Since it was an ability she herself couldn’t understand how it was possible, being praised for such a thing made her feel awkward, and Olivia embarrassedly scratched her cheek with her finger. Still, thanks to the cats, she had started the day refreshingly, which somehow made her feel good. Though it was her first day waking up in prison, the feeling wasn’t entirely gloomy, and she stretched widely with clenched fists.

“Alright. Then let’s tidy up this place first.”

— The prison…… Why tidy it up?

With an expression of complete incomprehension, the black cat pushed its body through the bars. Oh my, you can enter through the bars too? Thinking that cats really must be made of liquid, Olivia happily stroked the fur of the cat that had approached her. The soft, fluffy fur tickled her palm.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be here, but I’d rather have it clean anyway. Besides, it’s too dark and damp here. Wouldn’t it be a bit better if some sunlight came in?”

Olivia answered cheerfully as she dragged a box that had been piled up in one corner, possibly serving as both prison and storage, under the window. The cats are a bit strange. She’s only been imprisoned for just one day. The cats exchanged secret glances with each other and tilted their heads.

Having brought the box with difficulty, Olivia wiped her hands with a resolute expression and climbed on top of it. I need to tear off these old wooden planks to open the window a bit, roughly clean the floor, and see what’s in the boxes. With a driving force that made it impossible to think of her as a prisoner, only the cats repeatedly exchanged glances, cutely blinking their eyes.

* * *

— Human, stack this higher too.

“Yes, yes. Got it.”

Olivia gently patted the cat’s raised bottom and safely stacked a few more small boxes higher as he instructed. A somewhat clumsy but quite usable tower of boxes was created.

The two cats seemed pleased as they explored the box tower, going around here and there before each choosing a spot and curling up. Yaaawn. Their stretching yawns were adorable. The sunlight entering through the small window where the planks had been removed shone warmly on the cats’ nests.

Though this wasn’t her intention, she had inadvertently created a cat playground inside her prison, which felt a bit awkward at first, but seeing the peaceful and cute scene, she also felt a reckless satisfaction of “Well, what’s wrong with that?”

“Don’t I seem to have a talent for this.”

As she sat on the box and boasted, the cheese cat glanced at Olivia from the corner of its eye and waved its soft tail to touch her cheek.

— Your hands are completely ruined!

“Oh, are they? They sting a bit, but this much will heal in a few days.”

— You should treasure your jelly.

“It’s cute when you call it jelly.”

Though the wooden planks came off easily because they were old, pulling them with her bare hands had caused her fingertips to get scraped and wounded. It stung, but she thought it would be fine since the wounds weren’t serious and no splinters had embedded deeply. Looking around the room she had tidied up, Olivia let out a satisfied sigh.

The dark prison-slash-storage room at the top of the tower had softened considerably in atmosphere, simply from opening one window that now allowed bright sunlight to stream in. The once cold air had become quite warm, and above all, the clear blue sky outside the window was so serene that just staring at it blankly improved her mood.

Sitting beside the cats who were targeting dust particles dancing in the sunlight, Olivia stretched out her legs, leaned her back against the wall, and stared at the sky without thinking.

“I wonder when the Duke will come.”

The Duke’s arrival would determine her future one way or another… but she couldn’t easily predict whether it would be positive or negative. Olivia was uncertain whether she should wait for the Duke to return quickly or pray for him to come as late as possible.

“Have any of you met the Duke?”

— Hmm? The Duke? Well, yes?

“Oh, really? Then do you know when he’ll return?”

— Well, about that…

The black cat avoided her gaze and drew out its words. Though the response was obviously suspicious, Olivia, lost in thought, failed to notice. The cheese cat nudged the black cat with its tail. Be careful. Meow meow.

“What kind of person is the Duke?”

— Human questions are difficult.

“Hmm, so what does the Duke like?”

