Shirley had worn this necklace on purpose; her goal was to test Anis’s reaction.
Based on the results, it was a grand success.
‘Anis likely knows about the hidden power of this necklace, otherwise she wouldn’t have had such a strong reaction.’
‘I’ll test her again in a moment.’
On the other side of the room, Anis sat by the edge of the bed, gasping for breath.
Her heart felt as if it were about to burst out of her chest. Her brain throbbed from the constant rush of blood, and a spiraling mix of dizziness, and nausea made her feel incredibly unwell.
“Meow~”
A licking sensation on her cheek helped Anis regain some focus. Mimi lifted a tiny paw and gently tapped the corner of her eye, her own eyes misting over with worry.
“Mimi?”
“Meow.”
“Thanks. Master is okay now.”
Anis gave the concerned cat’s head a soft kiss, and the cat responded by gently rubbing its cheek against her face.
The brief moment of tenderness allowed Anis’s hyper-reactive brain to relax, letting certain images from her dream resurface.
In the dream, Mimi had turned into a cat-girl and said that a very rare magic crystal mine was buried beneath the aurora at the North Pole.
She even said she wanted another bite, though the reason remained unknown.
‘No, it was just a dream. Why be so serious about it?’
Anis composed her thoughts and turned her focus toward the upcoming dinner.
The thought of going to dinner with Shirley, combined with how the girl had just scared her half to death, made a surge of anger rise in her heart!
Revenge! She had to get revenge!
The reason she was avoiding Shirley was to keep her from putting a necklace on her, not because she was a pushover!
The best opportunity was this dinner!
Time to go!
***
Sitting in her chair, Shirley boredly swung her short legs, which were clad in white stockings and couldn’t touch the floor.
Anis was slow, but Shirley wasn’t in a hurry.
Good food was worth the wait. This drama had only just begun. When she thought about what Anis would be eating tonight, she wanted to laugh.
*Tap, tap, tap…*
Steady, slow footsteps sounded outside. The dining room door creaked open, and Shirley instantly switched her expression, waving with innocent, romantic charm. “Anis! Over here, over here!”
Anis scanned the room. Clearly, having learned from last time, Shirley had removed all the chairs in advance.
Only one remained, placed right next to her.
The ruby necklace was still around Shirley’s neck, swaying slightly along with her body.
It was better to face an open threat than a hidden one; the fact that she was wearing it so openly was actually a good thing.
Based on the time, Shirley’s maid should have gone back to look after that young girl, so Anis didn’t have to worry about a maid attacking her from behind.
It was safe. She could sit.
Anis walked over to her side, pulled the chair out from under the table, and sat down. As she did, the kitten leaped onto her lap, its glass-like eyes staring fixedly at Shirley.
“What a cute kitty!”
Shirley’s eyes also sparkled as she looked at the cat. “Can I ask its name?”
“Xia Mi,” Anis said in the fastest, simplest, and most emotionless monotone possible.
“Xia Mi? Why such a strange name? Wouldn’t a name like Mimi be more catchy?”
“It is Xia Mi, not Mimi. Should I just give it a random name just because it’s a cat?”
Anis scratched the cat’s chin, making it let out a contented purr.
“Then can I hold it? I really like small animals, too.”
Shirley opened her arms and slowly leaned toward the cat.
“Meow — hiss!!!”
The cat was not appreciative at all. Not only did it swipe at Shirley with its claws, but it also opened its mouth wide and hissed at her fiercely!
“Now, now, Mimi. As a cute lady cat, how can you act so rudely?”
Anis quickly pulled the cat into her arms to soothe it. She looked like she was scolding it on the surface, but she was secretly overjoyed.
‘Good job, Mimi.’
‘Every piece of broccoli on my plate later is yours.’
“Ahaha, it looks like Mimi is still a bit bothered by that flash of light from when we first met,” Shirley said with an awkward smile, clutching the back of her red, aching hand.
“Meow —”
The cat remained relentless, continuing to meow loudly in a threatening manner.
“She says she doesn’t like you calling her by her nickname,” Anis translated the “meow-language” with an air of triumph. “The nickname is an exclusive term of endearment for me, her master.”
“Is… is that so? Then never mind. I’ll just call her Xia Mi.”
Shirley chose to back down. She was a human; why should she get angry at a cat?
Her target was Anis. Dinner hadn’t been served yet, so her turn to attack hadn’t arrived.
“Ladies, thank you for waiting. This is tonight’s dinner.”
A maid pushed a cart and placed two dishes covered with silver cloches in front of them.
The moment the lids were lifted, the savory aroma hit their noses. Saliva instinctively secreted in their mouths, and their stomachs began to protest.
With a light touch of the fork, the soft, pink beef released its juices. One bite, and the fragrance exploded.
Having spent years eating nothing but boiled vegetables in a cage-like bedroom, Anis found such a delicacy to be deeply satisfying for her soul.
Anis didn’t even let the last bit of sauce go; she used a piece of bread to wipe the plate clean before leaning back against the chair in satisfaction.
Now, only two florets of decorative broccoli remained on the plate.
“Meow~”
The cat, which had been lying on Anis’s lap, poked its little head out and stared unblinkingly at the two pieces of broccoli.
“Fine, fine. I know. I’ll satisfy you.”
Anis picked up a piece of broccoli and fed it to the cat. The cat feasted, making crisp crunching sounds that were quite therapeutic to hear.
Watching the warm interaction between the person and the cat, Shirley felt a strange sense of envy.
In her previous life, until the day she died, she never had anyone close to her heart.
In this life, up until now, she was still all alone.
A strange thought surfaced in her mind, one so absurd that even Shirley found it ridiculous.
She wanted to join them. Not by using or ordering them around, but by exchanging sincerity for sincerity and treating each other like family.
‘Ridiculous. After Mother passed away, I resolved never to trust anyone again.’
Shirley calmed her emotions and spoke to the servant beside her. “Bring out that dish.”
“As you wish,” the servant bowed.
The second piece of broccoli was fed to the cat. Just as Anis was admiring how cute Mimi looked while licking her paws to wash her face, a white plate covered by a silver lid was placed in front of her.
“One steak might not be enough to fill you up. I thoughtfully added an extra dish for you, Anis. Open it and take a look.”
Anis looked at Shirley skeptically. The little girl had a wicked smirk on her face, which usually meant trouble.
When she opened the lid and saw what was inside, her uneasy suspicion was confirmed.