The Female Lead Takes Care of Everything - Chapter 45

“Ahahaha!”

Muniel let out a hearty laugh and gave Nivellia a light pat on the back.

“Let’s have lots of fun while we’re camping, alright?”

“Okay!”

Nivellia’s blue eyes sparkled like sunlit waves on the sea.

Nivellia wore a small basket strapped to her back.

Aref and Soles carried similar ones, each handmade—slightly different in shape and size, but perfect for gathering mushrooms, herbs, and berries.

Their first camping “game” was actually a chore.

“In the summer, these kinds of herbs grow in the forest. If you find any, could you gather them and bring them to us?”

Even better—it was a request from the witches themselves.

Not only could it be recorded as paid labor, but they’d also earn five honey treats each. A precious task, indeed.

“Let’s pick them all!”

“You can’t pick everything,” Muniel said, chuckling as she wound the string tied to Nivellia’s basket around her fingers.

Nivellia was always energetic and bold, but today she seemed especially fired up.

They all ate the same breakfast…

Did someone slip something extra into her food?

The thought wasn’t entirely unreasonable, given how much energy Nivellia had.

The reason only her basket was tied with a string? Muniel was genuinely afraid that if they ran into a wild boar, Nivellia might actually charge it and throw punches.

“You want to look for herbs like this.”

Under the shade of a large tree, Ardores picked a pale green herb and held it up for the children.

“See how the tips of the leaves look like a snake’s head? Look for this shape and color. If you’re unsure, just call for me or Muniel.”

“What kind of herb is it?” Soles asked.

“It helps reduce fevers. And if you chew it and spit it out on a wound, it stops bleeding. But don’t eat too much—it’ll make you nauseous.”

Soles nodded thoughtfully, then turned to his younger siblings.

Time to act like the responsible eldest.

“Did you hear that?”

Even if you find some, don’t eat it.

He spoke seriously.

Muniel and Ardores exchanged a glance and shared a quiet smile.

“Yes!”
Aref nodded immediately.

“What if we get really hungry—can we eat just a little?”

Nivellia raised her hand, just in case.

“What if I get super hungry?”

“Then eat the cookies in your pocket.”

“Got it! Can I drink water with the cookie?”

“Definitely. Don’t forget to drink water so it doesn’t get stuck in your throat.”

“Okay!”

With the adults watching over them, the herb-gathering began.

The herbs the witches wanted were mostly found near large trees, especially around the exposed roots.

“You’ve got to pull them out from the root. That’s it, like that.”

“Good job. Use strength in your arms and back…”

Under careful guidance, the children dug and pulled with their small hands.

Their baskets quickly filled with freshly picked herbs.

“Whew.”
Nivellia, now covered in dirt, pretended to wipe sweat from her forehead.

“This is tough work.”

“Say, ‘It’s hard,’ instead.”

“It’s haaard~”

“Today’s work is a bit tiring, huh?” Muniel said, offering her a canteen.

Nivellia took it with both hands and gulped down the water.

When it dribbled down her chin, Muniel gently wiped it away with a handkerchief.

Phew! After quenching her thirst, Nivellia nodded.

“But it’s still fun. It’s like a treasure hunt!”

Just like when she’d worked in the mansion’s storage a few days ago, today’s chore felt like an exciting mission to find hidden treasure—this time, in the form of herbs.

Of course, the forest had more than just herbs.

There were red berries, nameless flowers, inedible mushrooms…

And then—

“Kids,” Ardores whispered, raising a finger to his lips. He pointed quietly toward something in the distance.

A herd of deer was passing through the forest.

Their antlers stretched tall like tree branches. Their coats were earthy and strong, like soil and bark. Their eyes shimmered with quiet grace.

One of them, clearly the leader, stood watchfully and locked eyes with Nivellia and the others.

“……”

Nivellia gently raised her hand and gave a small wave.

Hello, she said silently in her heart.

The deer king slightly dipped its head in return, then calmly led its herd deeper into the forest.

Only after the deer disappeared did Soles and Aref erupt with excitement.

“Deer! Real deer! I’ve only seen them in books!”

“Their antlers were huge! And their legs were so long!”

“It looked like it waved to us, didn’t it?”

While the two boys buzzed with excitement, Nivellia remained unusually quiet.

“Nini, didn’t you think it was cool?” Soles asked, surprised.

“Mm-hmm.”

Nivellia nodded calmly.

Because the deer had truly nodded back at her—she hadn’t imagined it.

Ever since being born as a human, Nivellia could no longer speak with animals the way she did when she was a cat.

But just now—for the first time in what felt like forever—she’d spoken with another animal.

