While the woman dried Neya's wet clothes in front of the fireplace, Neya came out after changing.
She was only wearing the oversized top the woman had lent her, but it was so long that the hem dragged across the floor like a dress.
"..."
A smile naturally formed on the woman's lips.
Whether she was a noble child or a homeless orphan, one thing was certain—she was absolutely adorable.
The woman approached Neya and rolled up the sleeves that hung over her hands. After fixing her clothes, she met Neya's eyes and smiled.
"You're so pretty."
Would this be how she felt when the child in her womb grew up and she raised them herself?
The woman gently stroked Neya's hair.
Neya immediately burst into cheerful laughter.
"I'm sorry. We don't have any milk at home... Would you like some warm water instead?"
"Hehe, thank you."
"Go sit on the sofa by the fireplace and wait."
"Okaaay."
Neya trotted over and plopped down onto the sofa.
A little while later, the woman poured warmed water into a cup and handed it to Neya.
The moment she took a sip, it felt as though even the lingering cold deep within her body melted away.
"Oh, I introduced myself too late. My name is Melissa."
"I'm Neya!"
"I see, Neya."
Melissa smiled at hearing her name, but then asked a sharp question.
"By any chance... did you run away from home?"
"...!"
Neya immediately began coughing violently.
The question had startled her so much that the water had gone down the wrong way.
Flustered, Melissa patted her back.
"I only asked just in case... Was I right?"
"N-No!"
Neya hurriedly denied it.
It was true that she had secretly left home in the middle of the night, but it wasn't running away!
At least, that's what Neya believed, and she looked deeply wronged by the accusation.
"I heard my friend was in this village. I came to find him."
"A friend...?"
If she had a friend here, she could have come by carriage during the daytime.
Why was she wandering around before dawn instead?
Melissa looked puzzled.
"Have you ever seen a black Catsha, ma'am?"
"A Catsha?"
Melissa didn't actually live inside the village.
However, she frequently went there to buy groceries, so she often heard rumors.
"Do you mean that black-haired boy?"
"Yes! Have you seen him too?"
"I haven't seen him myself, but I've heard stories whenever I go into the village. They say he comes by from time to time, buys huge amounts of bread and jerky from the shops, then disappears again for several days."
Since Hyu never hid the fact that he was a Catsha, rumors about him had spread throughout the village.
Even Melissa, who didn't live there, knew about him.
"...He really is here."
The thought that she would soon be able to see Hyu brightened Neya's face.
But Melissa felt conflicted as she looked at her.
She had wandered around before dawn just to see a friend.
Melissa didn't know who Neya's guardians were, but she couldn't help feeling sorry for them.
"When the sun rises tomorrow, I'll take you into the village. A soldier can escort you home afterward."
"But..."
Hyu was right within reach.
The thought of returning home without even seeing him made Neya hesitate.
Seeing her reluctance, Melissa spoke sternly.
"Neya. Do you think your friend would be happy to see you come to him looking this sick and exhausted? I don't think he would."
"...!"
If it were the Hyu she knew, he would probably feel upset seeing her like this.
He might even get angry.
He'd probably ask why she'd done something so reckless.
Neya had come because she was worried about Hyu.
She hadn't come to make him worry about her.
'At least I know Hyu is here...'
Besides, with the rain pouring down, it would be difficult to keep searching anyway.
Maybe it would be better to come back another time with Shane.
"...I should go back."
"That's a good girl."
Melissa's voice softened considerably.
Only after the situation had settled did she finally ask the question she'd been holding back.
"But where is your home, exactly? How did you come all the way here by yourself?"
"It's in the neighboring village! We live in a house in the forest beyond it."
"The neighboring village?"
Melissa's eyes widened.
Neya lived much farther away than she'd expected.
"How did you get here alone? Especially this late at night..."
"Because I'm a Catsha!"
"...What?"
Melissa stared blankly.
In response, Neya immediately jumped off the sofa.
