Knock knock.
A knock echoed through the room, but the curled-up figure under the blanket didn’t move an inch.
The door opened silently.
Kura stepped into the room, where the curtains were drawn tight to keep even a sliver of sunlight from entering, and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Fenrex. The Duke is leaving soon.”
The figure under the blanket flinched slightly.
“The imprint has been undone, so there’s no need for you to stay at the Ducal estate anymore. The Duke said that if you want to stay, you can, but…”
The blanket was pulled back.
Fenrex, looking dejected, curled up into Kura’s arms.
“Mom…”
Kura gently stroked the child’s hair.
Ever since returning to the palace, Fenrex had locked himself in his room.
He hadn’t eaten, hadn’t spoken to anyone.
Kura let him be, knowing this was all part of the aftermath of the imprint being broken.
Because it wasn’t a forced severance due to death, she figured time would heal it.
“My heart feels weird.”
Fenrex murmured.
“It’s okay. That’s completely normal.”
“…..”
Kura’s stomach became damp.
She gently patted Fenrex’s shaking shoulders and softly spoke.
“Don’t you want to see the young lady?”
“…I don’t know.”
Fenrex couldn’t make sense of his feelings.
His heart didn’t race like it used to when he saw Rose, nor did he feel happiness.
And yet, she lingered in his mind, faint but vivid.
The memories of talking with Rose, their heads close together, running through the garden, eating meals and snacks while chatting—all those memories replayed endlessly.
He knew the imprint was gone.
But Rose wouldn’t leave his thoughts.
“If you don’t go with the Duke, you might never see Rose again.”
Fenrex raised his head.
Tears clung to his lashes, and his nose had turned red—clear evidence that he’d been crying.
“…Would you be okay with that?”
Tears streamed down Fenrex’s cheeks.
Kura pulled him into her lap and gently rubbed his back.
“The imprint is a gift from the gods to the wolf tribe. That’s why other races don’t have one. And yet… they still fall in love.”
Kura lifted the child’s small face and placed a kiss on his forehead and nose.
“Love is a matter of the heart. Sometimes it comes like a lightning strike, like the imprint. But other times… it seeps in slowly, like water soaking into the earth.”
“…I don’t really understand.”
Kura gave a gentle smile.
“It’s okay if you don’t understand right now. But you have to look closely at your heart. Were the times you spent with the young lady truly joyful because of the imprint?”
Fenrex buried his face in Kura’s chest.
She softly patted his back.
“You have to make a choice. This has nothing to do with the imprint. Life is a series of choices. No matter what you choose, regret will follow. So… choose the path that you’ll regret the least. That will be the one that leads you to happiness.”
Kura soothed the child, all while praying in her heart—
That whatever choice he makes, it will be the one with the least regrets.
***
“Thank you!”
“Thank you so much!”
The beastfolk with fox tails bowed repeatedly in gratitude.
Ian, smiling, waved his hand and approached Napharoa.
“I’ll be heading off now.”
“You’re really leaving today?”
“Yes.”
Napharoa replied with a look of regret.
“Duke, don’t leave just yet. Fenrex, and the other children too—it won’t be easy for them to leave right away.”
“You can send them in time for the academy entrance ceremony.”
Ian’s firm refusal made Napharoa let out a sigh.
Last night, Kura had visited Fenrex’s room, but the child still hadn’t made a choice.
Among the wolf tribe, once a child starts walking on all fours, they are expected to make all their decisions on their own.
Even if the parents see a better path, they cannot force the child to take it.
That’s why neither Napharoa nor Kura could pressure Fenrex into making a decision.
All they could do was wait—for him to choose.
“…Alright. I understand.”
Napharoa sighed again as he answered.
Ian looked around, searching for Rose.
Although Napharoa kept the gatherings somewhat controlled, the beastfolk children had ended up spending long hours together.
While Ian was busy dispelling magic, Rose had been exploring the village with Hamil.
