The Villainess Proposed a Contractual Marriage

Chapter 43: Coo, Cooo... Squeak, Squeak, Peep, Peep!

On the night of the waning full moon, inside the luxurious guest room of the Luminel mansion, an unexpected incident arrived without warning.

"Snore, snooore..."

Tina was in deep, peaceful slumber on the plush bed, breathing softly. Her mouth hung slightly open, her face serene as if having a pleasant dream. A thin line of drool trickled onto her pillowcase. The tranquility was undisturbed, even by the chirping of insects.

Yet who could have known? This was the calm before the storm.

The events of that night would become the catalyst for Tina's first-ever attempt to run away from home... something no one could have predicted.

In the early hours before dawn, with plenty of time left until daybreak, a wisp of white smoke began to curl up from Tina's bed.

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Yaaawn!

Tina greeted the warm morning sunlight with a stretch. She felt unusually refreshed today. Normally, she'd want to burrow back under the covers for more sleep, but she was brimming with energy.

So Tina crawled to the edge, intending to put her feet on the floor.

But at that moment.

"Thud!"

Tina's world came crashing down. Instead of touching the floor with her feet, she tumbled headfirst with a loud bump. Strangely, it didn't hurt.

Why? How? More importantly, why did she fall? This made no sense.

And why was her line of sight so low? As if she were lying flat on her stomach.

How odd...

"Squeak..."

...?

Huh?

Why did her voice sound like that? And why couldn't she speak properly?

"Coo, cooo...!"

What on earth was happening? Why was she making these bizarre animal noises...!

'I'm sorry, Dad...! I think I've become mute... Ugh...'

First, stay calm. If she got up and found Dad, they could figure out the cause.

Surely that would work, but...

Why couldn't she stand up?

"Squeak! Squeak!"

'I-I can't balance!'

Tina desperately tried to walk on two legs. But her traitorous body seemed utterly unwilling to cooperate.

After several failed attempts, Tina's reason slowly returned.

She pondered the cause of her inability to walk upright. Tina carefully examined her two hands.

The next instant, she rubbed her eyes, and as the rough sensation touched her lower eyelids, she let out a scream.

"Piiiiiiiii!!!"

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump!

Scurrying on all fours like a beast, she rushed to the full-length mirror. She couldn't trust her own eyes. So when she finally saw her reflection, Tina could only collapse in the face of this harsh reality.

'W-What...? Is that... me...?'

The image in the mirror - it was the form of a completely alien being.

Blood-red scales covered her entire body, gleaming like a coat of varnish. What were once hands had long since transformed into forelegs. Slightly sharp claws and playfully protruding fangs. And pupils split vertically like a reptile's.

It was unmistakably the form of a baby dragon.

"Squeak, squeeeak!"

'What is this...?!'

Just as Tina was reeling in shock, there came a knock at the door.

Knock knock.

The maid had come to announce breakfast as usual. When there was no answer from inside, she assumed, uncommonly, that Tina might be oversleeping. So, to wake her, the maid opened the door, aware of her rudeness.

"Miss Tina, it's time to wake up. The Duke is... Eek!?"

"Squeak..."

The maid suddenly froze. Likewise, Tina, facing the maid from a drastically lower eye level, also became stock-still.

"W-What is this... Huh...?"

The maid didn't know Tina was half-dragon. So naturally, she couldn't connect Tina's absence with the sudden appearance of a baby dragon.

Thus, the maid fled at top speed, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"She's been eaten...!"

"Squeak?!"

"Aaah...! Aaaaaaah...!!! Your Grace!!! My Lady!!! Help!!! M-Miss Tina... has been devoured by a monster!!!"

The maid's cry turned the mansion upside down.

Especially Harte and Cardi, with their superhuman senses, didn't even need to wait for the maid to arrive. They rushed straight to Tina's room from a distance where even thunderclaps would sound faint.

Bam!

The two burst into Tina's room, kicking the door wide open.

The door flew off its hinges and shattered the window on the opposite side. The sound of the door crashing down at the mansion's entrance provided a finale to the commotion.

Meanwhile, Harte and Cardi, who had appeared so dramatically, could only stare wide-eyed.

There, curled up like a coiled snake, was a trembling baby dragon.

"Squeak, squeaak..."

Tina whimpered dejectedly.

It was the moment the early morning chaos came to an end.

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This is bewildering. In all my years, I've only been this flustered once before.

That time when I dunked my head in the Sacred Pond and regained my past life memories. Yes, I'm just as bewildered now as I was then.

"There, there. Why don't you try speaking calmly instead of crying?" the Duke said.

The Duke sat Tina, curled up into a ball, on his knee and stroked her gently as if handling a precious artifact.

"Ho ho... The scaly yet smooth texture is surprisingly pleasant. It's nice to have such rare experiences occasionally."

"Piii..."

The Duke, unusually expressive, was clearly enjoying himself. He seemed genuinely delighted by Tina's transformation into a baby dragon.

