The Reincarnated Young Girl Is Adored by the Spirits She Helped in Her Previous Life :
Sara, Darw, and I decided to head to the dining hall.
Before leaving her room, Sara adjusted the blanket over the wooden doll lying on her bed.
We brought Darw along because itโs hard to carry food.
Since Darw is big, naturally, he eats a lot.
Looking out the hallway window, I saw the rain was coming down even harder.
โRainโฆ I wonder if the goats and birds will be okay?โ
Sara gazed worriedly at the rain clouds.
โIโm sure theyโll be fine. Their fur and feathers repel water.โ
โYeah, youโre right.โ
When we arrived at the dining hall, Mother and the maid were already waiting for us.
Sitting across from Mother, Sara and I sat side by side and said, โItadakimasu.โ
โTodayโs breakfast is croissants!โ
โCroissants?โ
โTheyโre crescent-shaped bread! Super tasty.โ
There were croissants, fried eggs, sausages, and more.
It was a simpler and less labor-intensive menu compared to our usual breakfast.
Since there was no chef at the current lakeside villa, and only one maid to serve, this was only natural.
โDelicious! Right, Sara?โ
โYummy! I love croissants!โ
Since we were hungry, the food tasted especially good.
After all, weโd rescued Loa in the middle of the night and sneaked into the kitchen early in the morning.
โSo good, so good!โ
โLuria.โ
I suddenly noticed Mother staring intently at me.
It was then that I realized she hadnโt taken a single bite of her breakfast.
โHuh? Mother, whatโs wrong?โ
โWhere are Carro and Koruko?โ
โTheyโre napping.โ
โWithout eating?โ
Carro and Koruko always looked forward to meals, so she mustโve found it odd.
โYeah. Thatโs why Iโll bring their food later.โ
Mother kept staring at me. Was she suspicious of something?
No, that wasnโt it.
At dinner yesterday, she had reminded me not to drop food on the floor.
Without Carro and Koruko to eat what fell, it mustโve been on her mind.
โโฆI really shouldnโt drop food on the floor,โ I said, and with that, Mother started eating.
It seemed she was more concerned about whether I was eating properly than anything else.
If she wasnโt suspicious, it was time to execute my plan to show how cute dragons are.
โMother, what kind of animals do you like?โ
โWhy do you ask so suddenly?โ
โNo reason, just curious.โ
If I could make Mother think having a dragon was a good idea, my plan would succeed.
โHmm, I like dogs and cats. What about you, Sara?โ
โI like dogs and cats too! Oh, and prairie dogs and chickens!โ
โYes, Carro and Koruko are adorable too.โ
โYeah. Hehe, hehe.โ
Sara smiled happily, and I used a napkin to wipe the jam from her mouth.
โโฆAnd you, Luria? What other creatures do you like besides Darw and the others?โ
โBesides Darw and the others, huhโฆโ
โYes. Excluding the birds in the aviary like the owls and hawks, and the goats from yesterday.โ
โHmm, thatโs toughโฆโ
โโฆMaybe you like really big insects?โ
Mother stared directly into my eyes.
โI donโt particularly like insects,โ I replied.
โI see. โฆThen perhaps snakes?โ
โI donโt really like snakes either.โ
At that, Mother looked somewhat relieved.
I didnโt know why, but now that she seemed at ease, it was the perfect time to start promoting how cute dragons are.
โOther than Darw and the others, I like dragons!โ
โHuh? Dragons?โ
Mother seemed startled.
โRight, Sara? You like dragons too, donโt you?โ
โYeah! I like dragons. Hehe, theyโre so cute.โ
โDragons are greatโthey flap their wings adorably, and their tails are cute too.โ
โโฆโ
Even though I was trying to talk about how cute dragons are, Mother silently stared at me.
โโฆNo way.โ
Suddenly, Mother stood up, leaving her meal unfinished, and started walking toward the dining hall exit.
โMadam?โ
โIโm going to Luriaโs room. Surely youโre not hiding a dragon in there, are you?โ
โWhat?!โ
โEeek!โ
โWaf!โ
Sara, Darw, and I cried out in shock at the same time.
Sara and Darwโs tails stiffened.
โM-Mother, wh-what are you talking about all of a sudden?โ
I was so shocked that I couldnโt get the words out properly.
โLeave the food as it is. Donโt clean up yet,โ Mother said to the maid before quickly walking toward my room.
Sara, Darw, and I hurriedly followed after her.
โMother? Letโs eat breakfast, okay?โ
โLuria. You went into the kitchen, didnโt you?โ
โEh? Uhโฆโ
โLuckily, since food deliveries are handled outside, it wasnโt a major problem.โ
Apparently, the staff from the main estate deliver supplies to the front of the villa and leave without entering. Itโs the attendants quarantined with us who bring the supplies into the villa.
โLuria, I told you not to go into restricted areas, didnโt I?โ
โIโm sorry.โ
I had no choice but to apologize.
This time, nothing serious happened, but if the staff from the main estate had come inside, they would have been quarantined with us.
And if they had left without realizing, it couldโve turned into a disaster.
Maybe they avoided entering the villa just in case I might do something reckless.
โYouโve done something very unacceptable. Prepare yourself for punishment later.โ
โOkay.โ
โUm, itโs not Luriaโs fault! Itโs Saraโs fault!โ
โWuff wuff!โ
Sara and Darw tried to defend me.
Darw lay on his back right in front of Mother, showing his belly and almost getting stepped on. Mother stopped just short of him and looked at me.
โIs that true, Luria?โ
โNo. Sara and Darw didnโt do anything wrong. Itโs my fault.โ
โSara and Darw only helped, didnโt they?โ
It seemed she had also noticed that they had stalled her earlier.
Mother stepped around Darw and continued walking.
โN-no, itโs because Sara was hungryโฆโ
โWuff wuff!โ
โDid Sara eat raw eggs, bread, sausages, and nuts?โ
โEh?โ
โEek?โ
โWuff!โ
She even knew what kinds of food we had taken from the kitchen.
โAll the supplies are accounted for down to the last item. Didnโt you know that?โ
โโฆI-I didnโt know.โ
โWhile bread, sausages, and nuts are one thing, neither you nor Sara would eat four raw eggs, would you?โ
โUmโฆโ
I was about to say Darw would eat them but stopped, realizing it would sound like I was blaming him.
Even if it was to hide Loa, I couldnโt do something so wrong.
โI thought it might be a large carnivorous insect-type monster or a snake.โ
Those creatures would certainly eat raw eggs.
โBut it turned out to be a dragonโฆโ
โโฆโ
We were nearing the door to my room.
I caught a glimpse of Kuro peeking his upper body out from behind the door before hastily retreating back inside.
โMother is here! Hurry and hide!โ
From inside the room, I could hear the sounds of Kuro, Carro, and Koruko scrambling in a panic.
With my heightened hearing ability, I could make it out, but Mother likely didnโt hear anything.
โLuria, you promised me, didnโt you? You said youโd always tell me if you brought something home.โ
โโฆIโm sorry.โ
When we reached the door, Mother immediately opened it.