Tap tap, tap.

There was a small paw that touched me as if to comfort me.

It was the baby squirrel.

The squirrel looked at me with twinkling eyes as dark as black beans, as if asking if I was okay.

“Ugh, it’s okay! Squirrel, I’m so happy to receive such a sweet letter.”

Since I meant it, I smiled brightly.

The baby squirrel rubbed its plump cheeks with a small hand, as if relieved.

“I need to send a reply back to my sponsor.”

I picked up a pen and wrote that I was grateful for the invitation and that I was very much looking forward to that day.

Although I was shy, I wrote the sentences with a little friendliness.

Hmm!?My cheeks turned red from embarrassment.

Finally, after drawing beautiful flowers, I put the card in the baby squirrel’s little paws.

“Will you give it to him? Thank you, Squirrel.”

The baby squirrel wiggled its voluminous tail once, as if telling me not to worry, and then quickly climbed a tree and disappeared.

“Whew.”

I sighed quietly and thought.

‘Okay, is there only one thing left now?’

Direct delivery of the cigarette case.

‘Gerard said he sent his aide to the Forest today.’

Not surprisingly, after about 20 minutes, a child came and told me that the prince’s aide was looking for me.

“The prince’s aide told you to come to the incinerator, Annette.”

What?

..Of all places, to the incinerator?

***

The incinerator.

There was a strong smell of soot from burning garbage during the day.

‘It’s a good place for a secret deal.’

It was burdensome to come to see the prince’s aide in such a quiet place with a child’s body, but I was confident that it would be safe.

‘If he was going to harm me, he would have called me secretly.’

If he was, he wouldn’t have called me through a Tree even after officially announcing that he was coming, making them a pointless witness.

Besides, I also had a wizard shuttle.

‘Fufu. The strongest wizard’s ring is reassuring.’

‘Julius’ cost performance is the best!’

‘I mean, it feels like I’m using him well.’

Oh, I just judged people by their cost-effectiveness!

“....?”

It was then.

I felt a strange gaze from the far corner of the incinerator.

At the time when I was staring at the darkness wondering if it was the aide;

“You are here, little girl.”

A man suddenly appeared in front of me, making me amazed yet startled.

His eyes were so thin that I could hardly see them.

Pitched black hair.

The corners of his lips hung a soft smile.

‘Gerard’s aide!’

It was the man who removed the high priest’s body from the Imperial Palace with great skill.

“Gee, I must have surprised you.”

The smiling man spoke quite politely, putting his hand on his chest.

“I apologize.”

He seemed like a very polite and friendly man.

‘Like Gerard’s first impression.’

This person might be two faced like his master.

Let’s be careful.

“Hello, Sir Aide.”

I bowed slightly and said hello.

“My name is Avilus Theses, Miss Annette. I am the First Prince’s aide. Please feel free to call me ‘Sir Theses’.”

“Yes, Sir Theses.”

Then, my gaze rested on his distinctive ear. Splendid feathers were sprouting along the man’s lobe.

(TL/N: fun fact, it was supposed to be ‘auricle’ instead of ‘lobe’.)

“....!”

‘This man is from Rechylus, isn’t he?’

Rechylus tribe.

I remember what I learned in class.

They were a branch of the Beast tribe, a ‘new tribe’ that managed to survive when humans persecuted and annihilated the Beast tribe in the distant past.

Now, it has evolved at a rapid pace to look close to humans, leaving only the feathers around its ears (like traces of a tail in humans, like a tailbone) and its ability to communicate with birds.

‘Was it this man? The one who sent the insolent crow that overturned my treasures!’

It took me a long time to get things straight.

“The crow that came in the morning must have been sent by Sir Theses.”

“Yes.”

He responded quickly without even denying it. The bright smile on his face was annoying.

“I heard that a rat was hiding my master’s precious belongings.”

“Isn’t the rat a crow that searches a room without the owner’s permission? No, or is it the owner of the rat that made it do that?”

“....!”

His eyes widened slightly as if surprised to see me responding without hesitation.

Then he immediately twisted his lips.

“You’re a very cheeky kid.”

‘Aha. The type that shows his true color right away when one touches him?’

“It’s too bad that you couldn’t find it in the end and came out to trade like this. If you had just dealt with it earlier, it wouldn’t have gone this far.”

“This, this, this insolent kid!”

“Take it.”

I suddenly held out the cigarette case in front of him, who was about to become frenzied.

Like an owner of a big dog who popped out a treat in front of it when it was about to bark in anger.

Not surprisingly, the man’s gaze was fixed on the ‘cigarette case’.

He quickly snatched it away from me and tucked it inside his jacket.

‘I’m not taking it away from you, I won’t take it away.’

He looked just like a monster crazy about the ring, I laughed out loud.

(TL/N: y’all get the reference? XD lord of the rings?)

‘At this point, I’m really curious about what that thing is..’

‘No, let’s not be interested for nothing. ‘

Naturally, if I wanted to live a peaceful life as a bakery owner, I shouldn’t be interested in anything dangerous.

