The Female Lead Takes Care of Everything - Chapter 54

In the end, Nivellia regained her freedom—but only after receiving a full lecture on how violence shouldn’t be used recklessly, and that the stronger someone is, the more they should show kindness and restraint.

“……”

After stepping out of the office, Nivellia tilted her head slightly.

“What’s wrong? Feeling down ‘cause you got scolded?”

Armiphera, who had been waiting outside, grinned as she asked.

Nivellia shook her head firmly, crouching to meet her aunt’s gaze directly.

“Yep, that’s the kind of girl our family raises.”

“Hey, Auntie?”

“Yeah?”

“Then when is it okay to hit someone?”

Hmm… Armiphera crossed her arms and pretended to think hard.

Her real instinct was to say, “Always hit first! They don’t call me ‘Phera’ for nothing!”
But instead, she gave the responsible, grown-up answer.

“It’s best not to hit at all, if you can help it.”

Nivellia nodded thoughtfully, then shared what she had been thinking.

“You know… hitting is bad. It hurts. And it can make someone else feel sad because of what I did.”

“That’s exactly right. You understand it well.”

“Actually…”

Nivellia went on to tell her aunt about how her temper at preschool had led to innocent teachers apologizing to the Tower Master on her behalf.

Armiphera listened in silence before asking gently:

“Do you really like Aref that much?”

“Yeah.”

She nodded without hesitation, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“I love Aref.”

“Oh my…”

My little niece is precocious.

Armiphera had never experienced love like that herself—and here her four-year-old niece, barely taller than her legs, was speaking with full confidence about it. It made her want to laugh.

But Nivellia was dead serious.

So, as her aunt, Armiphera chose not to brush it off. She mirrored her niece’s serious tone and listened intently.

“But Aref doesn’t remember.”

“Why doesn’t he remember?”

“Because I’m a cat. And Aref is a wolf. I remember everything, but Aref doesn’t. So he doesn’t remember that he loves me. It’s sad…”

Nivellia’s eyebrows and mouth drooped so low they could’ve touched the floor.

“That is sad.”

Armiphera responded with sympathy.

‘…What is she talking about?’

Was this some kind of pretend play? A child’s fantasy?

Either way, Nivellia’s great secret remained safely hidden once again.

Still, if her niece believed it, Armiphera felt it was her duty to protect that innocence. She chose to believe along with her.

“Well then… Have you told Aref that you love him?”

“I tell him all the time!”

Every time she sees him, she stares into his eyes.

She bumps into him with her head, nudges him with her body.

She hugs him tight and rubs her scent into him.

“I mark Aref as mine, every day!”

“There’s nothing more admirable than a girl who knows what she wants.”

“But it doesn’t matter. Aref keeps getting distracted. He flirts.”

“I can’t tell you how relieved I am that I had no influence on your vocabulary.”

Looks like my brother’s going to have his hands full.

Armiphera chuckled quietly, but then something caught her eye.

“Nini.”

She smiled and pointed somewhere nearby.

“Look over there.”

Standing in front of Nivellia’s room was Aref.

At the same moment, he noticed Nivellia too.

“My lady!”

He came running, holding a small basket in his arms.

A sweet aroma wafted from beneath the white cloth covering it.

“Chocolate cookies!”

Nivellia’s nose twitched, and a big smile spread across her face.

“I waited to eat them with you, my lady.”

“Why didn’t you eat one first? Weren’t you hungry?”

Armiphera, pretending not to know the answer, asked teasingly.

“I mean… you had to be.”

“W-well…”

Aref, caught off guard, blushed.

He glanced quickly at Nivellia, and the moment their eyes met, his ears and neck turned bright red.

‘These two…’

Watching the scene unfold, Armiphera nearly burst out laughing—but she bit her lip just in time.

“Because… they taste better when I eat them with her…”

“Me too! I like it better when I eat with Aref!”

“That’s why I waited…”

“Heehee! Aref!”

Without warning, Nivellia threw herself into Aref’s arms.

Armiphera smoothly caught both Aref, who stumbled backward, and the basket that Nivellia had flung aside.

“Aref! Aref!”

His name rang out with strength—and layers of feeling.

I like you. I really, really like you.

It hurts that you don’t remember. I’m really sad.

But it’s okay.

Because I remember you, it’s okay.

So, I’ll keep liking you, no matter what.

“I like you! I love you!”

