episode_0751

“Haah. So. Black. What the. Huh. What’s going on.”

After barely escaping the giant’s stride, I put the cat down and explained the situation to Joy, who was out of breath.

“The giant who was tending the garden pulled out his sword as soon as he heard the cat’s meow?”

“Yeah! I told you it was so brutal that it looked like they were really going to kill me!?”

The giant’s murderous intent as it approached with a thumping sound was real. I have been through many battlefields. I do not confuse real murderous intent with other emotions.

“…If what Lucy said is true, then this cat must be the one ruining the garden.”

“Is the cat really that bad of a personality?”

“Well, I guess it’s not something you’d be reluctant to do in a place like a garden, but I guess it’s something you’d be reluctant to do in a place like a garden.”

“Right?”

People often say that cats are strange animals, but they don’t go as far as to roll their eyes and run at you as soon as they hear a sound.

First of all, this guy is cute! He has the kind of appearance that makes you laugh off all the trouble he causes!

‘But if you look cute, you’ll start to hesitate.’

Appearance has a greater impact than most people think.

People who would scream and run away when a strange-looking bug approaches would smile brightly and extend their hand if a cute animal approached them.

Even if he is Haesu, it would be difficult for him to exude that kind of killing spirit if his appearance is like this.

If this cat were a monster that ruined the garden just by existing, it might be a different story, but I don’t think that’s the case.

What would a sleepy, yawning beast do?

“Lucy. I thought about it. Could it be that this cat is the reason there are no bugs in the world?”

“Are you saying the cat ate all the bugs?”

“No. I think cats are just taking over the role that was originally meant to be done by bugs.”

If that’s the case, I can understand. If a cat is considered a pest, it might attack you with all its might. I think I would do the same if a pest appeared in my garden.

“Kitten. Are you really a pest?”

I asked the dumb beast, but all I got back was, “Meow.”

Well, what can you expect from a beast? In this situation, the only way is to face the giant and ask him directly.

– No, I don’t.

As I was thinking about taking the cat to a safe place, I heard a voice from above my head. The fairy who was sleeping soundly in my hair rubbed her eyes and continued speaking.

“nyannyan”

– They just make the relationship between flowers better. They don’t harm the flowers.

“nya!”

When I saw the cat nodding its head, I lifted the fairy that was on top of its head and placed it in my hand.

“How do you understand?”

– He’s also a giant fairy with a twist.

Since we are of a similar species, it isn’t difficult to understand each other’s language, right?

“Nyaaaa. Nya! Nya nya nya!”

– Follow me. There’s a cat Lucy must meet.

“A cat? Are there any other cats here besides this one?”

“Nyaa!”

– That’s right.

The cat, which had raised its body, kept wagging its tail and looking to one side.

Hmm. It’s a place with lots of cats. I’d like to go there sometime. When I asked Joy with my eyes, she smiled and nodded.

“It looks fun. Let’s go.”

“Okay. I’ll let you touch a lot of cats there.”

As Lucy spoke with a bright smile, Joy nodded awkwardly.

“Then I’ll ride on your back?”

“Nyaa!”

– He said he would be happy to do that.

“Just in case, should I burn Joy too?”

“…nya.”

– Do you really have to do that?

◦Would you like to “?”

“Nyaaah! Nyaaah! ”

– Please forgive me for saying the wrong thing.

If that’s the case, you shouldn’t have complained in the first place. Why are you acting so upset for no reason? Is it because you have the appearance of a cat, or is your intelligence at the cat level?

I pout, go to Joy, and hug her.

“Whoa!? Lu. Lucy. Why are you suddenly like this?!”

“Shouldn’t I go up there?”

“I can do it by myself!”

“I know what that little shit is going to do. It’s better to just go with him.”

“Yes. Yes.”

The cat, who was strangely shy, stretched out on top of the cat and began to make its way through the flower stems.

I felt the wind rushing past me as if I was riding a motorcycle, and I wondered why I was holding it and running.

It would have been easier if they had just told me to run because I had to run away quickly. Well, running with a cat on my head was a pretty good experience, so I have no complaints.

After running for a while like that, the cat stopped at the end of the garden.

There was a large fence as big as a castle, and there was enough space for even a troll to pass through.

If you compare it to a giant, it would feel like a dog hole.

“Nyaaaa!”

