Chapter 85
Ayla’s request, which sounded more like an order, momentarily shook the knights, but they quickly regained their resolute attitude.
“We apologize, Your Highness. But this is Lady Mine’s request.”
“Mother’s?”
Ayla blinked rapidly.
Minerva had her own maids. So why did she ask these people instead of her usual staff?
‘Is something so significant happening that everyone needs to be away?’
At first, Ayla thought they were ordinary employees, but Minerva was an imperial princess. They must all be from distinguished families or exceptional in their respective fields.
Was there a problem that required all these people to leave Aslan’s side?
It was beyond her imagination.
If even Minerva had made this request, it seemed unlikely that these people would leave the room.
“Aslan, you’ll be lonely alone. Let’s stay together. Surely they won’t come inside the curtains.”
Ayla spoke loudly enough for the others to hear.
Right?
Her questioning gaze made the knights raise their hands slightly in surprise.
It was a gesture of harmlessness and a signal that they wouldn’t interfere inside the curtains.
According to what they had heard, Aslan was supposed to be an unparalleled troublemaker. They had steeled themselves for that, but her timid behavior caught them off guard.
The two small children sat by the window, wrapped in curtains and sharing warmth.
Their bright eyes never left the view outside.
They looked even closer than real sisters.
Ayla, uncharacteristically gentle, patted Aslan’s slumped shoulders softly.
Aslan’s body gradually leaned towards Ayla.
This scene reminded Ayla of when she first met Aslan.
“Come to think of it, we were like this when we first met too.”
“Were we?”
“Yes. You were crying, and I comforted you. Thinking back, I should have patted you. You might have felt better sooner.”
In truth, back then, Ayla had been afraid of physical contact with people.
There had been too many unpleasant experiences at the orphanage.
Just when she was starting to feel comfortable with human touch again, her fear returned because of the tutor and maid, but Minerva and Aslan made it okay.
“Do you remember that too? The day you broke the chandelier.”
Ayla recalled being surprised at how the child who had only cried when they first met showed such a spirited side the next day.
Aslan nodded quickly, the memory vivid in her mind as well.
“Ah, I remember! Mom scolded me so much that day.”
“I was really surprised, but it was fun. It was the first time I’d ever played so excitingly.”
Aslan had enjoyed it immensely too.
They had played an exciting game of tag while swinging the chandelier branches widely.
Though it was only two or three months ago, it felt like an old story.
Realizing this, Aslan’s smile, which had just bloomed, faded again.
“Hey, Ayla.”
“Yes, Aslan?”
Ayla nodded, as if to say it was okay to say anything.
One hand still firmly wrapped around Aslan’s shoulder.
Aslan lifted her head and asked Ayla with glass-bead-like eyes.
“Mom and the mister will be okay, right?”
Then she hugged her knees, buried her face, and whimpered.
“If Mom dies, it’ll be all my fault.”
Aslan wanted Minerva to be happy and safe.
That’s why she thought it would be good if she married Lloyd.
But the more she wished for it, the more things seemed to get complicated.
Maybe wishing to become human was wrong from the start?
‘I should have gone back to being a cat when Mom asked if I wanted to.’
Minerva had been in danger since the moment Aslan asked to become human.
I should have listened to Mom then.
Just as Aslan’s shoulders were curling inward, Ayla acted.
“Eep!”
“Oooh?”
Ayla’s hands squished Aslan’s cheeks.
The pressure on her chubby cheeks made her lips protrude like an octopus’s.
“No more bad talk!”
Not stopping there, Ayla began to knead Aslan’s cheeks frantically.
At first, she only meant to snap Aslan out of it, but…
‘Wow!’
It’s so squishy!
Can a person be this squishy?
Her own cheeks were soft, but Aslan’s were even squishier.
Finding it so fascinating and cute, Ayla forgot her initial purpose and busied herself with kneading Aslan’s cheeks.
Unable to bear it any longer, Aslan protested with a muffled voice.
“Aywa, shtop it awready.”
“Ah, sorry. It’s just so squishy.”
Ayla came to her senses and let go, but Aslan’s cheeks were already slightly red.
She could understand why Minerva liked to fiddle with Aslan’s cheeks so much.
Barely suppressing the urge to touch them again, Ayla comforted Aslan.
“Lady Mine wouldn’t leave you behind. She works so hard for you.”
“But the fire is so…”
“Father went with her, so it’ll be okay. You know how strong our father is, right?”
“…Aren’t you scared, Ayla?”
“I am.”
Ayla could have pretended to be strong, but she answered without hiding anything.
