24.1
Elisabeth and the Perxin couple’s conversation lasted what seemed to be an eternity for John.
Alas, with a resounding nod from the Perxin couple, the discussion had come to a conclusion.
“It’s getting late, let’s go.”
Uncle Edgar beckoning the two children home.
Serene without another word, jumped from John’s side and went to her father’s, boarded their carriage while the driver busied loading the trunk with cargo the Perxins had acquired.
Young John however, sat still before Elisabeth’s bookstore. He dared not to move a single muscle, speak a word, nor face the heavy gazes of the Perxins.
He had placed himself in harm’s way not a moment ago, albeit too willingly.
He had promised both Uncle Edgar and Aunt Dalene that he would tame his reckless wanderlust, only to break it shortly after.
The fact he had disobeyed them caused his heart to squirm in his chest.
Had his father learned of this…
!!!
His body winced at the thought, John could practically feel the wind magic imbued lashes on his body.
Neither Uncle Edgar or Aunt Dalene would enact such a cruel form of punishment onto him. The Perxins were kind people.
Knowing that gave him no joy either.
He must have disappointed them greatly.
They would not punish young John like Dai’Ne Sarvod would…yet…he felt worse than if his father had been here to punish him.
“Master…”
Kahnira’s voice passed his ears, he was too engrossed with what the Perxins would do or say to him about his behavior.
What if they reported his behavior to his parents? What would happen to him when he returned to the Perxin’s mansion?
John for one, had never seen the Perxins raise their anger towards him, at most he would be reprimanded to think of the consequences of his actions.
Even John, who was prone to trouble, knew he crossed a line tonight.
“Aren’t you joining them, cutie?” Elisabeth said to him before promptly sat beside him. John simply shook his head as he continued to look at the ground.
“No… I’m just waiting for—”
“Or do you want to stay here with me?”
“!!!”
John’s eyes grew wide, his body leaned backwards. Elisabeth’s little comment caused an electric current to supercharge him, returning all the vigor that he had not moments ago.
“N-no! That’s n-not…”
“I jest, cutie.”
“…”
Elisabeth rested her back as she looked up into the skies.
“Ahhhhh…” a yawn escaped her as she place her hands on her legs. “There’s nothing to worry about, John. Edgar and Dalene are reasonable people, sure they are mad at you, but at the same time your bravery is not…”
She looked to Kahnira, who now had a hand on John’s back and a finger in front of her lips, indicating for Elisabeth to be quiet.
Drip…
It was only then, did Elisabeth noticed the beads of liquid dripping from John’s chin.
Quickly, the beautiful witch scooted to young John’s side, wrapping her arms around John as she held him upright.
“If not for you…I would have been gone…” John admitted in a quiet voice. “I don’t know what could have done then…”
“Now, now, cutie, that’s not the way to put it,” Elisabeth held young John tight. “Think of your cute Kahnira if you did not there, she would have been gone too. Your bravery saved her from her fate, do you understand that?”
“…”
“I, pretended to not see that child on the streets earlier…” Miss Elisabeth admitted with a sigh. “While it is not evil of me to mind my own business, amongst everyone who chose to turn a blind eye to what was happening, you were the only who did something.”
“That’s…” Kahnira’s scarlet eyes grew wide as she looked at John.
“I had no obligation to the dead boy or this girl you’ve taken as your servant. John. I simply came to look for you.”
“…”
“I think it’s time for you go, cutie. Edgar is calling for you.”
Elisabeth let off a small laugh as her arms released John. She turned to where the Perxin’s carriage was and waved in return as John got to his feet, followed by Kahnira as he returned to the Perxins in silence.
“Take care, brave one.”
With those words from Elisabeth, John parted the Chang Zen’s merchant district with the Perxins.
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
The carriage was filled with uncomfortable silence as John sat before the three Perxins, speaking not a single word on their return trip.
After two long hours, they returned. While Serene was brought into her room to be put into bed, Aunt Dalene had instructed for them to wait in his room.
