IDGM 58

Chapter 58

“Stayed up late again.”

Sleepiness overwhelmed me.

I had spent the whole night waiting for Kallias, then met him and let off steam with the sword, and afterward, before anyone noticed, I shivered through the cold and barely slept.

Even at breakfast, exhausted and nodding off, Granada sent me outside.

The clothes I bought from a merchant had been tailored to fit me perfectly.

So now, I was in the castle’s backyard, feeding the mountain goat that a Utar boy had given me as a gift, basking in the sunlight.

It was strange—cold enough to snow at night, yet quite warm under the daytime sun.

I absentmindedly fed the goat hay, strand by strand, thinking about Kallias who had come by yesterday.

“I wonder where Kallias is right now… what he’s doing.”

He had said he would find a place to stay but hadn’t gone into details.

He spoke confidently, saying he could handle it himself, and I envied that confidence.

“How can he be so self-assured? Kallias seems capable of doing anything on his own.”

After all, if he could travel all the way to Ronheim alone, what couldn’t he do?

“He dresses himself, bathes alone, probably everything alone.”

Kallias really was an amazing friend. I felt proud of him.

At that moment, the goat, seemingly unhappy with the meager amount of hay, suddenly butted me with its forehead.

“Ah!”

Despite being a kid, it was surprisingly strong, and I fell backward.

“Do you know how precious these clothes are?”

Brushing myself off, I pouted, but the goat ignored me and tugged stubbornly at the hay in my hand.

“You unruly creature!”

I tried to hide the hay in my hands, but the goat seemed ready to charge me again in anger.

“Eek!”

I scrambled away, but it was fast, ramming into me as I tried to flee.

“You—!”

The goat snorted at my frustration and quickly grabbed all the hay from my hands.

At that moment, a strong wind blew from somewhere.

‘What’s that?’

It sounded odd—at this moment, the wind wasn’t that strong, so why such a rough sound?

Listening carefully, it gave off an eerie, almost chilling vibe.

As if a ghost appeared, making that sound.

I shivered and looked around, then suddenly froze at the beasts that appeared before my eyes.

‘Gasp…!’

It was a tiger, just like one I had seen in picture books as a child.

Thinking I was seeing things, I closed my eyes tightly and opened them again—it was definitely a white tiger.

A tiger with a long, thick, luxurious tail.

Three white tigers approached slowly, their massive paws thudding heavily on the ground.

I froze, unable to scream.

The goat, sensing fear, cowardly hid behind me.

‘Why is there a tiger here?’

The white tiger stared at me with blue eyes.

A chill ran down my spine.

I swallowed hard.

“Aaah!”

The tiger in front lunged, biting my flailing arm in an instant.

“Ahh!”

“Ahh!”

The scream of terror echoed through the castle.

“Chloe!”

Kallias recognized it as my voice and ran toward the sound.

Having heard I was in the backyard, it didn’t take him long to find me.

He saw me confronting the snow tigers.

I held the kid goat protectively, tears welling up.

The snow tigers circled me, threateningly.

‘Those little devils!’

They were the very snow cats Kallias cared for—Whitey, Spotted, and Patch.

Kallias glared at the snow cats and warned them angrily.

“Shhh!”

The snow cats jumped in surprise and looked at him.

“Go away!”

Kallias waved his hand, and the snow cats reluctantly backed off.

He walked through the circle of snow cats toward me.

I had been crying silently, face pale, tears streaming.

“What… what happened?”

“Don’t worry. These creatures don’t attack people. They’re the ones I raise.”

I said, still sobbing, accusingly.

“But they bit me!”

Kallias quickly inspected me.

Had I been bitten by a full-grown snow cat, at least one limb would be injured.

But aside from a little hay and dirt on my clothes, I was fine.

I pointed to my arm, still tearful.

“They bit me, then spat me out!”

“Oh.”

Kallias understood.

The snow cats had lunged for the goat, and accidentally bit my arm, then spat it out.

‘No fat at all, so I guess it didn’t taste good.’

Kallias wiped my tears, comforting me until my sobs subsided.

“You should’ve just given up the goat.”

“But it’s a gift…”

No matter the gift, no animal’s life is more precious than a human’s.

Every life values its own survival most. Yet, even in fear, I had desperately protected the goat.

Kallias sighed softly, impressed and sympathetic.

“It’s okay now. Take deep breaths; it will help.”

He guided me through several deep breaths, and my trembling gradually eased.

Then he noticed the necklace around my neck.

It was the gift from the Utar chief’s wife, still worn.

To divert my attention from fear, Kallias spoke of the necklace.

“You’re still wearing this, I see.”

“Oh, this…”

I touched the blue pebble, wiping tears from my eyes.

I stared at it for a long while, and despite my tear-stained face, I smiled faintly.

“I’ve never received such a heartfelt gift before. Seeing it always makes me happy.”

“…”

The goat and pebble necklace—nothing remarkable for a princess.

Yet, I held them close, cherishing them above all else.

Even in front of terrifying predators, I had hugged the goat to protect it, and treasured the pebble necklace enough to smile despite my fear.

Kallias felt sad hearing that this was my first ‘heartfelt gift.’

Why had no one ever given a sincere gift to someone who cherishes such small things?

‘I guessed something must have happened when my flowers were thrown away, and indeed, there must have been a reason.’

He knew his subordinates had scolded me for mistreating gifts from my lord.

Had I lived all this time being misunderstood like this?

A deep sense of loneliness emanated from me.

Without thinking, Kallias gently stroked my head.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“Huh?”

Startled, I pulled my head back.

“No, it’s nothing. It was okay because you came quickly, Kallias.”

He had assumed ‘being through a lot’ referred to my stress over the snow cats.

“Now that you’re calm, don’t worry. You must be busy, go about your work.”

“…?”

His tone sounded oddly cold.

“I heard from Mainz that you were looking for me, so I came to find you.”

“Oh, really?”

I sighed quietly, troubled, and spoke coldly again.

“I was out for a walk. Since I was enjoying the time, why don’t we meet after my walk, if you’re not too busy?”

Once I had calmed my trembling, my demeanor became distant and cold.

Kallias was internally startled, then realized he should apologize.

“Chloe, I’m sorry about last night.”

He had intended to apologize immediately, but the snow cats had made him forget for a moment.

“I lost track of time with work. I didn’t avoid you on purpose. I should have told you in advance. I apologize for that.”

“…”

I stared at him silently for a moment, then turned away, still speaking in a cold voice.

“It’s fine. After all, we’re only in a contractual relationship. Thanks to you, I slept well, so there’s no need for apologies. See you later.”

I gave a formal smile and turned away.

Kallias felt that I was keeping him at a distance.

“…”

What was this feeling?

A sharp pang hit his chest, a strange, sudden ache rising inside him.