She had greeted it in her heart: Hello.

And the stag had answered her.

“You’re the child who knows the Grand Witch’s name.”

That was what the king of the deer said as it looked straight at Nivellia.

“…That wasn’t an ordinary deer,” Ardores murmured, gently patting Nivellia’s head.

“Deer have long been nicknamed the guardians of the forest. Not all of them, of course. But that one… that lead stag definitely felt different.”

“I hope that’s true…”
Soles whispered in awe, like he’d just seen a creature from a legend.

Then, with a composed voice befitting the eldest, he added:

“I’ve really enjoyed being in the forest.”

“We’ve enjoyed having you all here, too.”

The witches examined the herbs the children had collected, smiles of satisfaction blooming on their faces.

“These are excellent quality.”

“And you even dug up the roots without damaging them. Very well done.”

To be honest, they hadn’t expected much.

They figured: How much can noble kids actually do?

It was more about giving them the experience than expecting results.

But to their surprise, the children had picked only the best herbs. The leaves weren’t even bruised.

“Did we do well? Did we do really well?”

Nivellia, covered in dirt, looked up with hopeful eyes.

She wasn’t the only one—Soles and Aref were also caked in mud from head to toe after all the digging.

“You all did wonderfully!”

One of the witches raised her thumb high in praise.

Beaming, Nivellia gave a thumbs-up right back.

“Told you so,” she said confidently.

From another tent, Azel strolled over like she was somehow responsible for their success.

“Of course, the young lady and the young masters would do well.”

“Azel!”

“Young miss! How have you been?”

Azel, who had once worked at the Deiamor estate, was now living with the witches.

She helped care for the Grand Witch and spent her spare time learning about herbs, steadily building her knowledge.

“When the pharmaceutical company opens, I’m planning to work there as a researcher.”

She shared a bit about what she’d been up to lately.

“Not long ago, I even rented a home in the plaza.”

“Nini knows that! You mean paying monthly rent?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The witches couldn’t live in tents outside forever.

Caleo had offered several vacant buildings owned by the Deiamor family for them to use.

And nearby, land was being developed to build a village where the witches could live.

“So does that mean Daddy gets the rent money?”

“Right now, he’s letting us live there for free. But once we start working and earning money, we’ll begin paying rent.”

Of course, it would be at a discounted rate under employee benefits.

“Wow… lucky,” Nivellia muttered, glancing up at Muniel and Ardores with sparkling eyes.

“Nini wants to collect rent too…”

“Well, if you earn a lot of money and buy a building, you can someday.”

“I wanna do it now. Buy me a building.”

“…For the first time, you really sound like a noble heiress.”

Rustle. A bush at the forest’s edge shook, catching everyone’s attention.

“…A cat,” Aref said instinctively.

What emerged from the brush was a small black kitten.

Muniel’s eyes narrowed sharply.

“Is that one of yours?”

“No, all of our cats wear collars,” one witch replied quickly.

“And they’re all adults, anyway…”

But the kitten seemed completely unafraid. It hopped toward them on short legs.

“Myaa~”

It let out the sweetest meow anyone had ever heard.

Everyone watching melted on the spot.

“So cute! It’s not scared of people at all.”

Soles crouched down and held out his hand.

The kitten bounced up to him and sniffed his fingers curiously.

“Where’d you come from? Are you a forest cat?”

“Its fur’s just like Sir Al and Lord Rubens—pure black. Are you alone?”

Aref sat down next to Soles and gently extended a closed fist.

“Hi there.”

He greeted it quietly.

Aref really liked cats.

It was something he’d realized naturally after spending time with Nivellia at the Deiamor estate.

“Aref, what’s your favorite animal?”

“Me?”

He remembered Nivellia asking that once, eyes shining with curiosity. For some reason, she’d looked like a white cat in that moment.

Her droopy eyes gave her more of a puppy-like look, but to Aref, she seemed like a fluffy white long-haired cat.

“…Cats.”

“Nini loves wolves! I love Aref!”

The way Nivellia beamed, like he’d just said the perfect answer—that had been unbearably cute.

“Myaaaa~”

A soft meow snapped Aref out of the memory.

Even as he left that happy moment behind, reality was even happier now.

And Aref liked that.

The kitten sniffed Aref’s hand, then gently stuck out its tongue as if to lick him.

A look of quiet anticipation crossed Aref’s face—

“…Wuuuuugh.”

Then—

“Wuuuuuugh.”

A strange groaning sound came from behind.

Just before the kitten’s tongue touched his fingers, Aref yanked his hand back and turned around—

And his eyes went wide in disbelief.

“A-ah… young miss…?”

Support