PSW Chapter 34: Fire in the Harem
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From a human perspective, it was normal for two male cats who didn’t get along to fight—especially when the smaller black furball, Bastet, was being bullied by the larger cat.
But in Bastet’s world, he was struggling in horror—normal, my tail!
What the hell did they mean by “not getting along” and “fighting”?
This cat clearly had taken too much of a liking to him! It wasn’t trying to fight; it was trying to mate with him!
Somebody, help—!
“Meow-oww! (What the hell—?!!)”
The women watching saw the two cats rolling together and screaming pitifully and panicked. Bastet, meanwhile, curled up like a shrimp to protect his precious area, frantically trying to shake off the cat on top of him. He meowed desperately, but to the human ears, it just sounded like pitiful wails of pain.
Bastet: "…I’m not in pain—yet. But if you don’t get this guy off me soon, I might start bleeding heavily from a very unfortunate place…"
Never in his life had he imagined being pinned down and violated by another cat! Bastet had some childhood trauma from his past human life—he was extremely fearful of anyone touching him down there. Now, he was meowing in sheer terror, as if he’d just seen a gigantic cockroach for the first time.
If he weren’t so traumatized, things wouldn’t have escalated this far. Normally, if two male cats caught a whiff of each other, even if there was a faint “female cat scent” mixed in, they’d quickly realize their mistake, maybe trade a few swipes, and then go their separate ways.
But Bastet… he just could not handle this!
The moment the black-and-white cat flipped him over and lowered its nose to sniff… he froze.
And the more he resisted, the more determined the other cat became.
Bastet shrieked, but the other cat, named Keke Lian, didn’t use its claws—just kept trying to flip him around, desperate to get a good sniff. Fur flew everywhere—not from a fight, but from Bastet’s frantic thrashing.
“Meow-ow!!”
—Get off me, you creep! I’m a male!
“Meow~”
—No way, you smell sweet. Like a female!
“Meow-ow!!”
—You’re the female! Can’t you see we have the same equipment?!
“Meow~”
—Just let me smell you, and I’ll know for sure…
“Hisss-owww!!”
—If it’s just a sniff, why the hell are you mounting me?!
The weight pressing down on his back sent a chilling jolt down Bastet’s spine. His fur stood on end, and his eyes went wide in horror.
Help—! Yofar, save me!
Human!
Alina, Nephthys, Hesse, Sok— Bastet screamed every name he could think of. In the end, he even resorted to shouting “Dad!!!”
At that moment, the maids and the little girls chasing after them finally realized something was seriously wrong.
The younger girl looked up at her sister and asked, “Sister, why is Keke Lian riding the little black cat? Is this how cats fight?”
The maids: “…”
The older girl’s face turned bright red. She immediately clamped a hand over her sister’s mouth and whispered, “Shut up!”
The little girl: “?”
Alina, who also hadn’t expected this situation, was torn between laughter and frustration. But regardless of whether this was a real fight or not, it had to be stopped—Bastet was too young for this!
She turned to the two girls. “Is your cat female?”
“No,” the older girl shook her head. “Keke Lian is a male. Isn’t the little black cat a female?” Otherwise, why would Keke Lian be acting like this?
“…”
Alina stared at Bastet, who was still desperately struggling, and went silent for three seconds.
Then, without hesitation, she ordered the maids to grab a cloth, throw it over the wrestling cats, and snatch Bastet away!
Alina: No wonder Bastet was screaming so pitifully! The other cat was an adult male—the one at a disadvantage here was their king’s cat!
As soon as Bastet felt himself being lifted, his already frayed nerves almost snapped. He flailed his paws wildly, fur standing on end, and his throat burned from all the shrieking.
“There, there, it’s okay, Bastet. It’s me. You’re safe now, don’t be scared~” Alina held the wrapped-up cat tightly and comforted him in a soft, gentle voice.
“Meow…”
So it was Alina… Bastet gasped for breath inside the cloth, unable to see anything. His heart pounded so hard it felt like it was stuck in his throat, making him gag a few times.
Thank goodness. Thank goodness Alina got to me in time.
If she hadn’t, with how exhausted he was getting, he really would have lost his dignity to that perverted cat today!
Sure, he had been reborn as a cat, and sure, he enjoyed the lazy pet life. But when it came to that? No. Absolutely not.
He would rather die than let another cat have its way with him!
Behind Alina, the other maids exhaled in relief. Then, their faces darkened as they turned to glare at the two young ladies.
Everyone in the palace knew that their pharaoh rarely smiled—but when he did, it was always because of his beloved cat.
Because of that alone, Bastet’s status in Egypt was far above any human life.
If something had happened to him just now, no amount of heads would have been enough to appease the king’s wrath!
