Chapter 19
“Chloe helped save the tiger.”
“…What? Helped save it?”
“Yes! Chloe helped!”
I stared at Lea, who was firmly believing the tiger was dead.
“Hm… I see. I’ll report this testimony saying Chloe helped you.”
She glared at me before turning off the recorder.
“I’ll submit the report as it is. Tch, you grabbed the rotten rope.”
“I didn’t grab a rotten rope!”
I held out my empty hands.
She was about to laugh at me but was struck with a horrified expression.
“Ugh, disgusting!”
After thinking her plan had succeeded, Lea frowned and left.
I looked down at my palm.
‘Oh, there was a praying mantis.’
I placed the praying mantis on the floor.
My sister never let me see the prison, so I didn’t know!
My eyes sparkled, and my nose instinctively sniffed.
‘Now that I think about it, humans can get locked up in prison.’
Normally, puppies don’t get locked up.
So, I must have really become a human.
I whispered softly to the tiny spider crawling on the floor.
“Hello, little spider!”
This felt like walking in a new place!
***
“…She seemed really depressed. Even when I went to her, she didn’t look up and just buried her face in the corner.”
It was the maid who had snuck near the Bastille Annex and got kicked out.
Hearing this, Rus stomped his feet in frustration.
“Damn it, this is crazy.”
“Maybe she’s crying…?”
“Crying over one tiger? Shouldn’t the living human be the priority, not the animal? Right? Isn’t that right?”
Rus was enraged, but Dot quietly muttered.
“It’s not just one tiger. It’s a spirit beast.”
“What? If that’s the case, then so be it.”
“I’m sorry. But this is really bad for the baby. Not only could she be disowned, but she might face other punishments as well.”
As soon as Dot’s words ended, Chloe’s face contorted.
“Shut up, it’s annoying.”
The atmosphere in the annex quickly became cold and heavy.
After the maid finished reporting and left, Rus, Chloe, and veterinarian Dot gathered together. It felt like a funeral.
Rus slapped his chest in frustration.
“Old man, losing his mind. Locking up a little kid in a cell? Only animals would do that.”
“Oh, Rus. Be careful, or you’ll get exiled again.”
“Ha, the old man isn’t even here. Dot, are you a spy?”
“There’s no way!”
Rus frowned, looking tired.
“We need to see father first. Chloe, you’ll meet him, right? You followed him the most, after all.”
“….”
Chloe looked like she was thinking about something when Rus pointed at her.
“What? You’re not going to persuade the old man?”
“….”
“Then you’ll go see Coco, right? I’m going now. To see the little one. Want to come?”
“…Why would I?”
“You know she loves you the most. Like a little puppy, always following you.”
“So?”
Rus scanned Chloe up and down.
“You’re really a bad person, you know that? Fine, I’ll go alone. I’ll persuade the old man, and worst-case scenario, I’ll be sentenced to 30 years of exile. What more could happen, huh?”
“Oh no, Rus!”
Despite Dot’s warning, Rus stormed out of the room.
By the time he left, Chloe was still standing, her hand tightly gripping her trembling fingers.
***
“Hey, open the prison door.”
“E-excuse me? This isn’t a prison… The official name is ‘Bastille Annex,’ but…”
“What are you talking about? You’re using it as a prison, don’t play dumb. Open the door.”
“Lady Patricia has forbidden outsiders from entering. As the Lady’s representative, we can’t…”
“I don’t care! Lock me up, I want to be locked up right now, why not?”
“You… you can’t lock a direct descendant in a cell…”
“Then shut up and open the door.”
The soldiers exchanged glances.
‘Rus was exiled for 10 years, wasn’t it to discipline his wild personality?’
‘And he returned worse than before?’
The brave soldier spoke up.
“If you break the door, even if you’re Rus, the law will punish you…”
“Am I going crazy?”
Rus raised his hand.
As a gust of wind blew from his hand, the soldier quickly closed his mouth.
Rus glared at the soldiers as though they were annoying bugs.
“Forget it, just get lost.”
