Chapter 2

It's a bit short, but I think it's a good place to stop, so I'll post it. The next post is scheduled for Monday.

"Human beings are creatures of habit, aren't they?"

Romero gazed at the scene before him and muttered with a sense of resignation.

Pochiko was hovering at a height where a child's feet could reach, dragging Chihaya, who was clinging to her. The dwarf watched Chihaya, who seemed to be having fun, with a carefree look.

"Did you push through with a tough approach?"

Looking up at Romero, who couldn't hide his wry smile, Chihaya shook her head slightly.

"No, it's thanks to Pochiko's efforts."

The young girl smiled warmly and let her gaze wander as if recalling something.

Apparently, Pochiko had stopped the dwarf from letting the bees into the mansion.

Pochiko pressed against the door from the inside, shaking her head in refusal. The bees, except for Melda, communicated their intentions through thoughts rather than words. From Pochiko, one could sense a firm rejection.

"Don't let the other bees in?"

With a puzzled look, Chihaya tentatively asked the bees to guard the mansion. The bees, understanding their task, took positions on the roof and eaves, their eyes gleaming brightly.

Chihaya chuckled at the enthusiastic bees, and the dwarf quietly entered the mansion.

Peeking into the living room, Chihaya saw Chihaya clinging to the cherry tree and Pochiko slowly walking around her.

Really slowly. Pochiko moved at a distance that was neither too close nor too far, lumbering around the giant bee.

At first, Chihaya had been crying loudly, but she gradually became less afraid of the slow-moving bee and, after about three days, finally came down from the cherry tree.

Even then, Chihaya would run around and glare at Pochiko with a wary eye, but she gradually stopped paying attention to Pochiko. Of course, she wouldn't approach on her own, but sometimes Pochiko would end up right next to her, and the moment Chihaya saw this, she would let out a scream. The Dragot mansion was lively all day long.

Days passed in a flurry, and by the time ten days had passed.

One day, the dwarf witnessed a serious-looking child and a bee.

Sitting down, the child stared at Pochiko.

Pochiko, without meeting his gaze, remained still.

As the dwarf watched in tense anticipation, Pochiko's foot gently touched Chihaya's hand. Slowly moving her toes, Pochiko nudged Chihaya's hand, which suddenly jerked in response. Pochiko quickly withdrew her foot and curled up sadly.

Pochiko looked dejected.

Seemingly sensing this, Chihaya tentatively touched Pochiko's foot. She poked it a few times to confirm, then grabbed Pochiko's fluffy fur.

"Soft!"

Held in the small hands, invisible tears welled up in Pochiko's large eyes.

Chihaya would never forget the joyous expression on Pochiko's face at that moment.

Pochiko's persistence paid off.

If pushing doesn't work, try pulling.

Chihaya was impressed by Pochiko's wise decision to stop pushing. If the dwarf had continued, it would have certainly become a traumatic experience for Chihaya. Now, the dwarf understood this.

People tend to act based on their own standards, assuming that what they can do, others can do as well. Just because it's fine for oneself doesn't mean it's fine for others, yet the dwarf had naively thought that Chihaya would get used to it if surrounded by many others. Chihaya blushed at the thought of her past self.

It was a close call.

Sticking out her tongue, the dwarf joined Pochiko and Chihaya with a nonchalant look.

Unaware of Naya and Sasha watching the children and the monsters with warm eyes.

Days passed like this, and by the time a year had passed, the Dragot mansion became the subject of people's gossip.

After all, it was a mysterious mansion where monsters gathered. Giant bees flew in the sky, and a large spring had appeared in the garden, where many frog monsters had settled. In the surrounding fields and orchards, snake monsters were entangled everywhere.

And the cute twins living in the mansion, which clearly wasn't ordinary.

They ran around the kitchen where their father worked, their matching blue and green ponchos flapping. Sometimes accompanied by monsters, sometimes carrying baskets of fruit and food, the two children ran happily through the palace garden.

Learning from the mistake of Chihaya's exposed underwear, which had been scolded by Romero, the dwarf had asked Sakura to make overalls. These were like modern-day overalls, made of thick fabric instead of jeans. Chihaya's were red, and Chihaya's were green, resembling a certain pair of plumbers, except for the lack of a hood.

Occasionally, they would play sword fights with wooden swords, and their energetic presence brought a smile to the faces of those around them.

Seeing the children being carried by the bees and flying through the air, the palace staff murmured in unison.

"Dwarf?"

A familiar scene from the past.

A civil servant leaning out of a window, knights standing and gazing at the sky. They all shared a look of indescribable admiration.

The two children being watched with narrowed eyes by the palace staff were the Dragot children. The baskets they carried were surely filled with delicious sweets.

After all, it was the dwarf.

In the capital and the palace, where people were accustomed to monsters, this unusual situation was received with warmth and goodwill. The master forest was still thriving, and the Queen and her children were alive. Such things could happen.

The people who smiled at each other harbored no ill will.

However, there are always those who have ulterior motives.

And then the situation took an unexpected turn.

"Huh? Could you repeat that, please?"

With a bewildered look, Dragot's jaw dropped, and Romero sighed, rubbing his forehead as he repeated the words with a serious gaze.

"Prince Theodor and Chihaya's marriage proposal is being discussed."

"Whaaat?"

The usual group of people, including Sakura, who looked up at the sky in exasperation, let out a series of surprised and exasperated voices.

It seemed that the dwarf's life was still far from peaceful.

While it was partly due to Chihaya's over-the-top actions, that was one thing. This was another.

Whistling that life is a game to be enjoyed, the dwarf continued on her path today as well.

No matter where she was, the dwarf was still the dwarf. And it seemed that the palace was starting to move. But, being the dwarf, things would work out as they should.