Chapter 2
‘Is that why I liked Rory so much?’
Because of his duality?
Every time Cinnamon turned him down, I always wanted to hug him, even though he gave off an air of peril and danger. Rory was the ultimate villain, but it wasn’t his natural character, it stemmed from his pitiful childhood. His sad backstory never failed to put tears in my eyes.
Rory ended up dead in the novel’s ending. He succumbed to death and received his punishment because of Cinnamon’s persuasion and tears. He was readily stabbed to death when the Crown Prince came to save Cinnamon.
“But in fact, he had the ability to run away.”
Ardan, who had arrived to save Cinnamon, was already seriously injured and couldn’t even hold a sword, but Rory still ended up dead.
Rather than being shunned by his beloved, Rory died instead, because he wanted to free himself from his growing feelings. Like how every romance novel went, the ultimate villain died and the main character had a happy ending, but I still couldn’t understand it.
I kept brooding over Rory’s tragic ending. Even as I watched TV at a restaurant, walked through an alley filled with murals, and sat on the beach with a can of beer, I kept thinking about his ending and felt heartbroken.
“If that’s the case, then why is the title like that?”
I still had no idea. The devil in the title must have meant Rory. Maybe the author secretly cared about Rory the most?
Late in the evening, while I was on my way home by train, I hugged the book and fell asleep, leaning my head against the window.
Screeech! Screech!
I woke up after hearing the deafening noise.
“Ah!”
The train went off the tracks and my body followed along from the impact. My heart was beating so hard as my body hit the floor and pain overcame me.
Boom!
I could feel blood coming out of my body after the loud explosion. The book I was holding was opened under my numb right hand.
[A man with blonde hair locked Rory in a narrow cage, which had a fetid stench. He was terrified…]
Unlike other novels, the story was written in formal language, so it felt fairytale-like and unique. But now, the white paper was smeared with my blood. The sentences were blurred due to the liquid substance. I was trembling and my head was in chaos.
“Aaam…! Aam!”
But then I woke up, and I realized that I became a fox. More specifically, a baby desert fox with off-white fur, two ears, and a cute tail. I could hear the cry of a frightened young animal coming out of my lips.
I jumped in surprise and ran away immediately.
“Oh, my lady!”
A giant woman came after me. I ran away in a panic and reached an oasis. Since the land was all cracked and dry, particles of fine sand flew from the distant dunes and hit my face. When I rubbed my eyes with my short front paws and looked around, I couldn’t see too clearly because of the bright sun and had to take a few moments to adjust.
Then, suddenly, I didn’t know what I had done but noticed that I turned into a little child. A naked child with glabrous skin was reflected on the surface of the oasis.
A few days later, I realized that I was inside of the novel that I had read before my death.
I possessed the youngest daughter of Count Hauser, a family full of scoundrels mentioned in the novel. She was also the villainess.
“My lady! Lady Merchen!”
I was inside Merchen Hauser’s body.
***
I carefully reached out to the sleeping child, Rory. His silvery hair slid through my fingers. The child’s delicate wrists and ankles had some red marks. I remembered a fact that made me feel sad while reading the novel.
[Rory sat by the window and whispered to the stars every time he looked up at the night sky. He was a child who believed that souls resided in the stars.]
I choked up and tears welled in my eyes as I continued reading.
[“I didn’t live as a slave for 14 years and become a devil because I wanted to, but because God abandoned me and the world betrayed me. Do you know what that feels like?”
Rory reached out of the window and sobbed silently.
“Please don’t let me go, I only need one person. If that one person could hold my hand, I would try to love the world again.”]
Having a good memory has many advantages, but sometimes it will remind us of something we don’t want to recall. I still remembered Rory’s line in the novel, and it kept making me sad every time I recalled it.
In the novel, he let the female lead know of his loneliness that was hidden for years so that she wouldn’t turn away from him. Seeing his desperation made me feel even more pity for the child, who had no place to lean on.
“Ugh…”
Rory tossed and turned in his sleep. His forehead was wrinkled in distress. Soon, his pink, pure eyes met mine.
