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chapter 23
A small cat paw print was faintly reddish on Ian’s forehead.
He fiddled with his forehead and chuckled softly.
Damn it.
My life.
On top of that, I couldn’t even escape from him because he was holding me.
I quickly averted my gaze.
Then Ian’s eyes shifted to the projection behind me.
The scene where I was being kicked through the air was frozen.
“You didn’t… try to imitate that, did you…?”
“Kuhp… hhh…”
I heard Ian stifling a laugh from behind.
‘Hey. Just laugh. I hate it even more when you try to hold it in.’
I glared at him with eyes full of discontent.
Meeting my gaze, Ian finally burst out laughing.
“Puhahahaha.”
Ian, with a cat paw stamped squarely on his forehead, laughed loudly.
“You are truly a great cat, always reflecting upon yourself,” Alan said, his voice full of admiration, as if he had discovered something unexpected.
Ian wiped the tear at the corner of his eye.
“Great figures destined to be remembered in history always reflect on themselves.”
“Then even the cat must have been self-reflective since it was a kitten. Truly, great people stand out from their earliest days.”
I looked at those two tigers in disbelief. They had so much work and still weren’t helping—had they lost their minds?
‘Those tigers would definitely take first place in a nonsense-talking competition. Who said the Cadelion beastmen are quiet and cold?’
I shook my head.
‘…Or maybe Alan has been having a hard time lately?’
His eyes were bruised, dark purple around the edges.
Looking at his unusually pale face, I thought this theory had some merit. I gazed at him with concern.
Alan’s face looked far more haggard and exhausted than usual.
“I’m fine,” he said, his expression betraying otherwise.
Of course. People who are abnormal always claim they’re fine, and people who are fine sometimes claim the same.
“I’m skilled, even so. Only Louise and Ian could possibly beat me,” he shrugged.
“Rolling here and there as part of honing one’s skills,” he added nonchalantly.
“Being talented is a sin, isn’t it?”
Why did I feel like slapping him for saying that?
Hearing those words, I realized immediately who Alan had been sparring with… and I kind of understood why he had sparred.
‘But he looks like a typical scholar.’
He looked like someone who only studied, or just held a pen, dealt with paperwork, and did nothing else.
Just a delicate scholar. Yet he was skilled in swordsmanship.
Honestly, it was surprising.
‘If only Louise and Ian can beat him, isn’t he basically at a knight-captain level…?’
That’s basically not even a beastman’s level. His skills were almost perfect.
Why, with such abilities, was he serving as a Cadelion family assistant?
Even nowadays, being an assistant isn’t easy.
I revised my evaluation of Alan in my mind.
Haaah—
I lay on a hot pink cushion and yawned as wide as I could.
My few days of rebellion, avoiding the office, had failed.
And now, I was back in the office.
What a truly happy life. Haha.
As soon as I was dragged in, these tigers didn’t pile up in front of me but decided to play with my feet.
‘…Go do your work.’
I glared at them indifferently.
“So this is a cat’s paw,” Ian said, pressing my sole with his fingers. He seemed to enjoy it, pressing only the jelly-like parts of my feet, and the intensity made me think it could even reopen growth plates permanently.
‘Oh, that feels good.’
Unexpected foot massage made me feel better. I wished he would press a little higher.
‘Yes, there. Right there. Mm-hmm.’
He found exactly the spot I liked and pressed firmly.
I blinked slowly and purred.
Ian, kneading my feet with care, spoke.
“Let’s make a seal with this.”
No way.
He shook my foot gently, not hurting me. Because of the forced movement, it looked like I was greeting someone.
“Excellent idea. Since you’ve been self-reflective since kittenhood, making a seal with your paw might amplify its effect,” Alan added.
What nonsense.
‘…That’s not a work-related document, is it?’
Hearing such nonsense from someone who looked scholarly and earnest felt surreal. The very fact that he put so much effort into acting was…
I silently hoped that any noble ladies who admired Alan didn’t witness this scene.
“Would that really work?”
“Yes.”
I felt too lazy to care and let them continue playing with my feet. Whether they made a seal or not, I’d eventually wash it off.
