Chapter 8
“…Ah.”
“You don’t need to worry. He’s trustworthy.”
That’s… not what I was worried about, though.
But Asus Acyx — my young master’s father — looked like a man who never took back what he’d said.
Just the deep line between his brows told me that once he made up his mind, nothing could change it.
In the end, I gave up and slumped my shoulders.
“…Yes, sir.”
“Good. You may go.”
No matter what I said, that man wouldn’t listen anyway. He simply nodded firmly, signaling that the discussion was over.
So I turned and left his office.
The golden-haired leopard beastman who had been waiting outside took a step forward.
“I’ll show you to your room.”
“Thank you… very much.”
Honestly, it was awkward. A tiny sparrow beastman like me being politely escorted by a leopard — if anyone saw us, they’d think it was a joke. My feathers were already standing on end.
To make things worse, there was something oddly unsettling about the leopard’s smiling face, and a chill crept down my back.
“You’re a sparrow beastman, right?”
Not knowing how uncomfortable I felt, he kept trying to make small talk.
“Yes… We’re not very common, are we?”
“No, you’re quite rare. Do you have any family nearby? I just wanted to make sure our master wasn’t being too pushy by preparing a room for you.”
“Oh, no. I live alone in the neutral zone — I’ve been independent for a while.”
“I see.”
“Um… can I ask you a favor?”
“Of course.”
My instincts screamed that this man was not safe. Every feather on my body warned me not to stay alone with him.
“It’s nothing big. I just want to go pick up my things tomorrow morning — with the rabbit beastmen I met earlier.”
“I think it would be better if I went with you. That’s what the master wants as well.”
“I’d feel uncomfortable making a leopard carry my luggage.”
Even after I said that, he sighed a few times, as if seriously debating whether to insist.
“If that’s difficult, I can just go alone—”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll make sure the rabbits are ready to help you in the morning.”
Thankfully, he didn’t insist on coming himself. Despite my uneasy impression, the leopard accepted my request without hesitation.
“My name is Lucas.”
“I’m Swallow.”
“We’ve arrived, Ms. Swallow.”
He even opened the door politely and told me to rest, promising again that the rabbits would be prepared in the morning.
Finally, I reached my room.
It was far larger than I’d expected — not just large, but luxurious.
Clearly, it had been a guest room already: a spacious suite with an attached bath, a big bed, a sofa, a desk, and a chair — all top quality.
Even the wardrobe had clean, comfortable clothes prepared for me.
“When did they even have time to set all this up?”
Without hesitation, I walked straight to the bed. It was amazing.
It wrapped around my body like a cloud — soft, warm, and perfectly supporting my back. I sank into it as if floating in water.
“This feels… incredible!”
Until I was three years old, I used to sleep in beds like this.
But after I turned three, when I couldn’t fully shapeshift like the others and showed no physical strength, they began to treat me differently.
I slept on the floor more often than not, and was often denied proper meals.
That’s why — even for a sparrow — I was particularly small.
“I wish Mother could sleep on a bed like this too…”
As I lay staring up at the ceiling, my thoughts drifted to her.
My mother — who was tortured just for giving birth to me.
Because she failed to bear a “prophesied child,” because I was weak and unremarkable, she suffered far worse than I did.
My eyes stung, but I blinked the tears away quickly.
“Eight months… If I include the extra pay, I can bring her out in six.”
When that time comes, I’ll make sure she stays in a place far better than this.
With that thought, I rolled over, wrapped myself in the blanket, and fell asleep without even washing up.
***
The next morning.
At dawn, I went with the rabbit beastmen to my inn.
The innkeeper, who hadn’t seen me for a day, started yelling that he thought I’d run off without paying.
When I explained that I’d found a steady job, he immediately switched tones, offering to move me into a “better room” if I stayed.
Of course, I had no intention of ever staying there again.
I packed my belongings, returned to the Acyx mansion, and so began my second day.
‘This is paradise! Absolute heaven!’
Or so I thought.
But that illusion shattered soon after — on the day I met the person my young master often mentioned: Enneia.
***
It was the third day of my job as Louis’s tutor.
“You’ve learned all the basic letters now, Louis. Once you know the letters, you should learn to form and write words with them.”
Teaching the young master was truly enjoyable — every day felt rewarding.
But just as we began our lesson that morning—
Bang.
The door suddenly swung open.
“So this is the new tutor?”
A woman barged into the room without warning.
She had golden hair and golden eyes, similar to Lucas’s, and the moment she saw me beside Louis, she looked me up and down with a dismissive expression.
“You’re the one?”
Without waiting for an answer, she flicked open her fan and eyed me with obvious disgust — from head to toe.
What an unpleasant woman.
But before I could react, my young master jumped up excitedly and ran toward her.
“Auntie!”
So this was Louis’s aunt.
But apparently, she didn’t even treat him kindly.
“Louis. What did I tell you to call me?”
“Oh, right — Enneia!”
“Good. That’s better.”
Enneia.
So she was the one Louis always mentioned.
My face stiffened.
‘Wait — didn’t Asus say he’d ask the person Louis listens to the most before deciding on a nanny or maid? So he meant her?’
A bad feeling crept up my neck, and the black feathers on my forehead stood straight up.
Sure enough, Enneia clicked her tongue in disapproval.
“I heard the new tutor came, so I expected someone from a respectable family. But this…”
She looked ready to sneer.
Still, since she was the young master’s aunt, I bowed politely.
“Hello. I’m Swallow, Louis’s new tutor.”
“What? This awful smell… You’re a herbivore, aren’t you?”
Enneia pinched her nose, glaring at me with open hostility.
“Yes. I’m a sparrow.”
At that, a dangerous aura leaked from her body — sharp and predatory, like a beast about to strike.
The suffocating presence of a carnivore.
But strangely… I didn’t feel afraid.
‘Weird.’
Had spending time with Louis made me braver?
Or maybe I’d just grown immune to this kind of energy.
Whatever it was, her presence didn’t scare me at all.
Actually, it had been like this even back at the academy.
No matter how intimidating a carnivore looked, if they acted unfairly, I never backed down.
Maybe I was just built that way.
Though, come to think of it — when I first entered the academy, I was terrified.
Or maybe that was too long ago to remember clearly.
Anyway.
Since she didn’t seem to affect me, I just stood there and watched her quietly.
And that seemed to throw her off.
“Hmph. At least you’ve got some nerve.”
“Yes, well — you need courage to teach the young master. But… will you be staying here long? I need to continue our lesson.”
“Excuse me? How dare a lowly herbivore speak to me like that! Do you really think someone filthy and worthless like you — who’s only fit to clean dung — is qualified to teach our noble Louis?”
Her voice dripped with scorn, every word an insult.
