Chapter 6
It was as if he wanted to show how lonely he’d been all this time — Louis smiled brighter than ever when he heard the words “playtime.”
“Alright. No more studying letters for now. Let’s play.”
“O-okay! You really won’t leave?”
“No, I won’t.”
Seeing Louis smile so brightly made my chest tighten a little.
There’s no nanny or maid around this child.
He said he had an allergy to carnivorous beasts, so he never left his room.
Every day, he must’ve played here all alone.
In a room without even a single toy, waiting for a father who was too busy to visit often.
That must be why he’s so happy to have someone stay with him now.
“So, what should we play? What do you usually do when you’re alone?”
“Me? Um… I just… watch outside?”
The child eagerly led me to the window.
When I first entered the room, I had noticed something that felt out of place — a rocking chair in front of the tightly closed terrace door.
It wasn’t an indoor chair, but an outdoor one.
And it was facing outward, not toward the room. That had seemed odd at the time…
“Sit here! I’ll let you use it — just this once!”
I looked out through the closed window. The mansion’s garden stretched beyond it.
“You just sit here and watch outside?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s all?”
“Yeah! So let’s play here together!”
What could I say to a child who thought watching outside was the same as playing?
I sat beside him on the rocking chair.
“Do you hate being alone, young master?”
“No! I’m strong, so I’m fine even when I’m alone!”
But his eyes said something very different — that he wasn’t fine at all.
His small head shook side to side.
He looked just like any other little boy — only about five years old.
“But… is it really okay to play with me instead of doing lessons? You can leave if you’re busy. Dad and Enneia always say they’re busy and leave.”
“I’m busy because of you, young master.”
“Huh?”
“It means it’s my job, so it’s okay. You don’t have to worry about me. If I ever run out of time, I’ll just ask your father for some extra pay.”
“What’s extra pay?”
“Well, it’s like… money people pay to buy my time. And the one paying for it is your father. So don’t worry and just play.”
“Oh! I see! Okay!”
As he swung his legs, the rocking chair began to sway slightly.
“But… why do you stay in your room all the time?”
“Um… they don’t like me.”
“Who doesn’t?”
“People. When I go outside, they all look at me funny. I think they hate me.”
That was strange.
Why did I see myself in this child — a powerful panther’s son — even though I had once been called useless and weak?
Our lives were completely different, yet… somehow, I could feel the same emptiness in him that I had once felt.
Maybe it was because of how he said watching outside was his only play.
That was how I’d lived too — trapped inside, just watching others live.
Afraid of people’s looks. Avoiding the world.
Somehow, in different ways, we were the same.
“They don’t look at you because you’re strange. And they don’t hate you either. Maybe… they’re just scared.”
“Scared? Of me?”
“Yes. Anyway, shall we talk about something else today?”
“Tell me the story about the sparrow again!”
“Then… how about I tell you about when I was at the Beast Academy?”
“Yeah!”
I had no other way to entertain him, so I told story after story from my academy days.
Maybe because they were stories about a world he’d never seen, Louis kept asking for more.
It wasn’t until the evening sun dipped below the horizon that he finally fell asleep, and my stories came to an end.
“Young master? Are you asleep?”
Even when I called him, he just made soft snoring sounds.
I slowly stood up and pulled a nearby blanket over him.
I didn’t feel right leaving him alone, but I couldn’t stay here and sleep either.
So I quietly stepped out of the room.
***
As I left the room where Louis slept…
“You took quite a while.”
A sudden voice made my tiny sparrow heart nearly jump out of my chest.
“Wh-who’s there?”
“I’m the servant Master ordered to stay by the young master’s side at all times.”
“Oh… I see.”
He was a small man with brown hair.
Just from his scent, I could tell he was a dog beastman.
Dog beastmen are said to have especially sharp hearing and smell… Did he hear everything Louis and I talked about?
Was Duke Asus really that cautious?
Well… I suppose it makes sense. Leaving his son alone with a stranger must’ve made him uneasy. And now I realize — there were no other attendants nearby because this man was guarding from outside.
That explained everything.
I nodded to myself.
But the man just stared at me silently.
“Could you just guide me? I’d like to report to Lord Asus Acyx.”
“Yes.”
Maybe because it was late, or maybe this mansion was always this empty — the halls were eerily quiet.
Walking beside the dog beastman gave me chills.
Thankfully, the lord’s office wasn’t far.
“This is the place.”
“His office?”
“Yes. He’s usually working here at this hour.”
I tilted my head slightly.
Why does he sound like he’s talking about someone else’s master, not his own?
Maybe it was just my imagination.
I shook the thought away and stopped at the door.
I expected him to knock — but instead, he just looked at me silently, as if to tell me to do it myself.
It was strange, but I didn’t want to waste time standing there. So I knocked.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
The voice of Asus Acyx came from inside.
It had only been a few hours since I last heard it, but just hearing his voice again sent chills down my spine.
No, it’s fine. I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just the tutor. There’s no reason to be nervous.
Clenching my fists, I opened the door and stepped inside.
“Did you call for me?”
“I did?”
“…You didn’t?”
We both looked confused for a moment.
Wait — so that dog beastman didn’t bring me here because he was told to?
Something felt off.
But he didn’t seem too surprised and just nodded as if brushing it aside.
“Well, it works out either way. How was your first day? Can you handle it?”
“It’s fine. Despite what I feared, the young master didn’t try to eat me or anything. To report briefly…”
I decided not to mention that the boy didn’t know how to read — that kind of thing was useless information anyway.
So I lifted my chin confidently.
“He’s a very smart child.”
Parents always love hearing compliments about their children more than about themselves — so I spoke with an especially bright tone.
“Is that so?”
“Yes. He’s brilliant — a genius, even. Truly gifted.”
A faint smile spread across Asus’s usually stiff face.
“You’ve got a good eye.”
“I do, don’t I? So, for now, I’ll focus on building his concentration before we move on to the next stage.”
“Understood. Having someone spend time with him is enough for now. Then, let’s draw up a contract. I’ve already prepared a draft. Take a look.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Asus handed me a set of papers.
