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Chapter 5
House Montclair possessed more wealth than anyone could spend in a lifetime and a reputation admired throughout the Empire.
Most noble families could use one to three of the five elemental attributes:
Fire.
Water.
Earth.
Wind.
And Wood.
The Montclairs, however, were different.
Most members of the family could wield all five.
That was why it was such a tremendous disgrace for a daughter of House Montclair to fail to awaken her magic.
“This is my room.”
Perhaps she’d decided there was nothing wrong with talking to a cat, because Eloise began showing me around.
Wow…
It was even grander than Marcel’s bedroom.
An elegant bed.
Luxurious furniture.
Sparkling ornaments everywhere.
I had no idea how much any of it was worth, but every piece practically screamed expensive.
Eloise set the wooden crate beside her bed.
“This will be your place for the time being, Lizette.”
I stretched one paw outside the crate…
Then immediately pulled it back in.
What if I climb out on my own and the villainess gets angry?
“Meow?”
I looked up at Eloise.
She seemed calm now…
But who knew when she’d reveal the cruel side I’d read about in the novel?
There had been a scene where she’d publicly humiliated the heroine simply for wandering around the Imperial Palace without permission.
Perhaps noticing my hesitation, Eloise spoke in her usual flat voice.
“I should tell you now.”
“You may wander anywhere in the mansion.”
“Meow?”
Really?
My eyes widened in surprise.
Back at the Prince’s Palace, there had only been a handful of places I was allowed to go.
Marcel’s sitting room.
His bedroom.
The training grounds.
Etienne’s room.
Even then, I couldn’t simply roam wherever I pleased.
If I accidentally broke something expensive, the maids would be scolded in my place.
So I’d always been careful.
“You can come out.”
The moment she finished speaking, I climbed out of the crate.
Cautiously, I padded around the room, sniffing everything.
…Darn it.
Before my human thoughts could catch up, my cat instincts had already taken over.
Still…
The scent of the wooden furniture reminded me of the forest.
It was comforting.
“Meow.”
“You seem happy.”
“That’s a relief.”
The crease between Eloise’s brows gradually disappeared.
Without that constant frown, her face suddenly became much easier to approach.
I walked over to her feet and looked up.
“It may only be for a little while…”
“But make yourself comfortable.”
“Mrrrow~”
Her voice remained as expressionless as ever.
Yet somehow…
It sounded gentle.
I rubbed my fluffy side against the hem of her dark blue dress.
White fur immediately clung to the expensive fabric.
She didn’t seem to mind.
Her cold hand hovered just above my head, lightly brushing my fur.
“I’ve heard cats are usually very cautious.”
“How strange.”
“Mew~”
No!
Get a grip!
Eloise is the villainess!
Someday…
Just like the heroine…
I might end up getting slapped.
Or sold to someone else.
In the original novel, Eloise had handed the heroine over to the Beast Kingdom’s crown prince because she believed the heroine threatened her position.
Remembering that, I forced myself to back away from her.
Immediately, the crease returned between Eloise’s brows.
Knock. Knock.
“My lady.”
“I’ve prepared your tea.”
“Come in.”
The door opened.
The maid I’d seen earlier entered carrying a tea set.
“Dr. Etmon said the flowers used in your scented candles aren’t good for cats.”
“So I’ve prepared chamomile tea instead.”
“Good.”
“Shall we bring your dinner to your room as usual tonight?”
“Yes.”
“Oh…”
“Bring something for Lizette as well.”
“Certainly, my lady.”
After the maid left, Eloise sat on the sofa and poured herself a cup of tea.
I quietly returned to my crate, curled my tail around myself, and watched her.
She sipped her tea as though she wasn’t paying attention…
Then glanced toward me.
“Meow.”
“Lizette…”
“I really can’t figure you out.”
“You’re just like Seal.”
Seal?
Wait…
Was that Marcel’s nickname?
So they’d secretly called each other by nicknames?
He had mentioned they were childhood friends.
Maybe that’s why.
Now that she was engaged to his older brother, perhaps they intentionally kept a formal distance.
Seeing this side of the story—something the original novel had never shown—made it sink in all over again.
I really had been transported into this world.
Back at the Prince’s Palace, I’d simply enjoyed my carefree life as a cat.
