Adrian took longer than usual to take a shower. He tried his best to give Arella enough time to read and compose her thoughts. That is why, when he came out of the bathroom and looked at Arella, he stopped in his tracks.
Arella was lying in the same place with the same posture, he had left her in. As if she hadn't moved an inch. Adrian felt conflicted. Should he go and disturb her or should he let her be?
He didn't have to remain in a fix for long because Arella looked at him and spoke first.
"Does Arthur remember the Lady's face? Can we create a sketch?" Arella quietly asked.
"No. Arthur's memories are not clear. He doesn't remember the face clearly." Adrian spoke calmly as he walked closer to Arella. He had asked Brian the same question before. Arthur didn't remember the Lady's face.
"Do you want to listen to the content of the letter?" Arella voiced in a daze.
Adrian remained mum. He didn't know if he should. Before he could answer, Arella began reading the letter out loud.
Adrian sat down and put Arella in his arms. Arella felt that she was very calm, but in reality, she was trembling furiously!
Adrian listened to her words and held her close. Once she read the entire content, she became quiet. She closed her eyes and weakly put her head on his sturdy chest.
"Are you okay?" Adrian didn't know what else to say.
"Hmm." Arella hmmed lightly.
Adrian interlocked his fingers with hers and let her rest on him. He patted her back every now and then. He was at a loss. He didn't know how to comfort her.
After an hour or so of inactivity, Arella opened her eyes. Her trembling had long stopped. Her eyes were now filled with determination and alertness. She raised her head from his chest and looked at him with pursed lips.
"My mother is called Liliana." She looked at him alertly.
Adrian nodded, he understood her meaning. He would try to get his hands on the every detail of any person named Liliana.
She looked like she had a lot to share, but didn't know where to start.
"Let's eat first," Adrian suggested gently. The rest of the things could be handled later.
Right on cue, the door got knocked and food was promptly delivered. They ate in silence, ruminating over things and thoughts.
Once done, they went to the balcony to get some fresh air. They stood quietly, taking in the night scene.
"Let's meet the Cat clan," Arella spoke calmly. Her eyes had a forlorn look.
"Yes. But I do not know how to contact them or where to find them." Adrian nodded and voiced his concerns.
"I do." Arella chanted semi confidently.
Both of them were thinking along the same lines. The Cat clan was an ancient clan, privy to a lot of ancient secrets and techniques.
The special letter, strong hypnosis, purification of energy, and transferring of spiritual energy…all of the things related to the Lady showed that she indeed wasn't a simple character. As mysterious as the Cat clan itself.
Moreover, in the letter as well, she claimed that the Cat clan would protect her. This showed cordial relations between both of them. So, the Cat clan was a good way to start their search.
"One thing is sure. The Lady had tried her best to give you a comfortable future. She found a home, a fiance, and transferred some spiritual energy to you while you were young." Adrian uttered without any doubts.
"From her penmanship, she was utterly confident that I could easily reach the pinnacle, that is, the highest aptitude. She said that Star allegiance would always be my home. That means, in her eyes, I was destined to become S ranked without any problems." Arella added after pondering.
Star allegiance was home to all S ranked and above beasts and tamers.
"Clearly, something went wrong in between. But it wasn't the seal. The Lady had mentioned the ruby. She claimed that it was a lock and your Beast was the key. That means she knew that your powers were locked in." Adrian continued speaking.
"Hmm. And according to her, as soon as I awaken my Beast, the seal would be broken." Arella pondered loudly.
"Let's find Nicholas," Adrian concluded.
Star allegiance. Arella's mother was alive and probably waiting in Star allegiance. She must. be S ranked or above. Once entering the allegiance, anybody hardly comes out of it. But Nicholas did. And he seemed to know a lot about Arella. Things could become clearer once they catch him.
As a result, they had three major things to do. Find out about Liliana. Find Nicholas and meet the Cat clan. This was way better than before when they didn't know where to start. These looked like better starting points.
The letter had given them a head start. All they needed to do was to follow the clues.
Adrian focused on Nicholas and Liliana, and Arella focused on the Cat clan. But within a week, the hope that they had, started flickering.
Because even after a week, their search resulted in nothing. Liliana never existed in papers, documents, or memories. Nobody had heard of her. Nobody had met her. Nobody knew her.
As for Nicholas, he had disappeared from the face of the planet. Just like Liliana, nobody knew him. Nobody had heard of him. Nobody had met him. And nobody had seen him.
Arella shared that Nicholas might have known the Royalty. But that clue was still worthless. Because nobody was as tight lipped as the Royalty. Adrian tried his best to test Princess Anna, but she skillfully evaded. She subtly indicated that there was indeed a person like Nicholas, but she didn't know anything else.
The cat clan? It looked like only when the cat clan wanted to meet them would they be able to see anyone from the cat clan. It didn't work otherwise. Arella had gone to her happy homely duplex in the hope of seeing either Omar or Lucinda.
She even tried to contact the ghostly Scott elders, but none heeded her plea. Nobody came to visit her.
Both Arella and Adrian felt helpless, hopeless, and agitated. It's like they had legs but couldn't move forward. This crippling feeling made them take drastic measures.
And that is why, born out of this helplessness, came a dangerous decision. They decided to pay a visit to the cat clan themselves.