“……”

“Say something!”

Of course, Nivellia’s temper wasn’t going to change overnight, but Armiphera didn’t think that was a bad thing.

At least not for these two little lovebirds.

“I… I like you too…”

Aref’s voice trembled slightly, and he wore the expression of the happiest eight-year-old boy in the entire world.

His red eyes shimmered with tears.

Unconditional love soaked into him like a gentle rain—overflowing until it finally spilled out as tears.

Later, Nivellia shared a snack with Aref—chocolate chip cookies.

As she stared at a large chunk of chocolate on her cookie, something clicked in her mind.

“Auntie, when do we get to eat the lizard?”

“You mean the dragon?”

Armiphera found herself liking Nivellia more and more.

Only a Deiamor could refer to an Archdragon as if it were just a chewy side dish.

As it happened, Armiphera had something to tell her niece anyway.

“You know that was your birthday present, right?”

“Yeah. That broken, useless thing.”

“It wasn’t useless. It’s a dragon, after all.”

“What can I even do with a dragon?”

“It can protect you.”

“I’m already strong! And Aref is protecting me!”

Right, Nivellia tilted her head toward Aref for confirmation.

After swallowing the cookie in his mouth, Aref nodded vigorously, his face firm with resolve.

“Yes! I’ll protect you!”

“See!”

Nivellia raised her small, chubby chin high with pride.

Armiphera gently wiped away a crumb stuck to the corner of her niece’s mouth.

“Must be nice, having such a dependable knight.”

“Nini’s a dependable captain too!”

“I know, I know. But the dragon wants to protect you too.”

“Hmm… but I don’t really need it.”

She pouted, clearly uninterested in the idea.

Still, since the Archdragon had said it wanted to see her, Nivellia shrugged and agreed, pretending to be reluctant.

“Sigh, I’m just too popular.”

Everyone loves me too much.

She shook her head dramatically, as if it were such a burden.

Just then, a flicker of concern passed across Aref’s face.

My lady already has so many followers… Of course, she loves me most… but what if even more people or dragons show up wanting to see her?

Trying to hide the confusion building inside him, Aref silently took Nivellia’s hand.

At this point, holding hands while walking had become the most natural thing in the world for them.

Their destination: Muniel’s room.

“Isn’t there anything a little more… bloody? I feel like deep crimson would suit my black-pearl scales better.”

“Want one of the dresses I wore before I got married? That one was dyed with real blood.”

“…Are you sure you’re really a saint?”

Inside, they found Muniel helping Ather, the Archdragon, pick out an outfit.

Ather was wearing a bright yellow dress and had a white flower ribbon on her head.

“……”

“……”

Even the kids could tell something about this was… off.

“Oh, you’re here.”

Sensing their arrival, Ather fluttered over, her skirts rippling behind her.

She landed softly like a feather, then slowly began circling the two children.

Each time she moved, her dress swished like a curtain in the wind.

“How strange… Two odd creatures, bound together.”

Her moist snout lightly tapped the hands the two were holding.

The flower on her head was a white gardenia.

“To remember… and to forget…”

“Ather.”

Muniel’s voice cut in gently.

“…Hmph.”

Ather huffed, her tail flicking in annoyance.

“Anyway, from the looks of it, it seems you don’t need my help. Not yet.”

Muttering something cryptic, Ather climbed into Armiphera’s arms.

She settled in comfortably like a puppy, then let out a massive yawn—her mouth wide open, exposing rows of sharp teeth.

When Armiphera scratched under her chin, she let out a low, silly-sounding groan.

“Still… just in case.”

Without warning, she bit down on one of her own scales and yanked it out.

“OW!”

A sharp cry escaped her.

Blood and a bit of skin clung to the end of the thick, black scale.

Most kids would have screamed or run away.

“Ugh…”

Aref looked pale and queasy.

But not Nivellia—who, in her cat days, had once crunched lizards between her fangs. She wasn’t scared. If anything, she was curious.

Ather, licking the sore spot, let out a squeaky noise.

“It’s a scale imbued with a dragon’s blessing. Carry it, and it’ll protect you.”

“Eh, sounds like a hassle…”

“I bled to give this to you. Can’t you at least say thanks?”

“But your dress is really pretty! I want one too!”

“…You brazen little thing. But you’ve got decent taste.”

Satisfied, Ather went on to explain the special powers her scale carried.

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