Young Master, Please Put Some Pants On! - Chapter 29
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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 29
At the word “human,” Mellis felt her legs go numb and froze in place, fork in hand.
Had the medicine effect suddenly worn off? She was so shocked that she didn’t even have the composure to check her appearance. As her heart pounded loudly and her mind grew dizzy, she heard the conversation continue.
“The Capital is crawling with humans. Among them, there are many who find themselves so disgusting that they hide their identities.”
“That’s right. If they keep hiding their appearance or seem to be up to something shady, we should be suspicious.”
Mellis, who belatedly understood the conversation, let out a sigh of relief. Just to be sure, she looked at her reflection in her teacup and saw she still looked the same as usual. Even though she knew they weren’t talking about her, Mellis’s attention was completely focused on them.
“The other day, the Baron bought a large number of drawings from an Anonymous Artist at an art gallery in the Capital, but it turned out that artist was human.”
“My goodness, then what happened to all those drawings?”
“Of course he disposed of them all. Ever since I heard that story, I always check identities twice when doing business in the Capital.”
“Anyway, why do humans keep crawling into the Empire when they don’t even know their place…”
“They don’t even have the intelligence to make that judgment.”
At the last comment, they all burst into laughter. They continued chatting away pleasantly, never stopping their chatter.
Mellis could only sit there blankly, listening to the stories they spewed out. Even though they weren’t talking about her, she felt as if she were being pointed at while stripped naked.
Her mood, which had been endlessly elated just moments before, crashed to the floor in an instant.
“…”
In the end, Mellis had no choice but to get up from her seat, leaving more than half her cake uneaten. Emotions she had forgotten for a while came flooding back like a tide. The fact that she was unwelcome anywhere in the Duchy suddenly took over her mind.
She had known for a long time that the beastkin of the Duchy disliked humans. But could she continue living with the people of the Ducal Residence as before after witnessing their hatred of humans right before her eyes? Even if she pretended not to know and ignored that fact, how long would that be possible?
If her heart ached this much from the hatred of strangers she’d never even had a conversation with, what if it came from people she shared daily life with? Mellis clenched her fists and tried to suppress her bitter emotions.
‘This was expected. It’s okay.’
Mellis came back down to the street and headed toward a corner where there were no people. She couldn’t keep fearing things that hadn’t even happened.
After all, she was the one who chose to stay in the Duchy even knowing all this. She was just a little surprised because this was the first time she had directly felt such discrimination on her skin.
“Get it together, Mellis!”
Finally stopping in place, she slapped both her cheeks hard with her hands, making a sharp sound. As both cheeks stung, her mind seemed to clear up.
With only 300 nif in total assets excluding her salary, no home to return to, and no family, even these depressing emotions were a luxury for her. Mellis, who had finally succeeded in returning to her original state, walked briskly toward the trading post.
She wanted to return to the Ducal Residence right away, bury her nose in the Young Master’s crown and smell his sweet scent to melt away all these emotions, but she still had important business left. She needed to send money to Vivian.
“But which way was the trading post?”
She wandered around downtown aimlessly with her hands full of packages, but the trading post was nowhere to be seen. It seemed she had come to the opposite plaza. As she was crossing through a deserted alley to get to where the trading post was located.
“Mmph!”
Suddenly, a Black Shadow appeared from behind, covered Mellis’s mouth, and dragged her into a building in an instant. Mellis’s mind went completely blank as she struggled frantically to break free. Just as she threw her head back and bit down on the hand covering her mouth with all her strength.
“Ahhh! Mellis!”
Along with a single scream, she heard a very familiar voice.
“…Vivian?”
“You’ve completely become a beastkin, how can you just bite people like that! Ah really, I almost lost my finger.”
The man pulled back the hood of his black cloak to reveal himself. It was Vivian. While Mellis blinked with a dazed expression, completely bewildered, he took off his gloves to check his hand.
“Anyway, our junior’s temper really needs to be acknowledged.”
“Senior, how can you just drag someone to a place like this out of nowhere! I thought I was being kidnapped!”
Finally understanding the situation, she stamped her feet and expressed her indignation. To cover someone’s mouth in broad daylight and drag them to this old building, then talk about temper. It was typical shamelessness from Vivian.
“I had no choice. Someone was following you. There’s nothing good about being caught making contact with a Dark Guild, right?”
“What?”
At the completely unexpected mention of being followed, Mellis’s fur stood on end.
Her bewilderment doubled upon realizing that these weren’t people sent by her mother. Then who on earth was pursuing her, and for what reason?
“Why would they follow me…?”
“Why me of all people…?”
“I don’t know the exact reason either, but try not to wander around alone if possible. Anyway, it would be troublesome if the fact that you’re human gets discovered.”
“I don’t know the exact details either, but try not to wander around alone if you can help it. Either way, it’ll be trouble if anyone finds out you’re human.”
Mellis nodded slightly at Vivian’s words and suddenly recalled what Kermanomon had said before.
‘There were so many people targeting the child that I had become overly sensitive.’
Anxiety washed over her as she remembered wandering around the Capital with Garulus without knowing she was being followed by someone.
“Garulus won’t be in danger because of me, will he?”
“The Young Master? Well, it’s more likely you’d be in danger because of the Young Master. But that probably won’t happen.”
Vivian scratched her chin with a slight frown.
“True.”
“By the way, have you been doing well?”
I nodded and agreed with his valid point. Though Noel always seemed absent-minded and like he was missing a screw somewhere, he was still the youngest captain of the Grand Duke’s guard and had been considered one of the elite talents of the imperial knights.
At Vivian’s suddenly gentle voice, Mellis felt the sadness from earlier rushing back. This was their first conversation in a whole month.
“Well, that’s…”
“That’s how it happened.”
Melis, forcing down her protruding lips with effort, launched into a lengthy account of everything that had happened.
“Just how much did the Duke offer for a scaredy-cat like you to immediately accept the nanny position?”
“That’s how it happened.”
To Vivian who asked back as if she couldn’t understand, Mellis held up her fingers to show the approximate number.
“About this much?”
“…Monthly salary?”
“Yes, but meal expenses and travel allowances are separate.”
“Haah… I should have been the one to find the Young Master.”
Holding his forehead with one hand, he let out a deep sigh. Of course, in terms of earnings alone, Vivian was definitely superior, but that was a separate matter for him.
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“No particular side effects?”
“Tch.”
“No. Sometimes I’m convinced enough to think I’m really a beastkin, you know?”
The two exchanged money and medicine, both as precious as life itself to them. Vivian added that it had been difficult to deliver the medicine directly due to the unexpectedly tight security around the grand duchy. Looking at the pill bottle filled with medication, Melis felt her mind ease once again.
“That’s ridiculous.”
“There aren’t any particular side effects, right?”
“Yes. Sometimes I even mistake myself for being a real beastman, you know?”
“That’s ridiculous.”
Mellis suddenly recalled what had happened at the Coffee House a little while ago.
They probably couldn’t even imagine that a human was sitting right next to them, listening to their conversation. No, perhaps they wouldn’t have cared even if she had been in human form. Mellis glanced at Vivian for a moment.
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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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