It was then that Ed’s eyes, which had been trying to stay dignified, reddened.
‘What should I do? He’s crying!’
Even though I thought about it, there was nothing I could do. I just stood there helplessly as Ed’s tears, as big as chicken-poop, rolled down his soft cheeks.
“I’m sorry, I’ll be good.”
Ed’s tearful eyes looked up at me.
“So please don’t kick me out.”
Without my consent, I had made Ed cry at our first meeting, and I stood there frozen like a stone.
I wanted to wipe away those streaming tears, but the choices before me shone blue.
「1. Are you a baby? Crying over something like this!
2. What are you crying for? I don’t want to see you, so stay out of my sight.
3. Be quiet, you’re noisy.」
Option 1… I looked down at the teary-eyed Ed with pity. He’s a kid, of course he cries!
Option 2 was something I had heard countless times before possessing this body. If he had done something well, would he be crying? It made no sense.
Besides, telling such a cute little child to stay out of sight because he’s unpleasant to look at—how could I say such a harsh thing!
My trembling fingers hovered in the air.
‘Then it’s better to…!’
I took a deep breath before spitting out the harsh words, closing my eyes tightly and then opening them. I needed to brace myself.
Soon, my voice, full of irritation, flew like a dagger at the tiny Ed.
“Be quiet, you’re noisy.”
Ah… Ahhh….
I’m firmly planting the death flag.
Thinking of how such a young child would be hurt by my harsh words made my vision blur.
He’s the protagonist of the story I loved so much, and he’s so small and adorable… Instead of cherishing him, I’m throwing sharp words at him!
Ed closed his mouth and bowed before leaving the room. Only then did my trembling legs give way, and I collapsed to the floor.
‘Maybe I should have considered the other choices?’
No, no. This was the best option.
I could vividly see a future where I was torn apart by wolves.
“My sheep life…”
It was short but good…
Compared to my previous life, where I worked like a dog, living as Remi Morton was like a leisurely pastime.
Although I was in the annex rather than the main house, I looked around my spacious room with regretful eyes. Filled with luxurious furniture and a soft color scheme, the room felt cozy.
After my parents passed away, I was banished to the annex by Raymond, the new head of the family. Considering that I was mistreated for being an illegitimate child even when my parents were alive, it was actually a better situation.
‘This place is much bigger and better than my aunt’s house where I used to live.’
Recalling the days when I lived with my aunt after losing my parents early, this room seemed even nicer.
“Don’t just eat food, go out and earn some money!”
Having grown up hearing such words from a young age and suffering my aunt’s abuse, a little scorn from my half-brother was nothing.
But this good environment would disappear in three months.
‘Why do these damned choices keep appearing!’
Thinking about the choices that made me make Ed cry earlier made my teeth grind. I could have taken good care of Ed and sent him off safely, but now…
I pounded the sofa in frustration, expressing my anger, when I felt a heavy gaze nearby.
“Huh?”
It was Remi’s only friend. Remi’s right-hand sheep.
Mimo, boasting white fur and a plump body.
“Mimo, what’s with that look?”
Her half-open eyes looked at me as if she were watching something pathetic. At my words, Mimo turned her head away, munching on the hay in front of her.
“Sigh…”
What should I do?
I didn’t want to lose this good life.
Thinking that, I was rolling around on the bed alone in the room when I caught sight of someone passing by through the slightly open door. There it is!
“Hey!”
I called out to the servant outside in Remi’s familiar tone.
Soon, the door cautiously opened, and a maid with white hair braided into two pigtails entered.
“Yes, yes?”
She shrank back like a sheep in front of a predator.
“The young wolf that Raymond brought in earlier? Bring him some food.”
The maid, who had suffered many times from Remi’s tantrums, widened her eyes at my words.
“The young wolf, you mean the slave? Why would you give him food…?”
Roughly translated, it meant, “Why would a villainess like you care about a slave’s meal?”
“If you want to work him, you need to fatten him up first. Do you have a problem with that?”
I said, narrowing my eyebrows and speaking coldly, just like Remi would.
“N-no! I’ll bring it right away!”
The maid bowed so deeply she might break and hurried out of the room. Feeling slightly more at ease, I sprawled out on the bed.
“Step by step, like this. For my comfortable sheep life.”
Srrrk—
The tension that had been gripping my body eased, and my eyelids grew heavy.
The faint sound of my light snoring slowly faded.
***
“Here, take this food.”
Ed looked warily up at the maid who handed him the food as she entered his shabby room. Noticing his distrustful gaze, the maid grabbed Ed’s thin wrist and shook it.
