"Okay, so..." I awkwardly stared at Vexa, who sat in front of me with her legs crossed, a sword resting on her lap. I, on the other hand, had a dumb-looking cat lounging in mine.
'Ay!' Blaze took offense, but all I heard was a purr.
"I always thought it was weird for you to have such an adorable familiar," Vexa said, striking an odd topic.
I looked down at Blaze, who—being all smug after the compliment—jumped off my lap and onto my head.
"Is that so... I don't find this one adorable at all. At most, he's just annoying to have around," I muttered, grabbing him by the neck and tossing him lightly in the direction of where Aron was sitting. The prince flinched in a strangely dramatic way.
Aron was already boring holes into us with his stare, and so were the others—but Mary's gaze was the most evident.
From the moment Vexa approached me until now, it had only been a few minutes, and Mary was still standing where she had stopped. Her expression was... hard to read.
