MTLNOVEL 38
“Looks great on you.”
Kyle gazed at me with a satisfied expression. His smile was so pleased that his entire face practically gleamed.
In contrast, my expression was as rotten as it could possibly get. I alternated between looking at him and then down at myself.
Strawberries.
Strawberries! Damn strawberries!
It was a knitted sweater.
The same ugly, misshapen mess I thought he had given up on due to his lack of skill was now on my body. And not just that—it had a massive strawberry stitched onto the back and chest.
I pounded my chest with a clenched fist.
I wanted to tear this thing to shreds, but seeing the way he smiled so proudly, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. He had taken my exact measurements, too—the sweater fit me perfectly, as if it were tailored just for me.
So is it not a problem of skill?
Is it just that his sense of design is absolute garbage?
Kyle, oblivious to my inner turmoil, looked as if he was itching to parade me around the entire city. Please, don’t. Even hamsters have their dignity.
[(￣u￣c)…….]
I dismissed the system window, which seemed to be stifling a laugh, and forced my brain to think positively. It looked like something even a five-year-old wouldn’t wear, but at least it went into my inventory.
That meant when I used Reload, I wouldn’t have to appear completely naked. Plus, since it was made of thick yarn, it was warm. Upon closer inspection, the sweater even had a [Heating Function], making it better than just any regular woolen garment.
The only downside was the massive, obnoxiously embroidered strawberry.
[Current Hearts: ❤×15]
[Current Hearts: ❤×18]
[Current Hearts: ❤×22]
…You really like this, huh?
Huh? You really like it? You like it that much?!
While Kyle admired me from every angle, hearts piled up like falling snow. There were even more than when I gave him chocolate, which made me feel strangely unsettled.
Damn hamster otaku…
Fine. Keep being obsessed. I’ll just collect more hearts.
“I was originally going to tell that guy first, but he’s nowhere to be found again. So, I’ll tell you instead. You were close with Sen, so you have the right to know.”
—Squeak, squeak-squeak. (What are you talking about? Why bring up Sen all of a sudden?)
Kyle pulled a letter from his coat.
I hopped onto the envelope he placed down and began carefully reading the neatly written text.
“It’s a wedding invitation.”
—Squeak-squeak-squeak. (Yeah, it says, ‘In this season blessed by all, at the Imperial City….’)
“For Sen and Belial.”
—Squeak, squeak. (Yeah, for Sen and Beli—…)
…What?
I rubbed my tiny front paws against my eyes, then read the invitation again.
Sen. And Belial. A bright red heart was drawn between their names.
‘…So, it’s finally happening.’
Yeah. It was inevitable.
It wasn’t even surprising. In fact, the story was unfolding exactly as I remembered.
In Heart of Winter, Sen married Belial and became Serena, and that was the beginning of her long, relentless revenge.
Even though I knew it was coming, receiving the news so soon made my tiny heart thump in my chest.
Ever since turning into a hamster, my heart had gotten way too weak. I kept getting startled over the smallest things…
Anyway, just like when I heard about Belial being attacked, I was reminded that things that were meant to happen would happen no matter what. Especially for the main characters of Heart of Winter, Sen and Belial—it seemed even harder for them to stray from their destined paths.
Belial had avoided being crushed by a falling chandelier but was still ambushed by a group of mysterious assailants. And as for Sen… in the end, she still got involved with Belial and made her way to the Imperial City.
Of course, in Sen’s case… I could have stopped it.
‘But still…’
I didn’t want to be the one to give her that tired, cliché lecture about how revenge only leads to more revenge.
She had lived her entire life fueled by vengeance.
I wanted to protect Sen’s life just as much as I wanted to protect Kyle’s, and I wanted to respect her choices. In the end, it was Sen herself who decided to go to the Imperial City with Belial.
“The wedding is in a week. The Imperial City is quite far, so the round trip will take some time. It pains me to leave you behind, but I’ll bring back plenty of snacks you can’t find in the North, so be good and wait patiently.”
Lost in thought, I snapped my head up at Kyle’s last words.
‘Wait, what? He’s leaving me behind?’
No. Absolutely not. I had to follow him, even if it meant clinging to his back.
There was no way I was letting him go alone when anything could happen at the engagement ceremony. The Imperial City, with its key players—Sen, Belial, and even Lorenz—was a minefield for Kyle. Every step he took would be like walking on the edge of an explosion.
—Squeak! Squeak-squeak-squeak! (Hey! Take me with you! Don’t go alone!)
I clung tightly to his hand, rubbing my body against it.
Kyle, thinking I was just being affectionate, gazed at me with an expression of unbearable adoration before saying, “Yes, yes, I understand your feelings,” and promptly placing me back into my hamster house.
