“Wahaha! I lost. I lost to this cute little one!”
“Whoa!”
The head of the household's booming laughter echoed through the room, breaking the brief silence.
With that, the meeting hall regained its light-hearted atmosphere.
“Indeed. There's nothing better than Driblyane. Such a wise answer! You are better than me!”
The head of the household ruffled my fur and tickled my belly. I flipped over, almost losing my mind.
I hate this! I think I should hate this! But I like it!
'This is dangerous!'
My human rationality was about to fly away.
Panting, I hugged my precious pink belly tightly.
The head of the household seemed to understand my signal to stop and withdrew his hand with a 'tsk' sound.
“You will have your own private room immediately. Here, on the second floor of this mansion. You may choose any room you like.”
“!”
“You are still young, so I will assign a maid and a nanny to you. Let’s see, how old are you?”
“I-I don’t know.”
I shook my head in response to the head of the household’s question. I wouldn’t know until I tried humanization.
The documents submitted when I was brought in as a maid couldn’t be trusted either since age can easily be falsified.
“Hm. At most, you’re ten years old. Perhaps even younger.”
It would be easy to know if I could humanize, but unfortunately, I couldn’t feel the 'Equilis' that other beastfolk used naturally to transform.
“I look forward to seeing your human form. I will find a way.”
The warmth in his dark eyes was directed at me. In those eyes, I felt a sense of belonging that was just beginning to form.
“As long as you support Driblyane, Driblyane will protect you. Never forget that.”
“Yes!”
The head of the household extended his hand with a warm smile.
Feeling that he wanted me to shake it, I gingerly extended my paw, and he shook it with a playful expression.
“Welcome to Driblyane, little one.”
“......!”
My heart warmed up. I wiped away the tears that started to form.
It was time for me to leave.
'But... this isn't over yet.'
I scurried over to the map spread out on the table and gently tapped a region with my hind leg.
“What else is there?”
One of the retainers looked at me kindly and asked.
I nodded shyly.
They all looked at me expectantly, perhaps hoping for information that would lead to a fortune or to trouble the imperial family.
Unfortunately, this time, it wasn’t such lucrative information. However, it was invaluable—military information that some would trade a fortune for.
“Soon, this area will be ambushed.”
A hush fell over the room.
“Next, here, there, and here.”
Why do I know this so well?
'Because in the original story, there were scenes where knights from the Holy Empire who liked Raine boasted about it.'
That's why I remember it.
I just had to recall the part where the Holy Empire scored a great victory through a despicable ambush and inform them.
Rafiren marked the spots I indicated with pins.
Seeing the serious expression on the head of the household’s face, I cautiously stepped back from the map.
Does he not believe me?
“Rafiren.”
“Yes, head of the household.”
“Inform them immediately. Be careful not to let this information be intercepted.”
“At your command.”
Rafiren left the meeting room without asking another question.
One of the retainers, who was watching this, tilted his head and asked a question.
“Excuse me? Head of the household, do you really believe this? It’s a bit much to think a child knows about the frontlines...”
“This child also knows when spring will come. If this information is accurate, it will save our soldiers' lives. Even if it’s false, it will create confusion for the Holy Empire.”
“Ah...!”
“When the Holy Empire had their saint, they were arrogant. This child could be a great blessing for us.”
“......”
“Perhaps... just as Kiraxis said, she might truly be the saint of the Magic Empire. Who knows where she was found?”
Ah, I could see an additional layer of trust and curiosity in the head of the household's eyes!
But this was still unproven, so I just smiled politely.
“Now, go and choose your room.”
“Yes!”
I hoped that many people would be saved by the information I provided.
With that wish in mind, I hopped back into the basket.
'But... what information will I sell next time the head of the household calls for me?'
* * *
I chose a large, sunny room for my bedroom.
There were several similar rooms, but I particularly wanted this one because I loved the custard pudding-colored wallpaper.
‘And the bed in this room was bigger than the others!’
With my small marten body, I could roll from one end to the other for dozens of times on that vast bed!
“Yum.”
Happy times seemed to pass so leisurely.
It was now afternoon snack time. It was a precious moment that I looked forward to all day.
“So sweet!”
Nina fed me chocolate pudding with a tiny silver spoon.
I accepted each spoonful, and every time the rich chocolate touched my tongue, my tail tingled. The sweetness was so delightful that the first time I tasted it, my tail quivered all the way to the tip.
“Can I feed her one bite too?”
“Nina, please let me try just once.”
“Damn it... There must have been some manipulation in the lottery! How is it that Nina is the one feeding her snacks today too?”
The three people gathered around me were a maid, a nanny, and a bodyguard.
My personal maid, Linda, was a lynx beastfolk and had just turned twenty. She was lively and gave me energy just by watching her. She was in charge of my baths and outfits.
‘Not that I have any clothes to wear, though.’
My nanny was a caracal beastfolk in her fifties, named Evangeline. She was chubby and round, with a warm personality. She handled my meals, snacks, and overall care.
Finally, my bodyguard, John, was a bear beastfolk.
A grizzly bear, to be precise.
He was so huge that when I first saw him, I thought he was a monster from a legend.
“Can’t you see the young lady is eating? Kindly move your cute butts away.”
Oh, Nina told them to buzz off.
Kiraxis' magic still worked, making it hilarious whenever Nina cursed.
'Speaking of which, Kiraxis seems very busy since he inherited the position of the young master.'
Leaning back against a fluffy feather cushion, I glanced at the light orb floating in the air.
That fist-sized glowing thing was actually a golem, likely handcrafted by Kiraxis.
The day I chose this bedroom, Kiraxis showed up only at night.
“I picked it up on the way.”
Then he threw it at me unceremoniously.
“I made it because I thought you’d want to greet me in the morning and evening.”
What confidence...
I was bewildered, but he seemed very confident.
And soon, I understood the golem's purpose.
“If you tap its head twice, the baby language translator will activate. It will translate whatever you roughly say.”
“Wow...!”
I had trouble when I had to say long sentences, but how did he know...!
Though flustered, I named the golem, which was now mine. I called it 'Pom Pom.'
‘Giving me this probably means he’s willing to forget my past as a spy and let me live.’
Moreover, Pom Pom had another use.
As a protective device.
The daughter-in-law of Driblyane is precious, isn’t she? If I ever get kidnapped, I’ll scream into it!
Then Kiraxis will come running, if only because it’s noisy.
