CH 44

Looking gently at the dandelion spore-like hands which grabbed and held out a bouquet of fruits, like a flower bouquet, Carl bit his lips.

Since if he didn’t do that, it felt like something would overflow inside.

‘You little one.’

Younger Sister who was very weak– weak since she was born. A small figure that still made him wonder if she would ever become even half his size.

The one whom he had to protect. The one who was unlikely to survive alone in the North.

‘She told me to eat it, with those small hands.’

Worried that someone was not a squirrel, she held out an ugly acorn like thing, but….

At that moment, Carlitos felt a ripple in his chest just like a lake where a stone has been thrown in.

“…Thanks.”

He carefully received the bouquet of fruits from the squirrel’s hand, which held out once again, as if asking why he was not taking it.

Bright.

Then, the squirrel’s face brightened up quickly. Especially those white cheeks that were so soft that stood out and made him want to poke it.

“Chuu.”

“Yeah.”

“Chuuu?”

“Yes.”

“Chuu chuuut!”

Carl, who answered ‘Yeah, yes’ to the cute sound, came to his senses when he bumped into a small touch on his finger which was being tapped.

“Um?”

The small, long-tailed and tit-like black eyes were in its own way looking sharply at him with the outer corner of its eyes raised.

“Chuut chuut!”

“Ah.”

Shouting while pointing its tapping finger out, he could roughly understand what it meant.

Conscious of Younger Sister’s shooting pecking eyes, Carl let go of the soft cheeks that he was kneading in his hand.

‘Somehow it was soft.’

At the newborn foal-like touch, he looked down at his empty hands, but then it could be seen that Younger Sister’s cheeks, which were soft, were swollen discontentedly.

“Did it hurt?”

Shake. Shake.

He asked if, by any chance, he had unconsciously failed to control his power. A shake of denial from its head returned.

However, it seemed that there was still dissatisfaction in the strangely averted gaze.

“I won’t do it hurtly anymore.”

“….”

Despite the promise he quickly gave, distrustful eyes were still trained upon him.

‘Hmm.’

This kind of thing was also fascinating.

To think that she was a person who fully gave him ‘wits’.

If another bastard had eyes like that, he would have cut them simply, let alone try and read their mood. But—

“Since it’s fun.”

“Chuu?”

Strangely enough, he didn’t feel offended by this one at all.

‘Right. It was also like that at that time.’

Perhaps it was from the first time he saw her?

Whether they were surprised or not by blood, if it was another person, he wouldn’t have cared.

‘What should I say about her being surprised?’

On the battlefield, even when he saw an enemy in pain after cutting off its limbs, he never really thought much about it.

However, when he thinks of Younger Sister who was less than half of his height could get hurt like that…

Crack.

Even just imagining it, there was an unpleasant feeling that could not be understood. Unknowingly giving strength to his hand, the tree fruit which was solid in Carl’s hand became a fine powder.

“?!”

While looking at the squirrel which was looking up at him with a shocked face, Carl thought.

‘Why is she different?’

It was different from anyone else.

That little Young Sister was full of new things to him from beginning to the end.

It was always like that, even right now.

“Are you worried?”

“Chuchuut!”

‘What are you talking about!?’

She was trying to say that which squirrel in their right mind would be worried about a lion with a growling stomach and would even go as far to pick fruit for the lion?!

He didn’t even know she was worried about being eaten up.

Of course, inside Carl’s head, he was simply debating whether he was feeling touched or not.

‘To think that she did her utmost to get it and give it to me!’

From Beatty’s standpoint, she had worked hard picking and giving the tree fruit and it became powder in front of her eyes, she was only frustrated.

“Chuuchuuchu Chuup!”

‘Don’t carelessly play with food!’

Tang! Tang!

Beatty raised her tail fiercely and, tak tak, hit her front foot on the floor as a warning.

Grkk. Grkk. Grkk—

And then, with a sad look, she carefully raked together the powder.

“Chuu chuchu… chuuchu.”

‘This is delicious, though…. You’re such a bad kitty.’

Grumble. 

Beatty grumbled about the person who was in front of her with a pouting face.

“Hm.”

Of course, in Carl’s ear, who couldn’t understand the squirrel’s words, it was heard just as, chuuchuuchu, a tickling cry.

‘Turns out her crying is also exactly like that.’

It seems that he thought when he was at that age, he made, roooarr, a roar like that, though.

Even at the crying sound, Carl looked at his cute squirrel younger sister interestingly. And then,

‘That’s, well, is she taking it to give it to me again?’

He burst into laughter without realizing it himself.

“Pfft.”

After all, even if the fruit, which had become a powder, was of its original size, it would hardly be enough to eat.

One could see a squirrel, which was walking around the floor, boing boing, as it was collecting that which had become some kind of treasure.

Perhaps the squirrel doesn’t know that the fruit powder that she was picking up so preciously, had already flown away and settled on top of its tail.

