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Chapter 2
As the memories of my previous life resurfaced, my tiny body trembled uncontrollably. My tail stood on end, and a pained whimper escaped my throat.
“Meow…”
To calm myself, I curled up and slowly licked my body clean. It was something I had learned to do to comfort myself after spending my childhood alone.
The moment my emotions settled slightly, my stomach growled loudly.
Grrrrr—
I walked toward the firmly locked storage room door.
If my memory was correct, there should be food there.
As I approached, I saw a broken bowl containing a mixture of scraps that looked like garbage. A foul smell rose from it.
The servants of the mansion had dumped the leftovers from the kitchen there for me to eat.
This was my only meal of the day.
I began picking out whatever looked edible from the trash. But the amount was pitifully small.
Even after finishing, I was still hungry.
Looks like I’ll have to eat fleas again.
I searched through the storage room and swatted at the fleas hiding inside.
The fleas fled toward the wooden cellar door, trying to escape.
But I immediately chased after them and caught them with practiced ease. I had done this countless times in my previous life.
The moment I put them in my mouth, I noticed the familiar scratches covering the surface of the wooden door.
They were claw marks left by my past self—scratches made while crying and desperately begging to be let out.
Only then did I notice my fragile front claws, chipped and worn down.
I haven’t been locked up here for very long yet.
Later on, I would completely give up on begging to be released and simply endure the abuse of my family in helpless resignation.
Alternating my gaze between the scratches and my claws, I chewed the flea in my mouth.
A bitter taste spread across my tongue.
My golden eyes hardened.
If I really have returned to the past…
I won’t live the same way I did before.
No matter what it took, I would escape this place.
But how?
Curled up with my paws tucked beneath me, I sank into thought. From a distance, I probably looked like a small loaf of bread.
I had spent several days thinking about it, but no good solution came to mind.
Even if I somehow managed to escape, there was another problem.
I had nowhere to go.
At best, I’d become a wandering pickpocket.
And that would eventually lead me back to that horrible place—the Demon Forest.
Minor theft usually resulted in a fine, but powerless beastfolk thieves in the impoverished North who couldn’t pay were ultimately sent to the forest.
Back when I lived there in my previous life, I often saw young beastfolk cast into the forest that way.
Every one of them was weak, homeless, and without guardians.
Just like me.
I didn’t come back to the past just to end up with the same ending.
I shook my head.
Then suddenly something tickled me.
Fleas had already crawled back onto my body and were sucking my blood.
Those annoying pests!
“Meow!”
I instantly sprang up and began furiously swatting at them.
My stomach growled again.
Without thinking, I popped one of the captured fleas into my mouth.
As the bitter taste spread across my tongue, I rolled around miserably.
If only I could go somewhere without fleas and eat proper meals every day.
That was all I wanted.
Then—
Clack.
The storage room door opened.
“Hey. Food’s here.”
The tiger beastman chef, Tony, tossed a bowl inside with his usual arrogant attitude before leaving.
The door locked again.
More garbage, I suppose.
But unlike usual, a delicious scent reached my tiny nose.
Sniffing eagerly, I crept closer.
No way!
There was a piece of meat in the bowl.
My mouth instantly filled with saliva.
“Meow!”
Letting out a delighted cry, I bit into it.
It was cold and full of tough tendons, but compared to the tasteless scraps I normally ate, it was heavenly.
What’s going on? Is there some kind of event at the mansion?
While I wondered, I heard Tony speaking with the head butler outside the wooden door.
I perked up my ears.
Their conversation came through clearly.
“The Drake family will arrive at the mansion shortly. Tony, the meal preparations are complete, yes?”
“Head Butler, I’ve already removed all the tough parts and scraps from the meat and prepared dishes using only the finest cuts. Dragons are very particular about food.”
“Well done. We’re already in an unfavorable position. We can’t afford to give them any reason to criticize us.”
As the butler spoke sternly, Tony growled in frustration.
“Damn it! Do you know how much work this has been? Why did the lord have to start a territorial war with the South in the first place—”
“Quiet! What’s done is done.”
My golden eyes widened.
The Drake family’s visit is today?
The Drake family ruled the southern continent and were a family of dragon beastfolk.
My greedy father, Alec Chigr, had gradually expanded his influence throughout the North and eventually grew ambitious enough to covet the territory of the Southern Dragon—the most powerful figure on the continent.
He launched a territorial war against the South.
And suffered a crushing defeat.
Afterward, the Drake family held the Chigr family responsible for the war and demanded reparations, along with a non-aggression treaty.
