Chapter 37
<Chapter 39>
Screeech—
Standing on tiptoe, I crossed out the sentence [Try a ding-dong-ditch] with a crayon, a proud look on my face.
It meant I had successfully completed another item on my bucket list.
‘I couldn’t do it in my past life because of moral concerns, but to think I’d find someone here who would willingly let themselves be ditched…!’
Now, what exactly is a “ding-dong-ditch”?
It’s also known as "ring and run."
It’s a game with zero civic awareness where children of the past would ring a stranger’s doorbell and run away.
“Kyah—!”
My heart was racing so fast that I found myself stomping my feet against the floor in excitement.
It was a bit childish, but I’d always wanted to try it.
As an adult, you can let small regrets go, but why do those sorrowful childhood memories leave such a lingering sense of longing?
In my past life, back when I was in elementary school, I used to watch the other children playing outside through the window.
Back then, I had to stay cooped up in my room, constantly walking on eggshells around my relatives.
‘But now, I can play as much as I want!’
Ahem.
Steeling my resolve, I entered the third annex and stood before a massive door.
This was the bedroom and private quarters of Knox, who had to be on call 24 hours a day as the Crost aide.
Knock, knock—
I rapped on the door with my small fist.
“…Ugh, yes. Who is it?”
I could hear someone staggering toward the door, sounding like they had just woken up.
“The maids don’t usually come at this hour… Who could it be?”
The moment Knox opened the door, still muttering to himself—
“Kyah! Ding-dong-ditch!”
I stuck my tongue out at him and then turned and bolted at full speed, my teeth clenched in determination.
“Wait, hey, you—!”
I felt the bewildered Knox snatch off his sleeping cap and start chasing after me. A thrill, like being on a roller coaster, seized my senses.
The stretch where you’re almost caught but just out of reach.
This was the most thrilling and fun part of the game.
Patter, patter—
Dashing through the corridor, I reached the castle entrance and ducked behind the open main gate, peeking out just a little.
“…Knox?”
Knox was nowhere to be seen.
Could this be… the "ditch-ignored"?
Ignoring a child who does a ding-dong-ditch. For a child playing the game, it was a sense of emptiness akin to a death sentence.
No way. Not Knox.
Not after I ran all the way here!
Feeling a bit huffy, I stomped my way back.
“…Knox! You promised to play with me! …Huh?”
As I retraced my steps, I saw a large man collapsed in the middle of the hallway.
It was Knox, dressed in his pajamas, lying face down. He was still clutching his white sleeping cap in his hand.
“Knox?”
Tip-toe, tip-toe—
I approached him with the silent, sidling steps of a baby crab.
“Got you.”
“Aack!”
The long arm that had been as still as a corpse suddenly grabbed my ankle. Startled, I jerked as if I’d been hit by an electric shock.
“Haah. Haah—.”
What a rush.
Ding-dong-ditch is fun when you succeed, but it’s just as fun when you get caught.
Of course, if I’d been caught in my past life, I would’ve ended up at the police station.
“Are you satisfied now?”
Knox asked, lifting only his head while remaining prone on the floor.
“Yes! Completely! Bucket list success!”
“Well, that’s good news.”
When I gave him a thumbs-up, the corners of his expressionless mouth twitched upward slightly.
“Whew. That was fun. Knox-nim, do it again.”
“Pardon?”
With the stamina of a five-year-old, I felt like I needed to do this at least five more times to be satisfied.
“Again. It’s fun.”
“Then how about playing hospital?”
“Hospital… what?”
Roll.
Knox flipped over from his stomach and sprawled out on his back, turning his head toward me.
“I am the patient. You, My Lady, are the doctor.”
“…….”
I looked down at him and muttered.
“Seeing you lying in the hallway like this, I don’t think it’s a doctor and patient. You’re more like a corpse and I’m the undertaker.”
It was then.
“Lady Aisha, Lady Aisha! Oh, there you are!”
May was looking for me from a distance.
‘What’s gotten into May? She’s usually so calm.’
The fact that May’s voice had gone up a pitch meant something good had happened.
“May? What is it?!”
I stood up, after solemnly covering Knox’s face with his white sleeping cap.
“The kitten you brought home has woken up!”
“What?!”
I’m going right now. The kitten!
“Kitten!”
I cried out for the small, precious creature and sprinted toward the main castle.
*
“I’m so glad the Lady is that happy. It’s a relief the kitten is healthy… Wait?”
