Sixth Day: Genetically Engineered Catgirl

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Meanwhile, James sat upon the Bluebox throne, observing his subordinates. Jeanne knelt beside him on the floor, a collar around her neck. Most of his courtiers displayed contempt, while a few attempted to curry favor with blatant flattery. Isaac stood silently at his side as a Bluebox duke presented a report.

"The rebellion remains contained in the north, Your Highness. You can rest assured that those who have stayed here will follow your lead as long as the princess demands it," the prime minister reported. He was a former count appointed by James to govern Bluebox, and trust among them was scarce. The new ministry was rife with suspicion, and every order was questioned as it lacked legitimacy and was regarded as a puppet of invaders.

"Very well. It's late in the day. I'll retire to my chamber. I entrust this matter to your capable hands," James replied. With Isaac, he made his way to his private quarters, activating his detection skills before drifting into slumber.

Meanwhile, Jeanne sat on the floor like a dog beside him. He had given her a blanket, and she rested there, tears silently trickling. She felt humiliated, exposed before her fellow countrymen in such a degrading manner, wearing a collar and dragged around like a pet. However, she had no choice. Each day, she endured the torment of withdrawal symptoms.

Hearing her soft sobs, James tossed another vial of potion in her direction. She quickly consumed it, and any traces of sadness rapidly dissipated as she sank into the blissful stupor induced by the substance. Then, they both enjoyed a quiet sleep beneath the occupied castle, while Lily slumbered in a hotel near the airport.

Morning arrived, and the indolent Lily savored her breakfast in bliss. She didn't have to lift a finger. In fact, James had ordered Tiana not to venture anywhere. James had decided to utilize the more obedient Jeanne for his affairs in Bluebox, leaving Lily as a backup in case the Bluebox court demanded proof that the entire Bluebox royal lineage was under his control.

"Tiana!" Lily embraced her and began stroking her ears.

"I can't clean your dishes like this, Lily," Tiana sighed. She no longer resisted Lily's advances.

"It's fine. We have plenty of time, anyway," Lily reassured her. "Tiana, do you know how the Genetically Modified Catgirl by Ella Dusk came into being?"

"It's not Ella Dusk! But the goddess of Anthrofauna, Elaine Twilight," Tiana corrected Lily.

"Alright, alright. Listen to me! The legend says that Elaine created beastmen to symbolize coexistence between man and animals thousands of years ago, between man and nature. But you know, there's no proof. What if the reality was different? What if catgirls were made by a degenerate professor who just wanted to pet their fluffy ears and tails instead?"

"Do not slander our goddess," Tiana retorted. However, she wasn't offended. The primary religion of this world was based on the system. Moreover, it was an open secret that many high-level people had some loose screws in their heads. So, there were numerous theories regarding the maker of the beastkin.

"One day, a [Bio] mage was researching flora and fauna in the wild. Then, she encountered a fluffy animal called a cat—"

"Stop it, I don't want to hear it!" Tiana began to close her cat ears. She was aware of the theory regarding catgirls being created by a [Bio] mage named Elaine. There were many speculations about the origin of the beastkin, and the famous one from Bluebox Nation depicted Elaine as a lover of fluff.

The more modest theory was that she had brought two babies, one human and the other from an animal, then used her [Bio] magic to fuse them together. But there were even more outlandish theories, including one where she copulated with beasts and gave birth to beastkin. When the beastkin realized that these theories were possible, the mere mention of Elaine became a taboo topic, uncomfortable to their ears.

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"I won't slander your creator. Instead, I think you should be grateful! I shall praise Ella to the highest for giving us the gift of catgirls to be petted. You should be glad that Ella created Catgirls! Isn't it extremely boring to have only women or girls as ladies in waiting?" Lily rambled on about the importance of catgirls.

"Okay," Tiana replied, still somewhat weirded out. Despite having proven herself stronger than Lily, she couldn't shake the sense of danger from Lily's zealous rambling.