Though the village wasn’t too different from a human settlement, its location deep in the forest—due to the nature of beastfolk—made it all feel fascinating to Rose.
Plus, once the children who weren’t sick joined in, by the time Ian was done with work, they were all playing like close friends.
“Uncle!”
As he scanned the area, Rose came running toward him, something clutched in her hands.
“Uncle! Look at this!”
Rose opened her tiny, cupped hands to reveal a baby bird, its downy feathers soft and fluffy like cotton.
The chick chirped eagerly toward her, as if recognizing Rose as its mother.
“Rose, why did you bring the baby bird?”
“Well… Hamil said it’s a ‘Pipi Bird’ and that we shouldn’t put it back in the nest.”
“Pipi Bird?”
Hearing the unfamiliar name, Ian turned to Hamil who had just caught up.
“Oh, it’s a bird species that only lives in beastfolk villages. They’re unique—if a baby bird falls out of the nest, the parents give up on raising it. When we found it, we thought about putting it back, but the parents had already returned to the nest without it.”
Rose looked up at Ian with hopeful eyes.
“Can I raise it?”
“Hmm…”
“But Pipi Birds are aggressive.”
At that moment, Edelmar, who had fallen behind while talking with Yan, walked over to Ian and chimed in.
“Aggressive?”
“Yeah. They’re the kings of the skies, after all.”
Ian looked down at the little chirping bird in Rose’s hands.
That tiny thing—the king of the skies?
Seeing Ian’s doubtful expression, Edelmar patted his shoulder and pointed to the sky.
“That’s a Pipi Bird.”
Ian looked up.
A massive bird soared above, large enough to block out the sun. It vaguely resembled an eagle.
“…Hmm.”
Ian glanced back and forth between the fully grown Pipi Bird and the small one nestled in Rose’s hands.
‘If it grows up and attacks Rose…’
“Rose.”
Ian knelt down on one knee.
“We can’t take the baby—”
Before he could finish, tears welled up in Rose’s eyes.
“No? But… it doesn’t even have a mom or dad anymore…”
Faced with her about to cry, Ian changed his mind.
“Of course we can. If you want to, then we’ll take it.”
Edelmar and Hamil gave him strange looks, but Ian ignored them and gently wiped away Rose’s tears.
“Shall we give it a name?”
“Sister Hamil and I already picked one! It’s Pipi! Because it’s a Pipi Bird.”
Pipi… because it’s a Pipi Bird…
Ian was silent for a moment, then smiled warmly.
“Well done. Our Rose is good at naming things.”
“Hehe.”
Ian took out a chick-shaped pouch from his inventory.
He gently lifted the Pipi Bird from Rose’s hands and placed it inside.
“Here we go. Let’s put Pipi in here. It’ll be more comfortable in the pouch than in your hand.”
Just as Ian said, the bird twitched a few times, then stuck its head out of the pouch and settled quietly.
“Wow… Thank you, Uncle!”
Rose kissed Ian on the cheek.
“It’s a gentleman’s joy.”
Ian kissed Rose on the cheek in return and spoke.
“Now, we need to get going. Go say goodbye to your friends.”
“Okay!”
“Princess Hamil.”
“Let’s go say our goodbyes, Rose.”
Rose and Hamil held hands and headed to where the other children were gathered.
“Is it really okay to raise a Pipi Bird?”
“There’s still time before it grows up. Once it becomes strong enough to be a threat, Rose will probably be able to understand the dangers of keeping it.”
“No way.”
Ian looked over at Edelmar.
“You mean you know nothing about Pipi Birds?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Pipi Birds fully mature in just two weeks after hatching.”
Ian’s eyes widened.
A bird that grows up in two weeks? That can’t be real.
Edelmar plucked some soft down that had stuck to Ian’s jacket and continued.
“Since the down’s starting to shed, it must be about a week old. It’ll start flying soon—and once that begins, it’ll grow at an explosive rate.”
Ian stared at Edelmar with disbelief.
“You must be joking.”
“Have you ever seen me make a joke?”
