Chapter 4
“Someone’s going to choke to death from laughing. Aziz-nim.”
Despite Iblan’s polite reproach — he looked much younger, oddly dignified — the man called Aziz couldn’t stop laughing.
I, embarrassed, hurried back to my cushion and sat down as if nothing had happened.
‘He wasn’t watching from the beginning, was he?’
Putting on an air of dignity a beat too late, I tilted my chin up. Aziz wiped the moisture from the corner of his eye and said, “Ah, haha. I haven’t had a proper laugh in ages. You’re quite an entertaining one.”
What’s so hilarious about a cat scratching a pillar, anyway!
“Meow.” (Hmph.)
I turned my head sullenly, very offended. Aziz, who’d only just stopped laughing, stepped closer and bowed in greeting.
“My apologies, Cat. We committed a rudeness to the person we have been desperately searching for, upon first meeting.”
He took on a suitably solemn posture and bowed all the way from the waist.
‘A polite greeting to a neighborhood cat.’
This fellow wasn’t exactly ordinary in the head either. I fixed a sharp look on Aziz, who was dressed in red silk. Maybe late twenties? His long gray hair was tied back; outwardly he gave the impression of a scholar.
‘Pretty handsome, actually.’
Tall and good-looking, though his thin, narrow eyes made his thoughts hard to read — a bit off-putting.
“A day like this — to meet you in person — it’s almost magical,” he said, coming closer to the cushion where I sat, and began to study me leisurely.
‘He smells weird.’
I sniffed reflexively and caught a unique scent coming from him — low and heavy, like the smell I used to notice in temples.
“But are you sure this is the cat Aziz was looking for? From the outside you just seem like a messy stray,” Iblan said with a disapproving tone and glance that landed on me.
I was mentally unloading a stream of curses at Iblan when Aziz gave an inexplicable answer.
“Absolutely. This is the incarnation of Ishtar I have been waiting for. The goddess’s executor who will protect our new king.”
…What kind of nonsense is that?
They’d dragged me here out of nowhere and were now spouting absurdities — clearly either a multi-level scam or a cult. As four eyes began to scrutinize me obsessively, I bristled my tail.
“Thank you for your efforts, Iblan. You may go for today.”
“…Yes. Then I shall take my leave first.”
Iblan left the room with a strange expression on his face, and silence settled in. I glared at Aziz suspiciously; he smiled and introduced himself.
“Forgive me for the late introduction. I am Aziz. I was curious what sort of person would appear… and you are far cuter than I expected.”
A lascivious gleam in his eyes ran over me and my fur prickled. I started calculating my escape route.
Aziz approached slowly and, in a whisper meant only for my ear, said, “I have been waiting for you a long time. The prophesied cat — no, stranger.”
Wha—?!
Aziz, who introduced himself as a royal priest and sorcerer, explained the situation roughly like this. He said he possessed the divine eye granted by the goddess Ishtar, and that since ancient times he had been fated to seek me. In short, because he could see souls, he recognized at a glance that I was human. That was also why he’d laughed when he saw me busily scratching the pillar like a real cat.
‘Unfortunately, though, we can’t converse.’
Still, it was deeply moving to meet someone who acknowledged me as a person after so long.
“Meow, meow!” (First, give me food! I’m hungry.)
“Oh my, you do look peckish. I’ll have food prepared right away.”
The universality of body language! Moved, I almost cried. Soon servants came in with food that looked fit for a person. Perhaps because they knew I was human, everything was both pleasing to the eye and easy to eat. After eating warm drinks and a soft, rich stew, I felt drowsy from fullness.
“Meow, meow!” (Delicious. I love it!)
“Haha, take your time. There’s plenty more food.”
Aziz… this guy might be all right. I finished even the sweet pudding for dessert and stopped only when I was completely stuffed. Looking at my ballooned belly, I smiled in satisfaction.
“Have you eaten all? If it’s not enough, say so.”
“Meow.” (Perfect.)
“Very well. May I explain more about the situation?”
