***
There was a bomb somewhere in this place. With that premise, it was easy to reason things out.
‘It must be near or inside something made of wood, paper, or cloth, where the flames could easily spread. If it’s an object, then it would be something that wasn’t there before but suddenly appeared. Or maybe somewhere behind the stairs where the servants wouldn’t look carefully.’
But even after calling the maids and asking them, there was no trace of a bomb anywhere.
In the end, growing desperate, I thought again.
Something that would be easy to retrieve if things went wrong.
Something with plenty of space, something that could conceal another object.
And something that had always been there, so no one would even pay attention to it.
Something that wouldn’t be knocked over even while cleaning.
There was exactly one thing that fit all those conditions.
The ‘decorations’ are placed throughout the Heirs’ Residence.
And in the end, I was right.
But there was one problem left.
To keep the culprit from easily escaping, the venue for my welcome banquet had to be the Heirs’ Residence.
Of course, if I suddenly asked them to change the venue of a banquet that was almost completely prepared for the Heirs’ Residence, they would ask if I had gone crazy.
‘Fortunately, I had a secret weapon.’
In exchange for finding Lady Ariadne’s memory stone, I had been promised that I could ask for any reward I wanted.
With that, I told Lady Inna that I wanted to have a treasure hunt here.
“You have quite the remarkable mind for such a young child.”
“Hehe. Thank you!”
“And your pronunciation seems to have improved, too. Have you been practicing speaking by yourself?”
Gasp, how did she know?
A little while later.
I was getting thoroughly doted on while sitting on Lady Inna’s lap.
I love it when she tickles my tummy!
“How did you deduce that a bomb was hidden here from nothing but the gunpowder on your feet? You truly are clever.”
I had seen it in a book, but since I was shameless, I proudly accepted the praise.
“If you had loudly announced that you had discovered a bomb, the culprit would have hidden himself.”
“Dat’s right.”
“Because you insisted on having a treasure hunt, all the servants came here and began hiding things everywhere. To hide something also means that something already hidden might be discovered. In the end, the culprit became frightened and came out on his own to retrieve it.”
“Ehehe.”
Why did she have to spell it all out just to praise me?
I was so happy that I squirmed around.
“I shall thoroughly uncover who is behind that man, so do not worry.”
I know who’s behind him.
It’s Lichenbium.
But I didn’t say that much. She’d figure it out herself.
Instead, I did something a little more useful.
Namely, tattling!
“Um, um. Lady Inna! I heard it, and that person earlier said he beat Ian.”
“……What?”
“If you do bad and get punished, do you get corporal punishment?”
He’s the heir of the ducal family, though? Probably not.
Weez must have disciplined Ian on his own authority.
As if to confirm whether I was right, Lady Inna’s brows slowly furrowed.
“While I have been living in seclusion and neglecting the affairs of the household, rats have been swarming. You did well to tell me. I shall investigate him as well.”
Lady Inna’s stern gaze turned toward Weez.
I applauded inwardly as I watched, then looked around for Ian.
‘By the way, where did Ian go? He needs to see this marten’s historic moment.’
I caught a terrorist?
If I could have my way, I wanted to boast about it at the top of my lungs.
“Mm! Mmph! Mmph!”
The terrorist, who had been gagged so he couldn’t commit suicide, had been making a tremendous racket for a while now.
After giving him a brief glance, I clung to the Duchess’s knee and pleaded.
“Lady Inna, I’ll go get Ian.”
“Will you? That child is very shy and likes being alone.”
I don’t think he’s shy……
I decided not to correct the Duchess’s misunderstanding.
“Where’s Ian’s room?”
“Second floor, at the eastern end, I believe.”
“I’ll be back!”
Even though the Duchess herself had ordered everyone to ‘come out into the courtyard,’ Ian had ignored her.
Which meant that his relationship with his family was quite distant.
Ian didn’t seem to trust anyone at all.
“Ian! Let’s go down!”
Unlike the first floor, the second floor had carpets laid out and felt more like a place where people actually lived.
I headed east with John, clapping my front paws together as I called out.
“Ian!”
And that was…… exactly when it happened.
