Chapter 17
Villainous Household’s Top Dog Munchkin
“…….”
My face burned red again.
“……Huh.”
“Ah.”
It was only after Tionis let out a hollow laugh that Heiden finally seemed to realize my presence and looked at me.
“You seem like a boiling kettle, Marie. Your face is extremely red.”
…Does this person not feel embarrassment at all?
“Heiden, leave.”
Tionis’s voice resonated low and deep, like a ferocious beast I had never heard before.
I was grateful that Heiden hadn’t been disappointed in me…
But in that moment, the image I had of him completely crumbled.
‘Wasn’t he the quiet, competent butler?’
Why is he acting so… frivolous?
And what happened to the authority of Duke Cavellug?
Even as Tionis exuded a cold aura, Heiden didn’t flinch.
He calmly flipped through the documents he had brought and spoke in a gentle, measured tone.
“Your Grace, I apologize, but I believe the one who should leave now isn’t me, but you.”
“What?”
Heiden pointed to a section in the documents.
“Look at this. Healing in the greenhouse garden…”
“Hah.”
Before he even finished, Tionis sighed. Somehow, it felt like he glanced at me briefly.
After pressing his forehead for a moment, Tionis seemed to contemplate something, then turned his back on me and placed a hand on Heiden’s shoulder.
It was the first time the usually composed Heiden flinched.
“Don’t do anything foolish.”
“Yes, Y-Yes, Your Grace.”
Not imagining things, Heiden even stammered.
I couldn’t see Tionis’s face, but I could guess from his voice that his expression was as deadly as it sounded.
The air around him had turned icy cold enough to send shivers down my spine.
Yet, just before leaving the room, Tionis showed me a courteous, gentle smile.
“I’ll be back soon, Marie.”
It was hard to believe the same person had moments ago spoken in a voice as cold as a snow-covered mountain peak.
Thump.
The door closed.
“Wow… such a fake act. How can someone change like that?”
Immediately, Heiden shook his head and grinned at me as if sharing an inside joke.
I stared at him, dumbfounded.
He acted like a friend I had known for decades, and I almost responded naturally.
‘…You’re the one who changed suddenly, aren’t you?’
He seemed slightly tense around Tionis, but the moment Tionis left, he relaxed completely.
Was this his usual self?
Even though I didn’t answer, Heiden showed no hint of embarrassment.
He casually sat on the small sofa in the center of the room and crossed his legs. …Who would call this behavior “butler-like”?
‘Is he even the same person?’
The butler I had known, standing rigidly in immaculate clothing, suddenly looked like someone else.
Yet, looking at him lounging comfortably on the sofa with a smirk, I couldn’t believe it was the same individual.
The sequence of absurdities left me slack-jawed, wishing I could pinch my cheek to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.
Ironically, my thought seemed to have been read immediately.
“Marie, this isn’t a dream. It’s reality.”
Heiden looked at my expression and raised one corner of his mouth. He smoothly lifted his glasses, showing that it wasn’t a fake habit.
But we weren’t even close to being friends, were we?
I didn’t sit on the sofa across from him. Instead, I glared from a distance.
Even though it was my room, I stood on high alert, while Heiden sat comfortably.
Despite my cold glare, he met my eyes steadily.
“You really are like a cat.”
“…….”
Why is he so at ease?
He made a teasing remark and gave a little eye-smile, so I turned my head away, wanting to put as much distance between us as possible.
“Since you revealed your secret, someday I’ll share mine too.”
The comment piqued my curiosity.
“…Heiden’s secret?”
“Yes. Isn’t it strange for a mere butler to defy the Duke? Actually, today too, he ordered you not to act recklessly in front of Marie.”
…He knows something.
He seemed delighted, even humming, as he referenced Tionis’s orders that he hadn’t followed at all.
“You can’t hide your expression. Even so, if you’re so blatantly guarded, it hurts me too.”
He pouted slightly, but it was not cute at all. It was just ridiculous.
“Ah, yes.”
“You don’t need to use honorifics with me. ‘Right now,’ you’re dealing with a butler.”
“…….”
Does that mean in the ‘past’ he wasn’t a butler? Is that the… secret?
“For now, just know that in front of other servants, I must act like a proper butler. Ah, and…”
Heiden trailed off, looking unusually serious.
I unconsciously followed the motion of his white-gloved fingers as they slowly brushed down his cheek and chin.
Finally, he snapped his fingers with a click.
“Next time you turn into a cat, may I touch your tail once?”
“No.”
The answer came out automatically, firmly.
I was foolish for listening so seriously.
I could immediately understand why Tionis had warned him.
Heiden had a mischievous streak that got under one’s skin. I even felt an urge to tug on his brown hair.
And that perceptive man surely knew my thoughts, yet he didn’t hide his disappointment with a small tsk.
“Then… just once, may I hold you?”
“No.”
“Touch your paw pads…”
“Absolutely not.”
It seemed unlikely I would ever get close to Heiden.
Forever.
Fortunately, Tionis returned very quickly.
I stuck close to him, shooting Heiden a wary glare.
Ridiculously, the moment Tionis returned, Heiden sprang up from the sofa and stood at the door as if on duty.
‘Really.’
Now pretending to be a proper butler seemed extremely irritating.
Tionis surely noticed this.
Whether it was because of my abilities or because Heiden hadn’t properly followed orders, Tionis fixed him with a fearsome glare, like a god from the underground world of legends.
Thrilled to have a reliable ally, I cautiously tugged at Tionis’s coat.
‘Go on, scold Heiden!’
I had just been about to mention how Heiden had teased me about touching my tail and paw pads.
Tionis’s face softened instantly.
He transformed from a wolf of icy mountains into a gentle, huge dog-like figure.
While I was trying to understand this sudden change, Heiden shrugged and laughed mischievously.
Tionis’s gaze went to the hem of his uniform jacket.
Specifically, he noticed where I timidly held onto it, hoping I could make Heiden obey.
‘…’
I had only held it lightly.
Embarrassed, I quickly let go.
For some reason, the previously playful Tionis stared at my departing hand with longing.
His large hand moved toward me, hesitated, came close, and withdrew repeatedly.
In the end, it didn’t reach me, falling into empty air.
“Marie. From now on, you don’t need to use honorifics with me.”
“Huh?”
Is it fashionable here to drop honorifics, or was it just polite phrasing and I missed the cue?
And why is he saying it so shyly?
I tilted my head, asking, and Tionis cleared his throat nervously.
“You’re someone I need for my ability to release magic. I want to treat you as an equal.”
It sounded reasonable, yet his eyes darted nervously, like someone making an excuse.
Not knowing how to respond, I hesitated.
“…You may call me ‘Tini.’”
It was so soft I could barely hear it.
Did he… want me to call him by a nickname?
“…A nickname?”
I couldn’t hide my surprise in my voice.
“…Huh? Did I say that?”
Tionis hastily waved his hand.
He opened his eyes wide and denied it, making me wonder if I misheard.
Of course, would a Duke really ask to be called by a nickname?
I had just contracted to release his magic through verbal agreement, and in return received room, board, and care.
We were mutually helpful, but nothing more.
“Anyway, you don’t need to use honorifics with me. Heiden, what’s the schedule for this afternoon?”
“Yes, y-yes. I see. Now you remember your duties, I suppose.”
“….”
Heiden, who had been quietly present until now, approached Tionis with the documents.
As Tionis read them, his expression turned sharply stern. Heiden seemed to struggle to suppress a grin, twitching his mouth for a long while.
