Free Web NovelAs if worried that her tone hadn’t been clear enough, Rania added,
“I could never accept a second teacher—especially not you!”
The firmness in the purple-haired girl’s voice made Vieya blink.
Had she somehow offended her?
Rejecting her that flatly, in front of her child no less—what a way to give her no face at all!
I even fed you a bowl of noodles! Vieya fumed inwardly.
Meanwhile, Rania’s mind drifted back to the first time she had met Vieya.
She still remembered.
Back then, Vieya had been a small, cute girl—a naïve, innocent little loli—caught up in a monster attack.
Amid the ruined street, that little girl had stood in the debris, her face covered in dust, her white clothes dirty and crumpled, her emerald eyes wide and dazed.
That pitiful, lost expression—those innocent eyes—had struck Rania’s heart like an arrow.
Instantly moved with compassion, she’d decided to help the poor girl.
That “help” had nearly cost her everything.
She had almost ruined her own reputation, and ended up beaten so badly she’d lain in the hospital for more than a week!
Now, looking at the white-haired girl sitting calmly at the table, waiting for an answer, Rania couldn’t help but see in her mind that same deceitful little loli—the one who’d used her cute face to trick her.
Gradually, the image of that white-haired loli from her memories overlapped with the confused white-haired girl sitting before her.
Heavens—this was the demon hiding inside an angel’s skin!
Still pretending to be pure and harmless, trying to take advantage of me!
So wicked—no wonder she’s that damn cat’s owner.
Like owner, like pet!
And besides—my teacher’s image is unmatched beneath the heavens. How could a monster girl like you compare?
I must not fall for this white-haired demon’s schemes! Her beauty trap! Her layered trickery!
Rania shook her head fiercely and declared, simple and blunt, “As for why I’m refusing you—you know perfectly well yourself!”
With that, she turned and bolted for the door, slamming it behind her with a loud bang, cutting off Vieya’s view.
“What did I even do to her...” Vieya muttered gloomily. “Was I not nice enough?”
“This is what I’ve been saying—ungrateful, innately evil little human brat!”
Helcat seized the moment to slander and complain on her mistress’s behalf. “Puts down her chopsticks and starts cursing right after eating—that’s humans for you! Better treat me nicely instead. The higher my favorability, the more functions I can unlock, meow!” She boasted proudly.
“Forget it...”
Vieya slumped over the table with a sigh. “This student of mine really doesn’t let her teacher rest easy.”
...
Night fell.
The evening wind was cool.
At the harbor of Fengxiang Town, waves crashed in steady rhythm as a girl stood poised on a cliff, gazing down at the surging tide and the distant mountains beyond.
“What’s wrong with me...? She must’ve just been joking, and yet I reacted so strongly.”
Rania murmured to herself. The clear night breeze lifted the hair across her forehead, brushed against her youthful brows, but couldn’t calm the turmoil in her chest.
She couldn’t understand why, when Vieya smiled and said she’d take her as a student, her heart had started pounding so fast.
And after that rush of heartbeat came a flare of embarrassed anger.
Vieya had been kind today—bringing her home, comforting her, cooking noodles with her own hands.
Yet Rania had lost her temper and said harsh words. When she left, she’d wanted to turn back and apologize—but the words wouldn’t come out.
“Trying to take my teacher’s place, are you...”
The girl on the cliff whispered to the wind. A sudden gust rose, lifting the hem of her dress. The fabric rippled softly against her thighs like waves upon waves, and her pale legs glimmered as the only light on the dark cliff.
The night air was cold, but the girl seemed not to feel it. She liked standing here—on cliffs, in silence, lost in thought.
Only, this mountain wasn’t high enough. From here, she couldn’t see far enough.
Rania missed her teacher.
The Royal Capital was the highest city of the human realm—one could see endlessly far from there—but it no longer belonged to her.
Sister Lilian was kind, and many in the Church knew her, but that place didn’t belong to her either.
The world was vast, yet after her teacher’s death, Rania no longer knew where she truly belonged.
“Maybe when I’m older, I’ll find the answer.”
The girl breathed quietly, staring down at Fengxiang Town beneath the night sky, lost in thought.
Suddenly, a scream tore through the darkness, shattering the peace.
Her head snapped up, brows knitting.
