Life of Change

I felt a weight on my body, preventing me from moving freely. I didn't want to wake up, but I couldn't move either. Although I must say that whatever was on me was warm and soft, and produced a soothing sound, a vibration transmitted through my body across my belly giving me a kind of massage.

However, as relaxing and enjoyable as the experience was, being unable to move made me nervous. I had no choice but to open my eyes and try to remove whatever had me trapped.

"Hmm?"

I quickly caught a glimpse of the culprit. Yuliana was lying on my stomach, her face looking up into my face. She was curled up just like a cat, her little tail wagging slightly near her face.

W-what should I do? Waking up a cat sleeping on you is a mortal sin, but... does that also apply to cat girls? No, stupid question, of course, it applies too. But then what do I do?

As I debated on what to do about my situation; sorely tempted to just keep enjoying myself, Yuliana began to stir, waking from her slumber. Her ears twitched as she yawned and stretched, pushing the sleep and stiffness away from her body.

She finally opened her eyes and stared at me for a moment. Our gazes met and we were silent for a while, until she lay back down on me, this time fully awake. Her eyes never left mine, and I didn't want to either. There was something hypnotic in her tender gaze.

Meeting Yuliana might be one of the best things that can happen to me in this new life. Just by the looks of her, I can tell it will be a lot of fun to be friends with her, especially with all those feline behaviors she has. Having a cat girl as a friend? The dream of a lifetime. I'm a cat person, what can I say?

However, it feels a bit like we're being pushed into this. My friendship with her is part of Katarina's plans, something I'm grateful for, but it's still a little annoying that it's part of someone else's plan and not my own decision.

"Osya." She called out to me in her sweet little voice, interrupting that line of thought. Her look told me she was expecting something from me. As if on instinct, I brought my hand to her head and began to stroke her gently, eliciting a smile on her face and a happy purr.

Yes, this is happiness.

I immediately remembered the blow I received. It wasn't the first time a child had hit me. Nadia was the same when she was little, but it was the first time I cried about it. In my defense, it hurt like hell. And the blood... I shivered slightly at the memory. My hand paused from caressing Yuliana, causing her to look at me curiously and somewhat annoyed that I interrupted her enjoyment.

I sighed and resumed my actions, taking back her smile. Seeing my blood had been... something I never wanted to see again. Just a drop made me feel there again, at that moment.

No, let's not think about it anymore. I don't want to go in there.

I brought my caresses to Yuliana's little ear, treating it with utmost care, stroking gently. My reward was a face of absolute contentment on her part, along with an even happier purr and what sounded like a meow that asked me for more.

"How cute," I thought, enjoying the feel of her soft fur in my hands.

"Hmm? Ah, Kolia, the ladies are awake already."

"Finally. I almost thought we were going to have to force them to wake up."

Ameli's voice, and another person, made me look away from my little angel. Ameli came over and picked me up in her arms, made sure my "diaper" was still dry, and proceeded to change my clothes... for some reason I didn't understand.

The other girl, the maid who was with us earlier, did the same with Yuliana and in no time, we were both ready. I was now wearing some sort of shorts and a simple shirt, along with more comfortable shoes. Yuliana was wearing a similar outfit, and her long hair was tied in a small ponytail, making her ears stand out a little more. Both maids led us outside to the garden, where all the guests, adults and children, were now gathered.

The place was a large area behind the building we had been in, there were some tables similar to the ones in the hall, with new types of food, this time more similar to a picnic than to the food you would put in a gathering of nobility.

Makila was sitting at one of the tables eating, while several other guests next to her were chatting happily. This time it was not the previous women who were with Katarina, who was in fact at another table also conversing with different people.

Far in the background, just like in the living room, was Isolde, looking... well, I wouldn't know how to describe it. Her face did not show much more expression than it had when she arrived, but she looked very dark, defeated even. The two nobles who had previously kept whispering to each other stood beside her, looking incredibly uncomfortable. They seemed to hesitate whether they should talk to her or not.

Finally, at her feet, next to 2 other children, a girl, and a boy, was Aria. All 3 were dressed similarly to me and were simply sitting on the floor. Aria was hugging her knees with puffy eyes, sulking. She wouldn't take her eyes off the ground, and the other two children, totally oblivious to her mood, were playing without a care in the world.

