Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Harsh Words, Hidden Care
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It was then.
The eyes of Ed, who had been trying so hard to stand tall, began to redden.
'What do I do? He's crying!'
Even as I thought that inwardly, there was nothing I could do.
Frustrated, I stamped my feet anxiously, and tears like chick peas rolled down Ed's fluffy cheeks.
"I'm sorry. I'll be good."
The teary eyes of the child turned toward me.
"So please don't throw me out."
Despite myself, I'd made Ed cry at our first meeting. I froze like a stone right there.
I wanted to wipe away those streaming tears, but glowing green choices floated before me.
Option 1... I looked down at Ed, who was sniffling before me, with pity in my eyes. He's just a kid, of course he'd cry!
Option 2 was something I'd heard plenty before possessing this body. Why would anyone cry if they hadn't done something right? It didn't even make sense.
Besides, telling him he's an eyesore and to stay out of sight—how could I say something so cruel to that adorable child!
My trembling fingers hovered in the air, lost.
'Then maybe...!'
Before spewing venom, I took a deep breath, squeezed my eyes shut, and opened them. I needed to steel myself.
Soon, a voice dripping with irritation shot like an arrow at the tiny Ed.
"You're being noisy. Be quiet."
Aaah, aaaah...
I'm steadily planting death flags here.
Thinking of how this young child would be hurt by my harsh words made my vision blur.
He was the male lead of the story I loved so much—small and cute like this... Instead of cherishing him, here I was, hurling insults!
Ed clamped his mouth shut at my words, bowed his head, and left the room. Only then did my shaky legs give out, and I collapsed to the floor.
'Should I have considered the other options?'
No, no. This was the best choice.
I could vividly picture a future of being torn apart by wolves.
"My sheep life..."
It had been short, but a good one...
Compared to my previous life slaving away like a dog, living as Lami Morton was practically a vacation.
Though relegated to an annex rather than the main house, I swept my longing gaze over the spacious room. Filled with luxurious furniture and soft tones that gave it a cozy feel.
This was the space I'd gained after my parents died and Ramen, the new Family Head, banished me to the annex. Considering how I'd been mistreated as an illegitimate child even when my parents were alive, it was actually for the best.
'Way bigger and nicer than my aunt's house where I lived before.'
Remembering my pre-possession days, after losing my parents young and freeloading at my aunt's, made this room feel even better.
"Don't just eat and shit—go out and earn some money!"
I'd grown up hearing that from childhood, enduring my aunt's abuse and neglect. A mere half-brother's contempt was nothing.
Yet this nice setup would vanish in three months.
'Why the hell is this damn choice system popping up!'
Thinking of the culprit that made me hurt Ed's feelings ground my teeth. I could've taken good care of him and sent him off safely!
I vented my rage by pounding the innocent sofa when I felt a sticky gaze nearby.
"Huh?"
Lami's one and only friend. Lami's right-hand sheep.
It was Mimo, the sheep boasting snow-white fur and a plump body.
"Mimo, what's with that look."
Half-lidded eyes staring at me like I was pathetic. At my words, Mimo turned her head away with a huff and munched on the hay in front of her.
"Ha..."
What could I do with her.
I didn't want to lose this good life.
As I rolled around alone on the bed thinking that,
Through the slightly ajar door, I caught sight of someone passing by outside. There!
"You there!"
I called out to the servant outside in Lami's now-familiar tone.
Soon, the door creaked open cautiously, and in came a maid with white hair in twin braids.
"Y-yes?"
She was hunched over like a lamb before a beast.
"That wolf pup Ramen brought earlier? Take some food to him."
Having suffered much from Lami's antics, the maid hovered by the door, glancing warily. At my words, her eyes widened.
"The wolf pup... You mean the slave? Why would you give food to that child..."
In short, it meant: Why would a villainess like you care about feeding a slave?
"To work him properly, you gotta fatten him up first, right? Got a problem?"
I furrowed my brows and spoke coldly, as Lami would have.
"N-no! I'll bring it right away!"
The maid bowed so deeply her waist nearly folded, then scurried out. With a slightly more relaxed mind, I flopped onto the bed.
"Gotta take it step by step like this. For my comfy sheep life."
Slump—
The tension that had kept my body rigid finally eased, and my eyelids grew heavy.
Snore... The soft snoring faded into quiet.
"Here, food."
Ed looked up at the maid handing him food in his shabby, rundown room with wary eyes.
