Chapter 1

The room was vast — it was impossible to see all the interior with just one glance..

The cold moonlight poured through the latticed window.

Ishtar, a star with a special meaning, beautifully embroidered up the night sky that day.

In the quiet darkened space, only heavy stillness lingered.

The candles hanging on the wall were effortlessly shaken by the wind blowing through the window.

The red-orange flame of burning firewood shone over a man on the bed.

A man in a deep sleep.

The peculiarly dark-haired man had his eyes shut, breathing evenly.

Beyond that, a woman covered in a thin blanket was lying on the floor.

Slowly, and warily, she crept towards a mirror.

“Is this really me…?”

She said upon staring at her reflection in the mirror.

The woman carefully yet cautiously stroked her reflection in the mirror, and let out a small groan.

She had the face of a pretty, juvenile lady.

A sweet candy-like pink color drifted across her shimmering silver hair that reached her slender waist.

‘I can’t believe it….

Her appearance as a human being was entirely different from that of her previous life.

She couldn’t help pinching one cheek to check if this was a dream, but nothing happened.

The woman in the mirror who appeared and disappeared like a mirage was really her.

‘Both eyes have different colours.’

One eye had a deep shade of amber, as if it were embedded with jewels; the other one was dark azure, hiding an ocean within. This added an aberrant yet alluring contrast to her elegant face.

When she moved forward towards the mirror, a bell rang  and a sound came from her neck.

Just then, a long black shadow fell behind the slender back of the woman who was staring in the mirror.

The moonlight seeped through the window, cooly irradiating on the blade of the sharp sword held by the man.

A marvelously bright spark of light reflected in the mirror, and she looked back in bewilderment.

The eyes of the man and woman met.

“Who are you?”

A dreary voice said.

She gulped down when she saw the sharp tip of the blade pointed right at her neck.

The man holding the sword was Sulayman, the second prince of the Ashtal kingdom, and the governor general of the capital.

‘Wh…When did you wake up…?!’

She shuddered as she met the carmine eyes that were glinting through the messy black hair.

Unlike his appearance of a beautiful gentleman sleeping peacefully before, he now looked like a dangerous beast branding his teeth out.

However, there was something else that really bothered her.

The appearance of the prince in a gown with loose strings was too provocative.

‘……where the heck am I supposed to look?’

Copper-colored skin and a wide chest was revealed through the gaping robe.

The soft light generated by the candle flutters in the room illuminating his attractive figure.

And when the gaze naturally turns from top to bottom…..

She thought it would be better to just keep her eyes shut.

Good thoughts, good thoughts.

The prince opened his mouth again.

“I’ve never seen you before. How did you get in here?”

She wanted to answer in human language, but unfortunately, it was too much for her right now.

She can’t walk properly like the Little Mermaid who first came out of the water, and her mouth was also sour.

“Are you an assassin from another prince? Those who don’t have the courage to come forward are good at this.”

She shook her head desperately in denial.

However, it is impossible to trust a person who trespassed into the royal family’s  chamber at midnight.

The eerie tip of the knife was pointed sharply at the back of her neck.

“Well, it doesn’t matter what you are and what you do. It’ll be enough if I kill you here.”

As if emphasizing that it was sincere and not intimidating, the blade cut through the soft flesh of his neck.

There was only a slight cut, but with a prickly sensation, red blood slanted along the blade.

She closed her eyes tightly at the primal fear she felt for the first time in her life.

‘Am I going to die like this…?!’

After dying and coming back to life, I finally found a way to return to being a human.

Wouldn’t everything be in vain if I were to die like this?

While he was clenching his teeth hard for her to at least leave an excuse, the prince’s sword suddenly moved away.

“This is….”

The prince’s hand slowly stole the choker from the nape of her neck.

Suddenly, the tip of his finger touched a small drop.

Ringing.

Why does the sound of the bell somehow feel creepy?

“It’s a sign of possession of the sultan. Is this a joke? Did you even stop by my night market?”

Hey, that’s not true. That’s a real overstatement!

When she shook his head violently from side to side in denial, he continued coldly.

“If you keep your mouth shut until the end, you can’t do it. I’ll have no choice but to take you to the torture room.”

Torture, like what you see in dramas and movies…?

‘No matter how good a prince is, I can’t stand this any longer!!’

Her anger reached the tip of her head, and in the end, she could not bear it and screamed.

“Meow!”

“……what?”

The prince’s bewildered gaze bloomed on her.

Belatedly aware of what she had done, she thought to herself.

‘….Ah. I just want to die like this.’

***

There is a saying that life is always unpredictable.

However, except for being an orphan, I never dreamed that something like this would happen to me, who had lived a decent life.

I was running. Not on two legs but four!

“Nyaan!”  (Get out of the way!)

Between the legs of the people on the street, a white cotton-like kitten brushed past at a rapid pace.

Ugh!

I exhaled a rough breath and ran through the unfamiliar streets.

The feeling of touching the cold stone floor against the soft soles was awkward, but it was not the time to worry about such trivial problems.

There were some crazy guys chasing me behind with a net just a few feet behind me.

Crumble.

As I raced through the middle of the market, I spilled a pedestal full of fruits, and a merchant dressed in exotic clothes poured out abusive language.

“That d*mn thing!”

The peaceful market was ruined by a cute little tuft of fur and the men chasing behind  it.

Run, jump and dodge.

It was a skill I learned recently by running away from those awful pursuers.

“Please, someone catch that cat!”

The lady who accidentally spilled the shopping cart because of the sudden disturbance shouted in tears.

That’s right.

In this unknown world, I have become a cat!!

“It’s over there!”

“Miaooww!” (Don’t come!)

Before I knew it, the men who chased me grew from three to five.

‘This is really too much!’

Bad guys.

They were wearing plausible knives around their waists.

Are you coming out this far just to catch a fragile kitten?!

“Kyaang!!” (Stay away!)

I turned my back and vigorously raised my middle finger toward the pursuers.

Unfortunately, my hands have long turned to fluffy feet and pink jelly.

“Take it to the corner!!”

Gasp, gasp.

My heart was beating so hard that it felt like it would burst. To make matters worse, a dead end alley appeared in front of me.

I stopped and didn’t know what to do. Then a man with a net approached me with a grin.

“Hide and seek is over, you cute little creature!”

“Haak!!” (Shut up!!)

Instinctively, I raised my lower jaw and looked around with a squint.

I could see a low wall next to the men. It was as tall as their foreheads.

‘I think if I do well, I might be able to jump over it…’

If I jump over a pile of garbage nearby… I might be able to get over it.

As she drew up an ambitious plan in her head, the enemy gradually narrowed the siege.

When there was no more place to hide behind, the tip of its tail slammed against the wall.

“Come on, you’re nice. Kittie, come here.”

“Kareureung….”(Do you think I will come if you call me?)

I wanted to put it into words like a human, but it was impossible.

After becoming like this, the sound that comes out of my mouth is Kyaang! or meow! It’s just the same thing.

I was swallowing my dry saliva and looking for the right time.

The man holding the net extended his arms into the air.

The moment the net spread out.

I avoided it and jumped with the agility of my lifetime.

Percussion, snap!

A kitten, which looked like a clump of white fur, leaped high into the air.

The dazzling sunlight shone on the cat which was flying gracefully with its short legs stretched out.

“It’s running away! Catch it!”

Like a slow motion scene in a movie, the hands of those who tried to catch me passed by in vain.

I roared bravely (or tried to) like a lion and made the last jump with all my might.

“Nyaaaang!!”(I’m flying!)

Please, someone tell me this is all a dream!