Chapter 19

Inside the Ducal Estate

Beatty walked toward the dining hall, her steps light and even, but without realizing it, she glanced back.

A maid caught her eye and smiled.

Beatty quickly turned away.

…This is strange.

The ducal estate was a strange place.

The warm welcome, the grand and beautiful rooms, the kind people—it felt like a castle from a fairy tale, floating on a cloud.

I just hope it doesn’t disappear like a cloud—gone in an instant…

Even the floor beneath her feet felt light, as if she were walking on air.

And so, walking as if she were floating, Beatty strolled through the long corridors until she reached the dining hall.

Click.

“You slept well, little one?”

“Carl, Brother!”

Carl was already there, seated at the long banquet table.

“Did you sleep well last night?”

Poke.

Carl chuckled softly, amused by her unnaturally formal speech, and—as if it were the most natural thing in the world—placed his hand on her head.

“Yes. I slept well.”

“……”

Rustle, rustle.

His fingers lightly ruffled her hair, making her squirm from the ticklish sensation.

Blushing in embarrassment, Beatty suddenly remembered something and asked,

“Are you about to eat breakfast now?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I’ll leave before you start!”

She had no intention of interrupting his meal.

It was purely out of courtesy.

I don’t want to ruin the mood.

Her brother was still a mystery to her—someone new and unfamiliar. But Beatty didn’t dislike him.

In fact, she found herself wanting to make a good impression.

If I step aside before I ruin his appetite, he’ll think I’m an observant and well-mannered child.

Beatty had no idea how twisted her logic was.

She had never been properly taught nor had a chance to interact normally with people. She had spent most of her life alone, confined to a limited space.

The only person she had ever lived with was her aunt—who scowled at her every time she saw her.

“Ugh. You’re ruining my appetite.”

Her aunt’s words, always spoken with disgust whenever she caught sight of Beatty in the garden, were ingrained in her memory.

And since no one had ever corrected her, she had never questioned it.

A child who grew up locked away could only learn from the abandoned books left in the warehouse.

And so, her world became small—warped.

If I sit at the same table, looking at my face while eating will make him feel bad.

Naturally, she turned around to leave—

“Where are you going?”

Carl’s voice came from behind her.

“…Did you forget something?”

“Huh? No.”

“Then why are you leaving the moment you walk in?”

“Um… so you can eat in peace…?”

Beatty’s uncertainty was clear in the way her voice trailed off.

Carl frowned.

Did I do something wrong?

Clatter.

Carl stood up from his seat and asked,

“You don’t want to eat with me?”

“Huh? No!”

“……”

“I mean, it’s not that I—”

Before she could even finish her sentence—

“Sit down.”

Carl’s tone was firm.

He had already pulled out the chair directly across from him.

“Now.”

He motioned for her to sit.

After hesitating for a moment, Beatty reluctantly took a seat, feeling as if she were pushed into it.

Only once she was settled did Carl return to his own seat and instruct the attendants to bring the food.

It was as if he had been waiting for her all along.

As she stared at the bowl of soup that had just been brought in, Beatty cautiously asked,

“…We’re eating together?”

“Obviously.”

His tone was so absolute, as if no other possibility had even crossed his mind.

“……”

For some reason, she felt strangely warm inside.

The unfamiliar kindness made her uncomfortable, so Beatty focused intently on her food to shake off the feeling.

***

At first, Beatty didn’t let her guard down.

She had never been treated like a child before.

The people in the ducal estate were completely unknown to her.

There’s no way people would be nice to me for no reason.

Even when they greeted her with smiles, dressed her in clean clothes, showered her with compliments, and served her delicious meals—

I’ve already been betrayed once before.

She never forgot how Ritter—someone she had trusted as a friend—had stabbed her in the back.

She reminded herself over and over not to lower her guard.

But the more she heard her name called with warmth, the more she became accustomed to it—

“Tail fluff.”

Instead of flinching in shock, she found herself instinctively perking up, as if listening for it.

Without realizing it, something inside her softened.