Lloyd was Ayla’s savior.
The thought of him already gone, consumed by that fire, was maddening.
“But Father promised to take responsibility for me until the end. I believe in those words.”
Come to think of it, Aslan had often heard similar words from Minerva.
That while it was natural for Minerva to protect Aslan, it wasn’t natural for Aslan to protect Minerva.
Yes, Minerva would surely return to protect Aslan.
Meanwhile, the fire in the Millennial Tree Forest in the distance had grown larger than before.
Aslan looked at it and prayed fervently.
‘Please let Mom return safely without getting hurt.’
Although there was no wish-granting moon, Aslan prayed to the sky like that.
It was at that moment.
“Huh? Dark clouds.”
Dark clouds began to gather from all directions, centered on the Millennial Tree Forest.
It definitely wasn’t a natural flow.
A heavy downpour began to fall from the dark clouds covering the Millennial Tree Forest.
“It’s raining…”
“Yeah…”
The two children muttered absently as they looked out the window, then turned to each other simultaneously.
And smiled brightly.
Rain had started falling not long after those two left, so surely they would both return safely.
* * *
The earrings glowed, and then a downpour began.
The fire, which had seemed like it would never end even after burning down the entire forest, was gradually being pushed down to the ground.
The raindrops falling in thick streams were so cold they hurt.
‘The rain definitely started after the earrings glowed.’
The shape of the gathered clouds was unnatural.
Unlike normal clouds that flow in one direction, these gathered from all directions to pour rain.
These earrings were given by Lloyd.
As I lowered my head to ask him what was going on, I felt something bothering me on my head.
Without realizing it, a jacket had been placed over my head.
Looking to the side, I saw that Lloyd was still unable to take his eyes off the sky, as if it had been an unconscious action.
Sensing my gaze, his eyes, which had been fixed on the sky, turned to me.
As our eyes met, our mouths opened simultaneously.
“Duke, these earrings…”
“Could those earrings…”
Our questions came out almost at the same time and were cut off midway, but I could tell that Lloyd’s question was similar to mine.
I expressed my pent-up surprise.
“What are these earrings? Didn’t you know when you gave them to me? They glowed, and then it started raining!”
“I had no idea. When I had them, nothing magical like this ever happened…!”
Lloyd looked quite confused as well.
I mulled over Lloyd’s words and sensed something odd.
“Magical… event?”
A cat turning into a human.
No one doubting that a cat had become human.
Fractured arms healing completely overnight.
All the employees who were on the brink of death recovering safely.
My exhausted body from moving instantly recovering after receiving Aslan’s kneading.
I didn’t feel anything strange at the time.
But looking back now, everything I experienced could only be described as magic.
And it all…
“Aslan.”
It all originated from Aslan.
‘Why didn’t I notice how strange it was until now?’
Come to think of it, Aslan had muttered something while holding these earrings.
Could Aslan’s magic have been transferred to the earrings?
Minerva’s eyes trembled slightly.
‘This wasn’t in the original story.’
If Aslan could use magic, then Riona should be able to as well.
But there was no hint of such ability in the original Riona. If Riona had known how to use magic, she wouldn’t have died so pitifully.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something in the original story that she didn’t know about.
She wanted to dig deeper, but several sets of footsteps were heard in the distance.
It seemed the knights of the duchy and Pablo had arrived.
“Your Grace, are you alright!”
Pablo, who was the first to approach Lloyd to hand him his mask, ran faster than anyone else, blocking the knights’ approach.
However, upon seeing Minerva and Lloyd, he momentarily stopped, causing his legs to tangle, and he nearly fell over.
“Uh, uh?”
The two were still sitting on the ground, having fallen when Lloyd pulled Minerva to save her earlier.
Both of them belatedly realized that their bodies were pressed tightly together, and they quickly separated in surprise.
Pablo pretended not to see this and handed the mask to Lloyd.
Pablo was greatly relieved to see Lloyd meticulously putting on his mask even in this situation.
“It seems you’re not injured. How fortunate that it started raining, truly a blessing from heaven.”
As Pablo looked up at the sky with great emotion, Lloyd and Minerva’s eyes met.
She was giving Lloyd an intense look, as if begging him not to say anything.
If the first words out of his mouth started wrong, she seemed ready to forcibly cover his mouth, even if it meant using violence.
Minerva thought she was usually good at managing her expressions, but seeing her up close like this, maybe not so much.
Lloyd learned something new about Minerva again.
Watching her reaction, Lloyd barely managed to speak.
