Villainous Lady, The Obsession Begins

【Chapter 56】

 

And early the next morning.

I woke up to the unfamiliar weight that came to the bed, and after checking the identity of the warm warmth on my side, I smiled.

“How did you escape?”

It was Elle, rolled up like an ammonite.

“Meow…..”

Elle’s eyes, which opened very slightly, narrowed as if smiling and closed again.

💧

Esadien looked around and measured his position. I quickly got lost when I relied on human memory with the body of a small beast.

‘The Grand Duchess residence is in the other direction…. was it?’

At that moment, Esadien had just emerged from the dog hole of the imperial palace. When he saw the hooves and wheels passing by on the road, he keenly realized that his eye level had become significantly lower than when he was a human.

‘At this rate, I could could be hit by a blind hoof and die.’

The decision was quick, but he was still not accustomed to the body of an animal, so even getting on the wall was difficult. After several failures, he finally managed to climb up the narrow wall.

– Hey, there!

‘What?’

As soon as Esadien emerged from the hole in the city wall, he heard a peculiar sound that was not human speech. His ears pricked up and twitched as he tried to make sense of it. He felt as if his body was responding on its own, which he still had not fully adjusted to since becoming a beast. As Esadine was taken aback by the unexpected sound, the owner of the voice that called out to him revealed themselves.

– What is it? Is it a hybrid?

– It looks weird. Where are your parents? I can’t believe they let an undergrown guy walk around alone.

A tri-color cat, a calico cat, a grey-striped cat, and a jet-black cat surrounded Esadien as they followed him from the alleyway. 

Being a mutt and not knowing anything about cat breeds, Esadien didn’t know what to make of them and had no way of understanding their language since he was originally a human, not a cat. He silently tried to pass by them, but it was no use. 

The adult cats were surprisingly big, and there was no space for him to slip through but the ground. Moreover, he had just transformed into a cat, and it was unlikely that he could speak the language of the cats.

“……”

Esadien swallowed hard. Even going down seemed twice as high as before, when it had been difficult to climb up. However, he decided to trust this “cat-like” body for now. After all, cats were known for their perfect landings even when falling from a high place.

– Wha,what?

As Esadien was contemplating jumping down, his buttocks wiggled visibly from side to side, exposing them completely. The cats who spoke to him were greatly surprised.

– You’re just gonna throw yourself?

What is this strange creature? Hasn’t it learned to apologize and wag its tail? Is it because it’s a mixed breed?

The cats were territorial animals, but they tolerated the newcomer moving around because it was still young.

– Hey, man!

As Esadien was about to jump, the cats who were calling out to scold him were taken aback.

‘Perfect landing!’

No, that’s what he thinks.

It was evident from the cats’ actions, swatting at their faces, that Esadien’s first landing wasn’t very graceful, with a small thud sound ringing out..

– It’s the first time I’ve seen someone who can’t use their body like that.

– Even young ones who have just opened their eyes are better than that.

– How did you get around like that?

It was a more acrimonious comment than a zero-point scoreboard.

– If I just let you go around, you’ll be in big trouble…. huh?

It was annoying, but the tri-color cat, who was trying to take Esadien to his mother, opened his eyes wide.

Esadien, who seemed to have fainted and did not move, jumped up and popped out like an arrow.

The gray-striped cat, who was watching with him, muttered with its tongue out.

– As expected, he recovers quickly because he’s young.

– Shut up, come on!

However, as Esadien realized they were following him, he picked up speed and ran away. If he had kept going as he was, the cats would have given up halfway and gone to catch pigeons or something. 

But with all the bumping and jostling, not to mention the dirty things in this area, they just couldn’t leave him.

– What, this mongrel!

The beautiful cat with the fullest tail in the neighborhood living in the merchant’s house might step on something and fall down. Unlucky ones can break their whiskers even if they fall backwards, and if their feet slip on a tree, they might end up falling on the back of a helpless hunting hound.

“Uuuuu! Uuuuu!”

– I’m sorry, man!

The cats had to calm down the hunting hound who was about to catch Esadien in a cold sweat. A poor black cat tried to catch the kitten who seemed to be broken, but only got scratched on the side and missed it.

– Oh, how annoying!

Perhaps because he was small, the technique of escaping was artistic.

– Shall we stop? I’m getting hungry.

– See the graveyard. How about him?

The cats wanted to give up, but they followed the injured kitten with a determination to show the cunning of an adult. Esadien moved unsteadily. It was a correct guess that they were also hungry.

– Let’s ask him when he loses more energy.

But while he was only looking for an opportunity like that, he slipped inside the hedge.

– Huh?

The black cat growled.

