The Holy House of Kreuz.
If the Dark House of Teneris represented the Holy Kingdom of Miten,
then, in contrast, the Holy Horein United Empire had the Holy House of Kreuz.
They had been born with divine power for generations.
Favored by Horanus, the god of light, they had contributed to the founding of the Holy Horein United Empire.
Their swordsmanship was also exceptional, and they had taken the lead in driving back the Miten Kingdom, which coveted the Horein Empire.
To put it another way.
'They're Teneris's enemies, aren't they?'
An enemy house, at that!
How could I end up inhabiting a teddy bear, then wind up in an enemy nation, in an enemy house?
Even a novel would get cursed out if it were written like this!
Even after the boy's father, Duke Kreuz, left the bedroom, I couldn't come to my senses.
As I sat there blankly refusing to accept the situation, the boy threw me onto the bed.
'Agh! What was that?!'
At that, the maid who had quietly watched Duke Kreuz and the boy rushed over to stop the ill-mannered brat.
"Goodness! Young Master! It's a doll the Master gave you as a gift!"
"What am I supposed to do if I don't like it?"
"You don't like it?"
"How old do you think I am? I'm already seven! And you're telling me to play with a stupid teddy bear like this? I wanted to go on an outing with Father!"
Perhaps because presents had been used to smooth things over so many times, the boy threw a fit with all his might.
'Ah, seven. He was only seven?'
Even so, a Kreuz has the nerve to throw me?
When I glared at him, perhaps sensing my gaze, the boy looked at me and frowned.
"And what's that? It looks scary."
"Still, it's a doll the Master bought with you in mind, Young Master."
"A doll is one thing, but this is another. Stuff it away right now! I don't want to see it!"
BANG! The boy huffed as he left the bedroom.
The maid jumped at the loud slam of the door, but the boy did not return.
"Does it really look scary? ……It really does."
After examining me, the maid placed me in a corner among the toys at the boy's command. Then she tidied the bedroom and left.
That was how I ended a confusing day, having somehow ended up at House Kreuz.
Now, a question.
By chance, I had ended up in an enemy house. What should I do?
'What do you mean, what should I do? Of course I have to escape!'
So I immediately decided to run away from House Kreuz.
But.
"Young Master, aren't you going out today, either?"
"I'm not going. My brother isn't there if I go out anyway."
The bedroom's owner was always in it.
"The young master has gone to his lessons, so it's time to clean!"
Whenever I tried to seize an opportunity, the maid would come in.
"The fire's getting low. Our young master might get cold."
When I finally fought off my drowsiness and waited for night, a manservant would sometimes sneak in.
For all of those reasons, I couldn't escape House Kreuz!
'Why do you keep staying in the bedroom? Get out already!'
Thanks to that, I learned things about House Kreuz that I had not wanted to know.
House Kreuz was quite different from Teneris.
First of all, the house itself was incredibly bright.
'It stings…….'
It was so bright that I, who liked the dark, felt as though I were being exorcised.
Also, unlike Teneris, House Kreuz had very few members.
Duke and Duchess Kreuz, the ill-mannered brat's older brother, and the ill-mannered brat himself.
'Aplin had told me other houses were different from ours.'
I had never imagined there would be so few siblings.
With so few siblings, it must be hard to choose an outstanding successor.
Finally, there was the family's warm atmosphere.
"Ruperi, did you sleep well? It's been a while since I've seen you in the morning."
Family members came to exchange morning greetings.
"Your brother seemed low on energy today. Tell the head chef to make something he likes. He will not skip coming down again just because he is busy, will he?"
They seemed to think of one another and eat together.
"Ruperi, you should sleep. That way, you can get up early tomorrow."
"I don't want to! I won't sleep! I might not get to see Mother tomorrow!"
When they had time, they spent their evenings together.
They were the complete opposite of Teneris, which was why I called them warm.
Although I hadn't escaped, I tried to think positively as I watched House Kreuz.
'At least this lets me watch for an opening, doesn't it?'
I've got a rough grasp of the house now, so I need to escape quickly and find another body.
As I was choosing the right moment, the bedroom door flew open with a BANG!
Ruperi Ross Kreuz.
