CHAPTER 152
Side Story 1: The Times I Wasn't with You
Arabelle at nine years old.
At the break of dawn, the early morning light began to filter in.
Creak. The rusty door of the storage shed slowly opened.
A small, thin shadow was cast on the cold floor through the crack in the door.
The young girl's movements were cautious and timid as she entered the shed.
It was her father Jonathan's laboratory, though "laboratory" was a grand word for what was really just a small, shabby storage shed attached to the castle’s stable.
As the dim morning light illuminated the inside through the window, the large, round eyes in her small face became more prominent.
Her timid and fearful gaze was fixed on one corner of the room.
In Arabelle's line of sight was a small, battered wooden cage.
Rising on her tiptoes, Arabelle quickly ran to the cage and knelt down on the floor.
Inside the wooden bars, she could see a small, motionless bundle.
Covered in dirt and grime, the little creature showed no sign of life.
Arabelle carefully opened the cage door without making a sound and reached inside with both arms.
She gently lifted the tiny, fragile creature, about the size of two fists, and brought it close to her chest.
Though her face was soft and delicate, betraying her young age, her movements as she cradled the newborn animal were calm and skilled.
It was a lamb, barely four days old.
The lamb’s legs were broken, and it hadn't even been able to drink its mother's milk properly. Its body lay limp, as if dead.
Arabelle rubbed her cheeks and arms against the lamb’s body, trying to share her warmth with the cooling creature.
"I'm sorry. I came too late. I'm so sorry...," Arabelle whispered, pressing her cheek to the lamb's tiny face.
She had been helping in the vineyards for three days.
This year had been especially harsh, with droughts and typhoons coming one after another, causing severe damage to the crops.
The land had always been barren, so they never expected a bountiful harvest.
Though the vineyard business was insignificant compared to other territories, it was still the lifeline for this impoverished land.
Finding young and healthy workers in her uncle Baron Kander’s territory was like finding a star in the sky.
Those capable of labor had left the region, unable to bear the poverty.
Arabelle was the perfect worker to make up for the shortage.
She was so honest and diligent that she didn't even think of sneaking off or stealing while working.
She completed the tasks assigned to her without complaint and even took on the duties of those who were ill.
Though she was only nine, Arabelle was so industrious and skillful that she could easily perform the work of an adult woman.
Unfortunately, the people of the territory did not appreciate or admire her for it.
The destitute villagers had no room to feel gratitude or admiration.
Instead, they exploited her kindness and patience, piling their burdens onto the frail shoulders of the little girl.
Baron Kander and his wife could boast about not paying their niece any wages, despite her working all day in the fields and the mill.
After all, Jonathan and Arabelle's two sisters were living off them like parasites.
Jonathan, lazy and incompetent, was no help, and Camille and Roxy were so unreliable and sticky-fingered that it was better when they weren't around.
Whenever they were given a task, it often ended in disaster, or things would go missing.
This time, Arabelle hadn't been able to return home for three days, forced to stay in the mill's storage shed while she worked.
Arabelle's small hands, roughened by the vineyard work, never stopped stroking the lamb.
"Ryder and Rosa told me about you two days ago, but I couldn’t come right away. Tommy told me last night, crying, but I couldn’t run to you. I'm sorry, I’m so sorry."
The ones who had told Arabelle about the lamb in danger were, of course...
Ryder was Baron Kander's old horse, Rosa was a stray cat that lived around the mill, and Tommy was an owl.
They had told her that her father had taken the newborn lamb from the mountains, away from its mother, and brought it to his laboratory.
They also told her that her father had intentionally broken the lamb’s leg and planned to deceive the villagers by pretending to heal it at the local event today.
To prove that the healing powers of the Delcrank family flowed in his blood, her father had killed and discarded countless animals.
Tears welled up beneath Arabelle’s closed eyelashes as she clutched the still unmoving lamb.
Clear tears rolled down the lamb’s neck and back.
“If Mother were here, she would’ve surely healed you...”
Arabelle's voice trembled with sorrow and guilt, knowing there was nothing she could do but hold the lamb close.
As her warm tears soaked the lamb's back,
"Meh...," came a weak cry, and the body in her arms began to tremble slightly.
When Arabelle opened her eyes, she saw the lamb had lifted its head a little and was looking at her.