As May watched Aisha run off innocently, she felt her foot catch on something as she walked down the hall. She looked down.
Right in front of her shoe was a man lying on the floor with a white cloth covering his face.
“A—A corpse! Sir Knight! Sir Knight!”
Because of May’s frantic shouting, knights came for Knox instead of Aisha, who had been playing the undertaker.
“…Just kill me instead.”
“Pardon?!”
“It’s nothing.”
Surrounded by knights and May, Knox closed his eyes. This was the price he paid for trying to trick a child who wanted to play.
*
At that same time.
I entered the main castle and opened the door to the infirmary. Delta, the doctor, greeted me with a broad smile.
“Welcome, My Lady.”
“Where’s the kitten?!”
I should have greeted him first to be polite, but the words just burst out of me.
Oops. That wasn't very lady-like.
“Hello, Dr. Delta.”
I gave him a quick smile and a greeting before immediately getting back to the point.
“So, where’s the kitten?!”
“Haha. I knew you’d be pleased. Look over here.”
With a kind smile, he led me to a corner near the fireplace.
The air in the infirmary was warm and cozy thanks to the fire.
A rattan basket sat on a thick rug.
Inside the basket, which was lined with a warm blanket—
Purr.
A kitten, about the size of my two palms put together, was curled up like an ammonite, fast asleep.
So cute.
‘I’m dying of cuteness.’
I covered my mouth with my small hands, my breathing growing heavy with excitement.
“Is it all better now?”
“Of course. It’s very healthy. It spent quite a while running around the room as if it were hunting mice before just falling asleep.”
“Since it’s sleeping, would it be hard to take it to my bedroom?”
“Hard? It’s your kitten, My Lady.”
The doctor picked up the sleeping kitten.
“It’s still a babe, so it needs a lot of sleep. It won’t wake up easily from a bit of movement. Take it to your room quickly.”
“W—Wow….”
As I carefully took the kitten into my arms, it purred softly and buried its head against my chest.
It had been such a tiny thing when I found it at the circus.
Back then, its fur was filthy and its eyes were crusty.
But now, its fur was white—it must have had a bath—and its closed eyes looked clean.
“Let’s go to big sister’s room, baby.”
Holding the ball of fluff preciously, I walked slowly down the hallway.
I hadn't officially gotten permission from Mister to keep a cat yet.
‘But I put "raising a cat" on my bucket list just in case, so I’m sure he’ll allow it.’
I was walking carefully when—
“…The Alosini in the North have been acting strangely. That is…”
I heard the sound of people gathering for a serious report. What was it?
I turned my head and saw that the door to what looked like a conference room was slightly ajar.
The conversation flowed out through the crack like a radio broadcast.
“What do you mean by ‘unusual’?”
Oh. Is Mister in there too?
A serious matter was a serious matter, but I was just happy to hear him. Driven by curiosity, I pressed my ear to the wall while still cradling the sleeping kitten.
“Well… I found it hard to believe myself when I heard it….”
“What is it? Don't hesitate and speak plainly.”
“The… the monster spoke.”
At the man’s confession, the conference room fell into a startling silence.
I felt the same way. More than just surprised, I was stunned, as if I’d been struck in the back of the head with a blunt object.
“…What did it say?”
Mister asked after a long silence.
“It was at the level of a baby’s babbling. It sounded like ‘Uwa-u-ra,’ or perhaps, ‘Ah. I am alive.’”
“Are you sure it was a monster?”
“It was definitely an Alosini, the four-legged beast type. Its eyes were purple as well.”
At the knight’s words, the room fell silent again.
Some people cleared their throats, unable to believe what they were hearing.
And I stood there, frozen by the troubling news.
The original story had shifted again.
A monster that talks.
The novel Sword of Judgment was about the male protagonist unifying two kingdoms, but the most important keyword within that context was ‘monsters.’
The incident occurred because Calips, who guarded the North, had a change of heart and ignored the crumbling Ice Wall.
The protagonist executed Calips and took over the role of the Ice Wall to destroy the monsters.
‘If a monster had spoken, it definitely would have been mentioned in the original story.’
I had never seen such a thing. If so, there was only one conclusion.
Something I did subconsciously had created a butterfly effect, warping the original plot once again.
‘What did I do?’
I was lost in thought when—
“Nyaa—woong.”
A cute cry erupted from my arms as the kitten woke up.
