Reunion of a second chance

Chapter 9

"Miaow."

The Blind Concubine was shocked. He was now sure that he had not heard wrong and that there was indeed a cat somewhere on his little island.

What was the poor creature doing there? Had it perhaps gotten lost? Was it calling for help? He had once saved an abandoned kitty and had nursed it back to health. It had been The Blind Concubine's only companion aside for his servant for seven long years. Could it be that the history was repeating itself?

He started turning around, trying to pinpoint from which exact direction the miaowling was coming. He was excited as never before. He had longed for a cat ever since his own one had been poisoned.

The Blind Concubine knew fully well that he should not be hoping to keep the creature. It must have belonged to someone; it did not sound like it was in any kind of distress. Still, the Blind Concubine would perhaps be at least able to pet it before it would either run away or its owner would come looking for it.

A sudden sound of chime startled him a little. The Blind Concubine had all but forgotten that he had been waiting for Chime previously. He had gotten distracted by the miaowling.

"Miaow."

There it was again; the cat was getting closer. Now that the Blind Concubine was thinking about it, the sound came from the same direction from which Chime's steps were approaching.

"Chime, is that you?" asked the Blind Concubine just to be sure. He thought he would not confuse the steps of his new friend, but he would still always ask this question.

When he heard the answer being rang, he smiled and rejoiced: "Welcome back, Chime, I am so glad you are here."

The Blind Concubine was indeed overjoyed that Chime had once again come back. He had been looking forward to this very much. But first thing first, he could not see where the cat was, however, Chime would certainly be able to find it.

"Chime, do you see a cat around here? I have just heard it miaowling. What if the poor thing needs help? Can you please help me to look for it?"

There was no answer from Chime this time and the Blind Concubine was confused. Did Chime not hear him? Or did he not like cats and did not want to look for it?

Before the Blind Concubine could ask again, he felt that someone took his hand and let him back towards the house. He followed without protests. Nevertheless, it made him no less confused. He decided to continue with the conversation as soon as Chime would stop guiding him around.

Soon, he was sat down on his soft chair. He opened his mouth to inquire what was wrong with Chime. He however never got to say anything as there was a basket being pushed into his hands. The Blind Concubine was surprised but held it safely.

"Chime, what is this?" the Blind Concubine asked. He realized only after he had let the question out of his mouth that Chime was not able to answer. He had to reformulate his words so his friend could answer with a simple yes or no by ringing the bell.

Chime however seemed to have another idea. He pushed the basket closer to the Blind Concubine. Then, he lifted the Blind Concubine's hands to guide them towards the basket's lid. It was clear that he wanted the Blind Concubine to inspect the contents of the basket himself.

And so the Blind Concubine did. He carefully lifted the lid and reached inside. He did not even get to touch the soft fur of a cat when there was another miaowling sound. It came from his lap. There was a cat inside the basket!

The Blind Concubine could not keep himself from grinning happily. There was a cat with him, he could pet it and play with it for a while! Chime was such a great friend to bring it to him. He must have realized that the Blind Concubine loved cats from his previous ranting and had decided to bring him one.

The Blind Concubine immediately started petting the cat's fluffy fur. It must have been only a kitty because it was small and extremely soft to the touch. It reminded him of the first time he had held his late cat as a newly found orphan.

The Blind Concubine was grinning widely when the cat started purring contently under his careful fingers. He was over the moon with happiness.

"Thank you, Chime," he whispered. His voice broke down at the end of it, he was too emotional at the moment.

***

The Emperor was sitting on a chair and watching the Blind Concubine's content expression as he was petting the cat. The Emperor immediately knew that this had been the best decision he had taken in a long while.

The Blind Concubine seemed to love the cat he had brought for him. Hopefully now, the Blind Concubine would not worry about him all that much. He would have his hands full with taking care of the kitty.

Although the Emperor knew that the Blind Concubine would not be able to see it, he made sure to acquire a cat which looked the same as the one the Blind Concubine used to have. In this way, the Emperor was honouring the cat which gave up its life for the Blind Concubine when the Emperor's mother had tried to poison him. The cat had saved him at that time by eating the poisoned food before the Blind Concubine took a bite.

The Emperor knew that he was acting hypocritically. He should not be seeking redemption in this sneaky way. He should face the Blind Concubine head on and admit his mistakes.

He should tell the Blind Concubine that he was not 'Chime' but the Emperor. He should apologize for taking away his sight those many years ago. He should admit that he was in love with the Blind Concubine and should ask him what he thought about him.

But the Emperor could not bring himself to do any of those. He was a coward, he had to admit that. He was terrified of losing the closeness he had managed to build with the Blind Concubine again. Just like before; he had already pretended to be someone else in the past and it had hurt the Blind Concubine very much to discover his true identity.

The Emperor was scared that the history would repeat itself. He would not be able to bear the pain of the Blind Concubine's rejection again. And so he kept quiet.

Just as per usual, he could only bite his own lips in order not to open his mouth when the Blind Concubine started asking him how the cat looked and where it came from. It was so hard to just answer with simply ringing the chime.

But for the Blind Concubine's happiness, he would endure. The Emperor did not want to see the Blind Concubine broken by him ever again.

When it was time for the Emperor to go back to the palace, the Blind Concubine tried to return the basket with the cat to him. The Emperor had previously wondered why the Blind Concubine had not taken the cat out of it but now he understood. The Blind Concubine did not want the cat to run away because he thought that the Emperor only brought it over for a while.

The Emperor rung the chime to show his refusal. He pushed the basket which was being handed back to him to the Blind Concubine's arms again. He had brought the cat for him, how else could he show that the cat was to remain with the Blind Concubine?

For several seconds, this kind of a pushing war continued. Then, the kitty stood up inside the basket and leaned over the rim to lick the Blind Concubine's hand. The Emperor used this opportunity to once again nudge the Blind Concubine to show him to keep the basket.

Luckily, it seemed like this was all that the Blind Concubine needed to accept that he could keep the cat. He brought the basket even closer to his chest and tried to give a small bow of gratitude.

"Thank you, Chime. You cannot even imagine how much this means to me. Thank you."

The Emperor helped the Blind Concubine straighten up. There were tears in the Blind Concubine's eyes. They were tears of happiness as he gently petted the head of the cat which was still looking out of the basked and nudging at his fingers.

For the first time in a long while, the Emperor felt like everything would be just fine. There was a genuine smile on his lips that surprised even him. He felt like if he continued to win the Blind Concubine over with small things, perhaps it would not be such a blow when he would reveal his identity as the Emperor.