That day, Lil woke up to the sound of something tapping against the window. Looking toward it, she saw a Silver Wolf.

Wondering if there was some kind of emergency, Lil opened the window. The Silver Wolf then spoke.

‘This one was looking for you, so I brought him.’

Looking down, she saw a small mouse.

‘I finally found you, young lady!’

“Marron!?”

It was the very same mouse who had been Lil’s companion in the mansion’s basement before she was abandoned. Tears welled up in Lil’s eyes.

“Marron, I missed you! Have you been well?”

‘Of course! I couldn’t die before seeing you again.’

Lil lifted Marron and rubbed her cheek against him. Even though she had only been here for about ten days, the nostalgia was overwhelming.

‘I went to the forest entrance looking for you, and the Silver Wolf brought me here.’

Lil turned to the Silver Wolf and expressed her gratitude.

“He’s a dear friend of mine. Thank you for bringing him!”

‘No need to mention it. With those legs, he wouldn’t have made it this far on his own.’

With that, the Silver Wolf departed.

“Oh, right, Marron! I have a father now! He’s really cool and kind. And guess what? He gave me a name—Lil Wilson!”

‘Then I’ll call you Lil from now on. It’s a wonderful name! I’m happy for you, Lil.’

As Lil talked with Marron, her tears wouldn’t stop. Even so, she kept sharing how happy she had been since arriving here.

Deep down, Marron was the one she wanted to tell more than anyone else.

Back when they first met, Marron could barely string together words. But for Lil, who had been all alone, he had worked hard to learn how to speak.

For the longest time, Marron had been the only one Lil could truly talk to.

Marron listened to Lil’s stories with eyes brimming with tears. Seeing her so happy filled his heart with joy. He had prayed for this for so long—that this wounded little girl would one day find happiness.

“This is Kohaku. The Silver Wolf Tribe’s chief assigned him as my guardian.”

Kohaku greeted Marron.

‘As Lil’s guardian, I suppose that makes me your senior. Let’s get along, alright?’

‘I’m just a weak little mouse who couldn’t protect Lil. I’m relieved she has a strong guardian now. Take care of her.’

Lil shook her head.

“Marron, you were always protecting me! In that dark basement, you were the only one who was kind to me. Because of you, I could smile and keep going. You’re the coolest and best friend I could ever ask for.”

Hearing those words, Marron began to cry and spoke of the day Lil was abandoned.

‘I wasn’t fast enough. When I heard they were going to leave you in the forest, I rushed to hop onto the carriage… but I was one step too late. After that, I searched desperately for you. But with this tiny body, making it to the forest was nearly impossible. Just when I was about to give up, I finally reached the forest and asked around for you. That’s when the Silver Wolf helped me… Can I still call myself your friend, even after failing you?’

“Of course! You promised we’d always be together, didn’t you? I want to stay with you forever, Marron!”

The two of them clung to each other and cried for a while. The warmth of Marron’s small body in her palm felt so familiar. She was overjoyed that they had reunited.

Even when she was happy, tears still fell—Lil realized that now.

After they had cried their fill, Lil wanted to introduce Marron to everyone. She ran straight to Ian first.

“Father, there’s someone I want you to meet!”

Lil burst into the room, causing Ian to blink in surprise. Her face was clearly streaked with tears.

He picked her up and gently urged her to continue.

“This is Marron! He’s my best friend. He came looking for me! Marron, this is my father!”

Though Lil’s excited words were scattered, Ian recognized the name. If he remembered correctly, Marron was the mouse she had been close to in the basement before coming here.

“I’m glad you two found each other again, Lil. Nice to meet you, Marron. Are you planning to stay here with Lil?”

Lil looked at Marron, who pleaded silently with his eyes.

“He wants to stay here! Can he, Father?”

“Of course. We’ll introduce him to everyone later. But… Marron, you’re a divine beast? I thought you were just an ordinary mouse, so this is quite the surprise.”

“I only found out after coming here. I thought all mice could talk.”

‘Well, I was a bit of an oddball living in human territory. It’s no wonder no one realized I was a divine beast.’

After Lil interpreted Marron’s words, Ian tilted his head in curiosity.

“Why did you choose to live in human lands?”

‘I wanted an adventure! I wanted to see everything this world had to offer. But after meeting Lil, my goal changed.’

Ian chuckled. There sure were all kinds of divine beasts out there. Ever since Lil came into his life, divine beasts had started feeling much closer to him. Maybe they weren’t all that different from humans after all.

During breakfast, Lil introduced Marron to everyone. Seeing how warmly he was welcomed put her at ease.

After breakfast, Rosaline called Lil over and handed her a cushion for Marron. She even promised to make him a matching ribbon. Overjoyed, Lil thanked her.

Lil then took Marron to the bath. Having run through both the town and the forest, Marron was covered in dirt.

At the onsen, Lil filled a bucket with hot water and placed Marron inside. He seemed delighted.

‘This is great… Lil, this place is wonderful. I’m so glad you ended up here.’

“Yeah, it really is the best place.”

As Lil washed Marron, he suddenly asked,

‘Lil, are you happy now?’

“Of course! I’m probably the happiest person in the world!”

‘Then that makes me the happiest mouse in the world.’

Marron grinned playfully. The two of them laughed together.

Their conversation was just like the ones they used to have in the basement. But now, unlike back then, their happiness was real.