Tap-tap-tap.

As always, when she had too much on her mind, Beatty shifted into her squirrel form and climbed a tree.

Perched on the highest branch, she pondered.

…Maybe I’m wrong?

Her father had been away at war for five years now.

Maybe everyone here has forgotten who I really am.

Ah! Or maybe they think I’m such a disgrace that they don’t even talk about me!

It was a plausible theory.

A squirrel beastkin born into a lion family—they probably hated even mentioning her existence.

That’s why the people in the ducal estate, unaware of the truth, were treating her as if she were an actual noble daughter.

Then, when Father comes back…

Would these people, who had been so kind to her, change—

Would they turn cold, like the servants in her aunt’s estate?

Would Carl’s golden eyes, which had always looked at her with warmth, suddenly turn frigid?

“……”

A sharp sting pricked her chest.

Chirp-chirp!

Snap out of it!

Rustle-rustle!

The squirrel rubbed her face rapidly, as if trying to shake off the thought.

If they change… so what? That’s how it was supposed to be from the start.

Had she let the strangeness of this place get to her?

People being kind to her—that was the weird part.

If things went back to normal, she shouldn’t be disappointed.

Don’t be greedy.

She reminded herself not to become like the arrogant traveler from the fairy tales.

Instead of clinging to something that was never meant to be hers—

At the very least… I should thank them before it all changes.

Even if their kindness had been a mistake, she wanted to return the favor.

Cheep!

Alright!

Tap-tap-tap!

That day, Beatty ran around the estate gathering fruit from the tallest trees and shared them with everyone.

That day, the ducal estate was in an uproar—moved beyond words.

***

The northern mountain range, capped with eternal snow, still had patches of ice that hadn't melted despite winter having passed long ago.

Further down, on the mountainside—where no paths had ever been carved—a lone figure was scaling a steep, rocky cliff with nothing but bare hands.

Fingers dug into the jagged rock, gripping it with raw strength. Then, with a firm thud, the boy set foot on the summit—a place that had never allowed humans before.

“Hah.”

Brushing back his black bangs, as if they were a nuisance, Carl scanned the surroundings.

Will it be here?

Whatever he was looking for, Carl stepped deeper into the dense forest, a place where any normal person would have been immediately considered missing upon entry.

Grrraaaah!

The moment he stepped inside, a massive black wolf lunged at him from the shadows, baring its fangs.

Swish.

But the proud predator of the wild lost its life in a single slash.

Its severed remains splattered onto the ground, staining it red.

Carl didn’t even glance at the corpse. He merely flicked his blade clean before sliding it back into its sheath.

Then, he checked himself over.

To see if any blood had splattered onto his clothes.

Before, I wouldn’t have cared about something like this…

“Aagh—!”

A pained scream echoed through the forest as Carl pressed down on the shoulder of a man, his boot digging in cruelly.

Without any emotion, Carl pulled his sword from the man’s body.

Assassins who held grudges against House Aslan were nothing more than dessert—the kind that came after a meal.

A poor excuse for post-meal exercise.

Though, it wasn’t a particularly tasty dessert.

Feeling bored, Carl slid his sword back into its sheath.

However, this time, a bit of blood had splattered onto his clothes before he could clean it off.

“Master Carl! You’re not seriously planning to visit the young lady looking like that, are you?”@@novelbin@@

“…Why? Is that a problem?”

Carl tilted his head, genuinely confused by the rare fervor in Johanna’s voice.

Sigh. “Master Carl, you must never let the young lady see you in this state. What if she gets scared and it affects her health?”

“What? Over this?”

“Yes. The young lady could be startled even by something like this.”

Johanna pointed at the bloodstains on his clothes and declared with certainty,

“You know she has a delicate constitution, don’t you? You might not realize this, but weak people can get sick just from being too shocked.”

“!”

She could get sick just from being startled? That fragile?!

“Do you understand now? From now on, you must be careful, Master Carl.”

Faced with Johanna’s firm and grave warning, Carl silently nodded.