Adventurer's Guild Café: I Was Wrongfully Exiled by the Saint, So I Will Enjoy My Second Life with My Fluffy Friends-Chapter 3.8 - Kunas Mother

“Kuna.”

Someone was calling my name.

Huh? What was I doing again?

Before I knew it, I had somehow become small. When I looked down, I saw my tiny, pudgy hands.

“Kuna.”

A familiar voice reached my ears.

I was standing in the garden of the Leiria estate.

In a sunlit patch of the garden, there was a beautiful woman with silvery hair, wolf ears, and a tail.

Her figure felt so nostalgic that I broke into a run.

“Mother!”

In the sunny spot, my beloved, beloved mother was there.

The small me ran as fast as I could toward her. Wagging my tail enthusiastically, I hugged her, and she smelled wonderfully comforting.

It felt so calming.

“Fufu. You’ve gotten faster, Kuna.”

“Yeah! Isn’t it amazing? I can run even faster. I love running so much!”

Before I knew it, I was wagging my tail and saying something like that.

“That’s wonderful. Your mother also loves watching you run, Kuna.”

“Mother, then let’s have a race! Why are you always sitting down?”

I tugged on my mother’s pure white hand.

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But she looked troubled and didn’t move.

“I’m sorry, Kuna. I can’t, because of these shoes.”

My mother hid her feet under her dress.

But I caught a glimpse of them.

She was wearing tiny, high-heeled shoes.

“Why? You said you love running, Mother. Can’t you take the shoes off?”

When I asked, my mother gave me a sad smile.

“...Your mother isn’t feeling very well. But I do love running. After all, I’m the daughter of the White Wolf Tribe.”

The White Wolf Tribe.

Even as a child, I vaguely understood that my mother was a beastkin of the White Wolf Tribe, and that I, her daughter, had inherited that blood strongly.

“Hey, hey, do all the White Wolf Tribe people love racing?”

“That’s right. There weren’t many people who disliked it. When your mother was little, she played tag with the other children of the clan.”

My face lit up with joy.

“Where are they? I want to play tag too!”

“…”

Mother gave a sad smile.

“They’re not in this country.”

“Why not?”

“Your mother came here as a bride from a faraway place. That’s why everyone is far away.”

“A faraway place…? Where’s far away? Where did you come from, Mother?”

Mother only gave a sorrowful smile and said nothing.

That’s right. It was always like this.

Mother never spoke a word about herself.

Father would talk endlessly about how wonderful the Leiria family was.

But because of that, I knew absolutely nothing about Mother’s background—her origins, her family name—nothing at all.

“Kuna, the truth is, you are...”

Suddenly, my vision blurred and turned hazy.

What?

I can’t hear you, Mother.

“…you must…inherit…”

Wait, don’t go!

“…the king’s…”

Everything turned pure white.

◆

“Ugh...?”

I woke up, feeling restless.

Something fluffy was covering my entire face, making it hard to breathe.

“Lulu… I can’t breathe…”

“Kyuu…”

I pushed the fluff away.

Lulu, perhaps still half-asleep, licked my cheek before flopping back down and dozing off.

It was still early dawn, and the chicks in the basket were huddled together, quietly chirping as they slept.

“That startled me… Why did I suddenly dream of something so long ago?”

I recalled the dream.

It was about my dear mother, someone I hadn’t thought of in a long time.

I remembered how beautiful she was, but since she passed away when I was five, I hardly had any clear memories of her.

“…What was she trying to say, I wonder?”

Mother had been strangely reluctant to talk about herself.

Even when I asked Father, he wouldn’t tell me anything.

All he ever said was, “Your mother and I fell in love and chose each other. That’s why she came here to be my bride.”

The way he said it made it clear that I shouldn’t ask any more questions, and so I never dared to press further.

“Where did Mother really come from…?”

Because I was told not to ask or even think about it, I unconsciously stopped trying to.

But if I were to be honest, I’ve always had a hard time with Father.

He could be kind when he was in a good mood, but when he wasn’t, he’d hit me harshly or do frightening things...

I sometimes wonder what it was about Father that Mother liked so much.

But then, a thought crossed my mind.

Did Mother really love Father?

“Piyo.”

“Pii.”

“Piyuu.”

As I drifted in thought, the little fluffballs started to wake up.

With their round eyes blinking, they pressed their soft heads against the basket and began to sit up.

“Good morning, everyone.”

They chirped sleepily in response.

Before long, my own drowsiness faded, and I stretched widely.

There are so many things I don’t understand, but… I’ll think about them little by little.

For now, there are so many fun things ahead, and I don’t need to worry about the scary Leiria family anymore.