The parlor was filled only with silence.

Why is no one reacting? When the situation I feared the most became real, I wanted to burst into tears.

I’m sure Rosaria said they’d happily greet me.

I was wiggling and rolling my eyes waiting for any reaction, and I encountered red eyes.

It was Ian.

He was looking at me without saying anything.

I-I’m scared.

I remembered that he was staring at me from earlier, so I looked for Cade without realizing it.

“Da-Daddy.”

“Yes. Come here if you’re done saying hello.”

“Hn.”

I sat close to Cade but the two people sitting across from us still showed no reaction.

How long has it been? 

Helena, who slowly blinked, muttered in disbelief.

“Oh my God, such a creature is my granddaughter… It’s so…”

So?

I waited for Helena to say her next word. She took a deep breath and grabbed my hand.

“You’re so lovely, Irene.”

“Th-thank you.”

“Would you like to come to my house with me?”

What?

I looked at her in embarrassment. There was no sign of her letting my hand go.

Helena meant it. I thought Ian would object by now, saying something like, ‘Don’t talk nonsense.’ 

Strangely, he said nothing. It was an implicit agreement.

I looked at the hand that was clasped in embarrassment. I wanted to be here with everyone. 

At that moment, Cade snorted as he pulled out my hand that had been caught.

“Where are you going to take her without my permission?”

“Irene might want to come and look around, right?”

“You mean in that quiet place?”

“You never know. There are so many things to see, right?”

Helena looked at Ian as if asking for consent. 

Seems like there is also a quiet area in the south. I thought that such a place would be rare because this area is such a developed place.

It seemed that the two were living at the southern tip of the territory.

I can’t believe they came all the way to the capital from that far away. I was a little curious. Even in the same South, are the parts are a little different?

“Is it fun there?” (Irene) 

“Of course!” (Helena)

“…What’s interesting about such a place?” (Cade)

Cade started his nitpicking.

It was an overreaction compared to the usual behavior. My senses tingled. There’s something at the southern end.

“Still, once famous beasts from the continent often move to live there.” 

“……”

“You don’t have to study their biography. If you have any questions, you can come and ask them directly.”

……What?

I don’t need study their biography? Do you mean, the biography of the famous beasts on the continent?

If they have a written biography about them, aren’t those people the ones who occupied important places in their own clans? Are you saying that people like that are all living in the same place in the southern part of the territory right now?

Ian said in a blasé tone.

“Can’t we live together with other people?”

“…Th-that’s not it.”

“It’s boring to live by ourselves. Even if we set up a separate place to live, it’s boring without friends.”

Helena smiled brightly.

“We’ve retired anyway, so we don’t have to fight each other. The southern part of the country is suitable for old age because the scenery and weather are nice, right?” 

The quiet and warm countryside pictured in my imagination was instantly transformed into a terrifying den.

It seemed to be very peaceful because no one would ever dare to think of doing anything in that area.

But I don’t think I can afford to go there.

I shook my head saying I was fine. I was a little curious though. Helena pouted her lips with regret.

“Come to play later when you’re older.”

“Yes.”

I didn’t want to be separated from my family yet. Even if I went there, I wanted to go together. 

I’ll definitely go visit later. 

Maybe he liked my answer since Cade’s lips drew a line.

I wriggled and glanced at Helena. In fact, it was because I had been waiting for something for a long time.

“What are you doing, like a dog that wants to poop?”

“…Ian.” (Helena)

What do you mean like a dog that needs to poop? 

It was like a scene I had seen somewhere. …I must be mistaken right?

I muttered a little.

“Gift…….”

“Hm?”

“Give me a present, please.” 

I’m sure she said she bought a present for me in the garden. I should never forget that. 

I reached out my little hand to ask for it.

“Oh, look at my scattered mind. Ian, where’s the present?”

“Here it is.”

Ian pulled out a wrapped gift box that was next to him and pushed the gift onto the table.

Gift!

“Open it.”

“Yes.”

I carefully ripped off the wrapping paper so as not to damage it. It was a little heavy but I couldn’t figure out what kind of gift it was.

