CH 1

One autumn morning, a will by the richest man in the Ederka Empire, Reinhardt Duncan, was unveiled.

Clauses 1 and 2 of the will came as no surprise. It was as everyone expected.

The last clause, though, was enough to make everyone who heard it want to seize his neck and shake him.

Who wouldn’t.

Reinhardt Duncan is the empire’s top madman, no, oddball.

The final clause of the will—

[10% of Duncan’s company shares will be inherited by the chosen owner of the cat ‘Ruby’.]

—was, without a doubt, a devastating one.

The next day, the white fur and blue-eyed Persian cat ventured out to choose its owner.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Bright sunlight illuminated the hallway. The late afternoon of autumn was peaceful and tranquil as usual. In the midst of the steadily rippling stillness, the door slowly opened, and a girl poked her head through the crack.

Thankfully, no one was there.

After double-checking, the relieved child left the kitchen on tiptoes.

In the Ederka Empire, illegitimate children existed but did not exist*. And Ronell Artes, the illegitimate child of the House of Count Artes, did not exist. (TL/N: It means that illegitimate children were treated as if they didn’t exist.)

The servants of the mansion, who pretended not to hear and completely ignored her, were nowhere to be seen.

Ronell cautiously made her way onto the thick carpet. She wished she could bolt out of there, but she had to bear it.

She couldn’t make any noise. She knew what’s scarier than being treated as a ‘ghost’.

If she catches their eyes—

“Hey, idiot. I told you not to run.”

—Ronell stiffly turned her head in astonishment. The boy watching her from the stairs was looking down at her disapprovingly.

“I-I apologize… Young Master Lloyd.”

“You stupid illegitimate child never learn, that’s why you don’t get to eat.”

I didn’t run.

Ronell chewed her lip helplessly. As Lloyd immediately wrapped his head in preparation to throw a thick book, laughter echoed down.

“Not gonna avoid it? How stupid of you.”

You’ll get even angrier if I did…

Before she knew it, the book that left the boy’s hands drew a parabola. Ronell froze in place, unable to dodge it, and the violently flying book—

Crash!

—shattered the vase that had been sitting on the hallway console with a resounding noise. Ronell’s big eyes became even wider with shock. It was not long before the two children could hear the clacking sound of shoes down the hallway.

Walking on the thick carpet without hesitation.

There’s only one person in this mansion who can make such a sound; in contrast to Lloyd’s mocking attitude, Ronell’s hopes were crushed. In the intersecting joy and sorrow, the sound grew louder. The Countess soon showed up and, upon seeing the broken vase, toppled book, shaking illegitimate child, and her gleeful son, understood the situation.

“Mary.”

Mary, the maid, shot out of the kitchen where Ronell had just come out. To the bowing maid, Countess Artes finely gave a command.

“Clean it up. And you.”

“I apologize, Madam.”

The Countess scoffed at Ronell’s formal apology as though it were ludicrous.

“A meaningless act. If you’re really sorry, you should have disappeared from my sight.”

“I was, about to, go back.”

“I have already told you many times that your existence itself is a disgrace of our house.”

“I, apo…”

“Know your place. Live as if you’re dead.”

“……”

“Why do you keep showing up in front of my son and bothering him?”

Ronell, her head down in silence, put up with the woman’s harsh reprimand, which was like a relentless tightening around her throat.

“Far from being grateful to us for generously giving you a roof over your filthy head.”

As her feelings intensified, she forced them down. Because the woman’s words were very reasonable.

“Mary, how long is this supposed to stay in the garden shed?”

“That, erm, ah, it was decided for her to come back to the mansion in a week.”

“Extend it to ten days.”

“I understand, Madam.”

Mary bent her waist, and Ronell did the same.

Still, it somehow ended with this kind of punishment. Lowering her gaze to the floor, she was thankful that she was more fortunate than she believed. The scent of roses began to fade away with the rustling sound of clothes.

I’m glad it ended quickly.

Just as she sighed in relief, Ronell was astonished to see the woman’s shoes reappearing in her sight.

“Hold your breath.”

“…Yes, Madam.”

“I told you I didn’t want to hear one of your disgusting breaths.”

The child’s cheeks became scarlet as she held her breath. It was only after she saw the ghastly red face did the woman turn and reach out to Lloyd. The happy boy grasped his mother’s hand and walked off together up the stairs.

Ronell rushed out of the front door.

“I managed this evening as well…”

For every meal, Ronell had to sneak inside the mansion. Since no one ever brings her food, she might as well be the ghost of this mansion. In everyone’s familiar bystander and consistent disregard, Ronell went to the kitchen, took any food in sight and stuffed it in her mouth, and ran away.

She was so hungry that she couldn’t help it.

