Chapter 3
“If I had known this would happen…! I should’ve lost weight… no, not weight—at least the cotton!”
Damn it!!
The tears that had just come out vanished instantly.
My lower body was completely stuck in the dog hole.
After a long struggle, I finally let out a loud “Uraaah—!” and managed to squeeze through the back exit.
I brushed the dust off my body and glared at the hole.
Who called this a dog hole?
‘A tiny puppy would barely fit through this.’
I once again realized how unreliable information can be, and turned around.
But then—
“…Rain.”
It was raining. Heavily.
Perhaps because of the ominous red moon, the pouring rain felt strangely eerie, making my brow tighten on its own.
‘It feels… like blood.’
My cotton body began to tremble slightly.
I stared blankly at the heavy rain. It didn’t take long to realize that in this kind of downpour, my body would soak up water and become unbearably heavy.
Standing precariously under a tiny gap in the shop awning, I fell into thought.
“Should I go back? Or hide just for one day?”
But I immediately shook my head.
After that emotional farewell scene? And what if I get found by those annoying kids again?
“Absolutely not.”
I screamed internally and made my decision.
There was only one option left.
Run through the rain and hide in the forest path behind the shopping district. I had heard it was a quiet place with almost no people, so I could even move during the day.
It meant I’d have to walk nonstop in the rain, but I had no other choice.
‘I wish the wooden grandfather doll was here… he’d know what to do.’
I had only left the shop a short while ago, but I already missed him.
Still, now wasn’t the time for sentimentality.
I took a steady breath, calmed myself, lightly slapped my cheeks, and shouted:
“Let’s go!!”
I boldly dashed into the blood-colored rain.
And three seconds later, I regretted it.
Because even though I had a human-shaped body, I was still made of cotton. Every step was incredibly hard.
Walking was difficult enough, but with the strong rain and wind, I could barely stay upright.
In less than five minutes, what should’ve been a short distance turned into ten minutes of struggling in place. My whole body—no, my entire cotton—grew heavier with each drop of rain.
‘Is this… the end for me?’
My button-like vision blurred.
“Reincarnated for a month and a half, Doll Lily falls asleep here—w-wait?!”
As I mumbled to myself, I realized something strange.
My voice… sounded clear. Like a human’s.
But I was still a doll. Maybe the rain was affecting me more than I thought.
I clenched my hands for strength.
Or rather—
Clenched…?
I looked down in shock.
Instead of short doll hands, I saw five fingers.
Human hands.
Boom!!
“Mom—!”
A thunderclap exploded nearby and I fell backward.
In the puddle beside me, I saw my reflection.
‘What… is this?’
I was definitely human.
I stared at the water in confusion.
Was the doll life just a dream? Was this where reincarnation truly began?
But then—
I was still wearing the exact same clothes from when I was a doll.
Green dress. Black shoes.
Then what on earth was happening…?
“Ah—it’s cold!!”
I’d figure it out later.
First, I needed shelter.
I quickly looked around and ran.
‘I can move easily now that I’m not a doll.’
‘I’ve never seen a setting like this in the novel… no, wait. Focus later.’
But—
I didn’t get the chance to run.
A presence I hadn’t noticed before appeared behind me.
I turned quickly, my braided hair swinging along.
Standing there was someone slightly taller than me.
‘…A boy?’
A boy who looked about 14 or 15.
‘And it’s a night of the red moon.’
No one goes outside on a night like this.
‘So why is a child here?’
Of course, from his perspective, I probably looked like a child too—but I was an exception.
On a night when no one should be outside, in pouring rain and darkness, a lone boy was already strange enough.
But what made it worse—
His face was deathly pale, and his eyes were rimmed red.
Water dripped down his face constantly. I couldn’t tell if it was rain or tears.
Before I could say anything—
“Lord Calion! Where are you going at this hour?!”
A tired adult voice rang out.
A man in knight-like armor appeared, muttering:
“No one goes out on a red moon night… though I don’t exactly believe in that superstition.”
My eyes widened.
‘Calion?!’
Calion Nacht?!
I looked back and forth between the boy and the knight in shock.
This kid… is my favorite character?!
‘Why didn’t I realize it sooner?!’
Now that I looked closely, his appearance matched the novel’s description perfectly.
Black hair darker than the night sky. Ash-gray eyes that seemed to drain all color from the world. Lips tinged faintly red, like blood.
But unlike the novel’s description of emptiness and emotionlessness, those gray eyes were filled with something now.
Something sharp.
Fear. Wariness. Killing intent.
“Don’t stand in my way. Move.”
A chilling voice.
The pressure alone made my body freeze.
And then—
Srrk.
A sword was placed at my neck.
‘No—this is NOT how it’s supposed to go?!’
I wanted to meet my favorite character, not get threatened by him!!
“Hey, don’t move…!”
The gray eyes that had been filled with caution widened slightly.
As I tried to explain myself in panic, I moved—and the blade lightly cut my neck.
Before I could even react, the knight arrived, making the situation worse.
“Lord Calion, who is this person?”
“…That is—”
“Who were you meeting at this hour? On a red moon night, no less.”
The knight’s tired voice turned sharp and threatening.
Hey! What could I possibly do to a kid like me?!
Well… I guess children can’t always be trusted…
But still.
I couldn’t let my favorite character be misunderstood.
I stepped forward to explain, wiping rain from my eyes.
“Ah, I—”
But I couldn’t finish.
‘Wait… why is the world tilting?’
No.
It wasn’t the world.
It was me.
My vision darkened.
I bit the inside of my lip hard to stay conscious, but it wasn’t enough.
‘Stay awake!’
I shook my head violently.
If I passed out here, Calion would be in trouble.
And—
More importantly—
If I closed my eyes now, I wouldn’t be able to see this moment.
The “young Calion before his fall into darkness.”
I clenched my fists.
This was a rare sight.
Even though the novel had mentioned his childhood—
It was already after his fall in most of those scenes.
This was the first time I was seeing him before it all began.
“Don’t… I can’t faint…!”
But even determination has limits.
My arms slowly lifted on their own, my body tilted backward.
‘This might be a concussion…’
I squeezed my eyes shut in fear.
And then—
Grab.
“Hey, you…!”
Calion reacted instantly, grabbing my hand tightly.
The knight blinked.
“Why is this child like this?”
I felt relief wash over me.
At least I didn’t hit my head.
But even in this state—
‘I’m holding his hand…’
A strange happiness filled me.
A smile appeared on my face without permission.
My strength completely drained.
“Stay conscious…!”
“Lord Calion, what did you do?!”
“I didn’t do anything!”
Their voices faded.
My vision blurred further.
And as I slowly lost consciousness, my last thought was absurdly calm:
‘At least… I got to hold his hand…’
And with that—
I fainted.