The dragons were coming north today to finalize the amount of compensation and sign the treaty.
Since the Chigr family had been the aggressors—and had lost—the war, they had no choice but to prepare an extravagant reception.
If they offended the dragons in even the slightest way, the reparations would skyrocket and humiliating conditions would undoubtedly be added to the treaty.
Of course, none of this had mattered to me in my previous life.
Back then, I had remained locked in this storage room, completely unaware of their visit.
But things were different now.
My eyes gleamed in the darkness.
This might be my chance to escape.
A memory flashed through my mind.
On the day of the treaty, the Drake family demanded one more thing from Alec in addition to the reparations and non-aggression pact.
His only legitimate daughter, Caroline, would be sent south as a hostage for twenty years.
In my previous life, Caroline ultimately left for the South as a hostage.
I remembered this vividly.
Before departing, she had come down to this cellar, furious at having to leave the North, and vented her anger on me through relentless abuse.
But that wouldn’t happen this time.
My small golden eyes sparkled as I pressed my ear against the door.
What if I went south as the hostage instead of Caroline?
The dragons didn’t even know I existed.
If I appeared before them first, inheriting Alec’s white fur and golden eyes, they would naturally assume I was his only daughter.
Besides, at a glance, I look quite similar to a white tiger cub anyway.
And from Alec’s perspective, sending me—a bastard child—as a hostage would be far preferable to sacrificing his precious legitimate daughter.
For me, it would be an opportunity to escape this horrible place.
I wouldn’t be driven into the Demon Forest a few years later.
And even as a hostage, the heir of a foreign nation taken as a guarantee of friendship between two countries was guaranteed a certain level of treatment and safety.
Of course, if the dragons get angry, I could end up dead like Caroline…
In my previous life, Caroline had been killed by the dragons not long after arriving in the South.
She repeatedly caused trouble trying to escape.
She even secretly hired northern leopard mercenaries to attack the Drake estate and help her flee.
Naturally, the attempt failed.
Enraged, the dragons judged that the North had violated their friendship.
They executed her and sent her severed head to Alec.
That happened shortly before I was exiled to the forest.
As long as I don’t act like Caroline and behave myself, I should be fine.
Besides, if the Drake estate could withstand an attack from famous leopard mercenaries, then it was probably one of the safest places on the continent.
Living quietly there as a hostage for twenty years and looking for an opportunity later was far better than remaining here until I was thrown into the Demon Forest.
That made my immediate priority obvious.
First, I need a bath!
My fur was currently filthy from dirt and looked gray.
If the dragons were going to believe I was Alec’s child, I needed fur that at least looked white instead of grimy gray.
Lick, lick.
I carefully cleaned every inch of my dirty body with my pink tongue.
I washed my face by rubbing it with my paws.
Fortunately, the dirt gradually began coming off.
As I diligently groomed myself, another worry crossed my mind.
More importantly, I can’t speak. Will I be able to survive in the South?
Unable to transform into human form, I could only make kitten noises both now and in my previous life.
Still, the beastfolk of the North had generally understood what I meant.
Dragons were beastfolk too.
Maybe they’d understand me well enough.
And if not, there was always body language.
Though honestly, the bigger problem is if they discover I’m a bastard child.
Dragons were known as the most ruthless beastfolk race on the continent.
Especially Leon Drake, head of the Drake family.
He was infamous throughout the continent for being meticulous and merciless.
If he discovered the truth, he might kill me on the spot just like Caroline.
The fur along my body stood on end.
Still, I resolutely licked my paw.
That hasn’t happened yet.
I’ll worry about it when the time comes and focus on what I can do now.
It was the mindset that had helped me survive day after day in the brutal Demon Forest.
Besides, staying here would only lead to an even worse fate.
Memories of the abuse I suffered from Caroline and the mansion servants resurfaced.
“Mia, let’s play swimming today! You look so funny flailing around underwater! Hahaha!”
“Cats always land on their feet, right? Then let’s see if you can land safely from the rooftop! Heehee!”
“Your whiskers are so messy. Let’s cut them all off! Hahaha!”
The man I called father either ignored it or blamed me and sided with them.
So what’s important right now is becoming the hostage and escaping this place.
I continued grooming myself diligently.
By the time my fur had returned to a very pale gray—
Bwooooooo—
A majestic horn sounded outside the storage room.
It was only blown when honored guests arrived at the mansion.
My ears perked up.
I rose to my feet, eyes wide.
The Drake family had arrived.
In that case, the first thing I need to do is…
Escape this cursed storage room.
