It was completely different from the busy courtyard in the front. The back garden was completely quiet, peaceful, and empty of guests. The air was cool and smelled sweetly of blooming night-jasmine. Small, glowing lanterns were placed along the stone walking paths, casting a soft, romantic light over the green bushes.

Camilla let out a long sigh of relief. She relaxed her shoulders.

She began to walk slowly down the winding stone path, enjoying the beautiful silence.

Suddenly, her ears picked up a very faint, very high-pitched sound.

Meow.

Camilla stopped walking. She tilted her head, listening carefully.

Meeooow.

It was a very sad, very pitiful meowing sound. It came from somewhere deep inside the garden shadows.

Camilla’s heart instantly softened.

Her weakness kicked in which was her love for cats. Her fat orange tabby cat, Winston, was her best friend and only family in the entire world. She missed him terribly every single day she was trapped in this novel.

She immediately followed the sound.

She lifted the skirts of her green silk dress so they would not drag in the dirt. She stepped off the clean stone path and walked carefully into the dark, shadowy areas of the garden bushes.

Meow!

The sound was getting louder and more desperate.

Camilla pushed aside a large, leafy branch.

She saw the source of the noise.

Tangled deeply inside a thick, thorny rosebush was a small, incredibly fluffy, pure white cat.

The cat had a beautiful, expensive-looking blue silk ribbon tied around its neck.

The poor animal had somehow managed to crawl into the center of the bush, and its long, white fur was completely snagged on the sharp thorns. Every time the cat tried to pull away, the thorns dug deeper, making it cry out in pain.

Camilla’s eyes filled with instant sympathy.

"Poor baby," Camilla said softly. Her voice was incredibly gentle and sweet, completely different from her usual sarcastic tone.

She dropped the skirts of her expensive dress without caring if they got dirty. She rushed forward quickly to rescue the trapped animal.

She knelt down in the soft dirt right next to the thorny bush. She reached her bare hands carefully into the sharp branches.

"Who is the idiot that left you here all alone in the dark?" Camilla scolded the unknown owner out loud. She gently touched the cat’s soft, trembling back to calm it down. "A party with hundreds of loud carriages is terrifying for a small animal. You must be so scared."

The white cat looked at her with wide, glowing blue eyes. It meowed pitifully again.

"Shhh, it’s okay. I’ve got you," Camilla whispered softly.

She used her nimble fingers to carefully unhook the sharp rose thorns from the cat’s long white fur. A sharp thorn poked the tip of her index finger, drawing a tiny drop of blood, but Camilla completely ignored the sting.

She worked patiently for two full minutes until the final thorn was completely removed.

As soon as the cat was free, Camilla gently slid her hands under its soft belly. She carried the cat safely out of the dangerous bush and pulled it securely into her arms.

She stood up, holding the fluffy animal close to her chest.

She began patting the cat’s incredibly soft white fur with slow, rhythmic strokes to soothe her fears.

"There you go," Camilla smiled warmly. "You are perfectly safe now."

She looked at the cat’s beautiful face and its bright blue eyes.

"Aren’t you a majestic being?" Camilla cooed softly, completely melting under the cat’s charm. She scratched the animal gently right behind its soft white ears. "You are so cute. You remind me of my Winston, even though he is a cute orange fatty."

The white cat instantly relaxed in her warm arms. It closed its blue eyes and began to purr loudly. The deep, vibrating purrrr sound was incredibly comforting.

Camilla felt a wave of happiness. She leaned her head down. She closed her eyes and gently kissed the cat right on the top of its fluffy white head.

"Let me take you away from here," Camilla murmured softly, turning her body back toward the stone path. "Let’s find you a quiet room inside the house where no one can bother you."

Camilla took one step toward the safety of the mansion.

But her peaceful moment was violently, abruptly ruined.

Loud, heavy, fast footsteps came stomping down the stone path. The sound of rustling silk skirts and angry voices shattered the quiet garden air.

Just as Camilla was about to leave the garden area, two women came rushing around the corner of the hedges.

The first person was a young, highly arrogant-looking noblewoman. She was wearing an incredibly flashy, overly decorated, bright pink ball gown that looked like a massive, exploding cake. She had dark hair piled high on her head, covered in sparkling jewels. Her face was twisted into a deeply angry, highly offended scowl.

Following closely behind her was a nervous-looking maid in a plain brown dress.

The young woman stopped dead in her tracks the moment she saw Camilla.

The woman glared at Camilla standing in the shadows. Then, her eyes dropped down to the fluffy white cat resting happily in Camilla’s arms.

The young woman’s face turned bright red with fury.

She marched forward aggressively, stopping just a few feet away from Camilla. She pointed a sharp, angry finger directly at Camilla’s face

.

"What did you do to my Lily?!" the young woman came in shouting at her. Her voice was incredibly loud, high-pitched, and completely obnoxious. It echoed painfully in the quiet garden.

Camilla stopped walking. She stood perfectly still holding the purring cat.

The sweet, gentle smile instantly vanished entirely from Camilla’s face. Her eyes turned completely cold, flat, and deeply unamused.

Inside her head, her internal voice let out a very loud, very exhausted groan.

"Oh, for heaven’s sake," Camilla thought to herself, her mind completely filled with annoyance. She stared at the flashy pink dress and the pointing finger. "Are you kidding me? Another one? Why is this entire novel infested with loud, screaming, dramatic women in brightly colored dresses?"