The Female Lead Takes Care of Everything - Chapter 104
“The Tower Master is here!”
Nivellia came running down the stairs and greeted Magia with a wide smile.
Magia, her long purple hair messily tied back, looked at Nivellia with a surprised expression.
“Has the sun risen in the west? Since when does a little cat like you greet me like that?”
“Because the Tower Master is my subordinate!”
“Still arrogant as ever. But you’re up early today.”
“I always get up at this time. I’m super diligent!”
“‘Super diligent’? You sure have a funny way with words.”
Still, she must have found it endearing, because Magia pulled out a wrapped chocolate cookie from her pocket and handed it over.
Nivellia took it with both hands and gave a polite bow.
“Thank you very much!”
“Wow, you actually know how to say that now?”
“If you give me one more, I’ll say it again.”
“You’ve gotten sneaky.”
The two began walking down the hallway together, chatting naturally.
“Why did the Tower Master come to our house? Did you come to eat breakfast? We already finished.”
“I don’t eat breakfast. I do intermittent fasting.”
“Grandma and Mommy do that too. They say it’s for dieting, but they always end up eating something at night. I even saw Daddy crying while handing Grandpa some money.”
Magia’s brow twitched slightly. She was a scholar who pursued knowledge, but she had no interest in the strange personal affairs of someone else’s family.
Nivellia grabbed Magia’s hand.
“Give me a piggyback ride.”
“Do you really want an old lady like me to do that? I might look young and handsome, but I’m older than both your grandparents.”
Even as she grumbled, Magia was already crouching down and offering her back.
Giggling, Nivellia climbed on and started playing with the ribbon holding Magia’s hair.
“Don’t untie that.”
“Okay. But really, why are you here?”
“To see the dragon.”
“The dragon is still an egg. I saw it yesterday. It’s still white and round.”
The two headed toward the room where the dragon’s egg was kept.
Once they arrived, Nivellia slid down Magia’s back like it was a slide and tiptoed up to peek into the cradle.
“Hello? Did you sleep well?”
But again, there was no response.
As Nivellia stared at the smooth white egg, her throat moved in a quiet gulp.
“Hey, Tower Master.”
“What is it?”
Magia, who had been watching the egg closely, absently rubbed her right arm.
“Do you think… we could boil and eat it?”
Magia looked down at her with disbelief.
“You said it’s your subordinate. You want to eat your own subordinate?”
“It’s just a thought! Like, what if! Haven’t you ever wondered?”
“Be honest, little cat. You’re totally thinking about eating it, aren’t you?”
“…Maybe a little.”
Because the egg looked way too delicious.
“It’s so big and pretty, you know? It might taste amazing if we cooked it. Grandpa even said it’s a dragon egg, so maybe eating it would make you super healthy!”
“You hear that? Wake up already. If you don’t, she really might eat you. And not just her. That paladin would definitely do it without a second thought…”
Shake.
Nivellia and Magia both froze.
Her blue eyes and Magia’s dark ones slowly turned toward each other. Then they both looked back at the cradle.
Shake.
The egg moved.
“It moved!”
Nivellia’s shout of joy filled the room.
The egg had moved. For the first time in two whole years.
As soon as the news spread, the rest of the family rushed into the room. Unfortunately, Celletina was the only one not present because she was away at work.
“I need to write to Selly right now.”
Saying she couldn’t be the last to find out about something this important, Caleo left the room.
Now, it wasn’t just Nivellia and Magia in the room. Muniel, Ardores, Soles, and Aref had all joined them.
“It really moved! I saw it!”
Nivellia showed everyone how the egg had moved by acting it out with her whole body.
She wobbled from side to side like a toy that always stood back up after falling, then tipped forward and bumped her forehead on the floor. But she didn’t cry.
“I think it’s waking up!”
She spoke cheerfully, rubbing the spot on her forehead that was now slightly red.
“It definitely moved… but still…”
Muniel’s voice held a hint of doubt.
“Why is it shaking around so much?”
Even with everyone gathered in the room, the egg continued to tremble.
But the way it shook was strangely clumsy and restless. It reminded them of how Nivellia sometimes acted when she had too much energy and no idea what to do with it.
“Maybe the egg went bad because we didn’t keep it in the fridge?”
Ardores said what everyone was secretly thinking.
Magia looked at him as if she couldn’t believe what she just heard. Her mind went back to her earlier conversation with Nivellia.
It seemed both the grandfather and granddaughter had seriously considered whether the egg might be edible.
“Well, at least it’s something.”
Magia lowered her eyes and spoke softly.
