The Countess Lives Twice in the Apocalypse-Chapter 47: Forty-six

"Is that the leopard you were talking about?" Jeriel looked at her big sister and was greeted by the sight of Jannah rushing down the stairs.

"Sis?!"

Jannah heard her little sister call out to her, but she didn’t look back and kept rushing down the stairs until she reached the ground.

"Kyaa! My lady!"

Kirie kept screaming, her voice is full of panic and fright, begging for Jannah to help her. Jannah’s pace got faster as the screaming got louder, she turned into a corner, almost bumping into the Duke’s chest.

"Sorry!" Duke Eulicies apologized quickly and stepped aside to let her pass.

Jannah could only pat him somewhere in his upper body, too focused on getting to Kirie to notice the creeping red hue on the Duke’s neck up to his face.

"Kirie!" Jannah called out, her eyes keep glancing on the map to gauge out their spot in the town.

"My lady!" The maid’s voice was a little muffled this time, indicating that she’s inside somewhere, and the map told her that she’s inside of the house in front of the mail house.

There was another dot beside the blue dot inside that house, telling her everything she need to know.

As she approach the house, she could see Marco looking out of the window on the second floor and Lucienta peeking through the front door with Jeremiah behind her.

They must have heard Kirie’s cries, but didn’t want to disobey her order and stayed put inside the town’s hall. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

She took a mental note to herself that she need to praise her people for being obedient and having faith on her. They wouldn’t stay put if they knew that she won’t come to Kirie’s aid, but she went to the maid.

She slammed the house’s door open, the hinges crying out for help as it creaked loudly.

Jannah’s sudden entrance sent a jolt of surprise on Kirie and the leopard, the sound of the door slamming open causing the woman to jump and the leopard to freeze for a moment.

The Countess’s eyes narrowed as she took in the scene before her: the leopard standing across the room from her maid, its slitted eyes fixed intently on her.

She could see the woman’s terror and fear, and the leopard’s intense focus and seemingly predatory stance.

The atmosphere in the room was thick with tension and palpable fear from Kirie, she could feel it so clearly that she could practically cut it with a knife.

Thankfully though, the leopard didn’t look she would attack Kirie.

She looked like she was having fun and wanted to play with Kirie more than anything else due to the quiet purring.

"Meoraw!" The mother leopard greeted Jannah with a happy and excited mew, loud and proud, with her tail whisking from left to right in a playful manner.

She lifted her hand towards Kirie, as if she was pointing at her and telling Jannah that she found her, but it made the woman shriek in fear, cover her heard, and huddle herself more in the corner.

"Eek!"

Kirie sounded so spooked and terrified that it snapped Jannah out of her trance. She let out a sigh when she realized that Kirie has been cowering in fear before the mother leopard.

"Kirie!" Jannah called the maid over, walking past the leopard and rushing to her aid, "Hey, hey, it’s okay. She won’t hurt you."

Jannah grabbed Kirie by the arms, pulling the woman to her chest and wrapping her arm around her, she cradled the woman on the back of her head.

"It’s okay." The Countess reassured the maid, "She’s a mother. She probably went out of the basement to know if everything is under control."

The only response she got was a grip on the back of her coat, making her sigh, but when she felt Kirie embraced her tightly, she reluctantly rubbed her lower back to calm her down, "The leopard wouldn’t hurt you, don’t worry. She won’t hurt you or anyone for that matter."

"Meoraw!" The mother leopard let out a loud chuff and tilted her head, sounding like she disagreed with Jannah’s statement.

"..Unless I tell her to?" Jannah added on, sending the leopard a questioning glance, not sure if she got what the mother wanted to tell her.

"Meoraw." The mother leopard nodded her head, sitting upright and purr louder.

"Right.." Jannah trailed off, eyebrows furrowed lightly from confusion, then she turned back to Kirie, looking down on the woman, "Anyways, she really wouldn’t hurt you. You don’t have to be so afraid."

She felt Kirie shift in her arms before she looked up at her.

