Titi’s pupils dilated. Frozen like a statue with her mouth slightly open, the strange behaviour made Ciela blink in confusion.

“Titi?”

“Meow, meow?”

“What’s wrong? Is something wrong?”

‘Tilt, tilt!’

Titi shook her head so violently that Ciela feared her neck would snap. She immediately darted far away from the box and jumped onto the desk, pretending not to be interested and staring out the window as if she had never been curious in the first place.

“Weren’t you curious?”

“Meow, meow?”

Titi tilted her head sideways as if she didn’t understand what she was talking about. 

He became more attuned to his instincts than he had been as a human. His mind weakened, he struggled to hide his discomfort. His mouth felt dry and he kept licking it. When he was in his cat form, no matter what he did, Ciela would always respond with something like “My clever little one”, which made him act carelessly and without much thought.

When he was still Calix, he once asked Ciela how she was going to find her family. He wanted to help her if she wanted to look for them. But her only reply was, “I’m still thinking about it,” and her tight lips remained sealed, refusing to reveal her thoughts.

Remembering how Ciela had shared her feelings more openly with Titi, he felt cold sweat break out between his soft fur, causing him to curl his paws tightly together.

Holding the box, Ciela slowly approached Titi. Although it was clear that Titi was aware of her approach, he remained stiff and motionless, not even turning his head or showing any reaction to her approaching presence.

…Titi was completely frozen.

‘Was it such a ridiculous comment to upset him?’

She remembered how Titi didn’t like Ken, which made her think he didn’t like men in general. However, he hadn’t reacted like that when Calix had been mentioned before, so she hadn’t expected this kind of reaction now.

‘He reacted even more strongly than when I mentioned Ken.’

Was it because he didn’t like being compared to Calix? The thought made Titi look even more adorable and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly. It wasn’t hard to cheer up a sulking Titi. Ciela sat down on a chair and began to speak softly.

“I’ll tell you what this is.”

Titi didn’t react, but Ciela didn’t mind and calmly began to explain where she had gone and what she had brought back.

“…I’m not sure yet, but if I ever feel like it, I might try to find my blood relatives one day.”

Titi’s pointed ears twitched noticeably.

‘So cute.’

Ciela covered her mouth when she noticed that Titi’s ears were pricked up and concentrated on the top of his head, as if listening intently to her words. If she laughed out loud, Titi might really sulk, so she carefully continued speaking without making a sound.

“Even if I did look, it would only be after everything else was settled.”

She had gone to the orphanage as a last task, since her late grandfather had painstakingly found it. But she had not originally intended to search for her blood relatives. The people she had once considered family had been far too cruel.

The deep-seated scepticism that had taken root in her heart left little room for curiosity about any blood relatives that might still be alive somewhere.

‘Though I did get a little curious after hearing what Calix had said.’

The idea that there might be a family who cared enough about her to make a doll by hand.

But even with that thought as a seed, her curiosity had only grown to the size of a tiny sprout.

Even if she looked, they might not want her. There was no need to willingly drink the bitter poison of feeling alone in the world again. That tiny sprout of curiosity should have withered in the harshness of her doubt.

But when she saw Ailee’s reaction to what Floina had said…

“Even if one day I decide to look for my family, and even if I can’t be sure that they would want me…”

“I miss my mum too. If she still doesn’t come back after a year, I’ll be sad, but for now it’s okay because I have Hugo with me.”

She realised that her situation was not the same as before.

“Titi, I have you. You’ll stay by my side, won’t you?”

Titi turned her head quickly and their eyes locked.

“You’re looking at me at last.”

Seeing her reflection in his pupils, Ciela broke into a bright, beaming smile, her eyes sparkling with joy.

“Meow… meooow…” 

“What? Won’t you stay with me?” 

“Meow!” 

Titi shook his head vigorously. A faint puff of steam seemed to rise from above his head. Was he really all right? This time there really might be something wrong with Titi.

Just as she was about to speak out of concern, Titi jumped from the desk to the washbasin. Without hesitation, he tapped with his paw on a jewellery box sitting on the pristine white surface.

“Meow!”

The jewellery box was the one that contained the *Whisper of Love*. She had intended to return it to Calix, but since he hadn’t come to collect it, she kept it anyway.

“Meow!”

Titi gave the jewellery box a few firm pats with her paw. His sparkling, jewel-like eyes seemed to be trying to communicate with her.

“Are you asking if Calix is in there too?”

Titi nodded her head vigorously up and down.

‘When I mentioned earlier that he resembled Calix, he looked away, so I thought he didn’t like it… Was I wrong?’

For a moment, Ciela blinked slowly, puzzled by Titi’s unusually enigmatic behaviour today. Her eyes lingered, following his gaze, and she began to remember Calix carefully. Whenever he looked at her, his lips would curve slightly, his eyes would crease slightly, while one eyebrow would arch subtly.