“Look at you. How are you supposed to do any work with such a feeble body? Lady Remi said to fatten you up and then put you to work, so eat up.”
With that, the maid abruptly shoved the dry bread into Ed’s mouth.
“Mmph-.”
Startled, Ed’s sharp eyes widened. Thinking Ed might spit out the bread, the maid glared at him.
“Eat it all. Bring the tray back downstairs.”
Seeing Ed chewing the bread, the maid muttered, “Why do I have to look after a slave?” and left the room.
‘Did that lady send this?’
Despite her cold words, she was taking care of him behind the scenes.
Ever since he could remember, Ed had always been alone, surrounded by adults who ordered him around.
Maybe because he had forced himself to cry earlier to avoid getting scolded by those adults, the bread and milk tasted exceptionally sweet to his hungry self.
‘Serving a noble is better than wandering the streets.’
Ed intended to stay here as long as possible.
Gulp, gulp.
He stuffed the last piece of bread into his mouth and downed the milk in one go before leaving the room with the tray.
This place was unusual in that the nobles and servants’ bedrooms were on the same floor.
Clunk.
As Ed passed by Remi’s bedroom on his way to the stairs, he paused at the sound of snoring from inside.
The source of the snoring was his master, Remi, who had glared at him with fierce eyes just a moment ago.
Despite her harsh words, her body trembled with fear. She would hide behind the bed or sofa, but when it was time to speak, her shoulders would straighten as if she had never been hiding.
Her behavior, different from the adults who had always ordered him around, suddenly came to mind.
‘Are all herbivore beastmen like this?’
Having lived only in carnivore territories, Ed found everything about the herbivore territory new.
Just as Ed was about to resume walking, a sheep with a plump body, whether from fur or fat, leisurely passed in front of him and nudged open Remi’s bedroom door with its head.
“Huh?”
Through the slightly open door, Ed saw the sheep pull the blanket off Remi, who was sleeping, and sit on it.
Without the blanket, Remi curled up and began to sleep in a fetal position, clearly feeling cold.
Watching this, Ed thought quietly.
She seems mean but also scared, and she even has her blanket taken by a sheep.
His master, that sheep,
‘She seems bad but… somewhat sloppy.’
That was Ed’s assessment on his first day in the Morton household.
* * *
In the beastman continent, the territories are sharply divided among the various beastmen. However, it’s not as if there’s an impenetrable wall between herbivores and carnivores.
A rabbit territory might border a tiger territory, and the sheep territory neighbored the fox territory. Beyond the fox territory lay the wolf territory, governed by Ed’s family.
Thus, herbivore and carnivore territories were interspersed.
As a result, most herbivores are quite accustomed to carnivores.
However, Remi Morton had an unusual fear of carnivores.
She would tremble at the sight of a carnivore and urgently hide under tables or behind columns. This happened so frequently that no one in the Morton household was unaware of her phobia.
So why did Remi end up with a wolf slave?
“I hear Remi has been subtly looking after that wolf lately?”
Raymond, who was as vile as Remi but managed to maintain a gentlemanly image, asked.
“Yes, but something seems… strange.”
Hesitating, the aide’s answer raised Raymond’s left eyebrow.
Raymond had given Remi the wolf slave to suppress her constant tantrums with her fear of carnivores. But rumors of her taking care of the wolf, and something being strange?
At that moment, an all-too-familiar voice floated in through the window of Raymond’s office, which opened to the garden.
“A dog should at least be able to finish the leftover food. Eat.”
Raymond stood up and looked out the window to see two beastmen seated at a tea table in the annex garden near the edge of the main mansion.
It was a rare sight, seeing a wolf sitting quietly in front of Remi, who exuded a predatory aura.
“But this is Lady Remi’s dessert….”
“Don’t you know I’m on a diet? Why aren’t you eating yet?”
When the young wolf hesitated, Remi harshly stuffed cake into his mouth with a fork.
Narrowing his eyes at the unbelievable scene, Raymond thought, ‘I thought she was scared of carnivores, so what’s this?’
Then he noticed Remi’s violently shaking legs and the tea table trembling in sync.
‘Did her wickedness overcome her fear of carnivores?’
Remarkable.
Is she really trying to tame a predator?
‘That can’t be possible.’
Knowing well Remi’s fear of carnivores, Raymond scoffed and returned to his desk, closing the window.
Through the closed window, he could still hear Remi’s incongruous mix of gentle voice and harsh words, though soon the sounds faded.
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