Chapter 4
“Come here, Chloe!”
Chloe could hardly gather her wits.
She hadn’t expected things to start happening so quickly.
No, in the novel, the attack was supposed to happen after I turned ten…
Chloe struggled to hide her bewilderment at the timeline, which didn’t match her memory.
Yet, even in her confusion, she moved diligently from one person’s arms to another, from one chaotic space to another.
“It’s alright, don’t worry.”
Every person tasked with protecting Chloe spoke the same words.
“I will protect Lady Chloe even at the cost of my life. We, the proud Gray Wolves, will not lose to despicable Lions.”
Finally, Brooks, who had been assigned to guard Chloe, patted her small back gently, as if to comfort her.
But Chloe’s concern was something else entirely.
“Brooks… where’s Mom?”
“Lady Melissa, being a member of the Wolf family, is also—”
“No!”
Chloe grabbed Brooks’s sleeve, shouting desperately.
Her mother must not fight.
With a pale face, Chloe recalled the approximate plot of the novel she had prepared in advance.
First came the Lion family’s invasion.
During that attack, Melissa Arus—the younger sister of the Wolf family head and Chloe’s biological mother—suffered a critical wound.
The novel had only briefly mentioned this, so the cause was unclear…
But Mom is definitely going to get hurt.
Melissa’s subsequent unconscious state would trigger the war, that much was certain.
I don’t know why the timeline changed, but it’s crucial to the story—it has to happen.
Remembering why she had made weapons as soon as she realized her past life, Chloe shook Brooks urgently.
“I have to go to Mom.”
“That’s impossible. My top priority is ensuring Lady Chloe’s safety… wait, Lady Chloe?”
“I have to go to Mom. She… she’s going to get seriously hurt.”
Muttering as she surveyed her surroundings, Chloe continued.
“Lady Chloe… your head… your ears… why…?”
Brooks’s bewildered voice came from above.
But Chloe wasn’t listening to him—she was tuning in to a voice far away.
There!
She instantly detected her mother’s voice and, without hesitation, struck Brooks lightly in the neck and leapt to the floor.
She was not far. She could save her.
“Ugh! Lady Chloe!”
Brooks, caught off guard by her sudden move, scrambled to follow.
“Stop! Come back, Lady Chloe!”
He chased after her quickly, but Chloe had already rounded a corner and entered the midst of the battle.
“Mom!”
“Chloe? Why are you here…?”
Melissa, wielding a two-handed sword, froze, eyes wide at the unexpected encounter.
At that moment, a stranger with tawny eyes leapt toward her.
No!
Chloe quickly reached into her pocket and pulled out a small toy water gun.
She aimed directly at the knight’s face and fired.
“Ugh!”
The concentrated liquid hit the knight squarely in the eyes.
“What… what is this…?”
As the knight hesitated, Melissa quickly drove her spear through his torso.
“Ghh…!”
Seeing that he was defeated, Melissa immediately hugged Chloe.
“Chloe! How could you come to such a dangerous place! What if you got hurt…!”
“I’m fine. I have this.”
Chloe casually shook the yellow toy water gun.
Melissa frowned, checking Chloe over for injuries.
“What’s in that?”
“Concentrated catnip extract.”
“Catnip?”
“Yeah.”
Chloe put the gun back in her pocket and explained calmly.
“It’s a type of herb cats love. The strong extract can cause hallucinations. I found it in the peppermint herb field the maids often pass through.”
It was lucky she had it prepared in advance as practice for this very attack. Without it, things could have gone terribly wrong.
Thank you, teacher.
Chloe silently thanked the veterinarian YouTuber who had shared her past life knowledge.
“Chloe, how did you even…?”
“Lady Chloe! Come out at once!”
Melissa, examining Chloe with a strange expression, bared her teeth fiercely at Brooks’s arrival.
“Brooks, how dare you let Chloe run into here!”
“I-I’m sorry! I’ll accept any punishment!”
Melissa, scowling at Brooks, turned her body while holding Chloe close.
“Alright. First priority: Chloe’s safety.”
“Yes!”
“That doesn’t mean you’re off the hook! After we deal with the Lions, you’ll face the consequences!”
