The breeze off the open lake was cool.

I stepped off Killian’s bridge and gingerly moved forward on the branches, taking in the scene before me.

Picturesque white waterfowl frolicked on the water among the swaying sycamore leaves.

Luxurious-looking boats were anchored near the dock.

‘Did you mean …… picnic baskets?’

The servant asked, startled by Killian’s mention of needing a basket in the morning.

‘I’ll get it ready right away!’

He ordered everyone to leave everything except the basket alone, and when the basket was ready and everyone had left, he stuffed a few snacks and a blanket into it.

His hands are very lush, but his face is strangely nervous as if he’s struggling with something.

Like someone going on a picnic for the first time.

“Careful not to fall.”

Killian’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I was sitting on a branch, while his watching me, and his eyes flicked down to my feet.

“Meow.”

I replied briefly, then walked a few more branches away, fascinated by the huge lake whose end it was difficult to see.

I wasn’t mad at him, but I didn’t know how to respond, so I just stared at him blankly.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t even want to eat breakfast, so Killian put down the teacup he was holding and immediately brought me here.

To explain that it wasn’t like that, all I could make out was a cat’s meow, and I was secretly amused by the way he coughed awkwardly at me, so I chose to keep my mouth shut.

But I knew exactly what I was going to do, and it wasn’t to get mad at him.

The Crown Prince of Huppert was not the person who turned me into a cat, nor had he ever put me in danger at any time.

I’d always been wrapped up in blankets and quilts when I woke up, so I could pretty much assume he hadn’t been slyly watching me as I changed into a human.

Not Killian, who never even came near the bed and was sleeping on the far couch.

“Heya.”

A crisp breeze swept across my body, clearing the stuffy feeling in my throat.

Is this the first time I’ve seen the outside in days?

Feeling better, I turned around and saw Killian leaning his head back against the pillar with his eyes closed.

He was sitting with his long legs stretched out on one of the thickest branches.

This was a grove of sycamores, one of the imperial gardens.

Perched on the leafy branches, Killian and I were hardly visible to anyone.

“The mood was…….”

Killian’s low voice rang out as I breathed in the thick air that emanated from the giant trees.

The breeze blowing through my fur was refreshing, and I was glad to see the outside scenery for the first time in a long time.

“Meow.”

Feeling a little refreshed, I answered out loud.

He glanced at me, then spoke up.

“You mean you’re feeling better.”

“Meow.”

“Come here.”

Killian spoke in a loose and simple tone, raising the corners of his mouth.

Light and shadow played together on his white blouse, rippling like water in the breeze.

His face was clean and fresh as he smiled languidly as if he owned the garden amid the lush greenery.

What a foul.

Smiling like that on a cat.

It’s like the hero of a novel I’ve been reading.

I wished he wasn’t broken and that he could be as happy as he is now.

“Meow.”

Contrary to my racing heart, my feet moved closer to him.

Lifting me up, Killian propped himself up on one knee and sat me down on it.

“Now we need to eat something, don’t we?”

Killian said, holding a sliced lamb sandwich to my mouth.

I opened my mouth at the mouthwatering smell and the bread slid in.

Food was dripping down his black pants as I chomped away, but Killian didn’t seem to mind.

“From now on, no matter what, you’d better eat properly.”

“Mmm.”

Killian added as if to say that I hadn’t been eating well lately.

I couldn’t wallow in discouragement, holding on to a problem I couldn’t see a solution to.

Just as I had miraculously survived the moment I realized I was possessed by this world, when I thought I was going to die, maybe there would be some unexpected hope, some sudden solution.

The shining water scales of the lake, the leisurely frolicking water birds, and the sense of stability provided by the silence of the dense garden may have blurred all my worries.

“Aha.”

A yawn escaped me as my body, curled up in the branches, relaxed against the calming flow of air.

Just as my eyelids slackened and my eyes fluttered open, I heard Killian’s voice.

“Don’t fall asleep.”

His tone was so clear.

There’s no way I can fall asleep without losing my mind.

If I fall asleep, I’ll be hanging naked from a tree branch.

The image that flashed through my mind was both giddy and strangely funny.

“…….”

I looked up at Killian, who sat quietly.

Unlike the southern garden of the castle, this place was overgrown with bushes.

People preferred the castle’s southern gardens, where colorful roses, peonies, daffodils, and other beautiful flowers bloomed in every season, but Killian seemed more accustomed to the silence of this place.

He seemed more at ease here than on any other day she had ever seen him.

“Why.”

Killian finally realized I’d been staring at him for a long time and asked what was wrong.

“Meow.”

Can he even understand what I mean if I say it out loud?