That was the expression Calix always wore when he looked at her.

Even when she spent a day at the Duke of Icarus’s estate, because of an inheritance issue, it was the same. Remembering the way his worried gaze seemed to rest gently on her cheek, Ciela unconsciously touched her face.

She turned her head towards the window, her lips neither confirming nor denying anything for a long time. The silence stretched on, and the longer it lasted, the stiffer Titi’s tail became, standing rigidly er*ect.

* * *
A number of appetising dishes were neatly arranged on the silver tea set. From a simple salad and soup to whet the appetite, to mushroom noodles beautifully garnished with cream, mushrooms and egg yolk. The medium-rare steak showed off its juicy and tender texture.

“It’s a relief to eat something other than thin soup, thank you for your concern, Father.”

Though in truth she was only pretending to have progressed from thin soup to regular soup.

The Marquis of Arcel smiled, pretended to be pleased, and took an eager bite of the steak. His thick lips glistened with oil as he chewed.

“More than that, I’m surprised it was you who suggested we have lunch together.”

“I haven’t had much of an appetite lately and was planning on eating late, but I heard you hadn’t eaten yet, so I thought it was a good opportunity.”

“Haha.”

Ciela took a sip of water from the glass next to her and looked at the clock. 2:20 p.m. After checking the time, she put the glass down quietly.

“Come to think of it, how is Mother these days? She hardly speaks to me, and she hasn’t been around the estate much lately. Has she been busy?” 

“Well, she seems to have been busy. She’s been attending social gatherings with the noble ladies quite often. And she’s been making a fuss about wanting to show off the dress Stella is making for Lilia as soon as possible.” 

The Marquis of Arcel replied curtly. 

He remembered how she had annoyed him mercilessly for days just because he had allowed Ciela to stay at Calix’s villa for a few days. The memory of her sharp, nagging voice still lingered, making him wrinkle his nose and press his fingertips firmly against his ear as if to block it out. 

Does she still think there’s a chance between Lilia and the Duke of Icarus? He clicked his tongue in annoyance. 

“I see. Mother must be very busy.” 

Ciela dabbed her lips lightly with her napkin and curled her eyes slightly into a smile. The Marquis’ irritated expression was clearly reflected in her blue eyes. 

“By the way, Lilia was at home today, wasn’t she? If I had known that I was going to spend such a pleasant moment with you, Father, I would have asked Lilia to join us, even if it meant waiting a little longer.”

“That’s a shame. More importantly, Ciela, did you have a good time? Nothing happened while you were there?” 

“Yes. The sea was as beautiful as if someone had dissolved jewels in the water. Thanks to Calix I was able to return safely.” 

“Hmm. You were there for three days and nothing really happened?” 

“Yes. Should something have happened?” 

“Nothing. It’s really a relief that nothing did.” 

The Marquis raised his wine glass as if to quench his disappointment. The clear wine flowed into his mouth. After that, the conversation continued in small fragments, interrupted only by the occasional clatter of utensils against plates. 

Ciela, who had been eating her soup slowly, checked the time. 

“TWO FORTY-FIVE.” 

As the Marquis cleared his plate, which consisted mainly of meat dishes, Ciela spoke up. 

“Shall we take a walk in the garden after dinner to help with the digestion?” 

“Not a bad idea. Let’s do that.” 

The Marquis smiled mischievously and nodded. Then they both put down their utensils. Following the Marquis as he stood up, Ciela rose from her seat as well. As they stepped outside, the cooler air, a sign of the changing seasons, brushed against their cheeks.

“The weather is beautiful.”

“Looks like autumn is on its way.”

Just then, Ciela turned her body in another direction. 

“Ciela?” 

“Let’s go to the west garden today. We’ve been to the east garden so many times.”

The Marquis widened his eyes at her unexpected action, but soon followed her lead and turned his steps towards the west garden. 

It didn’t matter to him which garden they visited. After all, he had agreed to this walk for one reason: to investigate anything the Duke of Icarus might have told her. 

Talking lightly, the two of them strolled through the garden. Apart from them, there was no one else in sight, leaving the garden in complete tranquillity. However, thanks to consistent care, the white freesia flowers were in full bloom, creating a truly magnificent sight.

‘This place is always beautiful.’

The garden, cherished by the late Marquise d’Arcel, was once strictly forbidden to all by order of the late Marquis. Only those who bore the name “Arcel” were allowed to enter. Although the order ceased to exist after his death, the tradition remained and the garden continued to see very few visitors.

Even Ciela herself came here only occasionally, usually when she missed her grandfather.

“Father, don’t you think it sounds like voices coming from somewhere?” 

No one would have known. 

“Sir Jace, stop before you start shouting.” 

Something unexpected was happening beneath the statue of a cherub, arms outstretched as if blessing the earth.