About three days had passed since then when Rosaline made a matching ribbon for Marron as well. Lil, Kohaku, and Marron were delighted to be able to wear matching ribbons every day.

Marron had completely adapted to the base and even made friends. Since Marron was good with words, it seemed that the forest mice regarded her with some respect.

Divine beasts could understand human speech, but the degree of comprehension varied.

That said, to humans other than Lil, Marron’s words only sounded like squeaks.

That day, Lil was outside, racing with the foxes. The penalty for being caught was a fluffy punishment. Ever since the water area and obstacle course had been built, divine beasts had been coming to the base to play day and night. Many of them were small animals living in the shallower parts of the forest. Then there were the feline beasts, who had taken a liking to basking in the sun on the gently swaying basket swings.

Lil was always happy to see the divine beasts around whenever she stepped outside.

‘Lil, it looks like someone’s coming.’

Kohaku suddenly spoke. Despite saying that someone was coming, the divine beasts weren’t hiding. Normally, they would conceal themselves whenever someone unrelated to the base approached.

“Whoa, what is that?”

As Lil followed Kohaku’s gaze, she saw a young man riding a silver wolf.

“Uncle Livian! Merlin!”

Lil ran toward the two of them. As soon as he got off Merlin, Livian picked Lil up.

“Hey, Lil. It’s been a while, and you’ve gotten even cuter.”

Lil was happy to be praised. She also introduced Kohaku and Marron to Livian.

Seeing Lil in good spirits reassured Livian.

“How is Lil’s father doing? I came here on business.”

Lil led Livian into the base and took him to the commander’s office.

“Dad! Uncle Livian is here!”

Ian, surprised, opened the door.

“Thanks for guiding me, Lil. I’ll be talking with Ian about work, so go play.”

Livian patted Lil’s head before stepping into the commander’s office as Ian invited him in.

“What happened to this base? I mean, I did say you could renovate it however you wanted, but don’t you think there should be a limit?”

The moment Livian spoke, pointing out how much the base had changed, Ian had no words to respond.

“And why are divine beasts so comfortable here? Normally, they avoid humans.”

“It’s probably because of Lil. They hide immediately when strangers come. Since you had Merlin with you, they must have felt safe.”

Ian poured some tea and placed it in front of Livian.

“So, what’s your business?”

“I met with the Saint.”

Ian’s expression grew serious, urging him to continue. The Saint referred to Lil’s twin sister, Mireille.

“There’s no doubt they’re identical twins. Lil is smaller and thinner, but their faces are exactly the same. She should never meet with the nobility.”

Ian was disheartened. He had wanted to let Lil move about freely, but that hope was now crushed.

“Still, I’m surprised you managed to meet her.”

Livian let out a sigh.

“The king drags her around everywhere he goes. She’s only six years old, yet she looked utterly exhausted. That king is beyond saving. He’s completely dependent on the Saint’s skill.”

The ‘Eye of Truth,’ which could see through lies, was indeed a powerful skill. Ian could understand why the king relied on it so much.

“That said, the Saint seems quite intelligent. In front of the king, I deliberately told a small lie. She just stared at me but didn’t point it out. It seems she’s been instructed to tug on the king’s clothing whenever someone lies, but she was clearly choosing which information to reveal.”

Ian was shocked. Lil was already quite clever, but Mireille might surpass even her.

“She looked so pitiful. Her eyes seemed to trust no one. Unlike Lil, she was always expressionless. Being able to see through lies must be a lonely thing. Maybe it’s because she looks just like Lil, but I felt a strange sense of attachment to her.”

Ian felt a surge of anger. He had assumed that Lil’s sister was living a happy life. If Lil found out about this, how would she feel?

“I wish we could do something to help her, but this situation is difficult. For now, I’ve placed an informant near the king. If any kind of turmoil arises, I’ve instructed them to fake her death and then rescue her.”

Could that really be possible when the king was so dependent on her? Ian pondered the matter.

“Has Lil ever said anything about her sister?”

“She seems to have no strong feelings, either good or bad. She said she’s never met her, so she doesn’t bear any resentment.”

Livian looked relieved. It seemed his attachment to Mireille was genuine.

“Lil is mature. Normally, someone in her position would resent their sister.”

“It’s probably thanks to Michiru’s teachings.”

“Ah, I wish the elder sister also had a guardian spirit watching over her.”

As they drank tea, the two worried about Mireille’s future.

In truth, Mireille had grown sick of both her family and her country. She was already in the midst of planning her escape. But neither of them knew that yet.

The day when the twins would meet face to face might not be far off.

After their conversation ended, they left the base and found Lil playing with Merlin, Kohaku, and Louis. She was riding on Kohaku’s back, dashing around the obstacle course with a delighted expression.

Perhaps because they had been discussing such heavy topics, the sight of Lil and her friends looked especially radiant.

Lil noticed them and ran over.

“Are you done talking?”

“Yeah, we’re finished. Thanks for playing with Merlin.”

Lil smiled happily as he patted her head.

“Uncle Livian! Let me show you the obstacle course!”

Taking Livian’s hand, Lil excitedly began guiding him, carefully explaining each part with enthusiasm.