I didn't have time to answer that Ephraim's face went back to it's amused state:
"I didn't think my dear wife would get so worked up over a few gifts. I wonder what you see me as. Then again it is my fault. It seems I really didn't pay enough attention to you before for you to think so lowly of me."
I could already feel that things would get out of hand. I had to stop that crazy bastard before it was too late:
"No! Don't pay attention to me! You already managed to annoy me! You did! Well done. You can stop now."
Eulisses tried stopping me but I pushed him back:
"You say that you are trying to show me how much you care about me but you don't care about me! You just want to annoy me! I don't want your gifts! Take them back! All of them!
-But darling...
-I am not your darling!
-I just wanted to make you happy... Don't husbands usually buy gifts for their wives?
-I am not your wife!"
Seeing the dark shadow in Ephraim's eyes made me flinch:
"I mean... I... I am your wife but don't want to be! I want a divorce!"
The knights bowed, feeling that it was time for them to leave but Ephraim motioned them to stay put:
"How could you say this... In front of my men moreover. You are really hurting my feelings, Sliske..."
I frowned. Wasn't he the one who didn't let his men leave?
"As if you had feelings... You didn't even put any thought into those gifts.
-What do you mean? I thought I did well. I bought you the best chocolates in the country.
-Exactly! You only bought the best in everything. I am sure that you just asked someone to buy everything expensive. You didn't even try buying something that would make me happy. It's so obvious that it's painful.
-Something that you would like?"
Ephraim seemed confused for a second.
"Everyone likes expensive things.
-Well, I don't.
-That's surprising. Before you couldn't stop buying everything new.
-People change. I realized that those empty gifts didn't mean anything to me in the end."
Ephraim smiled:
"I see. I should have thought about that before.
-I don't know what you just thought about but no! Don't buy any more gifts! Just stop sending me gifts!"
But Ephraim wasn't listening to me at all.
As expected, only a few hours after our conversation, I heard a knock on my door. I thought it was Eulisses bringing another package but it was Ephraim himself. I didn't even have time to scream at him that he placed something black in front of my face. I was so surprised that I took a step back. I needed a second to realize what it really was. Actually it took me such a long time that Ephraim got bored and placed the fur ball into my hands. That was when it hit me:
"A kitten?"
I was so surprised that I forgot to talk for a second. The little tiny creature was so cute that I was immediately absorbed by it. The little kitten had huge green eyes. They were so big that the little baby looked like those huge eyed plushies that I saw everywhere in my past life in gas stations. I immediately felt that I could die for these round eyes. If that kitten told me to jump out the window, I would!
"Do you like it?"
I suddenly realized that Ephraim was still there and I did my best to shake my head:
"No! No, no, no, no, no. I don't like it.
-Oh, you don't? That's so bad.
-Yes, yes. Very bad indeed. What can I say? Not everyone likes adorable fur balls. Not that I find it adorable! I am sure that this little guy is very dirty. Yes. Dirty."
Ephraim extended his hands towards me:
"I am so sorry. I completely forgot that you hated dirty things. I thought that you would like it.
-No. I don't.
-Right. You always were a dog person in the first place. I found it weird that you spent so little time with your dogs lately and thought you had a change of heart. I am sorry that I read it wrong.
-It's okay."
Ephraim tilted his head:
"Sliske? Aren't you going to give me the animal back?
-I am.
-Then why aren't you giving him back?
-I... I just feel like it's tired. I can look after it for a few minutes. I don't have anything to do right now anyway."
Ephraim shook his head:
"You don't have to push yourself. It's my fault that I gave you something you didn't like."
Ephraim tried taking the kitten from me and I yelled:
"No!"
Both of us were surprised and Ephraim just looked at me for a few seconds.
"Wife? I thought that you didn't like cats.
-I don't but... This one looks cute."
I couldn't imagine giving this tiny being back to Ephraim and just hugged it closer to me. The little guy must have liked me because he curled up against me before slowly fading to sleep. It looked so cute that I thought I would cry. I wanted to pinch his cheeks and tear his nose off. Seeing me absorbed, Ephraim couldn't hold back his laughter anymore:
"I thought you said that cats were ungrateful beings and deserved to live on the streets because they couldn't be trained."
My head jerked up:
"Did he say that?"
I was ready to kill the real owner of this body. How dared he say such horrible things? He was the one who deserved to rot on the streets. I didn't feel bad for him at all anymore knowing that Ephraim would kill him.
Ephraim raised his eyebrows:
"He?"
I quickly shook my head to forget about my anger. I couldn't get lost in my thoughts with this guy around. I had to stay focused.
"I mean... Me? My mouth suddenly felt weird. I couldn't say the m sound. Anyway, did I say this?
-You did. And now that I think about it, you were right. Cats are outside animals after all. Maybe I should bring this one back where I found it."
Ephraim took out the kitten from my arms and I grabbed his hands:
"No! What are you doing? Where are you taking him?"
The kitten woke up and started fidgeting. Even he could feel that something was wrong.
"Don't worry. It's an animal. It will survive. And if it doesn't then that's just how life works.
-What?
-Thousands of cats die in the streets. Why would this one dying be any different?
-Wait! Ephraim! You can't!
-Why? It's just a cat.
-You... You monster! How could you talk about a life as if it was nothing?"
Ephraim bent closer to me:
"But I wasn't the one who said this, Sliske. This is also something you said. Don't you remember?"
I was speechless at that point. All I could think about was saving that poor kitten.
"When you saw a dying squirrel, you said: this is how life works. The weak die and the strong survive for one more day.
-What...
-You said it yourself, Sliske. You don't care about such a meaningless life.
-You...
-So why would you be worried about this kitten?"
I couldn't take it anymore and pushed Ephraim:
"You monster! You are disgusting! How could you remember what I said? You never paid attention to me! Leave me alone! You monster! You monster!"
I couldn't continue screaming because what I felt next was Ephraim grabbing my chin.