Chapter 83

Luria, Sara, and Daru decided to head to the dining room.

Before leaving the room, Sara carefully covered the wooden doll lying on the bed with a blanket.

We decided to bring Daru because it would be difficult for him to carry the food by himself.

Daru, being large, naturally eats a lot.

Looking out the window in the hallway, the rain had intensified.

"Rain... I wonder if the goats and the birds are okay?"

Sara looked worriedly at the rain clouds.

"They'll be fine. Their fur and feathers repel water."

"Yeah, that's right."

When we arrived at the dining room, Mother and the maid were already waiting.

Sara and I sat opposite Mother and said "Itadakimasu" (Let's eat).

"Today, we have croissants!"

"Croissants?"

"Shaped like a crescent moon! They're delicious."

There were croissants, scrambled eggs, and sausages.

Compared to our usual breakfast, there were fewer dishes and it was a simpler menu to prepare.

Of course, there is no chef at the lakeside villa, and only one maid serves the meals.

"Delicious, delicious! Right, Sara?"

"Delicious! Sara loves croissants!"

I was really hungry, having rescued Roa in the middle of the night and sneaked into the kitchen early in the morning.

"Delicious, delicious."

"Luria."

I noticed Mother staring at me intently.

It was then that I realized she hadn't taken a single bite of her breakfast.

"Hmm? Mother, what's wrong?"

"Where are Cero and Korko?"

"Cero and Korko are taking a nap."

"Without eating breakfast?"

Cero and Korko usually look forward to their meals, so Mother must have found it strange.

"Yes. So, Luria will bring their breakfast later."

Mother continued to stare at me. Was she suspicious?

No, that wasn't it.

Yesterday at dinner, I was told not to drop food on the floor.

Without Cero and Korko to eat the fallen food, Mother must have been concerned.

"Try not to drop food on the floor, okay?"

When I said this, Mother started eating.

She must have been worried about whether I could eat properly.

If I wasn't being suspected, I wanted to start my plan to show how cute dragons are.

"Mother, what kind of animal do you like?"

"Why the sudden question?"

"Just wondering."

If I could make Mother want to keep a dragon, the plan would be a success.

"Hmm. I like dogs and cats. How about you, Sara?"

"Sara likes dogs and cats. Oh, prairie dogs and chickens too."

"Yes, Cero and Korko are cute too."

"Yep. Hehehe."

Sara smiled happily. I wiped the jam from the corner of her mouth with a napkin.

"So, Luria, what kind of animal do you like besides Daru?"

"Daru is great."

"Besides Daru, like the owls and hawks in the aviary and the goats from yesterday."

"Hmm, that's tough."

"Maybe a very large insect?"

Mother stared into my eyes intently.

"I don't particularly like insects."

"Right. ...Then maybe a snake?"

"I don't particularly like snakes either."

When I said this, Mother seemed to relax a bit.

I didn't know why, but now was the chance to show how cute dragons are.

"Besides Daru, Luria likes dragons."

"Eh? Dragons?"

Mother looked startled.

"Right, Sara, you like dragons too, right?"

"Yep. Sara likes dragons. Hehe, they're cute."

"Dragons are cute. Their wings flap cutely, and their tails are cute too."

"..."

While I was trying to show how cute dragons are, Mother remained silent and stared at me.

"...You don't mean..."

Mother suddenly stood up, even though she hadn't finished eating, and started walking out of the dining room.

"Lady?"

"I'm going to Luria's room. I don't think you're hiding a dragon, are you?"

"Eh?""Eek!""Woof!"

Sara, Daru, and I let out surprised exclamations.

Sara and Daru's tails twitched.

"M-Mother, what are you suddenly talking about?"

I was so surprised I couldn't speak properly.

"Leave the food as it is. No need to clear the table yet."

After saying this to the maid, Mother quickly walked towards my room.

Sara, Daru, and I followed her.

"Mother? Eat your breakfast?"

"Luria, you went into the kitchen, didn't you?"

"Eh? Well, umm..."

"The food delivery is done outside, so it wasn't a big deal this time."

It seems the staff from the main house only bring food and supplies to the front of the villa and then leave.

The servants who are quarantined with us are the ones who bring the supplies inside.

"Luria, I told you not to enter restricted areas, didn't I?"

"I'm sorry."

I could only apologize.

This time it was okay, but if the staff from the main house had come inside, we would have been quarantined together.

If they had left without noticing, it would have been a disaster.

Perhaps they didn't enter the villa as a precaution in case I did something.

"What you did is unforgivable. Be prepared for punishment later."

"Yes."

"Ah, but it's not Luria's fault, it's Sara's fault.""Woof woof!"

Sara and Daru tried to protect me.

Daru lay on his back in front of Mother, almost getting stepped on, showing his belly.

Mother stopped in front of Daru and looked at me.

"Is that so, Luria?"

"No. It's not Sara or Daru's fault. It's Luria's fault."

"Sara and Daru only helped, right?"

It seems she had also noticed that we had tried to stop her.

Mother started walking again, avoiding Daru.

"No, Sara was hungry...""Woof woof!"

"Did Sara eat the raw eggs, bread, sausages, and nuts?"

"Eh?""Eh?""Woof!?"

She knew exactly what we had taken from the kitchen.

"All the food is counted and managed. Did you know?"

"...No, I didn't."

"Even if you ate the bread, sausages, and nuts, you and Sara wouldn't eat four raw eggs, would you?"

"Um..."

I was about to say that Daru would eat them, but I stopped myself. It wouldn't be right to blame him, even to protect Roa.

"I thought it might be a large carnivorous insect or a snake."

Those would eat raw eggs.

"But it was a dragon, wasn't it..."

"..."

We could see the door to my room.

Cero, who had been peeking out from the door, quickly retreated inside.

"Mother is coming! Hide quickly!"

I could hear Cero, Cero, and Korko scrambling inside the room. My ears are very sensitive, but Mother probably couldn't hear.

"Luria, you promised to report anything you found, didn't you?"

"...I'm sorry."

When we reached the door, Mother immediately opened it.

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