Know your enemy and know yourself, and you’ll win every battle—Olivia leaned in close to the cat, her eyes sparkling as she tried to gather information about the Duke from his closest associates. Get that away from me, human. Even as the soft cat paw pushed against her cheek, Olivia just grinned happily.

— Does he have things he likes? Sleeping? Or flowers?

“Flowers?”

So I just heard correctly that the cursed monster duke likes flowers? Though she had never encountered him and couldn’t imagine what kind of monster he might be, trying to picture the vaguely harsh and terrifying shadow of darkness holding a bouquet of flowers felt utterly incongruous. She must have frowned without realizing it, because the cat tapped her forehead.

— It’s not a lie.

“No, I’m not doubting you, it just seems like an odd match.”

— He likes flowers and trees. He also likes quiet things and books. They all suit the Duke well.

The cheese cat passionately meowed as if it were the Duke’s spokesperson. Seeing the fur on its back standing up from excitement, she gently stroked its back to calm it down. Hmph. The cat snorted lightly and began grooming itself, licking its front paws.

“Flowers, trees, reading……”

Wasn’t he supposed to be ferocious? Though rumors usually contain some exaggeration and speculation, this was a completely different story. Of course, since the rumors were decades old, the Duke’s personality might have changed over time. Ah, could it be? Olivia clasped her hands together tightly, as if seeing a ray of hope.

“I guess people do mellow out a bit as they age.”

Even though the two cats gave her pitying looks, Olivia didn’t notice. She simply filled in the Duke’s image piece by piece, thinking positively that ‘perhaps there might be room for him to listen to her plea.’

“By the way, is it okay for you to talk with me and share fruits like this?”

— Why wouldn’t it be?

“Well, I am imprisoned after all. Might you get in trouble if that beast catches you?”

“……Meow, meoooow.”

The black cat stretched awkwardly while making a crying sound. Though the cats had been lazily sprawled out until just moments ago, they suspiciously hurried down from the box tower and squeezed their bodies through the bars.

“Are you leaving?”

Stay and play a bit longer. Feeling disappointed, Olivia extended her hand through the bars and waved at the cats.

— After hearing what you said, we probably shouldn’t get caught by the, um, beast.

— But I’ll come play again tomorrow.

“You don’t have to come if it’s dangerous. But if you do come, I’ll welcome you very happily.”

With Olivia’s bright smile vivid in their minds, the cats descended the stairs lightly, waving their tails like hands without looking back. When they had descended far enough to be out of Olivia’s sight, the cats stopped and exchanged glances.

— She’s a human with no sense.

— She doesn’t seem unintelligent, though…

— She seems aware of her situation at times, but then she’s just so cheerful.

— He’ll hate her, won’t he?

— Of course. She’s exactly the type our master hates.

— Still, I kind of like her…

I like her a bit too. The cats gave Olivia a passing grade among themselves and scampered down the stairs again. They had shared fruits and checked on the human’s condition, so their assigned tasks were complete. Now all that remained was reporting to their master.

Olivia, with her great misunderstandings, delusions, and lack of awareness, didn’t know that the cats’ ability to enter and exit this prison was only possible because they had proper permission from “the beast.” Everything that happened in this forest, down to the slightest breeze, couldn’t escape the beast’s surveillance.

The cats, who crossed the spacious ducal mansion with familiarity toward the bedroom where the beast mostly stayed, carefully opened the door. The heavy door moved smoothly despite their small force, as if it had been waiting to guide the cats into the room. The large bed was empty, and beneath it, the beast who had been lying curled up on the soft rug slowly opened his eyes.

“You’re back?”

— Yes, master!

— The human woman is still fine.

The cats took turns chattering to the beast about everything that had happened with Olivia whom they had just met. They reported everything without omission: how they shared food with her as instructed, how she cleaned the prison and tore off the window planks, and how she asked various questions about the Duke. The beast, who had been listening quietly, couldn’t hide his incredulous expression at how unexpectedly well she was doing. The cats seemed to understand the beast’s mood and nodded repeatedly in agreement.