PWHHF | SS3

Side Story – Chapter 3

Chirp, chirp, chirp.

The peaceful sound of sparrows outside the window woke Agnes.

As she groggily opened her eyes, bright sunlight seeped through the curtains.

She stretched with a soft groan. Maybe it was because she had finally let go of all her pent-up desires—she had slept exceptionally well last night, and her body felt refreshed.

Still half-asleep, Agnes reached out a hand. She was used to snuggling into Kylo’s arms first thing in the morning, but…

“Huh?”

The spot beside her was empty. She quickly sat up.

Did he go out for his morning training?

Kylo usually made sure to be by her side when she woke up, even if he had gone out early. He always timed it perfectly.

Then, at that moment—

She noticed something small wriggling under the blanket.

Something incredibly tiny.

Startled, Agnes threw the blanket aside.

And right there—

“Meow!”

“Huh…?”

A tiny black-furred kitten was curled up on the bed.

Agnes scratched her cheek and glanced toward the window.

Did it come in from there? Was it a stray? How did it get in?

Then, suddenly—

A shiver ran down her spine.

Slowly, she turned her head back toward the kitten sitting alone on her bed.

Its eyes were blue.

“Gasp…!”

No way.

It couldn’t be.

As their gazes met, the kitten flailed its tiny paws wildly, as if desperately trying to communicate.

“Meow! Meow!”

Its cries carried a strangely urgent message.

“No… It can’t be… K… Kylo?”

“Meow!”

The kitten nodded vigorously, its tiny paws still flailing.

What the—?!

How was this real? How could this possibly be real?!

Agnes rubbed and pinched her cheeks to make sure she wasn’t still dreaming.

“Kylo… This is a joke, right? Where are you?”

Refusing to accept reality, she climbed out of bed and started searching for him.

But their bedroom held only two beings—Agnes and the kitten.

Then, as if in a trance, she came to a sudden stop.

Right in front of the display shelf where she had placed the snow globe last night.

“Ha….”

To her shock, the little green frog that had been inside the snow globe was gone.

Only its yellow umbrella remained, lying there on the glass.

‘That old man yesterday….’

Could he really have been a wizard who captured and trapped a Frog Fairy?

What kind of lunatic does that?!

Agnes stood frozen, her mouth slightly agape.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the kitten sitting on the bed, looking at her with sad, dejected eyes.

“…Kylo?”

“Meow!”

“Is it really you? Since when…?”

As she asked, the kitten babbled excitedly, patting the bed with its little paws.

It was clearly trying to explain something, but—she couldn’t understand a single word.

Still, she was now convinced.

The blue eyes. The way he understood her words.

There was no other explanation.

This really was Kylo.

Agnes felt like she might faint on the spot, but she forced herself to stay calm.

She took a deep breath and thought.

If her wish had actually come true…

‘It only lasts for one day. That means by tomorrow, he’ll be back to normal, right?’

In that case—

Agnes blinked as she stared at the kitten.

Adorable.

Now that her initial shock had worn off, she had only one thought left in her mind.

How was this real? What should she do?

He was too cute.

Was she dreaming? This was insane.

He had actually turned into a kitten.

And he was unbelievably cute.

As Agnes covered her mouth, giggling uncontrollably, the kitten flinched.

His expression clearly said, You’re laughing at a time like this?

Agnes quickly scanned the room.

Camera… Camera…!

She had only one day. She had to take as many pictures and videos as possible.

Moving swiftly, she tidied up the bed, then suddenly flung open what had seemed to be an ordinary part of the wall—revealing a hidden storage compartment.

The kitten’s eyes widened.

His expression said it all: That was a wall… Why are things coming out of it?

What emerged was a massive collection of plush toys.

A giant teddy bear, a cat plushie, a rabbit, a deer—dozens of stuffed animals poured out.

And they all had one thing in common.

Black fur. Blue eyes.

It was a hobby Agnes had developed over time.

