<Episode 40>
Eden's room was much tidier than the messy rooms of my brothers. Eden handed me a handkerchief with a sulky expression.
"I didn’t cry, so you don’t have to either."
As he said this, Eden's eyelashes were still damp. Upon closer inspection, his eyes were more swollen than usual.
It seemed Eden really didn’t want anyone to find out he had cried. Yet, he still opened the door for me.
"I understand. Everyone says that."
"......"
"Here, these are cookies. You haven’t eaten breakfast, right?"
Eden didn’t take the cookie bag I offered and instead stared at it quietly before asking.
"Who else did you give these to?"
"......?"
"Did you give them to Clyde Foxstein, that guy?"
Had Eden fought with Clyde without me knowing? His voice, which had been filled with melancholy just moments ago, now burned with intensity.
I answered truthfully without adding or omitting anything.
"Clyde went to the central training ground with the adults, didn’t he? These are just for you, Eden."
"......"
Eden’s expression softened a bit, as if satisfied with my answer.
So Eden likes cookies.
I felt proud for comforting him at just the right time, but Eden spoke up again, his tone sharp.
"I’ll eat them, so you can go now."
After all the trouble of bringing him cookies, he just shooed me away without even saying thanks... Feeling a bit annoyed, I blurted out.
"But if I leave, you’ll start crying again, won’t you?"
"I told you I didn’t cry, kitty. You’ve gotten bold since revealing your true identity."
"Your eyes are still wet."
"......"
Eden wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. He let out a small laugh, perhaps realizing how ridiculous it was to insist he hadn’t cried.
If I left like this, Eden would probably start sobbing again.
I decided to comfort Eden and focused all my energy. With a poof, I transformed back into my cat form.
I leaped onto the bed in one go, and Eden frowned.
"You’re shedding all over the place."
"Hmph......"
I almost cried myself after trying to comfort Eden too hastily. Seeing my tail and ears droop, Eden seemed to feel a bit guilty and cautiously sat down beside me.
"Lena brushed me this morning, so I won’t shed much."
"Yeah, I see."
"Can I sit on your lap?"
Eden silently straightened his legs. His blue eyes sparkled briefly, seemingly fascinated as I curled up on his lap.
"Why do you always sit like a loaf of bread fresh out of the oven?"
"This is just how I like to sit. If your feet get cold, you can cover them with your tail like this."
I curled my tail and gently covered my paws. Eden, who had been trying hard not to cry, relaxed a bit.
"Since you’re my teacher, it’s okay if you pet me specially."
Eden reached out his hand cautiously, as if waiting for permission. His hand sank into my thick fur.
"I thought you had some muscle and fat, but it’s just fluff."
"Can you call it luxurious instead?"
"Sure."
Eden gently stroked my fur. When work ran late, my mom would silently pet me like this too.
Even if he didn’t show it, Eden must have been feeling deeply depressed inside, so I wanted to comfort him a little.
In times like these, a little flattery goes a long way.
"Teacher, do you know how brilliant you are?"
"Yeah."
"......"
Eden answered so confidently that I was left speechless. When I opened and closed my mouth, Eden chuckled.
"Of course I know. My mother always told me that."
"Ah, I heard your mother was a genius too."
"She was the brightest wolf of them all. I don’t remember much, but she read a lot of books to me."
"......"
"And she passed away around this time of year."
It was the first time Eden had talked to me at such length about himself. Perhaps his heart was feeling particularly empty.
When Dad and my brother passed away, Mom said my warmth helped her.
I sprang up like a spring and dove into Eden’s chest.
Thud!
Surprised, Eden wrapped his arms around me.
"What are you doing?"
"In moments like this, staying close helps a little."
"......"
Eden stroked me with slow movements. Sleepiness washed over me, but I held it back and asked cheerfully.
"I’ll stay by your side next year too."
"......And the year after that?"
"Ah, then too."
"And after that?"
"I’ll stay by your side forever."
Eden, who had seemed annoyed by my very existence when we first met, now held me tightly and whispered in a soft voice.
"That’s a promise."
"Yes. I’m good at keeping promises."
Eden knew better than anyone that I would leave the mansion and head to Jerian once I became an adult.
He must mean until I become an adult, right?
I smiled lightly and nuzzled my fluffy cheek against Eden’s. Eden murmured in a satisfied voice.
"You definitely said ‘forever.’"
Eden didn’t seem convinced by my nod and asked again.
"Kitty. Wolves make such promises with only one person. Do you understand what I mean?"
I had no idea what he meant, but if I said I didn’t, a long explanation would probably follow, so I just nodded quietly.
"From now on, these kinds of promises are just for me."
"Understood."
When I answered obediently, Eden’s eyes gleamed deeply.
"Good, Kitty."
......Did his way of addressing me just change a little?
The next day, I put on a cloak, gloves, and boots and played in the snowfield with my brothers.
The three of us waited for the carriage to return, having a snowball fight until we were exhausted and lay down.
Lying on the soft snow, flailing our limbs, was fun when we did it together.
"Kitty, did you play in the snow a lot when you were little?"
"Yes. When it snowed, Mom and I always made snow kitties. I remember making Dad and my brother out of snow too, since they were away on missions."
