Young Master, Please Put Some Pants On! - Chapter 31

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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 31

Even growing up in such a perfectly abundant environment, a child was still a child, it seemed. Garulus preferred the ready-made pajamas she had bought from a street stall downtown over the custom tailored clothes that Kermanomon had commissioned from the Empire’s top designer using the finest fabrics.

Watching Garulus eagerly push his head through the pajamas, she felt complex emotions.

‘The Grand Duke would be quite bitter if he saw this.’

However, the clothes she had bought were also 100% pure cotton and quite expensive for commoner’s clothing sold at street stalls. Garulus, who had quickly put on the pajama top, stretched both arms out to his sides and wiggled his underwear-clad bottom at Mellis.

“I should do a butt dance for Mellis as thanks! I’m so grateful!”

“It’s nothing much.”

Mellis carefully pushed away the bottom that was approaching her uncomfortably and then opened the next shopping bag. It was a very small box, only half the size of her palm.

“Whose gift is that?”

“It’s for Noel.”

At the mention of a gift for Noel, Garulus tilted his head curiously and quickly climbed onto her back. Even though it was someone else’s gift, he seemed curious about the contents. Eventually, she headed toward Noel, who was guarding the corridor, with Garulus on her back.

“Noel, this is a gift!”

“….”

When she handed him the gift box, Noel raised one eyebrow. He quietly lifted his head and stared intently at Mellis. He seemed unable to understand why she was giving him a gift.

“I received my first salary today! I’m just giving this as a token of gratitude.”

Still looking suspicious as he accepted the gift, he bowed his head once in thanks. However, the moment he checked the contents, his mouth opened slightly.

“….”

“It’s not expensive, but I thought you might like it.”

What Mellis had gifted was a small tiger’s eye stone about the size of a thumbnail. Noel moved his thumb and index finger to touch the smooth mineral.

“Wow, it’s so pretty!”

Noel stared at it intently for a long time. Of course, there was still no particular reaction, but Mellis could tell that he was very pleased with the gift. Otherwise, his usually vacant, soulless eyes couldn’t have sparkled like that.

‘…He really likes it?’

To think Noel could make such an expression. Surprised by his unexpected appearance, Mellis blinked her eyes.

A few days ago while reading a book, she had learned that beastkin had preferred objects depending on their species. She had definitely memorized it thinking it would be helpful for living as a beastkin in the future, and seeing Noel’s reaction, it seemed to be true.

‘Garulus has high preferences in many areas so it was confusing, but if the stoic Noel shows this kind of reaction…’

Pleased with the gift, Noel bowed his head toward Mellis once again and showed her a shy smile.

“Oh, Noel seems really excited.”

“Right?”

Returning to the room, Mellis nodded and wrote down a memo.

[Surviving as a Beastkin Chapter 1. Like what sheep like.]

Actually, a few days ago, something had happened that brought tension to her relaxed life at the ducal residence.

* * *

It was on the way back from the capital. Somehow ending up in Kermanomon’s carriage with Garulus, Mellis was patting the body of the child who had fallen asleep. She was looking at Garulus with affectionate eyes when Kermanomon, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke.

“By the way, Mellis, you seem quite affectionate for a sheep beastkin.”

“Pardon?”

“Most of the sheep beastkin I’ve met so far were stubborn and had strong tendencies to only care about themselves. But you’re kind to everyone. Sometimes when I look at you, you don’t seem like a sheep beastkin.”

Kermanomon’s lips held a mischievous, subtle smile as he said those words, and although he clearly intended it as praise, Mellis’s mind went completely blank at the phrase “doesn’t seem like a sheep beastman,” failing to notice his true intention and giving the most foolish answer in the world.

“I-I’m totally a sheep beastman! Baa!”

That was when Mellis first learned that Kermanomon was someone who could laugh so loudly. He laughed so hard that Garulus, who had been sleeping deeply, startled awake in surprise.

“Mmm…”

Recalling that incident, Mellis felt her whole body burning with shame once again. In any case, when she heard such words from Kermanomon to her face, red alerts went off in her head. Though she had grown comfortable and relaxed adapting to the Ducal Residence, she was strictly speaking a human hiding her identity among beastmen.

Come to think of it, Mellis only looked like a beastman on the outside, but her knowledge about their characteristics and peculiarities was quite lacking in many ways. Therefore, she began flipping through Garulus’s books again, which she had set aside for a while.

How ironic that children’s books were easier to understand than the beastman studies papers she had read at the Academy.

‘Am I really a genius…?’

Mellis rummaged through her shopping bag and pulled out another gift box, then set out to find Anna. That’s right. In fact, these were part gift, part bribe, and part experiment! She showed a triumphant attitude at what she thought was a perfect plan.

She gave a small dagger to Anna the weasel beastman whose hobby was swordsmanship, a wooden carved pen to Malcolm the deer beastman, and honey candy to the Head Chef who was a bear beastman – overall, the reactions were quite positive.

“Hmm. I should investigate what sheep like a bit more.”

It would be nice to meet a sheep beastman once, but since she knew absolutely nothing about them, she would probably have to rummage through the bookshelf again for a while.

“Then now, lastly…”

Mellis paced the corridor while clutching the last gift tightly in her hand. The owner of the final gift was none other than Kermanomon. Though she had boldly purchased the gift, when it came time to actually give it to him, she found herself hesitating.

Not having the courage to knock on the office door right away, Mellis loitered in the corridor for no reason, practicing the situation.

“Grand Duke, please accept this!”

“It’s nothing much, but I received my salary so…”

“I prepared a gift!”

Perhaps because of what Kermanomon had said to her a few days ago, Mellis was particularly fidgety, repeating awkward gestures.

“Well, I found this on the way, so if you need it, you can take it…”

“What on earth are you doing in front of someone else’s corridor?”

“Ahhh!”

At that moment, startled by his voice coming from behind her, Mellis threw the gift into the air. He caught it lightly with one hand and asked with narrowed eyes.

“What’s this?”

“A-a gift… I received my first salary today, so I wanted to repay your kindness, Grand Duke…”

It was an awkward and servile sentence that made her earlier practice seem pointless. As embarrassment washed over her again and Mellis’s face grew hot, one corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

“What kindness.”

“Hehe…”

“I actually had something to tell you anyway, so this works out well. Come in.”

Mellis, who was quite proud of having safely delivered the gift, followed behind him and took a seat across from him.

“It’s nothing major, but there’s going to be a banquet at the Imperial Palace…”

Kermanomon, who had been leisurely unwrapping the gift, discovered something and slowly came to a stop.

“What on earth is this?”

He lifted up a fish-shaped doll and asked, raising one eyebrow. Mellis, feeling pleased, spoke in the most confident voice she’d ever used.

“Catnip! It’s a doll made with catnip!”

“Right. The smell is overwhelming, so did you think I wouldn’t know what it was? What I’m asking is why you’re giving me something like this as a gift.”

Mellis was equally puzzled by his reaction, which was different from what she had expected. Surely in the book she read yesterday…

“…Cat?”

Only then did Mellis notice Kermanomon’s brow furrowing deeper and deeper, and she quickly shut her mouth. Under his cold gaze, she felt as if sweat was pouring from every pore of her body.

“…Should I leave?”

“Right now.”

“Yes!”

Indeed, living as a beastman was not an easy thing.

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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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