Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: The Uninvited Guest
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Marsha finished preparing Lara and rose from her seat.
"Lady Lara, how about we take a look at the garden in the annex today? What do you say to having a lunch tea time there?"
It just so happened that the long-sealed garden had finished its refurbishment.
Lara's chief physician, Breina, had told Marsha that if possible, Miss Lara should have plenty of chances to relax and let her mind rest easy.
Aren's winter hadn't ended yet, but the glass greenhouse in the annex garden was the only place where one could see green even in the cold season.
Lara gave a slight smile and nodded.
"Yes."
"Long time no see, Marsha."
"Young Master Claude..."
And so, Marsha could only sigh at how her tea time with the lady had been shattered in an instant by this uninvited intruder.
Marsha tensed up at the blond young man grinning cheekily before her eyes.
The master had specifically warned her to be careful, so why had something like this happened?
"Oh dear, oh dear. Isn't that greeting a bit too unwelcoming?"
The blond youth shrugged and said it jokingly.
Lara, standing beside Marsha, was also greatly flustered by the stranger's sudden appearance.
"Ah..."
Then, her eyes met the man's.
He was a young man with blond hair and blue eyes. He looked about the same age as Theodor. Blinking his clear blue eyes coolly, he curved his eyes into a smile as he looked at Lara.
"Wow... what is that?"
"Young Master Claude, what do you mean by..."
"Haha. She really is human. My eyes were right. My nose too. Not quite up to Theodor's level, but this'll do just fine."
For a moment, Lara felt a chill run down her spine.
Why is he talking like he's seen right through me? Who is this guy?
"This is weird. Why's a human here? In Theodor's mansion, no less. Makes no sense."
"Young Master Claude."
"So the rumor was true—one little human kid boldly waltzing into the wolf's den."
Marsha finally stepped in front of Lara, shielding her as she warned Claude.
"Young Master Claude, that's enough. The master isn't home right now. If he finds out you entered without an appointment, he won't let it slide."
Claude eyed the white weasel beastkin daring to block his path.
He'd been in the middle of observing the kid closely, and now she was in the way, making it hard to see—irritating.
In an instant, his blue eyes turned icy cold.
"Marsha. Are you blocking my way right now?"
"Young Master Claude..."
"I know you're one of Theodor's trusted people, but like you said, he's not here right now. Right?"
Cold sweat trickled down Marsha's back.
He was right. Setting aside the difference in their racial strength, she couldn't ignore Claude Renar's innate bloodline. He was the second son of the Renar family, one of the five great wolfkin houses.
"I believe Young Master Claude wouldn't turn the Diarc family into an enemy."
"Who knows. Whatever happens to our friendship, it's not for a mere butler to worry about family matters."
The situation was turning sour fast.
What to do? How could she get him out of the annex without offending him?
Marsha's mouth went dry as dust.
"Don't..."
Lady Lara's quiet voice rang out.
Claude fixed his gaze on the human girl stepping out from behind Marsha on her own.
"...say it like that."
Lara looked straight up at Claude and spoke firmly.
"Don't bully Marsha."
Lara's voice trembled unsteadily, but she said what needed to be said.
Claude's sharp blue eyes flashed as he shoved his hands in his pockets.
He let out a strange laugh.
"Haha. This is just..."
Claude's hand rose.
"...!"
Lara gasped and squeezed her eyes shut reflexively.
But Claude couldn't even touch a single strand of her hair.
"...Theodor..."
Peeking her eyes open slightly, Lara saw Theodor gripping Claude's arm.
Without thinking, she murmured his name, and Theodor turned his gaze to her.
"Lara. Step back."
"...Okay."
Lara took a few steps backward.
"Marsha. Explain what happened."
"Master Theodor."
"There's some mutt in my house without permission."
Theodor growled, and Claude shook his head in disbelief.
"Mutt? That's harsh. Always so temperamental..."
"Didn't I tell you to get lost? Just yesterday. Don't tell me you forgot."
Theodor's hand, clad in a black leather glove, gripped Claude's wrist hard enough to hurt. Claude's face twisted in discomfort.
"Hey, that hurts. Let go and talk."
Theodor seemed unwilling to hold on any longer and released his wrist with a flick. Claude rubbed and twisted his freed wrist, sighing.
"You scared off all the ladies yesterday with how terrifying you were. You were scowling so much."
"..."
"I finally come to Aren, and there's no girls, no fun—it's boring as hell. So I dropped by a friend's place. Is that so wrong?"
Theodor snorted at Claude's shameless words.
"Bored? You?"
"Why not?"
"Must be nice having the time."
"Ah, right. You're the head of the Diarc family now, aren't you, Lord Theodor? Slipped my mind."
Claude grinned openly now, needling Theodor.
Claude was always like this, but today it grated even more.
His temper was hard to keep in check.
And even as he spoke to Theodor, Claude kept eyeing Lara with keen interest.
That's when Theodor realized why his mood had soured this much. It was a continuation from yesterday.
"For the second young master of Renar, who knows that full well, to visit my mansion like this..."
Only then did Claude slowly pull his gaze from Lara and look at Theodor.
"Don't you value your life?"
"Ah... haha. Think I was too rude?"
Claude still wore that enigmatic smile as he spoke.
"But you wouldn't kill an old friend, right, family head?"
"What do you think?"
"My vote's on 'can't bring myself to.'"
No sooner had he finished than the air shifted. Not figuratively—the temperature in the space around them dropped sharply, as if a cold wind from outside had rushed in.
'This is...'
