Chapter 20

By the time we returned from our outing at the festival, it was already well past dinner. Thinking it would be impolite to seek out Lady Aria so late, I waited until the following morning and hurried to her room the moment breakfast was finished.

The heavy pouch in my hand sent a persistent urge through me to just hold onto it, but…

‘Let’s look at the big picture, Poblian. You’ve only just started; there’s no need to get on her bad side for no reason.’

Steeling my heart, which was wavering like a reed even at this very moment, I knocked. Permission to enter was granted immediately. When I cautiously opened the door, Lady Aria, who had been sitting at her desk, greeted me with a bright smile.

“Welcome, Poblian.”

“Good morning, Lady Aria.”

Closing the documents she had been reviewing, Lady Aria stood up and pointed toward the sofa in the center of the room. As I scurried over, she approached with a gentle smile.

“Would you like a cup of that tea we had last time?”

“Yes! Thank you!”

I answered energetically and took my seat as she settled across from me. The deeply steeped tea gave off a refreshing yet fragrant aroma. After skillfully pouring the tea, Lady Aria pushed a teacup toward me.

“A tea time isn’t complete without cookies. Go ahead, try one. These desserts were made by Cooker.”

Lady Aria subtly let me know that Cooker had been successfully reinstated. Seeing my slightly surprised face, she added with a benevolent smile, “Of course, I gave him back his title as Head Chef, but for the next three years, his salary will be the same as that of the kitchen assistants.”

Matching a kitchen assistant’s salary meant he would be receiving less than half of his previous pay. As my face filled with disbelief, Lady Aria added calmly, “And I told him that if any issue arises with Esteban’s food, he will be punished alongside the culprit, regardless of who actually did it. Even so, Cooker insisted on taking the position.”

“He insisted?”

“Yes. He said it felt like the proper punishment for judging you so recklessly.”

Lady Aria looked quite satisfied, as if recalling Cooker’s determined expression. I couldn’t find the right words to add, so I just gave an awkward smile.

‘Well, it doesn’t seem like he wants to play tricks on me if it means facing the punishment Lady Aria mentioned.’

In any case, I could figure out Cooker’s true intentions over time. More importantly, having him as the Head Chef would undoubtedly be a huge help if he could filter Esteban’s food even just once.

I stared intently at the delicious-looking desserts on the table. Perhaps my mix of emotions was showing, as Lady Aria nudged the plate closer to me.

“Give them a try, Poblian. Cooker is actually much better at desserts than main courses.”

“Then, I’ll enjoy them!”

I picked up a butter cookie that smelled wonderfully rich.

‘Right, let’s not overthink this. He must know that if things go wrong for me here, he won’t be safe either.’

Having cleared my head, I bit into the cookie without hesitation. The crisp cookie crumbled, releasing a savory yet sweet butter flavor with every chew.

‘Wow, this is really delicious.’

The small cookie vanished into my stomach in an instant. I began to think that the reason shifters prefer human form might be simply to enjoy the variety of flavors in food.

Watching me pick up another cookie as if possessed, Lady Aria asked a question as if she had been curious.

“Come to think of it, I heard you went to see the festival with Esteban. Was it fun?”

“Pardon? Oh, yes! It was similar to the festivals in Anif but different enough to be exciting!”

I answered quickly, but I felt a sudden pang of guilt. Esteban always had to be careful not to rampage. Worried that Lady Aria might scold him for going to such a crowded place, I hurriedly added more.

“Um, but Lady Aria! I was the one who said I wanted to see the festival in the square! Esteban was just giving in to my stubbornness!”

“Poblian?”

“I had never seen a festival in Faypren before, so I really wanted to see it. Esteban hesitated, but I insisted, thinking that if anything dangerous happened, I could just use my ability…!”

“Poblian.”

Likely due to my guilty conscience, I was rambling on about things she hadn’t even asked. I flinched and fell silent at the sound of her soft yet firm voice. Lady Aria looked at me with her usual warm eyes.

“Thank you.”

“……Pardon?”

“I’ve always wanted Esteban to grow up like a normal child. It’s not his fault that he was born with more mana than others, nor that he has to live in constant fear of a rampage.”

A kaleidoscope of emotions flickered across Lady Aria’s face as she spoke. She gave a bright smile to me as I listened intently to her troubled words.

“So, please continue to take good care of Esteban, Poblian.”

‘Lady Aria really loves Esteban.’

Suddenly, I remembered my mother waving until my carriage was out of sight the day I left Anif. Seeing the two of them overlap in my mind made my nose tingle, and a fire of motivation ignited within me. I clenched my fists and spoke with determination.

“Don’t worry, Lady Aria! As I said before, during the contract period, I will do my absolute best to make sure Esteban never rampages, no matter what.”

“During the contract period, you say…….”

“Yes?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. By the way, what is that you have beside you?”

I had a strange feeling that Lady Aria was changing the subject, but I quickly shook it off. What did it matter if she was? I had a separate reason for coming here anyway.

“Oh, this is the reason I came to see you today!”

I lifted the pouch I had placed beside me and set it on the table. Lady Aria narrowed her eyes and inspected the pouch, her face showing a hint of surprise as she realized what it was. Her expression changed so minutely that it would have been missed if I hadn’t been watching closely, making me feel a surge of nervous energy.

‘See! The pouch really was swapped!’

The thought of how much trouble I would have been in later if I had just listened to Esteban and pocketed the pouch made me dizzy. I still have so many days left to stay at Winchester;

I couldn’t make a mistake like that just because I was greedy for a few gold coins (actually, it was several dozen, but still).

I hurried to explain to clear up any misunderstanding.

“It’s the allowance pouch you gave me yesterday, but I think it was swapped, so I came to return it. I didn’t spend a single gold coin because I thought there was a mistake!”

Even after I added that, Lady Aria still looked as if she didn’t quite understand. Thinking it might be because the pouches looked identical on the outside, I quickly pulled the drawstring. The gold coins inside were still piled to the brim, looking ready to spill out. I pointed to the coins as if to prove my point.

At that, Lady Aria spoke with a face full of amusement.

“You’re right. The pouch was swapped.”

“Right?”

Hearing that it really wasn’t my pouch made me feel much better. As I let out a sigh of relief, Lady Aria, her face still bright with laughter, pulled a pouch identical to the one I had brought out of her desk drawer.

“This one is yours, Poblian.”

Thud.

The pouch she set on the table looked significantly heavier than the one I had brought back.

Seeing Lady Aria nod as if telling me to open it, a thought crossed my mind that perhaps I had done something wrong, and Esteban’s face flashed in my mind—that face of his, smiling leisurely while telling me to just keep it since it was already in my hand.