s eyes flashed coldly, and her voice thundered in response.
“And what makes you think you should be smuggling them out?”