“I don’t want to meet Lloyd.”

Lloyd would pick on her anytime he was bored these days. Thinking back on the woman’s harsh eyes and Lloyd’s twisted gaze, Ronell heaved a deep sigh.

I hope tomorrow morning doesn’t come.

She trudged across the garden to get to the shed.

“It’s cold.”

The cold air wrapped around her entire body. Her threadbare pajamas could not block the wind at all. Ronell wriggled her fingers as hard as she could, rubbing them under her eyes.

“It’s going to be freezing tonight.”

Can I survive with a blanket? For the next ten days, she must endure the blustery conditions in the shed.

The child, who was pulling out her fingers one by one, eventually became depressed. The moment she grabbed the doorknob with trembling toes in ragged shoes.

Meow—.

She suddenly heard a small cry. She looked up, startled, and saw a white tail on the wall.

With glossy white fur, a graceful frame, and piercing blue eyes.

“KYAAAAAAH!”

A muffled scream aimlessly drifted through the garden. The scowling cat sprang down the wall and walked up to her, all elegance and superiority.

It didn’t seem to like Ronell’s scream. The cat hit her with its cute and plump paw.

The striking sound rang out.

“A-a-a-a… cat?”

Both of its eyes were staring at her pityingly. Then, meow, the cat cried again.

The night was coming.

After the sun set below the horizon, the sky went from a pale purple to a uniform black. Dark navy spread rapidly from the west to the east. As the cat continued to observe her, Ronell finally spoke up, albeit hesitantly.

“Hi?”

“……”

“Hi, cat?”

The sheen of the cat’s snow-white fur was especially noticeable in the shadows. You can tell it has been carefully handled by its richness and smoothness.

I want to touch it…

Unknowingly, Ronell reached out, and when she realized her dirt-covered hand, she became depressed. I have to be patient. That freshly cleaned fur will be ruined the moment she touches it.

Me–ow. There was a small purring sound.

The cat’s brilliant sapphire eyes glistened. Like the fireflies that flitted over the garden in the summer, it shone brightly.

Ronell leaned on her knees, staring at the beautiful dream-like cat. There must be an owner. A home to return to.

There was no way there would be no house to protect such a pretty cat.

“Don’t you have to go back home?”

The cat perked its ears at her whispering but did not answer. Its leisurely glance appeared to ask, ‘you,’ as it landed on her.

“Uh… I, um. I live here in the shed. Do you want to come in with me?”

Her confidence was dwindling under the unfaltering gaze of its eyes. The moment her mind began to genuinely wonder if she should apologize or not, the cat proudly lifted its head.

It was like it was asking her what she was doing without her guidance.

Ronell leapt to her feet and opened the shed door.

“Sorry, it’s a bit messy.”

It wasn’t just a ‘bit,’ but a ‘bit too’ messy.

Her nostrils were stung by a stale smell she knew well. Dust was piling up in many areas, and spiderwebs hung from the ceiling. Squishing a bug that appeared from somewhere, the cat softly waved its tail.

After that, it whirled its head to look directly at Ronell.

As if blaming herself for inviting it to such a place, Ronell dropped her gaze and murmured.

“That, sorry. I can’t be in the mansion for a while… Otherwise, I would have taken you there, since that place is really clean. It’s nothing like this one.”

Me–ow.

“Sorry.”

Ronell extended her hand before stopping once again. It would be unthinkable for her to touch the cat, which was so clean and beautiful, with her unclean hands. Perhaps because she was so repulsive, neither the woman nor Lloyd resort to physical violence.

The cat must have an owner anyway, so she shouldn’t make it as filthy as herself and return it clean to its owner’s arms.

“Sorry.”

Ronell gritted her teeth.

She understood that the woman was right in that she should be grateful for having a place to stay, but she was suddenly overwhelmed with sorrow for not being qualified.

She rubbed her eyes rather hard, attempting to hold back her tears.

I shouldn’t cry because the cat might get surprised. I must hold it in.

As she blinked desperately, the cat suddenly approached her and started pressing her shoes with its paws.

“Uh-huh?”

Ronell, confused, knelt down. Naturally, the cat went up onto her knees and nestled on top of her.

It made a contented sound, as if claiming its place. Its cute cry tickled her ears.

“Are you comforting me?”

As if so, the cat cried clearly. Ronell, who treasured the joy that had been bestowed to her, snuggled up on the worn mattress.

A starry night sky was visible outside the window with broken glass. The buzzing of grasshoppers and the wind’s soft sighs blended together, forming a harmonious melody.

She cuddled the cat closer, and its white tail swished lightly, like a brush. Due to the warmth hovering in her arms, she couldn’t help but smile wider.

“Do you want to know a secret?”

Ronell dropped her tone and spoke in a whisper.