“Where’s the study?”
Leon, whom I’d expected would immediately guide me there, stood rooted to the spot, shaking his head with a troubled expression.
“I’m sorry, but we can’t enter right now. My father is very particular about other people entering the study, so he always keeps it locked.”
“He locks it? Even you, his own son, can’t go in?”
“Usually not. I can enter only with his explicit permission, and honestly, that’s happened just a handful of times.”
Leon had invited me over to his house immediately upon recognizing me. Clearly, unlike him, his father had quite the difficult personality. But still, giving up here wasn’t an option.
I tugged gently at the end of Leon’s sleeve and looked up at him with earnest eyes.
“Can’t we at least try?”
“I don’t know…”
“Just for a quick moment. I promise I’ll just look, nothing more.”
“…I’ll at least ask him first.”
Success! This pleading angle was unbeatable. Few could withstand my sparkling, kitten-like gaze. Grinning brightly, I gave Leon a friendly pat on the back.
“You’re really the best friend ever!”
“Haha, I appreciate that, but don’t get your hopes up too high. He might still refuse.”
Leon’s smile looked forced, his confidence clearly wavering. Perhaps his relationship with his father wasn’t as good as I had assumed. Maybe the man was extremely strict. Now I felt slightly guilty for pushing him.
“Father is out today, but I’ll ask him as soon as he returns. If he agrees, I’ll get the key before the weekend. Can you come back next week?”
To return again next weekend, I’d have to bend the rule restricting my outings to twice a month. But this was for the sake of my employer, after all—there was no other choice. Kalz had already promised his full cooperation, too. Nodding resolutely, I stood up from my seat.
“Okay. Thank you.”
“You’re leaving already? There’s still plenty of daylight left.”
“Yeah, I’ve got some errands in town. By the way, do you know a store that sells safflower seed oil? Preferably something high-quality.”
“You’d probably find it at a cosmetics shop. I know a good place—want me to come along?”
“No, that’s alright. I’d prefer going alone.”
Memories of the last time I’d visited the village with Leon—barely able to take three steps without bumping into someone—made me decline firmly. Leon looked disappointed but didn’t insist, instead neatly jotting down the shop’s name and location for me.
“Alright, take care, Bell.”
“Thanks, see you next week.”
Gathering the map Leon drew and the novel I’d borrowed from him, I hurried toward the shopping district.
***
Monday morning rolled around. After volunteering to help Marianne with cleaning, I waited until no one was around before handing her a carefully prepared envelope.
“Marianne, here. The things you asked for.”
“…!”
Marianne’s ears perked up as her cheeks flushed with excitement.
“Thank you!”
Accepting the envelope with her soft, cotton-like paws, she eagerly opened it with quicker movements than usual.
“What’s this…?”
Marianne tilted her head curiously, carefully pulling out each item one by one: premium safflower seed oil, rosewater facial cleanser, and an elegant comb carved with a cute bird—items I had painstakingly chosen with Marianne in mind.
“I thought these might be useful too. What do you think? Do you like them?”
“Yes, they’re perfect! Thank you so much, Briel. I’ll cherish them.”
Marianne seemed genuinely touched, her round eyes glistening softly. Quickly gathering everything back into the envelope, she held it tightly to her chest.
“I’ll go put this in my room right away!”
She hurried away with quick, cheerful steps. Watching her scurry off made me smile warmly. Marianne truly was the cutest.
“All that effort really paid off.”
But the real reward came the very next day.
“Oh my gosh—Marianne?”
My eyes widened in astonishment when I saw Marianne near the stairs. She looked completely transformed from yesterday—her fur now gleamed so brightly it practically sparkled in the sunlight.
“What happened? Did you actually use the safflower seed oil?”
“Hehe, yes, I did.”
“This is incredible! It really worked wonders.”
I openly circled Marianne, examining every angle. The change was so stunning that it didn’t even occur to me how rude I might be behaving.
“Um… Briel, what do you think?”
Marianne asked shyly, clearly expecting a specific answer. I enthusiastically gave her two thumbs up, pouring on genuine praise.
“You look amazing! Absolutely adorable! Of course, you were always cute enough to squeeze, but now you’ve added elegance on top!”
It might’ve been slightly exaggerated, but it wasn’t untrue. Her fur, sleek and shining with meticulous grooming, exuded such refined beauty that her maid uniform suddenly seemed out of place.
“Oh, come on, it can’t be that much…”
“No, I’m serious! You look just like a princess straight from Rabbit Kingdom!”
“You’re teasing me, aren’t you?”
Marianne turned her head away shyly, but her round ears betrayed her excitement by twitching happily.
“I’m telling the truth! Don’t you trust me, Marianne?”
