At that question, the senior maid chuckled and said, “You don’t know yet. One of the other maids almost went blind while serving the young master. When you hear things like that, it makes you think what the late madam said might be true.”
“What did she say?”
“Seems like you haven’t heard that story yet.” The senior maid looked at the other with a mischievous smile. “After giving birth to the young master, the madam kept saying that he wasn’t human. That he was a cursed beast…”
Even though it was daytime, an eerie feeling crept in. Lanterns were lit here and there, yet the maid’s voice sounded usually ominous.
“The madam was so afraid of Lord Isaac that she tried to kill him, but the marquis stopped her. Then, on the young master’s sixth birthday, she committed suicide.”
As the story unfolded, the junior maid’s face turned pale. Meanwhile, the senior maid’s eyes remained calm.
“And she told us too. Never get close to Isaac. That child is cursed.”
As I listened to the story, the air grew cold. I was shocked by the hidden story of the game that I hadn’t known. Isaac went through all that?
While the junior maid was visibly tense, the senior maid just kept smiling, which made it even creepier.
The junior maid cautiously spoke. “That… sounds really pitiful for the young master.”
“Yeah, I thought so too at first.” The senior maid shrugged. She moved closer to the junior maid and said, “But do you know? The young master is really cursed…”
“Yes? What do you mean by that…?”
“There were a few employees who got close to the young master. Do you know what happened to them?”
A cloud covered the sun, making the already dim room even darker. The senior maid’s eyes glinted in the shadows.
“They all either died or got seriously injured.”
“Injured…?”
The senior maid brushed aside the hair covering half of her face. The junior maid gasped and covered her mouth in shock. The senior maid’s face was grotesquely scarred with burn marks on nearly half of it.
“I once secretly brought food to the young master who was starving in solitary confinement. And the next day, boiling water was poured over my face.”
“…”
“The gardener, who cherished the young master like his own son, was killed when garden shears pierced his chest.”
At those words, the junior maid’s face turned pale.
The senior maid covered her face again and spoke. “The young master is truly cursed. It took several deaths for everyone to realize it. So, you should stay away from the young master if you want to live long.”
“…Yes.”
The maids finished cleaning in silence and left the room.
I mulled over the story I had just heard amidst the sound of rain. So… the boy’s mother tried to kill him? And then committed suicide? I felt like my mind had stopped from the shock.
I couldn’t fathom what Isaac had gone through in this house. In the game, it was glossed over very briefly just that the son of the Dias family had gone mad. But isn’t it strange not to go mad in such a situation?
Whenever an incident occurred, people blamed me, saying that black cats brought bad luck. Isaac was no different from the black cat of this household. Whenever something unfortunate happened, everyone blamed Isaac.
I felt a pang in my heart. Isaac was just pitiful. He was only an eight-year-old child…
…Would he really be all alone if I escaped? I suddenly lifted my head at that thought.
No, I shouldn’t think weak thoughts. I’m going to die soon. I can’t die…! I needed to pull myself together and find a way to escape.
Just then, the maids opened the window and left. I climbed down the tree outside.
Alright, let’s search again. There might be a small hole or escape route somewhere.
As I cautiously explored the Garden, I heard a rustling sound from somewhere.
“Huh? A cat I haven’t seen before.”
Startled by the voice, I turned around to see a tortoiseshell cat.
W-What? Did the cat just talk now?
As I stared in confusion, the tortoiseshell cat spoke to me. “Do you live here?”
“U-Uh…”
I can understand the cat language. Well, of course, I’m a cat too, so I guess it makes sense? No, that’s not the important part!
“How did you get in?”
How did it get over that wall?
The tortoiseshell cat looked at me with a brazen face and said, “I dug a hole and came in.”
…I can’t believe I didn’t think of digging a hole to escape! That simple and straightforward answer made me dizzy for a moment. But better late than never, right?
I asked the tortoiseshell cat. “Hey, where’s that hole? Can you show me too?”
“A hole? Well, I don’t mind since I’m done with my business… Alright, follow me.”
Things were finally going my way! I hurriedly followed the tortoiseshell cat.
I was in a daze, amazed that I was about to save myself. But at the same time, thoughts of Isaac kept crossing my mind.
Today is the day for Isaac’s special lessons… Would he come back safely? If I hadn’t been there when he got out of solitary confinement, he would have been really sad.
My mind was complicated in many ways. If I disappeared, there would be no one on Isaac’s side in this house… How great would it be if I could take Isaac and run away.
Why did I have to be reincarnated as a cat?
As I followed the tortoiseshell cat with a heavy heart, a sharp voice rang out.
“You damn cats!”
Startled by the thunderous voice, I quickly looked up to see the gardener standing there. When I turned around, the tortoiseshell cat had already run away.
The gardener grabbed my body firmly. His eyes were filled with contempt as he glanced at my collar.
“This is the cat that young master raises.”
“How did it get out?”
The gardener and the servant chatted quietly.
My heart was pounding as if it would burst. Are they going to tell Isaac that I escaped? That would be a disaster… Who knows what will happen if the servants tell him. It seemed best to get out of here.
I bit down hard on the gardener’s hand.
“Ack! You damn cat…!” Even as he said that he didn’t let go of me.
The gardener’s eyes gleamed menacingly. “You dare…! This is perfect timing!”
-Splash! The gardener threw me into the pond. Water rushed into my nose and mouth in an instant.
W-What is this! Did he do that because I bit him?
As I flailed around in a panic, I heard the servant’s voice. “Is this going to be okay? The young master cherishes it.”
“As long as he doesn’t know we killed it. Besides, do you know how much trouble this cat has caused us?”
I couldn’t understand what they were saying. As I desperately tried to swim out, their voices continued.
“Remember the guy who got his hand stabbed by young master for stepping on this cat’s tail?”
“Yeah, this unlucky black cat is practically running the place.”
“Could it be that the cat has bewitched the young master? It seems like the young master is getting crazier because of this cat.”
“Maybe things will get better if this cat disappears.”
While they were having a leisurely conversation, water kept flooding into my mouth. Still, as I struggled, I slowly made my way towards land. Just as I was about to reach, a pole came crashing down on the water’s surface,
“Where do you think you’re crawling out to, you brat?”
Every time I tried to escape, the pole struck the water as if to hit me. No, it was definitely trying to hit me.
-Whack! Then the pole hit me. An indescribable pain surged through me.
Every time I flailed, the pole came flying at me. At this rate, I felt like I was really going to die. I screamed with all my might. But only a meowing sound came out.
The fear of death surged up to my chin along with the water.
Please, someone save me! Please…!
“Mia!”
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Thank you very much.
I enjoyed your work!
imagine despising a cat for simply living 🤡