…
…
…
The white haired girl was dreadfully quiet as she watched over young John on the carpet ground, eyeing his each and every move.
He expected a reaction from Kahnira upon entering the Perxin’s mansion, that she would marvel at the luxurious abode the Perxins had. Alas, his servant was unfazed by the luxurious abode and was more fixated on him than anything else.
“Kahnira.”
Just as he met her eyes, Kahnira would shift her gaze to the ground momentarily before looking back at him with her head lowered.
“Yes, master.”
“Can you—”
The door to his room opened, causing John to freeze his speech when Aunt Dalene appeared.
“You, servant girl,” the lady of the house pointed to Kahnira. “Go downstairs, look for the head maid, she will give you a spare change of clothes.”
The white haired girl however, remained at her spot, not moving an inch despite being given orders.
“Go now, I kindly need to speak with John here alone.”
Kahnira turned to John with her scarlet eyes, looked at him until he nodded head in approval to leave the room.
“I’ll be going then, master,” she announced as she closed the door behind her.
Clack.
“…”
“Well?” Dalane spoke, her tail standing upright behind her, “What do you have to say?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to put myself in danger,” John answered. “I am aware of how dangerous my actions were.”
“Elisabeth told me a few things, but I want to hear it from your mouth. Why did you walk into the dark alley, John?”
“I-I…” he raised his head. “I heard a call, Aunt Dalene. The wishes of a dying child…he was alone, and so I went…”
“What happened after that?”
“He died, of course. But then he told me there were others like him, I went further into the alley…”
“And you believed him?” Dalene raised her brow, taking a chair as she watched John like the curious feline she was.
“I…”
“Has it occurred to you, that the child might have been luring you into a trap?” Dalene made a face devoid of any and all emotion.
“Why would he? He was dying.”
“That is true, but you never know the hidden malice behind people,” Dalene said. “You are too trusting, John. Elisabeth told me that you were ready to offer the slave trafficker your gold and family insignia to buy that servant of yours?”
John lowered his head as he nodded, “That’s the only way I could have freed Kahnira.”
“No.”
“No?”
Aunt Dalene shook her head.
“The correct way to free her, is to come to me, someone who has the authority and power to do so.
“The correct way is to inform Miss Elisabeth about the dead child and that there were others like him. Sometimes, the right thing to do, is for you to not do anything.”
“…”
“Because you had nothing to back you up when you confronted that slave trafficker, he was ready to rob you. Had either me, Uncle Edgar or Miss Elisabeth were there, he would not dare do so. Do you understand this, John?”
“I…I think so…”
“When interacting with anyone, even someone you trust, even someone like me, anyone who you wish to gain or trade something from, the act of divulging information is the upmost crucial. When your lips are not sealed when they should be, you will be exploited for your lack of caution.”
“I don’t understand… Are we not to speak and deal w-with truths? I was trying to negotiate a deal with him…”
Dalene shook her head, “Because you are in a position of weakness, no matter how truthful you are, it would mean nothing when you are dealing with people like that.”
“T-that’s…”
“The truth is painful to many, and can be exploited by even more.”
Aunt Dalene continued.
“Be wary of what others say and what they mean, words often cloud true intentions. When finding yourself in a fog of everything, only you shall determine what is fact and fiction.”
“It’s…not making sense to me…”
“For now, remember my words. When you are older, they shall make sense.”
“Yes, Aunt Dalene.”
“Good. Other than that, I have nothing else to say what Elisabeth has not. Think of this as a lesson to learn, you have bravery, but carelessness lead you astray. I shall see to your servant’s preparation, good night, John.”
John sat in silence as long after Dalane left, his mind spun to comprehend her words, but no matter how hard he tried, it did not fit into his noggin.
It made sense that he should have kept quiet about his gold from the slave trafficker earlier, but apart from that specific incident aside, he could not see how it would benefit him.
He is not to lie, but hold his tongue?