Kirie’s lavender eyes are shining brightly, fully glossed with unshed tears. A look of dread and fear crossed those magnetizing pair of eyes of hers, but it looked tempting for Jannah’s eyes.

"Would it really be okay?" Kirie’s voice was small and quiet, Jannah almost didn’t catch it, but the sound snapped her out of her trance.

She blinked, feeling her heart beat racing. She see the woman in her arms as even more beautiful and radiant than usual, her unshed tears glowing from within and making her even more stunning in Jannah’s eyes.

She shook her head, eyebrows furrowed as she tried to pull away from Kirie, feeling like she’s turning weird.

"My lady?"

Jannah forced out a cough and smiled, "It’s okay. I swear on my status, you’re going to be okay. She won’t hurt you."

She rubbed Kirie’s back, lifting her hand up so she’ll rub her upper back instead of her lower back, not wanting to make the woman uncomfortable.

Geez, I feel I’m the one who’s uncomfortable. Jannah thought to herself, letting Kirie lean her head to her shoulder, burying her face on the crook of the Countess’s neck.

"Uh." Jannah started off, feeling the hair on the back of her neck rising when she felt Kirie’s warm breath on her skin, ".. Why don’t I introduce you to the leopard? She’s a companion of mine."

Kirie froze, she kept still for a moment, then she loosened her arms around the Countess before she let out a reluctant, ".. Okay."

Jannah let out a sigh of relief and she felt like she could breathe again.

Kirie crawled out of her arms, peeking from her arm to look at the leopard behind her. The maid held her breath, waiting for Jannah to introduce the large feline, glancing at her with fearful, yet hopeful eyes.

"I.. Uh.. I haven’t given her a name yet." Jannah chuckled out, nervous and heart pounding, she rubbed her palms on her pants because they were getting too clammy for her liking.

"I was going to ask my little sister for a name." Jannah reasoned out, making an excuse on the spot. She hasn’t given the leopard a name yet because she was occupied with the thought of chasing after her people.

"But Kirie, this is one of my companions." Jannah took a step away from the maid, reaching out for the leopard and ultimately missed the leopard’s head by an inch.

The leopard let out a quiet chuff, similar to a sound of a snort before she stood up on her hind legs and rubbed her head on Jannah’s palm, saving her from further embarrassment.

Jannah let out a laugh, forcing it out of her throat and deftly rubbed her palms on the leopard’s head, petting her.

"Uhm.." Kirie looked at the leopard, to her hand, to her lips, and to her eyes.

Jannah felt like she was being observed, Kirie looked at her with the same gaze that Duke Eulicies did back at Kentucky.

Their gaze felt so intense and weird. It was like they were looking straight to her, know things about her that she only told to her little sister— like she’s being read like how they read their favorite book, and stumbled on their favorite quote, over and over again.

"She really won’t hurt me, right?" Kirie asked, uncertainty in her voice.

Jannah nodded her head, "She won’t. I’ll make sure to let her stay by my side until we get to Philipia."

The conversation ended right there. She walked out of the house, the leopard hot in her heels as she pat her chest to stop her heart from beating too fast.

The moment she walked through the door, her eyes caught the sight of the children peaking their head out of the mail house’s door, looking around.

The little girl’s eyes landed on Jannah’s figure, perking up when she walked towards them.

"Hey." The Countess greeted the kids with a small smile, "I suggest not stepping out of the mail house for now. Kirie isn’t done with cleaning."

A little boy stepped out of the door— it was the same boy who glared at her when she used her skill on his mother, "And why? Who are you for us to follow you?"

Jannah raised an eyebrow at his cocky attitude and was about to ask him about it, but the leopard had beat her to it.

Grrr.

The growl that came from the leopard was loud, making the kids flinch and startled from the mother leopard’s appearance.

Jannah smirked and chuckled at the boy as she pat the leopard’s head, "Guess my little darling here didn’t like your attitude. I suggest obeying my order if you want your mother to be treated, and for you, to not be eaten."

"Is that a threat?" The kid hissed, glaring at her.

"No." Jannah chuckled again, "It’s a promise."