I held Kuro tightly for a while.
Even though it shouldnโt have been warm, it felt warm.
As I gently stroked Kuro, I asked,
โWhy did Loa die?โ
โโฆโฆโ
Kuro stopped purring and fell silent.
โKuro?โ
โSorry, I canโt say. I think thatโs what Lord Loa would want.โ
โWhy not?โ
โI canโt even tell you the reasonโฆ Iโm sorry.โ
Kuro drooped his tail sadly, looking dejected.
โI see.โ
โIโm really sorry.โ
Kuro apologized repeatedly.
โYou donโt have to apologize. If thatโs what Loa wanted, then itโs fine.โ
I want to know what happened to Loa in the end.
But if Loa didnโt want anyone to know, itโs better not to.
Iโll endure it.
As I lay on the bed, holding Kuro and surrounded by Daru, Kyaro, and Koruko,
โLady Luria~โ โPet us~โ โThatโs unfair, only Kuro gets attention~โ
the fluffy spirits started to gather around me.
โWhoa! Itโs the usual spirits! You can talk now?โ
They were the familiar spirits I often saw.
Iโd even played โspirit tossโ with Daru before.
But during that time, the spirits hadnโt said a single word.
โWe can talk~โ โKuro told us not to~โ โPet us~โ
I stroked the fluffy spirits.
โThatโs not it. I didnโt forbid you from talking out of malice.โ
โI donโt think it was meanโฆ but why not?โ
โHuman children, when they talk with spirits, tend to pick up words slower, and their speech gets weird.โ
โI donโt think thatโs true, though?โ
โโฆMaybe not.โ
โWill you all talk to me from now on?โ
โWe want to talk, we do~ But we still think we should hold back a little longer.โ
โHmm.โ
โWhy, why not~?โ โWe want to chat with Lady Luria!โ โToss us~!โ
I grabbed one of the fluffy spirits and tossed it up.
โYay!โ
โWoohoo!โ
Daru ran to catch the spirit in his mouth and brought it back.
โThrow us again~โ
โAlright!โ
โYay!โ
As Daru and I started playing spirit toss, Kuro spoke, looking troubled.
โItโs really not goodโฆ at least until youโre about ten years old.โ
โIs that so?โ
โItโll mess up your speech habits, and more importantlyโฆโ
At that moment, I noticed my sister Lydia standing by the open door.
Sometimes, I end up napping without closing the door.
It canโt be helpedโIโm just a child, after all.
It seemed my sister had brought me a snack.
โLuria, who were you talking to just now?โ
โHuh? Ummโฆโ
I let go of Kuro, whom Iโd been holding.
Even though I knew she couldnโt see him, I acted instinctively.
โWhoa!โ โRun away~!โ
The spirits exclaimed and moved around the room joyfully, like little children.
Meanwhile, Kuro stretched on the bed, raising his rear and extending his front legs.
His twin tails and his un-catlike wings looked so cool.
โLady Luria, you shouldnโt say you were talking to spirits! People will think youโre strange!โ
After finishing his stretch, Kuro said this urgently.
โR-right.โ
โLuria? Is someone there?โ
โN-no, there isnโt!โ
โโIsnโtโ?โ
My sister tilted her head, puzzled.
Just that simple action made her look adorable.
โUm, uhโฆโ
โWhen humans hear that a child is talking to something they canโt see, it scares them. You shouldnโt mention seeing things like that.โ
โY-youโre right.โ
โThatโs why we didnโt talk to you until now.โ
โI-I see?โ
It made so much sense.
As a child, itโs hard to grasp that others canโt see the spirits.
Iโd probably end up talking to the spirits in front of other people.
And if someone else came by, even if the spirits hid out of consideration, Iโd call out for them to come back.
โSo thatโs why.โ
โLuria?โ
โNo oneโs here! I donโt see anything!โ
Kuro was right.
If I claimed to see spirits, given my red hair as a royal, someone might connect it to my past life.
And if word got out that I talked with spirits, it could cause a huge commotion.
Father would probably protect me, but there are many servants in the mansion.
If, by any chance, the Church of the One True God heard about it, itโd be terrible. They might even abduct me.
At least, in my past life, Iโd heard that the Church had the power to abduct even a royal princess or noble daughter.
โUm, Sister! I was talking to Daru!โ
โWoof?โ
I quickly made up a story. I thought it was a clever and quick response.
Daru also tilted his head with a smart expression, matching my story.
Surely, my sister believed I was just talking to Daru.
โโIsnโt,โ huh? Well, alright. I almost thought you were talking to something invisible.โ
โThereโs no such thing as invisible things. I canโt see anything like that.โ
โRight.โ
Relieved, my sister entered the room.
It seemed I had managed to fool her.
Kuro also relaxed, saying, โPhew, that was close.โ
โReally, Luria, donโt scare me like that.โ
โSorry.โ
โLetโs eat snacks together, okay?โ
โYay!โ
โUm, Luriaโฆโ
โWhat is it?โ
โMaybeโฆ you should stop saying โisnโtโ like that.โ
โHuh?โ โHuh?โ
My sister, with a slightly troubled expression, murmured softly.