“Y-Yes!”
Melissa whispered to Brooks in a tone completely different from before.
“Hold on a little, even if it’s scary. I’ll take you somewhere safe soon, my daughter.”
“Okay.”
Clinging to her mother like a koala, Chloe muttered inwardly.
I must never let go of Mom.
Listening to her mother’s heartbeat as she ran, Chloe reaffirmed her resolve.
I’ll protect Mom no matter what.
“No!”
But once they reached the innermost secret hiding place of the castle, Chloe realized her mother intended to leave immediately after securing her safety.
“No, don’t go!”
Chloe clung to her mother’s waist, pleading.
“Don’t leave, Mom. Let’s stay together, okay?”
“No, Chloe.”
Melissa shook her head firmly as she gently removed the child.
“I have to go, Chloe. Can you behave while I’m gone?”
“Why? Why do you have to go too? All the other beastfolk are out fighting. It’s fine… one less person wouldn’t matter…”
“They’re out fighting, so I have to go. I’m a Gray Wolf.”
Melissa, holding Chloe, moved her back into the wardrobe and spoke kindly.
“I’m stronger than all those beastfolk combined. I have to go. You saw what I can do, right? I take down the pumas in one swipe.”
Her mother spoke playfully, but Chloe’s brows sank low.
Her mother was a proud Gray Wolf, a genius swordswoman endowed with combat skills by the Wolf clan.
Wolves never betray their companions.
Chloe wanted to cry and cling more, but she knew her mother never backed down when her eyes looked like that.
“…Then, take this.”
Realizing protest was useless, Chloe quickly offered a backup plan.
Melissa, wrapped tightly in blankets, raised an eyebrow.
“Concentrated extract?”
“Yes. Mom, use it. If it gets dangerous, shoot immediately.”
“It’s fine. Chloe can hold onto it.”
Chloe shook her head, rummaging in her pocket to show the muzzle of the water gun.
“I have two more. Take one, Mom.”
“When did you get three…? Never mind, we’ll talk about that later.”
Melissa, still hearing shouts from outside, seemed to regain focus and stood up.
“Hide tight. I’ll come get you soon.”
Finally, she kissed Chloe’s cheek, smiling reassuringly.
“You’ll behave, right? So I can come back for you.”
“….”
“Hmm? Chloe?”
“…Okay. I’ll wait.”
“Good. I love you, my daughter.”
With that, the wardrobe door closed.
After the sound of multiple locks, it slammed shut with urgency.
Chloe, surrounded by soft blankets, heard her mother run outside.
Sorry, Mom. That promise was a lie.
She had promised to behave, but that was all a lie.
I won’t let Mom get hurt. I’ll protect her no matter what.
Chloe, determined, stood up.
“Ghh!”
With a rough groan, the hidden room’s door reverberated loudly.
Shouts, hurried footsteps, screams, the sharp sound of something breaking—horrible noises invaded even the wardrobe.
Chloe froze, trying to push the door open.
Suddenly, memories from her past life, which she had tried to suppress, resurfaced.
That’s not my child. You think I wouldn’t know? You think I wouldn’t know!
In her past life, Chloe’s father had severe jealousy issues.
“Ia-Young, tell me. You’re not my daughter, right? Who’s your dad? Tell me!”
He constantly doubted and abused her mother, drinking and swinging fists.
Why should I raise a child I don’t even know the father of? Why the hell should I do that!
Rather than watch her father’s cruelty, Ia-Young chose to hide in the wardrobe.
So that’s where you are!
“Don’t hide alone! After raising you carefully, you just run off!”
Of course, getting caught hiding often led to worse outcomes.
I’m not Ia-Young now.
Chloe whispered to herself.
That was my past life. My mom loves me now. My hateful dad isn’t here. I’m not Ia-Young… not Ia-Young…
But knowing it in her head and acting on it were different.
The similar space, similar noises, and sense of helplessness pressed Chloe deeper into despair.
I have to go. I have to protect Mom.
She bit her arm, trying to open the wardrobe door, but her stiff hand wouldn’t obey.
As if slowly suffocating underwater, she began to panic.
Bang! With a loud crash, the hidden room’s door swung open.
