Today, just like any other day,
โDaudaudaudaudau!โ
Crawling at lightning speed, I zoomed around the room.
As usual, Dau was hopping happily around me.
โDa-u!โ
โAu!โ
Every morning and evening, Dau gets to go for a walk outside the mansion with the butler.
Iโm so jealous.
Lately, Dau doesnโt even poop or pee indoors anymore.
Apparently, Dau uses those actions to mark territory, so doing them unnecessarily indoors is a no-go.
Even though Dau canโt talk, seeing that smug face makes me feel like thatโs exactly what heโs trying to say.
While Dau is zooming around the room at high speed,
โLady Luria, youโre truly skilled at crawling,โ
the nanny says, watching me with gentle eyes.
I crawl over to the closed door and say,
โI want to go outside! Out!โ
โWoof!โ
Even though he already went for a walk this morning, Dau also seems eager to go outside again.
โOutside? Hmm.โ
The nanny looked a little troubled as she picked me up.
โOutside! Out!โ
โMy, Lady Luria, youโve started speaking so early.โ
โAm I early? Out!โ
โMy own child still only says things like โahโ or โuh.'โ
โI want to meet!โ
I want to meet the nannyโs child.
I need to apologize for taking the nannyโs milk and thank her.
The nanny is my benefactor, but her child is as well.
As I was thinking about such things,
โOh, Lady Luria, are you hungry?โ
โNoโฆโ
I was about to say no, but then I realized I was hungry.
Iโd been so absorbed in my high-speed crawling that I forgot about being hungry.
Still, the nanny noticed before I did.
Iโm so grateful.
โHere you go, Lady Luria.โ
โMunch, munch, munch.โ
I drank the nannyโs milk greedily.
After finishing, as I let out a burp, my sister came into the room.
โWoof woof!โ
Excitedly, Dau ran over.
โDau, youโre lively as always.โ
โWoof!โ
โYouโre so good, protecting Luria.โ
Dau wagged his tail happily at being praised by my sister.
Until recently, Dau used to jump on my sister too.
But about a month ago, he knocked her over while jumping, and since then, heโs stopped.
Thatโs how quickly Dau is growing.
Iโm so jealous. I want to grow as fast as Dau does.
โBig sister! Sis!โ
โLuria, youโre adorable as always.โ
My sister stroked me as the nanny held me.
โI want to go outside! Out!โ
I made sure to let my sister know too.
โOh? Do you want to go outside with your sister?โ
โWant to! Want to!โ
โMarion, may I take Luria outside?โ
Marion is the nannyโs name.
โSure. Iโll come along as well.โ
โThank you.โ
I was carried by my sister and taken out of the room.
โDa-u!โ
โLuria, where do you want to go?โ
โTo Father! Father!โ
โHmm? Where might that be? I canโt understand what youโre saying, Luria.โ
I think Iโm doing pretty well for eight months old, but conversation is still tough.
โTo Father! To Fa!โ
โDo you mean to see Master?โ
The nanny understood what I was trying to say.
I was so happy.
โExactly! Yes!โ
โI see. Father is working, thoughโฆ if he has guests, we canโt disturb him, alright?โ
โGot it! Guests!โ
Afterward, I was carried by my sister to Fatherโs office.
When my sister knocked on the door and explained the reason for our visit, Father quickly let us in.
โOh, Lydia, youโre taking care of Luria, are you? Thank you,โ
Father praised my sister with a kind smile.
โLuria said she wanted to see you, so I brought her here!โ
โI see. Luria, youโre as adorable as ever.โ
โFather, hug me!โ
Father picked me up.
โKyah kyah!โ
He rocked me for a while, soothing me, and I was satisfied.
โDau, thank you for always protecting Luria.โ
โWoof.โ
Father patted Dau on the head, and Dau wagged his tail vigorously.
After leaving Fatherโs office, the nanny carried me as we strolled around the mansion.
My sister, being a child herself, couldnโt carry me for long.
โLetโs go that way!โ
โOh, you want to go there? Thatโs just the kitchenโฆโ
I definitely wanted to see the kitchen.
If I grow up and find myself starving, Iโll need to know where to sneak in and grab food.
In my past life, I was always hungry.
Knowing where the food is gives me peace of mind.
โLetโs see it! See it!โ
โWoof woof!โ
Dau also seemed interested in the kitchen.
Itโs no surprise, given Dauโs love for food.
โAlright, but we mustnโt be a bother. Can you manage that?โ
โOf course, I can do it!โ
โWoof!โ
In the kitchen, which my sister led me to, the cooks were taking a leisurely break.
They had finished cleaning up after lunch and still had time before starting dinner preparations.
โMy apologies, Lady Luria, but we canโt allow a dog in here.โ
โOh, youโre right. I didnโt think of that. Dau, wait here, okay?โ
โโฆWhineโฆโ
โWait here, wait here!โ
โWhimperโฆโ
Leaving the sad, whining Dau outside, I was allowed to peek into the kitchen.
โThis is where we prepare everyoneโs meals. The food supplies areโฆโ
The head chef kindly gave me a tour.
โThank you, thank you!โ
โItโs an honor, my lady.โ
When I thanked him, the head chef gave me a deep bow.
Afterward, the nanny carried me as my sister showed me around the mansion.
It appeared to be a square-shaped building with a large central courtyard.
โHaah!โ
In the courtyard, my older brother, Gilberto, was practicing swordsmanship.
โI want to watch!โ
โYou want to watch Brother practice? You mustnโt interrupt him, okay?โ
Without entering the courtyard, I watched my brotherโs training.
โHuff huff!โ
I wanted to train too.
Thereโs no harm in building strength.
If anyone ever tried to put a slave collar on me, I might be able to resist if I were strong enough.
โSwing, swing!โ
I mimicked my brother, waving my arms wildly.
โLuria, whatโs the matter? Do you want to learn swordsmanship too?โ
โI do! I do!โ
โBut girls donโt practice swordsmanship. Even I didnโt learn it.โ
โThat doesnโt matter!โ
Girl or not, having strength and stamina is undoubtedly better.
As I resolved to build up my strength,
โWoof woof!โ
Dau, watching my brotherโs practice, also seemed excited.
โDau, letโs train together someday!โ
โWoof!โ
I decided that once I grew up, Iโd train with Dau.
Afterward, my sister took me to the library.
โWow!โ
โThere are so many books, arenโt there?โ
โYes, lots!โ
โIโll read you a picture book next time, okay?โ
โThank you, thank you!โ
Studying is essential.
Knowledge is key to survival.
โDo you have books about goats? Goats?โ
โGoats? Hmm, I wonder if there are any.โ
If there werenโt any books about goats, Iโd ask Father to get one.
Thatโs what I decided.