chapter 31
Something felt off.
Very, very, very ominous.
While Chesha was plagued by her fairy instincts, Hata examined her closely, holding her in his hands and turning her this way and that.
“Why is this happening…?”
Chesha jingled lightly as he inspected her.
As if looking wasn’t enough, Hata set her down on the floor and began prodding her here and there.
He checked her palms, the soles of her feet, and even sniffed her for a good while.
Hata’s expression grew utterly serious.
Kneeling before her, his face on the verge of tears, he said, “I don’t know… Hata will try making the potion again. Please wait just a little.”
If Chesha showed any sign of anxiety now, it would only make things harder for Hata.
She patted his shoulder reassuringly, comforting the disheartened Hata.
“It’s not urgent! Take your time.”
At her touch, Hata’s drooping tail began to wag gently.
“And for now, close the shop and lie low. Something like this might happen again.”
If Hailon was in his right mind, he wouldn’t pull a stunt like today’s again…
But the problem was, he didn’t seem to be in his right mind.
‘That guy’s seriously unhinged.’
To think he’d break the unspoken continental rule of “never meddling in the backworld” just to confront an enchantress.
Even when he seemed normal, Hailon would occasionally pull off something so shocking it startled even Chesha.
Despite his calm facade, he was a loose cannon, and the fear of what he might do next was real.
Hiding and avoiding him in advance was the best course of action.
“Okay. Hata will be careful.”
Sweet, obedient Hata complied with Chesha’s words without question.
He decided to close both the backworld shop and the capital branch, only taking a few personal orders.
While Chesha was fretting over Hata and listing her concerns, he pouted slightly and said, “But Lichesia, you need to be careful too. Hata’s really, really worried about you. Being apart like this…”
Chesha’s heart ached at Hata’s caring words.
Ever since she’d taken on the name of an enchantress, no one had worried about her like this.
Hata was always the one to say such things to her.
His sudden adorableness brought a smile to her face.
If she weren’t in this tiny baby body, she would’ve grabbed his cheeks and squished them hard.
Instead, she clambered onto his lap with a little grunt, stood on tiptoe, and patted his head affectionately.
Hata’s face turned bright red in an instant.
Even his neck flushed as he grew shy.
Mumbling softly, he leaned his head closer to Chesha’s hand.
“Hata wants to stay by Lichesia’s side too. I’m not even going to run the shop anymore!”
How he planned to join her at the Basilian Count’s estate was beyond her.
It was a ridiculous notion.
Chesha let it slide and asked something she’d been curious about.
“Hey, Hata.”
“Yes!”
“Has anyone from the Basilian family ever come by?”
“Nope?”
Hata blinked, clueless, then let out a delayed, “Oh!”
“Recently, the capital shop got a hat order, and one of them was from the Basilian estate.”
It seemed the boutique Hata supplied had received an order from the Basilian family.
“I was going to surprise you, Lichesia…”
Hata had been planning a little surprise, and he looked terribly disappointed to have let it slip.
Chesha, who knew just how to cheer him up, asked what kind of hats he’d made.
“Hata made super cute baby hats. And gentleman’s hats too!”
Forgetting his gloom, Hata eagerly launched into boasting.
Chesha showered him with praise, letting him revel in it to lift his spirits.
After keeping him in a “praise prison” for a while, she glanced at the wall clock.
She gasped when she saw the time.
“Gotta go.”
It was time to head back.
At Chesha’s farewell, Hata’s face fell again.
“When will this be over? Hata’s lonely.”
“Hmm, it might take a bit longer than I thought.”
The original plan was to infiltrate quickly and get out.
‘But the more I learn, the shadier this family seems.’
It was like peeling an onion, with endless layers of suspicious mysteries popping up.
Hadn’t she just learned something completely unexpected in the past few days?
The Basilian Count’s estate might be connected to the backworld.
‘And today, with Karha…’
Why on earth had Karha visited Hata’s hat shop in the backworld?
It was odd enough if he’d come as a customer, but it felt even stranger because he hadn’t.
