It was a voice so cold that it was hard to believe it came from a child. I froze, trembling in fear.
Isaac stared at me for a moment before grabbing me by the scruff of my neck. I struggled to escape, but I couldn’t break free from his grasp.
“Meow, meow…!” I cried out, pleading to be let go, but it was no use.
Isaac approached a drawer and, holding me down on top of it with one hand, opened the drawer with the other. He pulled something out that made my skin crawl. It was a large pair of scissors, the silver blades gleaming ominously.
Ah, so this is how I’m going to die. It seemed my fate was to die at Isaac’s hands after all, even after trying to escape.
I closed my eyes tightly, hoping that if he was going to kill me, he would at least do it quickly.
…
…
…?
I had my eyes closed for a long time, but nothing happened. When I slowly opened them, I saw Isaac holding a bandage in his mouth.
What in the world is going on?
Isaac carefully cut the bandage with the scissors and began wrapping it around my injured leg. I watched in bewilderment.
So… is he treating my leg? Well, it was more like just wrapping the bandage around it, but still. The fact that this supposedly ruthless killer was helping me at all was surprising.
Isaac seemed to be having trouble tying the bandage with one hand, so he let go of me and used both hands to tie it into a bow. Then, with his still emotionless silver-gray eyes, he looked at me. The child’s small hands lifted me up.
“Mia, does it hurt?”
“Meow.”
“Are you okay?”
“Meow.”
All I could do was meow, but Isaac nodded, seeming satisfied. He carried me to the sofa and sat down with me beside him.
As he read a book, I quietly watched him. Seeing him like this, he looked just like any other child. In the game, he grew up to be a terrifying adult… But as a child, he seemed quite gentle.
Why did Isaac end up killing Mia? I couldn’t figure it out. If Isaac were just a normal kid, I might be able to live here safely.
As I stared at him intently, Isaac suddenly looked at me. Uh-oh, was I staring too much?
When I nervously lowered my ears and fidgeted, Isaac picked me up and placed me on his lap. I lay flat, letting my tail droop.
Isaac gently stroked my back and said, “Mia, from today on, this is your home.”
“…”
“And you’re my cat. I’m your owner.”
“…”
“Got it?”
“Meow.”
Isaac’s gentle stroking made me feel oddly reassured. Although I couldn’t run away because of my injured leg, it didn’t seem like he would kill me right away.
The Mia I saw in the game looked a bit bigger than I am now…
For now, this life was far more comfortable than living on the streets. Maybe I could enjoy this peace for a while.
As I was thinking that, there was a knock at the door.
“Milord, I’m coming in.”
A maid entered, carrying a tray with jam cookies and a teacup on it. As she slowly set the tray down, her hands seemed to tremble slightly. The clinking sound of the dishes was unsettling. When she placed the teacup filled with milk, her hand slipped due to her nervousness, and the contents spilled over.
“Ah…!”
I wondered why she was so nervous. Just then, I saw something sharp glinting in the light.
“…Gasp!”
It was a fork. The fork Isaac was holding had suddenly appeared right in front of the maid’s eye. If he had reached out just a little more, it would have pierced her.
“Mary.” Isaac’s voice, calling the maid’s name, was unnervingly calm for a child.
The maid, trembling, replied without blinking. “Y-Yes, Milord…”
“You mustn’t make mistakes.”
I was horrified to see the maid shaking in fear. Seriously, he’s doing this just because she spilled a little milk…?
Even in this situation, Isaac’s face remained expressionless.
Oh no, this could really end badly!
I pressed down on Isaac’s lap with my paws to try to stop him. “Meow, meow…!”
As I cried out desperately, Isaac finally looked at me. When my eyes met those emotionless gray ones, I panicked. Did I just make things worse? What if he stabs me with that fork?
Just as I trembled in regret, Isaac lowered the fork. “Do you want to drink the milk?” he lifted me and placed me on the table.
Did he think I cried because I wanted to drink the spilled milk…? I didn’t really want it, but Isaac’s gaze felt piercing. Fine, fine! After all, I had eaten all sorts of things on the streets, so spilled milk was practically a feast…!
The moment I licked the milk, it was as if stars were sparkling before my eyes. Is this what delicious food tastes like…?
I lapped up the milk greedily. When I finally came to my senses and looked up, Isaac was quietly watching me. I couldn’t tell what that expressionless face meant.
Then he spoke to the maid. “Get out.”
“T-Thank you, Milord…” The maid quickly fled from the room.
Phew, she owes me one for saving her…
After she left, I looked up at Isaac. He gazed back at me as if nothing had happened.
“Do you want more?”
After saying that, Isaac poured a bit more milk onto the table. Now that my stomach was full, a bit of my human pride returned. No matter how much I’d been through, licking up something spilled on the floor was…
“Are you not going to eat?” As he said this, Isaac picked up the fork again. It glinted sharply, almost like a blade.
“Me-Meow…!” I let out a cry and quickly resumed lapping up the milk. Ugh, it’s so annoying that this is delicious…
When I glanced up, I saw Isaac with a faint smile on his face. He then contentedly took a bite of a jam cookie. When he looks like that, he seems just like a normal child. But I knew who this child really was, and one thing was certain. This child was dangerous.
If I hadn’t left this place as soon as possible, there would have been no telling what might have happened to me.
* * *
Ugh, damn it. What am I going to do now? I tapped my tail against the floor as I stared out the window. The mansion, with its blooming red lilies, was both beautiful and eerie.
Three days have passed since I arrived here. In those three days, I had tried to find a way out, but I hadn’t had any meaningful success. There were moments when the windows were open, but with my injured leg, jumping down was too risky. And there were too many eyes watching to escape through the door. I had tried to escape twice, but both times I was caught and brought back by a maid.
In the midst of feeling hopeless about how to escape, my only consolation was that Isaac was gentle. Though he did almost thrust a fork at the maid’s eye…
Since then, Isaac had been behaving quietly, merely observing me. He was usually busy with lessons, so we didn’t spend much time together. It seemed like he wouldn’t kill me anytime soon.
As I pondered my escape, the door opened.
“Mia…”
The person who entered was Isaac. His silver-gray eyes, seen from the shadows, were slightly unsettling.
Isaac was carrying a tray. He set it down in front of me and said, “Eat.” The tray held a bowl of milk and some finely chopped meat.
If there was one thing I was satisfied with in this place, it was the food. During my time on the streets, I had never eaten proper meals. So milk and meat in this situation…
I realized then that hunger could sometimes overpower even the fear of death. Even though this food was given by someone who might kill me, I was just grateful.
“Meow…”
I slowly approached and buried my face in the bowl. The food was so delicious that tears welled up in my eyes. Even as I cried, the only sound that came out was a meowing sob. I never knew that delicious food could make you cry like this.
“Mia is a good child.”
I heard those words and soon felt something approaching the top of my head. Startled, I backed away, only to see Isaac awkwardly extend his hand.
Was he trying to pet me? Or kill me…?
As I trembled in fear, Isaac’s expression turned cold. “So you’re not a good child.”
The voice that spoke was so calm that it didn’t seem like it could belong to a child.
“They said a bad child must be killed.”
Hi, this series will be updated with one chapter every Thursday.
