Chapter 84

That day, Mary stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and smiled at her long, silver hair that swayed softly. She had been freed from the tyranny of her tight pigtails for some time now, and there were still many hairstyles she wanted to try. The list of hairstyles she secretly wrote down and hid in the back of her desk was far from complete; she had only tried a third of them.

As if understanding Mary's feelings, the maid also smiled and, comb in hand, asked, "What would you like today?"

"Loose and flowing, please. Like this, fluffy and soft around my chest!"

"Yes, fluffy. Understood."

"Not drill-like, but fluffy!"

"Yes, I'll make it the fluffiest!"

The maid's voice brightened as she responded to Mary's enthusiastic hairstyle request. The maid began to comb Mary's hair, and Mary closed her eyes in contentment, gently stroking the cat that had been sitting on the dresser.

Suddenly, a strange scratching sound interrupted their conversation. They both turned to see a cat outside the window, scratching at the glass as if asking to be let in. Mary stood up and opened the window to let the cat in.

"There you are again."

The cat entered the room with a swish of its tail, which was long and white, almost fluffy like a cloud. The first time Mary saw this cat, it was napping and so still that she momentarily wondered if it was a pile of fur.

"As a noble lady, you should have an attendant when you go out."

She scolded the cat playfully, picked it up, and returned to the maid. She placed the cat on the dresser and sat down in the chair. "You've been visiting a lot lately," the maid said as she combed Mary's hair. Mary narrowed her eyes in pleasure and stroked the cat in front of her. The cat belonged to a friend of hers, a noble girl who had once boasted about its rare breed and high price. It seemed to have a wide range, often visiting the Albert household.

The cat's fur was so soft, like petting a cloud. Mary noticed that some of the fur was curled. Perhaps the cat had wavy hair, or maybe it was just bedhead. Seeing this, Mary had an idea and smiled.

"As a noble lady, it's unthinkable to show bedhead."

She playfully poked the cat's nose. The cat, being friendly, didn't flinch and even licked its nose with a pink tongue. Mary couldn't help but smile at the adorable sight.

"…Is it a girl?"

She lifted the fluffy tail to check. Confirming that it was indeed a female, she said, "Excuse me," and put the tail back.

She then began to comb the cat's white, fluffy fur with a comb from the dresser. The cat's fur was beautifully curled on the sides, a result of Mary's and the maid's collaborative effort. The cat remained calm throughout, even purring with pleasure.

Mary's hair, as requested, was loose and flowing, with no hint of the usual pigtails. It was neither straight nor wavy, just perfectly loose. The cat in her arms, with its perfectly curled side fur, purred contentedly.

As Mary left the room with the cat, Adi, who had been waiting, bowed respectfully.

"Good morning, Adi."

"Good morning, my lady…"

"Adi?"

Mary looked up at Adi curiously, but he didn't respond, his rust-colored eyes fixed on the cat in her arms. The cat, with its blue eyes, looked back at Adi and meowed.

Adi bowed again, more formally, and said, "Good morning, Lady Mary Nialbert."

"You… decide by the curl of the fur…?"

Mary started to protest but stopped herself. "It's fine, let's go with it…" she said, giving Adi a look.

Adi's expression showed concern, thinking she would yell. "You're not stopping me!?" his face seemed to say. Mary chuckled in response.

"…My lady, Alicia and Lord Patrick are here to visit."

Adi, unable to back down, spoke to the cat in Mary's arms. The cat's fluffy tail swished, and Mary (human) set the cat down. The cat walked ahead, as if saying, "Let's go," with its tail swaying elegantly. Adi followed, acting like a proper attendant.

"By the way, my lady, Lord Patrick… is it my lady?"

Adi approached the cat and lifted its tail to confirm. "Lord Patrick wants to talk to you," he said.

"Meow."

"Yes, I've already given him the documents."

Mary (human) watched this exchange, a few steps behind, remaining silent. After all, Mary was already walking in front of Adi.

As they approached the front door, Alicia and Patrick were waiting, holding hands. They were a beautiful and affectionate couple. While it might seem a bit too intimate given their status, it was a common sight in the Albert household, and no one paid it much mind.

When they noticed Mary and Adi, they turned to greet them.

"Mary!"

" Alicia, don't run."

Patrick pulled Alicia back by their linked hands as she tried to run over. Adi greeted them and picked up the cat.

"Adi, who is this cat?"

"My lady, it's Alicia and Lord Patrick. You should greet them."

Adi shook the cat in his arms, and the cat swished its tail in response. Alicia and Patrick were surprised but smiled when they noticed the cat's curled fur. Alicia curtsied elegantly to the cat.

"Good morning, Lady Mary."

The cat swished its tail again. Patrick followed suit, and the cat meowed adorably in response.

"This Mary has a great personality," Mary (human) observed, noting how the cat greeted Patrick by touching noses.

They enjoyed tea in the courtyard, chatting about various topics, from a new cake shop to national politics, from the perfect croquette frying to international relations. The conversation was wide-ranging, perhaps too wide-ranging.

The cat, sitting on the table, suddenly dipped its paw into the cup. It pulled out its white paw, now wet, and licked it. It repeated this, dipping its paw, licking the water, and dipping again.

"Truly, my lady, you have the most elegant table manners."

Adi, wiping the wet table, commented. Alicia agreed, smiling at the cat.

"Indeed, Lady Mary is the most elegant and ladylike…"

Alicia lifted the cat's tail to confirm and then finished, "…and ladylike, it's wonderful!"

The cat huffed, as if to say, "Of course." It then meowed at Patrick, clearly demanding something. "This Mary is quite cunning," Mary (human) observed, noting how the cat only meowed at Patrick but only wagged its tail at Alicia.

Patrick, understanding the cat's request, chuckled and reached out to pet it.

"Truly, Mary, no lady can match you. If I hadn't met Alicia, I would have chosen you as my wife without hesitation…"

As he spoke, he reached for the cat's tail. The cat meowed to stop him, and he quickly retracted his hand.

"Oops, my apologies."

He petted the cat's head instead, and it purred contentedly, closing its blue eyes. When Alicia tried to pet the cat, it pushed her hand away, clearly seeing her as a rival. Alicia, looking sad, stroked the cat's tail, the only part it allowed her to touch.

As the pleasant time came to an end, they all stood up. Patrick had a meeting with Mary's father, the head of the Albert household, and Alicia had a dance lesson at the palace. Both were quite busy, and Mary (human) almost said, "If you're busy, you don't have to come," but held her tongue. The cat, as if sensing her thoughts, swatted Alicia's hand with its tail.

"I'll come back when Lord Patrick returns, Lady Mary!"

Alicia said cheerfully, and the cat swished its tail in response.

"Mary, let's have tea again when you have time. There's a dish I want to show you, and it might be presented abroad."

Patrick, covering the cat's head with his hand, said, and the cat meowed adorably, pushing its head against his hand for more pets.

The two left, chuckling at the cat's obvious affection. Mary (cat) and Adi were left behind, with Mary (human) watching from a distance.

But the cat seemed to have its own plans. It glanced at them and walked away, its fluffy tail swaying elegantly.

Mary (human) and Adi sighed as they watched the cat leave.

"So, what did you want to say?"

"I apologize. Please be more proactive in the future."

"You're the only one who can stop her," Adi said, bowing. Mary (human) sighed and shrugged.

If she had a silver tail, she would have swished it dramatically.

This story was meant to be written on February 22nd.

I'm obsessed with cat collecting.