Chapter 16
Chapter 16
*
When Irene opened her eyes again, the sun was high in the sky. Having never slept this long before, she moved her body slowly, the unfamiliar feeling lingering.
When she noticed Knox was not beside her as she had expected, she felt inwardly flustered. She rose, stretched, and climbed down from the bed. The room she hadn’t been able to properly see earlier was, just as she had guessed, magnificent and grand.
Even the ceiling visible from the bed had been opulent, but the floor, the walls, and even the furniture were all equally luxurious. She considered leaving in the meantime, but then she searched for her clothes, not remembering they had been cleanly torn off and discarded the night before.
Naturally, she could not find her clothes anywhere in the room.
“Nyaang?” [Should I just go?]
Since it would be fine if she simply went back in her cat form, Irene let out a regretful sigh and hopped onto the windowsill.
She had said her goodbye earlier, so it should be fine.
But the window that had been open before was now firmly shut.
Ha, do you think I can’t open a window?
Snorting, Irene made a light jump and unlatched the lock. From the balcony that seemed to be on the third floor, she leaped nimbly. Landing on the ground by springing off the surrounding trees, she felt her mood lift.
It had been so long since she had returned to her true form, and her condition was at its peak, so she began to run lightly. When she returned to her true form, her instincts grew sharper. She could still think like a human, but it felt as though her human thoughts were on the other side of a mirror.
Dashing swiftly into the garden, Irene felt the cool breeze. The sensation of running full tilt on all four legs was truly indescribable.
While running without restraint, she caught a scent that seized her sense of smell. Irene stopped in a pose so abrupt it nearly made a screeching sound and flared her nostrils.
“Nyang?”
Drawn by a strangely captivating scent, Irene unconsciously turned her steps toward it. Slipping nimbly under flowers and low trees, she came across gardeners working in a corner of the garden.
The scent was definitely coming from one of them. For now, Irene did not rush forward blindly. She hid her body behind a nearby tree and observed them.
“What kind of person do you think the Count is?”
“How would people like us ever know?”
“They say the Count was a commoner too. Maybe he’ll be different from other nobles.”
“Hey, they say position makes the man. Even if he was a commoner until yesterday, as of today, he’s a noble!”
“Yeah, I think Jack is right.”
“You think so?”
The three gardeners finished their chatter and resumed sweeping the scattered fallen leaves. Irene slowly moved her steps toward the gardener emitting the sweet fragrance.
Padding carefully so that no one would notice her, she ended up stepping on a dry, crisp leaf.
Rustle.
Startled by herself, Irene let out a “Nyaang,” and the three gardeners sweeping leaves turned their heads at the same time.
“Oh?”
“A cat?”
“Wow, isn’t that a really pretty cat?”
Among them, the gardener who showed the most interest in her approached.
“Nyaaang!” [Don’t come closer!]
“Come here, kitty.”
“Nyaaang!” [Humans always call me kitty!]
“Here, look at this. You like this, don’t you?”
The gardener took something out of his pocket.
“Nyang? Nyaang?” [This? What is it?]
Irene, drawn by the irresistible scent, quickly approached without realizing it. And before she knew it, she was making pleasant purring sounds. The scent was truly irresistible. With a drowsy mind, Irene rolled over onto her back in front of him.
“Nyaaang, nyaang!” [Give me more of that, human.]
“You’re really pretty. I’ve never seen a cat with such snow-white fur before. Your eyes are as beautiful as the jewels nobles wear.”
“I’m not really interested in cats, but you’re right, it is pretty.”
“Right?”
“Nyaaang, nyaang!” [Stop chattering and give me more!]
“Here, would you like it if I did this?”
The gardener scooped up Irene, who was sprawled on her back, and patted her rump lightly.
“Nyaang! Nyaaaang!” [Human, what is this? What’s happening? Why does this feel good?]
“Here, do you like it?”
“Nyaaang, nyaaong.” [Nice. It feels good, hnnn…]
A refreshing scent wafted from his hands, and the patting was just the right amount of force—not painful, but pleasantly satisfying. It felt strange to entrust her body to a human’s hands for the first time, but Irene’s mood grew better and better.
So much so that she even forgot she had been trying to go home…
Purring contentedly with her eyes closed, Irene’s eyes snapped open when the gardener stopped his hand.
Ah, what. Why did you stop patting? I’m not satisfied with just that!
But the gardener had been startled by something else, and he hesitated as he rose to his feet. Still in his arms, Irene had no idea what was going on and simply tapped his arm with her paw.
Hey, what’s wrong? Hurry up and keep patting me.
“…What do you think you’re doing?”
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