‘But you have foot jelly too, don’t you?’
Ah. If they transformed into tigers here, the office desk would be destroyed.
‘Not just destroyed—it’d be totally smashed.’
While Ian joyfully played with my feet, Alan suddenly spoke.
“Ian, Lady Etia is visiting. You should go see her.”
“Why is she here?”
“She’s here regarding maritime trade rights.”
“Tsk.”
Ian clicked his tongue and stood.
Wow, he’s finally going to see someone in the reception room.
You see it, right? The tiger before my eyes is heading to the reception room to meet a beastman.
“Marie, keep an eye on Ariel.”
“Ariel, I’ll be back soon. Don’t go anywhere, or else—”
‘…Or else?’
“Schu is forbidden.”
What?!
I had been sitting there, looking at him in awe, but I jumped up.
He patted me once and walked off.
‘That… sneaky brat.’
How could he threaten me with Schu? I glared daggers at his back.
“Don’t glare like that. My delicate heart can get hurt.”
‘Delicate my foot. Ridiculous.’
He spoke over his shoulder while holding the door handle.
“My feelings are hurt.”
‘He notices everything.’
I lowered my eyes slightly. Did that tiger even have eyes on the back of his head? Looking at his rear made me want to smack it.
Thwack.
With that, the office door closed.
Now only Marie and I remained.
Silence fell over the office.
Marie spoke brightly.
“Ariel, shall I read you a book? I got the simplest-looking storybook from the family library with permission.”
Marie held a book titled Aritea’s Star.
Its black cover, with only one star, hardly looked like a storybook. It even seemed a bit grim.
“You are much sharper than an ordinary cat, so this book should be easy for you to understand,” Marie said.
Do they really assume I can understand a storybook?
‘Well, given my past actions, it’s no surprise.’
I nodded and turned my gaze.
‘Alright. Let’s read it.’
Ariel climbed onto Marie’s lap and settled down as she opened the book.
“Long ago, when beastmen and humans lived together, there was a beastman named Aritea.”
As always with story protagonists, she was incredibly beautiful.
“She was a mysterious beauty. Even from afar, anyone could recognize her beauty.”
“That beauty gave an untouchable distance to those around her.”
Marie’s soft voice narrated the story.
“From a young age, she helped children on the road with a kind heart. The king of the human territory, who happened to see her, decided to take her in and raise her.”
“At that time, humans had not yet gone extinct, Ariel.”
Marie added.
“Aritea followed the king with hope, but what awaited her was a cruelly high tower, with only the top room for her to stay in.”
“She could not leave and spent most of her time in that room.”
‘This is supposed to be a storybook full of dreams and hope…?’
I stared at the book with shaking eyes. Marie calmly continued.
“The maids of the Hessi Kingdom were fascinated by Aritea and grew fond of her. Confined to the tower, Aritea and the maids naturally became friends.”
“Aritea, always longing for the outside world, occasionally looked out the window.”
“So the maids told her stories of the outside world, and Aritea listened with a gentle smile. Peaceful days continued like that.”
“‘Lady Aritea, is there anything you wish to eat?’”
“‘Lady Aritea, we bought a doll thinking of you!’”
“Aritea always smiled and said, ‘No, it’s fine.’ Then the maids would casually change the topic.”
I didn’t think this was a storybook full of dreams and hope. It felt like a simplified version of a difficult story. I quietly kept listening.
“One night, under the shining moon, Aritea clasped her hands and made a wish instead of sleeping.”
“She spoke in a trembling voice: ‘Moon, oh moon. Please grant my wish.’”
“And with that, Aritea became a star in the sky, shining bright and pure…”
That’s what it said.
Before finishing, Marie closed the book and swiftly grabbed her bow and arrow, aiming forward.
“Who are you?”
The peaceful office atmosphere changed instantly.
A page of the storybook, not yet turned, stuck out.
It was the only illustrated scene in an otherwise unillustrated book.
The illustration showed a prince and the white, platinum-haired Aritea surrounded by light.
Then Marie shouted urgently.
“Ariel!”
Clang—!
The solid bow and arrow clashed with a sword.
An assassin.