What did they prepare? 

My heart was pounding with anticipation.

When I unwrapped the wrapping paper, a luxurious jewelry box was revealed inside. I swallowed dry saliva at the unusual appearance of the box.

It looked insanely expensive.

I straightened my trembling hands and slowly opened the lid. What I finally saw in it was…

“Dagger?”

Cade’s eyebrows rose.

It was a dagger with a colorful sheath. At first glance, it might seem like a decorative item, but it’s not like the two of them would present me with a simple toy.

“What are you giving to her?”

“At this age, you have to play with this much.” 

“What?”

“She has to be able to protect her body. Ian said this was okay, too, and you were around this age… no… but you used to play with it often.”

Helena, who was about to say my age, saw Cade’s rising eyebrows and quickly corrected her words.

I pulled out the dagger and unsheathed it. A sharp blade flashed with an unusual sound. It was so sharp that even a slight touch could cut.

“I’m sure you haven’t taught her how to use a weapon yet.” 

“……Irene is not allowed to touch a weapon.” 

“She must have one weapon she can handle. Even now is still late to begin.”

“It’s not late at all.”

Can everyone handle at least one weapon? I don’t know because I’ve never seen them fight in real life.

But in order to protect the territory, of course, they must be proficient in weapons. The reason why Kasana taught me pheromone lessons was to an end, to protect my body.

I clenched my dagger, and when Helena saw it, she laughed.

“Look at this. Irene seems to like it too.”

“Her hands are so small I don’t know if she can hold them properly.”

“She has to get used to it from now on. When she plays with it, she’ll learn how to handle it on her own.”

“I understand the unusual view on children’s education, but Irene’s parent is me.”

“You grew up with that unusual education.”

“Mother.”

“If someone comes to annoy her later, shouldn’t she at least throw a dagger to get rid of it?”

Cade stopped. He had an unpleasant look as if he had remembered something.

“Ah, there was one. The one with a waving tail.” (Cade)

“Already? Which tail?” (Ian)

Ian, who was quietly watching the two of them fight, hardened his expression.

What do you mean which tail? What’s wrong with the question? How do you answer a question like that?

“A kid who lives up there.” 

“That’s bad. It got caught in a wrong one.”

The conversation works. I looked at them both in bewilderment.

What was even more interesting was that Helena had an expression on her face that understood the conversation.

“As expected, I can’t stand still. I’ll teach you how to throw a dagger from tomorrow.” 

“……What?”

“Martial arts must be learned from this grandmother.”

Why is it suddenly like this? Suddenly, even Cade was in a sympathetic mood.

After that, the three began to talk more seriously.

“Are you aware of their tendencies?”

“If it’s a kid from up there, it might become an adult soon. It feels as bad as it can be.”

“When will Irene grow up? Seth and Arban should be around the corner.”

“I had something to talk about concerning that.” 

The three of them were showing a more cooperative conversation attitude than ever before.

Seeing the story of growth, I think Seth and Arban will soon be able to grow into adults.

But when can I really grow up? Can I grow up to an adult without any separate steps like a carnivore beast?

Munch, munch.

While I was eating the cookies, Ian raised his hand.

“It would be better to stop talking about this soon.”

“It’s been a while and it’s already time for dinner.”

The sun was already setting outside the window. I don’t know how much time has passed.

I straightened my body, which had been leaning deep on the sofa. Looking at the mood, it seemed like this meeting was ending.

As expected, Helena looked at me and said goodbye.

“It was very nice to meet you today, Irene.”

“Me too.”

“I’m going to pick you up tomorrow.”

Are you really going to give me a dagger lesson? I nodded and got up from the sofa.

Everyone came out of the living room together.

I came out holding Helena’s hand and she leaned her body down to say,

“Then it would be better for Irene to go back now. Can you go back alone?”

“Yes.”

Of course, I can but….

Where are the three of you going, leaving me behind?

When I looked at Cade, Ian, and Helena standing behind me in turn, she grabbed my shoulder and spoke softly.

“It’s a pity, but from now on, we have a business talk with the adults, so we should each go our way now.”