CH 87

On that day, Mariabelle was restless from the morning. After all, Count Fidelo and his wife had promised to give her a kitten, and they were planning to visit the imperial palace together.

The couple arrived at Mariabelle 's place slightly earlier than the promised time, surprising Mariabelle, who eagerly anticipated their arrival.

Countess Therese Fidelo was delighted to reunite with Mariabelle. She had a large basket hanging from her arm.

When Therese opened the lid of the basket, a small orange furball leaped out energetically.

"Melty!"

Mariabelle exclaimed with joy as the little cat with a faint orange hue and reddish-brown stripes stretched on the soft carpet. It looked at Mariabelle with a curious expression.

Then, it slowly approached Mariabelle's feet and rubbed its head against the hem of her dress.

As Mariabelle reached out to pick up the kitten, it let out a cute "meow."

Feeling the warmth of the tiny creature, Mariabelle couldn't help but smile.

"It's been a while, Lady Mariabelle. I'm glad to see you're doing well," Therese said.

"I've been looking forward to this," Mariabelle replied.

After exchanging a brief embrace with Therese, Mariabelle noticed Count Fidelo wiping his sweat behind her.

Behind the count, to Mariabelle 's surprise, were Renato and his younger brother, Rinaldo, who were supposed to be busy with their duties.

"Lord Renato and Lord Rinaldo?"

Renato and Rinaldo were brothers, so it was no wonder they resembled each other. They both had black hair, but while Renato's eyes were a deep blue, reminiscent of the sea, Rinaldo's eyes were chestnut-colored. As a result, when the two of them stood together, Rinaldo gave a softer impression.

"So, is this the famous cat? The orange-furred one is usually wary of people and doesn't get close, but it seems to be very fond of you, sister-in-law," Rinaldo said.

Although Mariabelle  wasn't officially their sister-in-law yet because they hadn't had the wedding ceremony, Renato and his brothers started calling her that first, saying, "Since we'll eventually call you that anyway, and calling you by your name would be troublesome for our elder brother."

Mariabelle protested, saying that Renato, Rinaldo, and Angelo were older than her, and it was too early for her to be called that, but Renato responded with a serious face, saying she should get used to it from now on.

Since then, being called sister-in-law made Mariabelle feel somewhat uneasy.

However, Rinaldo seemed unaware of Mariabelle's hesitation. He was completely captivated by Melty, whom Mariabelle was holding in her arms.

Rinaldo was known for his unmatched strength when wielding a sword, but he had an exceptional love for cats. Whenever he saw a cat, his eyes would immediately soften.

This information was widely known throughout the empire and, one time, when burglars broke into the empire and attacked Rinaldo, they used a cat to shield themselves.

At that time, Rinaldo suppressed his quiet anger and displayed even greater swordsmanship than usual.

His usual gentle smile disappeared, and his expressionless face showed no mercy as he severed the tendons of the burglars' limbs, rendering them immobile. This terrifying sight, as it was not kept a secret, spread not only within the Order of Knights but also among opposing forces.

Since then, there was no longer anyone who dared to confront Rinaldo by using a cat as a shield. Of course, the cat was safely protected by Rinaldo and is currently being well taken care of in the Cat Palace.

"Can I have a closer look?" Rinaldo's eyes sparkled as he sought permission from Renato instead of Mariabelle .

Rinaldo understood well that his usually composed and dependable brother would become narrow-minded when it came to Mariabelle. Being a military man, he possessed excellent crisis management skills.

Renato silently asked Mariabelle with his eyes about what to do.

Although reluctant to let go of the warmth she was feeling, Mariabelle attempted to entrust the small kitten to Rinaldo.

However, just as Rinaldo eagerly tried to take Melty into his arms, the kitten jumped down from Mariabelle's arms.

"Oh!"

Startled by Mariabelle's soft exclamation, Melty leaped onto the top of the bookshelf.

The guest suite prepared for Mariabelle included not only a bedroom but also a reception room and a guest room, but it did not extend as far as a library.

To accommodate Mariabelle 's love for books, they had prepared an antique bookshelf in the reception room.

It was a considerably large bookshelf, and even if Mariabelle reached out her hand to where Melty had landed, she couldn't reach her.

"Come down, Melty."

Despite calling out, Melty went deeper into the shelf and showed no signs of coming down.

"Melty, it's dangerous."

Therese also called out, but Melty went even deeper into the shelf, disappearing from their sight.

As the two of them were unsure of what to do, Rinaldo swiftly took out something resembling a stick from his chest.

At the end of the stick, there was a string with bundled feathers attached.

Curious about its purpose, Mariabelle watched as Rinaldo swung the stick, causing the feathers to flutter.

