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~Chapter 23~
Since the day Astia found Ruby with an injured leg, she had many happy days.
Having a cute little animal that followed her and showed such adorable behavior healed her heart.
And being able to talk about things she couldn’t tell anyone else gave her strength.
That’s why losing Ruby, who was like family, was a huge shock for her.
“Ruby…?”
She checked the garden and all the places Ruby used to go, but she couldn’t find him.
“Miss, even the knights haven’t seen him. What should we do…?”
Annie looked down sadly. The servants were all busy searching for Ruby, but no one had found him.
Astia sat blankly in front of a sunny window.
‘He has to be okay.’
Astia worried about Ruby.
The first time she found him in the garden of the Rovellito house, he had been injured.
Wouldn’t he be in danger again, all alone?
Along with her sadness, Astia also felt guilty.
‘It’s my fault for not taking better care of him.’
Ruby hadn’t been doing well lately. He seemed sick.
If only she had treated him better, maybe Ruby wouldn’t have left.
Astia believed this.
As time passed, she slowly accepted Ruby’s disappearance, but she still missed him deep down.
“It hurts.”
Astia stopped drinking her tea and held her hand to her chest.
“I thought I’d be okay, but I keep thinking of Ruby. I should have done better, brother.”
“No, Asti. You did your best.”
Damian comforted Astia gently.
“Even though Ruby left, I’m sure he’s living well. He’ll come back to see you again someday, so don’t be too sad.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Yes. Or do you want me to bring you another rabbit that looks just like Ruby?”
“Pfft! No, that’s okay.”
Astia laughed a little, even with her sad face.
She imagined what would happen if Damian actually brought her a new rabbit, and it made her smile.
His kind words meant a lot to her.
“My only rabbit is Ruby. He’s the first and the last.”
“Asti, if that’s how you feel, then that’s how it is.”
Astia believed that someday Ruby would come back.
She didn’t know when, but she wanted to keep her promise to be together forever.
Damian nodded and put a piece of cake in front of her.
“Eat something sweet and forget about the pain. If you keep being sad, I’ll feel bad too.”
Astia smiled at Damian, who was watching her with concern.
“Okay. I’ll try.”
After Ruby disappeared so suddenly, time passed as if nothing happened.
Astia kept drinking Hineloti flower tea and spent a lot of time in the library.
She tried to forget about Ruby by keeping busy.
“Miss, please make sure to eat well. You’ll get even sicker if you don’t…”
Annie and the servants took even better care of Astia than before.
Seeing Astia, who used to be so positive, now looking sad, made their hearts hurt.
“Thank you, everyone.”
“We just want you to be happy again, miss. We’ll try even harder!”
Thanks to the servants’ care, Astia was able to slowly feel a little better.
Today, Astia went to the library to find a book about monsters.
<The Definition of Monsters>
‘Monsters were once living creatures controlled by dark magic… Their forms change strangely, and they lose their minds. They can look like animals or strange unknown beings.’
Astia paid attention to the last sentence.
The monster she saw in her nightmare was something she had never seen before. But could they really look like animals too?
“Ruby… didn’t lose his mind.”
Ruby could read and communicate. It was almost impossible that he was a monster.
He had even saved her from monsters in her dreams.
She searched the books just in case, but there was nothing else useful.
“…”
With a sigh, Astia put the book down and looked at the cookies and desserts left beside her.
“Everyone spoils me.”
Even though she hadn’t told anyone she was going to the library, everyone seemed to know.
Seeing the snacks left quietly for her, Astia felt warm inside.
She also felt sorry for making everyone worry so much about Ruby’s disappearance.
After eating a snack, Astia left the library. When her head hurt, a walk in the garden helped her feel better.
“Miss, are you going to the garden? Should I come with you?”
“No, I’ll go alone.”
“Okay, miss… But call us if you need anything! We’ll be waiting.”
“Thanks. The cookies were delicious!”
Astia answered cheerfully and walked toward the garden.
Since Damian was out on business, the mansion felt very empty today.
When she arrived in the garden, everything looked familiar, but it somehow felt different since Ruby left.
‘I used to play with Ruby here.’
Just a few weeks ago, she would hold Ruby and walk around the garden.
“I miss you.”
Astia whispered as she walked alone. The cool wind played with her hair.
“A kid shouldn’t look so sad.”
Suddenly, she heard a voice behind her.
“…Ian?”
“You recognized me even though I changed.”
His silver hair shone in the soft wind, and his golden eyes looked brighter than before as he stared at Astia.
He had used magic to look like a twelve-year-old child, shorter than Astia.
Astia’s eyes went wide.
“How did you become like that?”
“I just thought this form was better than an adult’s.”
Astia tilted her head. The last time she saw Ian, he looked like an adult, so seeing him as a child was strange.
She didn’t understand why he changed into a child.
Ian looked at her with big, shining eyes, and she still wasn’t used to it.
“Isn’t it nice? Now we’re almost the same height, so you don’t have to look up at me.”
“That’s… nice, I guess.”
“Yeah. And if I look like a child, people don’t get suspicious.”
Ian spun around playfully.
“I even made my robe smaller with magic. What do you think?”
“It suits you. Really.”
“Right?”
Ian smiled a little, straightening his clothes.
“Are you being too sad?”
“…Ruby left.”
“Ruby? He disappeared on his own, huh.”
“What?”
“Never mind. Is that why you’re sad?”
Astia nodded. Her eyes were still filled with sadness.
“I just… I wanted to be with him longer, but he left without saying anything. I regret not doing more for him.”
“Does it feel like losing a family member?”
“Yes. It wasn’t a long time, but we made memories.”
“Hmm. I think he’ll come back. Maybe you’ll meet him again, but in a different form.”
“In a different form…?”
Ian leaned against a Hineloti tree and looked at Astia.
“Humans have short lives and meet lots of people. But sometimes, you meet someone again when you think it’s over.”
“Really? Actually, I also believe I’ll meet Ruby again. Whenever that is, I’ll wait for him.”
Hearing her determined voice, Ian thought for a moment, then slowly reached out and patted her head.
“Then don’t make that face like you lost the whole world. It doesn’t suit a kid.”
“Hey! I’m not a kid. And you look younger than me, so it’s not convincing!”
Astia protested when Ian called her a kid.
She was twelve now, but with memories from her past life, she felt like he was teasing her.
“To me, you are a kid.”
“How old are you?”
“Almost nine hundred.”
“…No way. Even the best wizards can’t live past one hundred fifty…”
Astia gave a nervous laugh.
Looking at his golden eyes, she thought it might be true, but it was hard to believe.
“If you’re a wizard, shouldn’t you be at the Magic Tower?”
“Magic Tower? Why should I go there? The vice master takes care of things.”
“…What?”
Did she hear wrong?
Astia stared at Ian in disbelief.
“I’m the Magic Tower Master.”
When Ian said this, Astia’s mouth fell open.
She knew wizards belonged to the tower, but to think Ian was the master…
If he was the tower master, wasn’t he someone amazing? Why was someone like that in her family’s garden?
“The vice master, Alves, is very capable, so he takes care of almost everything. And the tower is so low-level, I don’t need to go.”
“…Is that okay?”
“Hm?”
Ian blinked as if nothing was wrong, and Astia was left speechless.
