I panicked and struggled with everything I had.

My identity as a cat was exposed. I was going to be captured and dissected!

"Meow! Meow, meow, meow!"

In my desperation, all I could manage were the frantic sounds of a startled kitten.

The moment the noise left my mouth, I froze. Clamping a hand over my mouth, I looked up in horror and cautiously watched Ian's reaction.

In the dim light, his gaze drifted calmly over my fluffy ears. There wasn't any visible emotion on his face.

Even so, he wouldn't stop stroking my waist gently. When he finally spoke, his voice was rougher than usual.

"Why are you hiding? Relax. I won't tell anyone. Come out. Let me treat the wound."

Only then did I obediently crawl out from beneath the blanket.

I watched as Ian opened the medical kit, dipped a cotton swab into the antiseptic, and carefully cleaned my wound.

The wound had already scabbed over. The touch of the cotton swab sent a sharp, stinging pain through my arm.

I bit my lip and forced myself not to make a sound.

In the heavy silence, Ian suddenly spoke.

"Katie's spoiled. I've already punished her for what happened today." He paused briefly before adding, "I'll have her change the way she addresses you from now on."

[Hilarious. By punish, he means taking away the female lead's phone and sending her to bed early. He seriously loves her too much.]

[Being called a wretch suits her just fine. Isn't that what the supporting female character is? Wearing fake cat ears and a tail to seduce the male lead, even meowing. Ugh, she's so fake and calculating!]

[True love is true love. Even if the female lead does absolutely nothing, the male lead will still adore her. The supporting female character is trying way too hard.]

Reading the comments, the weight pressing on my chest finally eased.

So they all thought my ears and tail were just props.

Ian must have thought the same thing.

Relief flooded through me. My brows relaxed. My eyes curved as I quickly flashed him a bright smile.

"It's okay, sir. I'm not upset."

After all, being insulted a little was far better than starving.

Ian's hand paused for the briefest moment. "Okay."

For some reason, I felt the air around him turn colder. Maybe it was just my imagination.

I asked Ian to help me request leave from school.

There was no way I could attend classes like this.

Over the following days, he visited almost every day. He claimed he was worried about me getting an infection.

Cats had extraordinary recovery abilities. My scratch wounds had long since faded into faint pink lines.

More than once, I woke in the middle of the night with the distinct sensation that someone was sitting beside my bed. That same woody scent lingered in the air as though someone had been there and watched me for a long time.

On the final day of my heat cycle, my ears and tail began to turn slightly translucent. Summoning my courage at last, I pressed down my twitching ears and stepped into Ian's study.

He was reviewing documents. Hearing movement, he looked up. His dark gaze landed on me.

Clutching the hem of my clothes nervously, I shuffled forward.

"S-Sir, would you like to touch my ears? They'll be gone, so…"

Before I could finish, I felt a sudden chill down my spine.

Snip!

I heard the sound of scissors slicing cleanly through something soft.

The tail hanging behind me was cut off at the tailhead with a pair of scissors.