CHAPTER 09
Someone spoke to me. When I looked up, it was the owner of a street stall selling chicken skewers.
What now, when I’m so busy I could die?!
I had that thought just as the vendor opened his mouth.
“Actually, a child who looked like yours was at our stall…”
“What?”
Aslan was here?
I quite literally lost my mind and rushed toward the vendor like I was going to eat him alive.
“How do you know that?”
The vendor, intimidated, replied in a timid voice.
“W-Well, seeing a child in such fine clothes around here… I just assumed they were from that mansion.”
“What did the child look like?”
“Sandy blond hair, light green eyes… and she was wearing a yellow dress.”
“…!”
There was no mistake. That was my Aslan!
I was ready to give him money or anything he wanted as I questioned him.
“So, where is my child? Where is she now?”
“Well, I was getting ready to bring her to your estate, but she suddenly disappeared. And also… there was a man…”
If things had been normal, I would’ve lost all reason as soon as I heard “a man”.
But I didn’t even catch the rest of his words.
Peep, peep.
I heard the sound of Aslan’s shoes nearby.
“Aslan?”
The moment I heard that chirping sound, I whipped my head around. That had to be the sound of the shoes I put on Aslan.
Thinking rationally, there was no way I should’ve heard those little footsteps from far away in a noisy marketplace.
But I had already lost my senses.
Peep, peep.
The sound lured me—retreating whenever I got closer.
I chased it in a daze.
If I just ran a little farther, I’d reach the outskirts of Fran Village. I couldn’t let her go beyond that…
Please, let her still be within the estate…!
Was it my desperate plea that helped? Just barely clinging to the village boundary, the sound finally stopped dodging me.
And then I found her.
Fluffy cream-colored hair.
Shimmering green eyes.
A yellow dress and shoes, both dirtied from running.
“Aslan!”
“Mommy?”
Tears streaming down her face, Aslan ran toward me.
* * *
“Aslan!”
“Mooommyyy!”
Like a miracle, Minerva and Aslan embraced each other tightly.
After a while, Minerva seemed to have cried it all out and began scolding Aslan while holding her by the shoulders.
“Who told you to run off on your own?! Do you want to get in trouble for real?”
“M-Mommy… I’m s-sorry… sniffle…”
Relieved, Aslan finally burst into tears.
Watching quietly from the side, Lloyd held a pair of bright yellow children’s shoes in one hand and sighed with an awkward expression.
“Looks like I accidentally helped Princess Minerva.”
It was none other than Duke Lloyd Eckhart who had lured Minerva with the sound of the shoes.
“I was hoping the servants would follow the sound instead…”
But of all people, Minerva had been the closest.
He thought she would never leave the mansion like always.
And yet, here she was.
He had unintentionally discovered her secret.
“She has a daughter?”
He had seen no sign of that before, and it shocked him.
But as the surprise wore off, her actions began to make sense.
Aslan looked about the same height as Ayla, so she had to be around five years old.
That meant Minerva had rejected his proposal and stayed home all those years because of that child.
At first, Lloyd figured the little girl would find her way home on her own.
But Aslan was more clueless about the world than he imagined.
She’d eat food strangers offered her, didn’t understand the concept of buying food, and chased a bird farther from home not knowing how to return.
Lloyd couldn’t just stand by and watch anymore.
“…Seriously. What am I doing?”
While chasing Aslan, Lloyd glanced at the chirping shoes and felt briefly defeated.
Who would’ve thought he’d ever help Minerva?
But it wasn’t just helping her that made his chest feel tight.
“That woman… was she always the type to care so deeply about family?”
Minerva was now relentlessly scolding Aslan with a face that looked like it had experienced every fear in the world.
“If you run off without a word again, Mommy will be really angry! What if something terrible had happened?!”
“Sniff, sob. I’m sorry, Mommy… waaah!”
Aslan broke into loud sobs—so pitiful even passersby turned to look.
Eventually, Minerva must have felt she’d scolded her enough, because she pulled Aslan into a hug and cried with her.
“I’m just so glad you’re safe, Aslan.”
Minerva’s face as she held Aslan was deeply human—nothing like the Minerva Lloyd thought he knew.
Unable to take his eyes off them, Lloyd finally checked the time and disappeared into the crimson sunset.
It was nearly time for dinner with his own daughter.
* * *
Ever since Aslan had gone outside the estate, I’d been on edge every time we went for a walk.
Wearing my sunshade, I shouted to the child running ahead of me:
“Aslan! Don’t go too far, and don’t run—you’ll fall!”
“It’s fine! I won’t—waaah!”
“Aslan!”
No sooner had I spoken than Aslan tripped.
“Phew.”
Thankfully, her feline agility and balance hadn’t vanished.
She flailed a bit but quickly regained her footing.
“Mom, did you see? I didn’t fall!”
“Yes… you didn’t…”
Good grief, that scared the life out of me.
Barely managing to support my trembling legs, I followed her down the path.
To be honest, the garden didn’t have much for her to do.
She could only run around so much, and there were no play structures—or even other kids to play with.
As expected, she got bored of the swings she loved so much and eventually just stared up at the blue sky.
Suddenly, Aslan came trotting over.
And then came the dreadful question.
“Mom, can we play outside the estate?”
She had finally taken an interest in the outside world.
Stifling a sigh, I immediately shook my head.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Did you already forget how you got lost last time?”
“Ugh…”
At least she seemed to realize she was at fault—she pouted and mumbled.
But cats are brazen creatures. Even as a human, Aslan was shameless.
“If you come with me, it’ll be fine! I want to go outside! Outside!”
What’s with her?!
When she was a cat, she wouldn’t leave the house even if the front door was wide open!
Still, I could understand.
Though we had a long way to go, Aslan had begun to get curious about the human world.
She had learned to awkwardly use a fork and knife.
She showed interest in human tools and even in clothing.
I could give Aslan everything she wanted—except for the outside world.
I was terrified of her gaining interest in it.
If she wandered too far, the royal family would eventually learn of her existence.
Then I would be killed, and Aslan would become like Leona from the original story.
I knelt down to meet her eyes and tried to reason with her.
“Are you just bored? Should I build you a playground?”
“I mean, that would be nice—but I want to see the outside!”
She didn’t even pretend not to want it.
I shook my head firmly.
“I can build a playground. But not the outside. It’s too dangerous.”
“What’s dangerous? Other people go outside all the time.”
“They’re adults. You’re still a child.”
“Then you can come with me!”
“I…”
I’m a criminal. If I go outside, it’ll put you in danger too.
I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
Without the answer she wanted, Aslan grew furious and yelled:
“Mommy, you’re so dumb!”
“Ah, Aslan…”
“Hmph!”
She stomped her feet in protest and ran back into the mansion.
“Aslan!”
I stood frozen for a moment before chasing after her.
Why is she suddenly obsessed with going outside?!
I’d better build that playground soon to distract her.
But I thought she’d get over it quickly.
That… was a huge mistake.
