The Game That Saved Me
Perhaps because of yesterday's events.
Abella woke up a little earlier than usual.
Her head felt heavy. It seemed like she'd dreamed, or perhaps she hadn't slept a wink all night.
The reflection of her face in the mirror beside the bed was messier than she'd expected.
Her golden hair, which usually flowed neatly, had tangled into a mess overnight, cascading messily over her shoulders. Her usually clear pink eyes were slightly swollen, and faint tear tracks lingered at the corners.
The palace people called her the princess who was as bright as sunlight.
Golden hair and sapphire-like eyes, light purple like jewels.
If she sat quietly by the window reading a book, she looked like a character from an old painting.
But right now, the Abella in the mirror was miles away from such words.
She stared at her own face for a moment, then hurriedly grabbed the towel and water bowl by the pillow.
When the cold water touched her fingertips, her hands trembled.
She washed her face with it. As the cold water brushed her eye sockets, her hazy mind gradually cleared.
Yesterday, I couldn't say it.
I wanted a computer.
I wanted to know what Tetras was.
I want to try that too.
The words that rose to her tongue refused to come out in the end. Instead, the usual answer came out.
I'm sorry.
Abella tightly clutched the wet towel. A sense of powerlessness slowly sank into her chest.
I couldn't do anything.
I just sat quietly, bowed my head, and repeated the obedient daughter's answer again.
Something I wanted existed. Something I genuinely wanted to know existed.
Powerlessness had burrowed into her bones. Eventually, fear arrived.
Fear of being unable to say I want something, of withdrawing my hand even if I want to reach out, of always being told it's fine to stay locked in this room for the rest of my life.
Faint footsteps echoed from beyond the corridor. Abella unconsciously held her breath.
Low voices passed by the door.
You know? They say a computer has been installed in the detached wing too.
Abella's heart sank.
A computer is here?
But, anyone can't use it, right?
Yeah. The lady-in-waiting chief says she uses it sometimes.
For what?
She said she's sorting the princess's meal schedule and medication times. The head physician sees it occasionally too.
Oh, so that's why I heard lately that finding records has been faster. Is it because of that?
The maids' voices were small.
There's a computer in the detached wing. Very close to me.
It must have been made for me. But Abella had never even seen it.
Where exactly?
The voices were fading.
Abella pressed herself tightly against the wall. Through the cold wall, faint vibrations reached her.
The storage room next to the management office.
Abella stood there for a long time without moving.
I knew the place.
After leaving the room and walking down the corridor, there was a small door right before the glass door leading to the garden. It was the place the lady-in-waiting chief and the head physician always passed through.
That day felt endlessly long.
The etiquette master's voice didn't enter her ears. The letters on the book blurred before her eyes.
Even when the head physician checked her pulse and asked something, Abella nodded as usual.
I'm fine.
I'm okay.
I didn't overdo it.
The usual words came out easily.
...The place I longed for was nearby.
Abella completed her daily routine as usual.
Then, Abella Princess, have a comfortable night.
Mmm, thank you.
The maid bowed and left. The door closed, and the room became quiet.
The night in the detached wing was quieter than daytime.
During the day, there were the maids' footsteps, the etiquette master's voice, or the head physician setting down his medicine bottle.
But at night, everything stopped.
Abella counted silently in front of the door.
1045.
1046.
She listened to the faint footsteps beyond the corridor.
1047.
Another set of footsteps faded away.
...Now.
Between 1047 and 1083.
The short moment when the footsteps of those on shift duty ceased. Meaning that at this time, there was no one guarding her.
Abella had not accidentally learned this fact. For a long time, there had been little she could do inside the room.
She would watch the garden full of flowers, read books, listen to the sounds beyond the wall, or memorize the footsteps.
She could tell who was walking by the footsteps alone, how their stride was, and for what purpose.
Yes, she knew. She had never actually used it until now.
Her hand that gripped the doorknob trembled. But she could.
No, she had to.
Creak.
Abella was the first to open the cage door.
No one was there.
After slipping out through the gap, she quietly closed the door with great care.
