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“Sir Kain, please stand back just in case!”
As instructed by Lu, I moved to the corner of the room.
Is this real life? I wondered, watching the scene unfold before my eyes.
To be honest, when I was carrying the unconscious Felix back to the Leeuwenhoek manor...in the back of my mind, I thought he was done for.
I mean, wasn’t he? I’d realized instantly that his mana was rapidly being depleted, but I knew there was no way to replenish it. Anyone who tried would turn into a mummy. Even so, I would’ve been fine with sacrificing myself so that he could live on, but I didn’t have nearly enough mana to save him.
My thoughts had been so jumbled that I hadn’t been able to tell if what I had been feeling was sadness or despair.
Felix is going to die? Truly?
I was powerless. There was nothing I could do.
But that girl, Lu, flashed me a smile as she held Felix’s hand. She had taken off his special gloves—which he never removed in the presence of others because he was afraid of accidentally draining their mana—to touch his skin directly.
How was she not running out of mana? Was there really that much stored inside that small, delicate frame?
I’d been on standby, ready to yank her away from Felix even if it meant turning into a mummy myself, but instead, I found myself with nothing to do but stare at her in fascination. How could I not? What she was doing was impossible. Anyone who attempted it was supposed to get drained dry.
However, the woman in front of me seemed neither tired nor in pain. In fact, she remained perfectly calm, speaking to Felix gently as if she were comforting a sulking child.
“Hang in there, Lord Felix,” she said.
“Meooow.”
“Mreeeow.”
And...for some reason, she was surrounded by cats that were meowing along as if to help her encourage Felix.
“Don’t give in, Lord Felix.”
“Mew!”
“Meeeow.”
This should’ve been a tense scene, with the pressure of all that was riding on this, but somehow, it was relaxing instead. Also, upon closer inspection, the cats probably weren’t actually cheering Felix on; they were just reacting happily to the sound of Lu’s gentle voice.
Adding to the absurdity of the sight was the faint light radiating from Lu as she transferred her mana to Felix. This aura of light expanded from her before dividing into small, warm, glowing orbs, which floated in the air like soap bubbles and then faded away.
Some of the cats playfully pawed at the motes of light, while others purred and remained curled up near Lu as if they found the glow surrounding her more comfortable.
It was like a scene out of a fairy tale.
This makes no sense. How can she be so popular with cats?
I recalled a time I’d accompanied Felix to the detached house for one of his stealthy checkups. We’d come across a pile of cats, and just as I’d been wondering why they were there, I’d spotted Lu sleeping underneath them.
What was up with that? Like, I didn’t understand why she was covered in cats, but also, why was a noble lady from a powerful family fine with sleeping outside on the ground? Wasn’t she the prince’s fiancée? Didn’t the rumors say she was foolish, arrogant, and despicable? Who in the world thought that would be convincing?
Also, why was Felix stupid enough to believe those rumors? Just one look at the girl and you’d know they were bogus. I only took them seriously because he did!
“Don’t worry, Lord Felix,” Lu whispered. “You’ll soon be freed from your curse.”
Her words, which sounded like a prophecy, gave me a start.
“After your curse is broken, you’ll meet your fated heroine and live happily ever after,” she continued, oblivious to my reaction. “So there’s no need to be afraid.”
His fated heroine? What did Lu mean by that? She’d said it so nonchalantly that I wondered if perhaps there actually hadn’t been much thought behind the statement at all.
But the way she’d phrased those words stood out to me. She’d said he would meet his fated heroine, discounting her already-acquainted self from a romantic relationship with him.
Felix, you idiot. I told you you’d regret it. Wake up already so you can see that you were wrong and work your ass off to rectify your mistake.
Also...if you ask me, Lu is Felix’s fated heroine.
After some time, Felix slowly opened his eyes.
Ha ha. She really did save him like it was nothing.
Felix gave Lu’s hand a light squeeze. “Lucille,” he said in a raspy voice. “I could hear you the entire time.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh my, you’re already awake? Aw, I guess transferring a lot of mana won’t make you fat after all.”
“Uh...I train a lot, so I don’t gain weight easily.”
The situation was so ridiculous that I couldn’t help but mutter to myself, quietly enough that they couldn’t hear me, “That’s the first conversation you have when he wakes up? Are you guys stupid?”
But hey, at least something had changed. There was an intensity in Felix’s eyes when he looked at Lu that hadn’t been there before. Actually, it probably had been, but he’d concealed it until now. In other words, he’d stopped trying to hide it.
“Well, he’s clearly conscious of it these days,” I murmured. “Maybe he’s finally realizing how he feels about her? Time to get to work, buddy.”
When Lu let go of Felix’s hand, the cats lounging around her promptly stirred and stood to bid for her attention.
Seriously, this makes no sense. Why do cats like her so much? I heard the horses really took a shine to her too.
And, Felix, are those envious eyes of yours directed at Lu who’s being swarmed by cats? Or at the cats who get to swarm around Lu?
“Man, he’s got a long road ahead of him.”
Still, I couldn’t help but smile as I watched the two of them.