In the grand pace hall, Ivanna hurriedly chased after Cal, who was striding ahead with long steps.

  She hadn’t finished her conversation with him and still had pressing questions—questions about Sophia.

  Ivanna, like others who had awakened, possessed a rare bloodline ability. With it, she could subtly sense and manipute the 'attention' of those around her. During the recent noble gathering, she had observed that whenever Sophia's slur name was mentioned, Cal's attention would sharpen noticeably.

  Ivanna had been yearning to meet Sophia ever since she stopped attending the noble gatherings. From her observations, Ivanna suspected that Cal might also wish to see Sophia. She hoped to propose visiting her together, as the idea of approaching the Kovalevska Mansion alone was far too daunting.

  Given Cal’s infrequent appearances at noble gatherings, Ivanna resolved that this was her best opportunity to bring up the idea.

  However, despite her best efforts to keep up, Cal’s swift stride easily outpaced her. Her 'Awakening' provided no physical enhancements, and had he not stopped briefly at the Merchant Guild to make a purchase, she likely would have lost him altogether.

  ***

  As Ivanna trailed behind Cal, she was taken aback to discover his destination—it was none other than the Kovalevska Mansion.

  Cal walked straight to its imposing gates and disappeared inside.

  Ivanna hesitated for a moment before deciding to follow. With her bloodline ability, she diverted everyone’s 'attention' away from her.

  Without anyone paying 'attention', it seemed to others as though she had vanished completely.

  Walking beside Cal, completely unnoticed, Ivanna followed him through the opulent corridors until they reached a room. As they stepped inside, she saw Sophia seated at her study table.

  The sight of her filled Ivanna with joy, but she hesitated to reveal herself. After all, she was an uninvited guest, and dropping her bloodline ability now would feel both abrupt and inappropriate.

  So, Ivanna waited, silent and unseen, observing the interaction between Cal and Sophia. Her attention soon wandered to a bck cat perched on Sophia's study table.

  The cat leaped gracefully to the floor and fixed its gaze on Sophia. To Ivanna’s surprise, Sophia began speaking as if she were responding to the silent cat.

  The scene unsettled Ivanna.

  The cat then turned its attention to Cal, who responded in a strange, otherworldly nguage Ivanna had never heard before.

  Then, the cat's gaze locked onto her.

  Ivanna froze.

  For the first time, someone—or something—had noticed her despite her bloodline ability being active. Even her parents had never managed to detect her while she was using it.

  The cat, however, merely observed her briefly before sitting up beside Cal.

  Ivanna let out a quiet sigh of relief, though her unease lingered.

  ***

  Time passed as Ivanna sat beside Cal, quietly observing him with curiosity. Occasionally, she would wander over to Sophia, gncing at whatever she was working on. As for the bck cat, she did her best to ignore him entirely.

  When Cal finished his work, Ivanna moved to sit on his right, purposely avoiding the bck cat lounging on his left.

  However, the cat's 'attention' suddenly shifted toward her, its gaze more intense than before. Ivanna tried to ignore it, turning her focus elsewhere, but a strange sensation began to creep over her.

  Through her bloodline ability, Ivanna sensed not just one 'attention' but two... then five... then seventeen... and soon hundreds—each distinct and all converging upon her. The number kept rising, straining her bloodline ability to its limits.

  Unable to endure it any longer, Ivanna let out a scream before dashing toward Sophia in desperation.

  After calming down and recounting her story to Cal, Ivanna sat beside Sophia, holding her tightly in an embrace. She deliberately avoided mentioning the bck cat, wary of drawing its attention. Furthermore, she was careful not to reveal anything about her bloodline ability, fully aware of the Maurya Empire’s strict ws forbidding the disclosure of such information.

  ***

  “There, there,” Sophia said gently, stroking Ivanna’s hair. “Sir Seraphix can be such a meanie. I’ll make sure to punish him ter, don’t worry.” A mischievous smile pyed on Sophia’s lips.

  Ivanna readily accepted Sophia's comfort.

  "I missed you so much, Sister Sophia," Ivanna murmured, her face pressed against Sophia's chest.

  “You missed me?” Sophia asked, surprised.

  “Yes! There are others too, but I’m the one who missed you the most!” Ivanna decred with confidence.

  Sophia fell silent for a moment before hugging Ivanna even more. “I missed you too.”

  Ivanna then blurted out, “But you don’t have to go to the gatherings. They’re so mean.”

  “Mean?” Sophia asked, puzzled.

  As Ivanna tried to expin, Cal interrupted. “Ivanna, does anyone else know you came here?”

  Shaking her head, Ivanna replied, “No.”

  “Then, can you keep everything that happened here a secret?” Cal asked, his golden slit eyes fixed intently on her.

  “Of course! I’ll never tell anyone!” Ivanna promised eagerly.