“I was really worried it wouldn’t wake up at all. But maybe now, it’ll hatch soon. Maybe in just a few days.”
“I hope it wakes up quickly. I want to play with it again. I really liked the stories it used to tell…”
Soles and Aref spoke with pure, heartfelt hope.
“You sweet kids.”
Magia gave them each a piece of candy.
Seeing that, Nivellia looked up at her with a betrayed expression.
“Give me one too!”
“I gave you a chocolate cookie earlier.”
“Hmph.”
She pouted but didn’t argue or demand more. Magia noticed the change and quietly felt proud of how much Nivellia had grown.
The egg, after drawing so much attention, eventually stopped moving. Everyone waited and watched for a few more minutes, just in case, but it stayed completely still.
“It’s still a good sign.”
Muniel spoke, comforting the disappointed children.
“It didn’t move at all for two years. Now it did.”
She explained that the movement might mean the egg was finally preparing to hatch. The children’s faces brightened again.
“Should we get more sparkly and shiny things ready?”
“The dragon liked fancy dresses.”
“And red things! Like stuff that looks like blood!”
Soles, Aref, and Nivellia each eagerly listed the things the dragon had liked.
“Bringing gifts is good, but first, you all need to focus on your own tasks. Don’t you have lessons soon?”
Muniel reminded them gently, guiding them toward the door.
Nivellia asked,
“Can I come back when I’m done with school?”
“You’ll still have homework.”
“Can I do it here?”
“Only if you promise not to get distracted.”
“Heehee!”
Satisfied, Nivellia followed the others out. Muniel watched them leave, smiling fondly. But when she turned to Magia, her expression quickly changed.
“Why are you here? You didn’t even let me know first.”
“It’s not like I wanted to come.”
Magia looked down at the egg in the cradle and rubbed her right arm.
“Is it hurting again?”
Ardores narrowed his eyes, studying her.
“I felt a sharp pain. I rushed over to figure out why.”
“So, you ran here complaining because something hurt?”
Ardores teased her with a sly grin. Magia gave him a sharp look, then quickly relaxed and smirked.
Then, she smiled in a strange, unreadable way.
“I got a message from Antel.”
“…”
“Look at the holy knight’s face twist up. What a sight.”
Magia grinned proudly, clearly satisfied with her comeback.
Count Antel Deiarma.
She was from the Deiarma family, one of the four great founding families of the Dramenor Empire. But originally, she was someone who had never been meant to be recorded in history.
She was born out of wedlock.
Her father, Count Deiarma, spoke publicly about noble duty, yet lived a life of reckless pleasure in secret. Antel was the daughter he brought home from one of his affairs.
But after the Krepata War, Antel rose as a hero, drove her father out, and boldly inherited the title.
She reformed the corrupt family and built it into something new.
“The Deiarma family is especially known for its art auctions and trade in fine collectibles.”
“I know that place!”
Nivellia shot her hand up eagerly during the lesson.
She had been taught to always raise her hand and ask for permission to speak during class. She followed that rule very well.
The tutor nodded, giving her permission.
“Count Antel Deiarma is part of that family.”
“Yes, Count Antel Deiarma, the former head of the house. She’s also a close friend of the Saintess. She is remembered as a great hero from the Krepata War.”
“That’s right! She had this tiny sword and went like this, swish swish! Slashing monsters while running really fast!”
The tutor let out a warm laugh.
Nivellia often described violent things in a way that sounded completely innocent and sweet.
By now, the tutor had gotten used to it. She assumed Nivellia was simply repeating the stories she heard from her grandparents, the Saintess and the Holy Knight.
“But Count Antel Deiarma is no longer in the capital. She went back to her estate a long time ago.”
“Why?”
“I’m not sure. She suddenly gave up her title and left the city.”
“I miss Antel…”
Nivellia finished her history class with a small sigh, thinking about the person she hadn’t seen in so long.
Today’s homework was to write the names of the four founding families of the Empire and list at least three accomplishments for each.
“Accomplishments are big, important things, right?”
Nivellia asked as she wrote the assignment in her planner with her usual crooked handwriting.
“That’s correct. Try to write down what great things each family did to help the Empire.”
“My grandma says the best thing our family ever did was kill the Emperor. Grandpa and Grandma both said that. So did the Tower Master and Della. Even Monitos said it!”
“You absolutely must not write that down. I will be in serious trouble if you do.”
After class ended, Nivellia left the study room. She carried her homework notebook, a pencil, and her textbook, and headed for the room where the dragon was sleeping.
But when she arrived, someone was already there.
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