“What? Me?”
I let out an involuntary groan as I was assigned a task I absolutely didn’t want first thing in the morning. I was already drained, having barely slept after yesterday’s chaos.
“Considering you were directly involved in yesterday’s incident, Briel, it seems best for you to report to the Master personally.”
“But I’ve already told Butler Squawk everything I saw last night.”
“Then you can simply repeat that to the Master.”
“Ah, but I need to prepare breakfast too…”
“Breakfast preparation is important, yes, but reporting unusual occurrences within the castle is also a critical responsibility for staff. The Master is in the study right now, so please hurry.”
“Yes…”
There was no winning this argument. Butler Squawk was unusually stubborn today. Resigned, I trudged slowly toward Kalz’s study. It had been quite a while since I’d been alone with him, and honestly, the idea felt extremely uncomfortable. But this was work, so there was no avoiding it.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
Almost as soon as my knuckles touched the door, permission came from within. Carefully, I pushed the door open and spotted Kalz seated at his desk. He never took his eyes off me as I stepped inside. Uncomfortable under his gaze, I lowered my eyes to the floor and began speaking.
“Sorry to disturb you so early. I’m here to report on what happened last night.”
“Go on.”
I recounted the entire incident in a neutral voice, deliberately keeping any emotion from my tone. Kalz didn’t interrupt or ask questions even once until I was finished.
“…So, Ian was taken away by Butler Squawk. After watching him leave, I returned to my room. That’s all.”
“I see.”
That’s it? What kind of response was that? Did he even pay attention? Quietly fuming, I waited impatiently for Kalz to dismiss me.
“……”
“……?”
But even after waiting a while, he remained silent.
Was this some sort of power struggle? Annoyed, I finally lifted my head to glare at him. Contrary to my expectation that he’d avoid my eyes or look away, Kalz was staring right back at me with the same calm expression he’d had since I entered. Wait… That look on his face—it was the awkward expression of someone wanting to speak but unsure how to start.
Wait… Is he seriously about to apologize?
It definitely looked like this lion was carefully timing an apology. The awkward clearing of his throat when our eyes met practically confirmed it.
“Well, go ahead. I’m listening.”
I was still feeling drained from last night’s exhausting dishes marathon, but I wasn’t heartless enough to ignore someone trying to apologize. Seeing the silence stretch awkwardly, I gave him a gentle smile to help ease him into it. Apparently, it worked, because Kalz finally opened his mouth.
“Looking at you closely after so long…”
Was he about to say he’d missed me? Or maybe that things felt awkward?
“…you’ve gotten uglier.”
Excuse me?
I had laid out the perfect chance for an apology, and this was how he responded? Fury boiled deep within me, and I was ready to unleash a blistering rant, but Kalz quickly continued speaking.
“You’re too thin. Isn’t it because you’ve stubbornly skipped dinner?”
“Stubbornly skipped? That’s not it—”
“I know. It’s because of me. So, starting tonight, come back to the dining hall.”
“What exactly do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said. If you really can’t stand eating together, at least eat comfortably by yourself in the dining hall. I’ll just take my meals in my room.”
Was this his attempt at reconciliation? It felt slightly off-kilter, but at least it seemed like genuine concern.
“It’s not about skipping dinner; it’s the impossible workload someone keeps assigning me.”
Kalz sighed deeply at my blunt jab.
“Must you really find that clue?”
“Yes, absolutely. Actually, your opposition makes me even more determined to find it.”
“…Fine. Do whatever you want.”
“Whatever I want?”
Confused by whether this was permission or a challenge, I tilted my head. Kalz sighed again, even deeper this time.
“I’ll help you as much as possible. But from now on, you must report your plans and progress to me every evening—no delays or skipping.”
“Are you sure? Didn’t you say you didn’t want to raise my hopes only for me to end up disappointed?”
“Yes, exactly. That’s why I tried to stop you. But since you refuse to listen, I have no choice. It’s better for us to share the burden—even at the risk of disappointment—than to watch you suffer alone.”
“So… all those impossible tasks were your way of discouraging me because you didn’t want me to suffer? You were worried I’d get disappointed if I couldn’t find the clue?”
“……”
Kalz didn’t reply, but the look in his eyes said everything.
