DGDITMIAE 20

Chapter 20

Mrs. Kiraldu, even at Zeo’s surprised face, fired off in anger.

“From what I can see, it seems the one who saved you was the Grand Duke, and the one who treated you was also the Grand Duke! And this is the sickroom in the Grand Duke’s residence! To dare try to drive out the owner… I understand beastkins are wary by nature, but even so, isn’t this too arrogant?”

“Ma’am, ma’am…”

Terestia called out to the lady, slightly frightened, even though it wasn’t her being scolded.

It was much scarier than when she got nagged for going out to the border alone.

She was so afraid that she reaffirmed her resolve never to let it be discovered that she had gone to the mountain today.

Mrs. Kiraldu flapped about, thrusting her unfocused red eyes at Zeo.

A few feathers fell to the floor with her fluttering.

“Well…”

The joy of meeting a fellow beastkin was short-lived—Zeo was scared of Mrs. Kiraldu, who was angry at him.

It was the first time in his life he realized that pigeons could be frightening.

He knew it was wrong to think this way just because of her appearance, but still, that sight was just too terrifying.

In any case, Zeo realized his mistake.

It was true that Mrs. Kiraldu’s appearance was frightening, but he also felt he had been too coldly demanding toward his benefactor.

It wasn’t that he feared Terestia’s power because she was the Grand Duke.

Rather, it was the nature of beastkins to value debts of gratitude.

Zeo stammered out his apology.

“I-I’m sorry, Your Highness. I will definitely repay the favor of saving me.”

“…Yes, just rest comfortably until you’re fully healed.”

As for the favor—your becoming cute again would be the favor.

Terestia wanted to answer that, but seeing Mrs. Kiraldu, she held back and gave a vague reply.

She had climbed the mountain searching for flowers, but there were no flowers anywhere.

Still, she was delighted to have picked up a cute fox… but then he turned into a large man.

She was supposed to be a demon—she couldn’t go around deceiving others, yet she ended up being the one deceived!

In any case, since his foot was indeed injured, Zeo would stay at the Grand Duke’s residence for the time being and receive treatment.

A splendid demon does not act like a petty brat just because they’re a little upset.

Terestia, now gloomy, waved her hand at Zeo who was trying to get up to bow, and left the sickroom.

As Terestia trudged out of the sickroom weakly, Mrs. Kiraldu let out a small sigh.

“I’m sorry, young fox. But if I hadn’t gotten angry at you, Her Highness might have been the one to lose her temper.”

“No, ma’am. I was indeed too rude to my benefactor.”

“Still, Her Highness the Grand Duke will see that you’re cared for until your wounds are fully healed. Rest now.”

Leaving those words, Mrs. Kiraldu likewise left the sickroom.

All sorts of complicated thoughts ran through Zeo’s mind.

But those thoughts didn’t last very long.

With the fever rising again and his foot hurting even with the slightest movement, Zeo fell into a sleep as if fainting.

Several days had passed since Zeo was—not quite kidnapped, but brought to the Grand Duke’s castle.

Perhaps because beastkins had such good recovery, his foot had healed enough that he could already walk.

“It seems the pain in your foot is almost gone now.”

At the words of the Grand Duke’s residence physician, who was unwrapping the bandages, Zeo slowly nodded.

The physician couldn’t hide his displeasure at learning that the one he had treated wasn’t a fox but a fox beastkin, but he treated him obediently upon hearing that the Grand Duke had ordered him to be well cared for.

All of this was unfamiliar to Zeo.

When mealtime came, Mrs. Kiraldu would bring Zeo’s food and stop by the sickroom.

If she was too busy to come, a servant or maid would bring it instead.

When Zeo was in pain, the physician would examine him right away, and though it was called a sickroom, the bedding and furniture were all of good quality.

When Zeo asked if he could go for a walk, the physician replied indifferently, “There’s not really any place to take a walk in the Grand Duke’s castle…”

The question had been meant to ask if he could move his body, but at those words, Zeo slowly turned his gaze out the window.

Though spring had come, the Grand Duke’s castle was desolate.

Of course, that was unavoidable since it was the North.

In any case, Zeo was quite satisfied with life at the Grand Duke’s castle, but there was a problem.

‘My benefactor treated my wounds, fed me, and gave me a place to stay—what should I do for them…’

He was a rather unremarkable fox beastkin.

One who had nothing.

He had to repay his benefactor’s kindness—he had even said he would—but…

What could he possibly give to Terestia?

Terestia had more money than him, and more power.

Zeo was at a loss as to how to repay the favor.

Feeling restless from lying down for so long, Zeo cautiously stepped out of the sickroom.

Whenever he saw servants, maids, or knights wandering around the castle, he instinctively shrank back.

It was a reflexive action from his habit of being wary around humans, but soon, when they paid him no attention at all, he gained some confidence.

He looked around to see if there was any space outside the castle where he could walk.

Zeo glanced around for a garden.

“Hmm… Surely this isn’t the garden?”

But wherever he looked, the desolate garden of the Grand Duke’s residence, with only occasional evergreen trees planted, gave off a rather gloomy atmosphere.

Moreover, looking at the garden with weeds growing here and there… it looked less like a noble’s manor and more like an abandoned house where ruffians hid.

As he wondered whether he should think of it as the desolate charm of the North, something caught Zeo’s eye.

In this crude and utterly barren space, a small woman was crouched down, looking at an empty flower bed.

And that back view—with the sunlight making her curly golden hair shimmer beautifully—surely…

“…Your Highness the Grand Duke?”

At those words, the woman slowly turned her head.

It was indeed Terestia—the woman who had gotten angry at him, asking where the chubby-bellied fox had gone.

But Terestia’s expression looked sulky.

Zeo, seeing Terestia still crouched in front of the flower bed with no intention of getting up, blinking at him, reflexively thought:

‘…She’s cute.’

No, what was he thinking about the Grand Duke!

Zeo hurriedly shook his head and walked toward Terestia.

And when he crouched down beside her, Terestia looked at him with the same sulky expression and voice, and spoke.

“Hello, Coco.”

“…My name is Zeo.”

“Are your wounds all healed now?”

“Yes, thanks to Your Highness’s care.”

“Mmm…”

Well, truth be told, Terestia had forgotten about Zeo’s existence for a while.

In any case, what mattered to her now wasn’t Zeo.

The flower seeds she had received from Argo a few days ago had sprouted leaves but eventually withered away.

He’d said they were flowers that bloom even in the North.

Terestia’s lips jutted out in a pout.

Zeo watched Terestia’s expression, then looked at the withered sprout in the flower bed.

‘She wanted to grow flowers, didn’t she?’

So the Grand Duke of Inyument, who seemed to have nothing to envy in the world, was this sulky just because a single flower couldn’t bloom and withered away.

Zeo found Terestia endearing on one hand, but on the other, he realized that this was something not particularly difficult for him.

After hesitating for a moment, he opened his mouth.

“Do you want to grow flowers?”

“Yeah…”

“…Shall I help you?”

“You? How?”

“As you can see, I’m a beastkin. They say beastkins are beings blessed by nature.”

Come to think of it, there was such a story.

Beastkins were beings blessed by nature—they could make sprouts bloom even in barren land.

Terestia’s eyes went wide.

She grabbed Zeo’s hand and said:

“Really? Then do you want to be hired as my gardener?”

Zeo was startled when Terestia suddenly grabbed his hand.

The sensation of her held hand was soft and warm.

Her wide-open violet eyes reminded him of pretty violets.

‘…What? Why is my face getting hot?’