Episode 8
“Are you okay? You didn’t get hurt anywhere, right?”
Kermanomon stroked Garulus’ face with a gentleness and tenderness unlike any other time.
“Yeah. At first, I was scared, but Melis saved me. She gave me food and let me sleep. And this outfit, too—Melis gave it to me!”
Garulus spread his arms wide to show off the cloak he was wearing. The black cloak, covering his whole body, seemed almost like he was trying to hide himself. Just as Kermanomon opened his mouth upon noticing it, Garulus, who had nestled into his embrace, grabbed onto the sleeve and spoke.
“Hyung-ya, I have a favor.”
For a moment, the world seemed to stop at the title that had slipped from Garulus’ mouth. Yet the most flustered person at that moment was Kermanomon.
‘Ugh! Kerman is the worst. Go away!’
‘I don’t want to talk to silly Kerman.’
‘I’m not playing with Kerman!’
The harsh words Garulus had hurled at him over the past three months flashed through Kermanomon’s mind like a slideshow. How long had it been since Garulus had called him “hyung”?
“Hyung-ya?”
“Yes. Just say it. What favor?”
At that moment, it was unnecessary to add anything to show how softened his heart had become. He had even decided that for today, he wouldn’t scold Garulus no matter if he stuffed himself with bananas or let all sorts of insects loose inside the house.
“I want Melis to be my nanny.”
“What?”
But the favor that came from Garulus’ mouth was far from what he had imagined. Kermanomon, having wiped the smile off his face, slowly followed Garulus’ outstretched finger with his gaze. At the end of his sight was a woman.
The woman, stiff and flustered, blinked her large eyes. Only then did Kermanomon become aware of Melis’ presence and spoke slowly.
“Melis… you mean the woman who brought you here?”
“Yes. She’s a sheep-person. A sheep-person! But she had no place to stay, so I told her to live in our house!”
Unlike the still innocent Garulus, Kermanomon’s expression stiffened slightly. He could roughly guess why she had felt the need to lament her lack of a place to stay in front of a child.
The fact that the duke showed so much affection toward Garulus had become public knowledge within the empire, and naturally, the number of people trying to take advantage of the child had increased. Still, his response was already clear.
“Alright. If you want it, Garulus, there’s no reason it can’t happen.”
“Wow! Thank you! Melis, did you hear that? Now we can live together!”
Excited by his answer, Garulus jumped up and ran toward Melis. She awkwardly lifted the corners of her mouth and reached out her hand toward him.
“…….”
Kermanomon, propping his chin on one hand, had returned to his usual imposing demeanor. That Garulus was following someone he had never seen before so readily was unusual, to say the least.
More importantly, it had been several days since the search order had been issued across the empire, and yet she was only now showing up. But the reason was not hard to guess—this morning, he had doubled the reward for finding Garulus.
“Before that, I should find out what trick that woman used to capture my brother’s heart.”
Certain of something, he murmured in a cold voice.
“…….”
After a while, Melis, swept up by the situation, found herself sitting in the duke’s reception room, being served elaborate desserts.
“Eat.”
Had the man across from her not been Duke Severus, she would have devoured the dessert in all sorts of fuss.
‘Why… why…’
Three hours ago, she had sworn she would never face the duke, yet somehow here she was, sitting across from him in private. Melis couldn’t understand it.
She shakily brought the teacup before her lips. The situation was so uncomfortable that she almost wished the tea were poisoned.
“For now…”
Before she could even distinguish whether she was drinking it through her nose or mouth, Duke Severus spoke slowly. Frozen, Melis swallowed and waited for him to continue. Just recalling his earlier sharp words made her eyes water again.
“Thank you for saving Garulus, sincerely.”
“…….”
Caught off guard by the unexpected gratitude, she stared blankly. Then he subtly nodded to the aide standing by him. The aide placed a large iron bag before her.
“Wh-what is this?”
“Open it.”
Curious, she cautiously opened the bag, and her eyes immediately widened. It was packed with bundles of money, too many to count at a glance.
