The old butler known as White somewhat disregarded etiquette as he quickly walked to the door.
He pulled open the iron gate, his expression rather agitated.
“Young Lady, you…”
Halfway through his sentence, he noticed a few curious glances sweeping over from around them.
White immediately restrained his emotions, turned slightly to the side, and bowed properly yet politely, “Welcome home, Young Lady. The journey must have been tiring. I’ll instruct the Servants to prepare hot water for you right away.”
Goodness, this old man really is quite the actor!
As a leading lady of the new era—no, a blossoming young flower—Luo Xi was about to face her first real acting partner.
To be honest, besides remembering that the other’s name was White and that he had worked for the Morton Family for over twenty years as the old butler, she knew nothing else.
Still, when facing such people, Luo Xi’s inherent advantage in status meant he had to answer her questions, while she could choose whether to respond or not, which made things easier.
“Mm.”
Luo Xi nodded, not saying much more.
Once the three of them walked together into the villa’s garden, away from the street, White lowered his voice and said:
“Young Lady, you’ve finally returned.”
“These past few days you were missing, Master and Lady were extremely worried. They’ve already gone to the church and the Police Station several times.”
Judging by the old butler’s behavior, the Morton couple, though anxious, had chosen to keep her disappearance a secret, entrusting the church and police to investigate quietly.
That made sense. After all, “Luo Xi Morton” was a young lady who had just held her Coming-of-Age Ball, with a prestigious family background and outstanding looks.
If an unmarried girl like her went missing for several days, and the news got out—after a few retellings, it could turn into a tale of a Saintess getting lost and wandering into a Goblin Nest, or worse.
When it came to reputation, any noble would take things extremely seriously.
Some extreme cases might even expel children who “disgraced the family name.”
Understanding this, Luo Xi didn’t explain further, simply saying, “It was just a small issue.”
“This is Miss Yvette Lamb, inspector from the city Police Station.”
“Please have the household prepare a clean guest room for her. She’ll be staying here tonight.”
Honestly, this feeling of giving orders as she pleased was a little satisfying.
Damn capitalism, it was already starting to corrupt her soul.
Luo Xi sighed inwardly.
“Yes, Young Lady.”
After more than twenty years as butler, White always remembered one thing.
Do more, ask less.
He turned to Yvette and nodded slightly, “Officer Lamb, do you have any special requests for the room?”
“As close as possible to Miss Morton’s room is fine.”
Yvette was a woman of few words as well.
“Understood.”
After that, the three didn’t chat further.
Along the way, they encountered a few male and female Servants at work. They merely stepped aside, nodded slightly as Luo Xi passed, and greeted her.
“Young Lady.”
Alright, at first Luo Xi had found this pretty enjoyable, but now it was starting to get awkward.
After all, just a few days ago she had still been a boy, but now everyone was calling her “Young Lady.”
If she wasn’t still walking, she might have carved out a three-bedroom, two-living-room basement in Morton Manor by now.
Upon entering the villa, the first floor was the Ballroom, also used as a large dance floor for banquets.
The second, third, and fourth floors were all open above the Ballroom, with no ceiling overhead. A vintage full-brass Chandelier hung from the dome above.
It seemed the design was meant for convenient hosting of banquets—the Ballroom floor was tiled, not carpeted.
The furniture was mostly antique Oak Wood with carved patterns.
The overall color scheme was rich, with curtains and wallpaper in reds, blues, and browns, accented by floral or patterned decorations.
“Young Lady, Master and Young Master are both out on business and haven’t returned yet.”
“Lady is in the second-floor parlor, receiving the Bishop from the Church of Truth.”
Luo Xi breathed a sigh of relief—this was actually good news.
After all, blood relatives might be able to see through her disguise as an imposter.
The fewer she saw, or the later she saw them, the better.
“I understand. You may go.”
“Yes.”
White placed his right hand over his chest and nodded slightly before leaving, probably to instruct the Servants to prepare the room.
Ah, how did that saying go—if it’s a mule or a horse, take it out for a walk… Wait, that sounds like she’s insulting herself. Maybe it’s “an ugly bride has to meet her in-laws eventually.”
“……”
That sounds even weirder.
The stairs to the second floor were covered in deep blue carpet. At the landing, there were two Stained Glass windows, one tall and one short. Unfortunately, Luo Xi wasn’t in the mood to admire such finely crafted artwork right now.
Just as she stepped onto the second-floor landing, Luo Xi heard a faint meow.
“Meow~”
The next second, a soft, slightly weary yet strangely familiar voice rang out.
“Miko.”
For some reason, even though she didn’t feel any sadness or swelling inside, Luo Xi’s misty blue eyes instantly filled with tears—like April rain hanging on her cheeks, or clear spring water trickling over mountain rocks, spilling out an unspoken grievance.
It wasn’t until Luo Xi felt the warmth on her face that she realized—
She was crying.
And she couldn’t stop. In just a moment, her vision blurred with tears.
In that instant, what Luo Xi felt was fear.
Yes, fear—this was a completely uncontrollable reaction, and could only have one source.
The real “Luo Xi Morton.”
She hadn’t died. Her consciousness had only fallen asleep, her soul still inside this body, tangled up with herself—the boy high schooler named “Lin Yu”?
Or maybe it wasn’t that mystical—perhaps it was just a more advanced physiological reaction?
As she was lost in confusion, another kittenish roar sounded.
“Meow~ Meow~ Meow!!!”
Then, she was pounced on the chest.
Luo Xi reflexively raised a hand, holding it beneath her chest. Through the soft fabric, she could feel a little creature wriggling restlessly.
She wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, sniffled, and glanced down.
She couldn’t see the culprit, but she did spot a white, chubby paw trying to conquer a mountain range—bravely scaling Mount Everest.
Judging by the scale, it was indeed that level of a mountain range.
Luo Xi, “……”
How was she supposed to stay scared or sad like this?
Luo Xi lifted her arm a bit and caught sight of a tuft of white fur and drooping kitten ears.
“Meow~”
The cat meowed again. Then, the little thing raised its head, a pair of grandmother-green gemstone eyes staring intently at the two-legged creature it hadn’t seen in so long.
This was the cat raised by “Luo Xi Morton.” Its name seemed to be Miko?
As she pondered, the little one in her arms started acting up again, doing what bored kittens loved most.
Kneading.
But this time, Miko was kneading the real thing.
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