* * *
It had been a long journey from the main residence to the villa. We left in the morning and only arrived in the evening. Nearly eleven hours by carriage, including several stops to rest and recharge.
Maybe that's why I felt so exhausted and fell asleep again.
When I opened my eyes, a skinny little black kitten was lying in front of me. It still hadn't regained consciousness.
'Just how bad is its condition that it still hasn't woken up...'
I got up from bed and called for a maid.
A short while later, the maid came in and prepared my bath.
After bathing, I had breakfast in my room.
Katelyn and Sophia came in, bringing with them the gifts we had received from the servants at the main residence.
"My lady, shall we open the gifts now?" Katelyn asked, her tone full of excitement, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"Okay, let's start with yours."
Katelyn clasped her hands together in delight and gave me a look that said, Really? Can I? with those twinkling eyes of hers again.
'It's because you're looking at me like that.'
I chuckled, and Katelyn eagerly began unwrapping her gift.
It was a fine bar of soap, along with handwritten letters—I think from all the servants back at the main residence.
'Wow, no wonder it was in such a big box.'
I looked on, completely in awe. Katelyn had already begun reading the letters.
She had only opened two, yet her eyes were already welling up with tears.
"Waahh, everyone!!"
She burst into tears. I handed her a handkerchief.
While wiping her eyes, she said,
"This won't do. My lady, I'll read the rest in my room. It's too much... sob."
"Haha, alright," I chuckled and gave her a small nod.
Sophia just laughed at her reaction.
"Now then! Let's open Mrs. Sophia's gift!" Katelyn said excitedly.
Sophia began unwrapping the gift, then opened the box inside.
Similar to Katelyn's, there was a stack of letters, though this one included a tea set instead.
'Well, it's no surprise. After all, most of the servants know how much Sophia loves tea.'
"I'll read the letters in my room as well. Now, let's open your gift, my lady."
I gulped. Then slowly began unwrapping mine.
It was a framed painting of all the staff from the residence—with me, Katelyn, and Sophia at the center. And, of course, letters as well.
Tears welled up in my eyes.
"When did they even have time to prepare this..."
Sophia and Katelyn were also teary-eyed, gently patting my shoulder.
"It must've cost quite a bit to hire a painter. But still, why would they... hic..."
I couldn't hold back my tears. Sophia and Katelyn hugged me, their warm smiles shining through even as their eyes glistened.
I imagined the effort it must've taken—each servant probably visited the painter one by one to have their face sketched, before it was all brought together into this single frame.
I was overwhelmed with joy. Even though I no longer received warmth from my family, the time I spent at the main residence felt precious and unforgettable.
I hugged the frame to my chest, smiling from the heart.
* * *
Three days had passed since we arrived at the villa.
Every day, the physician would come to check on the kitten. But it still hadn't regained consciousness.
I looked at the kitten again today.
'Isn't it hungry...'
After finishing my breakfast, I stood and walked over to it.
Squatting down, I rested my face on the edge of the bed, staring at the kitten with intense focus.
'No matter how I look at it, it seems malnourished. No wonder it caught hypothermia.'
As if they sensed something was wrong, Fay and Joey appeared out of nowhere. They said,
— "Should we try healing it, Master?" asked Fay.
"What? How?"
— "Do you remember when we told you we had certain powers? Including healing?"
Right. After going over the whole thing between Simon and Carlos, and then talking about the Viscount's family situation, we also discussed the butterfly spirits' powers and something called mana.
"I remember. Didn't you say my mana wasn't stable enough at the time?"
— "That's true. Back then, you couldn't control your mana flow, and we were afraid to stay in our spirit forms for too long," Fay replied.
— "But if it's just a small healing, it shouldn't drain you too much," Joey added.
"Really? Then let's do it."
I wasn't sure why, but we were all deeply worried about the kitten. If it stayed unconscious and went too long without eating, things could get bad.
— "Then close your eyes and try to connect with us. Steady your breathing and clear your mind. Focus on the bond between us, and let your mana flow outward until it reaches us. Once we feel it flowing through us, we'll begin the healing."
I followed Fay's instructions and focused on channeling my mana from my mana heart to my spirits, Fay and Joey.
As I began transferring mana, a butterfly symbol appeared on my forehead.
Once my mana reached them, they fluttered over and landed gently on the kitten's body.
Flash!
A brilliant light shone as soon as they made contact, enveloping the kitten in the glow of our healing mana.
After a few seconds, the light gradually faded. Once it was completely gone, Fay and Joey flew back to me, and we all watched the kitten closely.
It was incredible! Its wounds had healed, its once-thin body now had a little more flesh, and its cold body had warmed up.
