Killian put me down and examined me for a long time, lifting my front paws and pulling on my back paws, checking my stomach and flipping me over on my paws.

 

I was confused, wondering if I’d been reincarnated as a human in a cat’s costume, or if I’d really just become a cat, and I wanted to think, but he didn’t give me the space.

 

“Ask me.”

 

My head snapped up, startled, and I looked up at him.

 

“I said ask.”

 

He said, putting his hand over my mouth even more.

 

If I asked, he’d use that as an excuse to kill me.

 

I lowered myself nervously, my eyes narrowing as I studied Killian’s complexion.

 

“Mmm.”

 

He was still holding out his hand, so I did the unthinkable and brushed my lips over his fingers before pulling away.

 

“…….”

 

The original story was set after Killian was crowned emperor.

 

The idea was that Killian became emperor not long after coming of age, so the current crown prince, who looks like an adult, is probably eighteen or nineteen.

 

I was in a prequel to the original, so to speak.

 

“Cry.”

 

Another command that sent shivers down my spine, and I couldn’t figure out what it meant.

 

“Miya.”

 

I made a noise and looked at him cautiously.

 

“Again.”

 

I shook my head in disbelief, and he looked down at me with a quizzical look.

 

“Ehhh.”

 

I tensed up, wondering if I’d made the wrong sound, and saw his brow slowly narrow.

 

“Foot.”

 

This time, his fingers hovered in front of mine.

 

I swallowed dryly and placed one forefoot slightly over his index finger.

 

I tried to pull away, but his two fingers gripped my forefoot painfully and wouldn’t let go.

 

“That’s weird.”

 

I felt the vague touch of his flesh beneath the smooth soles of my feet.

 

His eyes narrowed at me, a haughty glint in them.

 

“I think you understand me.”

 

My hair stood on end in a chill that had nothing to do with the warmth of the touch.

 

“The only one alive.”

 

* * *

 

“This is……. what should I eat?”

 

This one seemed to be referring to me.

 

At best, I felt sad to be possessed and treated like an object, but I also wondered how I’d survived being possessed by a being that had brought down an empire wondered how a cat could bring down an empire this big.

 

Entering the dining room, Killian set me down on the table and I began to look around wildly.

 

The vast, long table was laid out with an array of flavorful dishes, and for a moment I thought, This is what the crown prince of the Empire eats.

 

The only thing that struck me as odd was that there was not a single human in sight, except for the crown prince.

 

Wouldn’t a normal dinner be attended by those on official business and their families?

 

Even if they weren’t, there would be servants behind the chairs, but here there was only food.

 

After a moment of disbelief, I began to wander around the table, mesmerized by the colorful presentation of the food.

 

It was just a hunch, but I had a feeling Killian wasn’t going to kill me for my curiosity right now.

 

Plus, I was hungry, as if I hadn’t eaten in days, and I had to eat something.

 

Maybe my head would work better after I filled my stomach.

 

As I stared down at each plate, inching away from Killian, his hand grabbed mine and set it down in front of him.

 

“Which one should I give you.”

 

There’s a steak over there, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, and I point to it, but Killian brings me another empty silverware against my wishes.

 

“She’s young, milk would be better.”

 

I say.

 

“Eat.”

 

Oblivious to my pitiful cries, he bluntly poured milk into the silverware.

 

Cats can’t drink human milk without getting an upset stomach.

 

But in this empire, there is no such thing as common sense for cats.

 

It’s not like I can refuse the crown prince’s food.

 

I decided to give it a try, not knowing what the outcome would be.

 

“Miya.”

 

I carefully placed my front paws on the edge of the plate and looked down at the milk.

 

Of course, I wanted to drink it like a human, from a cup, but that was impossible.

 

I stuck out my tongue and lapped up the milk.

 

For a moment, I questioned where my dignity had gone, but the milk was so delicious and warm that I couldn’t help but swallow my pride.

 

Amidst my mixed emotions, my fur soaked with milk, I reached up to wipe my mouth with my front paw and found a droplet of milk on my pink paw.

 

“Whoa.”

 

It was always cute to see a white cat’s pink jelly paws, but mine were really soft and surprisingly cute.

 

It was like a kitten that hadn’t been reincarnated into this world, but could still be loved and comforted somehow. What a shame. …….

 

My reflection in the silverware was a mess, so I sat on my butt and clumsily wiped my fur with my front paws, but the more I wiped my face, the worse the mess became.

 

It was at that moment that Killian, who had been watching me, grabbed a napkin.

 

I looked up in surprise, wondering if he was going to wipe it off, but he actually started dabbing around my mouth.

 

“That doesn’t look clever at all.”

 

That’s an insult.

 

As my body kept pushing back from his lush touch, Killian sighed heavily, grabbed me with his other hand, and began to wipe again, more slowly.

 

“They say you’re harmful, but you’re so harmless.”

 

I could tell he was disappointed that the cat didn’t seem the least bit threatening.

 

“Looks like it’ll break if you press it.”

 

His eyes landed on my neck, so I quickly craned my neck like a turtle.

 

Wondering if I’d unintentionally offended him, I spontaneously gathered my short front paws together and meekly turned to face him while I wiped the last of the milk from my fur.

 

“How can something like this kill people?”

 

I know, right.

 

“Hmmm.”

 

His eyes glanced down at my polite demeanor and I caught a glimpse of languor in them.

 

“The opposite of what I thought.”

 

He gave me a strange look, but I didn’t hate it.

 

I relaxed slightly, secretly relieved, and leaned back into his hand.

 

At this point, I couldn’t help but wonder how the hell they’d learned about cats.

