Little Kitten With Big Ears.

Fuwaaaaa that went perfectly! And I didn’t even have to do anything! Val did that all on his own~ My little Prince has a date today!

AND I CAN’T EVEN ATTEND THE DATE!

This sucks, I’m dying to know what’s gonna happen!

The problem is… if I sneak out, I’ll miss the maids who feed me at lunchtime. I’ll get in loads of trouble! I pace back and forth. Do I dare try and brave the wrath of Ms. Layla and Mrs. June?

…

Of course I do! I need to know how it goes so I know if I should get them together or not!!

Easily unlatching the window, I slip out and walk along the edge of the palace.

Now, if I know my Vallie, he’s likely going to dine in the east wing. I need to sneak inside again without getting caught! Passing a window, I notice Val chatting with a maid. He’s gesturing towards a table politely. This is the room! Perfect, now to sneak in…

Working my way around, I find someone opening a door and slip right in, sneaking along the wall. Finally, I found the room Val will be dining in, and I slipped into the room and hid behind the curtain. No one should be able to see me with how long these curtains are! I hear the doors open and that warm chuckle from Vallie I love so much.

“You made it.” He says, I can hear the smile on his face.

“Of course, your Highness!” Leo responds, entering the room. “I, um… see lunch is already served! Sorry to have made you wait.”

“It’s fine, the food was just sat out.”

“Thank you, again. I’m honored.” The sound of a chair scraping the floor, and I peak out from around the curtain. Both Leo and Val are sitting at the small table beginning to dig into their meal. Leo seemed to have cleaned up nicely, wearing clothes that can barely be counted as formal and all the dirt from the previous encounter having been washed off. His hair is still more of a mess, though. The look on Leo’s face is telling as he takes a bite; he’s not had food like this before.

“It’s delicious!” He exclaims. Val chuckles.

“I’m relieved. I wasn’t sure what you would like, so I guessed. Fresh veggies and fruit from the garden, alongside steak from my favorite farm.”

“Ah, well, you guessed correctly! It’s nice to get to taste the fruits of our labor… heheh.” Leo laughs at his own joke and Val chuckles along.

“Indeed, thank you for all your hard work around the palace.”

“It’s all my pleasure, really!” Leo smiles wide. “I just genuinely enjoy gardening.”

“Your parents must be proud.” Val says, voice gentle.

“Oh… I hope so. They taught me everything they know, after all! I’d love to be able to take over the greenhouse some day. I have so many plans and ideas…”

“I’ve never been to a greenhouse before.” Val admits. “You make me want to see one in person.”

“You haven’t?!” Leo exclaims, clearly shocked like Val just admitted to something forbidden. “Oh my gosh, you MUST visit ours sometime! It may be… in a rough state, but once we get the funds in, it’ll be better than ever!”

“Did something happen?” Val inquires. Leo pauses, scratching his neck.

“Er… kind of? A storm blew through about a year ago. It did a good bit of damage and it was rough for a bit. We were starting to rebuild it fine, but then my dad got injured and couldn’t work anymore… leaving it in a tough spot. After a while of it not being tended to, some of the plants died and some structures fell apart. When it rains, it pours, right?” Leo awkwardly chuckles. “Ah… I don’t mean to complain to you again, your Highness. But when it came down to it, my mother and I couldn’t rebuild on our own, so the options were to either sell the greenhouse that’s been in the family for generations, or I go out and find work that can go towards hiring others to help rebuild the greenhouse. I willingly chose the 2nd option. I’ll do my best to save the greenhouse and return it to its former glory!”

Leo holds a fist over his heart, a determined smile crossing his face. It makes Val smile in return.

“I’d love to help. How much money does your family need?”

Leo’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh, your Highness! You shouldn’t feel obligated, I didn’t agree to the lunch to ask for money. My apologies if it came off that way–”

“I know.” Val smiles. “I was moved. I like the way you speak passionately about helping your family, it’s admirable. More families could do well with a son like yourself.”

“Your Highness, I…” Leo looks stunned. “I am utterly humbled by your praise, sir.” He bows his head.

“...No need to be so formal.” Val tells him. “I would like it if we could be casual with each other. I like listening to your stories, it would be nice to get to speak with you more often.”

“...! I, I mean, if you insist, um…” Leo’s eyes are as wide as saucers, like he can’t quite grasp what’s happening.

