Chapter 3

“C-Chef! The Young Lady does not eat raw meat!”

 

“What are you talking about, Lani? Foxes are omnivores.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

Leaving the bewildered Lani behind, Cooker spoke with a genial smile.

 

“And if she couldn’t eat it, I’m sure she would tell me.”

 

“Tell you? Beastmen can’t speak when they’re in their animal form…!”

 

“Lani, do you actually think I’m bullying the Young Lady?”

 

Lani flinched at Cooker’s question. He looked up at her, his expression twisted as if he were deeply offended by such a nasty misunderstanding.

 

“Lani, I’m not trying to bully her. I just wanted to give her fresher meat. Here, look at this.”

 

Cooker reached for a small carrier on the bottom shelf of the trolley. Inside the carrier lay the carcass of a rat that had died in a trap.

 

“I’ve heard foxes eat rats too. Are you saying I should give the Young Lady something like this instead of fresh raw meat?”

 

‘Why are the only two options raw meat or a rat carcass?’

 

Lani’s face washed over with bewilderment at Cooker’s blatant menu selection. Not missing his chance, Cooker cornered Lani once more.

 

“If you’re really that uncomfortable, let’s just ask the Young Lady for her opinion. Wouldn’t that solve it?”

 

Cooker turned to me with a look that said, “Right?” His attitude was so natural that for a second, I wondered if this man actually understood what I was saying.

 

“Ppyabyabyak!” (I can’t eat either of them!)

 

I shouted that I couldn’t eat both, just in case he understood, but Cooker simply nodded with a serious face and turned to Lani.

 

“See? She says she’ll enjoy it.”

 

“Ppyabyak!” (No!)

 

“My, you think the rat looks delicious too? Haha, of course. It’s all yours, Young Lady.”

 

Ignoring my protests—even as I slammed my tail against the ground in denial—he just spat out whatever suited him. Seeing his behavior, it clicked: he had absolutely no intention of changing the food.

 

‘I should’ve known the moment he started calling me a beast. What was I even expecting?’

 

As I stared into Cooker’s eyes, I easily discovered a deep-seated hatred lingering there.

 

‘Of all people, why does the chef have to be a Beastman-hater?’

 

In this world, the conflict between humans and Beastmen ran so deep that it wasn’t uncommon to find people harboring such animosity.

 

‘Still, they say you don’t even bother a dog while it’s eating. What kind of person messes with a fox, which is part of the canine family?’

 

I stared blankly at the meat. Not only was it dripping with blood, but it had turned a murky, dark color. It was even starting to give off a faint, nauseating stench; it had clearly gone bad. Lani, who seemed to have a weak stomach and couldn’t even look at the bloody meat properly, didn’t seem to notice.

 

Since this was my first morning at Winchester, I debated whether I should just quietly refuse the meal to show the food was bad, or show him the true temperament of a “K-Fox” for messing with my food.

 

‘It’s my first morning here, so even though I’m fuming, I’ll let it slide just this once…’

 

At that moment, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Confirming the sound of high heels clicking against the marble floor, I didn’t hesitate. I took a bite of the rotten meat on the plate.

 

“Haha, see! I knew you’d know how to eat—?”

 

“Pipipipik!”

 

Cooker blinked in confusion as I began let out a frantic cry, spinning around in circles on the cushion. Lani, who had been pushed aside, came rushing over in shock.

 

“Young Lady!”

 

Right on cue, I collapsed onto the cushion with a thud.

 

“W-what is going on…!”

 

“What is all this commotion?”

 

At the sound of a sharp, angry voice from the doorway, Cooker turned pale and muttered, “B-but Madam said she had a schedule this morning…”

 

‘An opportunity to settle this arrived, so why wouldn’t I take it?’

 

I smiled inwardly at the appearance of the true power of the Winchester Grand Duchy.

 

“I asked what this commotion is about, Cooker.”

 

The woman who had just entered the dining room and was pouring her wrath upon Cooker was Aria Winchester. In the original story, she was the one who held the ill-tempered Winchester father and son in the palm of her hand—the real boss of this household. That meant she was the number one person I needed to get on the good side of.

 

Taking advantage of the moment when Aria’s sudden appearance drew Cooker and Lani’s eyes away from me, I subtly spat out the meat I was holding. A fishy blood taste and the foul stench of rot filled my nose, but I could bear it. After all, the chef who had been mocking me just a moment ago was now trembling, prostrating himself on the floor.

 

“T-that is…!”

