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Chapter : 10. Chapter 1. You Who Came Like a Dream (10)
Ronell instinctively covered her mouth and swallowed her scream. Holding back sound was one of her specialties.
She carefully chewed down the scream that almost came out and blinked twice. When she slowly looked up, she finally saw the owner of the voice that had spoken so suddenly.
A man appeared in the moonlit hallway, filled with pale silver light. He wore an expression that said everything was bothersome.
And he looked even paler than the moonlight itself.
His skin was so white that blue veins faintly showed through it, and his green eyes looked cold and distant. His long, straight fingers brushed through the black hair falling over his forehead.
He tilted his head slightly. A faint smile had already settled on his lips.
“It’s you.”
“…Huh?”
“You’re a ‘Duncan,’ aren’t you.”
Ronell tilted her head, but the man only spoke casually.
“Now I understand why that guy suddenly barged in and caused a mess.”
Ronell slowly took a step back. It felt strange. Other adults made her instinctively afraid, but this man felt oddly familiar in a strange way.
He doesn’t look like he’ll hit me.
Her instincts quietly whispered that. Ronell stopped stepping back and looked at him with gentle, obedient eyes.
“Um… who are you?”
“Terriot Duncan.”
D-Duncan! Then—
“Lady Aisila… and…”
“I’m her father.”
Really? Ronell’s eyes widened. Other than black hair, they didn’t look alike at all.
“Yeah, we don’t look alike.”
As if reading her thoughts, Terriot muttered casually.
“She takes after her mother. Why are you awake at four in the morning, kid?”
“I… couldn’t sleep. I didn’t even really want to sleep. Sorry.”
She felt like she was being a nuisance. She quickly apologized awkwardly, but the man waved it off lazily.
“You don’t need to apologize to me. Anyway, you were looking for something, weren’t you?”
“How did you know?”
Ronell’s eyes widened, and Terriot looked down at the child in mild surprise. He had never imagined a Duncan child could be this innocent—and almost clueless.
“You were looking around.”
“Oh.”
“What were you looking for?”
“Ru…by.”
That picky, almost devil-like cat?
The thought almost slipped out, but Terriot simply glanced around the empty hallway.
Well. Ruby usually wanders around at night.
“Want me to help you find it?”
“I was going to look tomorrow morning… I didn’t want to wake anyone.”
“You shouting here wouldn’t wake anyone anyway.”
“It won’t!” Ronell quickly denied, turning pale.
Terriot raised an eyebrow. That wasn’t even the point.
“It’s just… I still won’t shout. Even if I’m scared.”
When dealing with other adults, she always feared being hit or punished at any moment. Even her father, the Artez Count, had never actually struck her—but she still trembled every time she saw him.
But this man… strangely felt the safest.
Like someone who would protect her if someone tried to hurt her.
For some reason.
“Then don’t look for it.”
“No!”
Oops. She raised her voice. Ronell immediately regretted it and looked up at him nervously.
Still… this man really didn’t feel scary.
“Then I guess I’ll help you look. That okay?”
I shouldn’t trust instincts… Ronell looked at the dark hallway and hesitantly reached out her hand.
“Um… c-can I hold your hand?”
“……”
“I’m… scared.”
The silence stretched. Ronell shrank slightly.
Terriot looked at her hand with an expression like he had just been hit by something unexpected.
“I’m sorry…”
Feeling embarrassed, she tried to pull her hand back—but with a tired sigh, Terriot extended his ring finger and little finger toward her instead.
“Thank you!”
Ronell smiled brightly and quickly grabbed his hand. Then she walked beside him with small, excited steps.
The Duncan mansion hallway wasn’t just well soundproofed—it was also warm. For a child who had only ever known freezing winters and suffocating rooms, it felt like a completely different world.
“Um… my name is Ronell. Thank you for helping me find Ruby.”
“I know.”
It wasn’t clear whether he meant he knew her name or knew she was thankful.
Ronell was sweating nervously just from getting such a flat response. If the mansion staff saw this, they would probably faint.
“Mr… Terriot?”
“……”
“Can I call you brother?”
“Who told you to have no sense at all?”
“Huh?”
Terriot’s face twisted slightly as he asked. Ronell shrank again.
A tired sigh came.
“Call me uncle. Uncle.”
“Y-yes, uncle.”
“I think it’s over there. That fluffy butt is completely white.”
As if he already knew where Ruby was, Terriot led her downstairs and pointed toward a window.
Below the window, Ruby’s fluffy white backside was clearly visible. Its thick tail swayed back and forth, and its pink paw twitched slightly.
