【 A Tiny Clue 】
I decided to calmly re-examine the mark.
The royal family’s mark was an inverted triangle, while the one on my hand was an equilateral triangle (△).
Also, it wasn’t filled in as if with a jewel, but was empty.
It was only a shape outlined by three sides.
“What the heck is this…”
What is it? Really, what is it?
Besides, the fact that the mark appeared on my palm was also a mystery.
That’s because the triangle, symbolizing the royal bloodline, was said to usually appear under the eye.
“Could it be, is something wrong?”
Like, repeating death and regression has messed up the settings themselves.
It felt like a headache I’d never had before was coming on.
Please, please…
Think of something!
Feeling suffocated, I clasped my hands together and pressed them to my forehead as if praying.
How can I overcome this difficulty?
My thoughts spun around in my head like a hamster wheel for a long time.
‘Aish, should I just forget about the hidden ending and go into exile far away?’
Anywhere but here, the Kite Empire, and I wouldn’t be branded a witch.
‘Ha! Not yet. I’m too young.’
I was only eleven years old.
Too young to try anything recklessly, and still without any real ability or possessions.
It was while I was repeating these hopeless worries.
I remembered the Karky herb that had cleanly erased my knee wound.
Along with my sister’s words that it was an excellent herb for erasing traces.
‘Maybe that herb?’
Suddenly linking the herb used for treatment to the mark, it might sound ridiculous.
But this is a world inside a game.
A place where magic exists, and items that raise stats are prevalent.
So, the idea that Karky herb is limited to healing wounds.
‘I have to throw it away.’
In this place, fixed ideas were poison.
Because things beyond imagination often happen.
I clenched my fists tightly.
With the spirit to try anything if there was even a small hope.
* * *
The bold plan was set for a moment, and I couldn’t leave the house for several days.
‘This damn apple!’
For a while, I didn’t even want to look at apples.
Even the ‘a’ in ‘apple’ was a forbidden word in front of me.
Because of that, the many apples became the property of Anne and the rest of the household.
That’s how five days passed.
“Miss, here’s some rice porridge. It’s hot, so you have to blow on it before you eat it.”
“Okay, thank you.”
It was my first meal in a long time.
As Anne said, hot steam rose and touched the tip of my nose.
But I didn’t really have an appetite.
I just stirred the rice porridge with my spoon.
Anne asked, “You don’t have an appetite, do you?”
“More than that, it just doesn’t taste good. You didn’t season it at all.”
“I can’t help it, Miss. Doctor Mack told me to be careful and emphasized it.”
Yes, yes.
You have to listen to the doctor to be a good girl.
Doctor Mack is my family doctor.
He visits the house regularly, but if I call him when needed, he comes right away.
I could enjoy all this luxury thanks to my dad, who puts my health first.
“Hmm!”
I knew that better than anyone, but I was just being stubborn in front of the tasteless rice porridge.
“Miss, just bear with it for one more day. From tomorrow, I’ll cook porridge with seasoning.”
Then I stirred the rice porridge a few times and took a big spoonful.
This was as good as a successful operation.
“Um, it seems cool enough to eat now.”
“Really? If possible, don’t leave any. You haven’t been eating much lately.”
“I’ll try.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Anne folded her eyes into crescents and smiled slightly.
It was when I was concentrating on eating the rice porridge.
“Ah, right! The old woman who came to sell apples a few days ago.”
“Cough!”
I almost choked because Anne suddenly clapped her hands.
I barely swallowed the rice porridge before I could answer.
“Apple?”
I put down the spoon without scooping up any more rice porridge.
Anne had broken the ‘a’ word taboo and opened her mouth.
“Ah, I’m sorry, Miss.”
“No, why the old woman?”
“Ah, that’s the old woman asked a strange question.”
“A strange question?”
“Yes, she asked if a child had been born in this house this year.”
“A child? Why suddenly a child?”
It was a topic I hadn’t expected at all.
Why suddenly a child?
Doubt flooded in.
“That’s what I’m saying. When I said no child was born, she sighed, saying it’s hard to see children these days.”
“And? Did she say anything else?”
“No. She just told me not to worry, saying it was the nonsense of an old woman who wanted to see a child.”
The saying ‘don’t worry about it’ always makes you worry more.
Besides, an old woman and an apple.
Somehow, isn’t that a familiar combination?
‘Snow White, what is it? Then, is the apple I ate poisoned?’
I shook my head.
There’s no way I’m Snow White, and although I had a stomachache, it wasn’t a big problem.
The proof was that I was still alive and well.
It must just be the grumbling of an ordinary old woman who misses children.
I answered calmly so that Anne wouldn’t worry.
“It must just be something she said.”
“I guess so?”
“Yeah.”
In fact, I didn’t know anything about the old woman’s appearance.
‘Could it be a new event?’
If so, there was a high probability that another event would occur within a few days, or that the old woman would revisit.
But it wasn’t certain yet, so I had to watch the situation as it unfolded.
‘I can worry about it then.’
There was no point in worrying about things that hadn’t happened yet.
