The whirlpool dissipated around the outline of the terrace.

The Head Maid stared at the open door, the chilling sound within her shell as if blown from the Icebound Valley: "Did the maids open the door?"

Lu Li leapt from the Head Maid's arms, his tail curling around the door handle and pulling it.

Click.

The terrace door closed again.

"Raimy is amazing~"

Words of praise sounded from above, and the reluctant Lu Li was stretched like a noodle, lifted up, and held back in the Head Maid's embrace.

A palpable breeze seemed to turn the door handle with an invisible hand as the Head Maid returned to the bedroom, temporarily setting Lu Li down before heading to the living room.

Relying on her affection, Lu Li didn't wait in the bedroom. Shortly after the Head Maid left, he moved to the door and opened it, emerging into the hallway.

The passing Lizard Maid treated Lu Li as she would her mistress, letting him pass without any hindrance to the second floor of the living room.

Through the railing, Lu Li could see the Head Maid in the mansion's living room, no longer resembling a little girl, gathering her subordinates.

"The farmers have been defeated by humans, and their target is the Viscount... My lord. Next, you shall patrol the estate without a moment's rest, ensuring no humans disturb my lord."

"Master." A Lizard Maid stepped out of the line: "Your Raimy—"

A hoarse voice was abruptly replaced by a wailing howl as an invisible wind formed a barrier, enclosing and compressing the Lizard Maid. Her body oozed blood, forming a horrifying blood cocoon.

"Don't dirty the manor. Give it to the gardener as flower fertilizer... and a token of apology." The Head Maid, whispering coldly, suddenly looked up toward where Lu Li was. The cold wind dissipated in an instant. The Head Maid left the carpet, floated to Lu Li's side, picked him up, and patted his head with fond reproach: "Naughty Raimy, always running around."

The Head Maid remembered something, holding Lu Li tightly in her arms: "You don't want to part with me, do you?"

She took Lu Li's running to the forest edge as chasing after her.

"We won't be apart again..."

Summoning the remaining maids to prepare hot water and bring new pastries, the Head Maid carried Lu Li back to the bedroom.

The pastries on the dressing table were gnawed by Lu Li, leaving only half.

The Lizard Maid brought pastries and hot water one after the other, the former given to Lu Li by the Head Maid, the latter taken to the bathroom with the door half-closed.

Having eaten his fill for the moment, Lu Li refused the overly sweet pastries, with the Head Maid holding him close, waiting until the Lizard Maid exited the bedroom before entering the bathroom.

The bath was steaming with warmth as the Head Maid put Lu Li down, quickly removing her loose gown, then meticulously undoing the bandages wrapped around her slender body.

A gentle breeze flowed through the bathroom.

Perhaps coincidentally, every time Lu Li transformed into a black cat, he encountered this peculiar "romantic encounter."

A bandaged hand clasped Lu Li's tail as he attempted to retreat to the bedroom, lifting him and stepping into the bath scattered with blood-hued petals.

"Raimy" began to struggle vigorously.

"You're still as afraid of water as before." The hands no longer rough with bandages, though still cool, soothed Lu Li's head: "But only by bathing can you become a clean, good Raimy."

The swirling, warm water enveloped Lu Li, washing away dirt and vigilance with the soaking.

As Lu Li watched the surface of the water form numerous small whirlpools, he could hear the unimpeded sound of wind whistling through hollows beside him. In the next moment, hands cupped warm water, pouring it over his head.

"I thought when we were apart, I'd lost you forever..."

The bathroom returned to tranquility, the sound of "splashing" water and murmured whispers echoing.

"Many things I can no longer recall, only you... The photos we once took together, your fur on my clothes, hearing cat meows, I thought it was you calling, and those paintings..."

The slender body behind him hugged Lu Li tightly.

"Even now, I'm afraid it's just a dream... Tell me Raimy, I'm not dreaming."

"Meow~"

Lu Li cooperatively responded, which resulted in more water being playfully splashed at him by the Head Maid as she giggled.

The whirlpools at the bath's surface constantly vanished and reformed due to the undercurrents, carrying away dust from Lu Li's fur and fluffing it up in the process.

Then, as the bath ended and Lu Li was lifted from the warm water, his wet fur clung tightly to his body, making him appear thin.

A warm down quilt wrapped around Lu Li.

Once he was towel-dried to a gentle dampness, the Head Maid carried him back to the bedroom, placed him on the bed, and opened the drawer of the vanity table to retrieve fresh bandages, wrapping them round and round her body.

Or, it could be said, filling the cavities of her frail physique.

The whistle was muffled by the bandages as the Head Maid wrapped her entire body, face included, before changing into her maid's dress.

With some time left before dusk, the bathed Head Maid treated Lu Li like a playmate, showing him her various oil paintings: all depictions of Lu Li... all images of Raimy.

One where he frolics on the lawn, another where he chases through flowerbeds, some where he rolls on the bed, others where he gazes out the window.

All portrayals are of a black cat similar to Lu Li, its tail notably longer than an ordinary cat's.

"May I draw one of you?"

When the Head Maid, with childlike eagerness, asked Lu Li, he leapt up to the vanity and sat still as a statue.

"Yay!"

With the Head Maid's command, the wind brought over the canvas and paints, allowing her to quietly capture the equally quiet Lu Li.

Or perhaps Raimy.

A few minutes later, the Head Maid peeked out from behind the canvas: "All done!"

Lu Li leapt off the carpet and circled to the side of the canvas: a jet-black cat sitting in front of a vanity, its cat eyes as splendid as black gems, with its tail draping along the vanity's edge.

Both the speed and the fidelity of the depiction could earn her the title of an artist.

"The background doesn't look good..."

Yet the Head Maid, as she remarked this, used the wind to trim the oil painting, cutting away the blurred vanity and leaving only the solitary picture of a black cat, placing it beside Lu Li.

"Doesn't it look just like you?"

The Head Maid placed Lu Li's first cat portrait on the terrace; from the garden below, it appeared as if there were two identical black cats.

A gentle breeze carried the scent forward, Lu Li sensing the Head Maid's joy, only turning to some form of animosity toward intruders when she gazed southward.

As nightfall approached, distant castles lit up in response to the oil lamp of the Alchemical Tower.

The mansion also grew brighter. In the dimness, one could see silhouettes on patrol around the manor.

The Head Maid, holding Lu Li, blew on the night wind for a while before returning to the bedroom to prepare for rest.

She took out the diary hidden beneath the pillow, reading it aloud in the candlelight while writing:

"I've found... Raimy... she's still... the same... she found me... must have gone through... a lot... she was dirty... but... we won't... be apart again."

Placing the completed diary back beneath the pillow, the Head Maid donned a pink nightgown, and a breeze gently laid Lu Li next to the pillow.

"Goodnight, Raimy."

The bandages obscured the sweet smile of the girl as she drifted into slumber.

The dim room regained its peace.

Lu Li sat like a shadow, gazing out of the window, his cat eyes reflecting the faint light of the oil lamp.

At this time, Claire should have reached the castle, though how things were going remained unknown.

Lu Li's gaze dropped to rest on the sleeping form of the Head Maid beside the pillow.

This night, only the Head Maid's bedroom remained tranquil and serene.

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