"One day, Little Red Riding Hood's mother asked her to bring wine and cake to her sick grandmother, warning her: 'Stay on the main road, don't wander off, and never speak to strangers.'"
"In the forest, she met a great gray wolf."
"The cunning wolf learned she was going to her grandmother's house, took a shortcut, arrived first, tricked the grandmother into opening the door, swallowed her whole, put on her clothes and nightcap, and lay in wait in the bed."
"When Little Red Riding Hood arrived and noticed that 'Grandmother' looked strange, she began asking questions."
"'Grandmother, why are your ears so big?'"
"'So I can hear you better.'"
"'Grandmother, why are your eyes so big?'"
"'So I can see you better.'"
"'Grandmother, why are your teeth so sharp?'"
"'So I can eat you in one bite!'"
"But Little Red Riding Hood had already realized something was wrong."
"When the wolf lunged, she shoved a large stone from her basket straight into its mouth."
"The wolf's throat was blocked, it could no longer breathe, and after struggling wildly, it collapsed."
"In the end, the clever and courageous Little Red Riding Hood cut open the wolf's belly with scissors and rescued her grandmother."
"And that was the end of the story."
Grin's voice carried a kind of easy magic, and the children listened so closely that not one of them interrupted.
Of course, there was one final line in the book that he very deliberately did not read aloud.
Petra was the first to pull herself back out of the story, and she looked genuinely shaken, as if she herself had just crossed paths with the wolf.
"Wolves really are scary. It's a good thing it's daytime, or I wouldn't dare go out at all."
Grin gently patted Petra on the head and comforted her.
"Don't worry, Petra. There's a princess secretly protecting all of you in Mathers territory."
Petra looked up at him with open admiration.
"Really? Like Little Red Riding Hood?"
Grin chuckled.
"Of course not. Our princess is even braver, kinder, and likes to wear white."
Among the children, the youngest girl, Mei, pointed toward a cherry tree as if she half understood what he meant.
"White clothes… like that person, right?"
At once, everyone turned to look.
But behind the cherry tree there was no one.
Only a few shaken petals drifted down through the air, as though someone had just slipped away a second earlier.
"Huh? Did I see it wrong?"
Mei bit her finger, looking confused.
Grin rose to his feet and stretched his legs, which had begun to go slightly numb.
"Alright, kids, that's enough story for today."
"But before we finish, remember this: stay on the main road, don't run around, and never talk to strangers. Understood?"
"Oh no, Brother Grin's turned into a nagging old woman!"
"Where would strangers even come from inside the village? Brother Grin, can you count them yourself?"
Grin lightly kicked Luca in the backside for that one.
"I came down here on the Mathers household's dragon carriage, so obviously I don't count. I'm talking about suspicious people from unknown places."
Luca rubbed his backside and ducked away with a grimace.
"Oh, then there is one. Recently, a girl named Meili came here, but she won't say whose child she is."
The other children immediately protested.
"How can Meili count? We're already friends with her!"
Petra nodded seriously.
"Meili-chan is so cute. How could she be suspicious? She's just quiet. Luca, don't even think about bullying her."
At that name, a thought flashed through Grin's mind.
Meili Portroute.
That little girl was not the sort of person who could be described with something as simple as cute.
Even at only thirteen, she had already caused countless deaths.
And the demonic beast she brought with her was the cursed hound known as Ulgarum.
Grin flipped forward through the book in his hand until he reached the section for Beauty and the Beast, and as his fingers brushed the illustration there, a meaningful light flashed in his eyes.
A curse? So wishes really do come true.
"Children, for the safety of Arlam Village, as a retainer of Roswaal's household, I need to confirm little Meili's identity."
"Then we'll take you there, Brother Grin. Meili always likes to play near the forest fence. We'll definitely find her there."
Luca and Mildo immediately took the lead, one grabbing each of Grin's hands and dragging him forward, while Petra and the others hurried after them.
"Brother Grin, please don't be too fierce. You'll scare Meili-chan…"
As the little group headed off, their playful voices gradually faded into the distance.
Only after they had gone did the figure behind the cherry tree finally step out.
It was Emilia, dressed in white.
"That was close, Lia. It's your fault for getting so absorbed in listening."
A small gray kitten emerged from her silver hair, rubbing its paws over its head as if wiping away sweat.
Emilia's eyes held both admiration and envy.
"Grin is amazing. He's really popular with the children."
Puck nodded with satisfaction.
"That guy seems to care a lot about Lia's reputation too, doesn't he, our princess?"
Emilia reached up at once and tugged both of Puck's cheeks.
"Puck, if you keep teasing me like that, I'm not talking to you anymore."
A breeze passed through, and cherry blossoms fell like snow.
A few pale pink petals landed in Emilia's silver hair, drawing her attention upward.
She brushed them away from her shoulder and followed the drifting bloom with her pale violet eyes.
Above her, the cherry trees were full and brilliant, with pink and white flowers woven together into a mist of blossoms in the wind.
Puck hopped onto her head and knocked the petals from her hair.
"Lia seems very happy today."
Emilia smiled brightly.
"After all, the cherry blossoms in Arlam Village are the fullest and prettiest in all of Mathers territory. I just don't know what cherry blossom cake tastes like. I've never had it before."
Puck suddenly brightened.
"Then why don't we pick some and ask Rem to make some? They'll definitely be buying flour and brown sugar today."
Emilia nodded excitedly.
"That's a great idea. Grin might like it too."
But as she looked around for the best blossoms, she noticed something strange.
Some of the cherry trees already had obvious signs of being picked over, and a few had broken branches with sap that had not yet dried, suggesting the damage was recent.
Emilia sighed helplessly.
"What naughty children. If they keep breaking branches like this, there will be fewer blossoms next year…"
Meanwhile, led by Luca and the others, Grin followed the village fence in search of Meili.
"Brother Grin, over there!"
The little chubby boy, Mildo, pointed eagerly ahead.
There, beside the railing, crouched the small girl named Meili Portroute.
She looked tiny and harmless at first glance.
She had lake-blue braids, bright green eyes that looked both innocent and strangely captivating, and a light blue dress with a blue collar that made her seem shy and simple.
Standing nearby with a burlap sack in hand was none other than Rem, who seemed to have paused there out of curiosity.
And only when Grin looked closer did he understand what the girl had been watching.
In Meili's arms was a plump little puppy.
Its eyes were half-closed, it made a faint snuffling sound now and then, and there was a round bald patch on top of its head.