‘A new carriage is the best.’

Unlike the previous carriage, which was narrow and unstable, the new carriage was big and comfortable enough to change clothes inside.

Compared to the previous carriage, which was pulled by one horse, this carriage was pulled by six horses. It was a luxurious carriage that had the Valfruga crest adorned with jewels on its imposing body.

‘I’m glad I didn’t stop the butler when he suggested that I buy a carriage at first.’

Before receiving the formal invitation from Count Rothrun after sending a request, Treon pondered for a long while before asking if he could be given a week.

The carriage that we were using was too shabby and didn’t fit the status of the Valfruga, so he suggested we buy a new one.

Until the very end, Treon was opposed to me directly heading to Count Rothrun.

‘It would be quite difficult for madam to go there by yourself.’

‘Why?’

‘Madam’s status is……’

‘What’s wrong with my status?’

‘The Count of Rothrun has a long history, and the countess says they won’t even entertain with non-orthodox aristocrats. They won’t even converse with newly titled nobles…’

‘The history of Valfruga is longer.’

‘That…’

Treon stopped his words, but I seemed to understand what he was trying to say.

I must have been a commoner orphan with no roots.

…Is that why Treon bought such a fancy carriage?

He didn’t want me to be ignored?

‘You’ll find out when you get there.’

Rather than worry about it in advance, it was better to think about something else.

The exterior was great, and the carriage ride was also comfortable.

‘It’s fine since I get less motion sickness. Yeah, it’s a good thing I spent money on this. It’s truly the best!’

I was prepared to faint for a few days, but when I rode this carriage, my motion sickness was reduced by half.

“Sister, what are you thinking about?”

Luc, who sat next to me, asked.

Luc also came along on this trip.

It took a week to go, and a week to return.

When he heard that he would not see me for at least two weeks, Luc insisted on coming along with a face that seemed to cry at any moment.

‘Well, just think of it as a trip together. Even Luc said that he had never been outside of the duchy.’

People say that travelling is good for a child’s emotional development.

“I was thinking that the new carriage is good. But Luc, isn’t it uncomfortable sitting next to me? The seat in front is wider.”

“I want to be with my sister.”

Luc hugged me around the waist and looked up at me.

“Do you feel uncomfortable……?”

When I shook my head vigorously, Luc hugged me tighter.

I didn’t get motion sickness, and I didn’t have anything to play with like a cell phone, so I tickled Blackie sitting on my lap with my finger.

[M, Master. It tickles.]

Blackie appealed to me in an emotionless voice, as if it was an artificial intelligence talking.

Unlike his voice, the way he trembled with his short legs showed that it was really ticklish.

Luc looked closely at Blackie and spoke.

“Sister seems to really like that lizard.”

Come to think of it, Luc doesn’t even know that Blackie is a divine beast.

Because only another divine beast can recognise its kind.

When I was in the mansion, Blackie stayed in my room most of the time, and since I was busy with the hair loss medicine these days, Luc was unable to officially meet him.  

Luc seemed very interested in Blackie.

“Is it interesting?”

“……Yes.”

After all, Luc was at the age where most are interested in pets.

“Do you want to touch it?”

“Can I?”

“Well……”

I pondered for a moment.

[Master……]

Blackie called me mournfully.

Luc looked at me with sparkling eyes.

“Sure! Since it’s Luc, I’ll let you touch it specially!”

I’m sorry, Blackie.

But my child wants to hold you.

Our Blackie is a dignified and matured divine beast, right?

When I handed Blackie to Luc, Blackie limped and completely gave up.

Luc stroked Blackie’s head violently with his hand.

“Um, Luc. If you do that, it’ll hurt Blackie.”

“It hurts?”

“Of course. Blackie is also a living being. It’ll be painful, so you have to stroke him gently like this.”

I overlapped my hand with Luc and stroked Blackie’s head carefully.

“How is it?”

“…It feels weird. Cold, hard.”

He looked down with a strange face that felt truly indescribable.

Seeing that expression on Luc for the first made me laugh for some reason.

“Sister.”

“Yes?”

“…I’m still cuter than the lizard, right?”

Luc looked up at me with Blackie in his hand.

His dry lips showed that Luc was nervous.

I said with a big smile.

“Of course! Our Luc is the cutest in the world!”

I rubbed Luc’s round head.

No matter what anyone says, our Luc is the most handsome person in the world, certified by the author.

He is still young right now, so he’s the cutest and prettiest in the world.

Those who have yet to see our Luc may not know what the greatest joy in the world is.

That face looked at me and smiled broadly.

“Really?”

“Yes!”

Luc wriggled his fingers and whispered to me.

“To me, sister is the prettiest.”