I already missed it.
After finishing her tea, Eloise stayed a reasonable distance away from me, reading books and writing letters.
Meanwhile, I wandered in and out of my crate while secretly making escape plans.
Her room is only on the second floor.
I should survive jumping out the window… right?
Knock. Knock.
The quiet room echoed with another knock.
A delicious smell drifted in through the doorway.
“Come in.”
The maid returned with two or three servants pushing a serving cart.
One dish after another was placed upon the table.
Soup.
Appetizers.
Fish.
Meat.
Dessert with a sweet aroma.
After everything had been arranged, two small dishes were placed on the floor.
“These are for Lady Cat.”
“Chicken?”
“Yes.”
“Dr. Etmon recommended it.”
“I see.”
“Enjoy your meal, my lady.”
Once the servants had all left…
Eloise crouched beside the sofa and gently tapped one of the dishes.
“Come here, Lizette.”
“Let’s eat.”
I sat in front of my crate, watching her.
Unfortunately…
My stomach growled.
Slowly, I walked over to the dishes.
Well…
The Second Prince had given me to her.
Surely she wouldn’t poison my food…
Would she?
From what little I’d seen…
Eloise didn’t seem like someone who was cruel by nature.
“Meow.”
One bowl contained shredded chicken.
The other held fresh water.
As I sniffed cautiously around the dishes, Eloise climbed back onto the sofa and deliberately took a sip of water herself.
Seeing that…
I finally lowered my head and drank.
The cool water soothed my dry tongue.
Lap. Lap.
For a moment…
I felt someone watching me.
When I looked up…
Eloise was calmly eating with a spoon.
Maybe I imagined it.
“Sniff… sniff…”
I lowered my face again and smelled the chicken.
The shredded breast meat carried a mild, savory aroma.
I stuck out my tongue and picked up one piece.
“Bleh.”
The moment I chewed it…
I spat it right back out.
Gross.
Apparently my spoiled palate had already become completely accustomed to palace food.
I couldn’t believe even this tasted bad now.
This was Marcel’s fault.
…Or maybe it was the villainess’s fault for serving something so bland?
“Lizette.”
“Would you like to try this instead?”
While I was absentmindedly poking the poor chicken with my paw…
Eloise placed a slice of steak onto my plate.
The medium-well beef glistened with rich juices.
Sniff…
It smelled every bit as delicious as the steak I’d eaten in the Prince’s Palace.
Chomp.
I stuffed the piece into my mouth.
The moment I bit down…
Rich meat juices flooded my mouth.
Delicious!
This is it!
The tender meat practically melted before sliding down my throat.
I couldn’t help licking my lips after swallowing.
“Meow.”
“Meow.”
I slapped my tail against the floor in complaint.
It wasn’t that Eloise had shown me a little kindness and I’d already become spoiled.
It was just…
I’d grown accustomed to being treated almost like royalty.
Anything less now felt unfair.
Stupid Marcel.
I hope Etienne knocks you flat during training.
“Here.”
“Lizette.”
After cutting for a while, Eloise simply placed the entire plate of steak in front of me.
Every piece had been cut into bite-sized portions.
Wait…
Were you cutting it up for me this whole time?
“I think Seal spoiled you far too much before sending you here.”
On that point…
I completely agreed.
None of this was my fault.
I happily chewed through the carefully cut steak.
By the time I’d eaten about half…
I heard silverware quietly clinking above me.
…Don’t tell me.
Has she been watching me eat this whole time?
After polishing off every last piece of steak, I flopped onto the floor with my now-round belly.
A pale hand appeared before me.
“Lizette.”
“Would you like dessert?”
Resting on her palm was a single small strawberry.
Perhaps because her skin was so pale…
The strawberry looked especially red.
Dragging my pleasantly heavy body along, I gently bit only the tip of the fruit before waddling back toward my crate.
Maybe because she’d called it my place…
It somehow felt safest there.
Crisp… crunch…
The sweet-and-tart flavor spread through my mouth.
“Mrrrow…”
Marcel had never let me eat things like this at the palace.
More importantly…
Not once had he personally prepared my meals.
The determination I’d had to escape…
Began to waver ever so slightly.