Karha seemed like he was investigating something.
Until now, Chesha had only focused on Kierne’s nighttime outings.
But now, she’d need to keep a close eye on the twins’ outings too.
As she sorted through her tangled thoughts, a realization struck her.
It felt like touching a giant snake.
At first, seeing just a part of it, she’d assumed it was a manageable size.
But the more she touched, the less she could grasp the snake’s true scale.
It was like an ouroboros, endlessly looping with no discernible head or tail.
One thing, however, was certain.
The stories known about the Basilian Count’s estate…
Were only a tiny fraction of the truth.
Chesha’s outing went unnoticed and concluded safely.
The three Basilian brothers acted as if nothing had happened starting the next day.
The heavy atmosphere from that day had vanished completely.
It seemed the matter had been neatly resolved.
Meanwhile, Chesha was biding her time, waiting for a chance to uncover Kierne’s nighttime escapades.
Of course, it wasn’t easy.
As always, the twins never left her alone.
Today, too, Chesha was being pestered.
“Here’s your tea, Captain.”
“Alright. Well done.”
Chesha responded in a stern voice, and Ishuel giggled.
Sipping milk from a tiny teacup, Chesha nodded approvingly.
“Very tasty.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
Chesha scrunched her nose at Ishuel, who was clearly having the time of his life.
She was in the middle of playing house with Ishuel in the garden.
He’d set up a play area in the garden, claiming he wanted to entertain his younger sibling.
It wasn’t exactly welcome for Chesha.
But with his eyes sparkling with anticipation, she had no choice but to pretend to enjoy it and start the game.
Still, she absolutely refused to play the popular house themes like “princess and prince,” “doctor and patient,” or “mom and dad.”
So Chesha proposed they play “captain and subordinate” instead.
Naturally, she was the captain.
Ishuel burst into laughter at her suggestion but readily agreed.
So, under the shade of a tree, they spread a mat, set up a dainty tea set, and began their game.
‘It’s not easy keeping up with a kid.’
Sighing inwardly, Chesha watched as Ishuel broke a cookie into tiny crumbs and brought one to her mouth.
“Have some cookie too.”
Chesha gobbled up the tiny piece with a big chomp.
“How is it, Captain?”
“This is tasty too.”
Ishuel was giggling uncontrollably again when—
“What are you two doing?”
As expected, Karha showed up right on cue.
“Speak of the snake, and it slithers in.”
Ishuel clicked his tongue at Karha, who was sauntering over.
Then his eyes suddenly lit up.
“Perfect timing! Captain, your second subordinate has arrived.”
“…Huh?”
Karha, about to sit down, froze awkwardly.
Chesha explained the situation.
“We’re playing house.”
“But why a subordinate? Don’t kids usually do prince and princess or something?”
“Don’t wanna. I’m the captain.”
“Alright, fine. I pledge my loyalty.”
Karha gave a half-hearted reply and plopped down next to Chesha.
Then he started gobbling up the prepared desserts.
Biting into a blueberry muffin topped with cream, he grinned.
“This smells amazing.”
“Didn’t you just eat lunch?”
“I did, but I’m hungry.”
“Hey! Stop eating. There won’t be any left for the captain.”
“The captain can’t eat all this. She’d only eat a pea-sized amount anyway.”
As Ishuel and Karha bickered, Chesha, now with a moment of peace, sipped her milk calmly.
Rustle, rustle.
A sound came from the garden bushes.
Karha, who had been tugging at Ishuel’s hair, glanced over with a start.
“Dog smell…?”
His hesitant murmur made Chesha flinch.
No way, right?
But as always, her bad premonitions were spot on.
From the trembling bushes, a small figure burst out.
A tiny ball of fur tumbled out with a poof and rolled to a stop in front of Chesha and the twins.
It was a scruffy puppy, covered in grass and leaves.
The fluffy dog, with soft light brown fur, stood up confidently on all fours and barked.
“Meowf!”
It was Hata, transformed into a puppy…
