"I should prioritize these," I murmured while scanning the list.

But just as I was about to start planning the next batch, Agatha’s voice cut in firmly.

"My Lady."

I looked up.

She stood beside the table with her usual calm but determined expression.

"My Lady, have dinner first before working again."

Behind her, Gawain immediately nodded like a supportive assistant.

"Yes, My Lady," then he added dramatically. "Artists must nourish their bodies."

Agatha glanced at him. "...You just want to eat."

Gawain placed a hand on his chest. "How dare you accuse me correctly."

I sighed.

My stomach, unfortunately, chose that moment to growl loudly.

Agatha gave me a knowing look. "Dinner first."

I stood up and walked toward the door then froze.

Agatha looked at me curiously. "...What’s wrong, My Lady?"

Behind us, Gawain who had been happily trailing after us like an overgrown puppy, also stopped.

"What happened?" he asked, leaning forward curiously.

I slowly turned around and pointed at him. "...Gawain."

"Yes?"

"I think you should stay here for now."

He blinked then his face fell dramatically.

"But I want to be with you, My Lady!" he whined like a child who had just been told the playground was closed.

Agatha immediately pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Are you thinking straight?" she snapped. "Do you know how ruthless Mikael can get?"

She pointed a dagger at him for emphasis. "You’re an intruder. Walking outside would spell trouble."

Her eyes narrowed. "...For you."

Then she gestured towards her. "...And for me for failing to inform matters like this."

Gawain deflated slightly. "But—"

"Agatha’s right," I cut in before he could start a full emotional speech. "You should stay hidden until I find a way to introduce you to Soren."

Gawain crossed his arms and sulked for approximately three seconds then sighed dramatically. "Fine."

He pointed at me. "But bring me food when you come back," then he rubbed his stomach. "I’ve been starving since the moment I got here."

I tilted my head. "What meal would you like?"

Gawain rubbed his chin thoughtfully like a nobleman ordering from a royal banquet.

"Any meat is fine..."

He smiled.

"...especially birds."

SHING.

Agatha suddenly pulled out a dagger and pointed it directly at his throat.

"Do you want to be skinned alive," she asked sweetly, "and be served as snake meat?"

Gawain immediately raised both hands. "Chill! I’m joking!" he laughed as if he’s enjoying this. "Loosen up will you?"

Agatha’s smile turned dangerous. "Shall I loosen your mouth instead?"

Gawain took one cautious step backward, then another until he was hiding behind my back.

"Wow. Violent. Certainly not my cup of tea."

Before the two of them could escalate into "Kitchen Knife vs. Idiot Snake: Round One," I quickly raised my hand.

"Enough."

They both looked at me.

"Agatha," I lowered my voice slightly. "Please keep my human transformation a secret."

Agatha straightened instantly. "Understood, My Lady."

Gawain looked between us then pointed at himself. "...Do I get dinner secrecy privileges too?"

Agatha slowly raised her dagger again.

"...Never mind," he said quickly.

I sighed.

As much as I wanted to enjoy walking around with actual human legs, I decided that it’s still not the time yet.

So with great reluctance, I handed the energy stone back to Gawain. "Hold this," I said, already regretting to give it to him.

The moment the stone left my hand—

Poof.

My human body disappeared and I shrank back into my usual leopard form.

Four paws, fluffy tail, and no dignity.

Gawain stared down at me, holding the stone. "...I just turned my Lady back into a cat."

"Leopard," I corrected with a glare.

"Right. Leopard. My apologies."

Agatha opened the door and the three of us left the room—well, technically two people and one temporarily disguised criminal stayed behind.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Dinner turned out to be surprisingly peaceful and fast.

Mikael personally served the food, placing dish after dish in front of me like I was royalty.

Roasted meat, soup, fresh bread, vegetables and something that smelled expensive.

I ate excitedly, almost vacuuming all the food placed in front of me.

Before you judge me for being a glutton, I need the energy for later. Carving takes a lot of energy and concentration you know?

Once I finished eating, I tapped Agatha’s arm.

She understood immediately as I pointed at the food tray then wrote something on my OmniSync.

Agatha read it and nodded before preparing another tray filled with food.

Mikael glanced at me, then at the tray, then smiled. "You have quite a big appetite today, Miss Blanca."

I quickly wrote on my OmniSync. "Yeah. I’m saving it as a midnight snack."

Mikael read the screen and smiled again. "... Of course."

Agatha stood there silently, holding a tray full of food meant for a six-foot snake man hiding in the room upstairs.

"Anyways, I’ll be going back to my workshop now. Excellent food as always!" I typed on my OmniSync.

Mikael gave a polite bow. "I’m glad you enjoyed it, Miss Blanca." He stepped aside to let me pass.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

The moment the door to the workshop closed—

A blur shot toward us.

"FOOD!"

Gawain practically teleported from the corner of the room.

He quickly placed my stone on my paw then he snatched the tray from Agatha like a man who hadn’t eaten in three centuries.

"My Lady you are the most merciful employer ever!"

"You’re not employed," I said flatly, transforming back to semi-human.

"Details."

He had already grabbed a roasted drumstick and was eating like a starving wolf.

Agatha released the tray slowly, watching him with visible disgust. "...I regret not throwing you harder out the window earlier."

Gawain waved his hand dismissively while chewing. "Violence isn’t the answer, Agatha."