I nodded after rubbing my belly with my front paw, and he resumed speaking.
“The vision says: the incarnation of Ishtar, who has a beautiful soul, appears in the form of a cat when Venus shines brightest. She will save the one destined to be the greatest sultan.”
Pfft.
I couldn’t help but laugh loudly. ‘A beautiful soul,’ he said. My life-worn past self was nothing like that, inside or out. I was still just a dirty little stray. Even as I snorted in self-derision, he calmly continued.
“There are many princes in this kingdom — all candidates for the next sultan. Iblan and I support the second prince, Suleiman, who will become the city’s governor.”
“Meow?” (So?)
I slouched my chin on my paw, unimpressed. Aziz suddenly snickered. “You got food everywhere from eating so fast. Let me wipe you.”
Embarrassed, I coughed while he produced a handkerchief from his chest. He carefully cleaned my mouth and front paws while speaking.
“Actually, the second prince is afflicted by a vile sorcery. A terrible curse. We believe the incarnation of Ishtar from the vision can save Prince Suleiman.”
He checked that I was clean and smiled gently. I rolled my eyes and poked my chest with a paw: ‘So that’s me?’ I asked with my gaze; he nodded willingly.
“Yes. You are the cat.”
Aziz paused, then, looking a bit embarrassed, said, “By the way, I don’t know your name yet, so I don’t know what to call you. Writing back and forth seems… impossible, I think.”
“Meow.” (Right.)
I sighed and looked down at my small paws. Over the past two weeks I’d found, oddly, that I had no trouble understanding the language here. But as a cat, writing was obviously out of the question.
“In that case I’ll call you ‘Cat’ for now. Our priority should be finding a way for you to regain your human form.”
“Meow?” (Human?)
Could there really be a way to get me out of this cat form?!
“Meow, meow!” (Tell me how! Hurry!)
Excited, I flailed my paws and pretended to transform from cat to human with a poof! Aziz’s lips trembled, amused by how cute that looked. He soon calmed and answered my question.
“The prophecy about the cat of Ishtar is widespread throughout the kingdom, but the truth is known to only a very small number, myself included.”
“Meow?” (The truth?)
“My research suggests the prophesied cat can transform into a person, and someday fully return to being human. I’ll have to use some power, but it’s certainly possible.”
I felt like someone who’d spotted a light in the dark; my eyes glittered. ‘This is huge.’ Iblan thought he’d hit the lottery, but this was an even bigger jackpot!
“Meow?” (Return to being human — when?)
He answered with a mysterious expression. “Before that, could you help me a little? I need to verify my research.”
“Meow.” (If it’s necessary, fine.)
“Glad you permit it. Then you and I are in the same boat now — a kind of shared fate.”
A shared fate? I didn’t fully understand, but if it meant regaining my personal peace, I was ready to try anything.
“Meow?” (So what do I do first?)
I struck a confident pose raising a paw. Aziz’s eyes widened and he laughed. His cheerful laugh left me with a strange, ominous feeling; my spine stiffened. ‘This feels weird.’ It reminded me of the time I nearly got scammed out of a deposit. As I hesitated, he wiped the dirt from the bridge of my nose with his thumb and murmured, “Shall we try transforming first?”
After that, I would regret agreeing to help him for a very long time.
“Nooo!!” (No way!!)
I struggled wildly as I was drenched with suds in a scalding bath. Bubbles flew everywhere and the floor was already a sea of water. Three maids sweating and panting clung to me to wash me. At first there’d been one maid; my fierce resistance increased their number to two, then three.
“Being a stray means quite a temper, huh.”
“There are many tame breeds, you know. Why did Aziz have to pick this one…”
One maid grumbled as she wiped foam from her eye; the others nodded. It had been half an hour since the maids, ordered to make me presentable, enthusiastically set about washing me. My first bath as a cat was far worse than I had imagined. The maids poured water over me without care and scrubbed me with sponge-like scrubbers.
‘I’m not asking to be treated like a human, but this is too much!’
