The Female Lead Takes Care of Everything - Chapter 39

The estate exploration team had started from the attic and was now making its way down, floor by floor.

Nivellia pointed to one of the rooms.

“Someone lives in there. Got it?”

“These are mostly guest rooms,” Soles explained. “They also store clothes and ornaments.”

The “captain” gave the overview, and her “subordinate” Soles added the practical details.

Truthfully, today’s little tour wasn’t for Magia’s benefit.

The Archmage had been visiting this estate long before these children were even born—long before Caleo was born, in fact.

He knew the mansion far better than any of them.

This tour was mainly for Aref, who still didn’t know his way around the main building.

Magia understood that, and stayed quietly respectful.

“Oh—Lord Archmage,” Soles said, suddenly remembering something.

“You made those cooling cloths, didn’t you? The ones that look like handkerchiefs?”

“Ah, right. I made those, and your grandfather took them.”

“Thank you for that. The three of us were able to stay cool all summer because of you.”

“Th-thank you,” Aref echoed politely.

“I liked mine too,” Nivellia added.

“Is that so?”

Magia’s voice was gruff, but his smile stretched high across his face.

Feeling pleased, he looked toward Nivellia.

“And what about you, little cat?”

“I used it well.”

“At least say thank you properly.”

“Thank you,” Nivellia said with a little bow, like she was tossing him a tip.

The group moved on.

Nivellia tugged on Magia’s sleeve.

“Want some water? Or a cookie?”

“What’s with this sudden generosity? Did you poison the water?”

“Make sure you write this in my paycheck log, okay? You have to note that Nini worked hard today.”

“This is the laziest attempt at bribery I’ve ever seen…”

As they continued to wander around—

“Hold up,” Magia said, stopping mid-step.

“Bathroom break?”

“……”

Magia didn’t respond. Instead, he tilted his chin toward a nearby door.

“What’s this room?”

“Nini knows!”

Nivellia raised her hand proudly.

“This is where my presents are!”

It was the storage room for the gifts she’d received earlier in the spring for her fourth birthday.

Nivellia, who closely resembled Saint Muniel, had become a bit of a household name.

So, when her birthday came around, rare and lavish presents arrived from all over.

Some of them still hadn’t been sorted and were left in this room.

“What’s in there?” Aref asked, staring at the door.

“We’ll have to go in and see.”

With a snap of his fingers, Magia opened the door wide.

As they stepped inside, the first thing they saw was a large iron chest, its surface covered in sharp spikes.

“That one,” Nivellia said, pointing to it.

“Someone named Aunt gave it to me. I don’t know her. Daddy said she’s his little sister.”

“Ah… Phera?”

“You mean Phera?”

“Armiphera Deiamor. Your aunt. She’s even wilder than you. Honestly, I like her.”

When Magia first heard the rumor that Phera had run off to become a mercenary queen, it felt like thirty years of frustration had been wiped away in a single moment.

He’d laughed about it nonstop the next time he met Ardores.

That was also the only time he handed over a month of Mage Tower rent for free—just for the satisfaction.

With a nostalgic smile, Magia muttered:

“She’s just like your grandfather.”

“My grandpa?”

“If Ardores grew his hair long and had a chest, he’d be the spitting image of your aunt.”

“That’s terrifying…”

Nivellia shook her head, trying to erase the image.

Magia chuckled and examined the iron chest.

He brushed his hand over the top, and with a metallic click, the lock came undone.

The lid creaked open slowly.

Inside were pieces of a large, black eggshell.

“……”

Magia lifted a finger, and the largest fragment rose into the air, spinning slowly.

“What kind of egg was this again…?” Nivellia tilted her head.

“They said it was a dragon’s egg,” Aref answered, remembering the letter Caleo had once read aloud.

“It was labeled ‘Egg of the Evil Dragon, Ather.’”

But it was said that dragons hadn’t appeared in centuries.

The only remnants left were old nesting grounds hidden deep in mountain folds, and fossils presumed to be of dragons.

“I see.”

A crooked smile curled at the edge of Magia’s mouth.

“So, it really is the egg of the Evil Dragon.”

In that moment, the air around them sharpened. It pricked against the children’s skin like static.

Aref and Soles immediately grabbed one of Nivellia’s hands each and pressed close to her protectively.

Nivellia looked up at Magia with a blank expression.

“…Are you mad?”

For the first time, Nivellia—who had always treated the Archmage like he was one of her lackeys—hesitated, sensing something different in him.

