Gretchel's POV
My big brother Lloyd and his subordinates are making a birthday breakfast for me while I was resting in this new room. I had come to know that those Undead animals are his subordinates. I was very surprised to figure out that he had somehow managed to "tame" them and became their leader. I really want to ask him how he did that without dying, but I decided to rest up, unpack my belongings, and forget all of the darkness back at my family home.
Later, at 7, as indicated by a big clock facing at me in the other side of the room, I went downstairs to see if there is breakfast. I then get lost a bit along the way because I am not familiar with the layout of this big house. But despite that, I managed to get to the dining room, only to see a surprise waiting for me. Lloyd and his subordinates gave me a big surprise as I set foot at the dining room.
"Surprise!"
"Happy birthday, Gretchel!"
"Happy birthday!"
I was very surprised, but not frightened at all. "Is this...?"
I saw the decorations plastered all over the walls of the room.
Then, Lloyd came to me holding a plate of cake with vanilla icing and strawberries on it. "Happy birthday, sis. Here's your cake."
Looking at it, I was very happy that he celebrates my birthday, with his subordinates.
Shortly thereafter, I sat down, and a white wax candle was lit up.
"Make a wish, ma'am," one of the Undead animals said to me.
I was surprised to hear that, but nevertheless, I made a wish. "I wished I could be happy in this new home."
I then blew the candle swiftly, and my big brother and his subordinates cheered for me.
And then, a young woman came forward and gave me a present. "Happy birthday, Gretchel-chan."
Upon noticing that, I asked her, "Who are you?"
"My name is Maria Lestew. Nice to meet you."
"How did you know my name?" "Lloyd-sama told me about you. You're his little half-sister, right?"
Maria-san said that with a smile.
"Y-Yes," I responded. "Why did you call him like that?"
"She's the headmaster of a school here in the capital," Lloyd replied back.
I then glanced at big brother. "There's a school here?"
"Yes, and have you gone to a school, ma'am?" one of Lloyd's subordinates said to me.
"No?"
"Well, you can attend Maria-san's school if you want to," Lloyd responded to me, "or maybe study here at home."
To that I said to him and the others, "I'll be thinking about that for a while."
"Sure, no pressure, sis," Lloyd replied back with agreement.
Then to everyone. "So, let's eat, shall we?"
And so, we all grabbed our utensils and get some food from the big plates to eat up. I tasted their food, and it was really good. Although it was basically similar to the food I used to eat at my family's home, I really liked the taste of the food of my older brother's home.
After breakfast, I ate some of that sweet birthday cake, which was made by one of Lloyd's subordinates, who was the head maid of this house. Her name was Laura, and she is a lioness. Although she looks pretty and older than me, she is nice and kind to me.
Later after that, big brother Lloyd took me on a tour of his country on foot. Along the way, I asked Lloyd about the names and animal forms of the rest of his subordinates. He then answered my question very well in detail. I was stunned to hear that most of his subordinates are from different tribes. Lloyd even gave me a map of his country for guidance in directions.
Then, at a hill overlooking one of the tribe's, or rather, the autonomous tribe's villages, we sat down on the green grass as the wind blows against us. Lloyd was positive as he looks at the view of the said village with positivity as his blue and brown clothes was being blown by the cool wind. And then, the question on how he "tamed" the Undead animals got the better of me, so I asked Lloyd, "Hey, big brother..."
Lloyd then looked at me. "What is it?"
"How did you managed to tame those Undead animals without dying?" I asked him.
Then, Lloyd think for a while, before he responded, "Not really, sis, it's sort of happened."
"How?"
"I got killed once by some of them."
I then gasped in shock upon hearing that. "What?"
"Yes," Lloyd replied back while looking a bit down, as if he was sad about that happening, "because I camped near their territory without knowing."
"Since when?" I asked.
"A week after I was banished."
"How did you traveled all the way here in the lowlands?"
"I think by random chance, I guess."
I was amazed at his luck.
"And after that, they saved me," Lloyd continued on while being positive again, "and Sati-san made me the leader of his tribe, and, I decided to set some rules and expand and modernize his and the other tribes to be more like ours."
"Wow, I think that's the result of your self-studying, I think," I commented.
"Yes, it was."
"Woah..."
I then thought, "He is smart, indeed."
Then, I asked him, "So you're not going to return to Langton?"
"No, I'm over it."
"Me too as well! I want to live here!"
"Sure."