I shook off my complicated thoughts and emptied the bowl of rice porridge.
“Wow! Miss, you ate it all? Good job! Tomorrow, I’ll definitely make something that suits your taste.”
“Thank you. Then, I’ve finished my duty, so I’ll go up and sleep now.”
“Okay, Miss. Go to sleep soon. Have a good dream.”
“Yeah, Anne must be tired too, so rest early.”
“Yes, Miss.”
After saying goodbye, I headed to the bedroom.
I had talked to Anne about this and that, but in fact, my head was full of thoughts about the mark.
‘First of all, I have to find the Karky herb.’
* * *
The next day, Anne prepared seasoned porridge as promised.
I was so happy to eat something seasoned after a long time.
After filling my stomach with a hearty meal, I hurried to get ready to go out.
Today, instead of tying my hair up high, I wore a white rabbit pin.
The white rabbit pin was a basic item, but it was an accessory with a special meaning.
‘This is what Mom left me before she died.’
When I wear this pin, I feel like I’m with Mom, so I don’t feel afraid of anything.
You could say it gives me strength just by existing.
I didn’t forget to wear gloves to hide the mark.
‘Okay, let’s go!’
I headed to the forest as if possessed.
Maybe the dream I had a few days ago led me there.
I opened my eyes wide and focused only on finding the Karky herb.
How long had I been pushing through the bushes like that?
Sweat beaded on my forehead.
“Haa, is it even here?”
I wiped the sweat from the back of my hand and sighed.
It wasn’t easy to find the Karky herb in this place with lush green leaves.
No matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t see any long leaves.
The surrounding area was full of similarly shaped trees, making it difficult to estimate the exact location.
Swish!
Suddenly, my actions stopped.
‘I think I heard something just now.’
Somehow, I had come deep into the forest.
A sense of unease crept in, making my spine tingle.
Swish, I heard unfamiliar movements in succession.
I swallowed hard and turned my head in the direction of the sound.
“……!!”
I immediately sat down on the floor.
Wasn’t there a black snake raising its head in front of me?
I instinctively covered my mouth, let alone screamed.
The snake flicked its forked tongue, looking at me as if I were prey.
I felt a chill all over my body.
My lips were parched with fear.
To get out of this situation, I slowly moved my body backwards, keeping my butt on the ground.
Rustle.
I heard the sound of the dress scraping on the floor, but I had no time to worry about it.
I struggled to put distance between myself and the snake.
Then, something touched my back with a thud.
‘Haa, why now of all times.’
I bit my lip tightly.
Since the back was blocked, the escape route was completely cut off.
I had to find out what was blocking the way.
That way, I could think of a way to escape.
I carefully turned my head and glanced sideways.
‘Huh? This is…’
My mouth dropped open at the unexpected sight.
The place I was sitting was in front of a small tomb.
Could it be that this is the place I saw in my dream?
Just as I had doubts.
“Keuheuk!”
The snake’s sharp tongue touched my leg.
The bizarre sensation made my skin crawl from head to toe, and all my nerves were on edge.
It seemed that the hem of my dress was rolled up while I was awkwardly kicking backwards.
Even so, I gritted my teeth to keep the sound to a minimum.
It would be a disaster if the snake, stimulated by the sound, attacked violently.
‘What should I do?’
Unlike my mind, which was trying to stay calm, my terrified body began to tremble.
Tears welled up in my eyes.
It was amazing that I hadn’t fainted yet in this situation.
‘Please, just disappear quietly, please!’
The snake threatened, opening its jaws fiercely.
I was even more afraid because of its prominent fangs.
If I was bitten by mistake, I might become the snake’s prey.
I’m too upset to die like this!
I wanted to ask for help, but the surroundings were quiet.
Well, who would be in this deep forest?
Tears streamed down my cheeks.
‘Heueu, what should I do? Why did I come here?’
As I reached the extreme of fear, my chin trembled and my teeth chattered.
I desperately gritted my teeth and tried not to make a sound.
It was then that I was completely terrified and unable to do anything.
Whoosh!
An alien noise was heard as if to awaken me from my panic.
Whoosh!
Just as I thought the same sound was heard again.
‘……!!’
The snake in front of me was pierced by an arrowhead and stuck to the tree trunk next to the tomb.
Oh my gosh.
‘Heoeo……’
It was too early to be happy.
Suddenly, an arrow flew in.
My heart was pounding non-stop at the unexpected appearance.
Could it be that I met a gang of bandits this time?
I was truly speechless at the hardcore development from the beginning of the game.
‘……’
If this is going to happen, shouldn’t I have at least two lives?
Rustle, I heard the sound of bushes rustling somewhere.
And…
I could vaguely see a figure approaching this way.
I quickly wiped away my tears and tried to secure my blurred vision.
‘Even if you go into a tiger’s den, you can be fine if you keep your wits about you. So, hold on. It’ll be okay. It’ll all be okay. All…’
I straightened my hunched body and don’t know how much I prayed inwardly.
“Are you okay?”
The figure came up and spoke to me.
Somehow a familiar voice.
Surely, I didn’t hear it wrong?