He changed into his sleeping attire before throwing himself onto the bed, shifting from side to side as he continued to decipher Aunt Dalene’s words while he waited for news from Kahnira.
Kahnira… I wonder what happened to her before this…
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
His eyelids gradually covered his eye as he shifted on the silky sheets, his breathing softened as his was whisked away by the sweet allure of a good night’s sleep.
By the time he woke, the rays of the sun were already starting to bake John who had somehow rolled in between the thick layers of silky quilt that he had no recollection of entering, layers and layers of sheets upon each other as they sought to constrict him.
It did not matter to John.
Scoffing at the rising room temperature, he tugged against the roll of fabric that was wrapped his body into a cocoon.
“Wakey, wakey…”
“Leave me alone, Serene,” he grumbled.
“You’ll be missing school if you don’t wake up now.”
…
…
…
“!!!”
His eyes shot wide open as he lifted his whole body upwards, ready to leap from his bed.
The fact it was Monday morning completely slipped his mind. The sun had already risen to greet him, that meant that the Perxin’s dedicated carriage would be leaving soon.
“Oh shit! Oh shit! How did I oversleep!”
Unfortunately for John, the quilt cocoon that wrapped around him restricted his movements, he could only wriggle around his large bed like a giant worm as he desperately tried to break free.
His rolling and wiggling continued, but even with all his strength and his body breaking into heavy sweat, he could not escape the fluffy prison that encapsulated him.
“Pffft…. You’re so silly,” a soft giggle entered his ear.
“This is not funny Serene!? What did you do to me!?” John shouted as he watched the frilly skirt jiggle before his limited vision as he raised his eyes to meet the tigerkin. “Why are you wearing a maid’s…outfit?”
His left brows rose up high as Serene’s feline figure was nowhere to be found.
Instead, it belonged to a taller girl that had curvaceous hips and chest that were more developed than someone of his age.
“You rolled yourself up. Hehehe.”
“Kahnira?”
“Yes master.”
“What are you…?” John stuttered almost asking what the white haired girl was standing around for.
He blinked his eyes quickly and shook his head, “No. Now’s not the time, I need to leave for school now!” with his shoulders, he slide himself from the quilt roll. “Help me out of this, Kahnira!”
Instead of moving her hands to unwrap John, Kahnira placed a hand on her mouth, her face reddened as her shoulders moved uncontrollably as she tried to suppress a series of soft “Ahahah…”
“Stop laughing! I will be in big trouble if I am late—”
“Lady Dalene informed me you are on school break, master. I don’t see what’s the rush is about.”
“Eh?”
John froze with a face of an idiot whose mouth was opened permanently.
Exams were three weeks ago…so that makes today a holiday…? I mean, yesterday was Sunday…so today is Monday… Right, I’ve gotten my results on last Thursday, yeah… Today should be my two week school break, that’s why we got the magic tome, so I can teach Serene and myself magic during this time.
His mind busied weighing the logic in his head, that he barely noticed when Kahnira rolled him out of the quilt cocoon that he was stuck in.
Pomfp.
Happy scarlet eyes were found gazing at him when he was finally released from the quilt prison of his own making.
Kahnira was watching him as she tidied up after his mess.
“Those clothes, are they…”
“Lady Dalene gifted them to me, and a few more after I answered her questions yesterday.”
“Questions? What type of questions?
“Things regarding where I came from, where my home was before I was captured, whether if I am familiar with the duties of a servant. To which, I am more than capable of,” with her chest puffed before John, Kahnira gave satisfied expression.
“Y-you are?”
“I have not told you this, master. My parents, back when they were alive, they worked as household servants for a good friend of my father’s. I know enough housework to ease their burden, so when I told Lady Dalene about wanting to be your maid, she gave me this dress.”
The girl lifted them hems of her frilly black and white skirt, bowing with the upmost elegance before young John.
“No wonder—” John placed a hand on his head as the morning grogginess kicked in. “It explains why you look so calm when we returned yesterday… ”
Kahnira’s face lit up.
