The dove flapped its wings and perched on the windowsill, cleaning its feathers while vigilantly watching the kitty creeping up from behind.
As the kitty arched its back, preparing to pounce, the dove suddenly flew away, soaring back into the sky and disappearing beneath the white clouds and blue heavens.
With its prey escaped, Kellulu no longer gazed outside the window, but leaped onto the couch and snuggled against the haggard Paul the First.
Paul the First ignored her, staring vacantly at the wall, where a large, half-length portrait of a man and a woman in luxurious attire hung, leaning on each other and smiling at him.
"Father...."
The pale-faced Paul the First murmured softly, as if hoping the man in the portrait could show him the way forward, but no matter how long he stared at the portrait, the man did not utter a word.
