off your veil and I’ll dance with you!»
«It is very well!» Rashelina gave in and threw back the sliding piece of opaque silk from her face. Brendan was stunned.
Well, there you have it! Such a face was worth seeing. Or was it better not to see it?
And he brought up the subject of beauty. Rashelina was the prettiest she had ever been. But she was a cat! Who could have a cuter face than a pretty, fluffy cat? Except that he had expected to see the girl from his dream, not a human-sized cat dressed in a lavish ball gown.
«Would you prefer an ordinary lady?? Rashelina guessed.
«It is not at all,» Brendan mumbled. «I love cats!»
He would not have insulted the lady of the castle by dreaming that he had seen in her place the beauty of the dream. She was also called Rachelina. Alas, he was faced with a very different Rashelina. Perhaps the first was just a dream spirit, a moon fairy or something like that. Anyway, one could only meet her again in a dream. And now it is not a dream. Rashelina, impatiently waiting for him in reality, is just a regal cat. There is nowhere to go. He led her in a dance.
Invisible guests
The cat’s paw lay on top of his palm very gently, trying not to run her claws over his skin. And lace cuffs froth over the cat’s paw. Brendan had never before in his life seen precious rings even on the paws of a well-groomed Bastard. But the feline princess was wearing many rings: rubies, sapphires, and topazes. The cat’s kingdom is obviously very rich.
Stop! Why did he think it was a cat’s kingdom? After all, Rebecca is not a cat. And he hadn’t noticed any other feline subjects here yet, either. The creepy monsters in the fields were definitely not of feline stock. Which meant the cat was only a princess. Was her pretty, fluffy face a mask? Brendan dismissed the notion at once. The cat lady in front of him was definitely a natural, not a masquerade. Even the tone of her voice reverberated with a purr or a rumbling.
After the dance, the floor was covered in scratches. Apparently, the claws on the princess’s feet had left marks on the parquet.
«You weren’t as surprised as my other guests,» said Rachelina. «Have you seen anyone like me before?»
«I’ve seen a lot of things in my life,» Brendan brushed them aside.
«You’re too young to be a seasoned traveler. You’ve been a vagabond since you were a boy, haven’t you?»
Well, the cat princess had caught him in a lie. What should he do now? He could not tell her that he had only seen the world through Ephigenia’s crystal ball, but that he had been locked up in his uncle’s castle.
«To be honest, I adore cats,» Brendan twisted. «And your feline beauty is beyond all praise.»
«You are flatterer!» Of course, she didn’t blush like a human, but she looked embarrassed.
«I’m not a ladies’ man,» Brendan hastened to object. «I’ve never been a ladies’ man, but cats, in my opinion, are the loveliest creatures on earth. And you are the most extraordinary and delightful cat I have ever met.»
What other words to describe that he was struck by the sight of a cat in a gorgeous lady’s dress and with a tiara between its pointy ears.
«Was that a compliment?» Rashelina guessed.
«It is indeed!»
The cat princess looked strangely at the empty rows of chairs at the banquet table, as if she were waiting for approval from someone. But from whom is it? After all, there were no guests at the table. At least, there were none in sight. Brendan felt sick at the thought that there might be ghosts in the hall. One goblet suddenly tumbled and rolled between the dishes, as if someone had pushed it. And it wasn’t a mouse at all!
«Nearly all the mice in the place must have been captured,» Brendan suggested, just to say something.
«You’re right! There used to be lots of them, but now there are hardly any left. You can never have too many mice.»
She touched Brendan’s fingers inadvertently with her claw.
«Oh, I am sorry!»
«It’s all right.»
Really, it’s nothing. It wasn’t the scratch that bothered Brendan, but the way the princess licked her face predatorily at the mention of mice. She might one day set her sights on the minstrel, too. She is, after all, a cat in human size. So she must have bigger game, too. Now it was clear who had scratched Rebecca. It was no werewolf suitor, by all accounts, and no sign of him. But there was a Mistress with claws. It must be hard to serve under a mistress like that. Anything at all, she’ll scratch you.
«So you said you liked me a lot?» purred or uttered the cat lady.
Is he just hearing things? Or is she asking for more compliments?
«I don’t think so!» Brendan confessed honestly. «Rendezvous with a cat is the nicest thing that’s happened to me in days.»
«Is it with the princess,» said Rashelina, with a matter-of-fact tone.
«You’re the sweetest thing that’s happened to me in days.»
«And you think I’m the loveliest creature you’ve ever seen in your life?»
Yes, it was except for the girl in the dream and the beautiful lady in charge of the cavalcade of elves. But Brendan didn’t want to upset the kitty. She might cut him with her claws, like poor Rebecca.
«Yes!» he nodded. He thought to himself how hard it was for Rebecca to be with such a mistress. She has every claw the size of a knife. No wonder Rebecca was all twitchy and nervous, always on pins and needles.
But the waltz with the cat princess was like a sweet dream. Not counting the claws, Rashelina was so gentle and fluffy. And her muzzle, covered with white-golden wool, was so pleasant to look at. And her eyes were multi-colored, as if some wizard had sharpened a rainbow inside her pupils.
«You’re the prettiest cat in the universe,» Brendan flattered her once again.
«Would you like to stay here with me forever?»
Rashelina’s tone became mellifluous. Brendan had no idea her question was a tricky one.
«Of course there was!»
The lute was instantly silenced, as if a ghost playing the strings had stopped upon hearing his answer. Suddenly laughter erupted at the table, as if dozens of guests had been seated there. Brendan turned around. No one was there. All the chairs were empty. And there seemed to be more candles in the room. And some of them are floating right up above the dance floor.
«The round has begun!» Rashelina proclaimed.
«Do you mean the next dance?»
«No, it is not at all.»
There’s something not quite right. Rashelina looked at him with slightly squinting eyes, as if she’d snatched a bird.
«Is there something I don’t understand?»
«It’s all right,» the feline princess winked at him. «You must wait until the tournament begins.»
«What tournament is it? Is it the music tournament?»
Rashelina laughed a pleasant purr.
«You have a beautiful voice,» Brendan remarked. «I can play for you and you can sing along with my lute, if you like. Or I’ll sing for you.»
«Sing for them,» she turned him toward the empty table.
Who’s there to sing for? Not one chair is occupied. But if the princess wants to fool around, why not play along. Brendan has become accustomed to the Bastard’s caprices: give him a sleeve ribbon, bring him a ball of wool, part with a pearl button