Lara froze at the eerie sensation, noticing Marsha trembling slightly beside her. Frost crept over the window behind Marsha.
Even Claude started backing away, looking at Theodor with a troubled expression.
"Hold on, Theodor. What the..."
"Answer me again."
Theodor approached Claude leisurely and asked. He toyed with the buckle on his black leather glove.
"What do you think I'll do?"
"Ugh..."
Claude made a defeated face. He finally raised both hands in surrender.
"Fine. I get it. Sorry. My bad. I'll leave right now. Happy?"
"..."
"What more do you want? Should I drop dead for real?"
"Get out before I make you."
Claude swallowed a groan. Theodor issued his final warning.
"If this happens again, I'll have a direct talk with your father. Seems the Renar family is neglecting territory management, so you'll take responsibility."
"Argh, fine, I said! Don't bring up my dad! I'm going, okay?"
At the mention of his father, Claude paled further and waved his hands.
Before obediently leaving the mansion, he turned back to Lara one more time.
"...Little lady, see you later?"
Claude even flashed a cheeky wink, making Theodor's face contort in fury.
Claude slipped out of the mansion just as Theodor's patience was about to snap.
"..."
Lara slowly exhaled. The chilling air that had filled the space settled in an instant.
The faint traces of frost vanished before her eyes.
"...Come here."
Theodor spoke to the frozen Lara, and she slowly approached him.
"Must have been scary. You okay?"
Lara nodded to Theodor, who looked down at her gently and asked.
When the blond, blue-eyed man named Claude had raised his hand, she'd been terrified for a moment—but then Theodor appeared. The instant she saw him, all her fear melted away.
"...I let my guard down. Sorry."
Theodor apologized to Lara. She slowly shook her head.
This wasn't something he needed to apologize for. To Lara, the moment he'd appeared felt like magic.
"Young Master Theodor, I'm sorry."
This time, Marsha bowed to Theodor.
"I couldn't stop Young Master Claude. Even after you warned me... It's all my fault."
Theodor let out a light breath.
"A butler couldn't have stopped him anyway. Not just anyone can barge into the mansion without permission."
A cloud darkened Marsha's face.
Theodor could guess why Claude had shown up pretending to be casual and deliberately needling his nerves.
"What nonsense did that guy spout before I got here?"
"He seemed to know the rumor about a human child—no, Lady Lara—being here."
"Go on."
"We didn't talk long. You arrived right away, young master."
Theodor had instinctively sensed another wolfkin invading his territory and rushed back to the mansion.
From the moment he'd spotted the back of Claude's head brazenly intruding, his stomach had twisted.
And there, in front of him, was Lara.
"..."
Lara's frightened eyes met his immediately.
In that moment, Theodor had barely clung to his reason to keep Claude alive.
But right now, more than that...
"Lady Lara stood up for me. Truly... thank you, my lady."
Marsha said in a voice thick with emotion. Lara stammered, flustered.
"No... I..."
I didn't do anything.
She couldn't just stand by and watch a stranger threaten Marsha, who was always so kind to her.
The stranger's presence terrified her, but Marsha had been scared too—yet still tried to protect her.
"Is that so?"
Even Theodor asked Lara the same.
Lara fidgeted, shooting Marsha a pleading look. But Marsha just smiled warmly.
"...Good girl."
Tap.
Lara stiffened as something touched the top of her head.
Theodor had gently placed his gloved hand on her head and was softly stroking her hair.
Just like he had done at that stylish clothing shop in the city—he quietly petted her head.
Good girl. Theodor's voice echoed in Lara's mind.
Lara kept her head slightly lowered, saying nothing, standing still.
A faint blush colored her expressionless face.
Once a wolf sets its sights on prey, it never lets go. Absolutely never.
That was the instinct of wolves—their unchangeable nature.
"Haha, this is really fun."
Claude felt a thrilling rush for the first time in ages.
"Theodor Diarc brought a human girl into his home."
It was a sight he could see with his own eyes yet still couldn't believe.
And the human girl he'd brought in was quite pretty. No, she looked just like a doll. Her heterochromatic eyes were mysterious, and her silver hair stirred an odd allure.
"Theodor's got some terrible taste."
He must not have thought he could hide a kid like that.
And unbelievably, Theodor seemed to treasure the human girl.
This was utterly ridiculous.
"Has that awful germaphobia of his gotten better or something?"
Claude muttered.
Humans' scents never appealed to beastkin to begin with, but the curse on the five wolfkin families made it worse for Theodor's side.
Theodor in particular avoided contact not just with humans, but even other beastkin—he was an odd one out.
Claude knew that the seemingly perfect Theodor Diarc suffered from various issues beyond germaphobia due to his hypersensitive senses.
Yet that same Theodor had brought a human girl into his mansion?
'That human kid had no scent.'
Claude was a wolfkin like Theodor. There was no way he couldn't detect a human's stench. But nothing foul emanated from the kid.
For a beastkin not to react to a normal human, they'd need to imprint on each other or something. But...
'...No way Theodor would.'
Imprinting? Claude dismissed the absurd thought.
The image of that frail human stepping forward to protect her butler resurfaced. Trembling yet defiant—it wasn't even funny.
"Tch, too bad I couldn't touch her. Damn Theodor..."
Then he could've known for sure. But Theodor had grabbed him first. His arm still throbbed.
"A human with no human scent..."
Definitely intriguing. What was Theodor thinking, letting a human into his territory? What was her true nature?
But no need to rush. Claude smirked meaningfully.
"We'll meet again soon."
The wolf's instinct to never let go of an entertaining prey thrilled him.