Chapter 5

My days, spent mostly indoors except for the courtyard and the entrance, are a monotonous schedule repeated every day.

In the morning, I am woken by Mrs. Goulton, get dressed, perform the morning prayer, and have breakfast in the dining room. Until noon, I attend various lessons given by Mrs. Mareschall, have a light snack, and if the weather is good, I exercise in the courtyard; if it's bad, I read. When the sun starts to set, I wash my body and have dinner, then perform the evening prayer before going to bed. The children of noble families are thoroughly disciplined by their nannies to lead such a regular life, so the concept of free time is almost non-existent.

By the time I had grown accustomed to the unrest in the mansion due to the wolf dragon commotion, Mrs. Goulton and I were living our usual lives, completely ignoring the busy adults. However, a certain event completely changed our routine. It was because Count Theresa personally handed me the materials for my moral education.

On the day of the second month's first quarter, the mansion was unusually quiet. The adults who had been causing a commotion in the mansion had left to capture or eliminate the wolf dragon.

While Mrs. Mareschall's lecture proceeded as usual and we were having a light snack as usual, the entrance suddenly buzzed, and the dining room door was thrown open. Count Theresa, who entered, called me directly to come to the courtyard after finishing my meal. My first thought was, "What's going on?"

It was surprising that Count Theresa had something for me, but even more surprising was that he, not a servant, had come to call me himself. Since our first conversation last year, we had spoken directly only a few times. Because of this, I hurriedly finished my snack, knowing it was impolite, and ran to the courtyard.

But the important matter turned out to be something quite unexpected: I was to raise a baby wolf dragon.

The wolf dragon that had appeared in the territory was a female, apparently looking for a suitable place to give birth. There was no sign of a male, and she was covered in wounds, suggesting she had been driven out of her den after losing a territorial dispute and had come down the mountain. The count and his men had found the wolf dragon's temporary den based on its appearance pattern in the village and went to protect it, but the wolf dragon had died from the strain of childbirth, leaving behind four baby wolf dragons.

Wolf dragons are intelligent creatures that can be tamed and used as mounts or beasts of burden from a young age. Although there have been no actual cases in the past two hundred years, it was decided to try. Due to the poor security in this territory caused by my father, military forces arranged by Count Theresa were stationed here, so even if the training failed, disposal would be easy. In the Caldia territory, snow snakes frequently emerge from the monster forest and the Black Mountains in the east, often preying on the already scarce livestock. Since the main diet of wolf dragons is snow snakes, Count Theresa decided to raise them to help the territory. I had no objections.

Three of the four baby wolf dragons were sent to the Ygvena Castle, which guards the eastern border of the kingdom. The remaining one was cradled by Count Theresa, who was sitting on a bench in the courtyard, feeding it dog's milk soaked in cotton. The scene of the stern-faced old man taking care of the baby wolf dragon, which looked like a puppy, was quite surreal, and when I burst into the courtyard, I was at a loss for words.

Without paying attention to my stunned expression, the count briefly explained the situation and then bluntly stated why he had called me.

"Eliza, you will be the owner of this wolf dragon. Take care of it every day and get it to bond with you properly."

"Understood."

During conversations with the count, confusion is only allowed for about two seconds. This time, since the intention of raising the wolf dragon was clearly explained in advance, I responded immediately. The ability to quickly clear my mind, which had become automatic, was perhaps the best evidence that I had not received my education as a noble child in vain.

With the help of the knowledgeable and tasteful Mrs. Mareschall, I decided to name the incredibly rare pet wolf dragon "Rasivok." It is the name of an old sun god once worshipped in this region of Ygvena. Now it is just a forgotten fairy tale, and when the sun speaks in the story, it uses this name. I remember Mrs. Goulton telling me a story about a mouse gnawing on cheese for Rasivok, causing the sun to wane and people to suffer from the weakened sunlight.

I thought Mrs. Goulton was from the Grünfeld region in the south-southwest of Arcsia, but she knew a lot about Ygvena's fairy tales. Perhaps she had researched them on purpose, given her serious and one-sided nature.

Rasivok was truly a newborn wolf dragon. When the moon, which was in the first quarter when the wolf dragon commotion began, became a new moon and it was the third month, Rasivok started to open its eyes slightly. It would sniff and nuzzle the cotton, seeking milk, but once it gained sight, it could aim its nose more confidently, much to the disappointment of the apprentice soldier Camille, who shared the caretaking duties.

"That clumsy movement was so cute..."

"Growth is like that, isn't it?"

"Cuteness is a quality of the young, Tsari. You lack cuteness because you're a small child without the appropriate cuteness..."

For some reason, Camille, who calls me "Tsari," speaks like this, completely forgetting that I am a respectable noble with a viscount title. He is truly impolite. Perhaps it was a mistake to allow him to be so informal when no one else was around. Since we work together every day, I thought it would be troublesome to be formal all the time.

"Cutiness in the young is a defense mechanism to elicit protective instincts from others."

"Tsari, you really aren't cute at all."

This is the usual flow, and from the corridor overlooking the courtyard, the sound of the maid Mary's laughter can be heard. She seems to find our conversation amusing and often listens in, laughing.

Perhaps she finds it a good break from her daily work. I don't do it to be entertaining, but if she finds it amusing, she can enjoy it.

"According to the nursery rhyme, Rasivok should be able to move on its own by the next full moon."

"The wolf dragon born on the new moon opens its eyes on the full moon night, plays in the waning moon night, and leaves the nest on the third month's night. Since Rasivok was born around the previous full moon, the timing of opening its eyes matches the rhyme."

"There's an old legend around here that wolf dragons were once used as guard dogs. Maybe it's true after all."

While looking at Rasivok's golden eyes, I heard Camille say this with interest.

In just ten days, this small creature will start moving on its own. Having no experience with infants or pets in my previous life, watching its growth is both exciting and a bit sad as it loses its adorable youth. Although I never show it, my feelings are not much different from Camille's.