The white marble had turned slightly blue from the moonlight, and the lantern on the wall swayed faintly. Beyond the closed window, only the faint rustle of garden leaves could be heard.
Abella walked the corridor on tiptoe.
Tetras.
She whispered the word very softly.
Computer.
Finally.
Game.
Every time she said those three words, her steps became lighter. Even though she didn't know what it really was, her heart strangely beat faster and faster.
In the past, when her heart raced, she was scared.
Would she die just like that? Every day, crying secretly.
But now it was different. Every time her heart beat, she felt strangely exhilarated.
She could feel more clearly than ever that she was alive.
Every time footsteps sounded, Abella hid her body between the corridor and the pillar. When distant candles moved, she held her breath and waited to pass by.
The hem of her light nightgown brushed her ankles. The marble floor under her bare feet was cold.
The management office next to the storage room.
As Abella grabbed the doorknob, a voice whispered right by her ear.
If you go back here, nothing will happen.
...Stop.
Your father will be disappointed. The lady-in-waiting chief and the head physician will worry about you.
No.
Tomorrow and the day after too. You are definitely nothing—
Abella flung the door open.
Haa...! Haa...!
Abella, who had closed the door, caught her breath from the hyperventilation. Now, it was too late.
The whispering voice disappeared. Only deep silence filled the narrow room.
Inside the management office, there was a desk, ledgers, medicine bottles, and records neatly arranged.
And in one corner of the room.
A gray box.
The computer...
Abella sat carefully in the chair. The chair creaked faintly.
At that sound, her heart sank once more. She glanced toward the door and noticed a paper on the desk.
The paper had simple instructions written on it. It must have been a manual made for the lady-in-waiting chief.
Power, list, calculation, record, game.
Abella's gaze stopped at the last word.
Following the manual's instructions, Abella turned on the device. A light appeared on the black screen, and unfamiliar characters lined up.
The black screen seemed to wait for input, with a small symbol blinking.
Enticed by the screen, Abella typed a command.
Because it was unfamiliar, she made mistakes several times. Her fingers didn't listen well.
Every time she erred, Abella hurriedly deleted and re-entered. Her heart kept rushing over even the smallest mistake.
Slowly, one letter at a time.
Finally, when she pressed the enter button, the screen changed.
TETRAS.
...I did it!
It was too loud, so Abella hurriedly covered her mouth. No one was behind her.
Good...
While Abella stroked her chest, a single block slowly fell from the center of the screen.
She pressed various buttons on the white board, and the block moved sideways.
When she pressed a certain button, the block's shape changed. No, it rotated.
Connecting a horizontal line made the blocks disappear, leaving only remnants.
Her eyes followed the blocks. Strength flooded her slender hand.
Her skill grew rapidly.
One horizontal line, then two. Next, three.
Finally, four.
Ring!
I did it. I finally did it.
With my own strength. Not anyone else's, mine.
Ah...
A strange sound leaked from deep inside her throat.
Her chest burned.
The emotion rising from her throat threatened to flow out through her eyes.
Her vision blurred. The blocks were hard to see.
Just blocks. So simple.
But why.
Why this much.
It's fun...
There had been countless failures there.
She aimed to break her record every time the game ended after raising the score.
She tried it over and over, dozens of times. Each time she failed, the screen coldly announced.
GAME OVER
But there was always next.
SCORE: 184920
Failed.
Broke the previous record.
SCORE: 462940
Again, try.
Failed.
Again, broke it.
SCORE: 771630
Broke it.
SCORE: 999990
Haa.... Haa.... Just one more line...
Broke it.
Please...!
SCORE: A30140
She surpassed her past self.
When Abella opened her eyes, the surroundings were bright.
Through the window, a blue sky was visible. Sunlight poured long into the management office, making the ledgers and medicine bottles on the desk sharp and clear.
Her body ached.
Her arms and neck hurt.
She didn't understand where she was for a while.
On the black screen in front of her, white letters were floating.
GAME OVER
Everything came rushing back.
She had been here all night, lying in front of the computer, and fallen asleep.
At that moment, a low voice came from behind.
Abella.
Her father.