CHAPTER 17
I stared at Ede suspiciously.
Ede looked flustered by my wary attitude.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“…It’s nothing.”
I shook my head.
Honestly, the fact that Ayla’s parents had changed wasn’t a big deal to me.
What mattered was that Aslan didn’t go to the Academy.
There was no rule that said Aslan’s friend had to be Ayla.
‘As expected, staying away from the original story is best.’
As long as I didn’t send Aslan to the Academy, both he and I could stay safe.
I looked through the window at the mess that was now the drawing room.
Aslan was talking happily with Ayla, showing a face I’d never seen him wear with kids his age.
That sight was so precious and lovable.
‘Aslan needs friends too.’
Strangely, my instincts told me we wouldn’t find another friend like Ayla anywhere else.
Still, no matter how lovely she seemed, she was the original story’s female lead.
This wasn’t a decision I could make on the spot.
Ede, as if he knew, didn’t press further.
“You can think about it and let me know when you’re ready.”
“…”
Ah. Why did it have to be Ayla who found Aslan back then?
If it had been another child, I would have accepted this offer without hesitation.
After bowing my head for a long moment, I finally whispered,
“…I’ll think about it and let you know.”
After returning home safely with Aslan, I sat him down on the bed and sat across from him.
“Alright, Aslan. Tell me why you ran away.”
Now that we were home, it was time for a scolding.
Aslan sat with his head hung low, lips pouting, and said nothing.
It was the first time I’d seen him this sulky.
At this rate, he might not say a word until dawn, so I lowered my voice and asked again.
“Aslan. You need to answer when Mommy talks to you, okay?”
“…”
Still, he just pouted and swung his feet.
Ugh, really. Where did he get this stubbornness from?
Just as I let out a deep sigh—
“Because Mommy…”
“Hm?”
“I wanted to go to the Academy, but Mommy wouldn’t let me…”
Aslan mumbled just barely loud enough for me to hear.
Though I finally got an answer, I didn’t understand it. I grabbed Aslan’s arm and asked,
“How does that lead to running away to Sir Mente’s house?”
Still avoiding my gaze, Aslan replied with a voice full of hurt.
“Ayla said she’s aiming for Pororong Academy… and that her parents would be proud if she got in…”
“So?”
Aslan glanced up at me briefly, then looked back down at the floor, his nose red as he continued.
“I thought maybe you didn’t trust me, so you wouldn’t let me go. I thought if I got taller and stronger, maybe you’d believe in me and let me go… That’s why I went to that man. I wanted to ask how to get bigger and stronger… then you might trust me…”
“You think I don’t trust you, Aslan?!”
I shouted before he could even finish.
How could I not trust Aslan?
I’m his mother—of course I believe in him!
Then Aslan let big tears fall and, for the first time today, looked me in the eyes and asked,
“Then why did you ask if I could turn back into a cat?”
“…!”
My mouth opened and closed in shock.
I hadn’t realized those thoughtless words would leave such a deep wound on Aslan.
In that moment, Aslan poured out all the pain he’d been holding back.
“When I first left the mansion… I just wanted Mommy to rely on me a little, so I went hunting on my own. But all Mommy did was scold me. I hate you, Mommy! Waaah!”
Aslan burst into tears.
“That’s not it, Aslan. I was just worried about you…”
I tried to explain in a panic, but the words wouldn’t come out.
Was I really just worried about Aslan?
No. I’d panicked because Aslan becoming human threatened my peaceful life.
Come to think of it, something didn’t add up.
‘Why did Aslan become human, and how?’
I’d been so caught up in the shock of him turning human that I hadn’t even asked why it happened, or if it was what he wanted.
I held Aslan’s hand tightly and asked,
“Aslan… did you want to become human?”
Aslan nodded weakly.
“…Yeah.”
“H-How?”
“I made a wish to the moon. When Mommy made her wish, I did too.”
No way! I made wishes every night too—how come only his wish came true?!
‘Haa… No, don’t focus on that. Just the fact that he became human is already beyond reason.’
The past didn’t matter anymore.
I asked a different question.
“What did you wish for?”
“I wished to become human… so I could protect Mommy.”
“…Me?”
“You looked anxious all the time… But as a cat, I can’t fight off animals bigger than me. That’s why I wanted to become human. Humans are the strongest predators.”
Aslan’s shoulders trembled.
“And you said it too, Mommy. That you made someone powerful angry, that you might die someday…”
Aslan lifted his head.
His large, pale green eyes shimmered with tears.
With those beautiful eyes, he looked at me—full of blame.
“But then you only wished I’d turn back into a cat, and even though we could spend more time together, you weren’t happy! You just scolded me for causing trouble!”
Each word from Aslan slashed at my heart.
Even though he was sulking, Aslan had never truly gotten mad at me before.
Now he was.
“I wasn’t causing trouble. I just wanted to prove you could trust me… but you never even asked why I did what I did!”
I hurriedly pulled him into a hug.
As if he’d been waiting for it, Aslan began wailing in my arms.
When Aslan was still a cat, every day felt peaceful.
Even when I worried that Mars might one day kill me, seeing Aslan made all of that fade away.
He was such a huge comfort to me, just by existing.
But I hadn’t realized…
Aslan couldn’t read my anxious thoughts, so he’d chosen to become human just to protect me.
And how had I treated him?
The “trouble” Aslan caused was just the kind of mischief any child would get into.
But I only saw it as problems and scolded him without asking for a reason.
I loved kids.
In my past life, I’d dreamed of being a kindergarten teacher and studied hard for it.
Yet here I was, doing exactly the opposite of what a good mother should do.
I hugged Aslan tighter.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m so sorry, Aslan…”
“You were so mean, Mommy. Sniff When I was a cat, you always said I was cute no matter what I did, but now that I’m human, all you do is scold me… Waaaah!”
Aslan sobbed bitterly, and the more he cried, the tighter I held him.
Maybe the warmth comforted him, because Aslan cried even louder and finally wrapped his arms around me too.
I swallowed my own tears where he couldn’t see.
“Why are you trying to protect me…? You’re still just a baby…”
“But…”
Aslan sniffled loudly.
Who knows how long we stayed like that.
Eventually, I gently pulled him back and looked into his clear, pale green eyes, brushing his plump, white cheek.
His flushed eyelids, his stuffy sniffles, the way he hiccuped as he struggled with his emotions—it all broke my heart.
I never imagined Aslan would want to protect me this badly.
Was I really so unreliable that this tiny child felt the need to protect me?
My heart ached to the point of decay, but I finally understood why he did it.
When Aslan became human, I reacted poorly, and I hadn’t hidden my discomfort—or my fear—from him.
Aslan was always just a baby.
One who needed to be fed, played with, and couldn’t sleep without his mommy.
How scared must he have been, hearing me say I might die someday?
There was only one way to ease his fear.
I held Aslan’s hand tightly and apologized.
“Aslan, I’m so sorry. I didn’t understand your feelings at all. And…”
There was more I wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t come out easily.
It was awkward. I wasn’t used to saying things like this.
But I had to.
For Aslan’s sake.
I looked straight into his eyes and spoke from the heart.
“I love you, Aslan. Always. Even if you don’t go to the Academy, even if you’re not super strong, even if you never grow really, really tall—you’re my one and only, precious daughter.”
