Beast Noblewoman, Human-Making (5)
At first, it had been embarrassing and surprising, but once we got used to it, the title became everyday normalcy. Outside the room, my master turned into a cute little sister.
"Big brother, hand!"
"Yeah, yeah, come here, Tia!"
My master adapted quickly. It was seamless, as natural as if it had always been that way. And incredibly, it only took two days. I wasn't saying I'd gotten used to it in a blasé way, either. The little-sister version of my master was always a thrill!
The temporary knight squad's duties were simple. Since the territory was within the city, it was basically just a stroll. This was a district with top-notch public safety—no environment for monsters or criminals to show up.
But... the real problem was something else.
"Hey! You...! I told you not to hang around with Bell all the time!!"
The spoiled young lady kept butting in at every turn. But she was the boss...! Even grinding my teeth, I held it in. At first, I'd brushed it off with a smile, but that must've made me seem even more pushover-ish, because it only got worse.
Finally, I decided this couldn't go on. I had a serious talk with Roni. She was suffering just as much.
"Alright... huhu, just trust me."
We shook on it, nodding as we formed a united front!
The very next day, as expected, Lady Ellen came strutting over to pick a fight. She wasn't stupid—she made demands that were hard to refuse. Today, she even kicked my shin while ordering me around. This... tch... it was blatant humiliation. It didn't hurt, but it soured my mood.
"Hey, Dodo! You carry this! Take it over there while patrolling! Got it?"
It was a menial task any servant could do. Picking me specifically screamed ulterior motives. But today, I wasn't alone...!
I was with Roni, who was watching from a slight distance. Sure enough, the moment she kicked me, Roni's face twisted in disgust. She'd heard about the bullying but clearly hadn't imagined it this bad. Hufu... you bitch. You picked the wrong day.
Roni stepped forward, chin held high in front of the haughty Lady Ellen.
"I'm greatly disappointed in you, Lady Ellen."
Her face went pale. Flustered by Roni's sudden appearance, she tried to play innocent.
"Bell...? W-What...? Why? What for?"
Our beastly young lady. What now? It was all out in the open! Huhuhu...!
Roni's voice continued, cold and polite but sharp as frost.
"While following orders is part of the contract... I don't believe it extends to enforcing unfair demands."
It was the total opposite of how she talked to me—no trace of her usual playfulness as she laid into her. Unable to throw a tantrum in front of someone she cared about, the spoiled girl started sniffling and whining.
"Bell...! Why are you taking that guy's side? I've given you tons of gifts... made things easy for you! Why!!"
"Dodo truly understands me. But you, Lady, only think of yourself."
Lady Ellen's face crumpled.
"Bell!! Get out! I said get out!!"
"Very well. I quit as of today."
"Wha...? What? Why...? Why quit?"
Whoa... shit... I was smirking, but even I was shocked. A sudden resignation? Roni pressed on.
"I appreciate the good job and treatment... but I have no desire to serve a superior who swings violence on whims. Thank you for your time."
Roni turned briskly away. I hadn't expected it to go this far? When I nudged her with a serious look, she just flashed a grin. And about three seconds later...
"Waaah... S-Sorry... I w-won't do it again... Don't gooo... Waaah!"
Lady Ellen collapsed to the floor like a child, bawling her eyes out... Kind-hearted Roni immediately went to her, rubbing her back.
"Stop."
"Sniff... Hic... I'll stop crying. Don't gooo..."
...Was this really a twenty-one-year-old? Her reaction was straight out of elementary school, leaving me flustered instead. Roni faced her again.
"Apologize to Dodo."
"Sorry... Dodo... I won't do it again."
"Ah... Sure, whatever."
She mumbled it staring at the floor, barely louder than an ant crawling... but hey, it was something? Roni, you scary bastard...! Turns out she was Solaris's shadow power broker. Toying with the acting heir like that!
After roughly calming the young lady, I started asking the questions burning in my mind.
"Hey, what the hell did you do to her?"
"Huhu... Dodo, that girl's got a lot of wounds."
"...Not ones you caused, right?"
She burst out laughing at my wary glare.
"Pfft... Kuhuhu... No, you idiot! You're insane!"
"What! Then what is it! Damn...!"
I hadn't meant it to be funny... but her cracking up got me going too. Two guys making a girl cry and then laughing about it—we looked like total psychos from the outside. Tch... thinking that just made me laugh more.
"Heh... Hup...!"
Roni took a deep breath, scowling to break our endless chain of snickers, and got serious again.
"You know her mom died giving birth to her?"
"Yeah, I heard something about that when we signed the contract."
"Her dad's unconscious right now, too."
"What...?"
"It's a secret, so don't go blabbing."
I was hearing classified info Sebastian had hidden—from Roni's mouth, no less.
"What... that loose-lipped guy recruited me back then. I tried real hard to impress."
"Ah... I see. So that's why she latched onto you."
With nowhere else to turn, Roni became her emotional anchor. Despite her words, this girl wouldn't actually leave in a situation like this. Probably why she'd stuck around so long.