Understanding his gaze, the maid grabbed his skinny wrist and shook it.
"Look at this. How can you work with such a scrawny body? Lady Lami said she's fattening you up to use you, so eat up."
With that, she shoved a hunk of dry bread into Ed's mouth.
"Mmph—."
Ed's sharp eyes went wide in surprise. As if expecting him to spit it out, the maid glared and said,
"Eat every bite. Bring the tray back downstairs yourself."
Seeing Ed chew and swallow, the maid grumbled, "Why do I have to wait on a slave?" and left.
'Did that lady send this?'
Her tone had been chilling, yet she took care of him like this behind her back.
Ed, who had been alone since he could remember, had always lived among adults who just used him.
Because adults yelled at him for not acting like a kid, he'd deliberately squeezed out tears earlier. To his hungry self, the bread and milk tasted sweet.
'Better than wandering the streets. Serving a noble is preferable.'
Ed planned to stick around here as long as possible.
Gulp, gulp—
He stuffed the last piece of bread in his mouth, downed the milk in one go, picked up the tray, and left the room.
Unusually, bedrooms for nobles and servants were on the same floor here.
Snore—
As Ed passed Lami's bedroom heading for the stairs, he paused at the snoring from inside.
The source was his new owner, Lami, who had glared venomously just moments ago with gentle eyes.
Unlike the adults who'd used him, her thorny words contrasted with her trembling, fearful body. Hiding behind beds or sofas, yet puffing out her chest when speaking.
Her strange demeanor suddenly came to mind.
'Are all Herbivore Beastkin like that?'
Having only known Carnivore Beastkin territories, everything in this Herbivore one was novel to Ed.
As he shook off the thought and stepped forward,
A plump sheep—whether from fur or fat—sauntered past him and headbutted open Lami's door.
"Huh?"
Through the half-open door, Ed saw the sheep snatch the blanket off Lami's belly, spread it on the floor, and sit on it.
Blanketless, Lami curled up like a shrimp, shivering in sleep.
Watching this, Ed quietly moved on, thinking,
She seemed bad-tempered and timid, even letting a sheep steal her blanket.
That sheep, now his owner,
'Seems mean... but kinda sloppy.'
That was Ed's first impression upon entering the Morton Family.
The Beastkin Continent was sharply divided into territories for each beastkin race. That said, there wasn't an insurmountable wall between herbivores and carnivores.
Tiger territories neighbored rabbit ones, and even Sheep Territory bordered Fox Territory right next door. Beyond that lay Wolf Territory, ruled by Ed's family.
Herbivore and carnivore territories were thus intermingled.
As such, most Herbivore Beastkin were fairly accustomed to carnivores.
Yet Lami Morton was unusually terrified of them.
She'd tremble at the sight of carnivores, darting under tables or behind pillars in bizarre fits. After so many incidents, no one in the Morton Family was unaware of Lami's phobia.
So why had a wolf Beastkin slave been given to her of all people?
"I hear Lami's been quietly looking after that wolf lately?"
Ramen asked. His personality was as rotten as Lami's, but masterful image management made him a "gentleman" to outsiders.
"Yes. But... something feels off."
At his aide's hesitant reply, Ramen's left eyebrow twitched upward.
He'd given her the wolf slave to suppress her endless mischief with her carnivore phobia. Rumors of her caring for it weren't enough—something was off?
Then, a familiar voice drifted up from the garden window of Ramen's office.
"A dog should at least handle leftovers. Eat."
Standing and peering out, Ramen spotted two beastkin at a tea table in the annex garden at the main house's edge.
Who was the wolf and who the sheep?
The wolf sitting meekly before the predator-like fierce Lami was a bizarre sight.
"But this is Lady Lami's dessert..."
"Don't you know I'm on a diet? Hurry up and eat, what are you waiting for?"
As the young wolf hesitated, Lami stabbed forkfuls of cake and shoved them mercilessly into his mouth.
Ramen narrowed his eyes at the unbelievable scene.
'I knew she feared carnivores... What the hell is this?'
Next, he noticed Lami's legs shaking wildly, vibrating the tea table in sync.
'...Has her mischief overcome her carnivore phobia?'
Impressive.
Was she really trying to tame a beast?
'No way that's possible.'
Well aware of Lami's terror of carnivores, Ramen snorted, closed the window, and returned to his desk.
Through the closed pane, Lami's soft voice clashed with occasional venomous barbs, but soon fell silent.