We ingested each other’s bodily fluids... Uh oh.
A drop of cold sweat rolled down my temple, like in the so-called “manga” I used to read. The tiger innocently licked that up as well.
Flash!
Th-There’s the light again! It circled around us again! This is not good!
I set the tiger on the floor and leaned forward onto my hands, crestfallen.
“Sere? What’s wrong?”
The tiger tilted its head to the side, gave me a pat on the head with its little pink paw pad, and flashed me a smile.
All right, let’s give my current situation a little once-over! Let’s set aside the white fluffball that was bouncing around on my king-size bed for now—it was a good thing that he was feeling better, at least. Crisis averted!
I’m Serephione Granzeus. I’m the daughter of the Earl of Granzeus in the Kingdom of Judore. I live with my father, who is the kingdom’s Minister of Finance, and my older brother. Sadly, my mother passed away after giving birth to me. Childbirth still entailed risking your life in this world.
Our family has an estate in the mountains to the north, but because of my father’s important position, we spend most of our time in our mansion in the royal capital with our family of three and a few servants. Apparently, we had almost been betrayed by a servant in the past, so we each took care of our own needs individually, which was unusual compared to other noble families. This was why I could act freely as long as I was on the premises. That said, I was probably still being guarded to some extent or another.
“Um...”
“What’s up, Sere?”
“Could you tell me your name?”
I didn’t know anything about the tiger, so I had to have him introduce himself. He was the size of a puppy, and his snow-white fur had black stripes throughout. His eyes were as clear and blue as the sky on a sunny winter day.
“I’m Loudarylphena. I’m one of the four heavenly beasts born of the moon goddess. My predecessor passed away recently, so I took up the post.” He giggled.
“Lou... Daring? Little? Fluffy?”
“...”
“Can I call you Lou?”
“I guess... You’re little, after all.”
So are you!
At any rate, I now knew that he wasn’t the White Tiger from Chinese mythology. The White Tiger myth was only a concept I’d brought over from my past life in the first place.
“Is it okay for you to be here, Lou? Won’t your family be worried?”
“My father who came before me died, so I don’t have any family.”
“Um... What do you eat? What should I do for you?”
“I’ll stay with you and absorb your pretty magic! Okay?”
“Of course! We’re friends, after all!”
Lou jumped off the bed and onto my chest. I couldn’t blame him, since he was just a baby.
“Lou, how old are you?”
“Hmm, I stopped counting after a hundred.”
He’s my elder by far...
While I was stunned by that revelation, I heard a knock come from my door.
“Dinner is ready, Lady Serephione.”
My butler, Enrique, called to me. Apart from Enrique, my other main servant was the head maid, Martha, who acted as my mother figure. We also had skilled cooks and gardeners, but I spent most of my time with those two.
“I’ll be right there!” I replied. Then I asked Lou, who was dozing on my lap, “What will you do? Do you want to come eat with me? Or would you rather stay here and sleep?”
“I’ll come with you!”
Lou then climbed on top of my head for some reason. He didn’t feel heavy, though, so I didn’t mind.
Our family ate at a small, round table, contrary to what would be expected of nobility; we sat close enough together that I could reach out and touch them. The dining table truly exemplified the earnest effort my papa put in.
My father, who sat next to me on my right, was a handsome man with black hair and emerald green eyes. He had a model-like build. Although he was busy with his work almost every day, the grown woman I was on the inside could tell that he doted on me enough to make up for my mom being gone. He wasn’t that far away from my own mental age, but it still made me emotional to see him working so hard as a single father.
My brother, Larouza, sat to my left. He was a bit far from me in age; he would turn ten this year. He was a pretty boy with identical hair and eyes to our father. I was pleased that we all had matching straight black hair.
All noble children underwent a magic exam when they turned six that classified them into one of three magic levels: Magicless, Normal, or Advanced. Our family possessed immense magical power, enough that we could have been descended from spirits. Naturally, my brother’s magic level was high enough to break the measuring scale. It was customary for children with Normal to Advanced magic levels to attend the national magic academy, so he was busy from morning to night with school, tutoring, studying, and martial arts training as a way to refine his sensibilities. We were in the same mansion, but we only saw each other at mealtimes.
