Chapter 9
***
“The young lady has arrived. She asks if you would join her for lunch.”
“I’m already eating. Send her away.”
“Yes, understood.”
The head maid, Mary, left with a satisfied smile.
Once she was gone, the dining room became quiet again, with only Chloe left.
She rested her chin on her hand while cutting into her cold steak.
The steak was half spoiled.
Even though she had lost her sense of taste and smell after her power went out of control, she could still tell that much.
A year ago, she would’ve called the maids and fixed everything.
If she scolded them, they would quickly bow their heads like weak insects.
But that was right after Coco’s death.
‘Everything feels meaningless and tiring.’
She put down her knife.
She thought of just going back to bed and sleeping.
But then—she noticed a white mouse scratching the wall of the dining room.
‘Coco used to love playing with mice. She would press them down with her little paw.’
‘There was nothing cuter than that.’
Chloe found herself staring quietly at the mouse.
But then…
The mouse started digging hard at the wall.
Soon, a small hole appeared.
‘The place has become old and worn because I didn’t keep it in repair.’
That was all she thought at first.
But then something small rolled out of the hole.
A small, palm-sized ball glowing in red.
It looked like an ordinary ball at first sight, but Chloe gasped.
It was Coco’s favorite ball.
She had even written “Coco’s” on the label herself.
Coco had always been greedy and hid her toys, many of which were lost.
“This ball… why is it here…?”
As she stared at it, memories came back.
Coco loved hard balls that squeaked when pressed.
The surface of this one had small cracks where Chloe used to put snacks. Coco would sniff around excitedly, trying to get them out.
Lost in her memories, Chloe bent down and picked up the ball.
Meanwhile, the mouse slipped into its hole.
“I can still smell Coco on this.”
Holding the small ball in her hand, she suddenly wondered if there might be more things hidden.
Coco had lost many toys.
“I thought she buried them in the ground… but the mouse kept them.”
This mansion had been designed by Chloe when she was young.
Back then, she had put in maze-like hidden passages.
Later, she had forgotten about them completely.
Maybe only Coco remembered them all while playing hide-and-seek in the mansion.
‘Unless I search like crazy, I won’t find the rest.’
Still, just finding this one ball was something.
She carefully tucked it close to her chest.
Knock, knock.
Mary knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Chloe said.
Mary entered, looking troubled.
“Lady Chloe…”
“What is it?”
“The young lady refuses to leave. She says she has something very important to tell you…”
From behind Mary, Coco poked her head out.
Mary frowned in annoyance.
“Young lady! I told you not to come in!”
“H-Hold on! I really have something to say!”
Seeing Coco bowing her head deeply, Chloe sighed.
She no longer had the strength to get angry.
“You again. Why did you come back?”
“You told me not to come every day, I know… But I saw something amazing…”
Her voice was smaller now, nervous.
Looking at the top of the child’s lowered head, Chloe felt strange.
“There was this mouse, and it was carrying something really strange, so I came to tell you…”
“…A mouse?”
“Yes! It was really amazing. It looked like jelly…”
That word made something click in Chloe’s memory.
“…Was it shaped like a bone?”
“Yes! Do you know about it?”
At that moment, hope stirred in Chloe’s heart.
Coco, who knew the mansion better than Chloe herself…
Maybe she had hidden toys that Chloe didn’t even know about.
‘That means there are still traces of Coco left here…’
Chloe dismissed all the maids and turned to the little girl again.
“Tell me. The mouse, what was it?”
“Well! The mouse was carrying a soft, bone-shaped toy, and then it ran into a weird place! It was so strange, so I came to tell you!”
“…Where exactly?”
“Uh… it hid in a really strange place! You know how mice usually come out at night when no one’s around, right?”
“So?”
The more the child rambled, the stiffer Chloe’s face grew.
“Actually, I’m really good at catching mice!”
“What are you trying to say?”
“But I can only catch them at night! So… Can I stay here for just one night?”
Chloe stared at the chubby-cheeked child.
Her cheeks were flushed with excitement, as if she were starting some undercover mission.
The sudden proposal felt ridiculous.
But…
“If I let you stay tonight, can you find the toy?”
“Yes!”
“…Then bring me the mouse.”
“Yes! Watch me, okay? But you must not fall asleep first, Lady Chloe! Otherwise, I won’t be able to find the bone-shaped toy!”
“Just tonight. No more after this.”
“Yes! Wow! This is the best!”
Even though Chloe clearly said it was only for tonight, Coco looked delighted and immediately began running around the dining room like it was her own house.
She sighed, “No sunlight here, and the steak smells rotten…”
Then suddenly pointed a finger, shouting, “These bad people!”
This suspicious child had barged into her mansion and was now acting freely.
But Chloe couldn’t say no.
Even just a toy Coco had played with for a short time… she wanted to see it again.
She longed for that warmth so badly.
***
That night, in Chloe Ardoth’s mansion.
I (Coco) quietly crept down into the basement, hiding in the dark.
I pretended to follow the mouse, crawling on the floor, but really, I went where I already knew.
After turning through many hidden passages, I finally reached the basement door.
‘At last!’
There were piles of dusty crates stacked high.
I rolled my eyes around, scanning the place.
From another room, I could hear maids whispering faintly.
But I ignored them and focused only on what I needed to find.
Back when I was a dog, I played hide-and-seek here a lot with my sister (Chloe).
So I knew everything about this mansion.
Even though it was dark, I could see clearly.
‘I need to find the ledger with the apple mark on the cover.’
An old record book with many yellowed pages, worn with use.
If I could get it, I could drive out the maids.
Using my sharp dog-like sense of smell, I sniffed for clues.
And finally, I spotted something.
‘There it is!’
At the corner of the wall filled with crates, there was a small empty space.
I used my tiny hands to push and push a big crate.
It was so hard, but I managed to move it just enough.
And underneath, I saw a small gap—with a thin book stuck inside.
“Hah… haah.”
It was really hard, but…!
I grabbed the small book that was wedged into the floorboards.
‘Mission complete! I found it!’
I quickly hid the thin book in my dress pocket.
‘Now I just need to get out!’
I tiptoed on my heels, trying to sneak away when—
BANG!
With a loud crack, the door burst open.
The maids I had seen at my sister’s mansion walked in.
“They said the noise came from this room.”
“Looks like a rat has snuck in.”
I quickly held my breath and hid behind a stack of boxes.
Thump, thump.
Their footsteps came closer and closer.
I thought I was safe behind the crates, but then—
CRASH!