“Meow…”
“What is it doing?” Ronell tilted her head.
From up close, she could see Ruby trying to squeeze through a very narrow space like a proper cat.
“Cats are really flexible,” Ronell said in admiration.
Terriot snorted.
“That one could’ve slipped through a month ago.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
He pointed down.
“You’ve gotten fat, cat. That’s abdominal obesity.”
“Kyaaong!”
Ruby yowled angrily.
Why are you even here picking a fight? Shouldn’t you be hiding in your study?!
“Lose weight if you want to be held by your owner. Even if your personality is terrible, you should still have some dignity.”
Ruby turned its head stiffly toward Ronell’s thin arms.
Ah… I should lose weight. My salmon…
After thoroughly insulting the cat, Terriot stood up calmly.
“Oh.”
At the sudden voice, Ronell jumped.
Aisila was standing behind them.
Her red eyes gleamed under the moonlight as she looked at them with mild displeasure.
“Interesting combination.”
Terriot nodded lightly.
“Yeah. Interesting combination.”
Aisila’s gaze shifted to Ruby’s struggling backside. Seeing it, Ruby waved its paws and meowed angrily.
“Lose weight.”
Exactly the same words as his father.
Unaware of that unfortunate coincidence, Aisila turned to Ronell.
“Child.”
“I’m sorry!”
Ronell quickly blurted out, fidgeting.
“I didn’t mean to wake anyone. If I was loud… Mr. Terriot was just helping me. I wanted to find Ruby.”
“Child.”
Aisila spoke slowly.
“Why are you apologizing?”
Before Ronell’s eyes filled with tears, she continued calmly.
“I told you there’s no one in this house who will scold you.”
“……”
“Do you remember?”
“Ah… yes. I remember.”
Aisila had said she would break anyone who scolded her.
Ronell nodded with a relieved expression.
Then Aisila gently brushed her golden hair and glanced aside.
“However, there are people you should be careful of.”
“Daughter.”
Terriot smiled faintly but closed his mouth again, looking at Ronell.
“Uncle.”
“Yes, uncle.”
“If my daughter makes you cry, come tell me. My room is at the very end of the third floor.”
Aisila’s eyes sharpened.
Terriot turned away calmly, like someone who had already accepted everything.
But as he turned, he felt a small hand tugging on his sleeve.
“Ah… sorry.”
Ronell quickly let go.
“Thank you, uncle.”
“You’re welcome. But…”
“Yes?”
“If it gets too heavy, throw the cat away.”
Terriot pointed at Ruby and walked off with long, graceful steps.
Like he was drifting through a sea of moonlight. Almost like a ghost.
Unlike Aisila, who carried warmth and life, he carried only coldness—like something dead.
A father and daughter who were completely different.
“Child.”
“S-sorry…”
Ronell murmured nervously.
Aisila gently ruffled her hair.
“What are you apologizing for? I told you not to.”
“……Yes.”
“Too much apologizing makes it lose meaning.”
A faint smile passed through the night.
“Though I suppose it’s better than never apologizing at all.”
Ronell didn’t fully understand what “meaning” meant, but she was happy that Aisila was smiling.
She had looked very angry earlier.
“Did you wake up after sleeping earlier?”
“…Yes. What about you, Aisila?”
“Call me sister.”
Her smile sharpened suddenly.
“Why do you call that bastard uncle, but me ‘Lady Aisila’?”
Ronell tilted her head in confusion.
Before she could answer, Aisila sighed.
Right. She swore earlier.
“…Sorry for swearing.”
“It’s… it’s okay.”
“Anyway, call me sister.”
“Yes, sister.”
Aisila’s smile softened again.
From nearby, Ruby cried loudly in protest.
“R-Ruby, you’ll wake people—”
“Don’t worry. The mansion is fully soundproofed because that thing is so noisy.”
Ah… I see.
Ronell’s eyes trembled.
Aisila looked down at Ruby struggling in the gap.
“You can stay stuck there all night.”
She calmly declared.
Then she turned as if to leave—but Ronell hesitantly stopped her and helped pull Ruby free.
After much struggle, Ruby finally escaped… and immediately got lightly hit a few times by Aisila for all the trouble it caused.
The next morning, Ronell happily walked toward breakfast after being invited by Aisila.
Beside her walked Ruby, looking exhausted from last night’s ordeal.
She reached the room Terriot had shown her the night before.
Found it.
She raised her hand carefully.
How do I knock…?
Before she could decide, the door opened with a click.
