As I entered Sara’s room, I was hit by the musty smell of mold.
Even though it was midday, almost no sunlight streamed in, leaving the room dim and shadowy.
There was a window, but it faced north, and a large tree outside blocked most of the light.
In that dim room, there was a bed.
The bed’s sheets were yellowed and looked damp. The moldy smell likely originated from it.
Sara was hiding on the far side of the musty bed, out of sight from the doorway.
She was sitting flat on the floor, muttering faintly in a soft voice,
“…――…――…”
It seemed she hadn’t noticed me.
What is she saying?
Curious, I moved closer, making sure not to make a sound.
“…――…”
Sara was whispering while clutching something in her arms—a stick wrapped in a rag, as if it were precious.
It was just a stick.
Though, the branches slightly sticking out on both sides resembled arms.
It was merely a stick with cloth wrapped around it, yet this was Sara’s “doll.”
Could it be that the young daughter of a noble family doesn’t even own a proper doll?
“…Sara, you’re so sweet. Such a good girl.”
Sara murmured softly.
These were likely the treasured words her mother Marion had once told her, words that made her happy.
“…Because Sara is Mommy’s treasure. You’re such a good girl.”
She was repeating those words—words she had once cherished—toward the doll she had created to resemble herself.
I felt tears welling up.
“Sara,” I called softly.
“Ah!”
Startled, Sara jolted and hastily hid her stick doll under her skirt.
She trembled, clutching her tail between her legs.
I couldn’t bear to see her like that.
I wrapped her in my arms.
She was so thin and small, it seemed as though she hadn’t even been fed properly.
“…It’s okay. Leave it to me,” I whispered.
“L-Luria-sama?”
“Sara is like a little sister to me. That makes me your big sister.”
“Big… sister?”
“Exactly. I grew up on your mother Marion’s milk, after all.”
I hugged her tightly, repeating, “It’s okay.”
It seemed the baron didn’t care for Sara.
I wasn’t sure why.
He had once said, “Sara isn’t someone fit to meet Her Highness.”
At first, I thought it was because she lacked proper manners, but something about the way he said it felt off.
It sounded almost as if he were implying Sara was of low birth.
As I held Sara, her trembling slowly subsided.
“Sara, why don’t you come live with us?”
“…But…”
“Marion’s illness will surely get better. When it does, you can live together again.”
“…But…”
“But what?”
“Because Sara is… a beastkin… I can’t.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because… I’m a beastkin… and that makes me lowly…”
With a pained expression, Sara gripped her dog-like ears tightly.
So, that’s what she had been told all her life.
That explained the baron’s words as well—“not fit to meet Her Highness.”
I felt a surge of anger toward the baron.
“You’re not lowly. Sara, you’re not.”
“But…”
“No buts. You’re Marion’s treasure.”
Tears welled up in Sara’s eyes.
“Sara, you’re sweet, a good girl, and my little sister.”
“Ah… ah… ahhh…”
Sara burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Sara is my little sister, and I’m your big sister. You’re sweet, and you’re a good girl.”
I held Sara close, speaking softly until she calmed down.
Even Carro popped out of my pocket and gently patted Sara’s head.
“…A squirrel?”
Sara tilted her head, looking at Carro .
“This is Carro , my prairie dog.”
“He’s so cute.”
For the first time, Sara smiled.
(Carro , well done!)
I silently praised Carro with my eyes.
“Kyuu!”
Carro struck a triumphant pose.
First, I’d ask Mother to take care of Sara later. But for now, Marion’s illness needed to be treated.
If Marion recovered, Sara could be happy and no longer feel lonely.
Once Marion was well, even that foolish baron could be dealt with.
“Now then, Sara.”
“Yes, Luria-sama?”
Sara was stroking Carro , who sat on her shoulder.
I thought about telling her to drop the “-sama,” but if she got scolded for bad manners, it might cause problems, so I decided to wait.
“…Carro , scout for us.”
“Kyuu!”
Carro dashed on all fours to the open door and peeked outside, checking on the servants.
“Sara, come here.”
“Okay.”
I led her to the window and spoke in a low voice.
“Stay quiet, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Do you know where Marion—your mother—is?”
“Umm… over there.”
Sara pointed beyond the tree outside the window.
The building she indicated was about seventy adult strides from the window.
That meant it was roughly fifty melts away.
Incidentally, my brother had taught me about melt as a unit of length.
“That building?”
“Yes. But Sara isn’t allowed inside.”
“Because it’s contagious, huh…”
I muttered while thinking about how to approach Marion’s building.
Thanks to my swordsmanship training, I could run faster than most five-year-olds.
But getting caught would be bad.
Especially if the grand duke’s servants caught me—it’d be over.
The servants were exceptionally fast since they served as guards.
I’d be captured and brought back before taking ten steps.
“Ugh… hmm?”
As I debated making a run for it, I noticed something odd.
“Wait… could that be… a miasma?”
“Miasma? Luria-sama, what’s a miasma?”
“That building… doesn’t it look like it’s shrouded in a faint black mist?”
“I don’t see anything like that.”
If Sara couldn’t see it, it might be magical energy.
“No way…”
Looking more closely, the mist slightly resembled the cursed energy that had nearly killed my mother shortly after I was born.
But if it were cursed energy, shouldn’t the guardian beasts have noticed and warned me?
“No time to hesitate. Let’s go.”
I opened the window. It was the type you pushed upward.
It was heavy and stiff, but with my sword training, I managed to push it open.
“Whoa!”
“……”
As I opened it, I saw someone lying low beneath the window—a servant named Da-u.
