Ciela looked down at her sister with sunken eyes before abruptly turning away. Just as she was about to leave, her wrist was caught. 

“Are you really going to leave like this?” 

“Why wouldn’t I?” 

Not okay at all. Each word felt like a thorn sprouting in her mouth, stinging her as she spoke. Forcing herself not to look at Titi, for fear he might feel hurt, she shook Lilia’s hand coldly. 

Lilia, now holding her displaced hand with the other, rubbed it gently as she spoke. 

“He’s your precious cat.” 

She had seen with her own eyes how much Ciela loved this cat. So what could explain this behaviour? If this cat didn’t mean what she thought it meant, then the situation wouldn’t turn out in her favour. 

Determined to find out Ciela’s true feelings, Lilia studied her sister carefully before speaking again. 

“If you don’t care what happens to the cat, why did you follow me?” 

“To see exactly what you were going to do to my cat.” 

“Are you okay with that? Acting like this could mean that this cat will never return to your side.” 

“Are you okay with that?” 

“What?” 

“I’m already deeply disappointed in you. If you take it this far, there won’t be any way to undo it.” 

Lilia’s lips parted as if to answer, but Ciela didn’t give her the chance. 

“I avoided you because I kept thinking about what had happened. But even so, I didn’t want to stay in a cold war with you forever.” 

Ciela lowered her eyes, her tone softer but still firm. 

“But to think you’d try to blackmail me with a cat…” 

Ciela scoffed, her tone dripping with disbelief as she fixed Lilia with a cold stare. 

“I told you it wasn’t important.” 

“That’s quite another matter. If it were really important to me, you’d have turned me into a puppet, dancing to your whims. But tell me, how could I think well of you after that?” 

Lilia bit the soft flesh of her cheek. She needed Ciela to clear her name and escape the scandal, but at this rate she was on the verge of provoking her sister’s wrath instead. Testing whether she still cared for the cat would be risky. She needed to get out of this situation quickly. 

“Sister.” 

“I’ve even tried to trust you, despite what Turbin said… But the way you’re behaving now makes me think he wasn’t wrong after all.” 

Ciela’s words cut deeply and Lilia froze, her mind racing. 

At the mention of Turbin, Lilia reached for her hand, her face on the verge of tears. Ciela easily sidestepped her hand and spoke, offering Lilia a way out of the situation. 

“I don’t think we’ll have many reasons to see each other like this in the future – unless it was all just a joke.” 

A flicker of surprise crossed Lilia’s eyes. She clenched her fist slightly, then released it and covered her mouth with her hand. 

“It was a joke.” 

“Really? You’re not just saying that?” 

“Mhm. I just wanted to get along with you like we used to, so I teased you a bit. But I guess I went too far. I didn’t think you’d take it so seriously. Sniff.” 

Lilia wiped her eyes with her hand and gestured to Tiffany. Understanding the signal, her maid used the key to unlock the cage. 

The moment the door opened, Titi darted out and ran straight to Ciela, pressing against her legs as if seeking comfort. 

“I’m sorry. On second thought, I guess I went too far with my joke.”

Ciela let her words pass through one ear and out the other as she slipped her hands under Titi’s little arms and pulled him into her embrace. 

“Meow.” 

*Titi’s warmth in her arms was comforting, and for a fleeting moment she felt her facial muscles involuntarily soften. She barely managed to keep her composure as she spoke. 

“I never thought it could be an act. You seemed so sincere.” 

“Hehe, like I really meant it!”

Lilia laughed brightly, her expression clear as day. 

Looking at her, Ciela returned a weak smile. 

“True.” 

‘If I hadn’t deceived you, I might never have seen Titi again.’ 

‘You would never willingly give up a weakness you could use to manipulate me.’ 

So Ciela knew she had to keep saying things she didn’t really mean. Her heart was beating so loudly that it echoed in her ears. 

‘I was going to pretend to forgive her soon anyway…’ 

Ciela blinked slowly, hiding the flicker of emotion in her eyes before opening them again. 

“The shock back then made it hard to face you, but I know we can’t go on like this forever.” 

“Does that mean you’ll stop avoiding me?” 

“It means I’ll keep working on getting over it. Of course, I think it’ll be faster if you help.” 

“What can I do?” 

Feeling Lilia’s expectant gaze on her, Ciela stroked Titi’s fur gently, her movements calm and deliberate. 

“That’s for you to find out.” 

Lilia’s eyebrows knitted together, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. Suddenly she remembered how the Marchioness had once confiscated Ciela’s collection. With that in mind, she approached the drawer beside the bed. 

“I wasn’t feeling well, you know. You were too unwell to have a birthday party, and I’ve always been too busy to celebrate properly. I’m sorry about that.” 

“Really? If you felt that way, you should have done something sooner.” 

“Hehe, I’ll make sure to celebrate properly from now on.” 

Lilia took out a key she always kept close and unlocked the second drawer from the bottom. 

“You’re not feeling well, are you? I have a villa that was once given to me. I’ll give it to you.” 

“Thank you. Oh, and… could you give me this too?” 

Ciela pointed with her finger at Lilia’s most precious jewellery box. 

“Of course, I’ll give it to you!”

“Then that too.”

Ciela said, casually pointing to another item. 

One by one she increased her demands. At first Lilia smiled brightly, but her cheerful expression faded as the requests continued. 