  Cal watched her for a moment, then let out a sigh of relief.

  Ivanna’s gaze drifted to the bck cat, now curled up beside Cal and seemingly asleep. “Sister Sophia, what is that?” she asked.

  “That’s my tamed beast, Sir Seraphix,” Sophia replied with a grin.

  “You’re a beast tamer? That’s unexpected!” Ivanna excimed.

  “Hehe, that’s not all. Sir Seraphix is a Nine-Stroke beast,” Sophia said proudly, puffing out her chest.

  Ivanna's eyes widened. "Wow, that's amazing! Sister Sophia, is this what you mean when you say you're hiding your power?"

  Sophia’s expression froze. Ignoring Cal’s weird gaze on her, she replied, "It is what it is."

  Then, as if suddenly realizing something, Sophia added quickly, “But Ivanna, you must promise not to tell anyone. The emperor has ordered that this be kept a secret.”

  “So it's a 'National Secret'. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone!” Ivanna reassured her.

  Sophia sighed in relief, but she couldn't help noticing Cal's intense gaze on her after the mention of a 'National Secret'.

  ***

  Once the situation with Ivanna had calmed down, Sophia resumed work on the Cat Backpack project, now with Ivanna's help.

  Sophia sat at her study table, focused on designing the new Cat Backpack. On the floor, Cal and Ivanna diligently worked on reconstructing the prototype under her guidance.

  Seraphix’s request required a complete redesign, as the original model cked enough space for the fur container. Meanwhile, Seraphix y curled up asleep on the bed, completely oblivious to the extra workload he had imposed on them.

  However, a white marker line ran across Seraphix’s face—a clear sign of Sophia’s mischief.

  Cal and Ivanna had initially been horrified by Sophia’s bold prank on Seraphix, but she dismissed their concern with a wave of her hand.

  “I’m the master here,” Sophia said casually.

  Less than 45 minutes ter, the new Cat Backpack 0.2 was complete. The three of them stood back to admire their handiwork, a shared sense of satisfaction lighting up their faces.

  After a moment, Cal walked over to a bag he had brought with him. From inside, he retrieved two small cakes, handing one to each of the girls.

  Sophia and Ivanna’s faces lit up with delight.

  "I have another gift for ter," Cal said. "But this is what I can give for now. Happy birthday, Sophia."

  Ivanna’s eyes widened. “Oh, that’s right! Sister Sophia’s birthday is in winter!” She turned to Sophia, shaking her hand enthusiastically. “Happy birthday!”

  Sophia watched them for a moment, her expression softening into a gentle smile. “Thank you, both of you...”

  For a brief moment, Cal and Ivanna were stunned. Sophia’s smile carried an elegance that was different from her usual demeanor.

  Sophia and Ivanna then sat down to enjoy the cake together, while Cal busied himself cleaning up the remnants of their project. When he finished, Sophia approached him, holding out a spoon with a generous slice of cake.

  “Thank you for cleaning up,” she said, offering it to him.

  Cal accepted with a small nod and took a bite. The sweetness brought a flicker of joy to Cal's face—Sophia already knew Cal had a sweet tooth from their time spent together.

  Ivanna, observing the interaction from the sidelines, blushed faintly. When Sophia returned to sit beside her, she couldn’t hold back her curiosity any longer.

  “Sister Sophia,” Ivanna asked, “Are you dating Brother Calyxianov?”

  Sophia froze at the unexpected question.

  "N-that's!" She tried to deny it, but the words caught in her throat. It felt as though every fiber of her being resisted saying no.

  After a moment of hesitation, she resolved that it would be unfair to mislead anyone, especially Cal.

  But before she could respond, Cal gently pced a hand on her head. "Yes," he said, answering for her.

  Sophia’s eyes widened as she looked up at him, her cheeks flushing in an instant.

  A subtle blush tinted Cal’s face too, though he maintained his composed demeanor.

  Cal met her gaze and added, "Isn't that right?"

  Sophia’s breath caught, and her face deepened in color. Unable to hold his gaze, Sophia lowered her eyes, hiding behind the curtain of her hair.

  After a brief pause, she gave a small, hesitant nod.

  AnnouncementDear CatReader,

  Thank you for your previous input! Regarding the idea of allowing readers to influence the outcome of certain events, I’ve decided to make a slight adjustment. For those who have submitted their character ideas for this novel, you’ll have a certain level of control over your character. This includes deciding the type of conversations your character might engage in or the choices they make during specific events.

  However, please keep in mind that this control will be limited to the creator of the character. Additionally, the reactions of other characters or the outcomes in the surrounding environment will not necessarily align with or follow what your character wanted.

  Thank you so much for reading. I’ve had a lot of fun writing this story and hearing your thoughts along the way.

  Best regards, OnlyCat