"It brings back memories. The dragon I saw long ago had such hard, rough skin that I thought even brushing against it would cut my fingertips."

"Moo?"

"Well, its head ended up getting chopped off in the end."

"Squaak!"

At the Duke's final chilling remark, Tina roused her sluggish body and leapt from his knee, landing atop my head. I could feel her tiny body quivering with fear as it vibrated against my scalp.

"Oh my..."

I picked Tina up from my head and set her down on my lap. All eyes in the room focused on my knees.

The dragon scales I'd been secretly wanting to touch were now right in front of me. I stroked the baby dragon on my lap while trying my best to maintain my dignity as I addressed her.

"Tina."

"Coo..."

"Why did you... pfft... Why did you be, be, become like this... snrk."

"Squeak! Squiiik!"

"Ah, okay. I'm sorry, sorry. I'm absolutely not laughing at you."

"Cooo..."

"Right, you only get one chance. I'll keep that in mind."

After talking with Tina, I looked around. The awkward silence was loud. Though we'd only exchanged a few words, everyone at the table was staring at me in amazement.

"Hey, Harte... Can you understand what Tina is saying?" Elphisia asked.

"Of course I can."

"Does your baptismal name include the power of translation or something?"

"Come on, Elphisia... How could such a thing exist?"

"Then how can you understand her?"

"What do you mean, how? There's no father who can't understand his daughter's words."

I explained what seemed to be common sense. But Elphisia's face darkened. It was then that I realized my blunder.

"Ah... So I'm just a useless parent unworthy of the title, is that it?"

"W-Wait. That's not what I meant!"

"Haah..."

Elphisia sighed deeply before folding her arms and forgiving me.

"Well, fine. I've seen enough of your departures from common sense by now."

"Ahaha..."

Her display of generous understanding seemed to irritate someone. The Duke, the source of that irritation, leaned in uncomfortably close with a look of intense determination.

"Who says I can't do it? I'm not some incompetent grandfather who can't understand his granddaughter. Go on, say something. I'll translate it perfectly."

The Duke's confident declaration.

In response, Tina earnestly conveyed something with soft cries.

"Squeak, squeak, cooo... Squiik, squeaak."

"Hmm."

"Kyuut, mooo, squeak, squiii."

"Hmm hmm."

"Squeee, squiing..."

"I see."

The Duke nodded. Had he really succeeded in deciphering Tina's dragon language?

When Tina stopped further communication, silence fell. During this time, the Duke closed his eyes and nodded repeatedly, as if mulling over Tina's cries.

"I see, so that's it."

"Can you understand what she's saying, Your Grace...?"

Glen politely asked about the interpretation results.

The Duke responded with unwavering eyes.

"She said a lot, but it all boils down to one conclusion."

He smirked like the final victor.

"In the end, she says her grandfather is the most admirable and lovable person in the world."

"Squaak!?"

"Father, just how optimistic is your thought process?!" Elphisia exclaimed.

Good heavens, Elphisia genuinely rebuked the Duke. And with such a raised voice...

This rare sight left me as wide-eyed as Tina.

Disappointed by the nonsensical interpretation, Elphisia and Glen once again focused their attention on me.

"... She says she wants to return to her original body quickly. She's frustrated because she doesn't know why this happened..."

"Squeak, squeaak."

Tina nodded vigorously, her pebble-sized head bobbing up and down. Then Elphisia casually posed a question to me.

"Harte. Can't you do something about this? Like using divine power to turn her back?"

"Of course I can."

However, the excessive use of divine power isn't exactly recommended. Besides, Tina's transformation doesn't pose a threat to her life or cause any major incidents, so...

"Haah, then let's just change her back already."

"Squiii. Squeak!"

"Yeah yeah, I know it's urgent, but listen..."

This is one thing, and that's another.

I have no intention of prioritizing the temple's values over family.

It's just...

"She's too adorable, so can we postpone it just for today?"

"That sounds fine," the Duke agreed.

"Squeak?!"

The Duke, head of the family, agreed without hesitation. If it had stopped there, Tina probably wouldn't have resorted to any rash actions.

"Well, I suppose one day wouldn't hurt... I haven't had a chance to touch her yet either," Elphisia added.

"I think... one day is appropriate too," Glen chimed in.

"Squeak!?"

Elphisia and Glen chimed in with their agreement. Not a single person wasn't itching to touch Tina. Even the servants preparing to wait on us were revealing their desires through furtive glances.

"Coo... Kyuuu...!"

Tina trembled as if unable to contain her anger.

The impulsive incident unfolded right then and there.

Flap!

Tina spread her wings and took flight.

"Squiiiiiiiik!"

The tiny, precious baby dragon let out a shriek. Her cry of frustration couldn't have been more endearing.

Crash!

Tina spectacularly shattered the dining hall window as she flew away. Her already small figure grew even tinier with distance, until she looked like nothing more than a red speck.

It was the dramatic beginning of her runaway adventure.