Forgotten Juliet - Chapter 235: Side Story 3

People were frightened and backed away, but Juliet calmly embraced Nix.

“Peep.”

Nix chirped sadly, as if appealing an injustice.

‘It wasn’t me!’

It’s that tiny human! He threw a stone at me…!

But Juliet tightly hugged Nix, preventing him from moving, and approached a child crying on the floor.

“Are you hurt, young master Gruber?”

“Sniff, waaaah!”

Anton, noticing the attention on him, began to cry even louder.

The boy’s name was Anton Gruber, the youngest son of Count Gruber.

“I didn’t do anything! He charged first and broke the statue!”

Lies!

Nix, who was tightly hugged by Juliet, growled deeply in frustration.

“Eek!”

At that, the boy Anton, frightened, hid behind his mother’s skirt.

‘That little human started with the insults!’

I was behaving nicely!

“Peep!”

Nix looked up at Juliet with a look of injustice.

Although Juliet said nothing, Nix clearly saw a fleeting expression cross her face.

“Is anyone hurt?”

Juliet was the host who invited the guests.

She calmly ordered the servants to clean up the broken ice, asked the guests if they were alright, and then bowed her head in apology to the child’s parents.

All the while, Anton cried as if to show off. Had it not been for two little girls timidly approaching and whispering to Juliet, he would probably have cried until the party ended.

“Your Highness, I saw it, Anton shot first with a slingshot…”

“When did I?!”

“I saw it too. Anton called the cat a monster…”

Then the Gruber Count and Countess, who were getting agitated, suddenly changed their expressions.

“Ahem, well, since Your Highness apologize so sincerely…”

“As long as no one is hurt, let’s move on.”

The situation seemed to be resolved with a reluctant acceptance of the apology.

But Nix, who had been clinging to Juliet in anger, looked down to see the crushed white roses. They had been trampled beyond recognition.

“…Peep!”

“Nix!”

Suddenly angry, Nix took advantage of a moment when Juliet was distracted and slipped away.

Juliet called from below, but Nix didn’t look back. Instead, he fled like an arrow to the darkened mirror room.

‘I didn’t do anything wrong!’

It was all that little human’s fault.

Even the flowers that Nix had carefully picked were ruined. All because of that little human!

Nix was unhappy about Juliet apologizing to the rude humans and, more than anything, sad that they couldn’t understand him. Nix flicked his tail.

‘I understand everything!’

A moment later, there was a sound outside the door, and then it opened softly.

“Nix, are you there?”

Juliet cautiously entered the dark room.

“Sorry. Are you mad?”

Humph.

Nix pretended not to hear.

“You’re mad at me. I’m sorry.”

“…”

“Let me check if you’re hurt, okay? Nix.”

His paw actually did sting a bit from the ice shards earlier.

However, Nix buried his head deep into his favorite blanket and didn’t budge.

“Nix…”

Of course, even with his head buried, his ears were pointed towards Juliet, twitching at every sound, but that couldn’t be helped.

There was a sound of a plate being placed on a table.

“Can’t we make up? Hmm?”

Nix was slightly curious about what Juliet had brought on the plate but he persisted in his sulking.

“I invited guests, and I didn’t think about how many children there would be, which might scare you. I’m sorry.”

Hmph.

Nix acted as if he hadn’t heard.

He wasn’t upset because he was scared of the tiny humans. He was angry because of their misdeeds.

As Nix continued to sulk, after a moment of silence, Juliet began to share an old story.

“You know, Nix, there’s this holiday commemorating the day when a star was born, called Star Birth Festival, and the first day of the festival is also known as Children’s Day.”

During the Star Birth Festival, seven stars appear, each with a different protector.

“The first star is the protector of children, and that protector is said to grant the wishes of good children.”

It was an interesting story, but Nix was still not in a forgiving mood.

What’s the point of granting the wishes of good children? Surely the protector, just like Juliet, would favor those small humans.

“Really, you won’t look at me?”

“…”

“Okay, then I won’t bother you. But when you’re hungry, you have to come out, okay?”

After a soft sigh, Juliet spoke with a hint of sadness and left the mirror room.

“…Meow.”

Only after Juliet’s footsteps faded did Nix lift his head.

On the table was a plate Juliet had left – a pumpkin pie decorated with stars.

It was then that Nix felt a twinge of regret for having been petulant towards Juliet.

Being hungry, Nix quickly began to devour the pumpkin pie.

Then, as the clouds parted, bright moonlight poured into the room.

Looking up, Nix suddenly made eye contact with his reflection in the large mirror.

