PLML 42

Posted by Zahid, Released on August 7, 2025

CHAPTER 42…

Jaina bit into the thick steak and frowned. A steak should be properly cooked and tender to be enjoyable, but the one currently filling her mouth was far too tough. No matter how much she chewed, it wouldn’t break down.

‘And it’s so underseasoned too…’

Just as she was about to complain, Jaina suddenly sensed something was off. Though she couldn’t explain why, she realized it was a dream—and opened her eyes.

“Mm?!”

She quickly opened her mouth in shock. What she had thought was steak in her dream… was actually Theorise’s arm.

“Did you sleep well?”
Theorise greeted her with a gentle smile. Jaina was momentarily awed by his flawless beauty, undisturbed even after waking up—but quickly snapped out of it to apologize.

“I’m sorry, Theo. I was eating steak in my dream… I didn’t realize it was your arm.”

“It’s fine. You didn’t bite that hard.”

‘Not that hard? Then why are your teeth marks so clear…’

Guilt prickled at her as she looked at the deep red imprint of her bite on his arm.

‘Wait a minute… this isn’t my room.’

She remembered the events of the previous night.

She had passed out from exhaustion in the carriage and remembered nothing after that. Theo must’ve carried her in.

“I wasn’t sure when you’d wake up, so I didn’t have a meal prepared yet.”

“Good thinking.”

She patted his head in praise and asked,
“So what time is it now?”

“It’s one o’clock.”

“…What?”

Jaina shot up in bed.

One o’clock. Not only had she missed breakfast—lunch was almost over.

“I’m so sorry, Theo! You must be starving!”

“I’m not. Really.”

“Well I am! Let’s eat right away. I’ll go change first!”

“Wait, Jaina—”

Before he could finish, Jaina had already jumped out of bed and flung open the door.

“…Huh?”

She froze, dumbfounded at the sight outside.

‘What… is going on?’

The wall that should’ve been in the hallway was gone. Beyond the corridor, she could see a lush forest and the clear blue sky. Her mind went blank.

Theorise came up behind her and draped a shawl over her shoulders.

Still reeling from the shock, Jaina stammered,
“Theo, what is… this…?”

Homel appeared silently and explained in Theorise’s place.

“While you were both away, a dominance battle broke out between two magical beasts. They were too powerful for me to stop. I’ve set a barrier around the manor to prevent outside damage, but I couldn’t prevent the destruction of the building.”

“Two beasts…?”

“Cotton Candy and the Black Dragon.”

“…Where are they now?”

“They’re in your room, My Lady. They’re currently under a ceasefire, so it should be safe to visit.”

Jaina immediately rushed to what remained of her room—or where it had been.

There were no walls, no ceiling. Just ruins. She shouted,

“Cotton Candy! Black Dragon!”

The two beasts turned their heads from opposite ends of the room, where they had been glaring daggers at each other. Their eyes lit up at the sight of Jaina.

“Grrr!”

“Roar!”

They answered in unison.

Overwhelmed with joy, the Black Dragon spread his massive wings—shattering the few remaining wall fragments.

Cotton Candy took a step forward, and the already-cracked floor gave way with a loud crunch.

“What do you think you’re doing?! Shrink down this instant!”

At Jaina’s furious voice, the two beasts shrank immediately. Now palm-sized, they timidly shuffled over to her.

“How long was I gone?! And you destroyed the entire building!”

“Kyu…”

“Groan…”

Cotton Candy and the Black Dragon glared at each other. Cotton Candy gave a short nod toward the Black Dragon as if to say it was all his fault. Not backing down, the Black Dragon raised his wing to point at Cotton Candy. Cotton Candy bared its teeth.

“Cotton Candy! Are you starting a fight again?”

At Jaina’s scolding, Cotton Candy lowered its head and dropped flat to the ground. Its ears and tail, which had been upright and aggressive, drooped sadly. The Black Dragon gave a low flutter of its wings.

“You too, Black Dragon. Sit.”

“Groo…”

The once-proud Black Dragon folded its wings and sat.

“See this? You destroyed mommy’s room. Hmm?”

“Kyu…”

“Groan…”

“Cotton Candy, is this what I taught you?”

“Kyu-uuu…”

Cotton Candy shook its head.

