Chapter 1
A vast room, so large that one could not take in its beginning and end at a glance.
Through the window, cold moonlight poured down.
The star blessed by the goddess, Ishtar, beautifully embroidered the night sky of that day.
In the space where deep darkness had settled, only a profound stillness lingered.
When the candles on the wall flickered under the draft that slipped through the window—
The crackling red glow of burning firewood cast its light upon a man lying in bed.
Was he in a deep sleep?
The black-haired man lying on the bed exhaled evenly, eyes closed.
And beyond him, a woman draped in a thin blanket was seen sprawled on the floor.
She slowly crawled toward a mirror and reached out her hand.
“This… is really me…?”
The woman traced the reflection of herself in the mirror with trembling fingers and let out a small groan.
Between girl and woman, her lovely face still held a trace of youthful innocence.
Her long silver hair, falling to her slender waist, shimmered with a sweet hint of pink.
“I can’t believe it…”
Her human form was utterly different from her previous life.
She pinched her cheek hard in disbelief, but nothing happened.
The woman in the mirror—whom she thought would vanish like a mirage—was unmistakably her.
“My eyes… they really are different colors.”
One a deep amber, like a jewel, the other a rich, watery blue, the two created a strange contrast.
As she leaned closer to the mirror, entranced, a small bell tinkled at her throat.
At that moment, a long black shadow stretched across her frail back as she stared in a daze at her reflection.
Moonlight streaming through the window glinted coldly along the blade in a man’s hand.
She caught the flash of metal and whirled around, startled.
Their eyes met—hers and his—and a low, chilling voice rang out.
“Who are you.”
Seeing the sharp tip of a sword pointed squarely at her throat, she swallowed hard.
The man holding the blade was none other than Suleiman, second prince of the Ashtal Kingdom and governor of the capital.
“W-When did he wake up…?!”
Meeting his red eyes beneath his disheveled black hair, she trembled.
The angelic figure who had seemed flawless in sleep now looked like a devil risen from the flames of hell.
But what truly troubled her was something else—
The prince, with his loosely tied robe hanging open, was far too… distracting.
“…Where on earth am I supposed to look?”
The robe gaped to reveal bronzed, well-toned skin and a broad chest.
Muscles perfectly balanced for his frame rippled in the flickering firelight.
And as her gaze naturally trailed lower—
She decided it was better just to shut her eyes.
Pure thoughts. Pure thoughts.
She repeated the mantra silently, as if casting a spell, when the prince spoke again.
“I’ve never seen your face. How did you get in here?”
She wanted to answer in human speech—she was, after all, fully educated. But unfortunately, in her current state, it was impossible.
Like the little mermaid who had just emerged onto land, unable to walk, she could only crawl. How much less could she speak?
“An assassin sent by another prince, perhaps. Cowards who don’t dare face me head-on, yet skilled enough to send you.”
She shook her head desperately in denial.
But intruding into a royal’s bedchamber in the dead of night was not something to be forgiven so easily.
The sword’s tip pressed sharper against the nape of her neck.
“Then again, it doesn’t matter who you are. I can simply kill you here and now.”
The blade bit into her soft skin—not just a threat but a promise.
Though it was only a shallow cut, she felt the sting as warm blood trickled along the steel.
For the first time in her life, she was seized by primal terror and squeezed her eyes shut.
“Am I… really going to die like this?!”
She had only just found a way to return to human form after dying once already—
Would it all end here, so meaningless?
She mouthed frantically, trying to leave behind at least some final plea, when suddenly the sword withdrew.
“This is…”
The prince’s hand brushed over the choker at her neck.
His fingers came to rest upon the small bell attached to it.
Jingle.
A sound that should have been light and merry somehow rang with chilling weight.
“This is the mark of the Sultan’s property… Is this one of Mother’s tricks? Did she send you to serve me for the night?”
Hey, no way! That’s not it at all!
She shook her head violently in denial.
But the prince’s voice remained cold.
“If you refuse to speak, I’ve no choice. I’ll have you dragged to the torture chamber.”
Torture? Like in dramas or movies…?
“No matter how great you are, Prince, this is too much!!”
Her fury finally boiled over, and she could hold back no longer.
“Meooowww!!”
“…What?”
The prince’s dumbfounded eyes locked onto her.
Realizing what she had just done, she thought bitterly to herself:
…Ah. I just want to die.
***
There’s a saying that life is unpredictable.
But aside from being an orphan, I had lived a fairly ordinary life—never in my wildest dreams did I think something like this would happen to me.
I was running. Not on two feet, but on four!
“Meow!” (Out of the way, everyone!)
Through the legs of passersby, a small ball of white fluff darted at full speed.
Huff, huff!
Panting hard, I sprinted through an unfamiliar street.
The cold stone pavement against the soft pads of my paws felt strange, but this was no time to worry about trivial discomfort.
Because just a few steps behind me, maniacs with nets were giving fierce chase!
Crash!
Dashing through the market, I toppled a fruit stand, earning a torrent of curses from a merchant in exotic garb.
“Damn that thing!!”
The peaceful market had descended into chaos, all because of a tiny fluffball and the men chasing after it.
Run, leap, dodge—
These were skills I had honed lately, fleeing from these relentless pursuers.
“Somebody catch that cat already!”
An old woman who’d dropped her shopping bag in the commotion wailed.
That’s right.
In this strange, unknown world—
I had become… a cat!!
“There it is!”
“Meooow!” (Stay away!)
The pursuers had multiplied from three to five.
This is just unfair!
What bastards.
Armed with real swords at their waists—
And yet they were going all out just to capture one helpless kitten?!
“Hisss!!” (Take this!)
I spun around and defiantly raised my middle finger at them.
But alas, my hands had long since turned into soft paws with pink jelly pads.
“Corner it!”
Pant, pant.
My heart was about to burst from running so hard. And then, ahead—
A brick wall blocked the alley. A dead end.
I faltered, frozen, unsure what to do, as one of the men with a net grinned and advanced.
“Cute little thing. Playtime’s over.”
“Hisss!!” (Buzz off!!)
Instinctively, I arched my back, fur bristling, scanning for escape routes.
Beside the looming men, a low wall caught my eye.
Maybe… if I jump from that pile of trash, I could just barely make it over?
As I worked out my bold plan, the net closed in tighter and tighter.
My tail brushed against the wall—I was truly cornered.
“Come on, kitty. Be good and come here.”
“Grrrowl…” (Would you, if you were me?)
I wanted to retort like a human, but all that came out now were hisses and meows.
Swallowing hard, I bided my time.
The man swung his net high.
With a whoosh, it spread wide in the air.
At that instant, I unleashed the full agility of my new body and leapt!
Thump, tap!
A little white puffball soared upward.
Sunlight caught the kitten’s short legs stretched out in midair, making the leap seem almost graceful.
“It’s getting away! Grab it!”
Like a slow-motion movie, their desperate hands just missed me.
I let out the fiercest roar I could muster (or tried to) and launched myself in one final, desperate jump.
“Meeooow!!” (I’m flying!!)
Please—someone tell me this is all just a dream!
