Oh my Oh my... Is this true? I am a cat.... !!!!

The real one is back!

Me: Am I your prisoner?

Winter: Certainly not. How did you come even up with that idea now?

Me: Well ... I am a cat which a lot of commoner will think that I am a monster... I might get into a lot of troubles if I go out.

Winter: That is true. However that has nothing to do with being my prisoner.

Me: It has if you think about it. You could leave me at home while going around and trying to figure this out... you don't even have to take me with you.

Winter: I will not leave you here alone.

Me: Really?

I might have been a bit anxious about this matter since I knew how it felt to be imprisoned into confinement. This was how I was always treated at the Eckharts mansion. Sometimes bad things happen.... but these things would happen just for me to get a bit of attention. Nothing ever worked to my favor and I would always be locked up in my room. Good thing these memories were still there and good thing it was not me cause I would have probably tried to escape through the window a couple of times in my current state of mind.

Winter: I promise to you to protect you. This is my fault after all. The people who cursed you are after me and my people. They happen to choose just some bystander.

Me: ....

URg.... this feeling... I felt guilty for lying to him about this earlier but how about anyone try to explain that there is a system in place in this world and that it was thanks to that motherfucker that I am a cat now.

Me: Thank you.

There was one event that was surely soon to happen. I was a bit looking forward to it but also not. From what I remember the Hunting Festival should be taking place around this time and it would be there that some evil magicians will try to harm the empire and the crown prince. I do remember about the chaos but not more than that.

Me: Can we go and find Ivonne?

Winter: Are you sure you want to be there?

Me: Yes... I need to see how they will react to their true daughter. I want to know what they gonna do... they never welcomed me anyways. This is my last farwell gift.

Winter: Very well.....

I think I could hear sadness out of his voice but as I suggested earlier, we both went out to find Ivonne. Perhapse it was him who felt guilty for dragging me into the situation or him trying to lighten up the mood after talking about the past. Who knows, I appreciated it. More than that, he gave me a collar which made my fur change color to a nice white. 

The original game's Ivonne route taught me where I could find Ivonne. This made it just too easy to miss her and once we found her, I let Winter talk to her. She seemed different from what I had imagined but I didn't care much about it at all. All I cared was to see these damn brothers and then maybe make them feel guilty to have found the real one but lost another child. Who am I even kidding?! That would never EVER happen for sure.

Winter: Are you okay?

I was walking right beside him until a moment ago. This was when we were entered a carriage with Ivonne. Now I was sitting in his lamp and he looked concerned towards me.

Me: I am fine. No need to worry.

Winter: No need to hide your discomfort.

This was all he said while petting me. Of course my eyes were glued at Ivonne. I still felt the hate which was burried and embedded deep in my body for her. If they wouldn't have been so fixated on her, they would have probably made a nice family but no one ever cared to look at me in a proper way.

Soon we got to the Eckhart mansion and when we arrived, it was Penel who hurriedly got the duke and all my brothers. Was it shock or was it something else that I could see in their faces? They did look sceptical and Derrick even seemed a bit angry? No, it must have been my imagination. Did they think that Winter would have found me instead of Ivonne? No, this wouldn't be certainly it at all.

They have started talking but I didn't listen at all. I didn't care about them or what the duke said. Ivonne seemed definitely different since she didn't seemed shocked at all as for the brothers... they were focusing their eyes on me rather than Ivonne.

This was starting to get weird.

Me: Can we get out of here... they are staring... and it feels unpleasant. 

Once again he patted me in his hands and just nodded.

Winter: I am sorry to have troubled you Duke Eckhart.

Duke: No, it's not a problem. How about we talk a bit over a cup of tea?

Winter: ....

Winter looked at me unsure what to do. However I just nodded at him. It was not as if we could run away from this situation now. Besides he was doing me a favor here since this was the kind of closure I needed to leave the Eckhart family once and forall.

Duke: Penel bring some milk for the cat as well.