In this game, you can freely take items during the night and bring them to day and vice-versa.
I finally felt like I had a chance to survive. There might be something besides this brooch!
The roaming creatures were scary, but if I was careful… I gulped and cautiously left the room. The area was quiet. There seemed to be no spiders or other people around. It was a good opportunity to search quickly.
I entered an empty room and thoroughly examined the interior. Was there anything I could sell? While I was wandering around, I found a handkerchief lying on the ground.
[Handkerchief: A luxurious silk handkerchief. It has no special function. Price: 20 silver.]
20 silver…! This was a stroke of luck. I had already earned 1 gold and 20 silver!
When I pressed the handkerchief with my front paw, it went into my inventory. If I were a person, I would probably be humming happily.
Good, good. Let’s search thoroughly while I’m at it! Just as I was rummaging through the room, I heard someone’s footsteps.
“Mia, where are you? Mia…”
…Isaac? His voice was filled with sadness. But before I could feel pity, I felt fear. If I tried to escape, I would probably get caught immediately. Fortunately, this room had many cabinets where I could hide. I hurriedly squeezed into an open cabinet. It would have been nice if I could close the drawer, but I was just a mere cat.
“Mia?”
Isaac’s voice came from close by. I was on high alert, worried he might hear my breathing. I could feel Isaac getting closer. I even heard the sound of him opening the drawers one by one.
“Mia, you always liked to hide in the drawers since you were little…” His muttering voice sent chills down my spine.
I kept hearing the sound of drawers opening and closing repeatedly.
“I used to enjoy playing hide and seek with you back then…”
Uuuu…! He’s getting closer!
At this rate, Isaac would surely find me. What should I do? Should I dash out as soon as the drawer opens?
“Where could my Mia be hiding…”
His muttering voice got closer and closer. I braced myself, ready to leap out as soon as the drawer opened. And at that moment…
“H-Hello.”
I heard Lian’s voice from outside. The sound of the drawer opening paused, and then Isaac’s voice followed.
“What do you want? You need something?”
“Ah, um… Since we’re stuck here together, I thought we could chat a bit.”
“I’m not interested. By the way, have you seen my cat? Small, black, and cute.”
“Um… I saw something pass by earlier, but I’m not sure if it was a cat.”
“I see, got it.”
With those words, the sound of footsteps began to fade. It seemed Isaac had left.
Phew, I was saved… I felt like all the strength had drained out of my body. As I relaxed, the drawer opened cautiously.
“Oh? Here you are.”
It was Lian. He looked at me with a puzzled expression and then picked me up.
“Your owner was looking for you earlier. I’ll take you to him.”
“Meow!”
What are you talking about, Protagonist?! You want to take me to that murderer and villain?! I struggled and managed to escape.
Lian chuckled lightly. “Do you dislike me that much?”
What a misunderstanding.
Since Lian is the protagonist, it seemed like a good idea to stay on his good side. When I rubbed my head against his leg, he made a curious face.
“Hmm? It doesn’t seem like you hate me… Are you not getting along with your owner?”
“Mew!” I nodded in response.
Lian looked at me with a surprised expression. “What, you understand what I’m saying?”
“Mew!” I nodded again.
Maybe I could act a little more like a person in front of him. Yes, Lian has a good personality, so it might be a good idea to make him my ally. From now on, you’re my new caretaker, Lian!
“That’s surprising. Then again, in a place like this, maybe it’s to be expected.” He said that while stroking my head. I purred in response, feeling pleased.
While I was quietly enjoying the petting, I suddenly noticed something shiny under the drawer. Oh, could it be a brooch…?! I should try to get it out.
I tried to reach under the drawer with my front paw, but I couldn’t reach it. Ugh, the sadness of having short legs…!
As I sat there feeling down, Lian drew his sword from his waist. “Is there something there? Hold on.”
He inserted the sword under the drawer, swept it, and then pulled it out. Along with a dust ball, something shiny emerged. It was a pocket watch, but it looked broken. It didn’t seem like an important item.
“Hmm? A pocket watch. It’s broken, so it probably can’t be used…”
“Mew! Meow!” I flailed my front paw, indicating that I wanted it.
Lian looked at me blankly and then dangled the watch by its chain. “You want it?”
“Mew!”
“Hmm… I don’t feel like just giving it away.”
Oh, come on! Just give it to me! I growled low and gently swatted at his foot with my paw.
Lian laughed softly. “Alright, alright. I’ll give it to you. Here.”
When Lian offered the pocket watch, I quickly grabbed it with my front paw. A message window popped up.
[Broken Pocket Watch: A pocket watch that has stopped due to being broken. It seems like it can’t be sold for a high price unless it’s repaired. Price: 1 gold.]
1 gold… It was still a significant amount, but from the description, it seemed like it could be sold for more if repaired.
I decided to put it in my inventory for now. As I tapped it, the pocket watch disappeared from sight.
Lian looked surprised and said, “W-What? Did you do that, cat?”
“Meow.”
“You’re full of surprises, aren’t you…”
He stared at me with a fascinated expression. Well, it’s understandable.
Liam muttered as he petted me. “By the way, what’s your name?”
“Meow…”
I had no way of answering, so I could only meow softly. Lian seemed to realize that he’d asked a silly question.
“Hmm. You understand what I’m saying, but you can’t speak… Alright, I’ll bring you something tomorrow. For now, do you want to stick with me? It’s dangerous to be alone with those monsters around.”
“Meow!” I nodded energetically. It was a bit scary to be alone, so I was grateful for Lian’s company. As a sign of thanks, I gently bumped my head against him. Lian chuckled and petted me.
[Lian’s affection has increased by 3.]
[Current Lian’s affection: 3]
Oh, so Lian’s affection increases too, not just Isaac’s? That’s great. But to think that a simple head bump would increase affection…
While I was feeling quite proud, Lian picked me up in his arms. “We should avoid running into your owner, right?”
“Meow!”
“Alright, I’ll be careful.”
And so, nestled in Lian’s arms, I left the room. My new caretaker’s embrace was quite comfortable.
* * *
“Hehe… Hehehe…” I was holding a broom, letting out a happy laugh. Maybe because I kept giggling, a passing maid stopped and stared at me.
“Mia, what’s with you? Did something good happen?”
“Yes! Something good happened.”
“What is it, what is it?”
“Hehe, it’s a secret!”
“Come on, don’t be like that. But it’s nice to see you smiling.” She gave a small laugh and walked away.
I hummed a tune as I swept the floor. Last night was a bit of a struggle, but I earned quite a bit of money. After all, I managed to acquire items worth 5 gold. 5 gold! Of course, it’s a small amount compared to 150 gold, but considering it’s equivalent to five months’ salary, it’s quite a sum. And if I fixed the pocket watch, I would make even more money. But I would have to go into town to fix it…
“Hmm, I guess I’ll have to wait a few days…”
Since I was a maid bound to this mansion, it wasn’t easy to leave. My day off was on Monday. I wanted to fix the pocket watch as soon as possible, but I’d have to wait.
I wondered how much it would be worth once it was fixed. Hopefully, it would be around 10 gold.
“Mia!”
At that moment, the head maid called me. I was startled and turned around to see her standing there with a stern expression.
“What’s the matter?”
“Master is calling for you. Go see him.”
Why again? I haven’t done anything wrong, so why is he calling me?
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Thank you so much for the chapter (^^)
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