The ill-mannered brat who had gone out had returned.
"Ah, Young Master! How can you come back like this? Your teacher will be embarrassed!"
"Let them be embarrassed! I never said I would take lessons!"
"But the Master said it would be difficult for him to make time now."
"If it's hard to make time, he should make time! Why does he always say he doesn't have time?"
Ruperi threw another tantrum. I thought my ears would split.
Contrary to what I had explained, House Kreuz wasn't always warm.
These days, the Kreuz family seemed too busy to make much time for Ruperi.
Why did Father never make time for him?
He hadn't even seen his brother yesterday.
Now he would not see his mother for a while, either, and so on.
Perhaps all those hurt feelings had built up, because Ruperi poured them out forcefully.
Watching that.
'Why don't you reflect on your own name first?'
I wanted to point that out in contempt.
The Holy House of Kreuz was the house that represented the Holy Horein United Empire.
Ruperi's father was the head of that house, so he was naturally busy.
His mother, Duchess Kreuz, was continuing the charity work she had been doing since before her marriage.
His brother was looking after the household's affairs to fill the gap left by their parents.
How could they possibly make time for Ruperi?
'Even Miten and Horein are on the verge of war.'
That would make it all the harder for the Kreuz family to make time.
Nellis stared at Ruperi and scoffed.
'Forget it. What would that brat know?'
They had indulged all of his unreasonable demands, which was why he had grown up that way.
Nellis pushed Ruperi's voice to the back of her mind as usual.
What mattered now was escape.
Honestly, if she could just activate the Soul-Exchange Ritual, she would not have to rack her brains like this.
But this damned teddy bear had no mana core, and there were restrictions on where she could create one.
Because it was House Kreuz, using mana carelessly could expose her identity.
'Still, it's fortunate that I can move my hands and feet.'
'If I couldn't even move my hands and feet…….'
'Ugh, that's horrifying.'
Nellis shuddered.
Feeling someone's gaze, she raised her head and met Ruperi's blue eyes.
"What are you looking at?"
'I really did make eye contact with Ruperi…… Wait. Is he talking to me right now?'
The maid was startled, too, and asked Ruperi,
"Young Master? Who are you talking to-"
"Anchina, wasn't that doll shoved in among the toys? Why is it sitting upright now?"
Nellis flinched.
"It was like this last time, too. There was even a toy on the floor that could not possibly have fallen. It had been near that doll."
'Now, wait a minute.'
"Something's strange……."
Ruperi looked Nellis over with a suspicious gaze.
Nellis went rigid, feeling as though cold sweat that did not exist was trickling down her spine.
But from Ruperi's perspective, it was a reasonable suspicion.
He had been keeping a close eye on the damned teddy bear for several days.
'It's annoying.'
It was a teddy bear he could not help but pay attention to.
It looked creepy, and it was pouring out so much negative energy from the corner. How could anyone not look at it?
Above all, its expressions also played a part.
The expressions of a teddy bear that was supposed to be inanimate were far too vivid.
Sometimes it glared at him.
Sometimes it sat there listlessly.
Sometimes it was deeply lost in thought.
Seeing its vivid expressions change several times a day made Ruperi suspicious.
'Could that doll actually be alive?'
Besides, Father had said he bought it as a friend.
If it was a friend, it had to be alive. That must be why it could make such varied expressions.
As always, the teddy bear looked displeased today, and Ruperi glared at it.
Once Ruperi had finally stopped crying, the relieved maid, Anchina, left the bedroom, saying she would bring tea.
Ruperi approached the damned teddy bear.
Naturally, Nellis, the teddy bear, was flustered.
'Why, why is he coming closer? Don't come closer!'
"Hey."
'Why?'
"I know you're alive, so relax that expression."
'What?'
"That expression again."
With a stupid expression on his face, Ruperi reached out and smoothed the teddy bear's furrowed brow.
Nellis was flustered by the unexpectedly gentle touch.
'What, what is he saying?'
"Nice. Stay like that. Don't be so gloomy."
Ruperi smiled brightly.
At the sight of that smile brimming with emotion, Nellis almost smiled back, then hesitated.
'What will happen to my escape if this goes on?'
Realizing the situation, she was horrified.