Translator/editor: ruby

How dare a low-born leave the table before anyone else!

Blondina sighed. Even a million apologies wouldnt get her anywhere. The royal family was just too complicated for any commoner to understand.

Then a girl butted in.

Lart. Stop it.

She was Blondinas half-sister and Larts twin, Princess Adelai.

Gracefully signaling at her maid to leave, Princess Adelai stared at Blondina quietly.

Rather than the overly emotional Prince Lart, whom Blondina could easily read, the princess seemed to have much more deeply ingrained contempt in her silent eyes.

You should stop now, too.

An awkward yet powerful silence settled over them.

Prince Larte shut his mouth, and Blondina, too, was silent.

The twins really couldnt have been any more different, in appearance or personality it seemed impossible that they had the same parents.

Adelei glanced over at Blondina, pointing a finger at her with an arrogant smirk.

Unnie. If you ever insult the royal family, or even Lart, in front of me ever again, I will not stand up for you. This is the last time Im turning a blind eye to this kind of unpleasant disturbance.

Blondina was already too tired to care, both mentally and physically. She shook her head with a quiet sigh.

I was just walking. I came here and all of sudden Im confronted by my angry brother, stomping around and pointing fingers at me. I wouldnt exactly classify myself as an unpleasant disturbance.

Princess Adelais eyes narrowed.

Are you saying that Lart is the unpleasant disturbance here?

Blondina stayed silent.

She knew the answer very well. Still, she decided to hold it in for fear angering the twins again.

What strange twins. Every word I say makes them all angry and defensive.

Their behaviour was definitely a matter of good manners But, well, Blondinas father wasnt the best at educating his children on manners.

You should have been trying to get to know me ever since you abandoned me.

Adelai skimmed through the girls expressionless face with a sharp look. There was cold, cold rage flashing in her eyes.

As she saw with Lart earlier, the princess made a mental note of Blondinas unusual sarcastic demeanor, muttering under her breath,

I wont be letting this go all that easy.

She bit her lips and tried her best to put on a poker face. Being emotional would never win you a fight.

Well, Princess Blondina. I mean, unnie. Do your best from now on. Dont tarnish the values of the imperial family.

Blondina nodded. No matter which way she looked at it, it was actually the twins, and not her, defaming the imperial family, but she decided to keep her mouth shut.

Yes, Princess.

Blondina smiled lightly, again somehow irritating Lart.

Whats that look on your face? Are you laughing at me?!

Blondina was quick to return to her usual expression.

Adelai quickly restrained her brother a bit before he got too out of hand.

Lets go, Lart.

The bright colours of Adelais dress faded away into the distance as the bickering twins walked off.

Before she knew it, only Blondina remained standing on the grass.

weird kids.

Blondina turned around with a shrug. All she wanted at that point was some rest.

She walked alone to the guest palace originally a place where nature-loving foreign envoys would stay.

For this reason, unlike the main palaces, they were adjacent to the hunting ground, and the flower beds were replaced by whole fields of flowers.

After the finely laid tulips and rose beds, clusters of trees began to appear here and there.

Blondinas thoughts trailed off to the twins she had just faced.

She never thought theyd give her a welcome party.

But she never thought theyd hate her so much, either.

Why are you making such a fuss of me when Im your fathers embarrassing past?

Instead of letting her feelings of injustice take over, she just smiled.

Youre really just gonna treat me like some uninvited guest, huh?

She walked on, letting the lush grass tickle her feet and her thoughts roam free.

Blondina heard a small cry from the bushes a few steps away. She stopped walking and listened for it.

As soon as she heard it again, she started rummaging in the bushes without hesitation.

A small black creature crawled towards her.

Ah pretty.

It was an angelic black kitten. It looked like its hind legs had been injured,

His forehead was studded with jewels the same colour as his eyes.

Blondina bent down to examine the cats wounds.

What an amazing cat.

Im not a cat.

Surprised, Blondina pulled back.

Could it be?

.Magic?

I cant believe a cat talks to a man.! It must have been a magic cat.

She couldnt believe it. The palace had already felt mysterious to her, but this was on another level.

The cat is talking?

I told you Im not a cat!

But youre such a cute little thing, arent you?

Youre a kid who cant communicate properly, arent you?

The cat slapped the ground with his tail, sending up a flurry of fallen leaves.