Ah.
I was going to die of stress before I could even turn back into a human.
Lying flat on the wood shavings, I clutched my tiny chest in frustration.
Damn this rodent life! Is there not a single person in this world who understands a magical beast? No one to declare that there are no bad magical beasts?!
“I should check that guy’s room one more time. Behave yourself while I’m gone.”
—……
Right!
If I couldn’t go as Cashew Nut, then I’d go as Shu.
I immediately bolted upright and crawled into my hiding spot. The moment Kyle reached for the doorknob, I used Reload.
A white light enveloped me, and when I opened my eyes, I was back in the room Kyle had prepared for me.
“Ha… shit…”
Of course, the damn strawberry sweater had come with me.
***
Kyle paused just as he was about to step out the door, sensing a flicker of light behind him.
It had been so brief that he wondered if he had imagined it, but something about it felt strangely familiar.
Had this happened before? A flash of light bursting like a stun grenade and then vanishing?
“……”
Frowning slightly, he turned back and scanned the room.
At first glance, nothing seemed out of place. However, if a mage had somehow slipped in, he needed to catch them now. He still hadn’t forgotten how those intruders once sneaked into his study, attempting to steal Cashew Nut.
“This area, right about here.”
Near the hamster house.
Kyle began methodically searching the study, using the hamster house as his center point.
Under the desk, behind the curtains. He even checked inside and beneath the drawers, but there was no mage—no trace of magic at all.
‘Was it just my imagination?’
If so, that would be a relief.
With a short sigh, he turned his gaze to the hamster house. The transparent enclosure gleamed smoothly under the lamplight.
“Cashew Nut.”
Now that he was standing here, he wanted to see the little guy one more time.
Clearing his throat, Kyle reached into the hamster house. Since Cashew Nut wasn’t outside, he was probably curled up in his hiding spot. He did love dark, enclosed spaces.
Kyle’s fingers brushed past the slide, the swing, the wheel, and the other structures before finally reaching the hideout. Usually, Cashew Nut’s little butt would be sticking out, but lately, he had been obsessively running on his wheel, looking thinner than before.
Of course, a slimmer Cashew Nut meant he no longer got stuck in the slide, which was good. But seeing him grow skinnier day by day wasn’t exactly pleasant either.
Maybe he shouldn’t just feed him boiled chicken—some fatty foods might be necessary. After all, northern field mice were omnivores.
As he thought about that, sifting through the wood shavings…
“Your Highness!”
Bang!
The study door flew open with a loud crash.
***
I barely had time to catch my breath before kicking the study door open.
And there he was—Kyle, standing right in front of the hamster house.
“…Shu?”
“Yes! It’s me!”
Even though I felt like I was going to collapse, I forced out a loud, cheerful response.
Kyle withdrew his hand from the hamster hideout and approached me. I quickly grabbed onto his arm, trying to steady myself.
“What’s the matter?”
“Huff… Hahh… No, well… Uh… I just… Hooo… I just thought, um… that Your Highness… might want to see me…”
I had sprinted here with everything I had, so my words came out broken and gasping. My legs wobbled, and Kyle, sighing as if he had no choice, grabbed me by the waist to support me.
God, I was going to die.
I muttered to myself as I struggled to catch my breath. Thankfully, after a few moments, my breathing started to even out.
“I was actually on my way to see you.”
“Right? Ah! My timing is perfect, isn’t it?”
[(¬_¬ )]
As I tried to act nonchalant, a system window popped up in front of me, its displeasure written all over its face.
Yeah, yeah, I get it. This is all thanks to you. If you hadn’t warned me, I wouldn’t have rushed here so fast.
Right after using Reload and regaining my human form—just as I was about to strip off the damn strawberry sweater—a system message had appeared in front of me.
Complete with a siren emoji, the message read: [Kaiㄹ is rummagㅗng through hamster house].
That accidental ‘ㅗ’ in the middle—was that a mistake or intentional? I had my suspicions.
Either way, thanks to that, I was able to throw on different clothes and rush straight here.
Looking at Kyle now, I could tell that if I had been even a little late, he would’ve turned the whole castle upside down, thinking his precious magical beast had vanished.
I couldn’t take my eyes off him for even a second, seriously.
“So, why were you looking for me?”
Though I already knew the answer, I feigned ignorance with a bright smile.
Kyle released me, pulled out an invitation from his coat, and held it out to me.
“It’s an invitation to Sen and Belial’s engagement ceremony. Since you and Sen are close, I thought it would be good for you to attend with me.”
“Of course, I’ll go! But—”
Snatching the invitation from his hands, I grinned and added,
“Cashew Nut has to come too. No exceptions!”