In a quiet corner of the village, not far from the flower market that had long since closed, a stray orange cat lay sleeping on a pile of rotting wood. Its body stretched lazily, breath calm, tail curled over its face.
No one paid it any attention.
No one saw its existence as anything important.
It was just one of many stray cats in that village.
Just a small creature… that didn't matter.
But that night, fate changed.
The sky split open with a streak of silver light, shooting down from the heavens—sharp and fast—piercing straight through the orange cat's body in utter silence.
There was no explosion.
No scream.
Only a blinding light that wrapped around the little creature in absolute stillness.
The cat's body lifted a few centimeters from the wood.
Suspended between worlds.
And then—
BLINK.
It fell back down.
But this time… something was different.
Very different.
Its eyes fluttered open slowly.
The yellow had vanished.
Replaced by a pair of bright blue eyes, glowing with fury and disbelief.
Its body trembled. Ears twitched.
And then—a voice thundered inside its head, full of raw emotion:
"…WHAT IS HAPPENING?!"
It tried to stand, but its front legs were too tiny.
It glanced down at its own fur—orange. Short. Messy.
A small body… unfit for someone like him.
"NO. THIS CAN'T BE."
"IS THIS… MY BODY? IS THIS… FATHER'S KARMA?!"
The cat—or rather, Mathien Caevior Valtherion, Crown Prince of Valtherion—
stared at his reflection in a shallow puddle on the ground.
He, the great prince, was now…
a stray cat.
And his new life began—on that very night.
From afar, the soft ring of an old bicycle broke the silence of the evening.
Its wheels rolled gently along the village path, now damp with early dew.
The sky had turned fully dark, lit only by a pale moon hanging over the sleepy fields.
Hana pedaled as fast as she could.
Her black hair whipped in the wind, her schoolbag bouncing on her back.
"Oh no… it's this late already… Grandma's gonna kill me," she muttered in panic, glancing at the dim numbers on her watch under the faint light.
The village road was lit by only a few flickering streetlamps.
Some had gone completely out.
The only natural light came from the moon—and the barely visible stars behind the night mist.
Hana bit her lip.
She pedaled faster.
Her bike wobbled slightly as she turned a bend—and right at that moment…
…an orange cat stood in the middle of the road, staring into a small puddle.
Its body crouched low, eyes locked on the unfamiliar face reflected in the water.
Two bright blue eyes gazed back at itself.
Not just shocked. But insulted. Shaken. Angry.
"This face… this body… have I really become—"
CRASH!!
"AAAAAAAH!!"
In the blink of an eye, the small body was flung off the ground, struck by the front wheel of Hana's speeding, panicked bicycle.
The bike jerked.
The flower basket spilled.
Hana's shoe caught on the pedal and she tumbled into the roadside bushes.
Silence.
The night birds scattered.
The wind stopped blowing.
Hana groaned as she pushed herself out of the grass, cheeks flushed with embarrassment—and pain.
"Owww… what did I just hit…"
She crawled out, and let out a small scream at the sight of an orange cat lying limp in the middle of the road—its fur ruffled, tail twitching in offense as if the entire kingdom had just insulted him.
"A CAT?! Oh my gosh I'm so sorry I didn't mean toooo!!"
Hana ran over, completely panicked. "Are you okay?! Are you… are you still alive?!"
Mathien—in feline form—glared up at the girl who had suddenly appeared, his blue eyes narrowing from beneath his now-muddied fur.
"SHE HIT ME."
"A CLUMSY HUMAN HIT ME."
"I… AM THE PRINCE OF VALTHERION!!"
Unfortunately, all that came out of his mouth was:
"MRAAAAAAAAWRR!!"
Hana jumped back.
"OH GOD I'M SORRY PLEASE DON'T BITE ME!!"
Mathien tried to stand.
His tiny legs wobbled.
His fur was soaked in mud and water.
The world spun around him.
He looked up at the girl kneeling in front of him—round eyes, panicked face, messy black hair…
Still… beautiful.
Too beautiful for a reckless human.
"This body… is too weak…"
"I can't believe… I was hit… by a bicycle…"
He closed his eyes slowly.
His breath grew faint.
His ears drooped.
And before he could scream one last curse in his mind…
Prince Mathien Caevior Valtherion… fainted.
His small body slumped sideways into the puddle, tail slowly dropping to the wet ground.
No sound.
No movement.
Only silence—and shattered pride.
Hana covered her mouth in horror.
"OH NO! I made him pass out!!"
She quickly set her bike down and picked up the orange cat with both trembling hands.
"Don't die okay? I don't have a job and I can't pay compensation if you're actually an expensive cat…"
The cat didn't move.
"Oh God," Hana muttered, panicking.
"You're so limp… you really did faint, huh? Why were you standing in the middle of the road anyway…"
She gently stroked his head, guilt gnawing at her.
"I'm sorry, okay…"
Carefully, she cradled the cat to her chest, climbed back onto her bike, and began pedaling again—this time slower, a bit wobbly, one hand supporting the limp little body in her lap.
Her face was still full of worry as she glanced down at the unconscious cat again and again.
And inside that tiny body…
the prince could only curse—faintly and weakly.
"If I survive this… you'll regret it, bicycle girl…"
The sky felt distant.
The world turned black.
And in a single moment—
all his pride was lost… along with his consciousness.
🌸🌸🌸