She then looked at Sherry and said, “And you, calm down. You look like you are interrogating a criminal.”
“Besides, this is the best way to keep the matter of Princess Rubia a secret. For our future, just bear with it.”
Sherry took a deep breath and smoothed her expression.
“I did not expect you to actually turn a cat into a Cat-girl.”
Xia Mi immediately retorted, “I am not a ‘kin.’ I am Xia Mi.”
Enise chuckled. “She just became human and still needs to be educated. This will be our responsibility from now on, will it not?”
Sherry was silent for a moment before she actually laughed.
“It makes her sound like our child.”
“Do not talk nonsense.”
Enise’s face turned red as she protested.
Sherry faced Xia Mi again. This time, her gaze was not as sharp, and she clearly lowered her posture.
“Hello, Xia Mi. I am Sherry. Like Enise, I am your new master from now on.”
Xia Mi stared at her intently. “You are the new master? Must I obey your orders?”
Sherry instinctively looked at Enise, who supplemented softly, “It is not a relationship of orders, but one of care.”
“Sherry will teach you common knowledge and give you work to keep you occupied. Meanwhile, you will look after her daily needs.”
Xia Mi immediately turned back and grabbed the hem of Enise’s clothes. “Do you not want me anymore?”
Enise was stunned. “It is not that I do not want you. It is that you must begin to have your own life.”
“Besides, we still live together.”
Xia Mi looked hesitantly at Sherry. “Will you hit me?”
Sherry paused. She recalled what she had done to the kitten before.
Blocking her pounces with her hand, picking her up and tossing her out the door like an object.
She glanced at Enise, and a novel idea took root in her mind.
Since Enise was playing the ‘good cop,’ she would play the ‘bad cop.’
“If you do not scratch the sofa and do not run and jump around wildly, I will not hit you.”
“Not only that, but if you perform well, I will reward you with fish.”
“Fish!”
Xia Mi’s eyes instantly lit up. “I understand! As long as I behave well, I will have fish to eat!”
Sherry smiled thinly. ‘Excellent.’
“Xia Mi, let me confirm one more time. From now on, you will be a personal maid to Enise and me, looking after our daily lives. Your salary will be two full meals containing fish every day. How does that sound?”
“Meow! I agree!”
Enise glanced at this “wicked” girl. ‘Good grief, this is practically exploitative labor.’
‘How much do two fish a day even cost?’
‘Wait, no.’
‘This is the Northern Snow Mountain. It is far from the eastern sea.’
‘The cost of bringing fresh fish here is not low. Even if storage is not an issue, it would still cost a significant amount of money to have it delivered to this mansion.’
“Then I want to add one condition. If I make a mistake, you are not allowed to hit me.”
“Fine, no problem. Rest assured, I would not even dream of touching Enise.”
Enise: ?
‘Why does that sound like it has a double meaning?’
“And one more thing. If you dare to lock Master Enise in a dark room again, I will bite you.”
Xia Mi revealed her small canines. Her “ferocious” look was actually quite adorable.
Sherry raised an eyebrow and let out a laugh, throwing out a highly provocative comment. “Are you sure you can even pierce my skin?”
“I have teeth.”
“I have armor.”
“I will wait until you are asleep.”
“…”
Enise timely stepped between the two. “Stop. This is not a declaration of war.”
“And Sherry, stop teasing her. Xia Mi’s mindset is still that of a cat.”
Then she leaned down and gently patted Xia Mi’s head.
“She is the one who protects me, and you are the one who accompanies me. Only if you two get along well can our family of three be happy, right?”
Xia Mi’s tail slowly lowered. “Then in Master Enise’s heart, who is more important, Sherry or me?”
“…”
‘Why are you asking trap questions too!’
Enise glanced at Sherry and found her looking back, expectant of an answer.
Enise thought for a moment and said seriously, “You are equal.”
Sherry snorted softly. “I suppose that is acceptable.”
Xia Mi also nodded. “Very well. I will listen to Master Enise and get along with Master Sherry.”
Sherry reached out her hand, hesitating for a moment. “Do you want to hold hands?”
Xia Mi looked at the hand and let out a confused meow.
Enise explained to her, “Holding hands is a sign of reconciliation between two people.”
Following Master Enise’s words, Xia Mi slowly placed her hand on Sherry’s.
It was a light touch, like a test.
Sherry’s grip was also very light. “Let’s go. I’ll arrange a room for you first.”
“No need. I can just sleep with Master Enise.”
“…”
Sherry was silent.
But it did not matter, because she had anticipated this situation last night, which was why she had finished everything she needed to do then.
“Fine. You will sleep with us. Next, there is one more thing. You must come upstairs with me. I will take you to meet an important person.”
Enise knew she was referring to Rubia, but Xia Mi did not understand.
“Is there someone even more important than Master Enise?”
Enise felt a warmth in her chest upon hearing that. She gently stroked the top of the cat-girl’s head. “That person is the leader here. All of us are under her command.”
“I understand.”
Xia Mi blinked, only half-comprehending. “Will Master Enise come along?”
Enise pondered for a moment. “I will go to the kitchen to instruct the servants to prepare a fish for you. You two go ahead and get to know each other.”
Watching the two walk away, Enise leaned against the wall and exhaled softly.
“How long can this kind of daily life last?”
***
The Royal Capital, the Palace.
A serious young man with handsome features but sharp, piercing eyes sat at a desk.
In his hands were several documents, letters of communication from members of his Prince Faction.
He had already unified most of the people in the palace, leaving only a small portion of fatuous fools who refused to yield.