Blondina just smiled in surprise.

A child who cant communicate, huh? Quite a thing to be told by a talking cat.

Did you hurt your leg?

What does it matter to you?

Im afraid you have an injury.

She picked up one of its legs very carefully, deciding that tending to him was more important than all the questions crossing her mind.

The cat slapped Blondina on the back of her hand with his front paws. It didnt do much to deter her rather, she found it very endearing.

The cat was afraid Blondina would call him cute again if he bared his teeth, so he decided to do his best to stay silent.

The displeasure that lingered in Blondinas mind after the meeting with her half-siblings had disappeared.

How did you get hurt?

The cat didnt answer.

There was a small cliff behind the bushes. A tree was sticking out in the middle, with one branch slightly bent it seemed to be the thing that injured the cat.

Blondina turned her head back. As she looked at the wound again, she heard a rustling sound behind her.

She looked around to see two cats trying to hide behind a tree.

Hmm.

Blondina didnt take long to realise that those cats were the ones that had done the harm. Their attitudes were exactly like those of the town boys that had chased Blondina into a ditch years ago. She approached them confidently/

Would you like to come over here for a moment?

They froze upon hearing her words.

Blondinas low-pitched voice apparently held the power to tame beasts.

Strangely, there was no need for human speech.

The cats creeped towards her and she hastily bowed.

Hey! You guys understand me, too?

.meow.

The cat was pretending not to understand her, but she could see from the guilt in its eyes that it was bluffing.

Oh, cute.

She chuckled, but soon regained her seriousness as she thought of the injured kitten.

Did you guys bother that black cat?

The cat stole a glance at Blondina before ducking behind the bushes again.

Blondina peered over the bushes.

You shouldnt bully your friends, hey. Thats really mean.

She couldnt help but see herself and her half-siblings in the same situation.

Hey, he was the one that bit our tail!

A nervous voice snapped back from behind Blondinas back.

Hey! You guys hit me from behind first!

Youre so strong, that couldnt have hurt you!

Blondina grabbed the cats tail in a hurry, before it could try to hurt the other more.

Moving on an injured leg only causes pain. Blondina knew this very well from her ample experience of beatings from the innkeeper.

Calm down, cat. If you move, youll bleed more.

I told you I wasnt a cat!

In the meantime, the two other cats took the opportunity to escape.

Blondina screamed after them.

Are you just going? You must apologize later, huh?

She heard a faraway meow in response.

Blondina approached the wounded kitty again.

He was still wagging his tail. He must have been angry.

Blondina sat on her knees. She lowered her head to look at the cat, whose expression softened a bit.

Come with me, cat.

No.

What are you going to do with that leg alone? Ill cure you.

Why should I follow a stranger?

Thats all you need to know? Im Blondina. Blondina Ryn Athez.

I didnt ask for your name.

The cat jerked its head away, but Blondina wasnt about to give up.

Be friends with me. You dont have any friends anyway, do you?

Who said that?! You disagreeable, saucy man!

The cat groaned. The girl was right and he knew it, so he was even more annoyed by the comment .

Blondina could tell by the appearance of the cat that he had grown up in the streets just like her.

Can you be my friend? Im alone.

.

The cat flinched at Blondinas sudden change of tone.

My moms dead and my dad got to know me days ago, but I dont think he likes me. Even my supposed brother and hate me. I got really angry at them earlier.

She tried to lighten the mood with a forced smile.

She was trying to instill some sympathy in the cat. She actually didnt care that much shed gotten used to loneliness and bad treatment over the years.

So please be friends with me. Lets play together.

The cats ears pricked up again as their eyes met and he unconsciously began wagging his tail again.

T/N: Hi guys!

Dont worry, Ive noticed you all hate the name Blondina just as much as I do. So, Im doing a poll to ask you guys what you want her name to be! Please vote in the comments below and Ill tally your votes up. This closes Saturday and a valid vote is a comment on this chapter clearly mentioning your pick.

The names Ive thought of are: Belinda, Bella, Brianna, Dina, Diana, and Lina. Of course, you can also vote to keep the name as it is. If you have any other ideas, feel free to suggest those too, but if you can also pick one of the above mentioned names so I have an easier time counting votes. Thank you!

P.S also wanted to apologize for the irregular posting schedule I will try my best to even it out from now on.