PLML 09

Posted by Zahid, Released on July 18, 2025

CHAPTER 09: I Picked Up a Monster

Thankfully, Theoris’s buzz cut didn’t last long. After using the elixir Grow-Hair-Quick that Homel brought, his hair returned to a decently acceptable, normal length.

The short-lived incident passed, and peaceful days followed.

Regardless of her own will, Jaina was now living a regular and healthy lifestyle.

She woke up at seven every morning, strolled through the garden, and studied during the day. Occasionally, she had tea and chats with Theoris, but otherwise, her days were tightly packed with activity and no breaks.

“I can’t live like this.”

Jaina thought to herself. She no longer wanted to live such a regimented, healthy life.

It was a particularly sunny day. For some reason, she just couldn’t focus on the words on the page. Jaina quietly closed her book.

“I’m running away.”

She was tired of waking up at seven every morning and going on walks. Her body may have been getting healthier, but mentally, she was dying a little more each day.

She’d tried asking Theoris to lighten her schedule a bit, but his answer was always the same: “That’s Homel’s jurisdiction. I’m sorry, Jaina.”

At this point, she wasn’t sure if she’d married into a noble house or been kidnapped into a cram school.

Jaina made a decision—she was going to escape.

The hallway outside was guarded by Homel. Theoris and Ellie, both thoroughly bought over by Homel, were not on her side. If she was going to escape, it would have to be on her own.

“I read all those mystery novels for a moment like this.”

Remembering her previous readings, Jaina carefully tore down the curtains. She tied them to the dresses in her wardrobe and secured the cloth rope to the leg of her bed.

“This should do it.”

She pulled on the makeshift rope with all her strength. The sturdy bed didn’t budge.

She tossed the cloth out the window—it was the perfect length. All she had to do was climb down.

She was currently on the third floor. Even if she fell, it wasn’t high enough to be fatal.

But when she sat on the window ledge, her feet wouldn’t move. Looking down from above, the ground felt dizzyingly far away.

Taking a deep breath, Jaina grabbed the rope. Thanks to the knots she’d made at intervals, climbing down wasn’t as hard as she feared. Her hands turned red from gripping the cloth, but she managed to descend halfway.

That was when she locked eyes with a very familiar face looking out from the window.

Ellie, carrying a laundry basket, dropped it in shock and opened the window.

“Milady?!”

“Uh… hey!”

“What are you doing up there?!”

Jaina grinned awkwardly.

“Ellie, well, this is just…”

Just as she started making excuses, a gust of wind shook the rope she clung to.

“Ahhh!”

Jaina lost her grip and plummeted straight down.

“Eeeeek! Milady, no! Your Highness! Something terrible has happened!”

Ellie’s screams were louder than Jaina’s, and soon she disappeared from view.

Fortunately, Jaina landed in a soft patch of grass and wasn’t hurt at all. But thanks to Ellie’s shouting, she’d definitely be found soon.

“I can’t get caught right after escaping.”

Driven by her sheer will to flee the studying nightmare, Jaina bolted toward the forest.

“Huff… huff…”

Deep in the woods now, Jaina finally caught her breath. As she ran, her mind cooled enough for her to reflect on the sheer absurdity of her actions.

Escaping just because she hated studying? Jumping out of a third-story window?

Even she admitted it was ridiculous. But that’s how much she despised her daily lessons.

To be fair, history books weren’t that bad. They were necessary to survive in this world. But etiquette and noble manners? She hated every bit of it.

Why speak in such roundabout ways? Why care about tea-time etiquette and dining manners? It all felt so unnecessary. She’d rather study magic than all that nobility nonsense.

“If only I could use magic…”

Magic existed in this world. There were two ways to use it—drawing from your innate mana or harnessing the mana in the atmosphere.

Theoris belonged to the former group. A natural genius, he had a massive mana reserve and superb control. He was also one of the rare few in the kingdom with the potential to become a Swordmaster—someone who could turn mana into sword energy.

“Yep, male leads should always be overpowered.”

Unfortunately, in How to Love an Obsessive Man, “Jaina” had no aptitude for magic. Her internal mana was minimal, and she couldn’t manipulate external mana either.

She couldn’t defend herself and always had to rely on Theoris for protection.

Well, that didn’t matter. After her “imprisonment ending,” she planned to live the easy life, doing nothing.

“Wait… where am I?”

Jaina looked around. Dense trees, strange plants… it was a deep forest with no signs of human presence.

Originally, she’d just meant to stroll near the estate and return by sunset to renegotiate her schedule… but she’d wandered way too far.

Rustle—

A sound from a nearby bush made her flinch and turn her head.

She remembered something crucial—the Grand Duke’s estate was in the heart of the Seronia northern frontier, infamous for being dangerous and full of monsters.

The area surrounding the estate had protective barriers, but the outer forest was far from safe.

“Is it… a monster?”

Jaina held her breath and stepped cautiously.

[Kyuu…]

A faint whimper came from the bush.

What? Something that cute-sounding… I mean…

[Kyuaaang…]

Of course I have to check!

Who could ignore the pitiful cry of a kitten-like creature? Drawn to the sound, Jaina crept closer.

As expected, a small creature—no, a baby monster—was curled up in the bushes.

It had fluffy, pale yellow fur like spun cotton, with bright eyes peeking through. Short, stubby paws poked out, tipped with surprisingly sharp claws.

It looked like a tiny pomeranian, ears perked up as it spotted Jaina.

“Are monsters this cute?”

She reached out carefully. The baby monster backed away slightly, then tapped her hand with a claw-concealed paw. Its chubby pad was so soft, Jaina smiled like a mom seeing her first baby.

“If only I could keep you…”

Just then, a black ring appeared around her wrist. A dark thread extended from it and coiled around the monster’s neck—then disappeared.

“What… was that?”

The confused Jaina felt the monster nuzzle her hand. Its fur curled between her fingers, and it purred contentedly.

“Don’t tell me… I got chosen?”

She’d read plenty of stories about being chosen by stray cats… but by a monster?

Jaina almost picked it up before pausing.

“You may be cute and lovable, but you’re still a monster. I can’t keep you as a pet—”

“Kyuu?”

The monster tilted its head with big brown eyes.

“No, don’t look at me like—”

“Kyuuu!”

The creature jumped into her hand.

As she held the bundle of fur, Jaina gave up on reason entirely.

“Fine, I’ll raise you. If people in some worlds can raise dragons, I can handle one monster!”

And with that, she cuddled the little beast and made her way back.

Without even trying, she found herself back in front of the estate.

“My instincts are perfect.”

Praising herself for making it out of the forest, she slipped inside.

Everyone must’ve been out looking for her— the hallways were eerily silent. They’d been cleaned up thanks to Homel, but still had an unsettling air. Clutching the sleeping monster to her chest, Jaina made it to her room.

She shut the wide-open window and changed her clothes.

“Okay… I brought it back, but how do I explain this?”

While she was lost in thought, she spotted Theoris, Homel, and Ellie outside the window. Still only thinking about how to get permission to keep the monster, she absentmindedly opened the window.

Theoris looked up.

His eyes widened, and his expression turned terrifying.

Jaina reflexively slammed the window shut.

“…Right. I escaped, didn’t I?”

That’s when she remembered the real issue.

“It’s not about keeping the monster anymore…”

A dozen bad endings flashed through her mind.

Jaina decided to hide the monster first. She stuffed it in the wardrobe and covered it with her remaining clothes.

“Kyuu?”

“Be quiet, okay?”

The monster tilted its head, then burrowed into the clothes.

She barely had time to think of a few half-decent excuses before—