“This is the 2,000 Nips I promised as a reward.”
Sandra had received 1,000 Nips from Sir Gadget for handing over Melis. Shocked beyond belief, Melis could not respond.
“…….”
This was undoubtedly the largest amount of money she had ever touched in her life. Stunned into silence, she didn’t react as he quietly spoke.
“If you need anything else, speak now. Wouldn’t it be more effective to appeal directly in front of the duke than through the child?”
At that moment, Melis sensed a hostility in him that even a smile could not hide. She also began to understand why the duke was acting antagonistically. He must have thought she was trying to exploit the oblivious Garulus for a job and a reward.
“N-no! That’s not it!”
Startled, she lifted her head, and their gazes met in midair. Only then did she realize how close they actually were.
And facing Duke Severus up close was truly overwhelming.
‘H-he’s way scarier than I imagined.’
His bronze skin and jet-black hair flowing to his waist added weight to his presence. His golden eyes and sharp fangs reminded her once again of his true nature. The thin scar crossing his left eye spoke of a life lived with hardship.
Having lived her whole life in a small village of a minor kingdom, she found herself alone with a duke of a great empire. Realizing this, her already stiff lips clenched even tighter. Summoning all her courage, she carefully closed the bag.
“I-I don’t think I can accept this.”
“Why? If you’re more interested in the nanny position, that’s fine. The reward is just a reward.”
“No! I-I only kept my promise to Garulus. I didn’t even know there was a reward.”
Though her voice trembled and she stammered, she could not stop.
“Bringing a lost child home is the right thing to do as an adult. So really, it’s fine.”
“…….”
“A-and the nanny thing! I understand why Garulus said it, but I never asked him to! I hope there’s no misunderstanding.”
As she waved her hand, firmly denying Garulus’ suggestion, she briefly recalled Vivian chastising someone for refusing a gift.
She deliberately ignored that thought. Accepting this reward would make her not just shameless, but morally corrupt, taking material gain while keeping the child.
No matter the situation, she could not betray her principles. It was her father’s teaching, which she valued above all.
“One question.”
The duke, who had been gazing at her for some time, spoke in a chilling voice.
“When did you first find Garulus?”
“Well…”
It was an expected question. Melis had met Garulus a week ago. Fortunately, she had coordinated with Vivian beforehand.
‘The family will surely be looking for the young master. If he asks where you first met, say here.’
‘Siana Village?’
‘Yes. It’s a remote village at the edge of the empire, bordering our kingdom, where many sheep-people live. Travel takes a long time, and recently a landslide blocked the path. So saying you found him there won’t be suspicious. Of course, your hometown is considered here from now on.’
Recalling Vivian’s sharp advice, she answered clearly.
“About a week ago. I was living in Siana Village, in the Elleramton estate. I noticed a child I had never seen wandering alone. Worried, I asked, and he showed me his bracelet, which led me here. The landslide delayed our departure, though.”
“……I see. Siana Village does have unstable ground. So the lack of a place to stay is also due to the landslide?”
“Yes. By the way, if I had discovered the search site on the way here, I would have contacted you in advance. I apologize.”
Adding a slight lie, Melis bowed sincerely. She had been too focused on reaching the duke’s estate to consider how anxious Garulus’ family must have been.
It was true that Duke Severus was still frightening, but she could sympathize with the worry of someone who had scoured the empire for his younger brother.
“You have nothing to apologize for. On the contrary…”
Slowly brushing back his hair with one hand, the duke hesitated, then spoke.
“I owe you an apology for what I said earlier. There are so many people targeting the child, I got nervous.”
“Ah…”
His sincere apology eased Melis’ heart. For a moment, the duke didn’t seem scary anymore.
“Then now…”
As he spoke again, Melis prepared to leave. Garulus had arrived home safely, all misunderstandings had been cleared, and she only needed to leave as if nothing had happened. But…
“We just need to draft the employment contract.”
“Huh?”