The place where Esadien went in was like a mountain fence, a wall made of plants with lots of sharp thorns.

– He has no sense of pain…..?

The tri-color cat was calm even when the black cat was shaking its tail.

– That’s a relief, but this house is all talk.

Then, it would be safer if he didn’t wander around the stable for no reason. The relieved cats skillfully climbed up the trees to avoid the fence. However, surprisingly, they couldn’t find the small one in the garden inside.

At that moment, the nearby spruce tree suddenly trembled.

– When did you get there?

However, it was not just the cats who saw it. A human with long and curly hair slowly approached the little one.

The cats held their breath as if they had made a promise and lowered their posture. If he was really unlucky, he could be chased away or even beaten up.

But whether he knew their intentions or not, a dry, shriveled voice came from between the trees.

– Minuelle…..

– What? You know how to talk, don’t you?

The gray-striped cat grumbled bitterly.

– But the crying sound is really weird. It’s like…..

The tail with stripes that become darker towards the end, swayed like a question mark.

– Ah! I think it’s like humans copying our sounds.

– Is that important now? Are you going to leave it like that?

The long-haired human being was lifting Esadien with a sound of ‘Uhuhuhu’.

– Let’s just leave it. It’s like she’s trying to cure him.

The tri-color cat, who spoke briefly, turned around without any regrets. Because as soon as the little one saw that human, he heard a faint murmur.

– I missed you.

….he said.

And before losing consciousness, it surely blinked its eyes, fixed its gaze towards them as a sign of gratitude.

‘Be happy, you punk.’

The tri-colored cat turned around and sniffed the ground with its front paw. Other cats grumbled but followed closely behind it.

– Do you want a pigeon?

– Crow?

– Oh? The crow is kind of scary.

💧

For Esadien, the situation seemed like a dream.

After losing consciousness due to hunger and exhaustion, he woke up to find Minuelle carefully treating his injuries. Not only that, but she smiled and hugged him when he nuzzled her face and licked her cheek, even giving him a name without hesitation.

– Minuelle.

Although only a strange sound “mya” came out of his mouth whenever he was called by his name, it was still good because Minuelle was amazed and looked at him every time.

“All right, now you’re living with me. Got it?”

When Minuelle declared that, he just wanted to live like this for the rest of his life.

What about the body of a beast? You could live by her side and be loved. It’s much better than pretending to be human and risking your life against those who threaten you if you let your guard down. However, even Esadien felt embarrassed when Minuelle took him to the bathroom.

– No, Minuelle. I can’t do this….

“Shhh, you have to wash yourself clean to get into the blanket.”

– ……

That’s right.

Esadien, whose head was dizzy after several times(?), fainted again.

When he awoke, Ramande was beside Minuelle, looking down at him with her sullen face.

– Minuelle….?

“Elle, are you okay?”

He’s happy that Minuelle asked him with a lot of concern.

Then, Ramande’s expression, which changed subtly, caught Esadien’s eyes. As a priest, does he know something? Esadien, whose feet were numb, tried to avoid his gaze and pretended not to notice. But sure enough, Ramande opposed the idea of Minuelle sleeping with him.

“Still not. Come in with bug that bites on the bed.”

The reason he didn’t know what kind of species it was was passed on, but even Esadien could not stand still.

– What do you see me as?

But he realized the next moment, he shouldn’t have reacted to the provocation.

“Sleep with me.”

“What?”

– What?! Put me down right now!

At the same time, Minuelle and Esadien were surprised and asked back, but Ramande quickly turned around leaving a natural greeting as if he could not hear.

“Then, sweet dreams, Minuelle.”

And the moment he got out of her bedroom, his playful demeanor had disappeared, Ramande said in a hoarse voice.

“Talk to me.”

His demeanor changed in an instant, and Esadien involuntarily became nervous and swallowed his saliva.

‘No way….’

Even though the animals, his attendant, and Minuelle didn’t know he was human, Ramande’s eyes were always different. It felt like he was sure that Ramande would understand even if he didn’t answer.

‘Should I run away?’

The thought was the first thing that occurred to him.

‘But…. but.”

A lingering attachment seized Esadien.

He finally met Minuelle again. It was a short time, but he learned. He realized that’s how it feels to be happy just by looking at her.

In the first place, it was uncertain whether the priest could turn him back into a human or not.

Who believes that when you put an animal in front of your eyes and say, “Actually this is a person.”

Of course, there was a possibility that he could turn back, but Esadien decided to focus on the hopeful side as much as possible.

So even when Ramande flung Esadien down on his desk and stared at him, he was not too surprised.

“Look, Your Highness. You do things like perverts.”

He flinched a little when he talked to him like he was treating people.

💧

Thank you for reading!