“And you, Black Dragon—this is how you greet me? By wrecking my room the moment you arrive? Is that okay?”

“Grrrr…”

The magical beasts, capable of destroying even protected buildings, were now sitting miserably, being scolded by a regular human who couldn’t even wield mana. Homel, normally composed, could only shake his head at the absurd sight.

Jaina continued to lecture the two creatures for a while. When she said she’d stop loving them if they kept fighting like this, both looked on the verge of tears.

“You’re sorry, right?”

“Kyu, kyuuu…!”

“Raaaah!”

“Now hug and make up.”

At her words, the two quickly hugged—though they discreetly poked at each other with claws behind her back, which Jaina didn’t notice.

“Well done. Cotton Candy, you’re the eldest—you need to take care of the Black Dragon. And you, Black Dragon—listen to Cotton Candy. Got it?”

“Kyu!”

“Roar!”

They replied enthusiastically, eyes full of innocence. Finally, Jaina embraced the two who had waited for her and gently petted them.

Jaina rolled around in bed with her cute magical beasts for a while before finally sitting up.

‘I promised myself I’d stay in bed all day today…’

She didn’t particularly want to do anything, but lying around was getting boring. After sleeping so much the past couple of days, she wasn’t even sleepy anymore.

She stumbled over to Theorise’s desk.

‘Now that I think about it…’

Peeking at his bookshelf, one book in particular stood out among the tightly packed rows. Even without opening it, she knew what it was.

She pulled out the black, blank-covered book. When she tried to open it, it wouldn’t budge—sealed shut, almost like it was glued.

‘Well, that makes sense.’

“Kyu?”

“Roar?”

Cotton Candy and the Black Dragon scampered over and tilted their heads. Their innocent, curious eyes made Jaina feel a little guilty.

“Guys, I swear I wasn’t trying to snoop through Theo’s stuff.”

Jaina gave an awkward smile and moved to put the book back—

Clink!

Something dropped from between the pages—a golden key.

“Huh?”

‘That wasn’t part of the original story…’

The old key was rusted in places and looked suspiciously worn. She picked it up.

‘What is this?’

She stared at it for a long time, then began to walk as if drawn by something.

That black book—it was Theorise’s diary.

In the original game, if the player chose the option [Look at the bookshelf] during the first meeting, the character ‘Jaina’ would pull out the diary. An embarrassed Theorise would try to snatch it back, and, in classic romance game fashion, a CG event would trigger when ‘Jaina’ stumbled and fell.

Diary entries were unlockable as bonus content, usually revealing Theorise’s obsessive and unhinged thoughts.

But there had never been a scenario where a key was hidden in the diary.

‘Now I have to know.’

Jaina decided to find where the key belonged.

She tried the drawers first—they were all unlocked.

‘Of course not. It’s probably for some hidden door or secret room.’

A sense of adventure ignited in her.

“Let’s go! Cotton Candy, Black Dragon!”

“Kyaa!”

“Roar!”

Jaina roamed every corner of the castle, trying the key on every locked door. She even opened every box and drawer in storage just in case.

But nothing matched.

The castle was bigger than she expected, and she soon tired out. She slumped down in a hallway when Ellie came rushing over.

“Heavens, My Lady! You haven’t even changed—what are you doing in the hallway?!”

“Uh, well…”

Jaina discreetly hid the key.

“Come now, get up. Look at your nightgown—it’s a mess!”

Without finding where the key fit, she was dragged back to her room.

After changing into fresh clothes Ellie brought, she was given a simple meal—fresh-baked bread with warm cheese, honeyed milk, and lightly seasoned grilled chicken breast.

It couldn’t compare to the elaborate meals Homel prepared, but after wandering all morning, it tasted better than anything else.

Cotton Candy and the Black Dragon, also hungry, devoured their food.

As she ate, Jaina asked Ellie,

“Ellie, have you ever seen a secret room in the castle?”

“A secret room?”

“Yeah. Like a door that’s always locked, or a basement no one’s ever been in.”

“Hmm…”

Ellie closed her eyes and furrowed her brows. After thinking for a while, she tilted her head.

“Not really.”

Jaina’s face fell with disappointment.

“I see…”

“But, My Lady, I don’t know everything about the castle. There could be rooms I’ve never seen before!”