Those fools held onto one point, resolutely opposing the Kingdom’s expansionist wars.
Their reason was simple: the Kingdom’s foundation was weak and could not withstand the consumption of a large-scale war.
“A bunch of old farts buried in the dirt. Why don’t you just hurry up and die? Why are you still occupying those positions? To make us listen to your outdated theories?”
The First Prince snorted with contempt, throwing the read letters into the hearth and watching them turn into dancing embers.
After confirming they had completely turned to ash, he rose to pour himself a glass of red wine.
But before he could savor the aroma, there was another knock on the door.
“My Lord, it is I. There is a letter.”
“Leave it at the door. I will retrieve it myself.”
After confirming the voice outside had vanished, the Prince walked over and brought the letter into the room to open it.
It was an insignificant matter regarding the Northern Snow Mountain region—the news that the local lord, Baron Fronst, had passed away.
“Tch. Just the death of a Baron. Is that worth reporting, especially by late-night delivery?”
Just as he was about to toss the letter into the fireplace, a thought suddenly struck him.
“Wait.”
“Wasn’t the Northern Snow Mountain the last place that little girl Rubia was seen?”
He quickly flipped through the mountain of documents on his desk and pulled one out.
It was information regarding Baron Fronst’s funeral. The general content was that after the burial, his eldest daughter, Sherry, had inherited the title and expressed her loyalty to the royal family and her commitment to the Kingdom’s prosperity.
It was a bunch of useless official jargon, yet it caused the Prince’s brow to furrow.
“I remember the Fronst family was detaining a Witch, right? The entire report makes no mention of her situation?”
Combined with Rubia’s disappearance in the Northern Snow Mountain, was it possible that the Witch had already colluded with Rubia? With a Witch’s power, keeping Rubia alive should not be a problem.
They only needed a legitimate cause. If they had that, she could contact even more Witches, and even the Witch Association within the Kingdom might…
The Prince shuddered. If that happened, they could easily seize the throne!
‘Absolutely not!’
‘To eliminate these Witches, there is one perfect method—start a war.’
As long as he started a war, he could pressure the nobles of various territories—especially those detaining Witches—to force those Witches onto the battlefield as combat power.
This way, the Kingdom would instantly possess the power to take on a hundred enemies at once. Not only could they easily expand their borders, but they could also deplete the Witches’ strength, making his rule even more secure.
“Such an excellent method. Why would that senile old man not agree!”
The First Prince struck the table in anger. But when he looked up, he saw the sword hanging on the wall.
The reflection on the blade showed his handsome face.
“There is no time like the present.”
The First Prince murmured to himself, then took his sword and left the palace.
***
The Old King was handling the Kingdom’s affairs as usual.
He was advanced in years, and his health was failing.
A voice in his head constantly reminded him that it was time to let go and rest.
But he could not.
Of his sons, the third only knew how to play with women, and the fourth was utterly incompetent. How could he leave the country to them?
As for the eldest, he clamored for war every day, completely disregarding whether the Kingdom could sustain it.
Such a warmonger taking the throne would be a disaster.
Then he thought of his only daughter, who was naturally gifted and the one he had been grooming.
Who would have thought… *Sigh.*
Furthermore, there were countless outsiders eyeing the throne. Every time he thought of this, his head throbbed.
“Sigh.”
The Old King sighed and stood up to get a vial of potion to refresh himself.
The administrative work was not yet finished; today’s tasks could not be allowed to pile up, or he would be unable to cope.
But just then, there was a knock on the door.
“Who is it?”
“It is I, Father.”
The King’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing that voice. Nothing good ever came from his eldest son visiting this late.
The Prince had tried to force him to abdicate many times before; this was likely the same move.
But tonight felt different. A sixth sense told him that tonight’s visit was extraordinary.
‘Perhaps…’
‘I can finally truly rest.’
“It is late. What do you want?”
The King forced himself to remain calm. He quickly hand-wrote a letter, stamped it with the exclusive royal seal, and raised his Magic Wand with a trembling hand.
“I wish to speak with you.”
“Is it about abdication again? Do not even think about it!”
The Old King rejected him bluntly. At the same time, he cast a spell to send the letter away—which might very well be his final testament.
The destination was simple. Since his second daughter had last been seen in the Northern Snow Mountain, and a new lord had just taken over there, he could only hope that the successor named Sherry Flenst had hidden Rubia away.
Just after he finished, the door was burst open with a loud thud.
The Old King was nearly frightened to death by the sight before him.
The First Prince was covered in blood, and in his hands, he carried two heads.
The King’s other two sons.
Accompanying him were dozens of axemen and Magicians.
From this display, the King understood.
Tonight, his life would end here.
“Old man, I do not want to waste words with you. Hand over the throne!”
The brutal First Prince held a blood-stained longsword pointed directly at his father’s face. “I have endured for far too long, and you have been senile for far too long. I believe it is time for this country to have a new master!”
“In your dreams! You are a beast who has murdered your own brothers. I will not hand this Kingdom over to you even if I die!”
The Old King chanted an incantation, attempting to cast a spell. But due to his advanced age, the Magic Wand only emitted a wisp of black smoke.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
He leaned against the desk with one hand, coughing violently.
“Hahaha! Look at you. Do you still expect to lead the future of this Kingdom?”
The First Prince laughed and raised his longsword. “Enough talk. Give me your life!”
“From now on, I am the master of this Kingdom!”
The sword fell, and blood sprayed like a fountain.
This Kingdom was about to welcome a new era.
However…