PFLWPL 08

CHAPTER 08………………………………

“Hehe!”

Lin laughed brightly—the sound bubbling with joy—as her uncle finally smiled softly and congratulated her from the heart.

Of course, it was still a bit too early to truly celebrate.

“‘Luminescence,’ huh. A light-emitting ability can be useful in all sorts of ways,” Theodore said thoughtfully.

“Oh, indeed! When I worked at a seaside clinic in my youth, many deep-sea beastkin made excellent use of their light abilities. Even other aquatic beastkin were envious,” added the family physician.

In truth, luminescence wasn’t a particularly remarkable ability.

But the adults showered Lin with every kind of praise they could think of—partly to let her enjoy the pride of her first ability awakening, and partly to keep her from being disappointed that it wasn’t the Pegasus family’s traditional wind ability.

‘Her light might be weak, but there are plenty of variations of light-based powers.’

Having quietly worried about his niece’s slow growth, Theodore felt a wave of relief.

He was already thinking about whom to invite to teach her and help nurture this newfound “luminescence” ability.

“That’s not my ability, though,” Lin muttered, frowning at the overly congratulatory adults.

Unfortunately, her attempt to correct them fell on deaf ears.

After all, for centuries, beastkin abilities had been thoroughly cataloged and classified.

Claiming to have awakened a power outside of all known abilities was… well, it sounded to the adults like saying:

“I just invented a brand-new branch of science! Amazing, right?”

Even the most doting guardian would struggle to believe a six-year-old who said not “I’m good at math,” but—

“I created an entirely new subject that doesn’t fit under literature, math, or social studies!”

Especially with no proof to show for it.

So, Lin’s mention of her grandfather and mother from the “original story” was dismissed as: “Ah, she must really miss her family.”

Theodore gently patted the sulky Lin and reminded her once more:

“Your awakening is truly worth celebrating. But since it’s your first, your body must be exhausted. You need complete rest for now.”

Lin silently raised the empty cup of medicine she had just finished, proudly showing how hard she was working for her health and longevity.

“You drank it all even though it’s bitter? Well done.”

At her uncle’s approving pat on the head, Lin’s lips twitched upward.

She still wanted to pout at him for not believing her—but hiding her happiness over being praised was beyond her skill.

Smiling faintly at her beaming niece, Theodore spoke as if making an announcement:

“We must hold a celebration.”

“A party?”

“Yes. We should let everyone know how splendidly you awakened your ability.”

Lifting Lin gently into his arms, Theodore rubbed his cheek affectionately against hers and pretended to nibble her nose.

His bear-like way of showing affection made Lin giggle uncontrollably.

A party! And cake! Yes!

As she imagined all the cute and fun things that came with parties, a sudden idea struck her.

Ah!

“This is perfect! With this, I can bring the hero to our house naturally!”

In the “original story,” the hero was currently suffering, being mistreated by his cruel uncle.

Praising herself for remembering this crucial detail at the right time, Lin quickly spoke up.

“Uncle Theo! There’s someone I want to invite to the party!”

“Oh? Someone you want to see?”

“Yes!”

With confidence, she gave him the name.

✦ ✦ ✦

In the Pegasus manor’s lord’s office—

Seated behind a massive desk, Theodore frowned, recalling his earlier conversation with his niece.

For a moment, the face that usually looked so composed and handsome took on an expression of confusion that resembled a certain six-year-old’s pout.

‘Where on earth did she even meet him?’

The name Lin had mentioned—another young boy’s name—made a deep crease form between his brows.

He had never heard of any interaction between his niece and the heir of another family.

Could it be… that his niece had already developed an interest in boys?

Theodore’s chest tightened at the thought.

“Miaque.”

“Yes, Acting Lord.”

Calling for his meerkat beastkin aide, Theodore ordered an investigation into the “mutant” beastkin child Lin had mentioned.

It wasn’t something he would usually bother with—but since it was a request from his niece, he couldn’t just ignore it.

“‘Kaidan Tigris,’ huh… Perhaps their meeting could be good for them both.”

A black tiger beastkin, born into the White Tiger family.

Of course, the family itself might not view that birth so kindly—but Theodore held onto hope.

That this new meeting might bring happiness to his niece.

“I’ll assign some informants to the investigation, sir. Also, here’s the latest report on our expedition.”

As Miaque handed over the documents, Theodore flipped through them absently before suddenly speaking.

“Now that I think about it, Lin said something earlier.”

“The young lady?”

He recounted Lin’s vivid “dream” and then asked, with a serious look,

“Do children these days often have imaginations like that?”

“I’m not sure, sir… but since she’s loved books since she was little, perhaps that’s why her imagination is so vivid.”

“Right, right?”

Theodore brightened momentarily, then coughed to mask it and tried to sound composed.

“Not that I’m biased, but objectively speaking—her imagination is quite advanced for her age, isn’t it? The vocabulary she used earlier was far beyond a typical six-year-old’s…”

From that point on, Miaque had to endure an extended lecture about the “genius theory” of the Acting Lord’s niece.

It was impressive how a man normally so quiet could suddenly become so talkative—at least when boasting about his niece.

When he finally finished, Theodore leaned back, satisfied, and thought again:

“Seeing the future, huh.”

No such ability existed in this world.

Prophecy was a device used in stories, not reality. Anyone claiming to see the future was either delusional or deceitful.

He had corrected Lin to make sure she wouldn’t be fooled by such things later in life—so she wouldn’t confuse dreams and reality.

But even so…

Theodore had listened to her words seriously.

“Grandpa will return, and Mom will wake up!”

For a child to dream so vividly—and to believe that dream was a vision of the future—showed just how deeply she longed to see her mother and grandfather again.

The memory of her bright, certain voice made his chest ache.

“…I really do hope you’re right, Lin.”

✦ ✦ ✦

Huh?

Meanwhile, Lin suddenly felt a warm sensation on her forehead and touched it curiously.

It wasn’t like she had a fever. But somehow, she felt as if the strength she’d lost earlier while talking about the “original story” was slowly returning.

“What is this?”

As Lin tilted her head in wonder, her nanny Yubara—the capybara beastwoman—spoke gently.

“My lady, you must have felt quite hurt earlier, didn’t you?”

“Huh?”

“The Acting Lord didn’t believe you, even though you finally awakened your ability. He scolded you so much, poor thing.”

“Oh!”

Remembering it, Lin’s cheeks puffed out indignantly—but then quickly deflated.

“He didn’t believe my prophetic dream… Uncle Theo’s such a dummy… well, no, not a dummy.”

Yubara watched her expectantly, but Lin shook her head in a surprisingly mature way.

“No, it’s okay. I get it.”

She nodded wisely—imitating the calm, understanding expression often worn by her uncle’s aide, Miaque (without realizing it was actually the dead-eyed look of a weary office worker).

“I’ll be the understanding one. I’m not just a little kid anymore.”

After all, Lin thought, she wasn’t the same ordinary child she’d been before last night.

She had gained knowledge from the “original story,” and though it had passed like drifting through clouds, she had experienced years’ worth of time in just one night.