“Yup! Don’t you worry about a thing!”
“I’m not just saying this. If it gets out that you’re a feline humanoid, there are tons of people who’d drag you off for experiments.”
“……Yup.”
At Leonard’s chilling warning, Yellian nodded. Anyway, since their goal was to escape safely, there was no way their identity as a feline humanoid would be revealed, but it never hurt to be cautious.
Yellian resolved never to let anyone find out they were a feline humanoid. They also made up their mind to stay quiet, almost invisible, and slip away unnoticed.
* * *
“M-my lord…….”
A voice on the verge of tears wrapped around his eardrums. Leonard was at a loss for words at the sight before him.
Underneath beige hair that shone with a fine texture in the sunlight, pale skin gleamed with a subtle luster. Ashen eyes tinged with blue trembled with anxiety. In contrast to the white skin, both cheeks were flushed red.
He crossed his arms over his chest, seemingly at a loss for what to do. But there was no way all the exposed skin could be covered.
“D-don’t just stand there staring, d-do something…….”
A naked body revealed among the thick grass. A slender, lithe frame and deep pink nipples appeared and disappeared with each sway of the grass in the wind.
Though the face was unfamiliar, it wasn’t entirely foreign either, and Leonard took one step, then another, slowly approaching him.
* * *
On the morning of the hunting competition, Yellian experienced their first outing since arriving at the duke’s estate.
Of course, they weren’t walking on their own paws but were carried in a cage personally procured by Elton. On top of that, the cage was wrapped in several layers of netting, making it impossible for Yellian to escape on their own.
However, Yellian didn’t lose heart. After all, escape wasn’t something you did right from the start. The trick was to wait for the right moment after some time had passed, when everyone let their guard down.
So Yellian waited calmly inside the cage……or rather, that’s a lie-they were miserable.
‘Ughhh.’
Their stomach churned, and dizziness made them feel like they were about to throw up. Their head throbbed painfully, which wasn’t a good sign. Feeling the abnormal symptoms, Yellian couldn’t hold back any longer and cautiously opened their mouth.
“My lord……. My lord…….”
Inside the carriage heading to the hunting competition venue, only Leonard and Elton were present. The sound of the large steeds pulling the carriage was quite loud, so there was no chance Yellian’s small voice would be heard by the coachman outside.
“I told you to be quiet.”
Leonard replied in a sharp tone. His words clearly conveyed the message, ‘You can’t be caught as a talking cat, so shut up.’ But right now, every second felt urgent to Yellian, so even his harsh tone didn’t sound intimidating.
“P-please, open the door a little. Ugh, I think I’m gonna throw up…….”
That’s right. Yellian was suffering from severe motion sickness. Back when they were human, they hadn’t been this prone to motion sickness, but it seemed the body of a feline humanoid was different, as they were experiencing hellish nausea.
“Motion sickness too? You’re really a nuisance.”
Leonard reacted as if it were a bother, but Yellian was truly desperate and pleaded once more in a pitiful voice.
“Please…… just open the window a bit.”
“Haa.”
Leonard let out a short sigh, but fortunately, he soon opened the window.
Truthfully, Yellian, trapped in the cage, couldn’t see the window being opened, but they felt the stuffy indoor air clear up, so they assumed Leonard had opened it.
“Elton, why does something that’s not even human get motion sickness?”
“Ah, I’ve heard about this before. From a cat’s perspective, the scenery looks the same, but they feel their body moving, so they get motion sickness.”
It was a fact even Yellian hadn’t known. Understanding the reason for their motion sickness through Elton’s explanation, Yellian’s eyes momentarily lit up. A good idea had come to mind.
“My lord, my lord.”
“What is it?”
“If you let me see outside the window, wouldn’t that stop my motion sickness? I can’t see out from inside this cage.”
Using motion sickness as an excuse, they spoke logically to get out of the cage. At that, Leonard fell silent for a while, seemingly deep in thought.
“If this keeps up, I’m gonna throw up. You wouldn’t want a mess like that, right, my lord? Save me, please.”
“……Fine.”
Fortunately, it seemed Yellian’s act had worked. After a sigh, Leonard gave his permission.
Yellian was overjoyed but didn’t show it. The closer they were to achieving their goal, the more cautious they had to be. They couldn’t afford to blow this golden opportunity with a momentary mistake.
“Elton, let them out.”
“Yes. Just in case, should we close the window?”
“That would be best.”
Accepting Elton’s suggestion, Leonard closed the window. Once again, the refreshing air disappeared, replaced by the stifling atmosphere unique to an enclosed space.
Yellian thought it would be ideal for escape if the window were open, but even if it was closed, they considered it half a success, so they weren’t too worried.
A rustling, busy sound was heard. Soon, the cage holding Yellian was opened.
Even though Yellian felt much better thanks to the window being opened earlier, they pretended to be as sick with motion sickness as possible, staggering weakly. They even made a show of dry heaving for effect.
“Oh dear, Yellian is really suffering from motion sickness.”
Elton said in a worried tone. A quick glance at his face showed he was genuinely concerned and didn’t know what to do. Relieved that their plan was working, Yellian put on the most exhausted expression they could muster.
But just then, a sharp headache struck them like a blow. Though it wasn’t intentional, Yellian clutched their head with a small paw and collapsed to the side.
What’s this? Is motion sickness supposed to cause headaches this severe?
As doubts arose amidst the intense pain, Elton, with a face full of worry, looked at Yellian and cautiously spoke.
“Should we…… open the window just a little? Even just a tiny bit. I think the stuffy air is making the motion sickness worse.”
Leonard wasn’t thrilled with Elton’s suggestion. Letting Yellian out of the cage already made him uneasy, and he wondered if opening the window on top of that was really a good idea.
But to outright refuse felt wrong, as Yellian’s condition looked far too bad. Though Yellian themselves might not have noticed, they were not just staggering but trembling slightly and even convulsing. If left like this, it wouldn’t be surprising if something serious happened.
Yellian looked genuinely ill, or worse, as if their life might be in danger. Even to Leonard, who knew little about cats, Yellian’s condition seemed dire. That’s why Elton, too, was suggesting opening the window with such a worried expression.
It was an absurd emotion, one that others might mock if they knew, but Leonard was afraid. And what baffled him was that this fear stemmed from the thought of something happening to Yellian.
What was this feline humanoid to him? What significance did they hold? They were nothing more than an annoying, bothersome furball. If he had to assign any meaning, it would be, at most, their potential usefulness as a feline humanoid.
That’s how unimportant Yellian was to Leonard. At least, that’s what Leonard believed.
No, that’s what he wanted to believe. He couldn’t bring himself to admit that he’d given his heart to such a trivial creature. Yet, at the same time, the desire to do something for Yellian was an emotion he couldn’t understand himself.
Feeling this unfamiliar emotion for the first time, Leonard was inwardly unsettled. He wondered why he was experiencing such complicated feelings and what the nature of this emotion was. Since it was a feeling he’d never encountered before, he was even more curious to understand it.
However, no matter how much he questioned himself, no clear answer came. This made him angry. If he had his way, he’d tear apart and dissect his own heart to figure it out, but there was no time for that right now. Yellian’s condition was worsening by the moment.
“……Alright, open it just a little.”
“Yes!”
Finally, Leonard gave his permission. Elton pushed the window open just enough to let some air through. Seeing the latch release and the window crack open, Yellian, overcoming the splitting headache, dashed toward the window with all their might.
Slamming into it with full force, the window swung wide open, and Yellian leaped out of the carriage.
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