Hmph. So what if they were the city lord’s daughters? If their actions had angered the pharaoh, they’d be suffering right alongside them!
The city lord’s two young daughters had never been glared at with dissatisfaction by a servant before. But they knew that this was the king’s servant, so they lowered their heads, bit their lips, and remained silent.
The black-and-white cat that had just been frightened away now circled back, rubbing against the little girl’s leg. Its bright green eyes remained fixed on Bastet, who was cradled in Alina’s arms.
“…I’m sorry,” the city lord’s elder daughter hesitated for a long moment before timidly lifting her gaze to speak to Alina. As the pampered daughter of the city lord, the fact that she could apologize to a lowly servant was proof of her maturity and intelligence.
But clearly, she had misunderstood something.
“I know you feel wronged, that you think we are being rude and unreasonable for taking a cat’s side against you.” Alina had just lifted the white cloth to check Bastet’s condition. Hearing the girl’s words, she responded with a gentle, motherly warmth: “You may have misunderstood. This cat does not belong to us servants. Bastet was personally crowned as a cat god by the king and is also his beloved pet. If anything happens to Bastet, the king will notice.”
He would notice—meaning he would be displeased.
No one dared to displease the king. If someone did, they would have to bear the wrath of Egypt’s ruler.
“…”
The girl, indeed intelligent and precocious, immediately understood the meaning behind Alina’s words. Her delicate face turned pale and cold, and as she grasped her confused younger sister’s hand, her palm was drenched in sweat. She stood frozen in place, overwhelmed by helplessness.
Alina sympathized with her—but only to a limited extent. She herself was merely a lady-in-waiting, and the little creature trembling in her arms had been so terrified that, even if the king didn’t ask, she would have to mention it. Otherwise, all the maids who tended to Bastet would bear the consequences.
She had to take responsibility for the lives of the maids behind her.
With a sigh in her heart, Alina stopped paying attention to the two young ladies of the city lord’s household. Instead, she curved her lips into a faint smile, gently running her palm over the little black fluffball’s fur, picking off the leaves stuck to its coat.
“Bastet, how do you feel?”
“Meow…”
Bastet responded weakly. Being bullied by another cat was too embarrassing. It meowed at Alina: Don’t tell Yofar.
By now, Bastet had a decent understanding of Yofar’s temperament. I’m just a cat. If he really makes a big deal out of this over a mere cat… Bastet glanced at the two half-grown children still standing there.
Not worth it.
Besides, Bastet had been human in its past life, and now it couldn’t even win a fight against someone else’s cat? Did it really need Yofar to stand up for it? That was just humiliating.
The mighty cat lord’s dignity was utterly shattered!
Bastet tucked in its paws in defeat. Who would admit to such a disgraceful event? That would make me look so weak…
Alina chuckled softly but did not immediately promise. Instead, she gestured for the maids to let the two young girls leave.
“Bastet, you’ll have to take a bath before you go to sleep tonight.” Alina sighed lightly as she looked at the once sleek, glossy black fur, now covered in dirt and dust.
“Meow~” Fine, fine, let’s wash up.
Bastet shook its fur. Even if Alina didn’t say it, it would have insisted on a bath anyway. The fur around its neck was damp and clumped together from that other cat’s saliva!
And who knew what that cat, Keke Lian, had eaten? Bastet could still smell a strong fishy odor on itself.
…
Late at night.
After being bathed by the maidservants, Bastet, now fresh and fragrant, begrudgingly nibbled at a few pieces of meat and lapped up half a bowl of goat’s milk.
Like a defeated rooster, it sprawled listlessly on the cat cushion that Alina had specially brought from the palace, curling itself into a tight ball. Its mind kept replaying the events of the day, making it harder and harder to sleep.
Some people were just like this—tongue-tied in the heat of the moment, unable to come up with a decent retort during a conflict. But the moment night fell and everything was quiet, suddenly, all the clever comebacks they couldn’t say earlier could fill an entire book!
And the more they thought about it, the more frustrated they felt, wishing they could go back and relive the moment just to fight it out properly.
Bastet was exactly like that. It curled up like a black bun, stewing: I should have done this! And then that! And finally, this!
If it had pinned me down, I should’ve rolled away like a donkey and then—bam! Hit it right in the…
The pitch-black feline master flailed around on its soft cushion, meowing and swiping at an imaginary enemy, its little tail puffed up and thrashing fiercely to hype itself up.
After all the dramatics, it even began deeply reflecting on itself. How could I have been so cowardly today? I should have just bitten it, then @#$%—smashed its head in!
The little black cat, looking absolutely ruthless and ready to take on the world, turned to its tail and demanded: Don’t you agree?
The tail swayed back and forth: Yes, yes! Cat lord is amazing!
