Chapter 4

A moment later.

Having barely managed to calm down, I was doing my absolute best to avoid my sister’s eyes.

‘Ugh, I’m hopeless!’

No matter how vividly that image of her being burned alive had triggered me, how could I lose my sanity like that and cling to her so desperately? This was practically begging her to suspect something was up!

As proof, my sister rested her chin on her hand, staring at me intently the entire time.

“I never knew our May was so afraid of fire.” Then, she muttered quietly to herself with a highly skeptical expression, “That’s strange. I’m pretty sure you were completely fine with it before.”

Well, of course it seemed strange to her. Before my regression, I hadn’t had any aversion to fire whatsoever. But since that was a question I couldn’t possibly answer, I pretended not to hear her and focused entirely on the water bowl in front of me.

“By the way, this is a bit of a disaster. I used up all the remaining flour……” Right then, my sister murmured softly. “At this rate, I won’t even be able to make anything delicious for my May.”

Her red eyes stared wistfully at the kitchen, where black ash was lazily floating through the air.

‘Huh?’

In that instant, a forgotten memory flashed through my mind. It happened right around this time. At that point, I had been eating nothing but my sister’s special kibble every single day. Yes, the exact same kibble I forced down today. After eating only that for days, my mouth tasted so bitter that I felt like I was breathing out herbal fumes.

“I don’t want to eat this kibble anymore! I’m sick of it!”

Thumping my front paws against the bowl, I had pouted and forcefully turned my head away. My sister couldn’t hide her distressed expression.

“But you still have to eat. Hmm?”

She had spent a long time trying to soothe my petulant self, but back then, I was incredibly immature.

“I have to eat kibble every single day! Sister, do you think I’m a rabbit?!”

“May.”

“I want to eat jerky too! I want sausages, I want chicken drumsticks! And……!”

I had thrown a massive tantrum. My sister simply kept her mouth shut and quietly listened to my whining for a long time. After that, she left the house without saying a word to me.

“Wow, what is all this?”

That evening. With eyes as wide as a startled rabbit’s, I stared at the dining table, which was lavishly spread with all kinds of food. The sausages and chicken drumsticks I had begged for were piled high! As I jumped up and down in excitement, my sister watched me with a warm smile.

“Eat up, my May.”

For a split second, I think I thought her smile looked a bit lonely. But the thought vanished just as quickly. Faced with a luxurious feast for the first time in forever, I completely lost my mind.

Was that why? My immature past self had completely brushed past the words she had muttered to herself.

“If I was going to let go of them anyway, it would have been better to just sell them off sooner.”

……Why was I only realizing the meaning behind this now?

I froze completely stiff. After that day, our standard of living had continuously improved. Delicious food constantly appeared on the table, and after I successfully humanized, I was always able to wear clean, beautiful clothes.

What did my sister have to sacrifice for that? Among the belongings she owned, the only things that could be sold for a decent amount of money……

‘Were her magic-related items.’

Magic research tools. And rare, ancient texts that couldn’t be obtained anywhere else. She had mentioned that they were among the few remaining keepsakes left to her by her parents. ……And at some point, those items had started disappearing one by one.

‘No way.’

I sprang up from my spot. I bolted straight toward her laboratory, and a startled Sabina hurriedly chased after me.

“May, what’s wrong all of a sudden?!”

Ignoring her cries, I frantically searched the laboratory. And then.

‘Phew.’

I swept a hand over my chest in immense relief. The ancient books she treasured so dearly, and the research tools polished smooth from years of handling—thankfully, they were all still in their proper places.

“Why are you acting like this out of nowhere, hmm?” My sister approached me with a bewildered face.

With a heavy heart, I stared blankly up at her.

‘I’ve practically been leeching off my sister this entire time.’

The moment that realization hit me, it felt as though a massive boulder had crashed down directly onto my heart.

“Myaaa. (It’s nothing.)”

I’m so sorry, Sister. Because I was an idiot…… I didn’t know anything.

Guilt washed over me like a tidal wave. I weakly rubbed my head against her leg. Not knowing the reason behind my behavior, she simply smiled and gently patted my back.

“How strange. Why is May being such a baby today?”

As I accepted her touch with a gloomy heart, my eyes suddenly sharpened.

‘Something doesn’t add up.’

Adrian had clearly promised to support us in exchange for coming to the capital. That support was supposed to include various provisions, not to mention financial funding. It meant we should have been able to live comfortably without any shortages.

But judging by the words my sister had casually muttered earlier, and looking back at how things played out in the past, it seemed we hadn’t actually received any proper support.

‘Adrian isn’t the type of person to break a promise like that.’

Could there have been a completely different reason why the supplies weren’t being delivered?

Right as I fell deep into thought, pondering the mystery—

Ding-dong, ding-ding-dong—.

Suddenly, a bell chimed loudly. It was the boundary magic my sister had cast around the estate, detecting a presence approaching without any prior notice. Furthermore, the only individuals permitted to pass through the boundary magic without triggering a full alarm were myself, my sister, and Adrian.

“……Who is it?”

The relaxed expression my sister had worn up until now vanished instantly, replaced by an icy, razor-sharp gaze as she turned around.

***

The entity that had triggered the boundary magic was none other than a supply wagon sent from the Ducal House of Valencia. Honestly, showing up unannounced without even a single word of notice—what kind of manners was that?!

“May, could you wait here for just a moment?”

Offering me a gentle smile, my sister left me behind and stepped outside the house alone. I carefully observed her expression. The moment she passed through the main gates, I caught a glimpse of her face hardening into a cold mask.

‘This is definitely suspicious.’

I leaped swiftly onto the windowsill. In the distance, my sister was marching toward the carriage with long strides.

‘As I thought, it’s best if I check this out myself.’

Gently pushing the window open with my front paw, I hopped down. Concealing my body beneath the brush, I stealthily trailed behind her.

‘Ah, there they are.’

With my eyes blazing, I flattened myself against the grass and glared at the supply wagon.

‘Seeing that a wagon actually arrived, the House of Valencia is definitely sending support, but……’

Then why on earth did my sister have to maintain our livelihood by selling off our parents’ keepsakes?

That question was answered incredibly easily.

“The supplies are heavily lacking today as well,” my sister spoke, her face frostbitten as she inspected the cargo. “The food items are one thing, but even the herbs and reagents I requested last time are completely missing.”

What? My eyes widened in shock.

‘Even so, how could they fail to properly supply the herbs and reagents?’

The entire reason my sister was staying in the capital was because monsters had been rapidly increasing in numbers lately. She was searching for a way to curb that sudden surge. Naturally, conducting the relevant research required an immense amount of herbs and reagents.

Furthermore, that research was a task Adrian had personally requested from her. He had been so incredibly confident, promising that he would ensure her every convenience was looked after. So why?

“Good grief, for someone living off the grace of the Ducal House, you sure have a lot to say.”