As the cat standing in front of him began to meow, the presence of several large creatures was felt beyond it.

Cats of all different colors and appearances emerge through the hole and naturally line up next to us.

After doing that several times, the last one to show up was a yellow cat that looked a bit wronged.

A cat with a large wound on its cheek slowly came to me and bowed its head deeply as a person would.

“Hello, great one.”

“…Are you talking to people?”

“As the noble fairy of the forest said earlier, we are also a kind of fairy. As their representative, it is not strange for me to have intelligence.”

As he spoke, the cat lifted the corners of his mouth. Normally, I would think he was cute, but this cat made me feel something like pity? Sympathy? It was such a subtle feeling that it made me uncomfortable.

“Your Majesty, please listen to our story. We need your help.”

“Did you just talk about the giant?”

“Yes. Please tell our story to the giant who owns this garden.”

*

From a very young age, Joey was more likely to be feared than liked by others.

The intimidating feeling of the name Partran made him bow his head to others, and his sharp appearance, which was inherited from his parents’ bloodline, who had a fierce appearance that was enough to spread all kinds of bad rumors, made this intimidation even stronger.

Growing up among servants who couldn’t even make eye contact properly, Joy often felt lonely.

That’s why Joy looked forward to the social world. The social world her brother had told her about was a place where she could talk to countless people and laugh.

However, Joy’s illusions were shattered the moment she first stepped into the social world.

It wasn’t a place to make friends and chat about trivial things.

It was just a scene of a fierce struggle, where each person tried to gain even a little bit of an advantage over the other person by giving meaning to every word and gesture.

I still remember it.

The subtle emotions I felt while talking to children of similar age, excited at the thought of making friends.

I tried to ignore him and was kind to those I believed were my friends, but I heard gossip about him.

The sadness of realizing that I was just being used by them for their own purposes.

Not knowing what it meant to live as a noble, I held back my tears and ran to my brother. My brother’s expression hardened for a moment. He went into a room to comfort me, then told me to wait a moment and went outside.

And soon after, the kids who had said bad things about me came to me to apologize.

Even though I was still immature at the time, I understood when I saw their expressions.

If I said just one word, I would never see them in society again. It would be impossible to make true friends while holding the status of a duke’s daughter.

After I sent off people I once considered friends with a smile and the word forgiveness, I started to build walls whenever I met people.

Instead of sharing my many hobbies with others, I locked myself in my room and always wore the mask of a peacock princess when I went out.

I never told anyone around me that I liked romance novels, that I enjoyed going out to eat delicious bread and food, or that I actually liked cute things.

It’s not that I didn’t want to make real friends. I was just afraid to show my true self.

Instead of showing courage, she chose resignation and kept her mouth shut, making excuses that she couldn’t help it because she was the Duke’s daughter.

I was thinking that it might be okay if it was someone like Arthur or Faby.

Lucy was the first person to invade my life like that.

I can say this with certainty.

Lucy was my savior, the one who made my dreams come true, and the hero who gave me another hope.

If I could, I would like to have a precious and valuable friend who is mine alone.

But this selfishness of mine cannot be fulfilled. Lucy is never my hero.

Joey looked at Lucy’s back as she listened to the story, surrounded by large cats.

After the cats appeared at the end of the garden, they all showed interest only in Lucy.

As if there was no other human being in this world besides Lucy.

Joey felt more admiration than jealousy in that scenery.

Lucy is the kind of person who wouldn’t be strange if she were a character in a fairy tale.

If the protagonist cannot be someone who holds on to hope even at the edge of despair, then who will take on the role of the protagonist?

Those cats must know that too, that’s why they approach Lucy.

Because the light flowing around Lucy has a warmth that would captivate anyone who seeks salvation.

“Hey, you idiot. What are you doing behind me?”

“…Huh? Me?”

Joey, who had been quietly waiting for the conversation to end, blinked at Lucy’s call and stood next to her, hesitating.

“Why are you like that?”

“Talk to him for me. Please”

After hearing Lucy’s words, Joey turned his head towards the elder cat and lowered his eyes as he looked at the cat’s troubled face.

The fact that Lucy called me over before finishing her story must mean that there’s something fishy about this elder cat’s tone.

“That’s what happened, Elder.”

Let’s have a conversation.

“The youngest daughter of the Duke of Partran. My name is Joy Partran.”

Nobly.