“So the hole then….” Princess Meisian suddenly burst out laughing, moreover it wasn’t some bashful giggle either but a full on guffaw. “HAHAHAHAHA, to think someone actually tried to crawl in through the hole…you’re killing me here…AHAHAHA…”
‘Hole? What the heck is she talking about? That was clearly the main entrance, how did it turn into a hole all of a sudden? Hold on…those guardcats were laughing as well when we entered… Anmi too…’
Looking around, I found that the normally stony faced guardcats were all chuckling as well, gone were their serious Forbidden Guardsmen demeanor with some even going so far as to double over in laughter.
“Isn’t it obvious, those without doors panels are holes.”
“???”
‘The heck is that supposed to mean?! Why did an entranceway suddenly become so complicated?’
Princess Meisian laughed for a good long while before noticing the dumbstruck look on our faces. Still laughing, she explained the situation using a well-known Purgatory Shadowcat saying: “You still don’t get it? Cats climb the wall, Dogs crawl through the hole!”
‘Cats climb the wall and Dogs crawl through the hole? Ah, I think I get it now…what she’s saying is that cats are agile while dogs are clumsier and can’t climb over most obstacles like cats. That’s why they have dog holes but never cat holes.’
Because of that explanation, I finally understood the true extent of their maliciousness. It wasn’t just me either, the Cerberus couple were the most affected…seeing as they were actual dogs…
“So this is how the Shadowcats treat their guests?” Sinmosa gave the princess a piercing stare filled with anger that threatened spill out at any moment.
Sasani barked as well though most of us didn’t know what he was saying. Judging from his contorted faces however, the contents were most likely the same as Sinmosa’s.
“Hmph, those who come uninvited aren’t guests.” Meisian swept her scornful eyes over the two Cerberuses and then smirked: “Yo~, I never realized this before, we actually have two dogs in my house right now.”
“…” Sasani finally couldn’t hold in his anger anymore, curving his back slightly, he prepared to launch a leaping attack. Realizing this as well, the ten guardcats immediately put up a defensive posture.
“Ruff!” Sinmosa immediately stopped her husband from acting rashly using the tongue of the Hellhounds. Still, that didn’t stop him from glaring at Princess Meisian one last time before turning around to face his family. Fearing his rashness might harm his family, he chose to swallow this indignation in the end.
“Smart choice.” The princess threw the defeated dog a disdainful smile before raising her right claw, waving it about to signal to the other guardcats to relax.
We were still inside her castle, meaning this was her homeground and fighting on someone’s homeground was beyond foolish.
The Hellhounds once fought a war with the Purgatory Shadowcats. In the end, both sides failed to make any gains and had to sign a white peace. Just from those words alone, it was clear how strong these cats were –at least at the level of the Hellhounds.
Given that, what would happen to us if we caused a ruckus in their territory? The answer was obvious…
If we were lucky, they would just kick us out. Depending on their mood, we might even end up dead or worse. Thus, fighting was definitely the worst choice we could make… ‘Absolutely no, no fighting, right now we’re the ones at the disadvantage so we have to play by their rules.’
“Your Esteemed Highness the Princess, how about we leave the jokes aside for now, we’ve long heard of Your Highness’s profound knowledge and so we’ve come visiting…”
It was a carefully balanced praise, that neither went overboard nor skimped out on the flattery. Still, it proved to be a fruitful one. The moment I praised her profound knowledge, I noticed her eyes narrow ever so slightly in appreciation while her head tilted back and the corners of her mouth curled up. In other words, she was saying ‘praise me more’. With that in mind, I quickly realized that flattering her was a more effective negotiation tool than force.
Rushing to take advantage of her good mood, I immediately followed that up: “Perhaps the answer which I seek might seem ever so insignificant to you, but I’m sure a profound scholar such as Your Highness would definitely be able to solve my conundrum. While this problem might be more difficult than climbing the heavens for me, it is but a trifling matter for Your Highness. Still, this answer is of utmost importance to me so I beseech Your Highness, enlighten me.”
Truth be told, even I felt a little nauseous from what I just spat out from my mouth. Being a d*mn shut-in in my previous life, I basically had no friends or bosses to suck up to. Words such as those would have never left my mouth back on Earth, except as a joke of course. Things were different now however, circumstances being as they were, I had to adapt.
And that was why people always said, ‘circumstances made the man.’
“Mhm, you’re really good at talking, but don’t think you can get what you want for free with just a few pretty words.” Princess Meisian lazily licked her left claws before saying as such ever so slowly: “One mustn’t escape from their obligations after all, that would be immoral.”
‘F***, I get it now, this d*mned cat must have some kind of task for us…well why didn’t you just say so from the start, what’s with all that sanctimonious talk about obligations and morality? Did you really have to put up a signboard announcing to the world that you’re a b*tch? I swear…’
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