Shade had not known about that conversation in Wilundell. He was not especially disappointed that Her Royal Highness the Princess had failed to give away that "gift." After all, yesterday had been Margaret's younger sister's funeral, and it truly had not been an appropriate time for such things.
As for throwing away the Crystal Shoes and returning home, after seeing the cat run downstairs to greet him, the second person Shade saw was not Luvia, but the displeased Galina sitting on the 2nd Floor sofa.
The maids were busy around the house. Tifa happened to be bending down to place the tea tray on the tea table. Hearing Shade's footsteps on the stairs, she turned and smiled at him as he appeared in the doorway.
Once Shade sat down on the sofa as well, the Red-haired Witch immediately leaned close and sniffed him, her golden eyes fixed on his:
"Young Witches taste good, don't they?"
"Sylvia told you? Wait, I only parted with her thirty seconds ago. How could she have gotten here faster than me?"
Shade was greatly surprised. Galina snorted and poked a finger against his chest:
"Of course Luvia told me over breakfast this morning. I already knew Sylvia had figured it out, but seeing someone else take another bite out of my little cookie still makes me unhappy."
She clearly wanted Shade to gently comfort her, but he protested first:
"Could you not call me a little cookie?"
"Then what should I call you? My big sausage?"
A heavy object crashed down in the kitchen with a bang. It seemed one of Shade's dinner plates had shattered. Startled, the cat leaped from Galina's lap into Shade's arms, while Galina glared unhappily toward the kitchen and gestured for Tifa to go scold someone.
"You should just keep