“Peep…?”

What was reflected in the mirror was a sleek silhouette. A well-balanced slender body, and skin as soft and dark as the night sky.

“…Grr.”

Stopping his pie midway, Nix jumped onto the cabinet with a mirror.

Approaching the mirror, Onyx examined his reflection closely.

The young dragon often played in front of the mirror. A pair of wings, stretched legs and a long tail. And his gem-like golden eyes were Onyx’s pride.

However, for some reason, he seemed a bit less splendid today.

-He’s a monster.

-He’s a beast.

“…”

A small human said so.

Onyx was devastated.

Juliet always said he was pretty and cute, but perhaps now that his wings have fully grown, he might no longer be cute.

Suddenly noticing a small portrait on the cabinet, Onyx’s eyes fixed on it.

“Meow?”

Black hair, red eyes.

The portrait of a young boy, around ten, was Juliet’s treasure.

Onyx knew Juliet would often take it out, looking at it and smiling.

“Purr…”

For the first time, Onyx closely observed the young human in the portrait.

He seemed cold and unlucky. However, Juliet seemed to really love the boy in the painting.

Suddenly, Onyx intently looked at his front paws.

Soft and squishy like jelly… but certainly, they were different from a human’s.

Thinking of Juliet’s soft, gentle hands stroking his head, Onyx became melancholy.

‘Is it because… I’m not human?’

Juliet couldn’t understand what Nix was saying.

It seems Juliet prefers smaller humans than him.

While Onyx understood human language, no matter how much he chirped, he couldn’t speak like humans.

‘I can’t speak like humans, I look different from them…’

Plus, now he’s grown much larger and doesn’t seem cute anymore.

What if Juliet starts to hate me?

Feeling down, Onyx, ignoring his growling stomach, curled up.

And soon, sobbing, he fell asleep in front of the mirror.

That night, the baby dragon had a strange dream.

-Are you a good child?

A giant being with a huge pumpkin pie on its head appeared in the pitch-dark night sky and asked.

Peep.

Sitting on the ground, Onyx nodded.

Then the pumpkin pie head spoke again.

-I am the guardian star that grants the wishes of good children.

Guardian star?

Onyx tilted his head in confusion.

Not sure what that meant, but thinking the head looked tasty, Onyx’s mouth watered.

The pumpkin head spoke sternly.

-If you truly are a good child, I’ll grant one wish of yours for a day.

Nix’s eyes widened in surprise.

For a day? My wish will come true?

Peep!

Jumping to his feet, Nix quickly brought his front paws together and made a wish.

Then please, tell Juliet!

Peep!

The little humans threw stones first, they spoke ill!

Tell Juliet it’s not my fault, that I’m a good boy!

Please make sure I’m not hated…!

-Oh dear. Unfortunately.

But the self-proclaimed guardian star clicked its tongue and shook its head.

-I can’t understand a word you’re saying.

Meow?!

Nix was taken aback.

No, you understood just fine a moment ago! That’s unfair!

Just as he was about to protest, Nix woke up.

“Uh.”

As soon as he opened his eyes, he was blinded by the sunlight. It was already morning, and birds were chirping outside the window.

‘Ah, it’s so bright…’

Nix, who had fallen asleep on the cabinet, wriggled to a corner where the sunlight didn’t reach.

Thud!

“Meow?!”

And he fell to the floor with a loud noise.

Usually, even if he lost his balance, he would land gracefully, but strangely, he landed on his butt.

“Ouch…”

His tailbone ached.

Worried that he might have broken his tail, he turned his head to check it.

However, it wasn’t there.

“…Huh?”

Where’s my tail…?

Nix suddenly realized.

There was nothing where his tail should have been.

Not only that, but his eyes also felt heavy, and his ears seemed muffled.

Even after rubbing his eyes several times, his vision seemed blurrier than usual, and his hearing felt dull.

Did I catch a disease?

While panicking, Nix discovered another odd thing.

‘Hands?’

Small white hands with fern-like fingers.

“This, what is this…”

And then the voice.

Gasp.

Surprised by the unfamiliar human language, Nix covered his mouth with his hand. And then, from the other side of the large wall mirror, a small human did the same!

Yes.

Only then did Nix notice the small human reflected in the wall mirror.

Black hair with golden eyes, chubby white cheeks, and a dress with a cute sailor collar.

Blink, blink.

When Nix blinked, the small human in the mirror blinked too. When he shook his head, the reflection did the same.

Gurgle.

Nix understood what it felt like to be ‘struck by lightning.’

“Um…”

Oh no. I’ve turned into a human!