Knowing that would only get myself into trouble.

“Is that it?”

“Do you really believe it? Stupidly.”

The aide patted his chin and looked down at me. A strange smirk hung on his lips.

‘His eyes..’

Beneath the thin eyelids, turquoise-blue eyes with vertical pupils like a snake were simultaneously exposed.

Heck, it’s so creepy.

“My master is a very stubborn man. He never misses anything he wants, kid.”

“Oh, that’s great.”

I answered soulessly.

“..Don’t just listen.”

“Yes, I’m rooting for you, go for it!”

I clenched my fists and wished him good luck.

I had been through too much before and after birth to be intimidated by such a silly threat, sir.

Avilus said with a very annoyed expression.

“....!! Uck, you really refuse to lose a single word, don’t you?”

“Yes, it’s like that.”

I was in my adolescence.

I had lived as a model student until now, but there was no reason to be a model student in front of this man.

Besides, I didn’t like the way he threatened a child.

It’s the same for other children.

The aide, who had a bulging vein on his forehead, said sarcastically.

“I’m really curious how long that bold face will last.”

Uh, uh..?

That was a bit ominous, wasn’t it?

‘Umm, what’s he up to?’

Let’s find out

I purposely made an even more hateful expression (the most hateful expression I had ever made in my life) and said,

“Well, since I was born, for 12 years, I’ve had this kind of expression, haven’t I?”

“....!!!”

He wasn’t particularly cautious.

This man.

So, if I scratched him gently, he would get agitated and lose his temper and chatter at will.

‘If you lose your composure, it will be difficult to keep a secret.’

And just as expected.

This ruthless bastard grabbed a 12-year-old girl by the collar without hesitation.

“Ugh!”

“You stupid rat, here’s a warning.”

“....”

“My master never gives up. You will be devoured from the head like a butterfly caught in the web of obsession.”

The corners of his lips twisted fiercely.

“You will eventually become a princess, but you will be imprisoned in the cage of the Imperial Palace and live a life lower than a slave.”

“....”

“Forever living as a tool for power and squeezing.. In a hell where there is no sun, you will unfortunately wither and die.”

–Ugh, what a long story.

Bam!

“Ahhhhh!!!”

The man who was threatening a child grabbed his nose and stumbled back three steps.

“You, you, you, this child..!”

Keuik–

“Heuk, a nosebleed!”

He cried out in shock.

No matter how much of an adult he was, his nose was weaker than my head.

“Ah, ah! It’s a mistake to step back on a stone..! It’s a mistake!”

(TL/N: In case it wasn’t apparent, Annette stepped back on a stone, so she suddenly became ‘taller’ and headbutt the dude.)

‘As you know, it’s intentional, Sir.’

(In pretense,) I covered my face with both hands, not knowing what to do.

“You!!!”

Avilos appeared to be on the verge of exploding.

Seeing the redness of his feathers, he seemed to be really angry.

“My lord told me not to kill you, but.. He didn’t tell me not to hit you.”

His lips twisted cruelly.

“This orphan girl, I’ll break your habit here today!”

The moment his large palm was lifted up in the air and about to be slapped onto my cheek.

—Whoosh, bang!

A black aura immediately wrapped around the man and slammed him against the wall.

“Keuk!”

Avilus was in agony, his limbs tied to the black aura, as if he had been preyed upon by a thick snake.

“Ugh.. Shit!”

I was not surprised.

‘You intervened at the right time.’

Actually, before I was in danger, I expected someone to come forward.

When I felt the gaze in the dark earlier, I wondered who the person would be.

—The teachers were eliminated.

A Forest teacher would either already know this meeting, or would have gone out of his or her way to bring me to the incinerator.

Ordinary children, they were eliminated too.

There was no child who had any reason to hide.

‘Then there are only two candidates. ‘

Heinrich or Sislin.

It was clear that one of them noticed something and followed me.

Then he hid himself and watched.

So to get the boy out of the dark and identify him—

‘I had to be in trouble. ‘

Because those kids run back and forth when I am in danger.

Right, just like now.

A voice rang out from the darkness.

“Leave Annette alone.”

Jaaaak.

The black aura grew stronger, and Avilus groaned in pain.

A boy walked out of the dark.

Black hair reflected in the moonlight, eyes that became even more red from anger.

“..Sislin.”

The boy cupped my cheek and asked.

“Are you okay?”

It was a friendly voice. He was angry though.

“..Yes! I’m okay.”

At that moment, Avilus struggled and tried to escape.

“You damn rats!”

In an instant, the boy’s red pupils lit up. Without taking his eyes off Annette, he spread his palms to the side.

—Kwang!

“....!!!”

Avilus groaned and shuddered.

As Annette looked at him in surprise, the boy’s hand gently wrapped his hand around the back of her head and pulled her into his embrace.

‘Don’t look.’

‘Don’t look at something like this.’

At that moment, his red eyes turned to the prey he had caught.

“....!”

Avilus’ spine stood up.

“Don’t you dare put your hands on what’s mine.”

“....”

“If you don’t want to die.”