Her light brown eyes, full of joy, sparkled as they met the lamb's weak, black gaze.
Her arms tightened gently around the lamb.
It must be so hungry.
In this situation, she couldn't give the newborn lamb water, let alone milk from another animal.
Snapping out of her thoughts, Arabelle rose from the floor with the lamb still in her arms.
“Arabelle, I can hear noises from the castle. People are starting to wake up.”
Jessie poked her head through the crack in the door to warn her urgently.
Jessie was, of course, the notoriously fierce hunting dog of the manor.
“Thank you, Jessie. I’ll take Annie and go to the mountain right now. We must find her mother quickly.”
Arabelle nodded to Jessie, who was wagging her tail gently.
Jessie looked at the lamb nestled in Arabelle’s arms.
The lamb now had a name: Annie. The little girl gave names to all the animals without one.
The moment they were named, the animals became Arabelle’s friends.
Even the invincible hunting dog Jessie, whom not even Baron Kander dared to touch, was the same.
Two years ago, she had nearly died after getting caught in a hunting trap.
No longer of any use, she was thrown into the stable and left to die, but Keisha and Arabelle saved her.
For a week, Arabelle had come to care for her every night without fail.
From that moment on, the only person Jessie truly followed was Arabelle.
"Arabelle, should I go with you?"
"No, people won’t care if I'm not around, but if you go missing, they’ll start looking for you. Stay here and relay the news to our friends in the forest."
She was right.
If Jessie, the famous hunting dog, disappeared, not only in Kander's territory but also in the neighboring ones, the entire castle would be turned upside down... but it didn’t matter if Arabelle was missing.
Last winter, she had gone to the mountains to find truffles for Baron Kander’s family table. When she didn’t return for three days due to a blizzard, no one had gone to the mountains to look for her.
They would search for Arabelle when it was time to start preparing breakfast, lighting the stove, fetching water, and washing dishes.
She knew that they wouldn’t start looking for her until the morning was over.
Since she had returned from the fields before dawn, the people in the castle still believed she was in the barn at the vineyard.
In the afternoon, they'd be busy with the piled-up chores inside the castle.
As Arabelle walked out the door, Jessie followed her, speaking in a low voice.
"Alright, I’ll notify the forest animals. Be careful, the wolves haven’t gone to sleep yet."
"Thank you, Jessie."
Arabelle, holding the now softly breathing lamb, headed toward the mountain behind the castle.
As she walked quickly, Jessie’s low howl echoed behind her.
"Awooooooo!"
And soon after,
"Howoooooo!"
"Baaaaa!"
"Meow, meow, meow."
"Baa-hee-hee!"
The faint cries of animals spread from the manor, through the village, and into the mountains.
The cries continued for a while, like a never-ending game of telephone.
As Arabelle passed the manor and entered the foot of the mountain,
Flutter.
Tommy, the owl perched on a high branch, spread his wings and swooped down.
Flying in circles around her, Tommy spoke.
"The mother sheep is hiding by the riverbank below the cliff."
Arabelle’s nostrils flared slightly as she entered the dark, dense forest.
"Annie, I’ll definitely take you to your mother, so hold on a little longer."
She was no longer the timid, shy girl who was intimidated by people.
Arabelle's large eyes were unwavering in their determination, and her voice was firm.
As if understanding, Annie rubbed her dry snout against Arabelle’s shoulder.
"Arabelle, there are wolves on this path, so take the other route."
A family of mountain hares, released from her father’s laboratory six months ago, ran up to Arabelle.
They had been locked up in the shed for two days without food, but now the hare family had grown from four to eight.
After nodding, Arabelle quickly began running in the opposite direction.
She skillfully climbed the mountain like a squirrel, careful not to jostle the injured lamb.
The forest, still untouched by the morning sun, was dark and eerie.
But to Arabelle, it was nothing more than a comfortable and cozy playground.
Her small, thin body moved freely through the unmarked forest path.
Despite the cool air, sweat beaded on her round forehead.
In the distance, she began to faintly hear the sound of flowing water.
A deer poked its head through the vines.
"Arabelle, we’ve been waiting for you. This way, here!"
Tommy flapped his wings and flew high into the sky before returning.
"I can see the mother sheep on the mossy bank by the river!"
Arabelle smiled and kissed the lamb's head.
"We’re almost there, and you'll see your mother soon."
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