Young Master, Please Put Some Pants On! - Chapter 4

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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 4

“You still haven’t caught her?”

A shrill voice echoed through the Portier Barony. Baroness Sandra Portier’s face was completely flushed red with rage as she gritted her teeth.

“How incompetent can you be that you can’t even find one little girl!”

Blood vessels bulged in her seething eyes. Joseph, her longtime lover, tried desperately to calm her down with a troubled expression.

“Sandra, calm down!”

“Do I look like I can calm down right now? You incompetent fool!”

Sandra shot up from her seat and struck Joseph’s forearm with a resentful hand. Joseph was a member of the Town Security Force. When had he been so confident, boasting that he would capture Mellis immediately, yet he still hadn’t brought back a single piece of news.

His incompetence was a major reason why she hadn’t developed their relationship further over all this time.

“Hah, Mellis…”

Sandra felt blood rushing to her head as she staggered and slumped back into her seat.

‘To bring such humiliation upon me! I am very disappointed in the Baroness!’

Just moments ago, Lord Gazet, who had belatedly learned of Mellis’s escape, had unleashed all manner of fury and curses upon Sandra before leaving.

‘If you cannot bring the bride within three days, you’ll have to cough up double the dowry, so you’d better know that!’

However, the biggest problem was the 1,000 nif dowry she had received from Lord Gazet.

In fact, after Baron Portier had died in an accident 12 years ago, the Baron family had been living off their saved assets and survivor’s pension without any significant income.

Just when paying for their son’s overseas education was becoming burdensome, they were fortunately approached with a political marriage proposal for Mellis. And with the excellent condition of a 1,000 nif dowry at that.

Sandra was quite proud of herself for rejecting all the mediocre marriage prospects and holding out until the end. Though Mellis was well past marriageable age, her beautiful appearance and reputation for being obedient and gentle seemed to have won Lord Gazet’s heart completely.

While 1,000 nif was enough to cover the Baron family’s living expenses for half a year and more, Sandra, excited by the sudden windfall, had squandered it all on various luxuries and foolish investments. But now, with Mellis’s sudden betrayal forcing her to pay back double the dowry, her future looked utterly bleak.

“Go and catch her by any means necessary right now! Hire mercenaries, block all the kingdom’s routes! Do whatever it takes to bring that girl back!”

Unable to contain her anger any longer, Sandra stood up again and shouted furiously.

“Ah, fine!”

Joseph, completely deflated by her attitude, answered in a crawling voice before leaving the room.

“If only it weren’t for that Mellis…”

As soon as Joseph left, her arrow of rage was immediately directed at Mellis. She had finally found the only use for a daughter who had lived her entire life like a parasite, only eating meals, and suddenly she stabs her in the back like this. Remembering how she had given her the middle finger made her blood boil again.

Mellis had been the type to comply without a word even when marriage talks came and went. But to think that while pretending to be a gentle sheep on the outside, she was harboring such sinister thoughts inside. Sandra’s fists clenched tightly. She wanted to drag Mellis here immediately and make her kneel before her.

* * *

The next morning, Mellis and Garulus were together in the backyard. Garulus was crouched down on the ground in the distance, intently examining something. Since he liked insects, he had been in that position without moving for 10 minutes already. Mellis smiled softly as she watched his round head from behind.

However, it was inevitable that her curved lips gradually fell.

“Sigh…”

Unlike yesterday when she had felt only vague fear, the more she thought about it, the calmer her reasoning became.

‘Come to think of it, this might actually be better…’

The most important thing for her right now was avoiding Sandra’s pursuit. Since she herself hadn’t thought of hiding in the Empire, it seemed unlikely that her mother would come all the way to the Empire, let alone the Duchy, to find her.

Vivian had arranged illegal passage to the Duchy as promised. There were only three days left until departure for the Empire.

‘Good. I’ll just hide in the Duchy until the situation in Kendal Kingdom calms down.’