“O-oh! You noticed that, master?”
“Yeah, I was worried that you would have a hard time adapting…” the knowledge of Kahnira having the skillset to become a house maid eased his thoughts. “That’s good, that’s good.”
“Should master needs any help with housework, do not hesitate asking this maid of yours,” Kahnira said as she brimmed with a beautiful smile. “Though I have never worked as a servant, this maid is confident in the skills her parents ingrained in her!”
Seeing how cheerful the girl had become John let out a smile.
“I won’t ask anything ridiculous from you, I promise.”
“This maid promise to do her best for you!”
Shaking his head at Kahnira’s enthusiasm, John changed the subject, “How— Where did you sleep yesterday? Did Aunt Dalene give you a room in the servant’s quarters?”
“Hmm?” Kahnira tilted her head, causing her shoulder length white hair to dangle to one side. “I was here the whole night here, master.”
Sure enough, beside John’s large bed, there was a rolled up white mattress with white pillows, along with it, stacks of clothes that were variants of Kahnira’s maid clothing.
“Why would you sleep on the ground? I am sure Aunt Dalene offered you a bed.”
“She did, but I said no. Being with master is more important to me,” her lips grew into a wide crescent as she answered John.
“W-wouldn’t it do you better to be on a bed?”
“If master d-doesn’t allow me…” Kahnira lowered her head, the light in her eyes disappeared along with her innocent smile. “I will then move—”
“No, no, no. That’s not what I meant!” John quickly chimed in before her face became darker. “I mean…wouldn’t that take away your privacy?”
“???” his maid placed a finger on the cheeks. “I have nothing to hide from, master. Whatever master asks of Kahnira, I will answer.”
“Heh, why do you keep referring yourself as another person?”
“This is how this maid was taught to speak? Kahnira is me, and I am Kahnira. Is anything wrong with the way Kahnira speaks?”
He shook his head at her, shrugging at how his maid referred to herself in third person.
“If that’s how it is, that fine. It’s charming in its own way.”
Thud!!!
The closed door to John’s room flung wide open, leaving a direct view to the chandelier outside.
“What was that!?”
“Could it be the wind, master?”
Considering this was the second floor and that the doors were made of dense wood, it was impossible for the negative air pressure of open hall to have unlocked it.
John was certain, because these doors felt immensely heavy to open when he first arrived in the Perxins’ mansion.
“I’ll go…check…” his voice waned as he left the bed. From the corner of his eye, the passing image of a striped tangerine tail with all of its short hair standing up as though they were spikes.
The vivid colors of puffed tail told John all he needed to know.
“Serene?” he called as the puffed tail disappeared from his line of sight, jumped from his bed and broke into a run to call for her. “Hey wait up! Serene…?”
By the time he got out of his room, the tigerkin was nowhere to be found, not a single hint of her feline ears nor her striped tail was anywhere to be seen.
“See you at breakfast?” he muttered before slinking back to his room. “What is the matter with her?”
“Master?”
“Maybe she didn’t hear me?” John continued to speak to himself as he picked out a plain shirt and pants. “It can’t be… I am sure she was the one who opened the door…” he proceeded to undress as he became deep in thought.
“M-master, I’ll excuse myself…”
“I mean… Serene doesn’t walk that fast usually. And her tail doesn’t do that puffing thing—” John paused himself. “Is she angry again? That doesn’t make sense, she was not mad at me yesterday…”
Having finished changing into his clothes, John continued to mull over himself about why Serene was so unhappy with him. Kahnira walked behind him silently as he approached the dining table where all three of the Perxins gathered.
“Uncle Edgar, Aunt Dalene,” he said, acknowledging the two adults who seemed to have considered yesterday’s matters closed.
“Morning, John. I hope you slept well after yesterday’s incident.”
“I could have used another hour, Uncle Edgar.” John joked with his teeth flashing at Uncle Edgar. “But—”
“You would miss breakfast then,” Edgar pointed at John, taking the words right from his mouth.