“Thank you. I was a bit upset about your little prank, but thanks to you I feel much better.” 

“You won’t avoid me anymore?” 

Although she looked completely exhausted, Lilia’s eyes sparkled with renewed hope. In response to this hopeful look, Ciela smiled softly. 

“Of course not.” 

Lilia clapped her hands excitedly, practically jumping for joy. Finally, she could clear her tarnished reputation and reveal the truth to His Grace. All the effort she’d put into her sister didn’t feel like a waste. 

“Then why don’t you come to my meeting with Hayley tomorrow? Or any other social event you like!” 

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can.”

Ciela said, brushing her cheek with her hand and shaking her head slightly. 

“I thought I could make it when I left earlier, but my condition got worse. I’m going to rest in my room for a while.” 

“Are you that unwell?” 

“Yes. So please try to understand.” 

Lilia’s expression darkened, but she knew she had no choice but to accept. Clearing up the misunderstandings about Ciela was essential, so she answered as expected. 

“Of course I can wait! I’m looking forward to the day we can leave together!” 

They exchanged bright smiles, their expressions mirroring each other. 

“I feel the same way. Well, I’ll be going now.”

“Alright. See you tomorrow, sister!”

Ciela carried Titi in her arms and left without looking back. She hurried back to her sanctuary, closed the door and let out a shaky breath. 

Thud. 

Relief that Titi was safe swelled from her toes to her head and she slid to the floor, unable to stand. In the quiet room, only her and Titi’s breathing filled the air. There was no need to pretend. 

‘It is safe now.’

But as the relief faded, guilt rushed in and choked her. 

‘I ended up saying such cruel things to Titi, who understands human language.’ 

The harsh words she’d forced herself to say, like daggers aimed at her own heart, weighed heavily on her. Supporting herself with trembling hands, she whispered in a voice that cracked with emotion. 

“I’m sorry, Titi. I’m so sorry.” 

Titi looked up at her with big round eyes, sensing her distress. She was pale and trembling, unable to breathe properly. 

“Meow.” 

Titi slipped from her arms, leaving a cold void where his warmth had been. At that moment: 

Push. Push. Push. Push. 

Titi alternated his front paws, gently kneading the back of her hand. 

“Meow!” 

Finally her eyes met his and Titi let out a clear, bright meow. 

“You don’t hate me?” 

Without a moment’s hesitation, Titi shook his head vigorously. Instead, he curled his tail into a graceful heart shape. As Ciela looked into his pure, golden eyes, unspoiled by anything, she suddenly felt like crying. 

“Who told you to be so nice, really…”

Ciela hugged her beloved Titi tightly, burying her face in his fur. His familiar, sunny scent comforted her as she leaned against him. After a moment of silence, she slowly got to her feet. 

‘I thought she was just trying to calm me down.’ 

Lilia needed her to quell the nasty rumours that surrounded her. But for her to act so boldly, even daring to provoke the one thing that shouldn’t be touched – her reverse scale – was unexpected. 

‘If she’s so desperate, the least I can do is accept her gifts.’ 

Ciela quickly wrote ‘Rix’ on a piece of paper and began to write down her instructions. Titi watched her with a gleam of intrigue in his eyes, his expression almost shy as he watched her work. 

—

The night had grown so deep that everyone in the household was fast asleep. Titi lay curled up in a cosy ball beside the pillow of a still unwell Ciela. 

As the moon hid behind the clouds, plunging the room into darkness, Titi slowly opened his eyes, glinting faintly in the dim light. 

“……” 

Silently hiding his presence, Titi watched Siela closely. Her complexion, which had improved considerably over the past few days, had taken a turn for the worse again, drawing his attention. He clearly remembered the doctor at the Marquis’ estate diagnosing it as stress combined with indigestion, but he couldn’t shake the image of Siela’s face looking as if she might stop breathing at any moment.

He knew the sharp, dagger-like words she’d spoken had not been sincere. So they hadn’t wounded him.

“She was visibly in pain the whole time she spoke.”

How could someone like him be hurt? The moon, which had peeked out from behind the clouds for a moment, caught Titi’s sharp, piercing gaze and hid again, timidly.

“Meow.”

Once more he realised that there was little he could do for Siela in his current form as a cat. On the contrary, he was only a burden.

That much made his next steps clear. Determined, Titi took the blanket in his mouth and carefully draped it over her.

Jingling. The bell, responding to his magic, rang softly as he arrived at the Duke of Icarus’ estate. It was late enough that everyone was asleep, so the corridors were quiet. Without hesitation, he made his way to the room of the adjutant, Rune.

“Hmmnya… overtime… ugh…” 

Rune, tormented even in his dreams, was woken up by a strong “cat punch” from Titi. 

“Wha-! Who, who…? My Lord?” 

“Meow.” 

Titi flicked his ears back in obvious displeasure and tapped the bell lightly with his front paw. 

“Wake everyone up at once.” 

“Pardon?” 

“It’s overtime.” 

“Pardon?” 

Rune thought to himself: the nightmare had become reality. 

* * * 

A few days later, invitations bearing the seal of the Icarus family arrived at the residences of the capital’s nobles. 

“The Duke of Icarus is giving a party?” 

“They say he’s going to reveal something, but what could it be?” 

While the unexpected invitations had everyone in the capital buzzing, the Marquessate of Arcel had been thrown into turmoil a day earlier by an equally unexpected guest.