The Female Lead Takes Care of Everything - Chapter 46

She looked just like an extremely grumpy cat.

“Meooowww…!”

Nivellia arched her back and let out a strange, unintelligible sound.

Even her soft, cotton-candy-like silver hair seemed to bristle with tension.

Then suddenly, Nivellia charged straight at the kitten.

“Get out!”

It was such a fierce and headstrong attack that even a wild boar might have been knocked back by the force.

The frightened kitten scrambled away in a panic, darting back toward the edge of the forest where it had first appeared. It slipped into a bush and hid itself.

But even that wasn’t enough for Nivellia. She ran in the direction where the kitten had disappeared and hissed loudly and repeatedly.

“Hssss! Hssss!”

“Nini!”

Soles, frozen in shock, finally came to his senses and rushed to stop her.

But Nivellia, too worked up to listen, slapped his hand away.

“This is Nini’s territory! Stay awaaaay!”

“Nini, technically, this land belongs to the House of Deiamor.”

Even in the middle of the chaos, Soles felt the need to correct her.

“Get lost! If I see you again, I’ll tear your throat out—!”

“Ahhh! Nini!”

Soles’s scream echoed deep into the forest.

“……”

“……”

Caleo and Celletina, who had rushed over after hearing the commotion, were at a complete loss for words.

The first thing they saw was their youngest daughter, Nivellia, visibly fuming.

She was so rarely angry that seeing her this upset—her hair practically standing on end—was completely shocking.

“Aref! You can’t do that!”

“……”

“Nini is your cat! So is it okay to reach out to another cat? Yes or no?”

“N-No…?”

“Then why did you do it!”

After chasing away the intruding kitten, Nivellia turned on Aref and scolded him until he was nearly in tears.

But Aref, confused and upset, had no idea what he’d done wrong.

Soles, on the other hand, was completely stunned. He had always thought his little sister was just cute and silly—but now he was shocked by how sharp and fierce her words could be.

Still shaken, Soles clung to Ardoreth and kept voicing his concern.

“Grandfather, Nini is using such harsh language…!”

“I-I see…”

“Should we really send her to preschool? Where is she learning all these violent, terrible words…?”

“No, it’s not the preschool’s fault.”

It’s my fault, really.

Ardoreth, now a gentle old man, quietly regretted the colorful language he used to fling around during his days as a holy knight.

“Grk… Hrk…!”

“Pfft…!”

The witches clutched their sides, groaning in pain as they tried to stifle their laughter.

“Waaah! Waaah!”

Azelle even burst into tears.

It was pure chaos.

In the middle of it all, Muniel stood alone, silently staring at the forest edge where the kitten had vanished.

“Mother,”

Caleo approached and asked softly,

“What happened here?”

“……”

“…Mother?”

Are you alright?

Concerned by her silence, Caleo called her again and again. When she didn’t respond, his heart sank.

“Oh my—!”

“Quiet.”

A wrinkled hand reached out and covered Caleo’s mouth.

“I’m thinking. Be quiet.”

Muniel wasn’t unwell—she was just deep in thought.

Relieved, Caleo exchanged glances with Celletina. She, too, let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Together, they turned their gaze toward the spot Muniel had been watching.

“Mother, what’s over there?”

“The cat Nini chased away.”

Or rather, something pretending to be a cat.

“…Ah.”

Only then did Celletina realize what had triggered all the chaos.

“Nini’s never liked other cats much, has she?”

Even though she claimed to be a cat herself, she never really liked actual cats.

Back when she was younger—barely crawling—

Celletina had once shown baby Nivellia a kitten that the maids had secretly been raising in the stables.

“Hssss!”

Nivellia had hissed loudly and swung her tiny arms like she was going to hit it.

Eventually, the stable master ended up adopting the kitten and taking it home.

From then on, cats were no longer allowed at the Deiamor estate.

“Cats are territorial creatures,”

Muniel said quietly, finally taking her eyes off the forest.

“She doesn’t like other cats in her territory.”

“She’s like some kind of gangster.”

“Caleo.”

Calling your daughter a gangster?

Celletina shot him a sharp look, warning him to watch his words.

Feeling embarrassed, Caleo quickly apologized. But his wife’s expression didn’t soften so easily.

“…She’s changed.”

In that moment, Muniel murmured something under her breath.

But no one heard her quiet words.