“Yes! That, and Kahnira woke me up, I don’t think she would let me sleep in for—”
Clink!
The distinct sounds of silverware hitting the plates was followed by a loud skidding of a heavy chair.
“I’m done.”
“Already, Serene?” Dalene asked with a curious expression. “You barely had anything.”
“I’m not hungry now,” with that, Serene left, leaving John to stare as he watched her puffed tail disappeared into the backyard.
She is mad at me.
“Now, now what did you do, John?” Edgar raising a brow at him.
“Me!? I barely spoke a word to her since yesterday?”
“Little Serene has her tail puffed up, you certainly did something.”
“Aunt Dalene!”
Dalene lifted her hands up high, indicating she took no sides as she gave a similarly suspicious look as Edgar’s
“She rarely throws a tantrum around us. My daughter is only this way around you.”
“Thanks Uncle Edgar. That helps a lot.”
“I deal with Serene my own way, you will have to figure that out yourself, hahaha!”
John rolled his eyes at Uncle Edgar, he tried turning to Aunt Dalene for advice, but was met with a smug grin, one similar to her daugther’s whenever Serene teased him.
Haahhh…
Sighing, John pulled a chair, ready to sit on it and think about what to do with an angry Serene while he ate, Kahnira however, placed a hand on his back before he could even move to be seated.
“What gives—?”
“Wait, master…”
The maid spoke not another before collecting a handful of steamed buns, dumplings, spring rolls, and food alike that were laid on the table before handling the whole platter of meat based eastern cuisine to John.
Eyeing at the sheer volume that his servant had cumulated in that wide platter, John became wide eyed.
“I can’t possibly eat all of this, Kahnira.”
Kahnira leaned down to his height, got close to his ear and whispered, “Share it with Serene. I am sure she is still hungry.”
“Are you kidding? H-how can I…”
John’s flustered voice cracked as he looked at Uncle Edgar and Aunt Dalene, not wanting them to notice what Kahnira just said to him.
“She’s angry at me, she’s going to shun me a-away if I go to her. It’s best to—”
“No.”
Kahnira promptly placed her hands on him as she guided John towards the garden that the tigerkin girl had left to. Unable to overpower or escape Kahnira’s firm grasp, John had no choice but move his feet, leading him all the way into the garden.
“In this case, master has to be responsible for his actions. This maid shall be assisting you, even if you don’t know what to do,” the maid nodded knowingly to herself, seemingly convinced by her own logic.
“In this case?” careful to not drop anything John kept his body straight and his eyes closely on the platter of food. “What are you talking about!?”
!!!
The stark memories of his father’s lashes surfaced in his mind upon realizing he raised his voice at her.
He felt Kahnira’s hands lifting off his shoulders. After that came the sounds of a few soft steps that parted from him.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shout—”
Muah…
!!!
A soft peck landed on his forehead, the sensation was so light that if he had not saw the brief flash of Kahnira’s face from the corner of his eye, he could have sworn that it was the combination of the wind and moisture in the air.
When he turned behind him, all he saw was Kahnira with her hands in front of her chest.
“This maid knows her master is thoughtful person. There is no need to apologize to this maid, every time master apologizes for no apparent reason, this maid will give master a little kiss.”
“I-I… Wait, that’s not how all of this works!” red faced John shouted once more. “H-hey! Don’t…”
Before he could explain or rebuke her for doing something so ridiculous, Kahnira lifted the hems of her skirt gave him a quick bow before returning to the Perxin’s mansion.
Leaving John all alone to bite his teeth, unsure what to make of what just happened.
This maid sure is bold… What kind of girl have I brought home?
Whilst making a mental note to be more watchful of Kahnira’s future antics, John had strolled into the shaded part of the massive garden, where plenty of tall trees loomed over and well-kept tall hedges served as the barrier to the outside.