 

Rolling his eyes frantically while pressed against the floor, he finally blurted out a desperate excuse.

 

“I was… I was serving the Lady Poblian her breakfast.”

 

“And you’re saying that raw meat is her breakfast?”

 

“Y-yes! I heard that Beastmen have the same tastes as animals when in their animal form, so I prepared it thinking she might prefer raw meat!”

 

‘Wow, look at him go.’

 

His excuses were incredibly slick. To someone who didn’t know the situation, it sounded quite plausible.

 

‘Should I get up now and express my opinion?’

 

While I was deliberating with my eyes closed, Aria spoke again.

 

“Then what is that carrier?”

 

“It’s a rat we caught in the kitchen today! Just in case the raw meat didn’t suit her palate, I prepared it specifically.”

 

Now, his voice was even filled with a touch of confidence. I felt like I should get up right now and let her know he was bullying me.

 

‘I’ll use my front paws and back paws—whatever it takes—to prove my grievance…!’

 

“I clearly instructed you to treat our precious guest, who came to help Esteban, with the utmost care. It seems my words didn’t even last a single day.”

 

…Huh?

 

My ears perked up involuntarily at Aria’s unexpected words. Cooker was equally flustered, his voice trembling.

 

“W-what do you mean, Madam? I was only trying to serve the Young Lady…!”

 

“By serving her rotten meat?”

 

“…Pardon?”

 

I was so curious about how she knew that I finally opened my eyes a crack to survey the situation. Aria spoke to Cooker with a face frozen in ice.

 

“Surely you didn’t think I wouldn’t notice the foul stench of spoiled meat, Cooker?”

 

“M-Madam, t-that is…!”

 

“Or are you going to give me the incompetent excuse that you didn’t even realize the meat was rotten?”

 

Cooker flinched and shut his mouth. Aria’s gaze then turned toward the carrier.

 

“The rat is the same. To offer a decaying carcass of unknown origin as a substitute for a meal…”

 

“Madam!”

 

“You haven’t listened to a single word I said about treating her with care.”

 

“N-no, Madam! It wasn’t like that at all…!”

 

“Cooker, is it me you are looking down on? Or is it Winchester?”

 

“N-not at all! How could I ever dare to disrespect you or the Winchester name!”

 

Cooker lay flat on the floor, shivering violently. Aria showed no hesitation even as she looked down at the man groveling at her feet.

 

“If you aren’t disrespecting me or Winchester, then why did you treat a guest who traveled a long way for Esteban like this?”

 

“I-I think I was mistaken, Madam! I served it to the Young Lady without realizing the meat had gone bad!”

 

In response to Aria’s pressure, Cooker finally tried to settle the matter by claiming he was incompetent rather than admitting he was malicious.

 

‘Well, sure. Claiming you’re incompetent probably gets you a lighter punishment than admitting you tried to bully a precious guest.’

 

I thought about letting it end there, but then…

 

“Cough, cough!”

 

“Young Lady!”

 

I stood up, coughing loudly. As I shook out my fur, my eyes momentarily met Aria’s.

 

‘She’s probably wondering why I’m getting up now when everything was being settled.’

 

Pretending to assess the situation, I looked around and, the moment I locked eyes with Cooker, I started screaming.

 

“Ppyappyabyabyak!”

 

“Y-Young Lady?”

 

I jumped down from the chair and hid behind Lani’s skirt, trembling. Seeing me huddle away while casting fearful glances at Cooker, his face went pale. I looked exactly like a victim facing their tormentor.

 

‘Honestly, messing with someone’s food is just petty!’

 

“M-Madam, I mean, this is…”

 

As Cooker tried to scramble for another excuse, Aria raised her hand to stop him. She spoke to him with a face colder than ever.

 

“I thought you were merely incompetent, but it seems you were actually bullying Esteban’s guest.”

 

“N-no, Madam! I would never…!”

 

“Beth!”

 

Ignoring Cooker, who was pale and shaking, Aria called for her maid.

 

“Tell Rendel to fire Cooker immediately. We cannot have someone who dares to mistreat a Winchester guest as a servant of this household.”

 

“Yes, Madam. I will do so.”

 

“M-Madam, I was wrong! Please! Just give me one more chance…!”

 

Aria turned away from him as if his pleas weren’t even reaching her ears. As I watched her leave the dining room, wondering what to do next, Aria turned back to me and said: “And Poblian, follow me.”

 

A private meeting wasn’t something I’d planned for, but…

 

‘If Lady Aria says follow, I follow! I’m coming, Lady Aria!’