“Today, Briel helped me clear the backlog of letters.”
“I didn’t ask.”
“His handwriting was truly lovely. As lovely as his face.”
“Pretty sure I said I didn’t ask.”
Kalz grumbled irritably, but Almond didn’t stop his praise.
“He was far more diligent and honest than I expected. And his enthusiastic demeanor was simply adorable.”
“Ha! Adorable, my ass.”
Despite his master’s sarcastic remark, the butler’s gentle smile remained firmly perched on his beak.
“Do you like him that much?”
“Of course. The letters Briel handled today would have taken me an entire week on my own.”
“Well, with your hook-like claws, obviously. But for a fully functional human sitting comfortably, writing letters isn’t exactly impressive.”
“Exactly, my lord. Such an unimpressive task originally belonged to you.”
“…”
Having spectacularly lost the argument, the Beast fell silent.
“And what was that earlier scene? I specifically instructed you to beg him to stay, but instead, you threw a tantrum. If I hadn’t stepped in, you’d have impulsively told him to just leave, wouldn’t you?”
“You heard him yourself. He called my temper nasty.”
“And your reaction was to threaten him comically. Honestly, you came off like a third-rate villain. Perhaps you should consider your appearance before acting that way.”
“Fine, fine, we signed the contract, didn’t we? Enough nagging. I only held back because you started threatening to bite your own tongue and rip out your ear feathers if I sent him away.”
Kalz couldn’t help but wonder exactly how a bird with no teeth could bite his tongue. Honestly, he couldn’t understand why he had to endure the butler’s nagging in the first place. Wasn’t hiring such an insolent parrot already generous enough? Slightly irritated, Kalz decided to caution Almond.
“Butler, aren’t you being a bit too careless about bringing people into the mansion? Remember what happened last time with that merchant. You know exactly what could happen if people discover our existence.”
“Well… yes, I’m aware.”
Almond knew well enough. Their peaceful existence despite being cursed was solely because no one had shown interest in their mansion. Yet, staying hidden safely forever would mean they’d never move forward.
“But what about the curse? How exactly do you plan to break it while hiding here and never exchanging even a word with humans?”
“Wait, don’t tell me you’re still placing your hopes on that guy?”
Almond stiffened guiltily.
Truthfully, his excitement over the lighter workload was merely surface-level. What truly lifted Almond’s spirits was the faint hope that the curse might actually be broken.
Spending the day with Briel had heightened that hope further. Honestly, the sight of Briel holding a pen was picturesque enough to captivate him effortlessly. Perhaps soon even Kalz’s stubborn heart might thaw.
Still, revealing those thoughts openly now would only spoil his master’s mood, so Almond smoothly changed the subject.
“Not exactly. It’s simply necessary. Surely you’ve noticed how drastically you’ve changed since becoming like this.”
“Obviously. I wasn’t exactly lion-headed back then.”
“Not just your appearance—your personality as well. Back then, you’d never have uttered crude words like ‘head.’ You were so refined.”
“Refined or whatever, an animal has a head. There’s no need for fancy terms.”
“But!”
Almond boldly interrupted his master’s muttering, pretending he hadn’t heard.
“I understand. It’s only natural after avoiding human interaction for so long. But honestly, your social skills have hit rock bottom.”
“Rock bottom seems a bit much, no?”
“At this rate, even if someone destined to break your curse appears, you’ll probably freeze up and lose your chance.”
“Almond, you’re going too far.”
Freeze up? Did he think his master was some clueless idiot? Kalz growled softly in annoyance, but Almond didn’t flinch.
“Then let’s test it. Suppose a lovely young lady gets lost in the mountains and happens upon the mansion. You run into her face-to-face. What’s the first thing you’d say?”
Kalz was caught off guard by the sudden test-like scenario. But still, it wasn’t particularly difficult.
“…Welcome.”
“Bzzt! Wrong answer!”
“Why? What’s wrong with that?”
Just what exactly made that perfectly normal greeting so emphatically wrong? Kalz stared indignantly at Almond, who wiggled his claw with mild impatience.
“Think about it. Imagine a young woman, lost and frightened, meeting a strange man—no, a lion—for the first time, and he cheerfully says, ‘Welcome!’ Wouldn’t she normally scream and run away?”
“…I didn’t say it that enthusiastically.”
“Oh, come now! ‘Welcome’? Really? Were you greeting a lunch you’d eagerly ordered or something?”
Kalz’s timid protest went unheard. Under Almond’s judgmental gaze, treating him like some hopeless social misfit, Kalz’s shoulders drooped.
“…It’s only because I haven’t had the chance to greet anyone new for a long time.”
“Exactly my point. Who could’ve imagined you’d become like this? You once received so many party invitations that you had to hire someone solely to handle the refusal letters.”
That’s right, I did have someone like that. Kalz felt slightly comforted.
“So take advantage of Briel’s stay to regain your lost touch. Treat it as social rehabilitation. You might also learn a thing or two about modern people.”
“Fine. Holding a simple conversation shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“And please try to be a bit nicer and avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. His first impression of you already seems rather poor.”
“Misunderstandings? What misunderstandings?”
Almond immediately recalled how Briel’s lips had twisted into an unhappy grimace whenever Kalz’s name came up that day.
“Well, never mind the specifics. Just keep that in mind.”
“But why bother correcting misconceptions about me if he’s leaving in three months anyway?”
“Whether he’s here for three months or three days, misunderstandings should always be cleared up. The very fact you’re questioning that shows how far your social skills have fallen…”
“Alright, fine. But remember, he’s just an employee. If he’s not pulling his weight after three months, I’ll dismiss him regardless of your protests.”
“As you wish.”
Three months should be more than enough, Almond mused.
As he’d said earlier, before the curse struck, Kalz had been a prominent figure in high society—a glittering but idle world where the wealthy gathered out of boredom and excess.
Kalz himself hadn’t been reckless or depraved, but surely he’d witnessed enough to believe that genuinely loving another man wasn’t impossible. Even if there was only a slim chance, Almond planned to seize it firmly.
Almond struggled briefly to conceal the sly smile creeping onto his beak, determined not to reveal his cunning intentions to his master just yet.