This was one of the many spots where Serene would frequented when they played together.
side from the gazebos that were by the water fountain at the front of their house—where Serene and John would conduct their studies during the day—this place had many resting huts for whenever the Perxins held an outdoors banquet.
“How will I find that stupid cat…”
As the words left his mouth, he spotted a dangling tail in the distance, curling inwards and outwards as she would when she is famished.
Serene was by one of the hut’s raised deck, one where it the platform itself was taller than John’s measly height.
Of course she hid there, she thinks I won’t spot her…
A shrewd smile appeared on John’s face.
“Serene, Serene, Serene…” he called aloud as he slowed his footsteps.
Immediately, the tail stiffened and stood up high.
“Where are you Serene? Come on… You have to tell me why you are mad…” feigning a horribly lonely voice, John inched closer and eyed Serene’s standing tail from a distance.
Ah, her hairs aren’t standing… She should be in a good mood.
“Serene, Serene?” John continued to move his head about as though he was still unsure of where she was.
“I’m here you, goofball. Stop pretending like you don’t know where I am,” her voice though soft, did not convince John that whatever he did to anger her, was absolved.
“I’ve brought you something.”
“I am still angry at you.”
Quickly, John climbed the stairs to the platform as a pair of green eyes watched him intently.
“Hey, how’s the table? Is it comfortable to nap on?” John remarked at the tigerkin who seemly have her upper body melted into the low table.
“Hmph.”
Placing the platter of food before her, John sat beside the tigerkin.
“Use the cushion. You don’t want your butt be flattened,” not even waiting for John to cross his legs—as one would on a typical low table dedicated for tea—Serene handled him one of the cushions as she scooted closer to him.
“Angry, but still offers me a cushion,” John flashed his teeth in victory as he adjusted his seat.
Serene rolled her eyes, made no reactions to his jest, “You’re lucky I am hungry.”
“I thought you are Angry, not Hungry?”
“Yes, I am angry, but—”
“Hi, Angry. I am John.”
…
…
…
“Pffft! Ahahahahaha!!!” Serene bursted out laughing as her hands hit John’s arm, “You stupid goofball! I am supposed to be mad at you!”
Seizing the opportunity John’s finger’s launched to Serene’s sides, poking and tickling her to escalate the situation.
“If you are Mad, then what about Angry, huh? Am I supposed to be named Angry now?”
“Don’t make me laugh, ahahahaha!!!”
“Make up your mind, are you Angry, Hungry, or Mad?”
“John, stop!!! I can’t laugh a-anymore!!!”
Her delighted squeals were music to his ears. If Serene could laugh like this, it meant whatever she was mad at him for was something forgivable, it was just up to him to talk it out with the spoiled girl.
Decided that he teased Serene enough, John placed his hands in between his lap, fully waiting for Serene to slap him by his arm as she would whenever she tried to get back at him.
However, today was different.
Instead of teasing back John for making fun of her moments ago, Serene had her eyes drawn to the distance. Her hands busied to grab the nearest bun on the platter, bringing to her mouth as she gave it a small bite.
“So…
Sensing how different Serene was today, John broke the silence.
“Mind t-telling me w-why you’re angry?”
“…”
Serene threw him a quick glance before continued gazing into the distance.
“I really don’t understand, Serene. You weren’t like this yesterday—”
“Yesterday?” she snapped. “It is because of yesterday!”
“I… I…” John scrunched his face trying to find a reason for Serene’s sudden shift in attitude. “You weren’t angry at me when we came back. How would I know?”
Serene turned her back against John, tail wrapped around her waist as she folded her arms.
“That was before she became your servant…”
“Who became what?” John crawled towards her, “I can’t—”
“Who else!?” shouted. “That girl you saved! You told me you never wanted a servant! And now she’s calling you Master this, Master that!!!”
“I…”
He became a loss for words. It was true that John had always held firm that he never wanted a slave of any kind, or anyone to be forced to serve under him.