I felt bad for her. Okay, she did something wrong, she tried to steal her favorite toy from the daughter of the hostess of this event and she beat me to the point of making me bleed, but she is a child, a very little girl who, let's be honest, barely knows what she is doing. She probably felt jealous of us seeing us so comfortable and happy with the monster of infinite softness and reacted based on that. I wouldn't blame her for something like that. She just needs to have that behavior corrected and that's it, no big deal.

Inadvertently, Aria looked up and met my gaze, following me as I was carried by Ameli to one of the tables.

To be honest, I wasn't going to hold a grudge against her for something like that, much less want her to hold a grudge against me. But it was hard to do something that didn't look like I was making fun of her, so all I did was raise my hand and wave it, greeting. I honestly don't know what I hoped to accomplish with that. Maybe a gesture of peace, or just that she would see that I was okay and didn't look upset. I didn't know.

Fortunately, it was not taken as anything more than a simple greeting. Aria kept her watchful gaze on me but made no expression of annoyance or indignation. Only, she returned my greeting. Immediately afterward she returned her gaze to the ground, sad and lonely. And nothing more.

Finally, we arrived at a place near the table where Makila was. I was seated at a table just like the one in the living room, for children, and was served a delicious meal. To my eyes unfamiliar, but it looked equally delicious. There were some pieces of meat and some vegetables. I wasn't picky about the food, but I was unfamiliar with many of the things on the plate.

Wasting no time, Ameli helped me eat bit by bit, cutting the food with great skill and dexterity. Worthy of Makila's training.

Yuliana, who was seated next to me, had a meal made entirely of meat and much less vegetables. Kolia, her maid, worked almost as efficiently as my Ameli, but there was a problem.

" Little miss, you must eat the vegetables too." Said the maid, making effort after effort to get the little kitten to listen.

A true classic. A little girl who doesn't want to eat her vegetables. It was funny to watch that scene. The maid with a fork whose head was turned 90° (Don't ask me why, I just know that's how it is), was struggling to get Yuliana to open her mouth, but try as she might she was completely unable.

Ameli seemed to empathize with the girl, and so did I, so I did something to help. I made some noise to get Yuliana's attention, while Ameli handed me one of the same vegetables that was on my little angel's plate. I devoured it without complaint and smiled as I chewed, showing the girl how delicious it was. Of course, it wasn't that delicious. It was kind of... normal. It tasted a bit like broccoli with a slight hint of onion, something kids don't like, but it wasn't anything earth-shattering either... well... I guess I can't apply that phrase anymore since this is not the earth.

Anyway. I got Yuliana's attention, which was my main goal. If she saw a girl her age enjoying that which she didn't want to eat, maybe I could push her to try it too. I pointed out another of the vegetables to Ameli and she, ever capable, saw through my master plan...or maybe just used to my quirks and impulses, gave me what I asked for. Before long, my little angel seemed genuinely interested in wanting a taste as well, something the maid wasted no time in taking advantage of.

With my triumphant expression, I watched Yuliana chew her food... and spit it out almost instantly.

My plan... failed miserably.

Yeah, well, not everything can be a success in life. At least I tried. At least I tried...

Lunch ended with a strange feeling of defeat. My plate was empty and Yuliana's plate was full of vegetables that definitely 2 maids and a baby didn't fight for her to eat and we couldn't.

I feel like I'm losing my touch...

A while later, we were allowed to walk around the small garden, carpeted in incredibly soft grass, and... believe it or not, it was completely blue. A very nice blue, by the way. It looked artificial, but it wasn't. I checked it out by plucking a couple of leaves. It smelled fresh, like, well, freshly cut grass.

Yuliana walked around the place showing me different plants as I happily followed along beside her. Ameli and Kolia, a couple of meters behind smiling happily at the sight of us.

My little angel sometimes stopped looking at some insect flying around, trying to catch it with her hands. She never managed to catch any, but she looked happy just chasing them.

Yuliana was a real cat; I did not doubt that. And that only made her that much more adorable.

She kept running and running happily around the garden and, thanks to her infectious joy, I ended up running after her while laughing without a care in the world. At one point, Yuliana turned towards me, lunging and throwing me to the ground. We ended up rolling on the grass as we laughed together. We moved a bit away from each other and, spurred on by the atmosphere, I did the same and threw myself towards her, rolling once again on the soft grass.

We continued playing that way for a long time; running back and forth, chasing each other in a game of game of catch, like prey and hunter, which changed constantly every time the other one lost. Until we ended up very close to where Aria was.

