Chapter 31
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Chapter 31
Something felt terribly wrong.
Dreadfully, ominously wrong.
While my fairy instincts screamed warnings, Hata examined the small Chesa cradled in her hands, turning her this way and that.
"I really don't understand what's happening...."
Chesa jingled softly as Hata manipulated her form.
Apparently visual inspection wasn't enough—Hata set me down on the floor and began prodding me carefully from every angle.
She checked my palms, the soles of my feet, and spent a long moment sniffing me intently.
Hata's expression grew deathly serious.
Kneeling before me, her face crumpled as though she might weep.
"I don't know what's wrong... I'll try brewing the potion again. Please, just give me a little time."
If I let my own anxiety show now, it would only crush Hata further.
I patted Hata's shoulder reassuringly, trying to comfort her dejected form.
"Don't rush—take your time with it."
At my touch, Hata's drooping tail began to sway gently.
"And for now, close the shop and stay hidden. We don't know if something like this might happen again."
If Hailon were in his right mind, he wouldn't repeat today's madness.
But that was precisely the problem—he didn't seem to be in his right mind at all.
'He's truly lost it.'
All in pursuit of meeting a fox spirit, he'd shattered the unspoken rule that had held the continent together: never touch the Underworld.
Even when he seemed perfectly normal, he'd occasionally commit catastrophes so massive that even Chesa would startle in shock.
I was terrified of what this madman might do next, despite his pretense of sanity.
The wisest course was to avoid him preemptively.
"Yes, I'll be careful."
Sweet, obedient Hata complied without question.
We decided to close both the Underworld Shop and the Capital branch entirely, accepting only private commissions in small amounts.
I was still voicing my concerns about Hata when she spoke up.
Hata pouted her lips as she spoke.
"But you need to be careful too, Lichesia. I'm so, so worried about you. Being apart like this...."
Hearing Hata's concern for me, my heart clenched.
Since becoming a fox spirit with a name, I'd never been worried over by anyone before.
Hata had always been the only one to say such things to me.
Hata's sweetness suddenly struck me as unbearably endearing, and I laughed.
If only her body weren't so tiny, I would have squeezed her cheeks between my palms.
Instead, I climbed onto her lap, rose up on my toes, and gently stroked her head.
Hata's face flushed crimson in an instant.
Even her neck turned a deep, embarrassed red.
Hata tilted her head slightly into my hand, humming softly.
"I want to be by your side too, Lichesia. I won't run the shop anymore!"
How did she think she could come to where I was—at the Basilian Count Estate?
It was absurd.
Chesa let the words pass and asked her something that had been on her mind.
"But Hata."
"Yes!"
"Did the Basilian children ever come looking for you?"
"No?"
Hata, who had been blinking with clueless eyes, let out a belated "Oh."
"We received a hat order recently at the Capital shop, and one of them was from House Basilian."
It seemed Hata had received an order from House Basilian while delivering goods at the Costume Shop.
"I was trying to surprise Lichesia..."
Hata was quite sad, having been forced to reveal what was supposed to be a surprise plan.
Chesa, who knew very well how to console others, asked what kind of hat she had made.
"Hata made an incredibly cute baby hat. And a gentleman's hat too!"
Hata quickly forgot her gloom and excitedly began to boast.
I praised her generously, letting her bask in the compliments.
After keeping her in this prison of praise for a while, I glanced at the wall clock.
I checked the time and was startled.
"I need to go back."
It was time to return.
At my farewell, Hata's face fell again.
"When do you think it'll be done? Hata is lonely."
"Hmm, it might take a bit longer than expected."
The original plan was to slip in and out quickly.
'But the more I learn, the more suspicious this family becomes.'
Like peeling an onion, endless doubts kept surfacing.
Just in the past few days, hadn't I discovered things I never could have guessed before?
House Basilian might be connected to the Underworld.
'And Karha today...'
Why on earth did Karha come to Hata's Hat Shop in the Underworld?
It would be strange even if he came as a customer, but it was even stranger because he didn't.
Karha seemed like he was investigating something.
Until now, I'd only paid attention to Kieran's nighttime outings.
