chapter 13
“My, Kitty…”
Lady Karis smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. Theo lifted me up so I was level with her face.
I closed my eyes tightly and waited. Lady Karis kissed both of my cheeks.
“Honestly… I want to take you with me. If you were just a little older, I’d stuff you into a sack and take you anyway.”
She said it regretfully, stroking my head once more before stepping away. Feeling a little shy, I wiggled my toes inside my shoes.
I love kisses!
Smiling brightly, I waved my soft little hand for a long time as Lady Karis left through the door.
Before long, the Gridwolf carriage became a tiny dot in the distance.
The servants who had been watching me wave gradually returned to their duties. Sir Elliot approached Lord Jackal as if he had been waiting and reported,
“My lord, where shall we move the Blue Moon replica we secured earlier?”
“Leave it in my office. I’ll go there shortly.”
Listening to their conversation, something suddenly came to mind.
‘I think Jerian mentioned the Blue Moon before.’
Not when speaking to me, but when he was with the cats managing the jewels.
I crossed my arms and thought seriously for a moment—then realized everyone was watching me.
‘It’d be bad if they asked what I’m thinking.’
Jerian had said that besides killing my mother, he had done many terrible things, so other beastfolk knew about him too.
If I spoke carelessly, they might realize I’m a cat. I quickly uncrossed my arms and smiled.
Everyone looked pleased, but Lord Jackal stared at me with a cold, piercing gaze.
‘Is he suspicious of me?’
Almost immediately, his heavy voice spoke.
“I’m not suspicious, so there’s no need to be afraid.”
“Ah.”
Does he read minds? I relaxed and thought,
‘Then… does he want me to do something?’
Maybe he thought I was well-behaved for lining up quietly and waiting for a kiss. Feeling a little pleased, I carefully asked,
“Um… did you want to tell me something?”
“Your schedule today.”
Even with that stern face, he was actually showing interest in me. I curled my fingers, recalling what Rena had told me earlier.
“I already had breakfast, so I’ll eat snacks, then play a little, then get a dress fitted, play a lot more, eat dinner, have dessert, then play in the bubble bath before sleeping.”
Saying it out loud made me feel a bit embarrassed—it was just eating, playing, and sleeping.
I asked him the same question.
“What about you, Lord Jackal?”
“I’m busy.”
“Aw…”
I hadn’t even asked him to play with me, yet he shut me down so quickly. My lips drooped.
Theo chuckled and gently rubbed my shoulder.
“Father, if you speak so bluntly, Kitty will get scared.”
“Is that so?”
“Kitty, Father is actually kind and gentle. If you ask what he means, he’ll explain again.”
What did “busy” really mean? I asked carefully,
“Um… are you very busy?”
“I’ll be in my office all day.”
“…How is that different from being busy?”
“It means you can come visit him anytime, soft hands.”
This time, Deon explained. Lord Jackal nodded as if to confirm it.
Wolves are so hard to understand… but it felt like I’d been invited, which made me happy.
“I’ll definitely come visit!”
Lord Jackal advised me to eat lots of snacks before returning to his office. Rena fixed my messy hair and asked,
“My lady, shall we go have snacks now?”
“No, I’m full. I want to take a walk.”
The memory of the wall I saw when I first came here lingered in my mind. Walking along it on a warm, sunny day like this would feel wonderful.
Hearing my answer, Theo and Deon both brightened and spoke at once.
“Kitty, your big brother will come too.”
“I’ll show you around the estate, soft hands.”
“Okay! But you two need to change first.”
They looked down at their pajamas and laughed.
“Now that we have a little sister, we should wake up earlier starting tomorrow.”
They quickly changed clothes. Their shirts and black trousers made them look even more handsome.
Theo tied his slightly longer hair back, while Deon roughly smoothed his messy hair with water. Their golden eyes were identical.
I complimented them, then accepted a small bag of cookies Rena had brought.
“Have a safe walk, my lady. And remember—you must return for your fitting after lunch.”
“Yes!”
Waving goodbye to Rena, I followed my brothers, who walked ahead excitedly like they were going on a picnic.
I wouldn’t be able to walk along the wall with them, but I’d learn more about the estate this way.
“Kitty, we’ll start with the buildings connected to the estate. This way.”
The Gridwolf estate was made of several massive buildings connected together—so vast it felt like a village.
From the mountains to the plains below, everything was part of the estate’s grounds. There was no way to see it all in one day.
Soon, we entered a building used for parties. Theo excitedly announced,
“Ta-da! This is the banquet hall. Bigger than the dining room, right? When guests come, everyone eats together here.”
“It’s incredibly luxurious!”
The ceiling was painted beautifully, and even without a party, the room was filled with fresh flowers.
Next, Deon explained another place.
“This is the party hall. That over there is the dance floor. One day, you’ll dance here with this big brother.”
“Hey, I’m the older one—I should dance with her first.”
“But you’re a terrible dancer.”
“You two shouldn’t fight!”
I squeezed between them as they lightly bickered. Each grabbed one of my hands.
“Kitty, when your foot heals, I’ll teach you how to dance.”
“Okay! But I need to grow big to be both your partner.”
“Then you’ll have to eat lots of snacks.”
Seeing all the party spaces made me even more excited for future celebrations.
“When do parties happen?”
“Big ones are during the harvest festival. We dance and sing for days. It already happened this year, though. If we’d known you were coming, we would’ve waited.”
Theo added that there were also many smaller family parties to look forward to.
I imagined wearing a party dress, eating buttered salmon and drinking grape juice under glowing lights.
After exploring smaller places for an hour, it was finally time for what I was most excited about—
The garden!
…Except the Gridwolf garden was as big as the entire cat territory.
Seeing me tapping my knee tiredly, Theo and Deon agreed to just explore the nearby eastern garden today.
“What’s in the eastern garden?”
“Roses, sunflowers, and a large orchard. The chefs and pastry chefs love it.”
Just as Theo said, everything was perfectly maintained with magical tools. Even a single blade of grass looked fresh.
But more than the rose garden or sunflower field, what captured my heart was a strawberry patch.
A garden growing both strawberries and tomatoes! I sniffed deeply, taking in the sweet scent.
“Soft hands, instead of just smelling, want to try one?”
“Oh! Can I?”
“Of course.”
Deon picked a few ripe strawberries, washed them in a nearby stream, and handed them to me.
I took a big bite.
Juice burst in my mouth, making me smile instantly. One strawberry became two, then five.
“Is it okay if I eat this many?”
“It’s fine—as long as the gardener Philip doesn’t see you—huh?”
A large shadow fell over Deon’s face.
It was the gardener—a dog beastman with tanned skin and a stylish straw hat.
Right, his name was Philip.
I quickly hid the strawberries behind my back and smiled sweetly, my lips sticky with juice.
“Greetings, young masters and my lady. My lady, have you eaten any strawberries?”
“……”
I shook my head.
Philip smiled mischievously.
“They’re not very tasty, are they?”
“No! They’re very sweet and a little sour!”
As soon as I answered, his eyes narrowed.
“So you did eat some?”
“Ah…”
Panicking, I glanced at Theo and Deon for help.