“Oh, my sweet Nini.”

How about we calm down now?

Before anyone noticed, Muniel had scooped Nivellia up in her arms and was gently soothing her.

Eventually, Nivellia, filled with renewed determination, cried out, “I need to mark my territory!”—and threw her arms around Aref in a tight embrace.

The kitten that Nivellia had chased off ran madly through the forest.

On the way, it passed wild boars, weasels, and raccoons.

The animals glanced at the speeding kitten, but soon turned their eyes away.

Only when it reached the depths of the forest did the kitten finally stop running, panting heavily.

“What the hell was that brat?!”

A deep, eerie voice came from the kitten’s mouth.

Its once fluffy black fur shifted into smooth, glistening scales.

Its short tail stretched longer, its chubby limbs grew five times in size, and what now stood there looked like a dark, winged lizard—chirping like a baby chick.

But the voice, low and rumbling, sounded like it came from the depths of a cave.

“They want me to protect that thing? I almost got my throat ripped out! That little brat tried to kill me!”

This was Ather, the evil dragon—who had, until now, remained in egg form.

He could have hatched long ago. But he had chosen to stay inside because he hated the place he was kept.

A dragon. The last of his kind. A mighty, ancient being.

And to hatch in the arms of some sweaty, muscle-headed mercenary?

The thought alone was repulsive. Ather had seriously considered just staying in that egg forever.

He had vowed he would never be born into the arms of some crude, smelly merc.

Then, one day, something warm held him close—and woke him.

“Wow, is this really a dragon egg?”

The Mercenary King’s competition had apparently just ended.

“Looks more like a shiny rock to me. Hey, you’re not trying to scam us, are you?”

“N-No, I swear! It really is the egg of the evil dragon Ather!”

“Eh, doesn’t matter. I didn’t plan to keep the prize for myself anyway. Go grab a box or something.”

The one crowned Mercenary King was a young woman.

She had striking red hair and a long scar over one eye—but the eye itself was unharmed.

“Evil dragon or not, I don’t care.”

She leaned in and whispered to the egg.

“I have a little niece. Her birthday’s coming up, and I’m going to give you to her. Watch over Nini, will you?”

And so, the egg of the evil dragon was boxed up and shipped off—though it didn’t arrive at the Deiamor estate until well after Nivellia’s birthday.

But when the box finally arrived, it was empty.

During the delivery, Ather had broken out of his shell and escaped.

Yet even with his freedom regained, he remained near the Deiamor estate.

After all, even if he was a fearsome dragon, he couldn’t ignore the request of the one who had rescued him from those awful mercenaries.

So, he watched over “Nini.”

“Nini” was a small girl.

Nivellia Deiamor.

A four-year-old child who looked just like Saintess Muniel—and someone who remembered her past life.

Remembering a past life wasn’t particularly rare. Dragons remembered theirs too.

Or more precisely, they inherited the knowledge and memories of their ancestors.

When Ather first became conscious, what surfaced was a memory of the previous evil dragon cursing a human—180 years ago.

But that wasn’t what mattered now.

Something dark, something wrong, was lurking around Nivellia.

Something that twisted and writhed, as if trying to devour the world itself, was watching her.

And not just her.

If you looked closely, you’d see that same disturbing force creeping across the Deiamor estate, the capital, and the entire Dramenor Empire.

Even a mighty evil dragon like Ather felt a chill.

Because it was not of this world.

“……”

Deep in thought, Ather trembled slightly.

Then he looked up at the sky.

The forest where the witches lived was dense. Branches thick with green leaves wove together like nets, covering the sky in a green canopy.

A single beam of sunlight pierced through the leaves and touched the dragon’s brow.

Ather, curling into himself, closed his eyes and basked in the warmth.

“What the hell happened while I was asleep…?”

“Something terrible, no doubt.”

Ather slowly opened one eye.

Beside him stood a large stag, the leader of a deer herd.

“When did the evil dragon awaken?” the stag asked, stepping closer and gently nudging Ather with his head.

Ather stared at him silently for a moment, then returned the gesture, brushing his head against the stag’s.

“Not long ago. And you, Great Spirit of the Forest—what brings you here?”

“The daughters of the earth have returned,” the stag said with a quiet smile.

“So, we’ve returned to our rightful place as well.”

The Great Spirit of the Forest spoke calmly, his voice like wind through the trees.

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