“Are you… upset?”

“Yes,” Magia admitted without hesitation.

“I’m upset and angry.”

“Do you want a hug?”

“No thanks. Save your hugs for the wolf.”

Still, his large hand gently patted the top of her head.

Nivellia didn’t flinch or pull away—she accepted the touch quietly.

Magia went straight to find Caleo.

“I figured out why your cooling system broke.”

“That’s a relief. Everyone’s been struggling in this heat for days—”

“You’ve got an Evil Dragon in your house.”

“…Excuse me?”

Caleo, who had already loosened several shirt buttons in the heat, stared back dumbly.

Magia gestured toward Nivellia with his chin.

“Nini!”

Feeling eyes on her, Nivellia called out her own name like a declaration.

“You know, that thing. Nini’s present!”

“Wait… You mean the weird shell-looking thing Phera sent?”

“Exactly.”

Magia then explained the recent, unrelenting heat wave.

“Outside the estate, it’s not nearly this hot. What’s happening is the Evil Dragon’s energy is spreading through the house. Dragons control fire.”

“But dragons… Are you really saying they exist?”

“They absolutely do.”

Magia’s voice was firm and final.

His rare seriousness silenced Caleo. Whether he believed it or not no longer mattered.

A dragon was here.
Right now. In this estate.

Caleo quickly turned his attention to the children.

“Are the kids in danger?”

“Maybe. The one I’m worried about is the cat—no, Nivellia.”

“Nini isn’t scared!” Nivellia declared, raising her tiny fist.

“Look at this!”

“…What am I looking at?” Magia asked flatly.

“If that dragon messes with me—bam! One hit!”

Nivellia added an ominous tone to her voice, radiating menace.

“……”

“……”

Everyone shivered, not from the heat, but from genuine fear.

That chubby, innocent fist… no one could predict what kind of disaster it might cause.

Soles could already picture her recklessly charging the dragon and getting flattened by one of its massive claws.

Cold sweat dripped down his back.

I… I have to protect her…!

Aref gripped Nivellia’s hand tightly. He silently swore—again and again—that no matter what happened, he would protect her.

“…Anyway,” Magia said, collecting himself, “bring Muniel and Ardores back to the main building. The dragon will feel the sacred energy and get uncomfortable. It might decide to move elsewhere.”

“You think it’ll leave on its own?”

“Hopefully. But if not, stay on guard.”

He pointed firmly at Nivellia.

“And you—seriously—keep your daughter under control.”

“Yes, understood!”

Magia repeated himself several times:

“You really need to be careful.”

“I said I got it!”

“No, seriously, don’t pick a fight with the Evil Dragon! I’m not kidding—you’re making me nervous just standing here!”

Nivellia let out a long sigh, as if exhausted by him.

“Archmage. Nini has Aref. You and I… can’t be together. We’re too far apart in age. And besides, I have other priorities now…”

“…Where did you even learn that nonsense? And why am I the one getting dumped? If anything, I should be the one doing the rejecting!”

And with that, having done all he could, Magia finally returned to the Mage Tower.

Just as he advised, Muniel, Ardores, and Aref moved back from the annex into the main estate.

Almost immediately, the temperature regulation device started working again.

The suffocating heat that had filled the house also began to ease.

“So Evil Dragons… really do exist.”

Deter, her skin glowing from her flower-petal bath, spoke quietly with a serious face.

“Don’t worry! Nini will protect everyone!”
Nivellia puffed out her chest and thumped it proudly.

“It’s the leader’s job to protect her team!”

“Our young lady is so brave!”

Clap clap! Deter applauded enthusiastically.

“But you did sweat again this afternoon, so… you’ll need another bath.”

“Nooo!”

“It’s fine. This time, I’m not the one giving it.”

The second bath duty had fallen to Muniel.

“How about we take a nice bath together, sweetheart?”

“Even if it’s with Grandma—I don’t want to! No second bath!”

“What if you scrub Grandma’s back instead? I’ll log it in your pay record.”

“……”

Nivellia hesitated.

And in that moment, Muniel swooped in and whisked her off for another bath.

“I’ve been tricked…”

Freshly bathed for the second time, Nivellia pouted with tears in her eyes.

“The world is too harsh… sniff… everyone keeps suppressing Nini’s freedom…”

“My goodness,” Muniel said warmly, drying Nivellia’s damp hair, “you’ve really learned how to talk, haven’t you?”

Then she gently asked: “Nini.”

“…What?”

“When did you see the pink?”

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