Max turned her head to the sound of loud knocking against the door. She was exhausted from last night, reviewing magic formulas until her eyes were bloodshot. She was all bundled up in a duvet like a cocooned caterpillar and was dazed for a moment. Then, she weakly rolled up the thick curtains. The bright sunlight struck her eyes. The sun is already up in the sky. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and groaned. As if the guest who was knocking on her door could not be more impatient, the knocks grew louder. She stood up wobbly and stuttered.
“W-wait a minute!”
However, the ratty knocking did not cease for a moment. Max quickly pulled her slippers from under the bed, wore them, and ran to open the door. Miriam’s aggravated face came to sight.
“Didn’t I warn you already that if this frigging beast crawls into my lab again, I’ll skin it alive?”
She growled and waved the black cat to Max’s face. Max exclaimed as she felt all the drowsiness slip away. “Roy!”
Miriam was holding the cat by its neck, away from her to avoid its paws. Roy let out a pitiful cry but the evil witch did not even blink an eye.
“D-don’t hold him like that!” Max jumped to retrieve her own pitiful cat. “Give it… to me! S-stop being so mean to it!”
“And what about the meanness of this damned brat? Have you seen what he has done to my lab?”
Miriam stood on her toes to place her hand on top of Max’s head to push her down and she grew red at the blatant insult on her height. Miriam, who was much taller and had long limbs, always used that method on her. Max shook Miriam’s hand away and stared defiantly at her.
“It’s because Mi-Miriam’s pet, Peori, keeps teasing Roy! That little fly-like creature was the one to taunt Roy first…”
“And so? Are you saying that it was deserving for this ball of hair to run wild in my lab?”
Max’s tail immediately went between her legs at Miriam’s venomous glare. She spoke sarcastically while maintaining a contemptuous look at her.
“Shouldn’t apologizing be the first thing to do? Doesn’t the noble lady know how to apologize? Or is it because my lab is worthless compared to a pet of a noble lady?”
At Miriam’s fierce, endless retort, Max colored red in embarrassment. “I apologize that my… cat caused you trouble. I will never let it sneak out of the room again n-next time. Please… let it slide this once.”
Miriam’s plump lips quivered like she was about to say more, but she soon clicked her tongue and threw the cat into Max’s arms.
“This is the last time. If that wretched little monster wanders around my room again, I will really skin it alive and turn it into slippers.” Miriam fiercely retorted, swept her bangs, and turned away with a swish. “Clean up my lab this instance!”
Then, she strode away. Max could only gaze distantly at Miriam’s back, sigh deeply, and look down at Roy. Roy buried his head deeply into Max’s side and purred. She then sank into her bed and stroked his soft fur as if to soothe him. The day she left Anatol, unbeknownst to her, Roy slipped into her suitcase and went with her to the World Tower in the blink of an eye. She was incredibly bewildered when she first found her cat on the ship. However, the thought of having a friend on her side in an unfamiliar place made her secretly joyful, but she didn’t expect it would be this troublesome.
She caressed Roy’s back and heaved a sigh. “I… told you not to enter that woman’s room. That evil witch might really punish you, and do bad things to you.”