If Eros, the God of Love and the son of the Goddess of Beauty, became a human, he would probably look like Rory. I looked at him as if I was hypnotized.
“Are you okay?”
“Who…”
“I’m Merchen.”
As if he didn’t understand the situation, he frowned in response. I briefly explained the situation.
“My father bought you from a slaver.”
I added briefly after thinking about it,
“I’m your master. Call me your wady.” (I’m your master. Call me your lady.)
Rory had a confused look in his eyes. Of course, it was ridiculous that a little bean who couldn’t even pronounce words well just said that she was his master. It must’ve been a bizarre and funny situation for him.
“How thid you become a slave?” (How did you become a slave?)
“I don’t remember…”
“Nothing at all? What’s your name?”
“I don’t even know my name.”
Rory lowered his head.
I held his hand and patted it.
“It’s alright. Your memory will come back soon.”
Rory looked at my small chubby hand consoling him and nodded softly. It was fortunate that there was no sign of fear or hostility in him. In the original novel, when he opened his eyes, he was frightened by the presence of Count Hauser and the little bastards.
“I think your name is Rory.”
Rory.
He thought about his name for a moment.
“Yes, my lady.”
He was very subservient. No wonder that no one was ever suspicious while he was secretly planning for a rebellion.
Rory smiled calmly in response to my words, as if he had recognized that the girl smaller than him was his only rope towards freedom.
“How owd are you?” (How old are you?)
“Probably five years old…”
The child, who was agonizing about his age, looked so lovely that I wanted to pinch his cheeks. I smiled and straightened three fingers.
“I’m three years old!”
I would be around four or five years old in Korea, but in the novel, the age was counted in a universal way, so I was three years old here.
“We are in Count Hauser’s desert.”
“Count Hauser?”
“Yes, have you heard of him?”
“Not at all,”
Rory shook his head.
Knock, knock.
Anne, my babysitter and the head maid, knocked on the door.
“My Lady, it’s dinner time. His Excellency and the young masters are waiting.”
“I’ll have it in my room today,”
I told her.
The three-year-old Merchen always acted like that. She was considered timid to her family, but the servants didn’t think so. Although it was not mentioned in the novel, I learned from the people around me that Merchen wasn’t very likable, but being young had an unexpected advantage. Whatever the old Merchen said or did, she would only be considered cute, even though she acted like a brat.
“Oh, is that so? Then please wait a moment. I’ll be right back.”
“Bring me dinner for two people!”
“Yes.”
I acted calmly on the outside, but I was pretty nervous pretending to be the old Merchen. The people who were close with the old Merchen were strangers to me, even her family. I couldn’t perfectly act like her, so sometimes my true thoughts accidentally slipped out.
I looked at Rory.
“Watch out for my father, no, my brothers too.”
“Count Hauser and the young masters?”
“Yes. They’re dangerous people.”
Rory tilted his head and smiled.
“But they’re your precious family. I’m sure they’re all sweet.”
His harmless smile made me pout. If he was like this in the modern world, he would’ve been scammed or dragged off to somewhere weird.
Wait, that’s how he was sold by the slave dealer, right?
As far as my memory went, the Duke of Valiatte was always strict with his children. Therefore, Rory had to suffer from studying and training all day long. He sneaked out of the mansion one day because he wanted to see the festival, but he ended up being kidnapped by a slave dealer and lost his memory. Then, my father bought him.
‘What should I do with this innocent boy?’
“No, no.”
I couldn’t leave this gullible boy be.
“Thewe’s no kind person in this house. Don’t go anywhewe, just stick awound me,” (There’s no kind person in this house. Don’t go anywhere, just stick around me.)
I held onto Rory’s sleeve and said firmly.
Just then,
Poof! My body turned into a small desert fox.
Rory looked at me with his eyes wide open in surprise.
“Aaam. Aam.”
Damn it.
I still had a lot to talk about!
I couldn’t talk like this!
The sun was already setting. When I grew up, I would be able to keep my human appearance at all times. However, since I was still at this age, I would transform back to a desert fox at night.
When I whined about being stuck in my dress, Rory carefully pulled me out.
“A fox…?”