“Val. You can call me Val. My friends do… or used to.” Val presses his lips into a thin line after adding the last part on. Leo seems to have caught on.

“Ah. Val… Er. Prince Val. Haha, it feels a bit awkward, I’ll get used to it. Do… does this mean you consider me a fr-friend? Or am I being presumptuous?”

“I would like that.” Val gives him a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “It’s been a while since I have met someone I could call a friend, so I hope you don’t mind it.”

“Of course!! I would be honored to be considered a friend by your Highness!! Er– ah, P-Prince Val. Ahaha, I don’t know if I feel comfortable referring to you only by a nickname, it almost feels disrespectful.”

“Pfft.” Val covers his mouth, eyes smiling this time. “Then, do what is most comfortable for now. Maybe in the future you will feel more at ease with using the nickname, Leo.”

Leo smiles. “Yes, maybe!”

Just as the two return to eating, the doors fling open, Mrs. June and Ms. Layla enter in a hurry.

“Your Highness!” Mrs. June bows before him. “I apologise sincerely! We cannot find Princess anywhere!”

Ms. Layla joins Mrs. June, bowing. “It appears she slipped out through the window, we’re not sure where she’s run off to!”

Val looks at the maids, alarmed. “She slipped out? She could be anywhere!”

Ack– not good! My disappearance has interrupted a perfectly good date! Seeing Val begin to panic, I know there’s only one thing I can do to set things right before things go further south. Stepping out from my hiding spot, I trot up to where Val was seated as he starts getting up. Once meow, and his attention is drawn back towards me, expression already relaxing into relief.

“Oh, dear.” He lets out a breath, sounding relieved. “You were here? How’d you even get in here?”

Val scoops me up into his arms as I begin purring, turning up the cute kitten charm to disarm his previous concern. The maids, however, look all too fed up.

“My goodness!” Mrs. June sighs, exasperated. “Your Highness, you are FAR too lenient with this cat! She’s getting mischievous!”

“She’ll start sneaking out more often if you reward this behavior!" Ms. Layla complains. Val just chuckles.

“Everytime she sneaks out, she comes and finds me. I think she just misses me. Maybe I’ve been too busy lately.” He concludes, scratching gently under my chin. “I should make more time to read to her.”

The maids sigh, clearly knowing they won’t get through to him. Leo laughs.

“It’s nice to have a pet that loves you.” He says. “I’ve always wanted a dog, never had time for one though. Cats are nice too, especially around the greenhouse. We still have a few strays hanging around!”

Val smiles, and Leo in turn blushes as it’s directed at him.

Mrs. June sighs, reaching to take me from Val. “Your Highness, we must return Princess to your room, it’s past her lunch time. It’s waiting for her.”

“Ah, yes.” He passes me off to Mrs. June. I give a grunt in protest, to which he giggles. “I will be back early tonight, promise.” He smiles at me. “I would like to have dinner served in my room.”

“Yes, your Highness!” Mrs. June and Ms. Layla say in unison before they carry me off, never to know how Leo and Vallie’s date will end. Boo! It was getting good!

“I love cats, but they can sometimes be such troublemakers.” Mrs. June sighs. “Princess is usually so well behaved, his Highness shouldn’t tolerate bad behavior or else she’ll become a menace to society.”

“You mean a regular cat?” Ms. Layla snickers. “I’ve heard lady Janice has taken an interest in cats recently, actually.”

My ears perk. Janice? Why is her name being brought up?

“Is that so? Lady Janice must be interested as his Highness is obsessed with his own. She must be thinking of using a common interest in cats to get close with him.”

“It’s not a bad idea, in my opinion.” Ms. Layla hums. “She says she wants a cat too. She’s been asking some of the maids around about Princess and how she behaves. Trying to get a feel for how much responsibility a cat is.”

“Huh. Curious.” Mrs. June ponders. “How did you hear of it?”

“Ah… From other maids, of course.” Ms. Layla smiles. “She’s been writing a lot of letters to people in the palace she knows. Lady Janice is truly doing her best to court his Highness.”

“That’s nice. I hope his Highness ends up happy if he chooses her. They’re a beautiful couple when they stand beside each other.”

I blink. Janice is really doing a lot to try and win over Val, huh? Enough that the maids are gossiping about it. Call it intuition, but it doesn’t sit right with me! Those Lias siblings… nothing but trouble! I’ve got to keep my eyes peeled!