Turn around. Turn around.

As he saw his squirrel younger sister, which was turning its head around with powder covering its tail, Carl burst into laughter, “Keke.”

“Chuu….?”

At the sound of laughter, the head with round black eyes raised to look at him.

As he pricked the black nose with the tip of his finger, like snow, Carl thought. A word, which he had never even once imagined that he would use, came to thought.

‘Lovely.’

A friendly voice that even Carl himself had only heard for the first time leaked out from his curved mouth.

“Beatty.”

Beatty turned her head to Older Brother, who after a long time called her name properly instead of a strange title like Tail Fur, and flinched in surprise.

“Tell me anytime.”

First of all, it was her first time to see those eyes, which always had a strange bloodthirst, folded prettily like that.

“Whatever you want, I’ll cut them all.”

“Chuu???”

Although contrary to that pretty smile, a bloody sentence suddenly popped out.

And, the touch which was gently stroking the surprised crying squirrel was soft.

Looking up reluctantly at the kind look of Older Brother, which didn’t suit him, Beatty thought.

‘Such a cruel request… he has never done so before though….’

She tilted her head, not knowing why he suddenly said such words.

Beatty didn’t know at this time, just what kind of sword she had in her hands.

***

The Duke’s Castle Garden, still before the sunset.

“My… Is your body alright now?”

“Ah.”

At the maid’s question, Beatty, who was staring blankly at the garden tree as she thought that she saw it often today, touched her stomach and nodded her head.

The chocolate that Older Brother gave her by the lake. 

It wasn’t normal chocolate.

‘To think it wasn’t just a snack, but rather highly-enriched emergency food.’

It is said that it was an ultra-high-calorie combat food that could make one withstand three days without food even if a general soldier was left alone.

Unlike Beatty’s hunger, which could be solved with small tree fruit, it was chocolate that was developed for Carl to quench his hunger in which he had to swallow a whole roast, perhaps because of his lion build.

‘I still feel bloated….’

Thanks to it, even though it was already around evening, Beatty was still full.

Well, although it was something she couldn’t eat anyway, it was okay.

‘They did say that a guest has come, right?’

Dinner was postponed due to the news of a sudden guest visit.

“Prepare to welcome the guest.”

“Yes, Master.”

“And, you…”

Father, who was steadily giving instructions, stopped talking when he saw Beatty standing at a distance.

“I’ll obediently stay in my room.”

“…Yeah.”

‘Yup. I’d quick-wittedly said it well.’

Thinking of that moment, Beatty nodded, saying that it was indeed the right behavior.

‘Since it’s possible that maybe he was concerned because it was a difficult position to show me.’

Understanding that Father stopped, as if he was thinking about something when he saw her, Beatty thought so.

Although now she didn’t believe it just like that by a mere outlook, the words that Aunt used to say that she was ‘the child who is hated by her father’, she still didn’t think that it was a complete lie at all.

‘Maybe the thing about him being embarrassed for letting me in the Duke’s Castle… is real.’

Before the regression, she had never even once been called to the Duke’s Castle, and even now, isn’t it that even though she’s working hard to appeal her worth as she begged to let her stay, he’s showing a lot of dislike towards her?

Even earlier, maybe it might be that he was thinking about where to move her so that she won’t be seen in the guest’s sight. Since, before coming to the Duke’s Castle, most people disliked seeing her.

‘Because Father ordered me not to be in their sight earlier and became reassured… Wouldn’t I have scored a few more points with this?’

She was thinking that she’d inwardly taken a step further to her Duke’s Castle extension accommodation ticket, however—

“Oh my.”

A voice that was not very welcome was heard.

“Niece, even if I didn’t meet you here, I was going to go find you, but well, it turns out good.”

It was Firina.

She approached with a sweet smile on her face.

Step.

Beatty stepped back and widened their distance every step she approached.

“Wha- what are you doing?”

“….”

“Oh, gosh. I brought you something which I did because I thought of you, but– What kind of attitude is that to Aunt who worries about you!?”

Beatty raised her guard even more at her words, who was showing off to the fullest.

‘Suspicious.’

To think that Aunt is being kind? And… she even has something to give me?

Considering her memory before the regression, it was clear that she was completely not a person like that.

“Tsk.”

Firina clicked her tongue and thought inside that she had become annoying.

‘She has to take the medicine soon, but why was her guard up seriously like this? Did she eat something wrong when she ran away?’

Looking at her niece, who turned strange, with annoyed eyes, Firina continued her words.

“Then just stay still there.”’

“?”

“Just in time, I have children to introduce to you.”

There was no good memory of Aunt’s so-called ‘introduction’.

She was contemplating just ignoring it and going back, but she heard the sound of something coming running.

“Huhu. Aren’t they really obedient and good kids?”

Smiling satisfactorily, next to the Firina, large-builded guard dogs were running quickly, panting with their tongues out.

“!”

At that moment, Beatty’s body hardened.