Aww, how adorable.

I couldn’t hold it in any longer and hugged Luc tightly.

Then Bella, the maid, stepped into the carriage.

“Madam. There’s something you need to look at.”

“Huh? Alright.”

I patted Luc on the back.

Then, I placed Blackie on the seat and came out of the carriage.

*  *  *

Please do not repost. Read only at Dropped Inks.

Tak.

Felia went out and the carriage door closed.

It was only Blackie and Lucius left in the carriage.

Without hesitation, Lucius flipped Blackie’s stomach.

Then he looked carefully at the bottom and said,

“……A male.”

[…….]

It was disgraceful.

There had never been such a shameful moment in more than a thousand years in his divine beast life.

He had never been ashamed of his appearance, but right now he felt like crying from the unfair feeling of having his powers sealed away.

Blackie ultimately surrendered and limped his limbs as if he was dead.

However, Blackie desperately struggled at Lucius’s next words.

“Can lizards get neutered?”

[Master…! Help me!]

Blackie struggled desperately, flapping his small wings.

As if he had lost interest, Lucius placed Blackie down on the seat and Blackie quickly ran away from Lucius.

“Don’t be too attached to sister.”

He couldn’t even look at Lucius, but Lucius warned him a serious face.

“I’ll get jealous. Sister is mine……”

Unable to finish his sentence, Lucius’ cheeks turned red.

Sister is mine.

His heart was pounding, and his palms felt itchy.

At the same time, it seemed as though he was committing a very great sin.

Lucius closed his eyes and shook his head.

“Anyway. You heard sister say that I was the cutest.”

Lucius tapped Blackie’s head with his finger.

“If you take my sister away, I will boil you in soup.”

For a moment, Blackie felt a strange sense of madness.

It was just the words of a human child, so why does it feel so menacing?

He was a god.

Normally, he wouldn’t get a single scratch when humans attack, and even if he was thrown into boiling water, he wouldn’t feel hot.

So why?

At the very moment when he turned his head to look at Lucius, a cold energy flowed down his back. Lucius’s shadow shook restlessly and something appeared. 

A beast with black fur and red eyes.

It was crouching, as if it had been forced into a confined space, but its aura was fierce.

Blackie took a step back without realising it.

‘What is that?’

Before Blackie could take a closer look at it, it melted into the shadow like a mirage and disappeared.

The owner of the shadow did not notice what had just happened, and simply stared at the door where Felia disappeared, like a dog waiting for its owner.

*  *  *

Please do not repost. Read only at Dropped Inks.

Due to the collapse of the bridge nearby, we decided to take a different route to the Count’s estate instead of the original route.

After discussing the change of schedule, I entered the carriage and Luc gave me a quick hug.

“Sister!”

Unlike Luc, who welcomed me, Blackie had a gloomy expression as he remained on the seat.

“Did something happen with Blackie?”

“Nu-uh. No, nothing!”

“Hmm…Blackie, what happened?”

When I placed him on the palm of my hand and asked, Blackie glanced back at Luc and carefully opened his mouth.

[……I’ll tell you later.]

When we arrived at the inn and were alone, Blackie opened his mouth.

“What do you mean strange?”

[……I hope you don’t doubt what I’m saying.]

When Blackie said that, I became more anxious.

I asked in a playful tone to relieve the tense atmosphere.

“What are you talking about? You are more terrifying.”

[A beast lives in the shadow of the duke. A beast with black fur and red eyes.]

I erased my playfulness at Luc’s story and asked seriously.

“Tell me more. What do you mean?”

Blackie described in detail what he had seen in the shadow when he was left alone with Luc.

[It looked like a…big dog, but I’m not sure. I could barely see its face.]

As if recalling that moment, Blackie wagged his tail anxiously.

It was a story that had never been mentioned in the original book.

In the original story, the male lead was just a talented and handsome Norther Duke, and there was no hidden identity.

“What do you think?”

[I don’t know.]

“Well……”

[But it didn’t feel good. Master, that child is dangerous.]

Blackie warned.

[He’s different from normal humans.]

“What do you mean?”

[I can tell by instinct. There is no way a human that can exude power to scare a divine beast is a normal human being.]

“Since he’s the male lead…”

[What?]

“No, nothing.”

Wasn’t he scared because he’s the male lead?

Even in the original story, everyone trembled at the sight of the male lead.

In the original story, there were many descriptions such as ‘he doesn’t look like a human’ and ‘he could kill a person with just one look’.

Blackie might be scared because he doesn’t know that this was a world of fiction.

Even so, in the original story, he met the female lead and lived happily ever after.

[I don’t think there would be any good from being close to the young master. Why don’t you keep your distance from now?]

“…….”

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