The Duke’s Companion

My body stiffened, a different voice but smelled like Mamela, I think I’ve heard it somewhere…

Looking back at my memories, I realized that this person was Mamela’s family and thousands of thoughts ran through my mind.

You didn’t see me fall, did you? Is the bush covering me properly?

Of course, among those many thoughts, there was by far the one that stood out the most.

‘If I show myself, Mamela will be in trouble…!’

I held my breath and examined whether my ears or tail were sticking out of the bush. Fortunately, I didn’t think he would notice my small figure.

Meanwhile, Mamela’s bewildered voice could be heard above, “Oh, brother?”

“Mamela, what’s going on?”

I was surprised again by the low voice that rang softly on the ground.

‘I guess it’s Mamela’s family right before me.’

Although I wanted to peek through the bushes and see the human family of Mamela, I didn’t want Mamela to get in trouble, so I suppressed my desire to do so.

‘Let us pause for a moment…’

I tried not to move, with my whole body pinned to the bushes.

My hind legs were entangled in the branches, so I’ll have to force it to take them out, but I couldn’t change my posture because I was afraid of making a rustling sound.

Mamela’s voice could be heard again, “Brother, my handkerchief flew away. The wind blew hard earlier. Have you seen it…?”

“No, I haven’t. Shall I help you find it?”

I blankly listened to his voice. It’s kind of weird, the voice I heard was the same as the one I had heard the other day, but it felt different from the last time. 

It was much gentler than it was back then, so at first glance, I thought I was mistaken.

For some reason, I heard Mamela’s voice, which seemed surprised, “Oh, no! It’s okay. It’s almost night. Where are you going?”

“Something came up suddenly, and I think I should go to Marzen in the capital.”

“Ah, you’ve been out a lot lately. Are you busy?”

Unknowingly, I sprained my foot hearing Mamela’s voice. Mamela grabbed his attention right away and it was only a small sound, but my heart was pounding like I made a big accident.

Fortunately, Mamela’s family, who was right next to the bushes, didn’t seem to hear it.

If he had heard it, he would have jumped through the bushes and picked me from the nape of my neck right away and won’t answer Mamela as he did now.

“…Mamela, I’m sorry I couldn’t be with you. Why don’t you join me for dinner when I return?”

“Really? I’d love that!”

Unlike before, I could hear her voice cheerfully quite a bit. She seemed to be energized again.

I heard a low laugh next to me, light and faint, the sound quickly dissipated.

“Okay, then I’ll go.”

“Yes, go ahead, brother.”

Finally, he left and when his presence was gone and completely disappeared, I heard the sound of Mamela running from afar.

“Aryl, are you okay?”

A breath of relief escaped as I met Mamela’s worried golden eyes.

There was a pain I felt in my leg as I jumped out of the bush.

Mamela immediately checked my body as I fell from a high place and even got stuck in a bush, but fortunately, I didn’t get hurt.

All that changed was that my fluffy fur became dirty.

Mamela quickly brushed away the leaves on my body and hugged me tightly.

“Sorry, I came too late”

“Meow.”

I showed Mamela the handkerchief I was biting.

Mamela’s expression changed when she raised her head in admiration and patted my back slowly.

“Thank you, Aryl… That handkerchief was left behind by my mother. I would have been very sad if I had lost it.”

“Meow!”

I rubbed my head against Mamela’s hand as she held the handkerchief. 

While scratching my chin as if responding to my cuteness, Mamela said, “But, next time, you must never do such a dangerous thing. Okay?”

Soon, she held me tightly in her arms and my body was buried in the hem of her dress and Mamela hurriedly moved forward.

Mamela’s behavior of looking around each time and cautiously observing if there was anyone made me feel a bit bitter, but without showing it I buried my head deep in her arms.

With the sound of the door closing, a familiar scent swept through me, and then I lifted my head from Mamela’s arms.

The first thing I saw was Jonah, holding something cherished with her two hands, looking puzzled.

“Lady? Where have you been? And why is there a cotton in your arms…”

“Aryl fell out of the window.”

“What? Oh, my! Is Aryl okay? She’s so small, I can’t believe she fell from the window! What should we do? Should I call the doctor right away? Oh, she’s still young, so I’m unsure if she can land properly at this height…”

“Jonah, calm down. Aryl is fine. Look at her.”

Mamela took me out of her arms and held me in front of Jonah. As I met Jonah’s eyes, I cried, “Meow.”