The Prime Minister opened his mouth and told her the meaning behind the magic spell, "This is bad. This is not just any normal magic spell. This is a curse."
"Curse? W-what do you mean?" Veronica nervously asked. "Meow? M-meow?"
The Prime Minister didn't have to work his brain to understand what she was thinking about. He said in an unhurried tone, "You don't understand spell craft, do you? It's all right. Not just anyone understands these things unless they study spell craft. The magic spell that was placed on you was actually a curse. Since it was about love rivalry, I think it's a love curse. These kinds of things can be very nasty."
He thought about the person who used the magic spell to curse Veronica, 'To think this lady would go this far for something like this. The lady who did this is really foolish. She won't get the heart of a man she loves like this. What was she even hoping for? Women like that are easy to fool.'
Veronica jumped out of the table and brought the paper and quill close by her paws. She wrote down again with her mouth with much effort, "If it's a curse, how can I turn back to human?"
The Prime Minister read what she wrote and answered, "Even if you ask me, I cannot answer that. You need to ask the person who was involved in cursing you. Since you already know that person, why don't you ask her instead? She might tell you what you have to do. The chance is very low if you ask me. I mean, she didn't turn you into a cat to make you a human, you know."
Veronica lowered her head. 'What he said was logical. That person may not want to turn me into a human again. But she can at least tell me what to do. I won't know if I don't try,' she pondered.
She wrote down, "I want to meet her."
The Prime Minister placed his right hand under his chin. "I don't mind if you want to meet her. However, you have to be careful. All the guards are stationed in the guest room area by the order of His Majesty the King. You must know pets are forbidden in the castle. If you are going to go, the guards might catch you. If His Majesty the King sees you and realizes that it's you, you can forget about getting out of the country." He narrowed his eyes and muttered, "Maybe you want to become his fifteenth consort…"
'No way in hell I want to marry anyone!' Veronica vigorously shook her head. She would rather get out of this kingdom as soon as possible. This ball tonight has only brought her misery.
The Prime Minister fixed his glasses and stated, "Since you don't want to become a consort, please leave this kingdom and never return. I don't want another headache to add to my head. I have lots of tasks to finish as the Prime Minister of this kingdom. Our King may be greedy when it comes to pretty ladies but he is a wise ruler. Please don't be offended because he is searching for you all over the capital."
Veronica flinched. 'Should I be thankful that I became a cat?' she wondered.
She recalled Saint Ava once telling her, "Some bad things happen for your own good. You should be thankful for that."
The Prime Minister questioned her, "So, do you want to leave this kingdom as soon as possible?"
Veronica quickly nodded. There was no way she would want to stay here longer.
"Fine, your people may leave the castle in three days. They should have stayed here longer but thanks to you, our King isn't in a good mood. So, your people will leave quickly," the Prime Minister told her in a happy tone.
Veronica scowled. 'How come is this my fault? I didn't tell anyone to marry me.'
----------
Later, at midnight, the Prime Minister took her to the guest room area. It was the time knights were shifting their duties and the Prime Minister was a high official. No one bothered to stop him or question his reasons to enter there.
He steadily walked to the hall and then stopped in front of a room. Then, he politely knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" a girl's voice came from inside the room.
The Prime Minister replied, "Please open the door. I have something urgent to discuss."
The girl opened the door and was surprised to see the Prime Minister. "Sir, what do you need at this hour?" She was already wearing her nightclothes and wrapped a shawl around her shoulders.
The Prime Minister didn't respond to her question. Rather, he said with a commanding tone, "May I come inside? I don't wish to chat while standing."
The girl hesitated before stepping back. "…Yes, please."
The Prime Minister entered the room and said, "I would like you to close the door. You don't want others to hear what I am going to say."
The girl flinched by his sharp stare and hurriedly closed the door. She sat on a chair and asked, "What do you, Sir?"
The Prime Minister replied as he sat on the couch, "I have no business with you. The one who has a business with you is her."
"Her?" The girl was confused. She couldn't see anyone with the Prime Minister. "Who?" she meekly asked him.
At that time, a cat came out of the Prime Minister's outer robe. The cat had silver fur and emerald eyes. The girl saw the cat and her face instantly paled.
"Miss, why does it look like blood drained from your face? Don't tell me you recognize this cat?" The Prime Minister leaned against the couch and continued, "I just found her today and I was surprised to see that she resembles Miss Veronica so much."
He noticed how the girl's body stiffened upon hearing Veronica's name. He added, "This is the first time I saw this cat but why does it look like you know the cat as well? Is this your cat? Do you know that pets are forbidden in the castle? You must know that, don't you? For breaking an imperial law, you will be beheaded. Do you know that?"
As soon as he stopped speaking, the girl knelt on the floor and bowed. She spoke in a quivering voice, "Please Sir, have mercy. I don't know this cat."
'She is easy to play with,' the Prime Minister thought. Then, he said, "But this cat seems to know you. When I asked her who her master is, she dragged me here. A cat has a good sense of direction. This isn't unknown to you, is it?"
Just to prove his words were right, the cat walked closer to the girl and rubbed her face on the girl's leg. The cat meowed in a coquettish way, "Meow."
The girl gritted her teeth in anger and raised her hand to slap the cat. 'It doesn't matter whether you are a cat or a human. All bad things happen whenever you are around. You filthy cat!' she cursed Veronica in her mind.
"What do you think you are trying to do?" the Prime Minister's cold voice froze her body while her hand was in midair.
The girl stated, "Th-this cat is framing me. I don't know this cat."
"And, because of that, will you harm an innocent cat? What nonsense! This cat was so pitiful after losing its master and now the master rejects her so heartlessly. Because of that, you deserve a worse punishment!" The Prime Minister looked terrifyingly angry.
The girl began to tremble in fear. She lowered her head and kept saying, "Pl-please have mercy, sir. Please have mercy."
The Prime Minister coldly refuted, "Hmph! Only care about yourself, so selfish. I can't believe a girl like you is a healer. You better take good care of the cat and make sure it rests and eats well. I'm not sure if you are also behind Miss Veronica's disappearance. Are you involved in any way?"
The girl's face was ashen. She bowed deeply and said, "I'm not any part of Veronica's disappearance. Please believe me."
"I'll keep an eye on you. If you are found involved in Miss Veronica's disappearance, His Majesty the King will throw you in the dungeon." The Prime Minister threatened her for a good while and then stood up. "I will take my leave. Don't forget what I just told you."
The girl quickly said, "Yes, yes, I won't forget. I will take care of Vero– I mean the cat, my pet."
The Prime Minister left the room and spoke inwardly, 'I finished my job. The rest is up to you. I hope you will keep your promise. I don't wish to face you again in this life, Miss Veronica.'
As soon as the man left, the girl stood up and closed the door. Then, she slowly turned toward the cat. "I can't believe I ended up with a slut like you. You became a cat and still managed to seduce another influential man to work for you. You must use your appearance a lot, don't you? Should I destroy your beautiful face?"