"Yes! Milta's little Haba beast gave birth to eight baby Haba beasts! Didn't she tell you?" Elroiadin now looked nothing like an elder, instead resembling a child who'd just received a gift.
"Uh... no!" Sophie shook her head, her eyelids twitching. *This* counted as fresh news?
"Oh, then do you want to go see them? Xiaobai looks a lot like a Haba beast! Is he one too? Though I've never seen a talking Haba beast before..." Stroking his beard, Elroiadin pondered thoughtfully.
"Haba beast?" Suddenly realizing what the king meant, Sophie shot up from her seat, startling Elroiadin, who immediately began fussing over her, terrified she might accidentally harm his precious grandchild.
*Now that I have a family and a child on the way, it's time to find a companion for my bonded beast, Xiaobai!* Lately, all he did was sleep—sometimes not uttering a single word all day. If not for the occasional glance, one might mistake him for a decoration!
But if he had a partner...
"Father! Take me to see those Haba beasts right now!" Grabbing a snack from the table, Sophie clutched Elroiadin's sleeve with her slightly greasy fingers.
The king gazed fondly at the oil stain now gracing his royal attire. Sophie was so refreshingly genuine—no one had ever treated him with such casual familiarity before. Even his own children maintained a respectful distance, and mischievous Milta had never dared dirty his clothes!
Arm in arm like a couple strolling through town, Sophie and Elroiadin made their way toward Milta's palace. The flower-lined path was achingly familiar. *Wouldn't it be better if these were fruit trees instead?* She could pluck a snack whenever she pleased!
"Father! Isn't it wasteful to plant flowers here? If we grew fruit trees, we could enjoy fresh fruit while walking. Don't you think?"
"Mm, yes! Tomorrow, I'll have them uproot the flowers and plant trees!" Nodding, Elroiadin's gaze drifted to Sophie's slightly rounded belly, his face splitting into a foolish grin. *Grandchild, grandchild...*
"Actually, no need to rush! Trees transplant best right after winter. Otherwise, they might not survive. Let's wait until then—these flowers are quite pretty too!" Giving the blossoms another glance, Sophie felt it'd be a shame to remove them now.
Inching toward the basket holding the Haba beasts, Sophie craned her neck, trying to glimpse its contents from the furthest possible distance. Though she'd repeatedly confirmed with the king that newborn Haba beasts had fur, childhood memories of hairless puppies still haunted her.
*Back then, my family's sickly dog never managed to keep her puppies alive for more than five minutes...*
Sophie feared nothing—except hairless creatures. Especially those slick, eyes-closed newborns. (Humans didn't count.) The sight of a baby mouse would likely send her into a shrieking faint.
After several minutes of hesitant shuffling, she finally stood beside the basket.
Woven from smooth vines and adorned with silk flowers, the spacious basket was lined with plush fabric, its base generously padded. Inside, a litter of Haba beasts scrambled blindly over one another, competing for nursing spots. *Is this where the concept of stacking blocks came from?*
Though sparse, their fine downy fur made the little creatures utterly adorable.
Noticing Sophie's approach, the mother Haba beast bristled, a low growl rumbling in her throat. Sophie hastily retreated. *If a dog bites you, you can't exactly bite back—and where would I get rabies shots here?* She had no intention of becoming rabies' latest victim.
Understanding her fear, Elroiadin had the mother removed, leaving only the squirming pups in the basket.
Watching the pile of wriggling furballs, Sophie burst into laughter. They were *too* cute! Though their eyes remained shut, they seemed to sense their siblings' locations, tunneling beneath one another only to be shoved out and repeat the process endlessly.
Picking up one that had strayed from the pile, Sophie examined it closely. *This is just a puppy!*
No different from Earth's dogs. Like the people here, did this world also share other animals with Earth? If so, where had they come from? Did their existence imply some connection between this world and hers? *When can I go home?*
The familiar sight plunged Sophie into homesickness.
Though Xiaobai resembled a dog, she'd stopped seeing him as one after discovering he could speak. To her, he was a person—a friend, a little brother.
But these puppies were different. They didn't speak; their behavior was purely canine. *Exactly like Earth's dogs.*
"Sophie, what's wrong?" Elroiadin asked, baffled by her sudden melancholy.
"Oh, nothing! They're just so adorable, I got lost in thought." Gently returning the pup to its siblings, Sophie turned to the king.
"Father, do we have any particularly beautiful Haba beasts here? Preferably one that hasn't had pups yet. I think Xiaobai might need a companion."
"Of course! If none in the palace suit him, I'll have others brought in for him to choose from!" *Though I wonder—if Xiaobai had offspring, would they talk too?*
Summoning Milta, Agatha, Charles, and Xiaobai to the parlor, Sophie and Elroiadin were already debating which Haba beast was most attractive when they arrived.
"Xiaobai, over here!" Spotting him perched on Charles' shoulder, Sophie waved eagerly.
"What is it?" Leaping down, Xiaobai trotted over. Sophie hadn't called him so warmly in ages.
"Xiaobai, what do you think of these Haba beasts?" Cradling him, she directed his gaze to the puppies scampering about.
"Hmm, healthy. No issues." A glance was all he needed for his diagnosis.
"Uh... I *know* they're healthy. I meant, do you find them pretty?" Sophie blinked meaningfully. *How would I know what counts as attractive in dog standards?*
"How should I know if they're pretty? I'm not a Haba beast!" Rolling his eyes, Xiaobai finally grasped her intention. *She's playing matchmaker?!*
"You're *not* a Haba beast?" Sophie stared at him, then at the puppies. Aside from speech, they looked identical!
"Is that so strange? Have you ever met a talking Haba beast? Do you really think Kalina—no, do you think your bonded beast would be a mere Haba beast?" Xiaobai's sidelong glance screamed *What is wrong with your brain?*
"Then what *are* you, if not a Haba beast?" Poking his forehead, Sophie asked awkwardly.
"What am I?" Xiaobai's lips curled mischievously. "Wouldn't *you* like to know?"
"*What?*" Sophie's face darkened. *Has my authority declined so much? Even Xiaobai dares defy me now?*
"Didn't hear me? I said—*wouldn't you like to know?*" With a wicked grin, he sprang from her arms back onto Charles' shoulder.
Storming over, Sophie settled for glaring at Xiaobai. *He's one of the few I can't afford to provoke.* These days, only Agatha and Milta remained safe targets—even Charles required careful consideration before teasing.
"Hmph! Keep your secrets! I don't even care!" Flipping her hair, Sophie marched back to Elroiadin. "Father, let's go! I'll cook something delicious for you!" Looping her arm through his, she dragged him away.
"Oh, Agatha, Milta, Charles—you're all invited too! Today, I'm making a *Manchu Han Imperial Feast*!" With a triumphant glance at Xiaobai, she added sweetly, "*Xiaobai* needn't come. I know you rarely eat anyway!"
Xiaobai's eye twitched. *She's really going to punish me over a joke?* And with her cooking—the one thing he couldn't resist!
"Fine, fine! I'll tell you, alright?" Defeated, Xiaobai surrendered.
**Will Xiaobai's revelation change everything—or deepen the mystery?**