Bery stared down at the blank canvas. With the entire world in her surroundings, painting here would be easy. She stood next to the frame and ran her fingers along the edges. She looked towards Valerie as if asking for permission.
The dragon smiled. "You can paint anytime you'd like, but I'd recommend a change of clothes first. Don't you want to see the rest of the castle?"
Bery lowered the small paint brush she'd picked up. Valerie's words from before still hung in the cat's mind. She said I'd be hers forever, right?
"That is correct. She also indicated that you will gain the entirety of the mountain. Notice. I don't think she appears to be joking."
Yeah, of course she's not joking, but...Why does she want me so badly?
No answer came, and the cat looked towards the dragon instead. "I don't really get it. Why have you done all of this for me? What's so special about…"
Valerie pressed a finger to the cat's lips. "I've loved you ever since I laid my eyes upon you. My heart has been yearning for you, but I fought that feeling against my better judgment."
Bery's heart thumped. Was it even possible for someone to love someone they never met? Of course, the cat girl had read about such things in stories, but reality was much different. Bery didn't realize how red her face was, and it only got worse each second.
Valerie lifted the cat girl's chin and leaned in close. Almost enough for their lips to touch. "No matter where you go, you will always be mine. From now, until the end of time."
///
The rest of the day was a blur to the cat girl. She could hardly think, and now that she was allowed to be alone with her thoughts, it seemed to get even worse. She sat in a warm bath tub, the likes of which she'd never seen before.
It was made of a strange white material, and bubbles formed on the water's surface. Small magic metal rings pushed air into the bath, causing it to rumble. Though she'd been hesitant to step inside something so marvelous, now she didn't want to get out. There was a calming and massaging effect to it.
Bery leaned against the back of the warm tub, and the words echoed in her mind. From now, until the end of time…
Was it really possible for someone to love someone that long? It sounded absolutely insane to the cat girl. Were dragons the type that bonded to one person forever?
"Hmm, are you being swayed by the charms of that dragon? I had no idea you'd change your mind so fast, but you seem pretty comfy in that bath."
"Not at all!" Bery shouted before covering her mouth. Not at all. I still want to escape from this mountain. I don't care if she is the most gorgeous person I've met. She just wants to keep me like that mountain of gold.
"Hehehe, you're really not very honest are you? Well, far be it from me to tell you what to do, I'm just an assistant."
I think I might have liked you more with the previous version. Can you change back?
"Declined. Power not sufficient enough for a reversion. In essence, you are stuck with me like this."
And if I pry you out of my arm?
"The odds of us both dying is 100%. Not only that, you will enrage the dragon, and she'll probably take it out on the rest of the world. Y.U.R.I advises to hang in there while I figure out a way to escape."
And how long is that going to take?
Once again, no answer came, and Bery sighed. She leaned down into the water, burying her face up to just under her nose. The image of the dragon leaning in close to her would not leave her head. Nor would the thought of their lips touching together. She wanted to yell at herself for it. It was as if an accursed dagger had dug into her chest.
And now every time she closed her eyes, she could see the contours of Valerie's face. She imagined those bright red eyes boring into her intensely. The cat jumped up before those thoughts could continue and pulled the plug on the drain as Valerie had shown her.
She stepped out onto the floor, her body dripping water down onto the tiles below. A nearby mirror reflected her well-proportioned body. The slick curves made her look that much more alluring. She briefly wondered what the dragon would say if she'd seen her like this, but she quickly shook that thought from her mind. Bery smacked her palms against her cheeks to clear her head. She dried herself off with a nearby pearly white towel.
Bery exited into the small adjacent room and found clothes lying on top of a long wooden table. They were long and thick white robes with little blue flower decorations speckled across them. And what seemed like shoes were beneath that.
The cat girl wrinkled her brow at the shoes in particular. She'd never seen such fluffy shoes with opened heels before. She slipped her feet into the strange white shoes, and her feet felt immensely comfortable. She pulled the sleeping robe over her head, and the softness was heavenly, forcing a yawn from her mouth. The combination of comfortable clothes and the warmth she felt was drawing her into drowsiness.
It didn't help that when she exited out into the hallway, windows betrayed a starry night sky. Another yawn left her throat, and a voice called out to her from the side.
"Did you have a good bath, little kitten?"
Once again, Bery's ears fluttered from being called a kitten. "It was honestly the best bath I've ever had. I didn't know such things existed in this world."
The dragon smiled and reached a hand towards Bery. "Shall I show you to your room then?"
"You mean my room wasn't that cold metal place?"
Valerie shook her head. "Hardly, I would never let my most precious thing sleep in something so dull. You can consider that place your temporary hospital room."
"Hospital?" Bery asked, finally taking the hand offered to her.
"Notice. A hospital is a place for treating the injured and sick."
"You can think of a hospital room like the rooms of a church building. A sacred place of healing."
Bery didn't answer. She allowed herself to be pulled along past more rooms in the castle. There were so many rooms and hallways that the cat wasn't sure she'd be able to memorize them all in her lifetime. She wondered how it was possible that nobody had ever spoken of a castle in the mountain.
Either way, the dragon opened yet another tall double door. This one opened up into another grand carpeted room. The ground was covered in a serene blue carpet that matched the tip of Bery's ears and tail. The bed had blue blankets on top of it, and it was enormous. White drapes hung down from the top of the bed frame.
There were a bunch of small fluffy animals covering the top of the bed, and it made Bery's eyes widen. She relinquished her grip on the dragon's hand and ran towards the mattress.
Her hands gripped a small white cat, and she pressed the small fluffy thing against her face. Bery had never seen dolls with such vivid detail before, nor did she imagine that they could be so cute and soft. She hugged it tightly to her chest and examined the rest of the room with the same fondness.
A window overlooked a valley full of water and trees in the distance, and right next to it there was yet another podium for painting. Next to that was a desk with a small closed book.
Bery opened the leather book with intrigue, but there were no words on the pages. It looked so expensive she didn't even want to touch it, but the dragon behind her assured her.
"I thought you might like a diary, so I prepared this for you. There is a wardrobe of clothes I made also."
Bery realized how she must look flipping through the book, and she regretted it. She placed the empty diary back on the table, and her face heated.
"You don't need to be embarrassed about things you like, kitten. I will get you anything this world has to offer. But that can all wait for the morning when you are rested. Please," the dragon said, gesturing towards the bed.
Bery walked hesitantly over and sat down. The feeling against her rear was so comfortable she couldn't believe it. She'd never felt this level of softness and firmness at the same time. She leaned back on top of the blanket, and an uncontrollable reaction sparked.
Powerful purrs built up in her chest and reverberated.
The dragon smiled and patted Bery's forehead. "That's it. Rest now, kitten."
Bery's eyelids began shutting on their own. Any and all struggles died with her sleepy body.