No matter how much I thrashed and showed my displeasure, their hands didn’t grow gentle.
“Mind your language. You should show proper respect — this is a royal cat after all.”
“No one would believe a cat could talk anyway, worry later,” another maid snorted, splashing water heedlessly even if soap got in my eyes. After many trials the bath ended; I was dried fluffy and taken to a cat groomer.
“The fur is terribly matted… it’ll take a while to untangle properly.”
“There’s no time — just do it roughly,” a maid said and left. The groomer hesitated and warned, “It might sting a bit, Cat. Bear with it.”
“Kyah!” (It hurts!)
It was harder to transform from a stray than I’d thought. After several hisses I finally reunited with Aziz.
“Well, you look like a different being. Very neat.”
“Meow.” (After all that suffering, of course.)
Aziz looked at my puffed cheeks with a pleased smile. Still sulking, I thumped the floor with my paw. ‘…Still, not all bad.’ Though I’d suffered humiliations below human dignity, my fur was soft and smelled pleasantly — that made me feel better.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Aziz took out a choker with a small blue bell from a box and carefully fastened it around my neck.
“Meow…?” (What’s this…?)
“This choker is a special trinket I made. The blue bell is to protect you for a while.”
“Meow?” (Protect me?)
“Yes. With that bell on, no one in the palace will dare touch you easily. It has a special meaning.”
A magician and a shaman — so this world really is fantasy. ‘Well, that was clear the moment I turned into a cat.’ Feeling a bit stuffy, I shook my head; the bell made a tiny jingle. A bell on a cat — how stereotypical.
“The choker suits you. Even if it’s bothersome, wear it for now. It’ll be safer.”
“Meow.” (Okay.)
When I nodded obediently, he smiled satisfied and gently stroked my forehead. ‘The sun’s already set.’ It was late night already. Having had a long day, sleepiness crept in. I yawned, stretching my legs out. Suddenly Aziz picked me up from the cushion and cradled me in his arms.
“Meow, meow?” (Wh-what?)
“You said you’d find a way for me to make you human again, right? We need a bit of confirmation for that — a kind of experiment.”
Experiment? What a thunderbolt of a line. I swallowed dryly, tense. ‘Could it be… all that food and washing were for a reason?!’ I tried to struggle but was wrapped in a fluffy cushion and couldn’t move.
“Haah!” (Put me down!)
“Haha. Angry faces are so cute.”
He laughed like someone who didn’t know what to do with something adorable. But the narrowness of his eyes when he smiled made me uneasy. ‘This guy isn’t right in the head!’ I muttered inwardly as he walked away, footsteps echoing down the palace corridor.
“Good evening, Aziz-nim,” the guards saluted respectfully as he passed. From their demeanor, Aziz seemed of high rank. After a few minutes he stopped at a certain door.
“Did you take care of it as instructed?”
“Yes, Aziz-nim.”
“Open the door, and send the nearby guard away for a while.”
After the exchange, the door creaked ominously and slowly opened. I glanced around cautiously and frowned. ‘What is this room…? Why is it so bleak?’ Unlike the lavish room I’d been in earlier, this one was dark and grim; no lavish decorations at all. The only furniture was a large bed in the center, a desk, and a wardrobe — utilitarian pieces that reflected the occupant’s personality.
‘At least there’s a fireplace.’
If the dying embers of the fireplace weren’t there, the place would feel utterly desolate. Coming from a dazzlingly fancy room to this gloom made my fur stand on end.
“Cat, look over there, please.”
“Meow…?” (Where…?)
On the bed, bathed in moonlight, a black silhouette flickered. ‘What’s that…?’ I narrowed my eyes and peered, and saw a man lying there!
“Meow, meow!” (That’s a person!)
Startled, I set my tail on end. Aziz put a finger to his lips with a shushing motion. I glared at him, displeased, thinking, ‘What are you planning?’ As if reading my mind, he chuckled and drew close, then whispered an absurd instruction into my ear.
“Cat, your first task tonight will be to steal the sleeping prince’s lips.”
