On the evening of the last day in Kararagi, Mimi dragged her up the small hill behind the hotel.
That hillside was covered with knee-high wild grass, with some unknown small white flowers blooming sporadically in the grass.
The two of them sat on the hillside and watched the entire sunset.
The evening breeze blew from the valley, carrying the scent of dry grass and the smell of distant cooking smoke.
Mimi chattered non-stop the whole time, from the Iron Fang’s training to the leader Ricardo’s snoring, from the embarrassing stories of her brother Hetaro to the desserts Tivey made.
She said Tivey’s desserts were always too sweet, but she would still eat them every time.
Theresia just listened like that, occasionally laughing out loud at being teased, and making a few retorts.
After the sun had completely set, they went down the mountain.
When they returned to the hotel, the leader Ricardo was standing at the door.
Mimi wilted on the spot, her cat ears collapsing like two rags, her tail drooping to the ground, and she was dragged back by the leader Ricardo for a lecture.
It must be said that the sunset that day was indeed very beautiful.
Mimi under the sunset was also very beautiful.
Her orange fur was dyed golden-red by the sunset glow, her cat ears slightly translucent in the afterglow, like two thin pieces of orange amber, and the whole cat looked like a small, warm flame sitting on the hillside.
Thinking of this, Theresia narrowed her azure eyes, a mischievous smile appearing on the corners of her mouth, and teased:
“You looked pretty funny that day; when you were being lectured by Ricardo, your cat ears were almost shrinking into your hair.”
“The leader said Mimi has no sense of time and that it will cause big problems when executing missions in the future… It’s not that Mimi doesn’t know that missions are important, but because Big Sister was leaving, Mimi wanted to spend more time with Big Sister. And Big Sister is still laughing at Mimi; it’s too much.”
Although Mimi’s tone was protesting, her tail was swaying gently.
That was the instinctive reaction of a cat when recalling pleasant things.
Saying ‘don’t laugh’ with her mouth, but her body was saying that day was actually quite happy.
“Alright, I won’t laugh at you.” Theresia reached out and gently poked Mimi’s forehead.
Mimi was poked and leaned back slightly, then chuckled twice, stuffed the last bite of the burger into her mouth, took a big gulp of honey lemon drink, and let out a long breath:
“I’m full, Big Sister. This burger is really super delicious. Mimi will bring Hetaro and Tivey here to eat tomorrow, okay?”
“Sure.” Theresia’s mouth tilted up slightly, revealing her white, pearly teeth, and she smiled,
“But the premise is that Anastasia agrees.”
“The Young Miss will definitely agree. The Young Miss said that things here in the Royal Capital are not urgent, and for the first few days, the Iron Fang can move freely. As long as Mimi finishes all the work, the Young Miss won’t say anything.” Mimi said confidently.
Then, she jumped down from the chair, went around to Theresia’s side, and reached out her little hand to tug on her sleeve,
“Big Sister, where are you staying? Mimi wants to find you; Mimi wants to explore the Royal Capital with you. Mimi is super energetic, and I’ve grown taller; I’m already a mature woman and can protect Big Sister.”
“…Have you grown taller?” Theresia looked down at Mimi’s height, her gaze shifting horizontally from the top of Mimi’s head to her own waist.
Compared to half a month ago, it didn’t seem like there was any change.
And what the hell is a ‘mature woman’?
Seeing this, Mimi stood on tiptoes, trying hard to make the top of her head exceed Theresia’s waist, and stretched out her hand to gesture a length of about half a finger:
“I grew this much taller. Mimi measured it while on the dragon carriage, and the Young Miss also said Mimi grew taller.”
“Is that so.” However, no matter how Theresia looked at it, that bit was probably Mimi’s illusion.
It might also be that after bumping on the carriage for a few days, her head was shaken into a daze, and the measurement wasn’t accurate.
After all, when the dragon carriage traveled on mountain roads, it shook people until their bones were almost falling apart; the accuracy of height measured in such a state was probably about the same as taking body temperature with one’s feet.
Thinking of this, Theresia reached out and rubbed Mimi’s head, that white, tender palm pressing gently on the orange short hair, and agreed:
“Alright, I admit you’ve grown taller. Also, I am currently staying at the Feather Pavilion Hotel on the central street of the Royal Capital; if you want to find me, go there.” It had to be said that the hair of this little cat-girl, Mimi, was soft and fluffy, and it felt extremely good to touch.
The two finished their meal and said goodbye at the shop door.
“Big Sister, goodbye!” Mimi stood in front of the door, holding her little hand high and waving it vigorously, then turned and left.
“Goodbye, Mimi.” Theresia also raised her hand and waved, her long red hair blown by the breeze, shining with a golden-red light in the sunlight.
“Such a cute little cat-girl, I really want to raise one.”
“Soft, moe, can eat by herself, talk by herself, and can even help scout the enemy situation. Isn’t this much more cost-effective than raising a cat?”
“I don’t know if Anastasia would be willing to part with her… Probably not. After all, she is the vice-leader of the Iron Fang, her combat power is second only to the leader Ricardo, and she is also the eldest daughter of the triplets. No matter how you look at it, she is not for sale.” Theresia stood in place, thinking about these random things, then withdrew her gaze, gathered her red hair that had been blown messy by the wind, and turned to walk in the direction of the hotel.
Just like in the original work, Anastasia had already come to participate in the Royal Selection.
This meant that the Royal Capital would soon become lively, various forces would appear one after another, and the undercurrents in the Royal City would become more and more turbulent.
“But having said that, the system’s main mission one is to make me a knight for one of the five Royal Selection candidates, so…” Theresia blinked her azure eyes and suddenly thought of her main mission.