Now that I had regained my memories, I realized that my brother might have resented me. Our mother died giving birth to me, after all. He was seven at the time and a bright kid, so he must have understood. I couldn’t blame him for avoiding his younger sister who had his beloved mother’s eyes.
But that actually may have been more convenient for me. In the novel, Larouza met the heroine, fell in love, and ended up opposing me. I was going to try my best not to become the villainess, but if things ended up going as they did in the novel and I was very fond of my brother... Well, it would be awful. The feeling of being killed by my brother would be unbearable.
“Father, brother, sorry to keep you waiting.”
I took my seat as usual. Everything was as normal as could be, although I had a fluffball on my head.
When there was no reply to my greeting, I looked up quizzically. Papa and Larouza were both staring at the top of my head, their mouths agape.
Huh? Aren’t holy beasts supposed to only be visible to main characters and people they’re contracted with? Like in the book?
“S-Serephione, uh, you have something fluffy on your head...?”
So they can see him...
It wasn’t like I was doing anything to warrant feeling guilty, so I figured there was no need to lie. “Father, this is Lou. I found him hurt in the yard. We’re friends now.”
“But, Serephi... Isn’t that one of the holy guardian beasts?”
Hm, so the term “holy guardian beast” carries over to this world... I turned my gaze directly upward.
“Lou? Is it okay if I tell my father and brother about you?”
“I don’t sense any ill will, so I don’t mind. But only your family. My dad hammered it into me not to appear in front of people too much. He said they’d use me. Oh! And don’t tell my full name to anyone else either.”
I didn’t like this feeling of getting special treatment. I turned back to papa.
“Lou is one of the ‘heavenly beasts.’ He’s going to be my friend and stay with me. But we have to keep the secret to just our family. It’s a rule.”
Papa opened his eyes wide, stood up out of his seat, and knelt at my feet. No way?!
“Lou? Lou, what do I do?”
“Hm? Tell him he can sit down?”
“Father, Lou says to sit normally!”
Papa slowly lifted his face and hesitantly sat back down in his seat. Wait, huh?
“Father, can you not hear Lou talk?”
“Hah... No, I can’t hear him. I can see him, though. You must be communicating with him telepathically.”
“Lou, is that true?”
Lou moved to my shoulder. Our eyes met, and he gave me a nod.
“From what I can tell, you’re a very powerful magic user. By the way, I might reveal myself to other people who I trust. People can only hear me if our wavelengths match perfectly or if we’ve made a contract. My voice goes directly to your mind and is transformed based on how you imagine it.”
I heard him say “contract,” but I pretended I didn’t hear that.
“By the way, why were you hurt in our yard?” papa asked.
“I was running around because I was happy that it was snowing, and then some random weapon came flying at me. What a pain!”
He’s just a lost child, this one... I told my father and brother what Lou said.
“He was attacked in our yard?” father asked.
“I don’t know. Apparently, there was poison on it. I’m not sure.”
Papa’s expression was more severe than I had ever seen it. This really wasn’t something we could overlook. Had that assassin been aiming for our family, or for Lou? Who would hurt a holy beast, and with what weapon?
Lou was happily eating fruit, indifferent to papa’s concern. He sure ate a lot...
“Father, is it okay if Lou stays here with me?”
“Of course. I would like the holy beasts to be in good health. For Lou to live here would be a recognition of our family’s integrity; it would be an honor. Of course, nobody else will hear of this. I will see to it that the servants follow this policy as well, starting with Enrique. Do you agree, Larouza?”
“Of course.”
My brother made a deep bow to Lou. Lou wagged his white tail as a signal of recognition. But when I turned back to my family, my brother was glaring at me... It’s scary to see an angry face on such a pretty boy.
I went back to my room and got in the bath with Lou. Both the toilet and bath were mostly the same as in my past life, and I was glad that they were sanitary. It didn’t seem likely that there was a plumbing system, so it was probably cleaned using magic. Lou wasn’t at all upset to take a bath; he happily let me shampoo him, and then he soaked in the bathtub up to his neck.
After Lou shook the water off himself, I rubbed him dry with a towel, but his fur was too long and didn’t dry all the way.
“I wish I had a hair dryer...”
It was snowing outside. If I didn’t get his skin dry soon, he would catch a cold.
“Dry faster!” I said while ruffling his silver-white fur with both of my hands.