Just as I was about to call Ian for the third time.
At a moment no one could have predicted.
At precisely the moment when no one was expecting anything and therefore no one was prepared.
The second bomb roared and lunged at me as though it intended to swallow me whole.
KWA-A-AANG!!!
“!!”
My frail body was nearly torn apart by the force of the explosion.
If John hadn’t grabbed me with his incredible reflexes, I surely would have lost my life.
“Little lady! Are you all right?!”
“John…… Y-your…… back……”
“You don’t need to worry about me. More importantly, we need to find Young Master Ian!”
John had a serious expression I had never seen on him before.
The explosion had occurred in the middle of the second floor.
As John carried me, I shuddered in horror when I saw that the staircase that should have been behind me was gone.
“N-no. Ian……!”
Pat. Pat.
Burning pieces of wood came raining down.
A chain of explosions occurred below, blowing apart the floor of the second story.
John easily avoided them, but if he put even one foot in the wrong place, it would end in a pit of flames.
“Where are you! Ian!”
It’s okay. Don’t worry about me. It’s fine.
I knew the loneliness hidden within those rough words.
Because I had been like that once, too.
Putting up thorns and telling others not to come closer was really because he didn’t want to be hurt anymore.
Because he knew for himself that even if he came to possess something, he didn’t have the strength to protect it.
So rather than have it taken away, he stubbornly raised his pride and decided it was better not to have anything at all.
I had once thought that, too.
That it would be fine to die just as I was, without possessing anything.
“Ian! Ian!!!”
So no.
If I hadn’t been able to read the words he couldn’t say in his eyes, perhaps it would have been different.
But now that I had already understood him, I didn’t think I could forget Ian and go on living happily.
“Young Master Ian!!!”
It was then.
At the end of John’s shout, he was there.
A boy standing blankly amid the roaring flames.
His red hair was as crimson as the flames spreading behind him, and yet, strangely……
He didn’t seem to have any intention of getting out of there at all.
He merely stared down at the pit of fire before him with unfocused eyes.
‘What’s wrong with him? Is he trying to die?’
My heart dropped.
Thud.
At the same time, a window frame collapsed.
I couldn’t see the people shouting that half the mansion had exploded and that we were in danger.
I couldn’t see John tightening his arms around me.
I couldn’t see someone rushing over and shooting water out with magic.
‘No. I don’t want that. I want you to live. I’m telling you, you have to live!’
I planted my hind legs firmly and struggled until I slipped out of John’s arms, then ran toward Ian.
“D-don’t die!!!”
“……!”
“Waaaaah! I-I don’t wanna die! Let’s get out!!!”
If I died this time, I was going to reincarnate as a dung beetle.
I was absolutely going to be a dung beetle!
I sobbed loudly as I kicked Ian in the chest with my feet.
As if finally coming to his senses, awareness returned to Ian’s golden eyes.
“……You.”
I glared right back at him as he looked down at me as though I were utterly ridiculous, then grabbed his collar with my tiny front paws.
“Let’s get out!!! What are you doing!!!”
“You go.”
“If you don’t go, I’m not going either!”
“……Are you crazy?”
It was hot.
The fire blazing all around us felt as though it would consume me.
I shouldn’t be standing in this thick smoke.
I should lower my body.
I was small, so I could still endure it for now, but if Ian inhaled any more smoke, it would be dangerous.
Just then, from behind us came an urgent cry.
“Young Master! Little lady!”
“You said you’re my husband, right? So don’t die! Live and be my husband!”
“What kind of nonsense is that…… Ugh.”
John had already broken through the flames and appeared, forcibly throwing the resisting Ian over his shoulder.
I quickly climbed onto John’s head and sobbed with hiccups when I heard a cracking sound from somewhere.
A sound so ominous that it made even my tears stop abruptly—
“Danger!!!”
Kugugugung!
As though my scream had been the signal, the main beam above us collapsed at that very moment.
And along with it, a brilliant white light exploded around me.
It all happened in the brief instant when everyone drew a single breath.
I kept the ending deliberately abrupt so the white-light reveal lands with the same cliffhanger effect as the Korean original.
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