Mariabelle  was impressed by Rinaldo's proud demeanor, as if he were a child. She knew that she herself liked small animals such as cats and rabbits, but Rinaldo's love for cats was on a whole different level. He even renovated his own villa to make it more cat-friendly. Naturally, Rinaldo was easily liked by cats, so it was expected that Melty on top of the bookshelf would come down soon.

"Cats, even when kept by humans, still retain their hunting instincts. They can't help but pounce on things that move like prey. There have been toys that utilize this, but this one can adjust the length of the pole," Rinaldo explained, demonstrating by changing the length of the stick in his hand. It transformed into a fishing rod-like shape.

Then, as if fishing, he placed the bird feathers near Melty's face and gently waved them.

At first, there was no response, but soon they heard Melty's "meow" in return.

Not only Mariabelle  but also Count and Countess Fidelo were impressed by what they saw.

"Well, will that be commercialized?"

In response to Therese's question, who seemed eager for the toy, Rinaldo answered without turning around while shaking the rod.

"Of course! The effectiveness has been confirmed by the orange kitten."

Saying that, Rinaldo shook the rod vigorously and moved it up to a deep purple-red carpet, where he fluttered the bird feathers.

"Nyaa!"

An orange mass flew out from the top of the bookshelf like a bullet.

And it tried its best to catch the bundled feathers with its small front paws.

"Nya."

But Rinaldo was experienced, easily toying with Melty.

"I would definitely like to purchase this toy."

When Therese expressed her desire for the toy, Mariabelle agreed as well.

"She's having so much fun playing with it."

"Yes, Your Highness. What should we name this toy?"

"It hasn't been decided yet. I'm not good at naming things. Brother, what do you think would be a good name?"

Without taking his eyes off Melty, Rinaldo asked Renato.

"It's a toy you came up with, so you should think of a name yourself."

"Hmm, then how about 'Cat Attractor'?"

"...No, let me come up with a name."

Looking at Rinaldo's naming sense, Renato decided to come up with a name instead.

Melty's figure trying to grab the bird feathers with her small front paws was very cute.

It looked as if she was playfully playing around.

"How about 'Cat Teaser'?"

Renato suggested a simple name, and Rinaldo seemed to like it.

"Oh, that's good."

Rinaldo stopped playing and picked up Melty, then stood up and tickled Melty's throat with his index finger.

Melty's throat made a pleasant sound, spinning around and around.

It seemed that Melty had become quite attached to Rinaldo.

"Well, shall we release it under the Imperial Seal brand? Since you came up with the name, Brother."

"Why not start a new brand? How about... Belrose?"

Saying that, Renato took a strand of Mariabelle 's golden hair in his hand, and Rinaldo looked at him with a bewildered gaze.

Suddenly called by her name, Mariabelle said, "I haven't done anything, so it would be better to name it after Prince Rinaldo, who came up with the toy."

"I see, so it's a way to make the people of the empire aware of my sister-in-law through the cat toy. I don't mind. Let's give it to my sister-in-law as an engagement gift along with the rights."

Rinaldo handed Melty, whom he was holding, to Mariabelle and gave the cat teaser to Count and Countess Fidelo.

"I still have official duties, so I'll take my leave now. Brother, I understand that you want to stay with my sister-in-law, but please come back before Angelo gets mad."

Saying that, Rinaldo left, and Renato smiled wryly.

"He said something unnecessary at the end..."

"I'm sorry. I wish I could have been of help, even if just a little..."

In the kingdom, she could assist with administrative tasks, but here there were too many things she still needed to learn, and it was overwhelming.

Feeling apologetic, Mariabelle lowered her gaze.

"As the Crown Princess, there will be official duties in the future, but for now, you don't need to think about such matters. I heard you've been studying too much already. Take some time to refresh yourself by playing with the cat."

Sitting on the sofa after receiving a cat toy from Count Fidelo, Renato imitated Rinaldo by shaking a feather.

Melty immediately jumped down from Mariabelle 's arm and chased after the cat toy.

Mariabelle also received a cat toy from Renato and tried shaking it. Avoiding Melty's attempts to catch it turned out to be surprisingly enjoyable.

When they handed cat toys to Count Fidelo and his wife, they happily played with them together.

Perhaps tired from the journey to the Imperial Palace, Melty quickly started to doze off, eventually moving her paws while sleeping.

Seeing the sleeping kitten mumbling in her sleep, a smile unintentionally appeared on everyone's face in the room.

A warm feeling filled Mariabelle's heart.

This lifestyle seemed to be a departure from the strict expectations of being a perfect lady in the kingdom.

Mariabelle thought about the difficult times she had gone through, not realizing that she had spent her days without that burden.

Now she was able to enjoy such peaceful moments.

And the person she loved from the bottom of her heart...

Renato noticed Mariabelle's gaze and returned a smile.

The sunlight shining through the window cast a golden shimmer on Renato's deep blue eyes.

Mariabelle's heart was filled with overflowing happiness, and she smiled wholeheartedly.