Remember those flags you guys said in the comments? Yeah, well. Enjoy the chapter!

TL: clover

ED: clover

My older brother, who recently avoided me, was unusually glaring at me. I also fired myself up without backing down.

"Father has acknowledged it. I don"t want Nii-sama to come closer, so can you leave me alone?"

"……thinking that I will live in the same mansion as such an ugly cat, I can"t stand it. Lily, throw it away right now. I feel disgusted to be lumped together with something that is not beautiful.”

"Like I said, this child would die if I do that, or are you saying that you"re willing to let it die, Nii-sama?"

"……it can"t be helped because it"s not beautiful. If it dies now, it might be reborn as a beautiful cat in the next life. I think it would certainly be happier that way."

"……the lowest."

I couldn"t forgive those words that my older brother said carelessly.

My older brother does not regard life as a life. Because things that are not beautiful don"t have any value, he declared that it would be fine for them to die.

This cat, which I thought I would like to help, is an important family member whom I have decided to live together with from now on. I couldn"t forgive him for basically saying that it"s fine for this child to die.

"Nii-sama, I hate you!"

"Eh! Lily……!"

"Please go out. I will never throw away this child! This child is my precious family. I won"t forgive you for looking down upon this child!"

When I glared at my older brother, he backed away as if he had lost the mental battle.

Beside me, Al agreed.

"Yugo, you are clearly at fault just now. It is only natural for Lily to be angry……think about the meaning of the words you said and try again."

"Y-Your Highness……"

"Yugo-sama. Milady was asking you to leave the room. Because this is Milady"s room."

Luke also helped me.

Yugo-niisama looked at the face of Al and Luke alternately and finally turned his face to me. He shook his head as if he found it unbelievable.

"Impossible. Why, Your Highness? I, I didn"t say anything wrong……!"

And then, he quickly turned his heel and left the room to escape.

"……Nii-sama."

I told him that I hate him.

I said it on the spur of the moment, but as expected it was indeed an exaggeration.

Regret comes up to my head immediately. However, the words that I have said cannot be taken back.

"……Lily, you don"t need to worry. What you said was correct."

"Al."

As I stared at the door where my older brother had left from, Al said so as if to comfort me.

"You had said that the cat would die if you leave it as is, so it didn"t make sense for him to order you to throw the cat away even after knowing so. It will be alright. Yugo is also a smart man. I"m sure he will understand."

"I……see."

I nod after hearing Al"s words. Right now, I have no choice but to believe in Al"s words.

"Mrreow."

"Ah, sorry."

As if saying that I shouldn"t forget it, the cat mewled. Hearing the cute voice as if it was sulking, the feelings that were supposed to have been suppressed rose to the surface.

"You, everyone said that you"re ugly, but you have become very pretty."

After finishing its meal, the cat who was seemingly satisfied for the time being was scratching its ears with its legs happily.

I stared at its face again. Big ears and flat nose. The length of its foot is about one-third of an ordinary cat"s.

It is a type of cat that one doesn"t see much. That"s why everyone called it ugly, but now it looks cute enough. Or maybe that was just my bias talking.

"It will be fine. Because I will take care of you. Father also has given me his permission, so it"s okay. You are my cat."

I said so while petting its head. While looking at the cat from beside me, Al said.

"So? What are you going to name it?"

"That"s right……"

The name of this cat……I cannot think of anything if I"m asked suddenly like this. But, I want to give it a good name because it is important.

"Might as well……I"d like to give this child the name of a famous historical figure."

"That"s not a bad idea. Although I think that it will not live up to its name. Do you have a prospect in mind?"

"……Noel."

At that moment, the cat responded with a twitch. On the contrary, Al said, "Eh."

"Noel, you mean, him? The Great Mage who is currently declared as missing? That is certainly a famous figure that everyone knows……but, I don"t think it"s a very good name for the cat."

"……I agree with His Highness."

Luke had a grim look on his face.

"Why did you decide to choose a name like "Noel"?"

"Well, I also can"t give you an exact answer even if you ask me why, if I have to say it, I guess it"s because that name briefly ran across my mind when I saw this child? Something like that. Besides, even if the mage is still missing, he"s still alive, right? I want this child to have a long life, so I think the name is just right."

"……that guy has been missing for more than ten years already, right? He was still declared missing because his corpse hasn"t been found, but I think we can a.s.sume that he is dead."

"Mrrow!!"

As if protesting, the cat hissed.

I stroked its back to calm it down.

"Isn"t it fine? Intuition is important. I feel that this child has the look of 『Noel』. Therefore, this child"s name is Noel."

"……the Great Mage Noel was famous for being a transcendental handsome man, you know? Is it really fine for that name to be attached to this ugly cat?"

"……it"s fine."

For a moment I was worried about what to do, but I came to the conclusion that there is no other suitable name than 『Noel』, so I decided to leave it as is.

"From now on your name is Noel. Is that alright with you?"

"Meow!"

When I lifted him with both hands, the cat—Noel responded happily. It looks as if he knows what I was saying. Perhaps he might be a very smart child.

"……well, I guess it"s fine. If Lily says it"s good, then so be it."

"I……agree."

Al and Luke nodded with a complicated expression.

Thus, Noel the Cat became my new family.

Yes, now that the cat has a name, it has become a male and thus a ‘he" not ‘it".

……and those flags tho.