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“DOCTOR ULYSSE, it’s been a long time. You look well,” said Olivia.
“It has been a while. I’m doing all right, despite neglecting my own health. All the doctors in the castle are unhealthy from lack of exercise. We’re just too busy for it.”
“Why don’t you sit down here?”
“Actually, I was hoping I could sit at the table in the kitchen.”
“What? But that’s sort of…”
“I can speak with you if I sit there. I can’t stay too long, after all.”
“Oh, I see. All right, then.”
The only customers in the restaurant were Ulysse and his driver, but it sounded like he wanted to talk to Olivia even while she was preparing his food.
“I’d like to order food for my driver, too,” he said as he sat at the table in the kitchen reserved for family. He glanced towards the corner as he did and saw Rob and Snow curled up sleeping in the box bed there. He smiled and said, “Oh, you have a cat too? Not just the dog.”
“Yes. I actually have two cats, but one went missing a few days ago. I’ve been so worried.”
“That is concerning.”
“I’m so worried about him that I can barely sleep. Well, here’s your soup of the day. It’s carrot, onion, and walnut potage.”
“It’s a beautiful color.”
“And tastes nice, too. Oh, by the way, Lara here, is planning on taking the apothecary exam next year. I’d appreciate it if you could show her the ropes if she passes,” said Olivia, indicating Lara.
“It’s nice to meet you, sir. My name’s Lara, and I’m studying for the exam right now.” She gave Ulysse a sunny smile and bowed.
After that, Olivia and Ulysse discussed medicine while she began carving the pork roast that was the day’s side for the soup. Her hands stopped midway though as Ulysse spoke.
“Your pets seem so happy,” he said. “You know, I saw a cat on the way here. It must’ve been living in the forest since there were no houses anywhere nearby. It only had one eye. The forest must be a cruel place to live.”
“Doctor Ulysse! That cat, what color was it? Was it black-and-white with a little brown mixed in?” asked Olivia.
“It did have a little brown, but it was mostly white and black.”
Olivia moved closer to Ulysse. He leaned away slightly, taken aback by how frantic she seemed. “On its face, did it have a mask split right in the middle?”
“Uh, yes, it did. Wait. Your cat that went missing, was it a black-and-white cat with one eye?”
“It was! Where did you see Dale?”
“It was about four hours ago, so over three miles away, just off the side of this road.”
Lara and Olivia looked at each other.
“Olivia, should I go? Or do you want to go?” asked Lara.
“I’ll go. I’m very sorry, Doctor Ulysse, but I have to go look for Dale.”
“What?” said Ulysse.
“Lara, I’m borrowing Greta.”
“Of course!”
“Wait! I’ll go too,” said Ulysse. “We’ll go in my carriage. I’ll show you where he was.”
“No, we might not see him from a carriage. I’m going on the horse. I’m sorry,” said Olivia.
Even so, Ulysse couldn’t bring himself to eat after that. He went to the driver and said, “I’m sorry, but please wait here. I’m taking a horse and going back up the road,” and then he left the restaurant.
He saddled a horse from the carriage, but Olivia was already far in the distance by the time he started riding. Well. Seems I’ll have some difficulty getting my opportunity to have a nice long conversation with Olivia.
He spurred his horse on after her, feeling disappointed over his poor luck. When he pulled up alongside her, he said, “Olivia. It’s quite a ways still until where the cat was.”
“I know. But Dale went missing five days ago. When I think of how hungry he must be…”
Ulysse casually rode on her left side. She looked at him, her emerald eyes misting and sparkling in the sunlight. The moment those eyes looked at him, Ulysse felt something grip his heart, painfully, almost, but he quickly reprimanded himself. Calm down. She’s married.
“I should have made him come back with me,” he said. “He sniffed me, and I gave him some bread, but he didn’t like it when I tried to pick him up.”
“Really? He’s normally so friendly. Maybe something bad happened to him.” Everything Ulysse said made her heart ache. Is this how human mothers feel about their children? she thought while scouring the sides of the road. She was determined not to miss him.
Ulysse eventually gave up trying to talk to Olivia and instead focused entirely on watching the left side of the road for Dale.
Several hours passed from when they left Soup Forest, and they’d returned to the spot where Ulysse saw Dale. They stopped their horses and searched the area.
“Dale! Dale! Where are you?” Olivia shouted.
“Come on out, One-Eye!”
Despite both of them calling, Dale didn’t come out.
“He probably got a lot closer to the restaurant after I saw him,” said Ulysse. “Maybe we missed him on the way here.”
“Yes. Let’s go back and search one more time. Oh, but you need to be getting back to the castle. We’ll manage here. I’m sorry you had to deal with this the one time you got to visit the restaurant.”
“It’s fine. I’ll help you search again. I’ll just tell my boss I developed a stomachache on the way and had to stop for a rest.”
Olivia wondered if it was all right for a doctor to use an excuse like that, but two sets of eyes would be better at spotting Dale than one, so she decided to take Ulysse up on his offer.
But they didn’t find Dale, not even by the time the sun began to set. Olivia took Ulysse back to the restaurant knowing he really should be leaving soon.