It was quite a decent plan, but she couldn’t help feeling anxious about it at the same time.

They say all the beastkin in the Duchy hate humans, so what if Garulus’s family are human-haters? What if other beastkin harm me before I can even bring Garulus home? It’s unlikely, but what if I run into the Duke as soon as I enter the Duchy?

However, whether she was caught by her mother and sold off in marriage to some old man, or beaten to death by human-hating beastkin, there wouldn’t be much difference. Mellis tried her best to think positively within this hopeless situation.

‘If I look carefully, there might be at least one beastkin in the Duchy who’s friendly to humans, right? At least one… If I wear a robe all day long, maybe they won’t notice I’m human!’

However, Mellis’s shoulders drooped as she imagined herself wrapped entirely in a black robe, sleeping rough under bridges in the Duchy.

“Still, it would be nice if there was some better way…”

“Mellis! Look at this!”

Just as she was letting out a deep sigh filled with anguish, Garulus came running over with two tree leaves placed on his head like ears. Though Mellis could roughly guess what he was going to say, she pretended not to know and asked.

“Did Garulus grow ears?”

“Yes, that’s right! How is it? Don’t I look just like a rabbit beastkin?”

“Yes, you’re so cute.”

When Mellis gently patted the top of his head, a bright smile spread across Garulus’s face. Garulus particularly loved being complimented as cute.

“I like you so much, Mellis! I want to go home quickly and live together with you!”

“Really?”

Of course, it was true that she had decided to settle down in the Duchy, but Mellis had no intention of living off Garulus’s family. Though Vivian had told her to stay with them at least until she got settled, she worried that her kindness in saving the child might appear to be motivated by seeking compensation.

“Yes. I never tell lies!”

But Mellis didn’t want to tell such things to Garulus, who was so full of anticipation. Ever since hearing that she was heading to the Empire, Garulus had been incredibly excited.

“When we get home, I’ll lend you all my favorite toys! I have toys that spin around and around, and lots of really big dolls too… It would be so fun to play with dolls together with Mellis. No wait, we should play hide-and-seek first!”

Perhaps imagining playing together with Mellis at home, the excited Garulus even started hopping up and down on the spot. Mellis was grateful that someone liked her this much, but she was also worried.

“Garulus, but normally you shouldn’t bring strangers you’ve just met to your home. You understand, right?”

“What are you talking about? Of course I know that much. I’m bringing you because you’re a good person, Mellis! I’m a baby monkey, not a stupid monkey!”

When Garulus pouted his lips, Mellis knelt down to meet his eye level to comfort him.

“Of course Garulus is a genius monkey. I just said that because I’m worried that you think I’m such a good person when you only met me yesterday.”

“But you really are a good person, Mellis.”

As if he couldn’t understand her words, Garulus scratched his head with his clenched fist.

“Why? Because I saved you, Garulus?”

“Yes, that’s part of it, but didn’t you also speak politely to me even though we’d just met? Even though I’m much younger than you. Kerman told me that. Using polite speech means you respect the other person. You respected me, Mellis.”

“Ah…”

“Anyway, since you like me, Mellis, I like you too.”

Mellis’s eyes widened at this unexpectedly serious answer. She hadn’t thought that Garulus would be thinking such things.

Just as her nose began to tingle from the sudden wave of emotion, Mellis playfully grumbled and poked Garulus’s cheek with her index finger.

“Tsk, when did you call me a strange human, and when do you like me this much? Isn’t that cheating?”

“Ah, sorry about that! Actually, I was a little scared of humans before, but if all humans were like you, Mellis, I wouldn’t be scared at all!”

“Me too, I wish all beastkin were like Garulus too!”

Mellis shouted with more sincerity than ever before. Unable to contain her overwhelming emotion, she hugged Garulus tightly and rubbed her face against his.

Just a few seconds later, without even imagining the terrible situation that was about to befall her.

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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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