Young Master, Please Put Some Pants On! - Chapter 17

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 17

Of course, part of it was because Mellis, who wasn’t used to the beastkin world, deliberately avoided people. Sometimes she was still afraid of unfamiliar beastkin, and she didn’t want to arouse suspicion by making a slip of the tongue during deep conversations. So perhaps it was natural for other people to think she would quit soon.

But now that she had made plans to make the Ducal Residence her lifelong workplace and cleverly collect her retirement benefits, the story was different. If unfamiliar beastkin felt difficult, she just needed to get acquainted with them. For now, she planned to gradually get to know the people she encountered frequently.

“So I’m thinking of using cookies as bribes to become a little friendlier.”

“Oh, that’s a really good idea!”

The two took out the chilled dough and cut out shapes with cookie cutters. She had no idea where they had gotten dragonfly and beetle-shaped cookie cutters, but Garulus was very thoughtfully positioning them to try to make as many cookies as possible.

“Phew. This is hard work.”

“We’re almost done now.”

Mellis put the cookies in the preheated oven and lifted Garulus up to help him press the timer. Before long, the cookies puffed up and a savory aroma filled the air.

“They’ll be very delicious!”

“Garulus, thank you for helping. We were able to finish quickly thanks to you!”

“It was nothing.”

Garulus’s shoulders rose proudly at the praise. Watching him, Mellis casually muttered to herself.

“Hmm, but I think I miscalculated. It looks like we’ll have some cookies left over?”

“Huh?”

“Since we completed them thanks to Garulus, how about Garulus takes the leftover cookies?”

“But I just ate five of them? If I eat all of those, I’ll become a fat monkey.”

“Then Garulus can give them as gifts to other people too.”

“Give cookies as gifts? Hmm… That’s a good idea!”

Now everything she could do was finished. All that remained was waiting for Garulus to gather courage and follow the contents of the book.

* * *

“Noel, here. This is a gift.”

“…”

Garulus handed Noel a dragonfly-shaped cookie prettily wrapped in plastic wrap. Noel, who received the cookie, blinked his eyes and looked at Mellis.

“Young Master and I baked cookies together.”

“…”

Noel bowed his head to Garulus as a gesture of thanks. At Noel’s expression of gratitude, Garulus’s lips curved up in a smile.

“I made this with my own hands, so eat it deliciously!”

“Please enjoy it!”

After that, the two went around various parts of the manor giving cookies as gifts to people. Mellis had actually worried that it might be awkward to suddenly give cookies to people she had no particular friendship with, but having Garulus by her side put her at ease.

Just by having light conversations with people she had only exchanged nods with before, Mellis felt like she had blended in here much more.

“Please enjoy them!”

It was when the pile of cookies had dwindled one by one. All that remained in Garulus’s basket were two dragonfly-shaped cookies and one beetle-shaped cookie that was the largest and had the most chocolate chips embedded in it.

“Now there are three left? Who will you give the rest to?”

The only people who hadn’t received cookies yet were Malcolm and Kermanomon. However, Garulus’s answer was unexpected.

“Let’s see, I’ll give one dragonfly cookie to Malcolm! And I should eat the remaining two cookies myself.”

“Huh?”

She had thought at least one would be for the Grand Duke. Mellis blinked her eyes in confusion.

“Oh, then what about the Grand Duke?”

“Why would I give my cookies to Kerman! That’s absolutely not happening!”

As soon as Kermanomon’s name came up, Garulus jumped up from his seat and immediately got angry. His attitude was more resolute than expected.

Mellis headed upstairs with worry that the plan might fail like this, when she spotted Malcolm in the distance.

“Malcolm!”

“What brings you all the way here, Young Master?”

“Ta-da! It’s a gift. These are cookies I made!”

When Garulus handed over the dragonfly-shaped cookies, Malcolm politely bowed his head in gratitude.

“This is too generous a gift. Thank you.”

“It’s nothing much. Enjoy them!”

Even after handing over the cookies, Garulus kept glancing around as if looking for something. Malcolm, noticing Garulus’s gaze, said:

“Your Grace is currently out, so he’s not here. Shall I deliver it for you?”

“Wh-what are you talking about! There’s not a single cookie for Kerman!”

Startled by Malcolm’s words, Garulus quickly hid behind Mellis. She looked at Garulus clinging tightly behind her. His gaze was still glancing toward the office, but somehow it felt like he was watching her and Malcolm’s reactions.

‘Ah, could it be?’

Understanding Garulus’s true intentions, she approached Malcolm and said:

“Malcolm, I have something to discuss with you for a moment…”

“With me?”

She practically dragged the reluctant-looking Malcolm to a corner of the corridor. Sure enough, as the two moved away, Garulus, left alone, stealthily entered the office. In one hand, he clutched the last cookie he had saved until the end.

“Ah…”

Finally understanding her actions, Malcolm let out a small sigh. After pondering something for a moment, he asked:

“How did you do it?”

“Pardon?”

“The Young Master, I mean.”

“Well, I’m not sure. I just…”

He seemed to think Mellis had persuaded Garulus to apologize. However, Mellis couldn’t easily answer that question. All she had done was help Garulus be a little more honest with himself. The important thing was:

“Garulus wanted to make up with the Grand Duke from the beginning. He likes the Grand Duke very much.”

He was just clumsy at expressing his own feelings due to pride and various confusing emotions.

“He’s still young. Swallowing his pride and apologizing first might feel like a big loss to him. I just showed him that wasn’t the case.”

Mellis had been like that too. After fighting with her younger sibling, why was apologizing so difficult? It was always her young sibling who approached her first while she stubbornly turned away.

‘Sister… eat this. I’m sorry.’

Then Mellis, who had been secretly waiting for an apology, would burst into tears and hug her sibling.

“Looking back, everyone had a time like that. An immature period when you think the world revolves only around you. Don’t we all grow up little by little by going through such experiences?”

As Mellis murmured while lost in deep thought, she felt Malcolm’s gaze quietly watching her. Only then did she realize she had talked too much, and her face flushed hot.

“S-sorry. I talked too much, didn’t I? I’ll be going now!”

Mellis bowed to Malcolm and hurriedly left. Garulus, who had been nonchalantly pretending to be innocent in front of the office, grabbed her hand and asked with a puzzled expression:

“What did you talk about with Malcolm that made your face turn into a tomato?”

“It was nothing!”

Since coming to the Ducal Residence, this was almost the first time she had rambled on about her inner thoughts to someone, so Mellis felt a strange sensation. And of all people, that someone happened to be Malcolm, with whom she had never properly exchanged a single word before.

“Oh right. Mellis.”

When they reached the front of the room, Garulus suddenly stopped walking and called out to her. Then he rummaged through the basket and handed her something.

“This is a gift for Mellis.”

It was the largest stag beetle cookie. To think that the cookie she naturally assumed he would have given to Kermanomon was still left. Mellis’s eyes widened like a surprised rabbit.

“But this is the cookie Garulus treasures most.”

“Yeah. That’s why I’m giving it to Mellis, who I’m most grateful to. Mellis takes good care of me every day and even taught me how to make delicious cookies.”

At this completely unexpected gift, Mellis felt her nose tingle as she pulled Garulus into a tight embrace.

“Really, why is our baby Young Master so kind!”

“Uwaaah! I can’t breathe!”

In that moment, Mellis suddenly realized one thing. She was still a stranger in this place, and someone might consider her just a temporary guest. But if there was even one person who cherished her, then that place could become home at any time.

That night, Mellis had her first comfortable night’s sleep without tossing and turning.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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