I allowed myself to take a short break to look at her. She looked quite depressed and looked at me with some envy. Different from before. This time she was envious that I was playing so happily and she was just sitting there doing nothing.

I admit I felt sorry for her. Did she deserve punishment for what she did? Of course, she did. Hitting a girl much smaller than her was something that could not be tolerated. Punishment was necessary. But, to be denied any kind of action at an event where the goal was for her to have fun like the little girl she is? That was no longer right. She's already been scolded; she's already had her ears pulled. It even seems that she already understood that what she did was wrong, so why keep her in that place where she only looks sad and abandoned?

With that thought in my head, I approached her. I glanced sideways at her mother who kept her expression serious but dark. She followed me with her gaze attentive to anything that might happen.

I stopped right in front of Aria and looked at her curiously. She returned my gaze for a moment before turning to the side, sulking. She didn't want me to be there. It was as if she was asking me if I had come to mock her, but it was quite the opposite.

"Osya?"

Yuliana arrived a moment later and stood behind me. I turned to her, then back to Aria, thinking about how to let her know I wanted to take the girl with us, but there was no need for words. Yuliana nodded and took the initiative, approaching Aria, taking one of her hands, and pulling her close, indicating that she wanted her to come with us.

I smiled at the brave kitten and mimicked her. I took Aria's other hand and together with my little angel we pulled her to play with us. Aria stood up and turned to look at her mother. Unfortunately, she only responded with a frown, as if she was flatly denying her silent question to go with us.

Aria lowered her shoulders and her gaze, sad at being denied. That annoyed me, and I looked angrily at Isolde. I kept trying to get Aria to go with us, but she refused to go. She kept looking at her mother, silently begging her to give her permission, but no matter how much her sad gaze tried to penetrate her heart, the countess stood her ground. And that ended up making me fed up.

I let go of Aria's hand and walked angrily towards Isolde, looked her in the eyes, pointed my finger at her, and with all the strength I mustered, shouted at her to let her go with us. Of course, it wasn't words I said, it was a simple "AH!" in a loud voice, but it was enough for her to open her eyes in surprise.

"Countess, if I may," Ameli said, appearing right behind me.

Isolde nodded granting the floor to my faithful servant.

"I believe what my young lady is trying to say is that she has already forgiven young lady Aria and that she wishes to play with her," Ameli announced, as she remained in a bowing pose, keeping one hand on her chest and the other holding her skirt. "In this servant's humble opinion, I believe young Miss Aria has already learned her lesson and I think she deserves some mercy from your grace."

I folded my arms and nodded with a proud smile as Ameli spoke. She had said exactly what I thought. As expected of my servant, she had come to understand me quite well.

Isolde stood thoughtfully for a long moment. Her daughter waited nervously behind us. Yuliana, oblivious to all this, kept tugging on Aria's arm.

Sweet little angel.

Finally, the countess let out a long sigh and nodded towards her daughter. The girl opened her eyes happily and let Yuliana pull her, causing them both to fall to the ground and roll on the grass. Yuliana blinked in surprise but didn't mind too much. She simply jumped up to me and, as she did before with the other girl, pulled me by the arm. Immediately after, the 3 of us ran and played until we were exhausted.

The rest of the day progressed quickly. I felt like I had the time of my life. I played to my heart's content. Something I never thought I could ever do. And I'm not just talking about my childhood in the other world, but my childhood in the current one as well. It was hard to think that, with my adult mind, I could ever enjoy such simple things as a game of catch, running aimlessly through the garden, rolling in the grass, twisting and turning among the flowers holding hands with two other girls while the three of us laughed non-stop.

I had never really thought about how much fun it was to just turn off my mind, forget about absolutely everything, and... let myself go. Being erratic in a good way. Running, suddenly throwing myself to the ground, limbs splayed open, and then suddenly getting up and pretending I was a Dark Souls character and rolling around dodging my new friends who were trying to catch me.

I couldn't remember a single time when I had as much fun as I did that day. And I couldn't have been happier about it. So how great were my disappointment and sadness when Makila and Katarina arrived next to us to tell us that the event was over and it was my time to go home.

Hearing those words made me get up and run in the other direction, although I didn't manage to run too far. Ameli quickly positioned herself in front of my path, and Makila was already behind. I was caught in a matter of seconds.