But Kahnira herself chose to serve him on her own volition, he could not just simply dismiss her, especially not when he was the one who sought to set her free from the slave trader.
“K-Kahnira willingly said she wanted to—”
“What about me, John!?”
The tigerkin girl turned to face him, revealing the glistening tears that had accumulated in her beautiful emerald eyes.
Her feline ears had drooped so low that it might as well detached from her head.
“What about the things y-you said…hic…about my h-human ears?” she pushed the back of her palm against her own cheeks as she sobbed. “Y-you said…y-your Serene will always have beautiful ears… A-and now…”
Click, went John’s mind.
It finally made sense to him why Serene was throwing a tantrum. It was not that because she was angry at Kahnira who chose to serve under John.
Rather, it was that she felt Kahnira was here to replace her as John’s most beloved friend.
It was preposterous considering how much John and Serene shared, she was the one who listened to all his thoughts.
He had always been there for her whenever she gotten into trouble with her parents—which John would often use his silver tongue to eloquently share the blame.
They both had each other’s backs as far as he knew.
Alas, Serene was as stubborn as she was sensitive.
Without another word, John got close to her face, placed his own forehead against hers, his hands gently moved to her two human ears caressing her softly as to gain her attention.
“You are my Serene,” he said as he looked into her eyes. “You are more than my best friend, you mean more to me than my family, nothing will ever change that.”
“…”
“I don’t know why you think Kahnira is here to replace you, but that is not true,” John spoke. “No one can replace this silly cat of mine. I promised to teach you magic didn’t I? I told you things that no one else knows about me, you are the last person I would abandon, I won’t do that, I just can’t.
“…”
“So please believe me Serene, not because I said so, but because I cherish you more than you think.”
His words cast a wave of calm over Serene, whatever angst that was in her heart had dissipated into nothing, replaced by her trust in him.
…
…
…
“O-okay… Y-you promised.”
“Yes. On my life.”
It was only when she nodded, did John released his hands and his forehead from her.
“Now… Which shall I have first? I am so hungry,” he rubbed his hands together as he whiffed the sweet aroma of the food platter.
Just as his right hand moved to grab the nearest dumpling, his left was tugged by Serene.
Serene turned away as soon as John met her gaze.
“What’s the matter?”
“…”
Seeing that she just wanted to hold his hand, John shrugged as he proceeded to gulf down the dumpling, chewing it as the meaty juices saturated his taste buds.
“Want some?” he grabbed another and offered it to Serene, but she shook her head. “Weird, you barely ate, I suggest we finish this while it’s still warm.”
“Do you love me, John?”
His eyes grew to the widest that they have ever been, his thick eyebrows arched so high upwards that it looked almost impossible for a child of his age.
What’s gotten into her? Does she still not believe me?
Barely flinching he looked back into her emerald eyes.
“Obviously, I do. What do you take me for, you silly cat?”
“I-I thought you…”.
John proceeded to move his free hand and grabbed a spring roll before taking a bite from it.
“Hmm? What did you think of me? In the future, I’ll even marry you if want to.”
Serene jolted upright, her four ears perked in surprise along with her striped tail. Young John said it as though he had decided long ago, when in fact, the idea of being with the haughty tigerkin for the rest of his life just popped up in his mind.
“O-of course, that is, if you love me and your parents allow you... Then there’s my side of the family…I am not sure what I’ll say to them, then there’s a bunch of things we’ll have to do… Though, I don’t think I want to have children if that’s okay with you. Oh, there is also…”
Pomfp!!!
From nowhere, she placed her own cheeks against his, mushed up against his as she rubbed herself on him.
“S-Serene?”
The girl quickly let go of him, her head turned slightly away from him as she used the long curls of hair to cover her beet red face.
“T-thank you,” though she leaned away from John due to embarrassment, Serene’s tail curled itself around his left arm. “It’s a promise, John.”
“You silly cat, of course it is,” John shook his head as he smiled. “I don’t see the point of a future without you.”