3: Suspicious/human cub

Mira stuck her head out, gawking at the marvelous things around her. As soon as they entered, someone stepped forward to greet them. "Welcome back, young miss, young master,"

"Go and clean this thing; make sure to dress it properly; and give it a room to rest," Raziel commanded while poking the baby's plump cheeks.

It was then that the servant noticed Seren holding a human cub; her eyes widened for a moment, but she quickly calmed herself. "I'll take care of it properly, my lord." There are numerous questions in her mind, but it is not her place to ask, so she just took the baby and went away. Something must have happened, and for some reason, they brought a human cub with them. Sigh, she truly can't fathom the noble's way of thinking.

While the servant tried to find logic on how they found a human cub, Mira was busy looking around. The castle had a black and red color scheme with creepy gargoyles and large paintings of beheaded people, blood, and portraits of gore.

A normal child would cry the moment they stepped inside the mansion, but Mira was more interested in exploring its innate beauty. One thing she noticed, though, was that there was hardly anyone around. The mansion was big, and it was possible not to meet anyone, but the halls were too silent as if it was abandoned.

'Sister and brother live alone?'

Mira tilted her head and paid attention, but no matter how far they walked, there was no one other than the female servant and her. Soon after, they arrive in a vacant room. She was bathed and dressed in silk clothes, adorned with hair ornaments and ribbons. The color scheme was still there, plain and dark but elegant. Luckily, the servant knew what to feed her, so she got some goat milk to drink.

Even though it was midday, the exterior of the mansion gave the impression that darkness had fallen. Because of this, the little girl felt her eyes close; she was unable to think of anything else as her mind automatically shut off.

After making the baby sleep, the servant decided to leave as well. But when she was about to, she saw Seren waiting outside, her back against the wall, eyes closed, and arms crossed against her chest.

She opened her eyes and glanced at the servant, asking, "How is she, Dasha? She was extremely cold earlier; is she alright?"

Dasha couldn't help but wonder why Seren paid so much attention to the human cub. However, she quickly put those thoughts in the back of her mind. "It's probably because of the rain last night, but after she bathed in warm water and drank milk, her temperature returned to normal, so there's no need to worry.

"I see," Seren nodded in relief; she was worried that the child would fall sick.

"If I may ask, my lady, where did you find that cub? As far as I know, the nearest human settlement is miles away."

Dasha couldn't hide her curiosity anymore. It was just too bizarre; if it were a human lost in the forest and they brought him as food, then that's understandable, but why a child? Where did it even come from?

Seren shifted her eyes to the door and fell silent. She, too, was curious about that as well. When they found Mira, she was covered in dirt, but her clothes underneath were made of fine silk and not something with no money could buy.

Her skin is soft and plump, suggesting that she was well cared for. It also meant that she arrived in the forest not long ago, though she was starving, but only by a little.

"I wonder," she continued, "search the forest, see if there are any strange activities that happened last night." She said last night because the child couldn't survive longer than that; she'd either be devoured or starve to death already.

"I'll work on it right now, my lady," Seren nodded, allowing her to leave.

It took a while for her to decide, but entered the room nonetheless. It was relatively small compared to a normal one, but it was enough for a little girl. The room has the bare minimum of light, with parted curtains, it showed the dark environment and the gloomy garden outside.

She walked to the bed and saw Mira sleeping soundly with a faint smile on her face. There was drool in her mouth while she giggled from time to time; it was clear that she was having a good dream.

Seren caressed her ashen black hair, her eyes, and her plump cheeks. Then, her finger trailed down to her small and delicate neck. "Did you do that? Making us save you and all. Are you a magical baby or something?" She leaned in closer and peered at her tranquil face. "So pretty…"

"Ah, I don't wanna kill you, that will be a huge loss"

Mira's body subconsciously noticed the sudden drop in temperature, so she moved to the other side of the bed, changing her sleeping posture, facing away from the source.

"..." After adjusting her blanket, Seren quietly left the room for the baby to rest in peace.

There are a lot of things to be done. Mira's issue was one of them, but that's just extra work; the real problem is...

Seren went to the garden to get some fresh air. The weather was dark and humid; clouds blocked the sky, and the sunlight never passed through the mansion's protection barrier. It was the ideal weather for them.

While on her walk, Seren encountered her brother, sitting on the grass while fiddling with flowers. He was so focused on the task that he didn't notice her approaching. Seren smiled and watched from a distance; Raziel was forty-eight years younger, but now that they had stopped aging, they looked more like twins.

"What are you doing?"

Raziel grinned and handed the flowers, "I'm making a wreath for you and Mira."

Her hand froze at the mention of the child's name. Mira, she was a weak and harmless human cub that could die easily. She didn't know why the kid felt different; others wouldn't make her feel comfortable like she can. It's even weird how she saved and liked her so quickly–-someone who's stuck up like her.

"Hey, what do you think about that cub?"