Chapter 18
***
What was that light?
It was small, like a grain of rice. I’m sure it came from my body.
…But I didn’t have time to think about it.
“Tiger! I brought the blue rose thorns!”
[The blue rose thorns?]
“Yes! Try it.”
As the tiger’s mouth opened wide, I carefully placed the pistil inside.
The tiger eagerly swallowed the pistil I gave it.
I recalled the writing the tiger had left earlier.
The “blue rose thorns” – the blue hydrangea pistil – when eaten, would almost kill the one who consumed it.
But after 24 hours, they would wake up as if reborn.
‘Please be okay, tiger.’
I gently stroked the tiger as it slowly drifted into sleep.
There were no mutterings or snoring, just a stillness as if it were dead.
‘Okay. Now I just have to wait for a full day.’
After this death-like sleep, the tiger would be reborn.
‘If I protect my sister, we can stay together for a long time.’
I gave the tiger’s chubby bottom a light pat.
Then, I left the barn.
***
The world isn’t easy for those without power or connections.
Right now, Doctor Dot, the veterinarian, painfully realized this.
Across from him was Lady Lea Amond, Patricia’s close aide and a collateral relative of the family.
“I came all the way to this smelly, filthy barn for a reason. I want to see the black tiger spirit beast.”
“Hahaha…”
She probably just wanted to claim some credit for finding the black tiger!
“The thing is, I’m sorry, Lady. The black tiger spirit beast is in a bad condition, so no outsiders are allowed inside.”
“You commoners wouldn’t understand, but I’m an ability user. I can sense not only animals but also the emotions of spirit beasts.”
“Th-That’s truly impressive, but…”
“You’re telling me I can’t go in while Coco can?”
Lea’s ability was ‘empathy’—a lower-tier ability that allowed her to vaguely sense others’ emotions.
She had used her ability to become a gossip queen in high society and rise to the inner circle of Patricia.
“Who could understand a spirit beast better than a person who can communicate with animals? I have Patricia’s permission, so open the door now.”
“Yes, as you command…”
Lea succeeded in persuading—or rather, half-threatening—Dot. She was about to enter the barn when she hesitated.
‘The commoner Coco is coming out of the barn?’
Coco was coming out, dancing her little hips happily.
‘…Of course, my abilities are far superior to hers.’
Lea was sure she could save the tiger herself.
Ignoring Coco completely, she entered the barn.
A foul, rotting smell hit her immediately.
“What is that smell?”
It smelled like something decaying.
As she stepped inside, she was startled.
Whether it was an animal or spirit beast, Lea could usually sense emotions faintly.
But this time, something was different.
She couldn’t sense the black tiger spirit beast at all.
Lea rushed to the tiger’s side.
“Why? Why is it…”
She reached out to touch it, but there was no movement.
There was no breath flowing from under its nose.
There was no warmth of a living creature.
This was like…
“It… It’s dead…”
She had heard the tiger spirit beast was sick, but this wasn’t supposed to happen so suddenly.
“Wh-What do I do now?”
Just then, Patricia, who had promised to meet at the barn, arrived.
“P-Patricia! The black tiger… It’s dead… It’s dead!”
Lea had planned to steal the credit for saving the tiger with her empathy ability, but this was a complete disaster.
Patricia’s face went pale, then…
“Wait, this might actually work out.”
She smiled gently and looked down at Lea.
“Before coming here, I got a report. The child who was about to be disowned just met Chloe. Before that, she was alone with the black tiger in this barn.”
“Yes, I saw that too.”
“Hmm. I think they accidentally killed the spirit beast.”
Despite there being no solid evidence, Lea had to nod in agreement here.
Otherwise, things would backfire on her.
“How about this? I heard Duke Ardoth will return after his northern inspection?”
“Yes, that’s right. Should I send a messenger to inform him?”
“Do that. To think someone would kill a spirit beast… We’ll need to make sure the Duke knows about this. When is he due to arrive?”
“Probably sometime today.”
“Before he arrives, we need to interrogate the criminal.”
“W-What do you mean by that?”
“I heard the criminal has been close to Chloe Ardoth.”
This meant Patricia wanted to link the death of the tiger spirit to Chloe.
“Yes, I’ll make sure to interrogate her.”
“After the interrogation, can you handle the additional work?”
“Of course, Patricia. I can make sure the entire high society hears the rumor that Chloe killed the tiger spirit.”
Lea smiled wickedly.
A mere 5-year-old child.
She had been through the toughest challenges in high society and was confident she could manipulate things her way.
***
Just moments ago, I had been napping comfortably in a warm bed!
I fell to the cold stone floor with a loud crash.
Bruises began to form on my knee, like turnips.
At that moment, the soldier who had brought me here whispered coldly.
“Welcome to the Bastille Annex, Baby.”
The official name was the Bastille Annex, but in reality, it was a quasi-prison where disfavored collateral nobles were locked up.
‘I’ve seen this in the future. Patricia locks up low-ranking nobles she dislikes and interrogates them here!’
The moss-covered stone floor was freezing cold.
The lanterns hanging on the walls flickered dimly, as if the oil had run out.
The door was locked with sharp iron, and the windows were covered with iron bars.
But I, Coco, am different from weak humans.
I perked up my ears.
“If Lady Lea hadn’t found the dead spirit beast early, what would have happened?”
“They found the tiger. Well, no surprise.”
“She’s just a commoner. She’ll be kicked out soon enough.”
…Oh, they think the tiger is dead, so they locked me up.
As soon as I heard that, I felt relieved.
‘I hope the tiger wakes up soon.’
While I waited for news about the tiger, someone appeared in the cold basement.
It was a woman with bright red hair.
“Who are you?”
“I’m here by the orders of Patricia, who is acting on behalf of the Lady. I’m Lea Amond of the Amond family.”
Seeing her smile creepily, I jumped to my feet.
She’s a bad person!
I’ve seen her in the future. She’s the one who falsely accused my sister of many things.
“Is the criminal’s name Coco? How dare a lowly commoner like you add the crime of killing a spirit beast to your list of offenses? You’ve got guts.”
“I didn’t kill it!”
“How laughable. But you were the last one to touch the tiger, weren’t you?”
“That’s true, but…”
“Seems like the criminal has confessed. How convenient.”
She smirked as she looked down at me.
“Such a foolish little brat. If you hadn’t interfered, you would have gone home quietly.”
“…”
“But there’s an easy way to get out of this prison. Want to hear it?”
She pulled out a small recording device from her pocket and grinned.
“I know you didn’t kill the spirit beast on your own. A 5-year-old commoner without any markings couldn’t have done it alone.”
“…”
“I bet Chloe Ardoth, who you were close with, told you to kill the spirit beast, right?”
“…?”
“Tell me. I’m here to help.”
I instinctively sniffed the air.
‘There’s a smell of lies in the word ‘help’!’
But I didn’t immediately refuse. Instead, I thought carefully.
That woman.
She’s a master at spreading rumors…
‘Wait, this might actually be a good thing!’
The tiger will wake up soon.
In the meantime, what if the rumor spreads that my sister helped me save the tiger?
‘Then people will think well of her!’
So I could use her to my advantage…
As that thought bloomed in my mind, a warm, sweet potato-colored future appeared in my head.
Lea’s face, which had only seemed annoying before, suddenly looked like a delicious pumpkin.
