The Perfect Morning for Reading!

Movement on the bed stirred me from my slumber. I stretch a bit without opening my eyes, yawning as I do. Even then, I barely open them to peer over at Val. He has, indeed, woken up early on his day off. This guy doesn’t know when it’s time to be lazy and sleep in! Sacrificing my own comfort, I rise from my resting place to sprawl out on his lap to prevent his escape before he can stand up. He chuckles a bit, giving my head a few scratches.

“Good morning, Princess.” His face breaks out into a smile. “Did you sleep well?”

I meow back at him, hoping that will suffice for an answer, which it does as usual.

“I’m sorry for being so snippy last night.” He says as he continues to stroke my fur. “Yesterday wasn’t very fun.”

My ears perk. Is that the slightest bit of drama I’m detecting? NO ONE better be making my boy feel bad! I turn and gaze at him with widened eyes, waiting for him to spill the tea. And, consequently, find out whose face I will imagine over my scratching post this morning!

He laughs when he sees my attentive stare. “I swear…” he mumbles with a smile. He shakes his head before reorienting himself. “I know you may not know… but do you remember the Grand Duke’s son, Marius?”

Marius? Marius… oh, yeah! Marius and Vallie used to be friends, didn’t they? I don’t remember the exact scenario, but they stopped talking not too long after Val adopted me. I don’t think I ever met the guy before. My ears flick, something I do when he brings up a past topic we’ve talked about. His smile turns forlorn.

“Well, when the topic of arranged marriages came up yesterday, I was introduced to Marius’ sister, Janice. I… Marius was there too, probably to dissuade me from choosing her…”

I see, not only are they trying to force my boy into a loveless marriage, but they picked the family that rejected him already as a prime candidate! How cruel! If I see that blasted king…

My claws flex instinctively, a bit of a habit I’ve picked up when I get angry.

Valentine takes my paws as if understanding I was upset and holds them in his hands. I can’t help but marvel at how tiny they look.

“It’s ok.” He says, voice calm and even despite his smile not reaching his eyes. “It was my fault Marius got mad… but I was so nervous when I saw him, I didn’t know what to do. I guess I fumbled the bag a bit yesterday and I was embarrassed last night. It’s been ages since I’ve seen him… I wish we could be friends again…”

…oh? Well, that’s an expression I wasn’t expecting from Vallie. His smile dropped and his eyes, despite staring at my paws, seemed unfocused.

When I mull it over, I come to a realization. Despite having known him for seven years, the only time I’ve heard Val talk about friends was with Marius. Perhaps he’d been his only friend? He clearly doesn’t have much experience with friendship or with romance, given that he’s said he fumbled pretty badly yesterday. This poor boy, robbed of a normal childhood with normal childhood friends!

“To be honest, I was happy to see him again.” Vallie smiles. “Even if it was to threaten me. Janice also grew up to be quite lovely, you should have seen them together, Princess. The other ladies were fine, but those two really stood out among the crowd. I think everyone was staring at them.”

There’s not a chance! I huff and flick my tail. No one would stare at anyone over my lovely Prince! They’d better not, there’s no one more charming.

Still, my Vallie seems rather down over seeing his ex-bestie. If I’m not mistaken, he seems… lonely. Well, duh, of course he would be lonely when the only person he had to talk to casually was a cat! There has to be something even a cat could do…

My eyes drift over to the book laid out on his bedside table.

That’s it!

I rise from my place on Val’s lap and trudge over to the book, pawing at the cover left face up depicting two people in a fierce battle, looking back at Val expectantly. He chuckles.

“What, you want to read this morning?”

I meow back at him, because of course I do! Anything to chase the lonely thoughts away. At least, that’s what I did when I was human. Read until I forgot my worries.

He reaches over and picks up the book, studying the cover.

“Hmm, I don’t quite feel like reading this novel at the moment.” He frowns, glancing back at me. “How about we go down to the study and search for something more lighthearted?”

Whatever floats your boat, my Prince! I bump my head against his arm, purring as he laughs.

“Alright, alright. I shall ready myself and we’ll visit the study this morning.”

Calling that place a “study” is an understatement. These royals and their extravagance. This place is basically an entire library! If I could, I would spend all day here. I’ve snuck out a few times to do just that, but was caught half way through a good book. They thought I was trying to destroy it. The maids don’t know I can read too, so I can’t be too mad, but still!

Coming here with Valentine is so relaxing. I feel like he can truly unwind here. He likes to read to me and I enjoy listening. I may or may not have influenced his tastes a bit~ hey, if I gotta listen to a good book, I want to listen to my favorite genre! Handsome men wooing beautiful women, it might be wish fulfillment but it’s the best!

As soon as we enter the study, I leap from Val’s arms, trotting over to the section with the best romance novels. I hear Val laugh from behind me, turning the corner smirking.

“You want to hear another romance?” He examines the shelf. “That’s fine by me.”

Val reaches towards a few books, hesitating before attempting to pull out a book with a colorful spine. Ah, wait, I recognize that one! I leap up onto the shelf above and swipe at his hand, causing the book to fall back into place a bit crooked.

