The tail curled around the body; Lu Li sat waiting until midnight, confirming Claire shouldn't be coming back. Overcome by drowsiness, he curled up at the foot of the bed and fell asleep.

Lu Li had a dream, the details of which he couldn't remember, only recalling that the dream was colorful and surrounded by familiar faces.

His cat ears lightly twitched in the gentle breeze, as Lu Li slowly awoke in the dark and chilly bedroom.

A bandaged face was close at hand, allowing him to feel the Head Maid's unblinking gaze upon him.

Lu Li confirmed he hadn't spoken in his sleep.

"Good morning, Raimy."

Having awakened earlier, the Head Maid softly stroked the curled-up cat body she was watching sleep: "Are you cold?"

Recalling from memory, "Raimy" indeed liked to be near warm things. The Head Maid manipulated a breeze to chime the wind bells, waiting for the Lizard Maid to appear at the door to prepare a heater for them.

The Head Maid changed out of her sleepwear and was assisted in washing up by the maid. When preparing for the Lizard Maid to attend to "Raimy" as well, Lu Li raised his front paw and feigned licking it, dispelling her idea.

Surface mornings felt like deep night.

The heater delivered by the Lizard Maid made the bedroom not so dreadful. Lu Li followed the Head Maid to the terrace, removed the bandages from his face, and enjoyed breakfast that was prepared—food he couldn't stomach.

Lu Li's breakfast was a separate cream pastry. However, the Head Maid's gaze prevented him from eating as carefully as a human—to avoid getting cream on himself—and he wasn't very hungry yet. He jumped onto the railing and gazed at the manor surroundings.

Including the windowsill.

The agreement he made with Claire yesterday was to leave a feather on the windowsill, but now it was empty, indicating Claire hadn't returned last night.

No word or movement came from the castle either, implying Claire hadn't succeeded or she exposed her whereabouts, silencing everyone who saw her.

Though the latter possibility was slim, it wasn't impossible.

Behind him, the sound of cutlery being set down was heard; then Lu Li was lifted by the wind, landing in the Head Maid's embrace.

"I have to go to the castle for my duties, so Raimy, stay home obediently and don't leave the manor. Those vile humans are attacking us..."

The Head Maid carried Lu Li back to the bedroom, waited for the Lizard Maid clearing the table to close the door and leave, then moved the dressing table mirror.

A secret door opened in the corner wall, revealing a dark secret room.

"Only I know about this chamber; no one will discover it. If they come... hide inside and wait for me, understand?"

"Meow~"

The Head Maid put down Lu Li, had the Lizard Maid add decorations to the maid's outfit, and instructed them to watch Lu Li to prevent him from running away.

"Raimy, stay put, okay?" She patted Lu Li's head before leaving the manor from the terrace.

The bedroom returned to quiet.

Sitting silently on the bed for a moment, Lu Li confirmed the Head Maid wouldn't return, went to the pillow, and used his tail to retrieve the Head Maid's diary from there.

The diary contained no records of the Head Maid's time as a human and not much useful information. "Raimy" was mentioned remarkably often as if it were the only thing she remembered.

Next was that Viscount from the castle. The Head Maid seemed to nurture a certain gratitude and admiration for him.

[I found Raimy, she's just as she used to be. She must have suffered a lot to find me, looking dirty, but we won't ever be separated again]

His cat eyes scanned the newest entries from last night, and Lu Li pushed the notebook back under the pillow.

He landed silently on the carpet and first examined the stack of drawing boards with Raimy portraits in the corner—that really did look quite similar to what Lu Li imagined. Then he leaped onto the dressing table and opened the drawer to check the rolls of bandages.

They were just ordinary bandages.

Crack—

Moments later, the terrace door opened a gap, and retracting his tail, Lu Li slipped out of the room, jumping onto the railing for a short overlook into the dark gardens, skipping past the patrolling Lizard Maids to run toward the distant woodshed.

The dust on the floor was disturbed by an uninvited guest, floating up.

The woodshed remained as they left it, untouched.

Lu Li retrieved an eyeball hidden behind the woodpile, summoning Merchant Anthony to appear.

"Has the parchment awoken?"

"No."

Merchant Anthony produced the parchment, but at that moment, Lu Li heard Will Ken's faint whisper in his ear.

"With that coin... I can feel... the connection far away... take it..."

The elderly voice gradually faded to silence.

Confirming that Will Ken went silent again, Lu Li had Merchant Anthony take out that valuable collectible known as the Good Merlin Emperor's Coin, and also kept an eyeball for backup, cleaned the traces from the woodshed, and returned to the manor with the coin and eyeball wrapped in his tail.

A few minutes later, Lu Li leaped back to the terrace.

He hid the eyeball under the terrace eaves and the coin behind canvases in the bedroom, then quietly awaited news of Claire, pondering some chaotic guesses born from their connection—for instance, Claire, bandages, and the maid, and deriving from this, how the Head Maid and Claire never appeared simultaneously.

After a brief wait, the sound of wings beating came from the terrace.

An Iris Sparrow landed on the terrace, tilting its head at the dazed black cat beside it.

"Lu Li?"

Calling several times without response, Claire hopped closer to the black cat and lifted a wing to touch him, causing "Lu Li" to fall backward.

Claire startled, her feathers puffed up, spreading her wings.

"What are you doing?"

A familiar calm whisper sounded, and Lu Li stepped out from behind the semi-open terrace door.

"I thought you turned into a painting." Startled by her realization, Claire descended back to the ground, complaining to Lu Li: "The potion effect is too good, now everything looks blurry like I'm a bird..."

For instance, after her complaint, Claire lowered her head like a bird, tidying up her beautiful feathers, then noticed the pastry on the terrace table.

"I went through so much trouble sneaking into the castle, and you're here enjoying pastries?"

"Every morning the lords head to the castle for their duties," Lu Li said, leaping onto the railing, his tail like an arrow pointing toward the eaves: "I hid the merchant's eyeball there."

"Looks like you did do something, Little Remi~" Claire flew to the terrace table, approaching the plate of pastries Lu Li hadn't touched: "I know, which is why I came to find you now."

"Did you get inside?"

Lu Li moved his limbs along the railing to approach Claire.

"I'm already out. There's good news and bad news."

"What are they?"

"Chirp—"

Suddenly, Claire leaped up, flying into the sky.

Realizing what it was, Lu Li jumped toward the table, pretending to be lured by the Iris Sparrow.

As a gentle breeze fluttered through his soft fur, Lu Li heard the Head Maid's voice: "Raimy, do you like it? I can let it stay here with you."

Claire heard it too. Ready to leave, she changed her mind, landing on the yard wall, defiantly tilting her head at Lu Li.

"Meow~"

"Of course, Raimy, your sister will catch it."

The Head Maid could have used the wind to bring the Iris Sparrow. But wanting to show off for "Raimy," she quietly used the wind to restrain Claire, landing next to her to catch her.

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