“But you’re exaggerating too much, Briel…”
“It’s not an exaggeration at all! I bet everyone else will agree.”
“Briel, Marianne, what are you two doing over there?”
Just then, Elizabeth stepped out of the kitchen, calling to us from the top of the stairs. I eagerly waved her over.
“Elizabeth! Perfect timing—come here for a second.”
“Ah, Briel! Please don’t!”
Marianne protested shyly, but I pretended not to hear her. Thankfully, Elizabeth’s eyes widened in astonishment before I even spoke a word.
“Oh my goodness, Mari! What’s going on? You look absolutely lovely today. I almost mistook you for a noble lady visiting us.”
“See? Told you!”
“And your fur feels wonderful—so soft and smooth. And it smells amazing too!”
Elizabeth gently stroked Marianne’s fur, clearly impressed. I shot Marianne a triumphant grin, making her ears flush bright red as she shyly bowed her head.
“…Thank you.”
“Seriously, though, what’s your secret? Mind sharing it with me?”
“Oh, it’s simple. After washing, I gently dry my fur, then put just a single drop of safflower seed oil onto my comb, and—”
Elizabeth listened intently to Marianne’s explanation, thanked her excitedly for the tips, and then returned to the kitchen.
Soon enough, fur care became the hottest topic among the castle staff. After overhearing Elizabeth and Marianne discuss their routines, other employees started eagerly exchanging fur-care advice. Marianne’s sparkling transformation undeniably ignited this newfound obsession.
It became so popular that even…
“Haha, regular vinegar isn’t working out. The effect is minimal, and honestly, the smell is awful.”
“Maybe fruit vinegar would be better?”
Even Jack and Butler Squawk, who seemed completely indifferent about appearances, joined in animated debates about vinegar’s effectiveness.
And then things got even stranger…
“What’s all this?”
While taking Gold out for a walk, I discovered a large stack of boxes piled near the gate. Confused, I stared at the mountain of deliveries until a huge shadow loomed behind them—a familiar face.
“Grill!”
“Hello.”
Grill greeted me stiffly, dipping his head briefly as I hurried closer.
“Did you bring all these?”
“Yes. Supplies for the castle are delivered quarterly to the villa, and then I transport them here myself.”
So that’s how it worked. I’d wondered how we got dairy products and dried fish, given the castle’s small garden. Now it all made sense.
“Anyway, Grill, it’s been a while! How have you been?”
“Fine.”
“I heard you got stranded in your cabin during that heavy snowfall—I was worried.”
“I was trapped for a bit, but there weren’t any serious problems.”
“Thank goodness. Still, it’s a pity—you missed our snowball fight. We all had so much fun. It would’ve been great if you’d joined us.”
“I heard about it from Almond. I regretted missing out as well.”
Grill’s speech remained stiff as always, but now it somehow felt friendly, perhaps because I’d grown used to his bluntness.
Wait… was it just me, or had Grill grown gentler lately? Previously, he’d seemed so rugged and wild I’d nearly mistaken him for a bear straight from the forest. But now he looked like a domesticated bear, soft and approachable. Could it possibly be because…
“Grill, did you do something to your face?”
Flinch!
Grill visibly stiffened. That’s when I noticed the various bottles he was holding, filled with different oils and liquids. Smiling knowingly, I nodded in realization.
“Oh, you’re joining the castle’s fur-care craze too.”
“No! Absolutely not by choice! I only came here for my regular report to Master Kalz, but Elizabeth said my face looked terrible and started applying all sorts of things without even asking! I couldn’t reject Elizabeth’s kindness—it wasn’t voluntary, really!”
Wow, I’d never seen Grill flustered before. Watching this large, intimidating bear blush and stumble through excuses was oddly endearing—but frankly terrifying. If he got too agitated and swung a paw, I’d be sent flying in a heartbeat. Quickly dismissing this unsettling thought, I tried to calm him down.
“Ah, I totally understand. Elizabeth’s gotten really passionate about fur care lately.”
“Exactly!”
“Lately, she’s even putting almonds and beans in our meals, claiming they’re good for fur. She even makes me special beauty packs. Honestly, she’s so thoughtful.”
“Precisely.”
Grill nodded fervently in agreement. Although his panic convinced me he genuinely cared about his appearance, I chose not to point it out. Thankfully, he gradually regained composure, returning to his usual stoicism.
“Then, I’ll be going now.”
“Alright, it was great seeing you again. Join us next time we have an event at the castle, okay?”
“I will, if invited.”
I watched Grill until he exited through the castle gates. Observing his short fur gently fluttering in the breeze, I mused quietly—
It really is true—all fur shines with a little care.
