—
The place Adrian took us to was a spacious lake nestled deep in a lush forest.
“Wowww!”
With a bright smile, I ran eagerly toward the lake.
As I approached, gentle waves lapped against the white sandy shore.
“Eek!”
Afraid my feet would get wet, I quickly stepped back.
When I looked up, the sunlit surface of the lake sparkled brilliantly.
It shone so brightly, it looked as if someone had crushed gemstones into powder and scattered them across the water.
“So pretty—!”
Excited, I approached the edge again, but my sister called out from behind me.
“May, don’t get too close to the water. It’s dangerous.”
Despite her warning, her face had softened.
“Look, sis.”
I looked up at her proudly.
“Aren’t you glad we came out?”
My sister flinched slightly at my words.
And not just her—Adrian, who had come up close without us noticing, also turned his gaze toward her.
Both of us stared at her with sparkling eyes!
“……”
“……”
Unable to withstand our double dose of puppy eyes, my sister replied begrudgingly.
“Well… I guess so.”
“Right?!”
“Our May knows what she’s talking about!”
Adrian and I shouted in unison.
“I swear, you two get along way too well. You’ve only met once!”
My sister shook her head, and Adrian laughed brightly as he responded.
“Strangely enough, it feels like we’ve known each other for a long time.”
Then he looked into my eyes and asked teasingly,
“So, what do you think? Could this be fate, May?”
Both my sister and I froze briefly.
“Y-Yeah! Fate, definitely!”
I laughed awkwardly and nodded quickly.
At that, Sabina gave him a sharp look.
“Fate with who? May is my…!”
She couldn’t say “familiar,” so she quickly amended,
“…my cousin.”
“And who’s arguing?”
Adrian replied with a smirk.
His casual response only made Sabina look unnecessarily overprotective…
Smiling slyly, Adrian suggested,
“Anyway, aren’t you guys hungry? How about we eat first?”
So we settled under the shade of a tree.
“Did you really prepare all this yourself, Sir Adrian?”
Sabina’s eyes widened.
It was understandable—Adrian’s picnic spread was luxurious.
Though admittedly… a bit heavy on his personal tastes.
“Would you actually grow thorns in your mouth if you skipped meat for a single meal…?”
Sabina trailed off mid-sentence as she noticed Adrian looking slightly hurt.
He asked glumly,
“You really don’t like it?”
“N-No! That’s not what I meant!”
She quickly expressed her thanks.
“Thank you. You really went out of your way.”
Only then did Adrian’s expression brighten slightly.
With a big grin, he said,
“Don’t mention it. Let’s dig in!”
I poked a meatball with my fork, while Adrian picked up a thick sandwich.
Sabina, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy the apple pie Adrian had brought for dessert.
She polished off a large slice in no time.
‘That’s unusual.’
As I nibbled on my sandwich, I glanced over at her.
My sister usually had little interest in food.
Her red eyes were fixed on the box the apple pie came in.
[Bakery Luotte.]
The name of the bakery was printed on the box.
Just then, Adrian asked Sabina,
“So? Did the apple pie suit your taste?”
“Well, a bit.”
Gone was her usual sharp tone—her reply was noticeably softer.
I guess I wasn’t the only one feeling it.
My stomach was full, my body relaxed, the sunlight was warm…
And even the gentle breeze felt perfect.
Sabina must’ve felt the same.
More than anything, it had probably been ages since she spent time outside like this.
I’d sometimes go out on walks in my cat form while patrolling my territory, but…
Sabina had been cooped up indoors this whole time.
“By the way, how are things outside the capital these days?”
“The monster sightings are still increasing. The territories are holding them off for now, but…”
Before we knew it, Sabina and Adrian had slipped into deep conversation.
‘Hmm, in that case…’
I rolled my eyes playfully and quietly scooted away.
Time for me to make myself scarce.
That way, they could talk more comfortably, right?
‘And if they start getting closer from here on out…’
Hehe.
I giggled into my hand at the rosy daydream blooming in my mind.
Just then—
“Maybell.”
I flinched.
When I turned around, I saw Sabina looking at me with narrowed eyes.
“Where are you going?”
“Uh, what?”
“You said you’d stay by my side.”
She sounded stern.
Sweating a little, I replied,
“I’ll just look around a tiny bit. Is that okay?”
I looked up at her with pleading eyes.
Take this—my ultimate sparkling-eye attack!
After holding my gaze for a while, Sabina finally sighed deeply.
“Don’t go too far. Just stay nearby, okay?”
“Okay!”
I nodded quickly and dashed off.
Once I’d put a good distance between us, I glanced back.
Sabina and Adrian had gone back to chatting quietly.
I grinned widely.
‘Enjoy your cozy little time together!’
—
But, contrary to Maybell’s hopes, Sabina and Adrian didn’t get to talk for long.
Sabina, unable to resist her post-lunch drowsiness, began nodding off.
“Sabina.”
“……”
“Sabina?”
After calling her a few times, Adrian awkwardly scratched his chin.
‘She’s asleep.’
To be fair, Sabina had her reasons.
She’d been tense lately from their recent argument—and once they made up, all the stress drained away.
‘Come to think of it, I’ve never seen her sleeping before.’
Adrian stared at her quietly, then carefully reached out.
Her head kept bobbing unsteadily, so he gently guided her to lean against a tree for support.
‘…Sleep well.’
Adrian couldn’t take his eyes off the sleeping Sabina.
Beneath her closed eyelids, long violet lashes fluttered like butterfly wings.
Her slightly parted lips let out the soft sound of her breathing.
He smiled faintly.
‘She acts so prickly when she’s awake, but now…’
Her sleeping face looked as gentle as a child’s.
Then—
Sabina’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Mm…”
The sunlight filtering through the leaves seemed to bother her.
‘Oh, dear.’
Adrian hesitated, then shielded her face with his hand.
Immediately, her expression relaxed.
Her lips twitched faintly, forming a soft smile.
‘Ah.’
Adrian found himself holding his breath.
A heavy thud, like his heart had dropped.
Thump. Thump-thump. His heart raced erratically.
A fleeting moment stretched into eternity.
H
is senses sharpened.
The wind from the lake gently tousled her hair like iris petals.
A faint shadow from her lashes fell across her pale cheeks.
He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sight…
But then—
Rustle.
A small sound stirred from the grass as the breeze swept past.
—