“Hmm? Not that one? Alright.” He moves on to another shelf.

Whew. I’ve read that one before. It gets… spicy towards the middle. I don’t think my prince could handle it yet. I’m just glad he goes along with my cattiness instead of scolding me.

“How about this one?” He asks, holding up a new book with a soft looking cover of a couple in the rain under an umbrella. Yeah, that one should be good. I meow at him, leaping onto his shoulders.

“Alright!”

Retreating to our favorite little nook in the study, an out cove with a window that displays the gardens in the palace grounds. Over the years, Val and I have decorated the corner with lots of pillows, blankets, and what-nots and trinkets. We even managed to find some fairy lights to decorate the walls! Val cozies up, leaning against the window and opens his book. I remain draped across his shoulders, pawing at a pillow nearby to cushion in case I decide it gets uncomfortable. Honestly, even the dreary weather outside with a bit of a drizzle is perfect weather for me!

Val begins reading, voice low enough for only us to hear. It’s the perfect little bubble.

Times like this, I wish I was human again. Even as he reads about how the main characters first meet each other, I lose myself to my thoughts. What would he think if we had met back when I was human? Would he have liked me? Would we have been friends? It’s hard to say, but I’m glad I’m a cat. I don’t think we would have the bond we have now if I were still human.

Thump!

“Oh, dear!”

Both Val and I swiftly turn our heads in the direction of the noise and surprised voice.

A maid I’ve never seen scrambled to collect some books that had been scattered across the floor. Those weren’t there before, did she drop them or knock them over?

“Are you ok?” Val asks, making to get up and check on the girl. I scramble to remain balances on his shoulders.

“Y-yes, your highness! My apologies, I didn’t mean to disturb you!”

She finishes gathering the books and stands up, facing Val and he freezes. The girl’s bright brown eyes shone in his direction behind rounded glasses. Her black hair has been messily tied back into a pair of braids, maid cap barely hanging onto her head. She’s definitely cute by my standards, if just a bit airheaded.

But Val seems a bit at a loss of words, if only for a moment. She probably doesn’t notice, because Val clears his throat and approaches not long after. But of course, I notice! Quite curious, I think, shifting on his shoulders.

“It’s alright. I, I guess it’s fine. Do you have business here?” He asks.

“I, well, I just, I was assigned to ensure the study was presentable for the day, I uh, I wasn’t expecting to see anyone here so early.” She fidgets with the books in her arms.

“Then, all is fine, continue as you are, you can leave this corner be.” Val nods and returns to his spot.

He’s stiff in his movements, I can feel it from my perch. I don’t know if it’s coming across on her end, but he’s definitely nervous. Oh, so very curious~ Is this the slightest bit of a crush I smell? I would laugh if I could. That maid is quite adorable~! I gaze over at the girl lingering as Val picks up the book again. She makes eye contact with me and I see her hand twitch, before she shakes her head and retreats.

…Ohoho! I may have an idea to help my Prince’s lonely heart.

Look, ok, the fact of the matter is… I am but a cat. Any ideas I may have to help my Vallie and his loneliness situation are… limited. However, I am still a good judge of character! I believe I could help my beloved Prince find and meet his special someone. There’s no better way to strike up a conversation that your cat deciding “Ah, yes, I like this human!”

…right? That's what I read online, anyway. I never had a cat in real life, but I think I’m pulling off a convincing cat performance.

Either way, since I can’t interfere, I’ll just help him with his love life instead!

The goal? Well, let’s start small. Val was clearly nervous when talking to that maid girl earlier. I need to find something they have in common so they can have one normal conversation! If they talk normally just once, he might be able to romance her with his natural charm and appeal! What could be more romantic than a Prince and one of his maids falling in love by chance? And I think I know just the thing they can talk about…

Why, me, of course!

The way that maid reacted when she made eye contact with me told me she wanted to pet me! Who wouldn’t want to pet this long, fluffy, white hair? Every time I look in the mirror I want to pet myself!

I just need to get her to ask to pet me, or get him to offer pets to her.

It’s a flawless plan!

I just need to get them back into the same place at the same time.

Val started nodding off, while I had migrated to the pillow next to him. Now is my chance to investigate if I wanna play matchmaker! Slowly slinking out of my spot, I hop from the cove and trod through the library, attempting to pick up that girl’s scent. It would probably be easier if I was a dog… though I wouldn’t be able to sneak around. Whatever! I work with what I got!

I searched the study for a few minutes before tracking her down near the entrance, speaking with the head maid.

“I-I wasn’t able to clean the far corner of the study… th-the Prince was there a-and—!”

“Did you bother him?”

“N-no! At least, he said I didn’t… h-he said I didn’t have to clean that corner.”

“Then all is fine! When you come in the next few mornings, leave that corner alone unless it looks like it needs a vacuum. He likes bringing his cat here from time to time.”

“I understand! Yes ma’am.”

Easy.

She seems new and has been assigned this specific area to clean. All I gotta do is get Val back here in the morning and they’ll see each other again. Tomorrow’s gonna be fun~