As I entered Saraโs 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 bedโs 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,
โโฆโโโฆโโโฆโ
It seemed she hadnโt noticed me.
What is she saying?
Curious, I moved closer, making sure not to make a sound.
โโฆโโโฆโ
Sara was whispering while clutching something in her armsโa 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 Saraโs โdoll.โ
Could it be that the young daughter of a noble family doesnโt even own a proper doll?
โโฆSara, youโre so sweet. Such a good girl.โ
Sara murmured softly.
These were likely the treasured words her mother Marion had once told her, words that made her happy.
โโฆBecause Sara is Mommyโs treasure. Youโre such a good girl.โ
She was repeating those wordsโwords she had once cherishedโtoward the doll she had created to resemble herself.
I felt tears welling up.
โSara,โ I called softly.
โAh!โ
Startled, Sara jolted and hastily hid her stick doll under her skirt.
She trembled, clutching her tail between her legs.
I couldnโt bear to see her like that.
I wrapped her in my arms.
She was so thin and small, it seemed as though she hadnโt even been fed properly.
โโฆItโs okay. Leave it to me,โ I whispered.
โL-Luria-sama?โ
โSara is like a little sister to me. That makes me your big sister.โ
โBigโฆ sister?โ
โExactly. I grew up on your mother Marionโs milk, after all.โ
I hugged her tightly, repeating, โItโs okay.โ
It seemed the baron didnโt care for Sara.
I wasnโt sure why.
He had once said, โSara isnโt someone fit to meet Her Highness.โ
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.
โSara, why donโt you come live with us?โ
โโฆButโฆโ
โMarionโs illness will surely get better. When it does, you can live together again.โ
โโฆButโฆโ
โBut what?โ
โBecause Sara isโฆ a beastkinโฆ I canโt.โ
โWhy do you think that?โ
โBecauseโฆ Iโm a beastkinโฆ and that makes me lowlyโฆโ
With a pained expression, Sara gripped her dog-like ears tightly.
So, thatโs what she had been told all her life.
That explained the baronโs words as wellโโnot fit to meet Her Highness.โ
I felt a surge of anger toward the baron.
โYouโre not lowly. Sara, youโre not.โ
โButโฆโ
โNo buts. Youโre Marionโs treasure.โ
Tears welled up in Saraโs eyes.
โSara, youโre sweet, a good girl, and my little sister.โ
โAhโฆ ahโฆ ahhhโฆโ
Sara burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.
โSara is my little sister, and Iโm your big sister. Youโre sweet, and youโre a good girl.โ
I held Sara close, speaking softly until she calmed down.
Even Carro popped out of my pocket and gently patted Saraโs head.
โโฆA squirrel?โ
Sara tilted her head, looking at Carro .
โThis is Carro , my prairie dog.โ
โHeโs so cute.โ
For the first time, Sara smiled.
(Carro , well done!)
I silently praised Carro with my eyes.
โKyuu!โ
Carro struck a triumphant pose.
First, Iโd ask Mother to take care of Sara later. But for now, Marionโs 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.
โNow then, Sara.โ
โYes, Luria-sama?โ
Sara was stroking Carro , who sat on her shoulder.
I thought about telling her to drop the โ-sama,โ but if she got scolded for bad manners, it might cause problems, so I decided to wait.
โโฆCarro , scout for us.โ
โKyuu!โ
Carro dashed on all fours to the open door and peeked outside, checking on the servants.
โSara, come here.โ
โOkay.โ
I led her to the window and spoke in a low voice.
โStay quiet, okay?โ
โOkay.โ
โDo you know where Marionโyour motherโis?โ
โUmmโฆ over there.โ
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.
โThat building?โ
โYes. But Sara isnโt allowed inside.โ
โBecause itโs contagious, huhโฆโ
I muttered while thinking about how to approach Marionโs 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 dukeโs servants caught meโitโd be over.
The servants were exceptionally fast since they served as guards.
Iโd be captured and brought back before taking ten steps.
โUghโฆ hmm?โ
As I debated making a run for it, I noticed something odd.
โWaitโฆ could that beโฆ a miasma?โ
โMiasma? Luria-sama, whatโs a miasma?โ
โThat buildingโฆ doesnโt it look like itโs shrouded in a faint black mist?โ
โI donโt see anything like that.โ
If Sara couldnโt see it, it might be magical energy.
โNo wayโฆโ
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, shouldnโt the guardian beasts have noticed and warned me?
โNo time to hesitate. Letโs go.โ
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.
โWhoa!โ
โโฆโฆโ
As I opened it, I saw someone lying low beneath the windowโa servant named Da-u.