 

The crown prince’s repeated doubts must mean that this wasn’t what he’d been taught by the books.

 

Just then, I heard a dull thud in the distance, and my body plunged into darkness.

 

The footsteps stop just as I realize I’m back in his pocket and stop fumbling.

 

“Your Royal Highness, am I in the way?”

 

It was a woman’s voice, bright and lovely.

 

“Your Highness, I was informed that you enjoyed the meal I served yesterday, and I wanted to come and thank you in person.”

 

You made a dish……?

 

I seemed to remember something.

 

“Your lack of appetite for several days has been a source of great anxiety, but it seems that the heavens have been touched by my sincerity, and you have finally regained your strength, much to my delight, so I have prepared something for you today as well, and I hope you will enjoy it, Your Majesty.”

 

Despite his cautious tone, the sound of shoes on marble and utensils being set down was unmistakable.

 

“Of course, the Emperor was pleased, but tastes vary, and I’m not sure how you’ll feel about ……. I implore you to honor my efforts with a drink.”

 

Her tone was filled with a kindness that could melt anyone’s heart, but I quickly realized who this woman was.

 

The woman who made Killian eat her cooking every day, even after he became emperor.

 

The wicked countess who would stop at nothing to hold on to power once she had it.

 

Katherine Harman Gisela!

 

Her name flashed through my head like lightning.

 

‘What can I do……. It’s a pity you can’t move, even in pain. I am only taking it upon myself to save your Majesty the trouble of dealing with you, so bear with me a little longer. I hear it gives you a bone-crushing pain, and it must be very painful indeed.’

 

It was a scene in which Mrs. Gisela laughed and tormented her heroine.

 

The answer to the question of why Killian, with his sinister imagination and dangerous insanity, became such a debauched man is revealed in Chapter 11, Madame de Gisela’s Plan.

 

‘Greetings to His Imperial Highness, the Crown Prince of the Empire of Huppert. I am Katherine Harman Gisela.

 

Madame Gisela is described as a woman in her early twenties who succeeded in seducing Killian’s father, Emperor Adolf, and was subsequently appointed to a high government position and given the region of Gisela.

 

She is portrayed as quite a political figure, using Emperor Adolf to create her own faction and rise to power, and when she sees Killian as the next Emperor, she decides to see this power through to the end.

 

She begins to slip one of the ‘black magic pills’ she has been feeding Emperor Adolf into the crown prince’s food.

 

She hoped the drug would make him less judgmental and more vulnerable, allowing her to bend him to her will.

 

At this point, young Killian’s mother, Empress Elyse, did not see him often, and his loneliness was an easy target for her to exploit.

 

Fearing she might be discovered, she started with a tiny amount, watching Killian’s reaction, gradually increasing and decreasing the amount with precision, enjoying his pain.

 

“Do you have no appetite, Your Highness?”

 

He heard Lady Gisela take a step closer, her voice full of concern.

 

“Well, today’s dish is lamb, seasoned with pepper and salt, and then stewed in the finest red wine flown in from the Bordeaux region. Once it cools, the meat becomes tough and loses its flavor, so please, for the love of all that I’ve done for you, eat some of it.”

 

Once I realized who she was, I realized how frightening this pathetic plea was.

 

And who would dare to ask the crown prince again?

 

It was said that during the reign of Emperor Adolf, Lady Gisela’s power was such that no one would dare to mess with her, so her attitude now was more like stubbornness disguised as concern.

 

“It always bothers me that you’re eating alone, so I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

 

It was surprising to hear her actually say that, because it sounded like she was actually concerned about Killian’s eating.

 

This is all just a play to get him addicted to the black magic potion.

 

‘Eek……. You want to believe this is the end, right?

 

Later, after pushing her to the limit, she was able to wear a victor’s smile on her face even as she died, because she hadn’t been caught poisoning Killian with black magic the entire time.

 

She was not alone in her defeat, as those addicted to black magic eventually die a quick death.

 

On second thought, she was frighteningly cunning in more ways than one.

 

“Do you think you could do that?”

 

Katherine asked, once again pleading with Killian.

 

I stuck my tongue out at the tantalizing smell of her fumes.

 

Killian was still a crown prince.

 

With the crown prince’s position, maybe it was before he became addicted to drugs?

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to, Your Highness? Your Majesty has ordered me to come and see you eat this food…….”

 

“I must eat this.”

 

At that moment, Killian’s calm voice rang through the air.

 

“You mean you’re going to stop that mouth.”

 

It was the kind of sarcasm that would have made anyone else throw up their hands and call her out on her insolence.

 

But it was Lady Gisela who had pushed the Empress aside and claimed the Emperor’s affections.

 

“I only wish to say, sire, that your Majesty has commanded me to see…….”

 

She stammered, feigning embarrassment, but it sounded more like a play to force the crown prince to pick up his plate, if only out of annoyance.

 

Killian sighed and stretched out his arm to move, and I snapped out of it.

 

I turned around.

 

“?”

 

I felt him pause as I shuffled my feet in his pockets.

 

“Your …… Highness?”

 

I could hear Mrs. Gisela’s voice questioning his actions.

 

Thank goodness he didn’t!

 

I rolled over even harder, hoping he’d notice my reluctance.

 

Then, pressure was applied from outside, pressing gently on the pocket.

 

It was meant to stay still.

 

But would you stay still?

 

I scratched at the pocket, glowing even more as I waited.

 

Don’t eat it! It’s destroying you!

 

It’s eating your brain!

 

Look out! It’s Dirty! Kyaaah!