God, this man really knew how to weaken my resolve. How had he guessed I was ready to tear up my notes in frustration?
An odd warmth stirred in my chest. Even without intending it, the corners of my mouth curled into an uncontrollable grin. No, stop—I needed to keep my stupid smile under control. To mask my embarrassment, I grumbled half-heartedly.
“Why do you always assume the worst? Just watch. I’ll definitely find it.”
“You’re the one who shouldn’t complain later about regretting starting this.”
“That won’t happen. Anyway, should I give you today’s accumulated report at dinner?”
“What do you mean, accumulated report? Did you already make progress?”
“Unfortunately, no major breakthroughs yet. There have been too many restrictions limiting my investigation. So tonight, let’s sit down together and plan the next steps properly.”
“Understood.”
“You’ll lift that restriction too, right? The one preventing me from entering non-work areas?”
“I will. You can leave now.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll get going, then.”
I gave him a slight nod and turned toward the door, but paused halfway. After a moment of hesitation, I glanced back at him.
“Hey, Kalz.”
“What?”
“…Thank you.”
Honestly, even I wasn’t entirely sure why those words slipped out. I was the one trying to help him, and he’d been the one making things difficult. Yet, in this moment, I genuinely felt grateful that he’d changed his mind.
“You’re such a softie,” he muttered quietly, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he lowered his eyes.
“See you at dinner, Bell.”
***
Dinner together again, after such a long time. Butler Squawk had conveniently disappeared for the evening, leaving just the two of us alone in the dining hall. I worried briefly that it might feel awkward, but once we began eating, all my concerns vanished.
Instead, I found myself savoring the simple joy of a proper meal. From now on, even if Kalz and I argued, I was never going to skip dinner again. It was clearly just punishing myself.
Happily slicing my steak into bite-sized pieces, I filled Kalz in on everything that had happened during our cold war.
“So, last weekend I went around every bookstore in town looking for magical texts. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything related to spells that turn people into animals. I even searched for information about the witch, hoping it would help narrow down the location of other artifacts, but no luck there either.”
“I’m not surprised. Unless the bookstore owner wanted to be arrested, they wouldn’t openly sell those kinds of books.”
“Wait, are they actually forbidden? But other magical books were available.”
“Magic intended to harm others is typically labeled as a curse. And curses are strictly banned by Imperial Law. Think about it—what kind of chaos would erupt if just anyone could pick up a book and start cursing people?”
“When you put it like that, it does make sense.”
“For your information, that witch from a hundred years ago was arrested by Imperial soldiers after someone reported her. They took her to the capital.”
So she hadn’t died here after all. Ever since I’d visited that dungeon, haunted by its lingering scent of blood, I’d been quietly wondering about her fate. I couldn’t pass up this opportunity, so I cautiously asked:
“What happened to her afterward? Was she imprisoned?”
“Who knows? In a private trial, the judge reportedly offered a lighter sentence if she reversed the curse. But she told him that was impossible, as the curse had already left her control. That’s the last I heard. After that, I didn’t bother trying to find out more. At the time, I still had ways to communicate with the outside world if I’d wanted, but I chose not to.”
“Why not? Weren’t you even curious?”
“I didn’t trust myself. No matter what punishment she received, I knew it wouldn’t satisfy me.”
“But still…”
“So,” he interrupted deliberately, changing the subject, “other than the bookstores, where else did you go?”
I wanted to ask more, but I understood why he’d shifted the conversation. Respecting his feelings, I answered honestly.
“I only visited the bookstores that day. Searching through all the shelves and selecting relevant books took a surprisingly long time.”
Of course, I’d gotten sidetracked when I stumbled onto an out-of-print novel by my favorite author, but there was no need to mention that part. Hearing my answer, Kalz muttered quietly, clearly satisfied.
“Really? That’s all?”
“‘That’s all’? Your tone makes it sound like you thought I went somewhere else.”
I pointed my knife at him playfully, pretending to interrogate him. Kalz coughed awkwardly, clearly caught off guard.
“What? Did you think I’d secretly gone to town alone and eaten something delicious without you?”
“Not everyone obsesses over food the way you do.”
“Then what was it?”
“You know… that big idiot who claims he’s your friend.”
“You mean Leon?”