"You are the violence."

I ignored both of them as I grabbed my carving tools again and focused on the next batch of orders.

Now that I had practiced all afternoon, my movements had become faster and more precise.

Stone after stone formed beneath the blade.

A wolf mid-howl.

A panther crouching low.

A crocodile with jaws slightly open.

A rabbit sitting upright.

A snake coiled and ready to strike.

Hours passed quietly with Gawain occasionally interrupting me by loudly praising the food.

Or Agatha threatening to poison him.

But I still kept my focus.

By the time I finally leaned back, stretching my shoulders, twenty-five new carvings sat neatly on the table.

Five wolves, five panthers, five crocodiles, five rabbits, and five snakes. All in different poses.

One by one, I photographed the carvings and uploaded them to my StrataLink shop.

Each listing went live with images and descriptions. Orders and notifications immediately started popping up, but I ignored them for now.

Behind me, Agatha carefully arranged the finished stones along the shelves, placing them softly in separate glass casings.

Meanwhile, Gawain was completely useless. He had completely given up on pretending to be helpful.

He was already asleep, his head resting on the desk right beside me, and he was snoring like a dying engine.

"Grrrrrr—snrk—grrrrr..."

At one point he even muttered something about food.

I slowly looked at the clock.

11:30 PM.

My ears drooped. "Let’s rest for today," I yawned, stretching my arms then stood up but froze when I looked at Gawain.

Right.

I forgot what to do about this guy.

I couldn’t exactly leave him here overnight. If any maid walked in tomorrow morning, they’d find a grown man sleeping on my work desk like a decorative statue.

Mikael would probably turn him into snake soup before breakfast.

I knocked on the desk. "Gawain."

He groaned.

"HRRRRNNNGGGHH...more drumstick..." he mumbled.

I leaned closer. "Gawain!"

Still nothing.

So I took a deep breath and shouted directly into his ear. "GAWAIN!"

"Wha—HUH?!" He shot upright instantly. "ATTENTION!"

He stood stiffly like a soldier reporting to duty. Unfortunately his eyes were still half closed.

I crossed my arms. "Let’s go sleep."

He blinked slowly. "My Lady... you woke me up... just to say we’re going to sleep?"

He pointed at the desk. "I was already sleeping!"

"Not here," I said flatly. "It’s too risky."

He looked around the workshop. "But it’s cozy in here," he argued like a kid.

I glared at him. "Do you want to get thrown out?"

His posture immediately straightened. "What did I say? Let’s go!"

He stretched his arms. "I’m also curious how your room looks."

Agatha sighed but walked ahead to the door then opened it slowly and peeked outside like a professional spy.

The hallway was quiet.

No maids.

No guards.

No Mikael.

She turned back and whispered. "Let’s go, My Lady."

The three of us slipped out quietly.

The three of us slipped out into the hallway.

Agatha led the way as I followed.

Gawain walked behind us trying very hard to step quietly.

Unfortunately, for someone who could move silently at terrifying speeds earlier, he now sounded like a sleepy giraffe learning how legs work.

"Stop stomping," I whispered.

"I’m not stomping," he whispered loudly.

"You are."

"I’m stealthy!"

"You sound like a horse."

Agatha stopped suddenly and raised her hand.

We froze.

Two maids passed down the corridor ahead of us, chatting quietly.

We pressed against the wall until they disappeared.

Then Agatha signaled again.

We continued moving.

Corner.

Hallway.

Another hallway.

Avoiding every maid like we were running a midnight espionage mission.

We finally reached my room as Agatha opened the door quickly.

"All clear."

The three of us slipped inside, quickly shutting the door shut behind us.

Silence.

Gawain immediately looked around the room with sparkling curiosity. "Ohhhh..."

He placed his hands on his hips. "So this is My Lady’s room."

He nodded approvingly. "Very fancy."

Then he looked at the bed, a wide grin spreading across his face. "...Also very soft-looking."

Before I could even stop him, Gawain launched himself onto the bed.

"Ahhhhhh," he sighed dramatically, spreading his arms like a man discovering heaven. "This is nice."

He bounced slightly on the mattress. "It’s been so long since I slept on a proper bed."

I rolled my eyes. "It’s only been days."

Then I kicked him off.

THUMP.

"That hurts!" he whined, rubbing his side like a wounded soldier.

"Go sleep somewhere else," I said flatly. "But make sure you’re hidden."

If Soren managed to come back and walked in here tomorrow seeing a random grown man sleeping on my bed, there would be a funeral.

I turned to Agatha.

"You should also go rest now."

She bowed slightly.

"Yes, My Lady."

Before leaving, she shot Gawain one last warning glare that clearly meant:

If you cause trouble I will personally bury you.

Then she left, quietly closing the door behind her.

The room finally fell silent.

I took the energy stone and slipped it under my pillow.

The moment it left my hand—

My body shrank again.

White hair vanished.

Human limbs disappeared.

In seconds I was back to my leopard form.

I curled into the blankets.

Behind me, I heard Gawain moving quietly around the room, probably searching for a place to hide.

Then he walked over to the bed. "Goodnight, My Lady," he said softly.

He gently pulled the blanket over me like he used to when I was still a cub.

I peeked up at him. "...Nyang."

Translation: Good night too.

Gawain smiled faintly as he quietly moved away to find his own hiding spot for the night.