Yuliana was less lucky and was caught before she could even start running. Aria, on the other hand, looked resigned but maintained a happy and satisfied smile. Isolde approached us to pick up her daughter, and that's when I noticed that there was only us left, the rest of the guests had already departed.

At what point did they all leave that I didn't notice?

I was a little shocked at the level of disconnection I had while playing with my new friends.

Makila carried me in her arms, while Katarina and the Countess did the same with their daughters. Although Yuliana seemed to sulk at being interrupted. However, a few pats from her mother reassured her.

Back in the parlor, they had a little conversation, promising to meet again. Interesting was that Isolde seemed a bit excited about it, to the point that she offered to be the next hostess.

Actually, what happened while we were sleeping? I just remember seeing the countess very scared, Aria crying and... then we left.

"So, I think it's my time to retire. Duchess, thank you for inviting us, it was a very... enlightening day and, by the looks of my daughter, a lot of fun." Isolde said, giving Katarina a bow. Then she turned to my second mother. Her face transformed into a mask of regret and... shame? "Once again, Dame Fiana, I am very sorry for what happened with my daughter. And also, thank you for your advice."

This time the bow was much more pronounced, much more respectful. Her proud and haughty expression had been replaced by a more sincere and humble face.

Makila smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry, Isolde, they are children, these things happen. I know you have raised your daughter well; this was just an accident caused by innocence and the normal whims of a child. You don't have to apologize for it again." Makila dismissed the apology and the formality of the matter easily. She placed her free hand on Isolde's shoulder, urging her to regain her upright and proud posture. Then she added, "Besides, from the way the girls were playing, I can assure you that none of them hold grudges. They've already forgiven her."

Isolde gave me a curious look, then nodded in agreement and squeezed her daughter a little closer to herself. Somehow that action and her subsequent calm smile gave me the feeling that she was proud of her. Although I didn't know why that feeling came about.

Finally, Katarina joined in, saying she hoped this situation would turn into a funny story to tell us when we were older... she explicitly said they would use it to embarrass us...

I felt a sudden shiver run down my spine. I realized that Katarina was THAT kind of mother. I looked over to Yuliana and she, though she didn't seem to understand the conversation, her ears drooped and she hid her tail.

Sathalia, if you can hear me, please never allow anything shameful to happen to me in this woman's presence or anything to ever reach her ears. PLEASE!

I prayed, hoping that my wishes would be heard.

Isolde said goodbye first. Yuliana and I said goodbye to Aria, waving hands. She looked a little sad about having to leave, but she kept a nice smile, so that made me happy.

Soon after it was our turn. Yuliana didn't want to be separated from me. And well... neither did I. We had grown too fond of each other, but unfortunately, we had no choice. She was pouting, almost about to start crying, while her mother did her best to calm her down.

It was exhausting, but they finally managed to calm her down after promising that we would see each other soon. A promise I was absolutely willing to keep no matter what.

With that, we said goodbye. I waved my hand towards my little angel who was doing her best not to try to escape wildly from her mother's arms. We climbed into our carriage where our family's guards waited quietly. I wondered what they had been doing all day while we were at the event, but I didn't think I would know for now.

We entered the carriage and, from the window, I continued to say goodbye to Yuliana. I was going to miss the little pink ball, but at least I knew we would see each other again soon.

The trip back felt slower than the trip there had been. The rest of the soldiers joined us halfway.

The landscape had changed to a much more colorful one. The sky had some pink and orange hues, which blended beautifully with the roofs of the buildings in the city. It was a solemn image that reminded me that this world was, without a doubt, a world of fantasy.

I rested my head on Makila's soft chest as I played with one of her hands. She and Ameli had a conversation about the various points the young maid could improve on regarding her performance for the day. But also, Ameli was showered with praise for all the good things she did, from always being in the right place; and this made Makila unable to contain her laughter, having taken Katarina completely by surprise.

I kept my musings to a minimum during the trip. All that was on my mind was how my life would change from that moment on. I now had a friend...no, I had two friends, two girls who would surely be with me for a long time. I had mentioned it before, but I envied what Katarina and my two mothers had as teenagers, that friendship so strong that it even lasted despite their circumstances.

I was excited. There were so many things I wanted to do now that I had friends, so many ideas, so many conversations. I couldn't get the smile off my face. There was a very warm feeling inside me, something I had never felt before. I was happy, very, very happy.