The tranquil estate of Desmond Olivia.


    -Blink…


    This morning, for some reason, Olivia woke up with a particrly clear mind. She blinked her wide eyes as she nkly stared up at the ceiling.


    “Hmmnya…”


    One star. Two stars.


    The glow-in-the-dark stars that Ricardo had put up with the hope that Olivia wouldn’t tire of the ceiling she always stared at twinkled before her eyes.


    They weren’t anything special, just simple glowing stars, but since Olivia spent a lot of time gazing at the ceiling alone, they sparkled like a gxy to her.


    -What does the Big Dipper look like again…


    -What’re you doing?-I’m creating a night sky on the ceiling that you can see every day.


    -Why?


    -I thought you might get tired of looking at the same ceiling.


    -I can see the night sky if I open the window.


    -But the feeling will be different. Besides, I can even bring you a star if you want.


    -Bring me a star?


    -Do you not remember what I said to you during my butler appointment?


    -That you wouldn’t let me go hungry?


    -No, that’s not it.


    Reflecting on past conversations, Olivia let out a small smile.


    “Idiot.”


    Seeing the glow-in-the-dark stars still shining, she realized it was early in the morning, too early for their light to fade away. The glow would only dissipate when morning truly arrived.


    Having woken up so early, Olivia pouted, annoyed at herself for rising at this hour. If she got up now, she’d struggle to stay awake during Ricardo’s bedtime story that evening.


    “I should go back to sleep…”


    But sleep didn’te easily.


    Olivia took a deep breath and considered shouting out something familiar. She thought of yelling words filled with concern for the empire’s safety, words that always made Ricardough and say, ‘Puhaha! What are you even talking about!’ But…


    “Air raid…”


    Olivia quickly covered her mouth with her hand, swallowing the words. It was still far too early to wake Ricardo.


    Knowing how busy Ricardo had been and how much he needed his rest, Olivia stifled her voice and turned to look at the clock on the wall.


    -Tick. Tock.


    It was four o’clock in the morning.


    There were still two hours left until Ricardo would wake up.


    “So bored…”


    Olivia pouted and hugged her nket tightly. The idea of spending those two hours alone wasn’t appealing at all.


    She wasn’t sleepy enough to fall back asleep, and even if she did, she knew she’d wake up soon after. Despite being a beauty who loved sleep, even she had her limits.


    If Ricardo were here, the time would fly by, but she couldn’t wake him up this early. With another sigh, Olivia pouted again.


    “So boring…”


    It was boring to be alone.


    She needed someone to y with.


    Olivia carefully looked under the bed. At this hour, there was only one being who could keep herpany.


    Someone who wouldn’tin if she woke them up.


    Someone jobless andzing around, the most idle creature in the entire estate.


    With a satisfied grin, Olivia checked if that someone was sleeping there as usual.


    -Snooze…


    “Hehe…”


    Olivia smiled mischievously as she saw the ck furry bundle curled up under the bed. Finally, it was time to assert her rightful authority as its owner and collect a little payback for all it had received.


    Slowly, Olivia extended her fingers and reached under the bed.


    “Wake up.”


    Her fingers sank into the soft fur. The gentle texture made Olivia giggle.


    Soon it would wake up in surprise and then y with her, and…


    -…


    Olivia, confused, frowned and poked Gomtangi’s body again with her finger.


    “Wake up…”


    -Growl.


    “Wake up, youzy thing.”


    -Grumm…


    There was no response.


    As if determined to prove that it loved sleep even more than its owner, Gomtangi ignored Olivia’s attempts to wake it, letting out a soft grumble while continuing to sleep soundly.


    “…”


    Feeling her pride wounded, Olivia stared nkly at Gomtangi. Questioning whether she was truly its owner.


    She did always give it tasty snacks and y with it. Sometimes, she even brushed its fur despite having to cut into her sleeping time. But this pet wasn’t lending a paw whenever she needed it.


    Olivia clenched her fist and started thumping her pillow, aiming to startle Gomtangi awake.


    “You…! Wake up already!”


    She thought that if she kept hitting it, Gomtangi would eventually rise, so she continued to give it pillow punches, but the massive and thick-bodied Gomtangi only sank deeper into its slumber.


    -Snooze…


    Feeling an intense wave of betrayal, Olivia red at Gomtangi.


    “Ugh…”


    This was her house.


    A beast nourished by the food prepared by her butler was ignoring her, and that greatly annoyed Olivia.


    She grumbled incoherently as she shook Gomtangi, although it remained unresponsive.


    “Youzy bear! I’m bored.”