Only then was Bastet half-satisfied. It closed its eyes, planning to relive the other half of its revenge in its dreams.
Completely oblivious that it had sent the palace maids on night duty into silent, shaking fits of laughter.
Maidservants: We are professionals. We never laugh on duty—except—pfft, hahahahaha! This little black cat is too funny!
Even Alina’s lips and eyes brimmed with amusement. She quietly stepped back toward the door, preparing to welcome the king.
About half an hour later, Yofar finally returned, leading a grand entourage. The day’s exhausting political affairs had finally come to an end.
The royal guards surrounded the city lord’s finest chambers in layers of protection, while the accompanying maidservants rotated their shifts in complete silence.
The city lords of Lower Egypt and the two great high priests, Nephthys-Hesse saluted and took their leave the moment Yofar entered the chamber, eager to rest and recharge for the next day’s duties.
Yofar gave a slight nod, signaling them to withdraw, before turning and stepping into the lavishly decorated palace room—its splendor no less than that of the royal palace itself.
His strides were long, steady, and brisk, as if in anticipation of something—or perhaps it was merely an illusion.
As he moved deeper into the chambers, a line of maids followed closely behind, skillfully removing his elaborate and weighty garments. Yofar kept his gaze straight ahead, his palm resting on the clasp of his cape. With a press, the expensive cloak slipped from his shoulders, caught swiftly by the maids’ deft hands.
Next came the crown, headpiece, belt, jeweled sword…
One by one, each item of royal attire was passed back, as one maid retreated and another stepped forward to take her place.
Very quickly, Yofar lifted the gauzy curtains and drapes. He was dressed in a single-shoulder white robe, his makeup was light, and his platinum blonde hair was slightly disheveled, yet none of it could conceal his striking features or the sharpness in his gaze, giving him a hint of languid elegance.
Passing through the curtains, he had to take a few quick steps to reach the bed, but his eyes landed precisely on the small dark lump beneath the royal couch.
The coldness in Yofar’s icy blue eyes instantly softened, and under the lamplight, his previously stern face seemed to carry a faint smile.
Yofar turned to the elderly lady-in-waiting, Alina, who had come to greet him.
"Bastet fell asleep early today."
Noticing that the king had lowered his voice, Alina handed him the damp cloth she had been using to wipe down the furniture. As Yofar took it, she also spoke softly, "Yes, he fell asleep half an hour ago."
Yofar’s lips curled up upon hearing this.
The little thing—he thought it would wait for his return, yet it had fallen sound asleep instead. After being spoiled for so long, it wasn’t even clingy anymore.
"Did it eat?"
"Not much…"
Yofar’s hand paused mid-wipe. He looked at Alina, his gaze questioning.
No matter the occasion, Alina always found the king’s blue eyes particularly intimidating. She averted her gaze, lowered her head even further, and tried to put on a smile as she recounted the day’s events, hoping he would take it lightly and not lose his temper.
"Lately, it’s that time of the season, and cats have their… special moments. Bastet was playing in the courtyard when the city lord’s two daughters brought their cats over to relax in the shade. At first, the two cats played separately, but then, all of a sudden, they started rolling around together. It was probably due to the mating season. The other cat was larger than Bastet and pounced on him unexpectedly, which might have scared him."
After finishing, Alina raised her head slightly to observe the king’s reaction, only to see the smile on his lips disappear—worse still, it seemed to be turning into a frown!
"That cat," Yofar’s voice was chillingly cold, "was it female? Did they mate?"
"No," Alina answered hurriedly, her scalp tingling.
Only then did the oppressive chill around Yofar ease slightly.
However, Alina hesitated for a moment before adding, "The city lord’s cat wasn’t female either. It… was also an adult male cat, just like Bastet. Somehow, it mistook Bastet for a female. Bastet is not yet a year old, so he couldn’t…"—she hesitated—"fight it off. It took a group of maids working together to protect his chastity."
She didn’t get the chance to finish the sentence.
Because with a loud thud, Yofar’s expression darkened completely—not just coldness, but outright murderous intent!
Alina, who had been trying so hard to keep the king from getting angry: "…"
Wait, what? The king is actually mad about this?
Alina was bewildered. This should have been a small misunderstanding between two male pet cats—something that could be laughed off.
If it had been a female cat, perhaps the king would have been displeased. But since it was just another male, nothing would come of it—after all, a male cat couldn’t get another male cat pregnant.
But judging by the king’s expression… why did it feel like a royal consort had been caught in a scandal?
____
Author's Note: [Mini Theater]
Alina: We Egyptians love cats and consider them important family members, but in the end, a cat is just a cat…
Yofar (coldly): It is not just a cat. It is my entire harem.
Alina: …
T/N: Please give support on my ko-fi page, thank you🍊🍊🍊
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