"Hmm... So the unstable spoiled boss flip-flops a lot?"
"Huhu... Dummy, she's still my benefactor."
She poked my side but wouldn't badmouth her outright. Sigh... Her tie to Lady Ellen made sense now. Too damn nice. Hearing this made it hard for me to bail, too. If Roni felt indebted... helping was the obvious play.
"Alright. Shock therapy's best in cases like this."
"Dodo, you got a plan?"
"Of course. I'm an expert in this field."
I had knowledge from my past life stacked up. There's no such thing as a bad kid—just bad handling. I was perfect to reform this spoiled young lady. The soul of child behavioral therapy coursed through my veins. My heart blazed with passion.
"We'll talk later, Roni."
"Yeah. You always got a plan, Dodo. Huhu..."
Roni's infinite trust fueled me. Bolstered, I headed straight to my master first.
"Master! Your disciple has returned!"
"Welcome back. Good work. Come in."
Now that she could use the kitchen, Master's home cooking resumed. Even simple stew and bread were on another level. Creamy texture, perfect spices! No half-assed chef could compete.
"Mmm! So delicious...!"
"Eat slowly, you'll choke. Child."
"Ah, Master! More importantly, I have a favor to ask."
"Of course. Speak."
Her eyes were kind, her smile warm. She'd grant any request... My master was the best! I explained Lady Ellen's backstory. Master sighed softly.
"Sigh... So that's the situation."
"Yes, so I want to help."
"Huhu, commendable. Child, what is it you need?"
Her eyes sparkled with interest. After a quick rehearsal of the scenario, she heard me out and agreed immediately.
"Sounds fun. I'll cooperate fully."
"My master is the best!"
With a reliable ally secured, nothing scared me. Strike while the iron's hot. I headed straight to Sebastian's room. Knocked and entered. Still the massive butler's office—practically the hub of all real operations. Sebastian was Solaris's superman, in a word. He greeted me from amid the paperwork avalanche.
"Ah, Sir Dodo. What brings you?"
I launched into my prepared line.
"Won't you entrust Lady Ellen's education to me?"
"...I'm not sure I follow."
"Exactly as it sounds. I don't know the details, but you're basically leaving her to her own devices, right?"
I shot him a sharp look. The puzzle pieces were mostly in place. Building on what Roni told me, I probed.
The butler-slash-administrator-slash-vice-lord chewed on my words. A brief silence. Then, a businesslike reply.
"It seems outside my duties. Don't you think that's excessive meddling?"
Sebastian on guard. His tone was flat and dry. This was within expectations. I grinned and continued.
"I've been thinking... Why gather private soldiers in such an ambiguous way...?"
He met my eyes, urging me on.
"Probably some pressure led to the knight order's disbandment, rippling to the family head. So now you're handling all territory affairs."
"Correct."
The butler nodded. This was just patchwork from what I'd heard. Now came my speculation.
"The territory's enemies see her as the weakest link and are targeting her specifically."
His brow twitched faintly. I pressed my theory with conviction.
"Politics thrives on justification. They wouldn't lead with force or money—Solaris is strong there."
Fertile farmlands, vast lands. The economic power was immense. Sebastian stayed silent.
"..."
"But justification and authority? That's different."
"Continue."
"Assume an obvious trap they can't refuse or dodge. I don't know the exact nature."
I smiled lightly, and Sebastian mirrored it.
"You must enjoy novels, Sir Dodo."
"Reality's harsher. Lady Ellen will walk right into it at this rate. You know that, right?"
"Sir Dodo."
He called my name but trailed off. Tacit agreement. Ellen, driven by instinct alone, was beast-like. The product of absent parents and overprotection. I nodded at the mountain of papers on his desk.
"To me, you're a superman, butler."
"...Flattery."
"But upholding the family alone... protecting her, blocking schemes... that's beyond even you. You've had to give something up."
I stated it with certainty.
"I'd say it was bonding with Lady Ellen. Right?"
"..."
He closed his eyes in silence—an affirmative gesture. I made my request again.
"Here's my proposal. I don't know how much time we have, but entrust her education to me."
His gaze brimmed with doubt. The butler hesitated, then spoke.
"Why... would you want to for Lady Ellen...?"
As Sebastian asked, Master peeked out from behind me. Perfect timing. She hid there, gazing at him steadily. Sebastian smiled faintly—a soft look like toward Ellen. He glanced between us, deep in thought.
"..."
"No. Forget I said that..."
Sebastian sighed deeply, rubbing his brow like it ached. Trusting a guy he'd known less than a week wasn't easy, naturally. Master finally spoke.
"Grandpa..."
"...Yes, little Tia."
"I haven't seen big sis smile lately... Only a little when she's with brother Bell... If Ellen keeps acting like this, she'll end up all alone... I'm worried."
Her voice tugged at the heartstrings. Acting genius Master exceeded my request, nailing the role. Sebastian's brow furrowed deeper.
"Hoo... Hooo..."
A deeper sigh than before. But with resolved eyes, Sebastian asked me.
"So, do you have a plan?"