"Ah... You call snow wolves ‘snow kitties’?"
After I revealed I was a cat, Theo and Deon showed a lot of interest in cat words and culture.
"Yes. We call them snow kitties."
"Ah... That’s so cute."
"It would be cute to make our family out of snow and line them up."
I jumped up and said to Theo and Deon.
"If we make big snow versions of our family, do you think Jackal and Caris would like it?"
"Oh, that’s a great idea!"
"They’d love it if the whole family was there."
We jumped up and started making big snowballs.
We needed five in total: Caris and Jackal in wolf form, Theo, Deon, and me.
It took a long time, but thanks to the wolf fur clothes I received as a birthday gift, I wasn’t cold at all.
"Brothers, do you think Caris is very sad?"
"Hmm... Quite a bit."
"Mom often skipped meals around this time every year."
While making the big snow wolves, Theo and Deon told me various stories.
They said that when they were born, the leopards went on a rampage, and they had no choice but to bury their youngest sister.
"We only found out the day you came to Gridwolf Mansion looking for a job."
"Dad scolded us harshly for reopening Mom’s wounds. We didn’t even know..."
As the two choked up at the end, I also stopped making the snowball and wiped my eyes. I could now understand the meaning behind the sad expressions Caris sometimes gave me.
That’s why she hugged me so tightly when I said I buried my mom with my own hands. And when I confessed I was a cat...
Even though she had turned pale upon seeing me, a girl, when we first met, I felt endlessly grateful that she eventually accepted me as family.
By the time we finished making the snow wolves of Jackal, Caris, Theo, and Deon, the carriage arrived.
The people who got off the carriage all had solemn faces, as if they had seen a nightmare again.
Theo and Deon, who had been choking up while talking about their family’s pain, now smiled brightly as if nothing had happened and brought Caris and Jackal over.
"Look at this!"
"We just need to make Kitty now."
"How cute."
"Oh my... How lovely."
The Gridwolf couple admired the snow wolves for a while before heading inside the mansion. Theo and Deon also gestured to me.
"Kitty, let’s eat dinner first."
"If you stay out here any longer, your paws will freeze solid."
"Ah, I’ll follow you in a bit!"
I hurriedly made one more small snow wolf. It was a female wolf that looked like a mix of Theo and Deon.
Others probably won’t notice, though.
Between Theo’s and Deon’s snow wolves, there was a spot for Kitty the snow kitty.
This was originally your place, so it’s okay.
I smiled and placed an unnamed snow wolf in Kitty the snow kitty’s spot. The gathered wolf family looked very sturdy.
"Kitty, aren’t you coming for dinner? There’s salmon steak!"
"Ah, I’m coming!"
I looked at the snow wolves, which blended seamlessly like a set, before heading inside the mansion.
Late at night, Caris couldn’t sleep and left her room. Stopping Jackal from following her, she went to the kitchen and poured herself a strong drink.
Her throat burned, and her mind grew slightly hazy, but she still couldn’t sleep.
She sat down haphazardly on the stairs in the mansion’s lobby and called out the name that lingered in the deep pit of her chest.
"Diel......"
It was the name of the daughter she had buried with her own hands. Knowing there would be no answer, she still called out.
"Caris?"
"......!"
Caris slowly raised her head. There stood Kitty, who had secretly left her room to reinforce the youngest snow wolf.
Caris quickly wiped her eyes. She wanted to stand up, but being drunk, it didn’t go well.
"Sweetie, where are you going at night?"
"Umm, I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d make a snow wolf..."
Kitty saw Caris’s cheek glistening under the moonlight. Like Eden during the day, Caris seemed to be swallowing her sorrow alone.
Kitty had heard from Theo and Deon why Caris was sad, but instead of pretending to know, she cautiously closed the distance.
It’s okay if she adopted me temporarily to replace her deceased youngest daughter.
After all, Caris had embraced my wounds more warmly than anyone else.
So if I could make Caris even a little happier while I was here, that was enough.
Thud
Kitty grinned and snuggled deep into Caris’s arms. With her small hands, she hugged Caris tightly, hoping her warmth would reach the depths of Caris’s heart.
Caris silently stroked Kitty’s back for a while before asking.
"Sweetie, do you miss your mom sometimes?"
"Umm... I always see her."
"......"
"But I won’t cry just because I miss her. If I’m not strong, Mom will worry."
Tears slowly welled up in Caris’s eyes.
"I love Mom just as much as she loves me, so I don’t want her to be sad."
Kitty’s small voice reached deep into Caris’s heart. She held Kitty tightly and cried silently for a long time.
Would her daughter’s voice, which she had never heard, be this soft and warm? Would she whisper such admirable words?
No—even if she spoke harshly or poured out resentment, Caris wanted to hear Diel’s voice. Just once.
A heavy blanket was draped over her shaking shoulders. It was Jackal, who had been watching Kitty and Caris from behind for a while.
Caris wrapped the blanket tightly around Kitty, who was fast asleep, and murmured.
"Jackal, I wish time would stop. Just like this, forever......"
But sadly, time flew by.
10 years later.
Before she knew it, Kitty Gridwolf had become a young lady about to turn seventeen.