Crows streaked across the sky, their sharp cries cutting through the night like blades.
The wind grew stronger, the waves more violent.
Rania froze, then leapt from the cliff. Her light body fluttered through the darkness like a butterfly, chasing the source of that eerie sound.
She didn’t know how long she’d run before stopping amid the residential streets of Fengxiang Town, where the stench of blood hung thick in the air. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
...
The next morning, bright sunlight spilled through the window.
Still drowsy, Vieya blinked as birdsong outside the window woke her.
“Ugh... I still have to make breakfast for Jasmine... If only Flaviel were here, I could make her do it...”
She muttered a small complaint, then turned over—and burst into a quiet laugh at the sight of Jasmine drooling on her arm.
“Did this little one dream of food again? My arm isn’t edible, you know...”
She gently pulled her arm free, wiped the sticky drool off her hand, then wiped Jasmine’s mouth clean too.
“Mom...” Jasmine mumbled sleepily, squinting. “Be gentle...”
“Gentle, my foot.”
Vieya gave her daughter a light smack on the rear. “Get up and wash your face and mouth, now!”
“Eeh... I wanna sleep a bit more...”
“You little slacker!”
Vieya tucked Jasmine back under the blanket, stood up, and changed out of her sleepwear. “If breakfast’s ready and you’re still not up, I’m sending you to a human academy all by yourself!”
“Okay!”
Jasmine bolted upright, sleep vanishing in an instant. “I’m up, Mom!”
Vieya shook her head, then grabbed the black cat lying belly-up at the foot of the bed by the scruff of her neck.
“Stupid cat. Still sleeping? Get up and go buy breakfast!”
“Meow—meow?”
“Five meat-and-vermicelli buns, three egg pancakes, three vegetable pancakes, three cups of hot milk, one bowl of sesame balls, and one of crispy cabbage...”
...
Morning.
The streets bustled with people.
Dressed in a maid outfit, Helcat Red looked utterly lost. Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
“Wait, what—sending me out alone to buy breakfast, meow?” Helcat stared at the busy human street, dizzy from the crowd.
Human cities... so complicated.
Human breakfasts... even more complicated.
She didn’t want to move—she just wanted to eat.
She couldn’t remember half of what Vieya had told her to buy anyway, but after fumbling through the frills of her lacey leaf-green skirt, she found a crumpled paper note and unfolded it.
Vieya, anticipating her stupidity, had written the list down for her.
“Start with the buns...”
Tail swishing lazily, Helcat strolled toward her destination.
“Oh? Didn’t know anyone in this district could afford a monster-girl maid...”
“Look at that outfit—the fabric alone’s expensive. And that plump figure, so cute. Her owner must be a noble or high official.”
“You see that golden tag on her chest? That’s a top-grade identity tag!”
The catgirl maid’s appearance instantly drew murmurs from the crowd.
But Helcat didn’t care. Vieya had forced her to wear that identity tag, saying it would protect her—no one would dare capture or chase her through human streets.
Anyone who saw it would know she was a legally owned monster girl—fully registered and legitimate.
“Hey, don’t you think that monster girl looks kinda like the one on the wanted poster?” a passing adventurer whispered.
“All cat-eared girls look alike, don’t they? Besides the fur color and build. And this one’s way chubbier—the one on the poster’s way more dangerous. Bet she’s nice to hold though...”
“Right? The wanted one’s an eighth-rank monster—no way she’d be here working as a maid for humans, hahaha...”
“...”
These damned humans.
Are they trying to die this early in the morning—daring to gossip about me behind my back?!
A glint of killing intent flickered in Helcat’s eyes. She remembered Vieya tugging on her cat ears before she left, warning her not to cause trouble.
With a sharp “hmph,” she turned away and walked off.
The gawking humans lingered, craning their necks for another look.
One of the adventurers scratched his head, confused. “Weird... why’s it feel colder all of a sudden? Even colder than before sunrise...”
...
At the bun stall, Helcat sniffed the air greedily. The rich aroma made her drool as she counted her silver coins. One, two... so many! Five whole silver coins!
Five!
Her eyes gleamed. Decision made.
She was absolutely buying ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) five buns for herself to try first!
The catgirl waved her paw excitedly.
“Boss! Give me five—no, ten meat-and-vermicelli buns! With fish filling! Meow!”