Killian’s eyes narrowed at the sound of my meow.

The corner of his mouth twitched up for the briefest of moments.

He too seemed to have missed it.

“You want to talk, too.”

Of course!

“Meow!”

I nodded, violently agreeing with him.

Killian chuckled and leaned his back deeper into the pillar.

“Now that’s a conversation.”

His tone was crisp.

“How’s your mouth?”

I looked up, wondering what he meant, but he was as still as ever.

Although he had a smile on his face, his red eyes beneath his black hair seemed to be watching me for some reason.

He still seemed unreal, indescribable in a place so sparsely populated that the sound of rustling and crunching leaves could be heard if a human approached even a foot away.

“You’re hurt.”

Killian said, pointing to my chin with his eyes.

Oh, he was looking at my mouth, not my chin.

I thought I couldn’t see it through the fur.

“?”

I’d forgotten that he was sick, hearing about being human.

Killian looked well enough to make me forget it completely, but I could be deceived, as his complexion was as normal as ever, even when the marks from earlier were clear.

“Mmeow.”

Black Magic Potion Powder, I heard the side effects of that thing were pretty bad.

As I hurriedly approached Killian, his hand naturally grabbed me.

I tried to pull him away, but he put me down on his thigh and started stroking my hair.

“Meow!”

I struggled, but his big hand didn’t budge.

Most people who own cats do this, but Killian must have gotten it too.

It was more of a habit than an emotion.

I stuck my head out and tried to examine him.

“You don’t have to nurse me.”

Killian said in a calm tone, his hand stroking down my back.

“I’ve never had one of those.”

Frustrated that I had no idea how he was feeling, I pushed his hand away with my front paw to examine his complexion.

“Because they said it would only make you weaker.”

Unperturbed, he grasped both my cheeks with two fingers and shook them lightly.

Wait, what did he just say?

Bam. Killian clicked his tongue briefly, as if he cared about my mouth, and pulled me into his arms.

“Let’s go.”

No, wait……!

Killian quickly hopped down from the high branch and tucked me into his jacket.

Are you telling me you’ve never been carried before?

He was so thoroughly normal that I could hardly remember the last night of pain, but I remembered exactly how silent Killian had been during the night, staring at the ceiling with unfocused eyes.

No one came to his bedroom, no one checked on him.

If he hadn’t asked anyone for help when he was sick if he hadn’t even accepted it.

And to have lived through it all numbly.

Isn’t that cruel?

* * *

“At your service, Your Highness.”

Our destination was the Imperial Library.

I calmly hung on to the inside pocket of his jacket until I heard the library staff all stand-up, greet him, usher him in, and close the door.

“Shall I let you out?”

He asked, pulling me out of his jacket pocket when he was sure no one was looking.

“Meow.”

The view of the library from the palm of Killian’s hand was spectacular.

A vast collection of books, more than I could ever see in a lifetime, lined every wall and soared to endless heights.

I was so overwhelmed by the magnificent murals on the ceiling and the portraits seen everywhere that my heart almost sank.

This is the Imperial Library!

In the original, it was said to be the only place in the empire that held every book from the first to the last edition.

Killian often stayed in the Imperial Library to conduct business, and it was said to be his private study, not a library.

With sunlight streaming in from the many arched windows and countless books, it’s no wonder he spent so much time there.

Of course, he said he did a lot more than just work. Hmm?

“What’s the matter.”

As I shook my head and hit my cheek with my front paw, Killian narrowed his eyes and asked.

I was trying to keep my face from burning up from the original, but there was no other way to explain it to Killian.

“Miyameow.”

I pretended like nothing was wrong and leaned in close to look at him.

Ugh, it’s a good thing he’s covered in fur, or my face would be as red as a blanched tomato.

“Hmmm.”

He looked down at me with a quizzical gaze, but instead of probing further, he stopped at a collection of books on the Huppert Empire.

He flipped through them with a wistful eye and pulled out a few books.

I was looking around to see what I could take out.

These were ?Huppert’s History Book ? (Inception), ? (Construction)?, ?Sociology of the Huppert Empire ??, ?Census Volumes ? and ??, and ?Land Surveyor?.

Hmm, what are we going to do with these?

“Miyaarrr…….”

I tried to look at Killian to get a sense of his intentions by the expression on his face, but suddenly I got goosebumps.

Did I just read…….

Did I just read the title of a book?

In this world, I have never had a chance to encounter letters until now.

I thought I was a cat,  I thought it wouldn’t know the letters here!

Did I really just read the words?

I hurriedly looked back up at the book.

I could read it. All the letters, all of them!

I nervously tapped him on the shoulder with one front paw.