CHAPTER 06
I slammed my tail against the floor, openly showing my displeasure at such a ridiculous misunderstanding.
Esteban let out an incredulous laugh.
“You’re pretty bold, aren’t you? Anyone would think this is your room, not mine.”
“……”
“But the door was definitely closed… so how did you even get in—?”
His gaze shifted behind me, as if realizing something.
He strode over to the door and spotted the small secondary entrance beneath it. His face twisted immediately.
“Who gave permission to mess with someone else’s door…?”
“……”
“If you’re going to do that, why not just rip the whole thing off?”
He mocked me as if it were my fault.
I tilted my head, as if to say it had nothing to do with me.
That only seemed to irritate him more.
And strangely—
Seeing his annoyed face filled me with a deep sense of satisfaction.
‘…Maybe I really am a bit of a pervert.’
Seeing me grin to myself, Esteban frowned.
Just as he rubbed his face in disbelief—
Knock, knock.
At the sound, he looked up.
After getting permission, Rendel entered the room.
Seeing the two of us facing each other, he smiled in satisfaction.
“It seems the two of you have grown quite close.”
“Whose wish is that?”
“Everyone’s.”
“Sorry to disappoint. That’s not happening.”
Esteban stood up, brushing off his clothes, and gestured toward me.
“Take her out of my room. Ellen will be here soon.”
Ellen?
It was a name I hadn’t heard before, so I looked at Rendel for an explanation.
Sensing my gaze, he replied kindly,
“Sir Ellen is one of the most skilled individuals in Idelio when it comes to handling mana. He teaches Young Master Esteban how to control his mana to prevent rampages.”
Oh, so like a mana instructor.
Well, it made sense Winchester wouldn’t rely only on me.
‘But if he’s hired by Winchester, he must be really good… could he help me too?’
Since I also couldn’t control mana properly and couldn’t transform, my eyes lit up as I looked at Rendel.
Seeing me suddenly stare at him so intently, he hesitated.
“…Are you hungry?”
“Kyap?”
‘No, I mean—can I also learn from this Ellen person?’
“I’ll have Rani prepare some fruit and bring it to your room—”
“Kyap!”
‘No, that’s not what I meant…! Well, actually, fruit would be nice, but still!’
“What are you two doing?”
“I apologize, Young Master. It seems the young lady wishes to say something—”
“Doesn’t matter. Both of you, get out. I’m going to rest before my lesson.”
At his words, Rendel seemed to remember something and added awkwardly,
“Actually, I came because of that. Instructor Ellen said something came up at home, so he’d like to reschedule the lesson.”
“Something came up?”
“Yes.”
At that, Esteban’s lips twisted.
“After teaching a few times, he probably got scared and is trying to run away.”
“What? N-No, that’s not it! You know he has a sick mother, Young Master!”
“That’s a convenient excuse. Every teacher before him did the same thing. First they change the schedule, then they stop showing up altogether.”
“Y-Young Master…”
“You don’t need me to explain. You know it best.”
From their conversation, it was clear.
The teachers who had tried to teach Esteban all accepted the job for the money—
But once they realized how overwhelming his mana was, they made excuses and ran away.
‘Makes sense. One mistake, and they could get caught in a rampage and die.’
Once mana spiraled out of control, no one else could stop it.
What mattered was—
Esteban, even at this young age, understood that his teachers ran away because they were afraid of him.
That was probably where his distrust of people came from.
After hesitating, Rendel spoke more firmly.
“Instructor Ellen is not that kind of irresponsible person. You may trust him.”
“……”
“He also didn’t quit—he simply asked to move the lesson to 3 PM today.”
Hearing that Ellen gave a specific time, Esteban’s expression softened slightly.
Just moments ago, he looked stormy—
And now he seemed calmer again.
It made me realize he really was still just a kid.
Relieved, Rendel glanced at me and then suggested,
“Since you have some free time, how about showing Miss Poblyan around the mansion?”
And just like that—
Esteban’s face darkened again, as if thunder and lightning were about to strike.
“…How did the conversation jump to that?”
“Miss Poblyan came all the way from Aniple, where Fenec is, to the capital, Peypren, for your sake.”
“Be accurate, Rendel. She didn’t come just for me. She came for Bluebell.”
At his blunt tone, Rendel frowned slightly but answered calmly,
“No matter how valuable Bluebell is, a child as young as her would not want to leave her parents. Especially not for a place where someone dislikes her.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“The maid assigned to her told me that this morning, Cooker served her spoiled meat.”
At that, I carefully glanced between them.
Rendel continued, his expression firm.
“Of course, Bluebell is important to both her and Fenec. But I do not believe that is the only reason she came here despite her difficulty with transformation.”
That was true.
If Ariel had come instead of me, my entire family would have been destroyed—and I would have died too.
‘…Though I’m not planning to say that out loud.’
I didn’t deny it either.
Taking my silence as agreement, Rendel spoke more confidently.
“And as you can see, with such a small body, it would be difficult for her to even protect herself.”
He looked at me, seeking agreement.
But remembering how I had gotten Cooker fired earlier, I awkwardly avoided his gaze.
Seeing my unexpected reaction, Rendel seemed flustered.
Meanwhile, Esteban crossed his arms and let out a dry laugh.
“Do you know this, Rendel?”
“W-What do you mean?”
“That this little fox—who can’t even transform properly—has my mother backing her.”
“…Pardon?”
Rendel looked at me in surprise, as if asking for confirmation.
I pretended not to notice.
Esteban smiled faintly.
“I thought something was off.”
“……”
“Cooker is too sly to act without securing an escape route. The fact that he couldn’t escape means someone exposed him.”
“……”
“A mere maid wouldn’t dare report a head chef. So that leaves you.”
Hey—calling me the culprit is a bit much.
“So why don’t you tell me too?” he continued.
“How did a fox that can’t even speak manage to tell Mother what happened?”
“……”
“I’d like to learn.”
“Kyap!”
‘How else?! I did exactly what you did earlier—ran to Lady Aria and told on him!’
I slammed my tail against the floor, arguing back.
But Esteban only smirked.
Rendel, who hadn’t even considered that I could have handled it myself, looked completely shocked.
“Well… I see! As expected, very wise! After all, the best friendships are built on learning from each other—”
“That’s enough, Rendel.”
“…My apologies.”
Esteban let out a sigh and looked at me for a long moment.
Then, without another word, he left the room.
Seeing Rendel awkwardly rub his face, I figured staying would only make things more uncomfortable—
So I followed Esteban out.
Standing by the door, he spoke gruffly,
“You’re late.”
Late for what?
“I’m not going to kindly explain what anything is. Just look around and figure it out yourself.”
“……”
“You’re smart, aren’t you?”
Hearing him mock me using Rendel’s earlier words made me want to bite his finger.
But—
His pace had slowed slightly, as if matching mine.
So I decided to let it go this once.
‘Maybe he is a little cute…’
“Your legs are seriously short.”
…Never mind.
I should definitely bite him.