"Look!"
With a poof!
She transformed into a cat.
Melissa's eyes widened at the sight of Neya instantly turning into a white cat.
"Oh my goodness..."
Before Melissa could fully process it, Neya transformed back into her human form.
A proud smile spread across her face.
"See?"
"I'd only ever heard stories... I never thought they were real..."
Catsha were famous enough that Melissa knew their general characteristics.
'So that's how she managed to come all the way here alone before dawn...'
If she'd traveled as a cat, it wasn't impossible.
It was still dangerous, of course.
No wonder she had seemed so refined and well-raised.
If she was a Catsha, that made perfect sense.
Their worth alone was extraordinary.
'I have to make sure this child gets home safely.'
Melissa swallowed nervously.
It felt as though she were standing before a young noble lady.
Meanwhile, completely unaware of Melissa's thoughts, Neya asked curiously,
"Um, ma'am, why is your belly sticking out like that? Did you eat a huge dinner?"
"What? Ahahaha!"
Melissa burst into laughter.
"No. It's because there's a baby sleeping inside my tummy."
"Ah...!"
Neya had read about it in books when she was little.
But this was the first time she'd ever seen a pregnant woman in person.
"Then because you're human, does that mean there's a human baby inside you?"
"Hmm... I suppose so. Why? Is it different for Catsha?"
Neya nodded.
"I heard I was born in my cat form. But Hyu said he was born in his human form because his mother was human."
"Catsha can be born from a human and a Catsha?"
"I'm not really sure either, but because of that, Hyu is much better at magic than other Catsha!"
Each race possessed different natural talents.
Catsha excelled in agility and sense of direction.
Humans excelled in magic and scholarship.
And there were many other abilities divided among various races.
Because Hyu was half-human and half-Catsha, he excelled greatly in both.
'How fascinating...'
Melissa found all of it astonishing.
There had been very little research on Catsha within the Empire, so information about them remained scarce.
"Then when will your baby be born, ma'am?"
"About two months from now. Soon."
"Wow..."
Neya's eyes sparkled.
In an excited voice, she said,
"I live in a wooden house just like this one, and it's really fun! So I'm sure your baby will love this house too!"
"Haha... do you think so?"
Melissa laughed softly before looking around the house.
Even to her own eyes, it was far too small for a child to grow up in comfortably.
She worried that one day her child might resent her for raising them in such a cramped environment.
Even she herself had grown weary of this endless poverty.
Could a child endure this kind of life?
As someone who would soon become a mother, worry filled her heart.
Melissa smiled bitterly before standing up.
"It's getting late. Shall we go to bed? If you're taking a carriage home tomorrow, you should get plenty of rest."
"Are you coming too, ma'am?"
"I'm waiting for my husband, so I'll stay up a little longer. It's fine—go sleep in the bed. I'll wake you in the morning."
It was much later than Neya's usual bedtime, and after all the running she'd done, she was completely exhausted.
Neya nodded and followed Melissa toward the bed.
Neya fell asleep the moment she lay down.
Melissa smiled unconsciously as she patted the sleeping child and watched over her.
About an hour later, the cabin door opened.
Melissa hurried over.
"You're home? The rain is coming down hard, isn't it?"
"Yeah."
The man answered curtly.
Then his gaze shifted toward the fireplace.
Neya's clothes were hanging there to dry.
The unexpected sight of a child's clothing caused confusion to appear on his face.
"What's that?"
"Oh."
Only then did Melissa remember.
As though recalling it belatedly, she explained,
"A few hours ago, I found a little girl outside in the rain and brought her in. She's sleeping in the bed right now."
"A village child?"
"Hehe, no."
Melissa repeated everything Neya had told her.
Perhaps because she'd become involved in such an unusual incident, there was amusement in her voice.
"And Neya is a Catsha. I'd only heard about them before, so seeing one in person was amazing."
"...A Catsha?"
The moment he heard that word, the man's expression changed