Using his abilities, he swiftly broke the door open.
Inside, a small round head was visible.
A tiny child, Coco, staring at the wall.
Had she already gone crazy? It made sense for a child to lose their mind being locked up.
Frustrated, Rus clenched his fist and stormed into the cell.
“Hey, Coco.”
Coco, who had been staring at the wall, turned her head.
The moment their eyes met, Coco’s face lit up with a bright smile.
“Wow! It’s Rus!”
…She wasn’t crying, she was beaming?
‘No, she must be acting like that to make me feel better, to prevent me from getting upset.’
Rus pressed his aching chest and muttered.
“When father gets here, I’ll get you out. Just wait a bit.”
“No, I can get out on my own!”
“How are you gonna get out, little one?”
She looked like a small, round stuffed animal, so delicate and precious.
Her tangled hair looked like it could be blown away by a light breeze.
“Anyway, are you okay with the cold?”
“Yep! There are so many cool things here!”
Rus casually sat on the floor of the cell and murmured.
“Yeah, whatever. I’m not cold. I’ll stay with you.”
“I’m fine. Once the tiger wakes up in 10 hours…”
“The tiger’s dead, you fool.”
“No, the tiger is alive. My sister and I saved it.”
“Are you crazy? You’ll be begging for mercy before the day ends.”
He hit his chest in frustration when suddenly, Coco’s mouth shut firmly.
“My sister always said that the most beautiful thing is when someone is pushed to the edge and then makes a comeback.”
“Huh?”
“That’s why, it’s okay for me to get even more pitiful now. Then later, my sister will be happier.”
What is this little kid thinking?
Comebacks, happiness…
It’s like she’s holding a secret card.
‘But the tiger is definitely dead.’
Rus messed up his hair in frustration.
Just then, they heard footsteps approaching from afar.
A woman with a cold expression appeared.
“Rus, I told you not to make a scene in the prison.”
“…Chloe Ardoth?”
Coco’s eyes grew wide at the mention of Chloe’s name.
“Sister, you shouldn’t be here.”
“Why?”
“It’s too dark here…”
Rus casually replied.
“You don’t know? She’s a shadow master. She can control the darkness, so she can see well in the dark. As for me, my eyes are weak, so I’m the one who’s worried.”
“It’s not that. It’s just… it’s too dark. It shouldn’t be this dark…”
Why does she look so uneasy?
I thought she’d be happy to see Chloe.
But instead, she looks unstable.
***
Chloe reached into her dress and clenched her trembling hand.
She couldn’t calm her nerves.
Whenever she entered a darkness she hadn’t created herself, it felt like this.
People thought she enjoyed being buried in darkness.
But it wasn’t true.
“Chloe, you need to survive in the darkness.”
“…”
“To truly become the heir of the family, you must. Unless you want to bring shame to the Duke’s legacy, you must endure.”
As a child, Chloe had been locked in the damp basement for a week, starving.
When she finally escaped, her father killed her master, who had realized what happened.
But…
‘Even though the abuser is dead, childhood wounds last a lifetime.’
That’s why she didn’t even like going to her own basement.
She hated the trembling she felt when unexpectedly facing darkness.
But why now?
Why does she seem so unsettled, as if Coco is reminding her of her own wounds?
I knew the reason.
‘Coco, who gives me pure affection and cares for me, reminds me of my dog.’
For a moment, I saw Coco’s voice overlap with my dog’s.
As Chloe forgot everything she was about to say and stared at Coco.
Coco jumped up and pointed her finger.
“Really, why are you here!”
“Why, what’s wrong?”
“Don’t come save me! It’s dangerous here!”
“You’ve got no manners.”
“Who’s not using manners? I don’t have anything to say here.”
She’s… dumb.
“…I meant, show some respect. I came here because I have something to say. I didn’t come to save you.”
She wiped her face and looked out of the prison.
“Rus, what have you been doing here? Use your head.”
“You don’t know me. My head is just for decoration.”
Rus shrugged.
“So, how do I use it?”
