As soon as we stepped into the garden, the steward suddenly threw himself to the ground and banged his head with a loud thud.
“I deeply apologize, Lady Sabina!”
His voice rang out so loudly it echoed.
Gone was the arrogant man who always looked down on my sister.
‘Wow.’
Looks like Adrian did a good job straightening things out?
I swished my tail cheerfully and watched the scene unfold with amusement.
Meanwhile, my sister Sabina looked surprised at the steward’s sudden behavior, but soon regained her calm and stared coldly at the man bowing at her feet.
“All the disrespect I showed until now, the supplies I siphoned off—it was all my fault.”
The steward kept banging his forehead against the ground in remorse.
“Please, forgive me just this once…”
What would my sister say?
I perked up my ears.
That’s the advantage of being a cat—my hearing is so good, I can pick up conversations from a distance.
Sabina looked down at him in silence and took a deep breath.
Then, a firm voice escaped her lips.
“Does this man… really feel sorry for what he did to me?”
The steward flinched.
My sister continued in a calm, detached tone.
“Probably not. He’s just scared of the Church’s hero—and of the Duke of Valencia.”
“L-Lady Sabina!”
The steward tried to plead again, but she firmly shook her head.
“That’s why… I don’t want to forgive him either.”
Adrian looked at my sister with sympathy, then nodded in agreement.
“Alright. Do as you wish.”
“Second Young Master…?”
The steward’s jowls quivered.
His eyes, filled with desperation as he looked up at Adrian, were clouded with deep fear.
“Please, my lord!”
“In any case, this man’s actions also harmed the House of Valencia.”
Adrian promptly declared,
“I’ll handle his punishment myself.”
The steward tried to grab at Adrian’s pants, but Adrian moved faster.
He calmly interrupted the man’s desperate plea.
“Don’t worry too much. I’ll make sure your punishment is fair and just.”
He was probably trying to make things easier for my sister—deciding how to punish someone can be tough.
Maybe sensing that kindness, Sabina smiled softly for the first time.
“Mm. Thank you.”
And so, the steward was dragged out of the mansion.
My sister, Adrian, and I gathered in the living room.
“Myaa.”
Long time no see, Adrian.
I hopped up onto his lap with all the affection I could muster.
He chuckled and scratched my chin gently.
“How have you been, May?”
I couldn’t help but purr with contentment.
As I basked in his petting, suddenly—
“Once again, I sincerely apologize, Sabina.”
Adrian put his hand down and apologized solemnly.
“I was careless. I should’ve been more vigilant and made sure this never happened.”
“…It’s fine.”
My sister stared at him for a moment.
Then she turned her head away abruptly.
Though… she kept sneaking glances at him from the corner of her eye.
Really now, could she be more obvious?
“More importantly, how are you feeling?”
“Hm?”
“You’re still not fully recovered. You need to be careful.”
“Oh, I’m fi—”
Adrian stopped mid-sentence.
He glanced nervously at Sabina and said in a weak voice,
“…Actually, I think I might have a bit of a headache?”
“What? A headache?!”
Startled, Sabina immediately grabbed his wrist.
She poured magical energy into him and carefully examined his body.
After a long while—
“Your aura flow is perfectly fine. Your aura heart is stable too.”
She spoke with a puzzled tone.
“It doesn’t seem aura-related… so maybe it’s something else—”
Then she stopped mid-sentence, going completely silent.
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“Wait… are you faking it?”
“F-Faking?!”
Adrian tried to act innocent, but his body gave him away.
He averted his eyes and awkwardly petted my back, trying to change the subject.
Sabina’s expression grew sharper by the second.
Then—
“Ugh, I can’t believe you!”
Smack!
She slapped his back hard.
“Ah!”
Adrian exaggerated his pain.
But Sabina didn’t stop and gave him another sharp smack.
“You scared me half to death! That’s not something to joke about!”
Smack, smack!
The sound of her hitting him echoed clearly.
At first, Adrian kept playing it up, but eventually his cries became more genuine.
“Sabina, wait—seriously, that hurts! Ow!”
But I saw it.
The wide smile he failed to hide on his lips.
‘Well, it seems like everything turned out okay, right?’
I purred contentedly.
At the time, we really thought the problem had been solved…
—
Meanwhile—
In the Valencia ducal estate’s medical office…
The family doctor sat at his desk, unable to hide his grim expression.
“Damn it all.”
He clutched his forehead and gritted his teeth.
“I can’t even handle something this simple properly…”
Until now, the doctor had been secretly siphoning off supplies meant for Sabina by using the stewards.
But all schemes leave traces.
Adrian had uncovered the trail.
Because Adrian had acted so discreetly, the doctor hadn’t even had time to react.
And now, the supplies hidden in the storage had become evidence. There was no way out.
If only he’d known ahead of time—he could’ve hidden the goods!
“This is all… that damn girl Sabina’s fault.”
Bang!!
The doctor slammed his fist on the table.
Adrian had once been a loyal warrior of the Regalis Church, never one to go against them.
But ever since he met Sabina, that had changed.
“She doesn’t know her place…”
He cursed under his breath, but then his eyes gleamed suddenly.
“Looks like a poisonous weed is growing near our dear hero.”
And to get rid of poison, sometimes harsh medicine is needed.
A sinister smile crept onto the doctor’s lips.
—
It had been about a month since Adrian forced the steward to kneel before my sister.
Since then, we’d received an abundance of supplies.
Even rare herbs needed for studying monsters were delivered without issue, which made Sabina genuinely happy.
But that didn’t last.
“Why hasn’t Adrian come by?”
My sister muttered anxiously, staring out the window.
It was true.
Adrian, who used to visit so often it wore out the doorstep, hadn’t shown up once in two weeks.
At first, we thought it was because of their argument.
But I helped them make up, didn’t I?
Besides, it was about time Adrian received his nex
t round of treatment.
I was just starting to worry and stare out the window myself when—
Ding, ding-a-ling—
The warding spell chimed again.
As if signaling the approach of something ominous.
My sister and I stiffened, slowly turning to face the door.
