A month and a half had passed since I reincarnated as Ziom. Adapting to this world hasn't been very difficult since I am still a six-year-old child. Although if I have to mention a difficulty, it has been the baths. The first time I had to use one of the castle toilets was a traumatic experience. Sitting on the cold stone edge, I felt a shiver run down my spine as the icy winter air seeped through the window, at least allowing the smells not to be too strong. The freezing water used for cleaning made me shudder, and although the servants kept everything impeccably clean, I couldn't help but miss the modern conveniences of my past life.

Setting those complaints aside, I have maintained a daily routine. Every morning, my siblings and I practice archery in the courtyard. Asli, with her strict manner, always corrects my posture with patience but occasionally criticizes me for so many things I do wrong, while Riun teaches me more friendly and usually praises me for what I do right, while Aiza always tries to cheer me up when I do poorly and motivates me when I'm about to shoot arrows.

In the afternoons, I immerse myself in reading with Marcy, and although at first, I found it interesting, it is now starting to tire me. It's not the same to read to learn as it is to read for entertainment. However, thanks to the books the librarian gave me, I have better understood how the kingdom works, the technological level, the families that make it up, and the most interesting thing is about the strong people who exist, which has made me much more cautious about leaving the areas governed by my father.

Besides that, a great discovery I made about our family is that I don't have to worry about any of my siblings trying to kill me to eliminate competition. The titles in our family are inherited by the strongest man, for his leadership ability and, lastly, for his personal combat prowess.

In case there is no male heir, it will be chosen among the women. This revelation was a relief because what our family promotes the most is family coexistence. That's why it is forbidden to marry women or men to external noble families unless they are our vassals, but something very important is that they must prove they deserve to marry someone from our family by demonstrating their worth. Also, being an heir does not mean having control of everything when inheriting the county because those who do not inherit must help the heir with administration, training soldiers, managing different areas of the county, or other important positions. If they do not want to do this, they can leave the family and go outside permanently or temporarily, but they are never allowed to use the family surname outside. However, it is not very easy to live outside because doing so would mean leaving the contracted wolf in the castle, as maintaining them is very costly due to their high meat consumption.

If they do not want either of the previous two options, they can build a house in areas governed by the count, with a salary without having to do anything and enjoying life as they please, as long as they do not abuse their count status with the peasants or merchants. In fact, I discovered that I have an uncle enjoying this lifestyle with his wife and three cousins who enjoy a life away from our family duties, dedicating themselves to hunting monsters.

But something that still worries me is that one day, my parents asked me who I would choose as a teacher and which knight I would choose to train me personally. I remember answering that for now, I did not need anyone and that I was content to study on my own accompanied by Marcy. As I spoke, I watched my mother nervously intertwine her fingers, and my father frowned.

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I do not want to be considered a genius for my knowledge of the modern world; I prefer to keep a low profile while still being a child until I have a clear idea of the general knowledge of nobles my age, but I cannot extend the time too much because the teacher I choose will teach me a specific subject for a long time.

I do not know why I am making this monologue. Maybe because today is a special day. My father is taking me to sign a contract with a wild wolf, something I have been longing for since I saw how my siblings handled their own wolves. So I also want mine because playing and training a pet will be a new kind of entertainment.

Who am I kidding? The most likely reason I am making this monologue is because of the extreme cold I am feeling in this place despite wearing thick clothes from head to toe, plus an animal fur coat. Besides, we have been walking through the forest for a long time and many trees are without leaves, spring has not even fully arrived.

We left after breakfast, about an hour and a half after sunrise, and when I look at the sky, I see the sun is at its zenith, meaning it is already noon. I haven't stopped walking, my feet hurt, the cold is freezing my body, and if it weren't for the clothes I'm wearing, I would already be suffering from hypothermia. The only good thing is that we are not in a snowstorm.

"Is it... much further...?" I asked my father for the fifth time with my voice completely worn out from exhaustion.

"We are almost there." That was the same answer he gave me about half an hour ago or, was it an hour? I don't even know how I have lasted this long walking, is it because of our bloodline? I haven't discovered much about our bloodline yet, and information about bloodlines is almost nonexistent in the books in the library. I have asked my siblings, but they never mention anything to me, the only thing they tell me is that when I finish forming a contract, I will know everything.

I feel like I am thinking about too many nonsensical things, and my mind is cloudy. I think I am going to die.

I looked for a moment at the wolf that, with its two-meter height, walked beside my father.

"Get up." I heard my father's voice and looked up only to realize I had just tripped and was still lying on the ground. I tried to get up, but my arms didn't have enough strength. I could only stand up because my father's wolf grabbed my coat with its fangs to help me stand.

"See, I told you it wasn't much further." I looked in the same direction as my father and saw a cave with many large wolves at the entrance.

…

Where am I? I opened my eyes upon feeling something touching my face. I looked around and almost screamed upon seeing a wolf that could swallow my head in one bite, but my voice didn't come out of my mouth.

"Finally, you're awake."

I tried to move my body, but I could only turn my head to realize there were many wolves crowded next to me, and one of them was lying on top of me. Other wolves were in my field of vision.

The voice came from my father.

"It is time for you to make your contract."

Contract? That's right, that's why I'm freezing to death in this place.

"Can't I rest for a while?... I feel like I'm going to die any moment..." I just want to close my eyes and take a little nap.

"If you don't do it, you might really die." Hearing the seriousness in his voice, I could feel he was only telling the truth. The fear of dying again invaded me once more, so I tried to use all the strength in my body to stand up.

"What... do I have... to do...?" I said with all the determination to do whatever it takes to keep living.