Chapter 16
Villainous Household’s Top Dog Munchkin
“Uh, um… I guess I’ll be going then.”
Marianne awkwardly reached for the doorknob. She tried to smile as best she could, but the corners of her mouth trembled.
However, Tionis simply stared at her without saying a word.
His expression was endlessly serious, though it seemed as if he had just remembered some important task he had forgotten.
‘Like a little chick…’
That was the trivial thought running through his mind.
But what satisfied Tionis most was seeing the yellow dress he had given Marianne in her hands—he was already imagining how it would look on her.
Thump.
Only after the door was completely closed did he slowly blink.
It was only after Marianne had disappeared from sight that he could think clearly.
“…….”
Tionis pressed his hand to his forehead, reflecting on the events that had unfolded so quickly. Impulsively, he had grabbed Marianne’s hand, made a bizarre excuse, and even concluded a contract.
He had thought it would look strange to pull out clothes from the room suddenly, yet the moment she said she had none, he immediately handed them over.
He couldn’t understand what had gotten into him.
And that wasn’t all…
‘I even promised to introduce someone to her first thing tomorrow morning.’
It was unavoidable. His trusted subordinates had known about this plan for years.
His hand moved from his forehead down to brush his lips. Then, as if making a decision, Tionis pressed a hidden button under his desk.
Despite the late hour, two voices came through the communication device as if they had been waiting.
[Yes, Your Grace. Did you call?]
[Your Grace, just summon us.]
A calm female voice and a slightly playful male voice spoke simultaneously.
Tionis draped a dark, black coat over himself, like the night outside the window.
“To the greenhouse garden.”
He gave a short command and left the room without waiting for a reply.
The two on the other side of the communication device also seemed to respond similarly, cutting the connection after brief answers.
Tionis walked through the empty hallway.
Passing Marianne’s room, he carefully cast soundproofing magic, just in case.
She had manifested her blessing and could turn into a cat, so her hearing must have been sharp.
Fortunately, there was no sign of her inside.
He let out a sigh of relief and headed straight for the greenhouse garden.
The greenhouse garden.
It was the one place Tionis had never taken Marianne when showing her the mansion.
Because it was the space where the gardener, Magnito—someone he most wanted her to avoid—resided.
“Your Grace, you’ve arrived.”
Becky, who was still under treatment, was hiding there.
Tionis looked down at her carefully, noting how she had wrapped her entire body in white bandages due to injuries treated with Magnito’s herbs.
Her wounds had been severe enough that it was a miracle she hadn’t died, but she was recovering smoothly.
Once Becky was fully healed, Tionis planned to return her to Marianne’s arms.
However, even when instructed to rest quietly in the greenhouse, Becky insisted on working, wandering around constantly.
Rumors even spread through the mansion that a “woman in white bandages” was wandering about.
Tionis considered letting Marianne accidentally run into Becky while exploring the mansion herself.
It was a problem that required some thought.
Soon, the door behind Tionis opened quietly.
“…Your Grace, you’re fast as expected.”
It seemed to be the two voices from the communication device earlier.
Tionis turned slightly.
“So everyone’s here.”
Now, he had to tell them about his contract with Marie. He had to introduce one of these two to her tomorrow.
He first looked at Flan, who was standing politely, awaiting orders.
Flan attended to Marianne daily, so she saw her most often—but she also often accompanied the other maids.
In any case, it meant that Tionis rarely appeared as a human in front of her.
‘Then I should probably introduce them once Becky’s treatment is complete.’
Then…
Tionis’s gaze shifted from Flan to the casually posed man beside her.
Despite showing loyalty by waiting until this late hour, he had not properly dressed, with a few buttons undone.
…During the day, he acted meticulous and thorough.
If other servants saw this duality, they would be shocked.
Tionis sighed.
The next morning, Tionis really did come to my room.
Normally, Flan and the other maids would have come along, but they were all held back this time.
“…….”
He paused at the doorway, mid-step.
It seemed he was about to greet me, judging by how he moved his mouth, but then froze as if words had suddenly failed him.
Bang!
Then he didn’t just leave, but shut the door behind him again.
What the heck?
“Your Grace, your face is red. Almost like a boiled radish. At this rate, I could toss you right into the soup.”
“Shut up.”
From outside, I could clearly hear Tionis and the other servant he had introduced.
Thanks to my ability to transform into a cat, even as a human now I could hear them that well.
I stared intently at the doorknob, and after a few minutes, the door finally opened.
“Good morning, Marie.”
For some reason, Tionis called me by my nickname.
He smiled faintly, but his gaze avoided mine… or maybe it was scanning my dress.
Since I hadn’t received formal etiquette training in my family, I awkwardly clutched the hem of my dress, recalling what I had seen from afar.
“Greetings, Your Grace.”
“No need for formalities.”
Before I could respond, Tionis hastily grabbed my arm and helped me up—a very delicate, light gesture.
I looked at him in surprise, and he flinched and stepped back quickly.
Embarrassed, I turned my head, and the face of the person who had followed him entered my view.
The light from the window reflected off his glasses.
The butler stood at the door, adjusting his glasses as usual.
As always, he was perfectly straight and disciplined in his gray-brown uniform.
His brown hair was neatly tied, not a single strand out of place.
The butler always seemed busy. He always held documents, and his tone when giving instructions was steady.
Rumor among the servants had it that his work was impeccable. To me, he was colder than anyone else in the mansion.
He radiated an indescribable aura, completely different from other servants.
Though he was almost entirely uncoordinated physically…
Aside from that, he was perfect.
No wonder Tionis trusted him so much, enough to introduce him first.
He bowed slightly in greeting.
“Marie, let me reintroduce myself. I am your butler, Heiden.”
“…Nice to meet you, Heiden.”
A strange tension made me press my lips together. As soon as I responded, his emerald eyes swept over me.
As expected of the butler of the Cavellug household, his gaze was sharp.
He must have been disappointed.
Tionis took care of almost all the mansion’s duties when away, so his attachment to the house was deep.
Even while working, he always wanted to pet my tail whenever he saw me as a cat.
When I tried to escape, he even knelt and smiled lecherously, wanting to hold me.
Now that I was human, it was only natural that he felt disappointed—and betrayed…
“Even in your original form, you’re so small and adorable. I just want to nibble on you.”
Huh?
His soft voice was so unlike his usual tone that I doubted my ears.
Heiden seemed to have more to say and mouthed something.
His tone was no different from how he spoke to me when I was a cat.
Momentarily, I pricked up my ears, unable to shake my cat-like habits.
Tionis quietly approached and instantly covered Heiden’s mouth.
“Enough.”
“Your Grace told me to say this… mmph.”
“Your original form is cute too, so don’t be disheartened. Who told you to say that?”
“Well… isn’t it basically the same thing?”
They whispered at each other using ventriloquism, glancing at me as if I couldn’t hear—but I could hear everything clearly.
Unaccustomed to such talk, my cheeks flared red.
The childish squabble between the cold Duke and his trusted butler showed no sign of ending.
After a long time, just as I was fanning my face to cool down, Heiden shouted,
“You are cute, after all!”
As if he had completely forgotten I was right beside him.
