What? Are you crazy…? Where did you learn to say something like that?
I was trembling as I looked at Isaac. The boy stared at me for a moment before extending a hand.
“Come here, Mia.”
“Me-Meow…” It felt like if I didn’t listen, Isaac would kill me for being a bad child, so I approached Isaac.
When I obediently lowered my head, Isaac petted me to his heart’s content. Only then did he seem satisfied.
“Good girl, Mia.”
Isaac patted my head endlessly, and I was too scared to do anything. As I was stiffly enduring the petting, there was a knock, and the door opened. It was a maid.
“Milord, I apologize, but I need to treat the cat for a moment.”
“Alright.”
Only then did Isaac stop petting me.
I quickly ran to the maid. Her face was a welcome sight. Unlike others, this maid was quite friendly to me. She always spoke kindly when she brought me meals. Even now, her touch was very gentle as she petted me.
While she changed my bandages and applied medicine, she spoke soothingly. “It hurts, right? Just bear with it a little longer. You’ll get better soon.”
It had been so long since I felt such kindness that my body and heart seemed to melt. Without realizing it, a purring sound escaped me. This must be the purr that cats make when they’re happy.
I heard the maid chuckle softly at my purring.
It felt so warm…
But then a voice shattered that warmth.
“Mia is making a strange sound.”
Isaac said as he took a step closer. His eyes were menacing as he looked down at the maid.
“What did you do?”
Before I knew it, Isaac was holding a fountain pen. Where did he get that from again? Could it be that he’s planning to stab the maid’s eye like last time?
While I was filled with fear, the maid seemed scared too. She stammered.
“Th-That… Cats make this sound when they’re happy…”
At those words, Isaac stared at the maid for a moment before shifting his gaze to me. His eyes looked even more chilling today.
“You didn’t do it in front of me.” Isaac lifted me by the scruff of my neck and spoke. “Do you feel bad when you’re with me?”
“…”
“Do you dislike me?”
It felt like if I said yes, Isaac would stab me right then and there.
Trembling, I forced myself to purr. As I purred and even smiled to appease Isaac, his expression finally softened a bit.
“Dorothy. This means Mia likes me, right?” Isaac turned to the maid and asked.
She nodded nervously. “Yes, yes. Mia likes you, Milord.”
At those words, Isaac smiled with satisfaction. Just a moment ago, he was holding me by the neck, but now he cradled me in his arms.
“And what else do cats do when they’re happy?”
“Well, they do something called kneading… They press with their front paws as if giving a massage.”
“Kneading.”
Isaac looked at me, then sat on the sofa and placed me on his lap.
“Try kneading.”
If I wanted to live, I had to do whatever it took…!
I hurriedly started kneading Isaac’s thigh. Thankfully, Isaac’s expression began to soften as I continued. He gently patted my head and spoke.
“You like me.”
“Meow.”
“Mia likes me.”
Seeing his pleased expression, I couldn’t stop kneading. I was afraid that if I did, he would kill me right then and there…
As I continued to knead endlessly, Isaac picked me up. He spoke softly. “Alright. Since you’re a good girl, shall we go outside for a bit?”
Gasp, I’m so happy! I had been stuck in this room, feeling suffocated…
This time, I purred genuinely, and Isaac took the maid and me outside. So exciting, so exciting.
While I was purring, I noticed a bit of the carpet sticking out near the stairs. Someone could easily trip over that… Just as I was thinking that, the maid following behind me tripped and stumbled. And right in front of her was Isaac. The maid and Isaac tumbled down the stairs together.
Uaah, aargh! Without thinking, I buried my head in Isaac’s chest.
After the loud sound of rolling on the floor, I barely opened my eyes. Even while rolling on the floor, Isaac held me tightly so I wasn’t hurt.
A-Are you okay…? As I was checking the situation with a meow, the maid suddenly stood up and looked at me.
“Mi-Milord. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry…”
Instead of answering, Isaac got up and sat on the floor, then began to examine me rather than himself.
“Are you hurt anywhere, Mia?”
“Mew.”
When I meowed lightly, Isaac sighed in relief as if he was glad. Then he turned to the maid and said, “Since Mia isn’t hurt, I’ll give you a light punishment.”
“Y-Yes, Milord.”
“Then let’s go outside, Mia.” Isaac held me in his arms and slowly left the mansion.
I still felt bewildered. Just a moment ago, Isaac’s eyes were so gentle as he checked my condition. I still couldn’t believe how he prioritized me over himself.
This boy… Is he really the same cruel villain I knew from the original story?
Feeling the warmth of his embrace, I stayed silent. Unconsciously, I rubbed my head against Isaac’s arm.
* * *
Two weeks have passed since I came here. I was lying in the basket prepared for me, staring at my leg. The bandages had just been removed yesterday.
My leg was fully healed, and now it would be easier to escape. The problem was that I still hadn’t found a way to escape.
How should I get out of here? As I sighed, the door opened, and someone came in. Could it be Dorothy? I lifted my head with excitement, but it wasn’t Dorothy.
The maids frowned as they looked at me. “Ugh, that cat feels so unlucky every time I see it.”
“Exactly. Dorothy got hurt because of that cat, didn’t she?”
Hearing that, I became depressed and lay flat on the floor.
After Dorothy tumbled down the stairs last time, a few misfortunes befell her. Things like the mirror in her room breaking or getting cut in the kitchen… I often overheard people talking about these things happening to Dorothy.
“It’s all because of that black cat. They say black cats bring bad luck, right?”
“Yeah. All these things are happening because you’re getting close to that cat.”
At first, she denied it, but as unfortunate incidents kept happening, her gaze towards me grew colder. And now, she no longer spoke to me or smiled at me. She would just treat me, feed me, and then leave. The coldness I felt on the streets was now in her touch, and it made me a bit sad.
On the other hand, Isaac’s attitude didn’t change over time. Not long after falling down the stairs and getting hurt, a teacup suddenly broke, cutting Isaac’s hand.
Am I really bringing bad luck? The thought suffocated me, but Isaac’s expression remained calm while treating the wound.
Isaac patted my head with a bandaged hand and whispered softly to me.
“People in the mansion say you bring bad luck, but I don’t think so.”
“…”
“I like being with you. You’re a stroke of luck for me.”
Luck? I had never heard such words before. People usually called me unlucky, throwing stones and insults…
It was truly ironic. The most dangerous person to me was the kindest. If only Isaac hadn’t been the villain, I could have stayed here comfortably. Suppressing such regrets, I lay still.
The maids, while cleaning, glanced at me and spoke. “In a house already full of bad luck, they keep a black cat.”
It’s really unfair. I didn’t do anything…
The maids approached me and deliberately tapped me with a duster.
“Still not running away, huh?”
“It seems pretty docile. Let’s just leave it and clean.”
“Yeah. It’s pitiful. It’ll probably die soon, so we just need to leave it alone until then.”
What? Die soon? What are they talking about?
