CHAPTER 46……….
“Family?”
“Of course. We ate under the same roof, at the same table, didn’t we? That makes us family.”
Aila slowly mouthed the word family, as though savoring it.
Worried she might find the word lacking compared to real family, I added playfully,
“Personally, I like the word family more than relatives. It can include neighbors, and even the servants who always work so hard for us.”
Aila thought deeply for a moment, then nodded.
“You’re right. Even if just one person were missing, it would feel lonely.”
Was the word family really that special to her? She murmured family, family… under her breath, her cheeks turning red and a small smile tugging at her lips.
When she finally looked up, her eyes shone, so different from her usual timid self.
“From now on, I won’t be the first to drift away.”
“Good. Thank you.”
At my words, Aila gave me a sheepish grin.
I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d seen her smile like that—her real smile.
Maybe my words had helped her a little, because her face now brimmed with confidence.
“Um… I think I’ll go apologize to Aslan.”
“That’s a good idea. He should be in the playroom right now.”
No sooner had I answered than Aila shot up from her seat and dashed out of the room.
Watching her small figure disappear, I thought to myself:
Being an adult is exhausting…
Trying to sound wise for the first time in a while had fried my brain.
If I were talking to another adult, I’d just say ‘handle it yourself’ and be done with it…
But because Aila was just a child, I had to weigh every word carefully, and it left me completely drained.
Still… at least things are resolved.
When I thought about what might’ve happened if they hadn’t been resolved, I figured it was a small price to pay.
Time to rest.
I collapsed face-first onto the sofa.
Meanwhile, in the playroom, Aslan was curled up on the highest perch of the cat tower, staring out the window, turning the same thought over and over in his mind for hours:
How do I become friends with Aila again?
To be friends, you just had to stop doing the things the other person hated.
But what kind of things do people hate?
Aslan recalled all the things Minerva used to freak out about back when he was a cat.
When I broke the vase, when I brought home a mouse… oh, and when I tore up the curtains and the sofa—Mom screamed then too.
Back when he was a cat, getting scolded never lasted long. No matter what he did, he was always loved, so he never bothered to change his behavior.
But as a person, it seemed those same actions didn’t earn affection anymore.
Mom says Aila wouldn’t dislike me for something so small… but humans and cats aren’t the same.
Of course Aslan understood that.
He’d lived all his life among beings of different species.
Now that he was human, so much had changed.
There were more foods he could eat. He could walk on two legs. He could even ride swings.
Still, he preferred greasy meat. He loved climbing trees. Whenever he spotted a bird, mouse, or bug, his head would whip around, and he always wanted to chase it.
When he felt happy, he purred without meaning to.
Even though his claws were gone, he still had the urge to scratch things, and grooming calmed him down.
Since Aila had arrived, Aslan had tried hard not to act “weird.” But it wasn’t easy.
How do you suppress instincts?
The thought of being disliked for the first time weighed heavily on him.
He even started regretting ever becoming human, pouting his lips in frustration—
“Aslan, there you are!”
That lark-like voice belonged to Aila.
Startled, he looked down. Sure enough, Aila was smiling up at him, waving.
“What are you doing up there?”
Aslan’s face fell.
Humans don’t use cat towers! I look weird again!
“Ah—nothing! I was just coming down!”
He needed to get closer to Aila, not weirder! He was flustered, scrambling down when—
“Can I come up too?”
“…Huh?”
He blinked, wondering if he’d misheard.
But Aila smiled and asked again.
“I want to climb up too. Is it okay?”
He couldn’t understand.
Didn’t humans avoid high places?
Why would Aila want to climb up here?
His brain said no, but his head nodded anyway.
With Aslan’s permission, Aila grinned and began to climb.
“Ughh…”
She struggled, face scrunching up from the effort.
But steadily, she climbed all the way to the top.
The perch, sized generously for Aslan’s old cat body, was cramped now with two children, but Aila looked delighted, proud of herself for making it up.
“This is so fun! Now I get why you always climb trees, Aslan!”
“R-Really?”
Aslan couldn’t process it.
She had always refused to climb trees with him, afraid of falling. So why the cat tower?
His face betrayed his confusion.
Normally, Aila would be fussing and chattering excitedly.
But instead, she spoke softly.
“Hey, Aslan. I have something to tell you.”
“Something…?”
He looked uneasy, just like she had before talking with Minerva. That made Aila want to reassure him quickly.
So she got straight to the point.
“Aslan, I’m sorry.”
His eyes went wide at the sudden apology.
“I think I said things that made you misunderstand. When I told you not to worry about me, I only meant that I wanted you to spend more time with Madam.”
Wait… shouldn’t I be the one apologizing? Why is Aila saying sorry?
He tilted his head, frowning in confusion.
Even after hearing her out, her reasoning didn’t quite make sense.
“You mean… you and Mom? Why?”
“Because after I came, you didn’t get much time alone with her anymore. I was afraid you might think I’d taken her from you… I didn’t want you to hate me.”
“What? You thought I’d think that?”
“N-No! I just worried you might!”
When Aslan reacted in shock, Aila hurried to correct herself.
But Aslan leapt to his feet, shouting in disbelief.
“Never! I never once thought you stole Mom from me! If anything, I liked it more because you were there too!”
His eyes shone brightly—confident, unwavering, just like Minerva’s.
Hearing it from him directly reassured Aila even more than Minerva’s words had.
Then, timidly, Aslan asked:
“But… Aila, wasn’t it me? Didn’t you dislike me for acting weird?”
“Weird? Oh… you mean…”
Aila quickly recalled some of his quirks.
The way he’d sneak glances at her while secretly washing his face like a cat… or scratching trees when he thought she wasn’t looking… or lying belly-down on soft cushions, making that odd purring sound.
“Why would I ever hate you for that? That’s just a misunderstanding!”
She had found it unusual, sure, but not a reason to dislike him.
If anything, how could she dislike a friend as kind and cheerful as Aslan?
“There’s no way I’d ever hate you, Aslan!”
“Same here! I’d never hate you, Aila!”
The two shouted at each other.
In the end, all the complicated mess boiled down to one truth: neither had ever truly disliked the other.
Aslan slumped back down with a sigh.
“Wow… turns out we were both just misunderstanding everything.”
“Yeah.”
They met each other’s eyes—then burst out laughing at the same time.
The awkwardness vanished instantly. In fact, it felt like they were even closer than before.
And as soon as relief settled in, Aslan’s stomach growled.
“Aila, I’m hungry.”
He had eaten too little breakfast, and now it was catching up.
Aila giggled knowingly.
“Should we ask Madam for a snack?”
“Yes! Let’s go!”
Overjoyed at the thought of food, Aslan leapt down from the perch.
Aila, more hesitant, carefully made her way down with Aslan’s help.
“Come on, hurry!”
“Okay!”
Hand in hand, the two dashed out of the playroom.
And once again, laughter filled the mansion.