    -…


    “I said I’m bored.”


    -…


    “I said, I’m—ugh! Bored!”


    Stubbornlymitted to ignoring Olivia, who was growing more frustrated by the second, Gomtangi didn’t even twitch. The fat bear almost seemed to mock her with its immovable sleep.


    Olivia sighed deeply and made a silent vow. Tomorrow, she would ask Ricardo to keep Gomtangi outdoors during the day. She nned to reduce its meals and even confiscate all its snacks. In the past, she might have ordered it to be chased away, but these days, she felt that would be too cruel. Her conscience wouldn’t let her go that far.


    Besides, releasing such a helpless creature into the wild would surely lead to its starvation.


    Giving up entirely on ying with Gomtangi, Oliviay back on her bed and tried to sleep.


    Sounds from outside her window filled her ears.


    The chirping of crickets.


    The wail of a deer in the distance.


    The noise of the wind blowing.


    The sounds of nature resonating under the moonlight were peaceful and serene.


    A peaceful ambience that made one think of healing, as others might call it, brought a warm smile to Olivia’s face as she hugged the nket tightly.


    “Heeek… so scary.”


    But Olivia was easily frightened.


    To be precise, she was afraid of ghosts.


    She could hit monsters and people, but ghosts were another story. Olivia, who believed that force was the fastest form ofmunication, viewed ghosts as unbeatable enemies.


    Moreover, Olivia considered herself as someone disliked by the gods. Her behavior and experiences of sneaking out snacks from the cathedral gave her the idea that any hope for divine intervention was futile.


    With a wellpartmentalized mind, Olivia clutched the nket tighter and muttered in a trembling voice.


    “I’m scared…”


    It was ridiculous for an adult to be frightened by things like this, but she couldn’t help being scared. If you’re scared, you’re scared—simple as that.


    Olivia, who still struggled to sleep, became overly sensitive to the faint noises she heard around her.


    -Whoosh.


    “Heek!”


    -Growl….


    “Eek!”


    -Hoot.


    “Eeeek!”


    The blowing wind felt especially chilly today. Olivia considered shutting the window, but the idea of a ghost appearing while she did it made her abandon that n.


    How long did she fight this lonely battle by herself? Perhaps about 30 minutes?


    “Ugh…”


    Still unable to fall asleep, Olivia peeked out from under her nket and began to take in the fresh air.


    It was a hard-earned victory.


    She had wrestled with the decision inside the nket, wondering if she shoulde out or not, and finally decided toe out regardless, marking a big step for her.


    With a pout, Olivia sighed.


    “Stupid. As if ghosts are real.”


    -Whoosh…


    “Heek! I’m sorry!”


    Really, even she could admit she worried about silly things far too much.


    Olivia, who felt somewhat calmer after drinking some fresh water,y back down, trying to finally fall asleep. This time it seemed she might actually manage it.


    About 10 minutes passed.


    “…I’m in trouble.”


    Just as Olivia started to ovee her fear of the dark, a new crisis loomedrge over her.


    Olivia’s eyes widened as she puffed her cheeks.


    “Did I drink too much water…”


    Her growing anxiety caused her to fidget with her fingers. Drinking too much water seemed to have triggered a certain signal.


    She fiddled with her fingers as she murmured quietly,


    “I need to pee…”


    An entire hour remained until Ricardo was due to wake.


    Olivia, too scared to go to the bathroom alone, bit her lip and red at the seemingly stopped clock with a look of despair.


    “Why is time moving so slowly…”


    -Tick.


    “Hurry up and move.”


    Olivia’s face flushed a bright red, torn between not wanting to wake Ricardo yet really needing to go to the bathroom.


    Determined, she tightened her fists and began to hold it in.


    But eventually,


    “Hik… Hic…”


    Faced with this struggle, Olivia decided to sustain her dignity by giving up. At this point, she thought she had done a good job of letting Ricardo rest.


    Unable to bear it any longer, Olivia was just about to muster the courage to shout the familiar word she’d often relied on,


    “Air raid…”


    -Creak


    The door opened at that very moment, and Ricardo casually entered the room, fresh from his shower.


    With a towel draped around his neck and an expression that suggested he felt refreshed, Ricardo nced at Olivia and smiled softly.


    “Oh my. You’re still awake, mydy?”


    Olivia, her voice trembling, called out to Ricardo.


    “Ricardo…”


    “Yes?”


    “I need to pee.”


    Chuckling faintly at her words, Ricardo nodded with understanding.


    “That’s a big problem.”


    End of Chapter.