A secret she had carefully kept from Kylo.

What if he found it creepy?

What if he started avoiding her?

After all, the entire closet was filled exclusively with plushies resembling him.

But today, it didn’t matter.

Secrets be damned—she was not going to waste this opportunity.

Agnes arranged the plushies neatly on the bed before finally turning toward the kitten.

She reached out, her hands trembling with excitement.

The kitten, for some reason, was also shaking.

“Haa… My God.”

Finally, her fingertips made contact.

She lifted the kitten into the air, arms fully extended, as if presenting the future king to the world—

Just like that famous scene from The Lion King.

Spinning in circles, she twirled around with the kitten before finally pulling him into a tight embrace.

He was warm and soft.

He felt heavenly.

“Oh my god… Oh my god…”

Agnes let out a squeal, wiggling in place as if she were about to lose her mind.

She was on the verge of exploding from how adorable he was.

After holding him for what felt like forever, she finally snapped back to her senses.

She gently placed the kitten among the plushies.

“Kylo, stay right there for a moment.”

“…….”

She said “a moment,” but Kylo knew better.

Just yesterday, at the birthday café, she had said, Just one picture!

And he had been stuck posing for hours.

Not that he minded—her affection always made him happy.

But he did mind the stares from passersby.

At least today, there were no spectators.

With a strangely resigned look, the kitten sat still.

Click, click, click!

The camera shutter rang out over and over.

Much later—

Just as their “photo session” was finally wrapping up, the kitten started dozing off, nodding sleepily.

Knock, knock—

“Oh, come in.”

At Agnes’s words, the chamber door opened, and attendants entered.

She had requested something from the head maid earlier.

On the table, an array of desserts made from cat-safe ingredients was laid out.

Alongside them—a warm glass of milk.

Once the attendants left, Agnes picked up the kitten and settled into the plush sofa.

The warmth and slight weight pressing against her chest filled her with pure joy.

Yes. This was it.

She had always dreamed of holding her precious baby like this at least once.

Kylo was normally far too big for her to cradle.

Being held by him was lovely, of course—but just once, she had wanted to be the one doing the holding.

Agnes gently fed the exhausted kitten tiny bites of dessert.

Perhaps from the tiring photoshoot, he sleepily opened his mouth, nibbling slowly.

His tongue… It’s pink…

So cute.

Milk stains on his fur were also unbelievably cute.

Click, click. Agnes didn’t stop recording and fully enjoyed the moment.

After finishing their dessert time, she decided to go for a walk. She wanted to show off the kitten in her arms to the world.

As soon as she attempted to step outside, the kitten in her arms tensed up.

She could feel the desperate question—was she really going outside like this? Agnes, with unwavering determination, pulled the kitten into a tighter embrace.

And so, carrying Kylo, who had turned into a kitten, she strolled through the imperial palace.

She never missed a chance to boast about him to everyone they passed.

While on his way to a meeting, the crown prince happened to cross paths with her and dampened the mood by saying—

“An infant cat? That doesn’t suit you.”

But since Agnes was in a good mood, she decided to let it slide.

The next encounter was with Diana Lennox, now the crown princess, and her maids.

As the elegantly dressed women approached, the kitten flinched.

“Oh my, how adorable!”

“It’s too cute! Kyaa!”

“Is this a cat Her Highness is raising? May I hold it just once?”

The maids exclaimed excitedly.

Agnes considered handing Kylo over just to see his reaction, but as soon as he sensed the movement, the kitten clung to her desperately.

He dug his tiny claws into her clothes, his body language screaming that he would not let go.

“It seems he doesn’t want to leave Your Highness’s embrace. How precious!”

“I want to raise a cat too.”

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Diana and her maids, Agnes continued on her way.

As she was heading toward the palace gardens—

“Your Highness!”

A familiar voice called out to her from afar.

Startled, Agnes turned her head, only to find the man already standing close by.

It was none other than Rubius Melville—the man infamous as a lady-killer.