Chapter 65: The Lingering Ache and a Familiar Departure

The following morning, Eileen awoke to a persistent ache in her backside.

Despite pondering through the entire night, she still couldn’t fathom what she might have done to displease Faltis.

Every word she had uttered the previous day had come from the depths of her heart.

Could it be that correctly divining Faltis’s thoughts had somehow caused her irritation?

After all, Eileen had often heard tales from her time in the Empire: servants, especially before their masters, were sometimes better off not being *too* clever, lest they incur the displeasure of their young lady or lord.

This, she surmised, must be the reason.

Alas, the enigma remained unsolved.

Eileen rose. Though her bottom still throbbed, she knew she had to prepare breakfast for Faltis.

“Eileen.”

“What is it, Lady Faltis?” Eileen pulled up her slipping shoulder strap as she approached Faltis.

By now, Eileen had a general understanding of the emotions each form of address conveyed from Faltis.

‘Eileen’ was a normal address.

‘Little maid’ was a warning that trouble was imminent.

‘Xiao Ai’ was still somewhat unclear, as it wasn’t typically used. Perhaps it signaled great happiness?

“I’ll be embarking on a long journey shortly.” Faltis had already put away the documents, seemingly having finished organizing them.

“Is it the matter you mentioned needing to attend to earlier?” Eileen inquired.

Faltis had spoken of an upcoming trip when Eileen had risen to go to Gran Town.

“Indeed.” Faltis nodded.

Eileen had previously assumed that Faltis had already handled it.

“It seems, Lady Faltis, you believed I could resolve the matter in just one day?”

“Who knows?” The faint smile playing on Faltis’s lips betrayed her inner thoughts.

Eileen truly felt as if Faltis had her completely figured out.

“Then, do you require me to pack any luggage for you?” Eileen asked.

Faltis shook her head, gazing out the window where the sun had just peeked over the mountain. “No need. I’m simply visiting a friend’s home. It will likely take about half a month.”

“Half a month? Is it regarding the Celestial Illusion Isle?”

“Yes. For these two weeks, I entrust the Golden Dragon Sanctuary to you,” Faltis stated.

“I understand.” Eileen nodded.

“Don’t miss me too much, darling. If you do, I might even permit you to sleep in my bed. I wouldn’t mind.”

Sleep, sleep, sleep! Eileen’s bottom was practically blooming with pain; she needed to concoct more medicine in the infirmary. How could she possibly be in the mood for sleep?

It seemed she would need to keep a steady supply of that medicine from now on.

Who knew when Faltis might suddenly decide to give her a few more smacks?

“When do you plan to depart, Lady Faltis?” Eileen asked.

“Right now. I’ll likely return in about half a month. Understood?”

“Yes, I know.”

Eileen watched Faltis depart.

No matter how many times she saw it, that golden figure remained utterly magnificent—though, of course, this was only true when Faltis stepped outside her comfort zone.

****

After Faltis left, Eileen gathered the items from the bed for washing and began tidying the room.

She picked up a corner of a cup and lightly flicked it.

“…”

It hurt!

Rather than cleaning, Eileen’s first priority should have been to address the issue of her aching backside.

Eileen skillfully retrieved the medicinal herbs, ground them into a powder, and applied them to her bottom.

This time, Eileen prepared several extra portions, just in case.

As Eileen finished tidying the bottles and jars and stepped out of the infirmary, a black cat suddenly appeared at her feet.

The cat affectionately rubbed against Eileen’s leg.

Eileen crouched down, stroking its head. “Where have you been all this time? I haven’t seen you around.”

“Meow~”

Indeed. How could a cat that hadn’t evolved into human form answer Eileen’s question? It probably didn’t even understand what Eileen was saying.

However, creatures living in dragon territory usually evolved quickly. Yet, this particular cat had seemingly remained unchanged throughout the five years Eileen had been here, showing no significant difference.

Eileen picked up the cat, and it naturally leaped onto her shoulder.

“No, you can’t.” Eileen gently placed the kitten down. “I need to clean Lady Faltis’s room now, so you can’t come along. Just wait for me in our usual spot.”

Eileen wasn’t sure if the cat understood her, but the little feline didn’t follow, instead bounding away with playful hops.

Eileen rolled up her sleeves, using both hands and feet to swiftly clean the house until it was spotless.

No one would ever guess that a fierce battle had taken place there the previous night.

After completing her chores, Eileen went to the kitchen and prepared some dried fish.

She walked to the pavilion in the back garden, where the little cat was already sprawled on the table.

Eileen scooped up the cat and gave it a vigorous rub!

The cat protested with a “Meow!” but it was futile.

It was just like when Eileen pleaded on the bed; she could scream all she wanted, but whether Faltis stopped depended entirely on her mood.

However, Eileen wasn’t too excessive. After a short rubbing session, she placed the cat on the table and pulled dried fish from her pocket to feed it.

“Lady Faltis has gone out again, for half a month this time,” Eileen said, gently stroking the cat’s small head.

“Speaking of which, are you perhaps afraid of Lady Faltis?” Eileen recalled that the cat only seemed to appear when Faltis was away on a long trip.

At this, the cat seemed to understand, nodding its head.

Perhaps it was more afraid of other dragons. After all, dragons certainly wouldn’t favor such a weak creature, not even deeming it worthy of being a pet. But for Eileen, she simply couldn’t resist such an adorable little one.

This was likely why this little creature had managed to survive in the Golden Dragon Sanctuary for so long.

After all, who would dare harm something Eileen cherished?

The cat seemed quite pleased with Eileen’s ministrations, lazily stretching out on the table.

As Eileen continued stroking, her hand inadvertently brushed its small belly.

The cat seemed startled, leaping up instantly.

“What’s wrong?”

“Meow!” The kitten looked a little bristly.

“Still don’t like your tummy being touched, just like before,” Eileen chuckled. “I thought after all this time, you might let me.”

Eileen held out a dried fish as an apology.

Come to think of it, Eileen hadn’t visited her teacher in a while.

Good! She would take this opportunity to go see the old woman.

“I have some matters to attend to, so don’t run off anywhere, okay? Otherwise, there’ll be fur everywhere, and it’s a hassle to clean up.” Eileen rose.

“Meow~” The kitten seemed reluctant for Eileen to leave.

“Alright, I really do have things to do. How about I bring you some treats when I get back?” After playing with it for a few more minutes, the cat finally, reluctantly, allowed Eileen to depart.

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