Ian shut his eyes tightly in frustration.
“…Maybe I should secretly get rid of it tonight.”
“I didn’t know you were that cold-hearted.”
“Are you saying it’s okay if Rose gets hurt?”
“She won’t die.”
Ian grimaced hard.
Even knowing Rose was the saint who could erase the Void, Edelmar still answered like that?
Was this really the same man who had once suffered so deeply because of the Void?
“Duke.”
Napharoa approached Ian.
“It looks like the young lady has the Pipi Bird with her.”
“Yes.”
Even as Ian’s expression twisted, Napharoa spoke in an excited tone.
“She’s quite lucky, isn’t she? It’s nearly impossible to come across a Pipi chick.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course! Pipi Birds only give birth once in their entire lives. That’s why they’re fiercely protective of their young. Getting your hands on a chick is harder than catching a star from the sky.”
“So they rarely fall from the nest?”
Napharoa nodded.
“Yeah. As long as they’re in the nest, the parents are extremely attentive. But once the chick leaves the nest, they no longer see it as their own. That’s why the parents almost never leave their side until then. She’s lucky to get such a special bird.”
“Isn’t the Pipi Bird supposed to be dangerous?”
“Huh? Who said that?”
Ian glanced at Edelmar.
Napharoa chuckled lightly.
“Books call them the ‘lords of the sky’ and say they’re fierce—but once they choose a master, a Pipi Bird becomes incredibly loyal. It won’t attack its master.”
“Loyal?”
Edelmar echoed the word.
“Exactly. From what I can tell, that little one has already chosen the young lady as its master. Otherwise, it would’ve flown off by now.”
“It can already fly?”
The bird Rose had brought was still covered in fluffy down feathers.
Common sense said a bird with down like that couldn’t fly.
“Pipi Birds can fly just three days after hatching. That’s why the parents guard the nest so closely.”
“If it can fly, couldn’t it just return to the nest?”
Napharoa tilted his head.
“Why would it? Even if it flew back, the parents wouldn’t accept it.”
“Ah…”
“Once it leaves the nest, it’s no longer protected by the parents. Whether it survives or not is its own responsibility from that point on.”
Ian nodded quietly.
Animals follow their instincts.
Just like cuckoos are instinctively accepted by foster parents, Pipi Birds seem to instinctively see chicks that have left the nest as outsiders.
“Then isn’t that dangerous?”
“No. In fact, having it nearby would be quite useful.
If it didn’t already recognize someone else as its master, I would’ve taken its myself.”
Napharoa couldn’t take his eyes off Rose’s bag, clearly intrigued.
After finishing her greetings, Rose came back with quick little steps.
“Did you finish greeting them?”
“Yes. Are we going now?”
“Yeah. Let’s head home.”
Ian gently lifted Rose and placed her into the carriage.
“Uncle, are you riding a horse again?”
“Yes.”
“I want to ride too…”
Ian gently stroked Rose’s cheek.
“I’ll let you ride when we go to the estate. But today, you have to take care of Pipi.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Hearing Ian’s promise, Rose giggled and nodded happily.
“Princess Hamil!”
“Yes, yes! I’m coming~”
As Hamil climbed into the carriage, Ian closed the door and turned to Napharoa.
“We’ll be taking our leave now. Thank you for everything.”
“No, no, we’re the ones who are grateful. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to contact the royal palace.”
Ian nodded and was just about to mount his horse when—
“Wait!”
Check out a preview chapter from the advanced chapters, now available on my Ko-fi!
Hello! If you’d like to read advanced chapters 128-131 of the novel My Niece is not a Villainess!
I’m currently providing additional chapters of the novel here ;
The link will remain available until the next update. Thank you!
Thank you for the updates! 😄
So that’s why the ogfl and the dark mages were strangely obsessed with taking down Ian and Rose! Now, the remaining questions is, who is their ring leader? And what is their objective?🤔
And Rose acquired another pokemon, I mean, companion~ more and more people/being will be able to protect her~