Chapter 51: Chapter XXIV Presents-1

I was leaving the country with an entire extra bag then I had arrived with, and I blamed Alejandro completely for it. I had so many souvenirs from all over that I forgot what half of them meant. The most sentimental for me was the red scarf from the Running of the Bulls and the amazing handkerchief I got from Spain. Also the dresses, because they were simply beautiful. I was catching an afternoon flight back to the United Kingdom, meaning I should land at the beginning of the evening. It was not still early morning, and I was struggling to pack all my things. I wasn't all that organized so I just couldn't figure out how I had made everything fit in the first place. Two handmaidens were assisting me, making comments about how to pack but it proved futile because they didn't know English. Eventually they grew annoyed and respectfully dismissed me, allowing them to do the job on their own. They were feisty handmaidens, I could tell. So now I was roaming the palace halls by my lonesome, taking pictures with my phone for memory sake. I took so many photos of Spain that I would need a new SD card. That or I could download all the pictures to an external hard drive, but the mere thought of doing that made me lazy. I stopped by the kitchen and greeted the staff, trying to complement all of their food that I have tried in Spanish. I stumbled a lot but I could see that they were honoured of me trying their language, and that made a bubbly feeling rise in my stomach. I was offered some sweets from the pastry chef and now I was nibbling on them as I roamed the halls. Royal Guards saw me pass them as they patrolled, each time them giving me salute. "Mel," I heard and turned to see Alejandro jogging up to me. "I've been looking everywhere for you!" I waited until he caught up with me. "I'm just roaming the halls for a bit. I got kicked out my room," he found this revelation funny and laughed loudly. It took him a second to compose himself. "Come on. There's something I want to give you," he said with the most excited grin on him I've ever seen. It befuddled me. He took my by the wrist and basically dragged me through the palace, clearly enthusiastic about whatever he wanted to give me. "Calm down. You look like you're on a happy high!" I gasped as I jogged beside him. "I've been waiting for a while to give this to you!" was all he responded to that question. "Besides, I won't be there tomorrow to give your present to you on your actual birthday," I had nearly forgotten. Today was my last day as a seventeen year-old princess wannabe. A lot of things were going to happen tomorrow, and I wasn't necessarily excited for it. "You already got me that handkerchief this wasn't needed," I told him with an eye roll. He rolled his eyes back at me. "Don't be modest. That was from Spain, this one is from me," he lead me towards the common room where a large red gift-wrapped box stood with a white bow. The box reached about my knee height and that made me a little more suspicious. Alejandro pushed me towards the box, hopping a bit in his step. As I neared it I could see little holes at the sides of the box, and that me suspicious. Why would there need to be ventilation in the box? He didn't. Please tell me he didn't. "Open it!" he shoved me to the box, a bright grin on his face. Reluctantly I went to on my knees in front of the box and pulled of the lid, my eyes widening at the contents of the box. He totally did. Inside was possibly the cutest kitten I have ever seen in my life. It was white and orange, black spots all around that made it resemble a cheetah. It better not be a cheetah. "It's an Ashera!" Alejandro called excitedly, coming to sit down next to me. I pulled the kitten from the box, its cute paws striking at the air as I bring it into my lap. He pawed at my hands and I was awestruck. "It's a cross between an African serval, the Asian leopard and a domestic house cat," I looked up at Alejandro with wide eyes and a slack jaw. "It's a wild?" I gasped in surprised. He shrugged his shoulders. "It's more domestic than wild. He's almost like a Savannah cat," I looked at the adorable thing on my lap, barely a few weeks old. "He got separated from his mom," "It's a boy?" he nodded. "This is absolutely amazing," I admitted, gently petting the back of the majestic cat. "Ashera cats are the most expensive in the world, so my dad and I decided to get you one for your birthday," I was completely overtaken with happy emotions, aweing at the meowing little creature in my lap. I looked to Alejandro with a raised eyebrow at his words. "How expensive are we talking?" I asked with suspicious but Alejandro just laughed nervously, and that made me nervous. "Don't worry about that, he's yours now," I stared at him for a few seconds longer before readjusting the escaping kitten. He was playful and curios, licking at each of my fingers. "He's so cute!" I practically squealed. "And I can take him to the United Kingdom?" Alejandro nodded. "He was imported from Los Angeles and is already used to flying. We made preparations for you to take him on the plane, but he has to stay with you for those two hours. You won't be taking a public plane this time," I nodded in understanding, examining all of the markings on the lovable fluff ball. Maybe not a cheetah, but a serval and a leopard. The thought was a bit terrifying, but I'm pretty sure the King of Spain wouldn't give me a wild animal. "What are you going to call him?" That was a thought. I've never had a pet before because I was too immature to have one when I was a kid and outgrew the idea. My mother had dogs who were well trained and could roam the palace hall, because of their small size. They mostly just stay at the west wing of the palace where I usually don't roam. "I'll have to think about it," I admitted, rising onto my feet with the kitten in my arms. He was settling a bit, sniffing at my skin every few seconds. He was trying to get used to me already. "Thank you so much," I honestly said and seeing my expression, Alejandro returned a wide grin as he rose to his feet as well. "It is my pleasure," he told me sincerely, brining me into a quick hug before leaving to attend to his other plans in the meanwhile. I readjusted my kitten to lie against my shoulder, his gentle breaths vibrating against my body. He was so cute. I headed back to my room, soft meowing following my adventure. I saw some Palace Guards and especially palace staff stop in their tracks to regard the little tyrant on my shoulder. He was nicking at my hair now, his little teeth finding a plaything. I made it to my room where there was minimal left to pack so I assisted, giving the handmaidens time to rest. The kitten was roaming on my bed, all three of us constantly keeping an eye on him but he luckily went to rest on the pillow. He was so cute.