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It was my third day in Leeuwenhoek, and I was lying on the lawn on the side of the detached house that was opposite from the main building, basking in the sun.
“Mmm, this grass is so warm.”
It was pure bliss. If I hadn’t remembered my previous life, I might not have been able to do such an improper thing. But as a former cat, I knew how good it felt to sunbathe.
Nobody’s looking, anyway!
I must have dozed off at some point during my relaxed rolling around, because I suddenly awoke to a familiar fuzzy feeling all over my body. Slowly opening my eyes, I found three cats snuggling against me.
“Huh?! Who are you?” I shouted, startled.
The cats ignored me and continued to nap. They looked comfortable.
Oh well.
I lazily shifted onto my other side, and the cats adjusted accordingly, finding new places to settle in next to my body. They seemed to be local strays.
Cats had keener senses than humans and were adept at perceiving magic. In the past, I had been the same. Since I’d regained my memories as Lilybell, my ability to sense magical power had improved. Perhaps my senses had come to be more catlike, causing these felines to recognize me as one of them? Nothing beat lazing around with your fellow kitties, after all.
That said...the cats just kept on coming. And they were all clinging to me. The first time I stirred, there were three, but then another came, and another, and another. They all blended together to the point where I couldn’t even count them anymore.
I was drowning in cats.
Are my reclaimed memories as the charismatic Lilybell making me popular?
Whatever the case, it was nice to make friends at this secluded house. Plus, even as a human, I still found cats adorable. In other words, I, Lucille, was a huge kitty lover. Being crushed to death by them was a fine way to go. Therefore, my natural reaction to this situation was to press my nose to the belly of the cat next to my face and inhale deeply to recharge my energy.
I’m getting hungry...
As I thought about the ingredients in the kitchen, I pondered over my attempt at cooking yesterday. I’d say I did fairly well for a first-timer. Since I’d watched Lilybell’s third owner, the adventuring chef Matthew, cook ad nauseam, I’d been confident that I could pull it off as well. I was very deft with my hands—my past life as a cat had given me the innate ability to move my body exactly as I willed it.
“Heh heh! I’m going to become an even better chef and make even more delicious food!” I declared as I sat up. The cats tumbled off of me, but they purred pleasantly nonetheless.
Three of the cats followed me back to the house. Unlike the others, who seemingly had other places to call home, this trio wanted to stay.
“You’re more than welcome here!” I exclaimed. After all, this house was much too big for me.
I decided to name my newfound family members. First, the female calico. She was the smallest—as tiny as a kitten. “Your name is Michelle.”
“Myaaaaa!” she replied in a high-pitched voice. She wobbled unsteadily on her feet as she toddled around. How adorable!
Next was another female, a long-haired bicolor cat. She was the biggest of the three. “You’re Mars.”
“Meooow.” She swayed her bushy tail gracefully. What an elegant cat. How wonderful!
Last but not least was a black male cat with a gallant face. Such a sleek body and shiny fur! “Your name is Jack.”
“Mreow!” he chirped, standing up imposingly on his hind legs. Anyone could see that he was very athletic.
As I squatted down, Michelle climbed up my back with great gusto, Mars snuggled up to my feet, her tail twining around my legs, and Jack nuzzled his head against the palm of my hand. They were all so smol. The three of them also seemed to like their new names.
By the way, “smol” was a word that Hinako had often used while doting on me. She’d come from another world, so she’d used a lot of strange words and had an unusual way of laughing. I remembered how exciting and fun it had been to be with her.
At night, I slept cozily, surrounded by Michelle, Mars, and Jack. I dreamed that I was Lilybell, playing with my new family members. It was a very blissful time.
From that day on, whenever I sunbathed, other cats would gather and lay down with me. They even invited me to their cat meetings. Perhaps I’d really become an honorary cat.
✦ ✦ ✦
⦿⦿⦿
“Felix, you look tired,” remarked Kain, my closest aide.
“I am.” I didn’t even have the energy to hide it.
I’d had a fiancée—some ill-reputed woman—forced on me under the ridiculous pretext of punishment for a crime that made no sense. If that wasn’t enough of a headache, I’d also received reports of monsters damaging my territory. For generations, it had been customary in Leeuwenhoek for the marquess to lead the knights in battle. Thus, Kain and I had immediately set out to exterminate the monsters, and we hadn’t made it back home until late last night.
I felt sorry that I’d left the rest of the work to the servants. Based on Lucille Gustelanola’s awful reputation, I could easily imagine her doing as she pleased and bossing people around. Regardless of what kind of person she was, it was my duty to protect the people of Leeuwenhoek and those who served in my estate. That was why I had been deliberately harsh on the day she arrived. It was intended as a warning not to misbehave, but I couldn’t tell how effective it had been because of her strange reaction.
I didn’t want to know what she’d been up to, but at the same time, it wouldn’t have been right to place the entire burden on the servants. So I summoned the attendant I’d assigned to her, Sarah, to my office to ask about what had happened in my absence. Still, it didn’t escape me how absurd it was in the first place to punish a criminal by betrothing her to me.
“I’m sorry I left everything to you, even if exterminating monsters takes precedence,” I said. “It must have been difficult. How has Lady Lucille Gustelanola been acting?”
Sarah flinched and then replied, “There are no problems at this time.”
Her evasive answer felt off. Why had she paused before responding? She wasn’t making eye contact either. Also, how could there be no problems?
Everyone said that Lucille Gustelanola was a wicked woman. Surely something had to have come up. Could it be that there had actually been so many issues that Sarah was hesitating to inform me because I was already exhausted from battle?
I tried to press for details, but something wasn’t right. All of my questions were met with vague answers. What time does she wake up in the morning? How much money does she spend? Has she been annoying the chef with complaints about the food? She doesn’t use violence against you or the other servants, does she?
The more I asked, the paler Sarah’s face grew. At this point, I had a different bad premonition.
It can’t be...
“Have you not been taking care of her at all?”
“I-I’m terribly sorry!”
I stared at her, dumbfounded, as she groveled on her hands and knees. Her face was devoid of color, like she feared being reprimanded.
I hadn’t predicted this scenario. But I should have. My attitude toward my fiancée—and the fact that this engagement had been ordered as a punishment for her—had given Sarah and the other staff the impression that Lucille Gustelanola was unworthy of their service.
As I was the head of this estate, this was absolutely my fault. Yes, the servants’ behavior was completely irrational, but since I had not hidden my contempt, scorn, and dislike for her, I was partly responsible for my servants’ actions.
But another part of me had to wonder: “Did Lady Gustelanola not say anything about her treatment?”
If she was as the rumors claimed, I would not have been surprised to hear that she had summoned the servants for no reason, thrown a fit, threatened violence, or squandered a fortune from the Leeuwenhoek coffers out of spite.
However, according to Sarah, the lady had been so quiet that the servants hadn’t even been able to sense her presence. She’d spent her days unassumingly in that detached building, out of sight from the main manor. Sarah didn’t seem to be lying when she claimed that if she had been called with the crystal, she would have followed orders without complaint. Contrary to her expectations, several days had passed without a peep from my fiancée, and while the maid had been contemplating what to do, I had returned from my expedition.
“I-I really am sorry,” she said in tears, repeatedly bowing her head.
As I assured Sarah that she wasn’t in trouble, I made up my mind to lift my weary feet and check on Lucille Gustelanola myself.