I smiled in relief—but felt a bit dizzy. Probably because this was the first time I had used my powers on something.
— "Master, are you alright?" Fay asked, her voice laced with concern.
"I'm fine. Just a little dizzy. Don't worry," I answered.
— "Considering this is your first time using spiritual power, only getting dizzy is practically a miracle, Master," Fay said, her wings shimmering faintly with quiet amusement.
— "Exactly! Given how small your body is, we honestly thought you'd faint for 10 to 20 minutes. As expected, our Master really is something!" said Joey gleefully.
"Hehehe..." I scratched my cheek, blushing in embarrassment.
I turned back to the kitten and narrowed my eyes slightly—almost like I was trying to signal it. Whether it was my healing power or just the intensity of my glare, the kitten, who hadn't looked like it would be waking anytime soon, suddenly twitched… then slowly opened its eyes.
Its eyes shimmered gold—absolutely stunning and mesmerizing. I couldn't look away.
As I stared in awe, the kitten locked eyes with me, its wide-open gaze filled with confusion. And then suddenly—
"Hsss!"
It hissed and backed away like it was defending itself.
Startled, I jumped up like an idiot, arms crossed over my chest like a makeshift shield—elbows out, legs spread, like I was about to block a punch.
The kitten froze and gave me a look that said, What's with that ridiculous pose?
"..."
"Oh, ah, um... sorry, sorry. Your eyes were just so pretty, I got a bit carried away... ahem."
I straightened up and cleared my throat awkwardly.
"How are you feeling?"
I slowly approached the kitten.
"Hssss!"
It hissed again, and my steps came to a halt.
'I've never taken care of an animal before... What do I do...'
Crying internally, I had no idea what to do. So I sat down at the edge of the bed and started talking to it.
"Um... we found you passed out in the middle of the road. You had some injuries too. The physician said you had hypothermia."
I hesitated a little, then continued, looking at the kitten,
"So, um... I guess that means you're past the critical stage now."
"..."
"Ha, haha... What am I doing. Talking to a kitten."
I laughed at myself, feeling a little down as I realized how odd it was to be talking to a kitten that couldn't even understand human language.
I figured Fay and Joey must've gone back after seeing the kitten wake up, probably worried that maintaining their spirit forms would drain my mana further.
Meanwhile, the kitten just stared at me in silence, as if trying to figure out whether I was friend or foe. Honestly, I had no idea what that gaze meant.
"Anyway! Since you're awake now, you have to eat!"
I stood and rang the bell. A maid promptly arrived.
"You called, my lady?"
"Yes. Please prepare some food for this kitten. Make sure it's the most nutritious you've got!"
"Understood."
After the maid left, I sat back down and said,
"Hey, little kitty. Do you have a name?"
"..."
"Let's just assume you don't, haha."
Once again, I felt embarrassed. My face turned red, realizing how silly I must have looked talking to a cat like this.
But I kept going anyway.
"You're a boy, right? How about... hmm... Javier?"
The kitten tilted its head slightly.
"Javier... Javi..." I murmured.
"Alright! From now on, your name is Javi! Let's get along, Javi!" I let out a soft chuckle and smiled brightly.
Javi. It felt like the perfect name for his fresh start. I hoped he would make happy memories here, and let go of whatever pain he'd been through.
The little kitten just watched me from where it had retreated—at the edge of the bed near the bedside table across from me.
Knock knock.
"My lady, the food is ready."
"Thank you."
I took Javi's dish and placed it on the dining table. Then I turned to look at him. He flinched at my gaze, hesitating.
"Javiii~ Time to eat! C'mere, sweet boy. Come on, let's get you fed."
He averted his gaze with a twitch, like my over-the-top behavior made him secondhand embarrassed.
"Javi~ Come on."
"Javii~" I kept trying.
"Javiiii~"
On the fourth call, he finally turned to me and slowly walked over to the table.
I beamed, hands clasped together, mouth open with joy.
Once he climbed onto the table, the skinny kitten looked at me hesitantly before finally taking a bite of the meat.
His eyes widened at the first taste, as if shocked—like he'd just discovered flavor for the first time.
I rested my head in my hand, elbow on the table.
"Good, right?"
Then he dug in eagerly, finishing the entire plate.
"Hehe," I giggled softly, happy to see him eating so well.
"There's still another plate. Help yourself."
I kept watching him eat with a smile on my face.
'He's so cute.'
Once Javi finished all his food, his belly now plump, I reached out my hand.
This time, he didn't resist. He placed his tiny paws on my hand, as if to say thank you.
I gently stroked his cheek with my finger.
For the first time, we both felt the bond forming between us.
I smiled brightly, shaking his paw with excitement.