—
When Sabina shook her head with a soft smile, Maybell gave her a suspicious look, then turned her attention back to the food bowl.
“Meowuu. (Sighhh.)”
She scrunched up her face and let out a deep sigh.
Then, without any more grumbling, she shoved her face into the food bowl and began to chew Sabina’s special feed with determination.
Crunch, crunch crunch crunch.
It was a rather aggressive way of eating, but…
‘That feed probably tastes awful, honestly.’
Sabina clicked her tongue inwardly.
The feed was made from various meats, a bit of grain, and some healthy herbal powders Sabina had carefully chosen.
But as they say, “What’s good for you tastes bitter”—and the feed had a faint bitter taste.
Just then, Maybell shuddered and backed away from the now-empty bowl.
After sipping some water to rinse her mouth, she licked her paws and began to clean her face and behind her ears.
‘Oh wow, she actually finished it?’
Sabina stared at her with disbelief.
‘That’s exactly what’s weird!’
She had thought Maybell would knock the bowl over with a paw in protest.
But to eat it all so obediently?
Sabina knew her cooking wasn’t exactly great.
She’d always felt a little guilty when Maybell sighed so heavily while eating her special feed—though she also found it cute.
But now…
“Meow, meow, myang! (Well, it’s edible!)”
…Who was this sweet little lamb?
Sabina narrowed her eyes.
Something was definitely going on.
Something big that she hadn’t figured out yet…
“May, if you confess now, I might be lenient.”
Sabina crossed her arms as she spoke.
Maybell tilted her head.
“Mya? (What?)”
“Did you break something?”
Maybell’s eyes widened. Her expression screamed disbelief.
But Sabina wasn’t falling for it.
She clearly remembered all the spilled reagents and shattered flasks Maybell had left in her wake.
Sabina pressed her in a stern voice.
“If you tell me the truth now…”
But before she could finish—
Maybell’s eyes thinned dangerously, and then—
**“Kyaaaoong!! (You’re such a dummy, Sis!!)”
With a loud shout, she bolted out of the room.
“Huh? Wait, that’s not what I meant…”
Sabina was left alone, watching Maybell’s retreating figure with a regretful expression.
Maybe she had guessed wrong.
“Hmm. Still, I feel like something is definitely going on…”
She leaned her chin into her palm, muttering seriously.
—
—
“Sis is a dummy.”
I plopped down in the garden, fuming.
“She doesn’t even know how gross her special feed tastes! I made an effort to eat it nicely just for her!”
After furiously digging at the ground for a while, I finally began to calm down.
‘Still…’
I looked around and rested my chin on my neatly folded front paws.
‘To see all this again…’
A pang hit my chest.
‘…I really love it.’
A cozy, one-story brick house with rose-colored walls.
The red roof still bore tiny pawprints from when I ran around before the paint dried.
The flower beds, which Sabina carefully tended, bloomed beautifully each season.
The little white fence around the cottage was blotchy from a botched paint job.
Our little home.
The place I loved most in the world.
‘This time… I’ll protect it for sure.’
Ever since I returned to the past, I’d been thinking nonstop.
How could I prevent my sister’s death?
And I came to one conclusion.
‘She needs someone to protect her.’
For some reason, Sis avoided people.
That made her unpopular.
Only one person—
‘Adrian oppa was the only one who was ever kind to her.’
Maybe it was because he’s the one who brought us to the capital. Or because Sis healed him.
Either way, he was a Hero and the heir of a Duke’s family.
He should be more than capable of protecting Sis.
The problem was…
—
“Sabina, good morning!”
“…”
“Oh, out gathering herbs? Want some help?”
“Sir Hero, if you’re bored, why not bother someone else?”
“Huh? Oh, um…”
“Don’t pester people who are busy.”
—
Sabina’s signature “I hate people” glare.
Even the cheerful Adrian couldn’t withstand that chilly look.
‘They did become friends eventually…’
But the only person Sis ever truly accepted was Adrian.
No one else ever got past the walls she built.
‘Still!’
I clenched my paws into tight little fists.
‘At least I can become friends with him, right?’
If I just speed things up and show everyone that they’re close, then people might think twice before mistreating her.
That’s how I’ll gradually grow her circle of allies!
Other than that, what I really need to watch out for is…
‘The Great Monster Purge!’
Adrian went missing during the purge.
This time, I’ll make sure he never joins that mission!
Just as I was steeling my resolve—
Sniff sniff.
My nose twitched at a smoky smell drifting in from somewhere.
‘Wait… this smell…’
Something was burning.
The acrid scent of fire eating away at wood…
I froze.
I whipped my head around toward the kitchen window—gray smoke was curling upward.
My mind went completely blank.
‘Sis.’
The image of flames engulfing the sky, my sister’s calm face enduring all that pain, smiling at me till the end—
“Myaaaah!!”
I screamed and bolted toward the house.
—
My breath caught in my throat.
My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst.
I jumped through the window, coughing—the inside was filled with thick smoke.
“Myaaah!”
I screamed at the top of my lungs and rushed toward the kitchen.
‘Where is she?! Where’s Sis?!’
I couldn’t see her through the haze.
Frantically, I searched around.
Then—
“Oh no, what a mess.”
Sis’s voice—slightly flustered.
Then a snap of her fingers.
A wave of magic gently pushed the gray smoke outside.
I knew that magic well.
‘It’s Sis.’
I blinked a few times, letting the smoke-clear tears fall.
There she was—clear as day.
I flung myself at her legs.
“Myak, myak!!”
I hate fire! Hate it!!
I bit down on her skirt and pulled with all my might.
Startled, Sis bent down quickly.
“Ah, May. I’m sorry—wait, Maybell?”
Her voice was surprised.
But I held on tight.
I finally got her back.
I couldn’t lose her again.
‘What if she leaves me again…’
I gasped for air.
The fear was suffocating.
Sweat soaked the pink jelly pads on my paws.
But then—
“Oh, sweetie, you were really scared, huh?”
She knelt and scooped me into her arms.
I buried my face in her chest.
My whole body trembled.
“Tsk.”
She clicked her tongue, then gently stroked my back.
Only then did the shaking subside.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t think it would scare you this much.”
Her vo
ice was full of concern.
“I was going to make pancakes to celebrate you successfully transforming into a human today.”
…Pancakes?
I glanced over at the counter.
A frying pan sat there, charred black.
And on it—a mysterious lump, completely unidentifiable…
“I lost control of the heat and… well, they burned.”