"Let me continue! When Elaine found a critter called a cat, she was mesmerized as she fondled its soft fur. Her caress on its head felt heavenly for both Ella and the cat," Lily continued to speak as she started lightly scratching Tiana's ear. The ears twitched cutely, and Tiana felt ticklish but no longer resisted.

"Then Ella continued to pet it. However, a cat's life was too short. Grieved by this, she took a cell from the cat and a cell of her own. Then, the first Furry came into being. She adopted it as her own child. The catgirl had long triangular ears just like yours and a long white tail. Then, when she walked outside with her child, the child found a fox! She brought it to her mother and said, 'Look! Its ear was similar to mine. Can we keep it? It might be related to my mother!'"

"The mother nodded and also stroked its back. It had a different softness and fluffiness than the catgirl. Ella was struck by love, especially with its tail. You know, a foxkin tail was very fluffy. When you extended your hand, your finger would sink into it. Have you ever touched a fox's tail?"

"Listen here. I let you touch my ears and tail because you are royalty with King James' protection. I won't let any stranger touch me, especially my tail and ears, okay? Don't misunderstand; we don't touch each other nonchalantly," Tiana said while admitting she had never touched another beastkin's tail.

"What a shame! Well, continue on. I want to talk about the difference in tails. Catkin have a smooth and long tail that is especially nice to caress, while foxkin have a fluffy tail that feels like a cloud enveloping your hand. In Bluebox, I especially adore sleeping with my two foxkin's tails as pillows," Lily said. Tiana quickly turned hostile at the mention of Lily sleeping with a tail but not with the person herself.

"What did you say?" Tiana growled. Her ears shut, and she was now glaring at Lily, refusing entirely to be petted with such dirty hands.

"I-i-i didn't kill them! I simply bought them off the streets! The vendor said they died a natural death, that's why it is expensive! The other one is still alive! She is my only serf!" Lily exclaimed. It was unthinkable for the indolent and chickenhearted princess, such as Lily, to consider killing with her own hands.

She knew about the notorious story of people killing beastkin for their tail fur. It happened for a while before the country explicitly forbade it. Killing them would reduce the workforce, and you couldn't cut off their tails while keeping them alive.

"I see. Sorry, I jumped to conclusions," Tiana said.

"That's fine. Let me tell you about Lizardkin's and Wolfkin's tails…."

Meanwhile, James was incredibly annoyed. The occupation didn't go as planned, and he even considered simply ignoring Bluebox as a whole. However, if he did that, and these nobles chose to merge with the neighboring nation of Yellowbox, then it would have disastrous consequences for Redbox. Moreover, Bluebox had several resources that Redbox would like to acquire.

With all of their royalty under his custody, James was sure they would be under his control. However, right now, he wasn't so sure. There were several dukes and even counts who tried to become the new monarch. But without royalty, nobody would support them. But, when he ordered Jeanne to order the new government, the ministers were lackluster in their response. James was confused about whose order they would obey. Or would they obey no one?

"Princess Jeanne, it seems like you aren't well today. May we postpone the meeting until tomorrow?" the more polite minister replied. "We could not simply obey whatever the Redbox nation told us. We have done exactly as King James told us. But the citizens resisted. Moreover, their nobles support them."

"No! They would disobey me? They just need to calm down the rebels! Otherwise, I can't get my re… I mean, it's for the betterment of the kingdom!! Do they want to be executed?" Jeanne said, flustered. Her breathing became ragged at the thought of the punishment James would give her later if she failed this meeting. When he looked at her, James sighed. The meeting was a flop.

"I will bring Lily here tomorrow. You will see that all royalty are under my control. I hope that they cease their futile attempts at rebellion by then," James sighed.

"Yes, sir," the ministers replied, their reluctance evident. Given Lily's reputation as an indolent princess, James wasn't confident that they would even give her the time of day.