Now it seemed I needed to carefully watch the twin's movements as well.
As I organized my complex thoughts, I suddenly realized something.
It felt like touching a massive serpent.
When I first saw the exposed portion, I'd assumed it was a reasonable size.
But the more I touched it, the more I couldn't find the end of this serpent.
Like an ouroboros with its head and tail connected, endlessly coiled.
Yet one thing was certain.
The stories known to the public about House Basilian...
It was merely an infinitesimal fraction of the whole.
***
Chesa's outing had concluded safely without being discovered.
Basilian's three brothers also behaved as though nothing had happened from the very next day onward.
The grave atmosphere of that day had vanished without a trace.
It seemed the matter had been neatly resolved.
And Chesa was eagerly watching for an opportunity to uncover Kieran's nocturnal outings.
Of course, it was not easy.
As always, the twins refused to leave Chesa alone.
Today as well, Chesa was being tormented.
"Here's your tea, Commander."
"Very well. It tastes splendid."
When Chesa answered in a solemn voice, Ishuel giggled.
Chesa took a sip of the milk in the small teacup, nodded her head, and offered praise as well.
"Absolutely delicious."
"Thank you, Commander."
At the sight of Ishuel finding this endlessly amusing, Chesa wrinkled the bridge of her nose.
Chesa was playing house with Ishuel in the Garden.
Ishuel had prepared a tea party in the Garden, insisting on entertaining his younger sibling.
From Chesa's perspective, it was entirely unwelcome.
Yet seeing his eyes brimming with anticipation, she had no choice but to feign delight and begin the game.
However, no matter what, she refused to take on the typical house-play roles like "princess and prince," "doctor and patient," or "mother and father."
So Chesa had suggested playing "commander and subordinate" instead.
Of course, Chesa was the commander.
The moment Ishuel heard the theme Chesa proposed, he laughed so hard he nearly fainted, then readily agreed.
Thus they spread a straw mat beneath the shade of a tree and began their tea party with delicate miniature dishes.
'Keeping up with a child's whims is truly exhausting.'
I sighed inwardly, when Ishuel broke a cookie into a quarter of a quarter piece and brought it to my mouth.
"Please have a cookie too."
Chesa opened her mouth and accepted the tiny crumbled cookie.
"How is it, Commander?"
"This too is delicious."
It was when Ishuel was giggling again, too distracted to notice anything else.
"What are you two doing?"
As expected, Karha appeared without fail.
"Speak of the devil and he shall appear."
Watching Karha saunter over, Ishuel clicked his tongue in disapproval.
Then suddenly his eyes brightened.
"Perfect timing! Commander, your second subordinate has arrived!"
"...Huh?"
Karha, who had been about to sit down, froze mid-motion.
Chesa explained the situation to him.
"We're playing house."
"But why am I a subordinate? Usually you'd play prince and princess, right?"
"Don't want to. I'm the commander."
"Sure, fine. I pledge my loyalty."
Karha, answering casually, plopped down beside Chesa.
Then he began scooping up the arranged desserts and eating them greedily.
He bit into a blueberry muffin topped with cream and grinned.
"This smells really delicious."
"Didn't you eat lunch earlier?"
"I did, but I'm hungry."
"Hey! Stop eating. There won't be anything left for the commander."
"The commander can't eat all of this anyway. Even if she tried, she'd only manage a bite."
Thanks to Ishuel and Karha bickering back and forth, Chesa had a moment of peace as she sipped her milk contentedly.
Rustle, rustle.
A crackling sound came from the Garden's shrubbery.
Karha, who had been tugging at Ishuel's hair, turned toward the bushes with a start.
"Dog smell...?"
At his uncertain murmur, Chesa flinched.
Surely not?
But as always, her ominous premonition proved perfectly accurate.
A small mass burst out from the rustling shrubbery.
With a pop, the tiny furry bundle tumbled forward and came to a stop in front of Chesa and the twins.
It was a dirty puppy covered in grass clippings all over its body.
The soft tan-colored fluffy puppy stood up on all fours with a snap and barked confidently.
"Woof!"
It was Hata, transformed into a dog...
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org