“What’s this?”
“Can’t you tell? It’s a letter.”
“I mean, why are you holding that? If you’ve got something to say to me, just say it.”
“Oh, come on, Master. You could at least say thank you and take it.”
Kalz looked completely thrown off, while Butler Squawk wore a pleased little smile. Before the misunderstanding could spiral any further, I quickly cut in with the truth.
“I didn’t write it. Leon gave it to me. He said to make sure you got it.”
“Him? For me? What for?”
“No idea. Read it yourself.”
Butler Squawk took the letter with his beak and passed it right into Kalz’s hand. I didn’t bother saying it was an invitation—no reason to drag myself into the blast zone. Kalz was already grumbling before he even opened the envelope.
“He really never runs out of tricks.”
And just like I’d expected, his reaction while reading it didn’t disappoint—eyes narrowing in annoyance, his lip curling back to reveal a fang.
“…Unbelievable.”
He finished it off with a derisive snort and crushed the letter in one hand. Totally on brand. But then…
“Alright.”
“Of course. I’ll tell Leon you’re not interested—wait, what?”
“I said I’ll accept it.”
“So… you mean you’re accepting the letter, but rejecting the visit, right?”
“I didn’t twist my words. I said I’m allowing the visit.”
No way. That can’t be right. I tried to convince myself I’d misunderstood and looked for some hidden meaning. But Kalz gave me a cold, toothy smile and made it perfectly clear.
“If coming to this castle is really such a dream of his, I suppose I can indulge him.”
“You’re serious? Wait, why?! Since when did you start feeling so generous toward Leon? Are you two secretly dating or something?!”
“What the hell kind of nonsense is that? How do you even get to that conclusion?”
“It’s weird! You don’t even like the guy!”
I had no idea how things got to this point. I turned toward Butler Squawk, pleading silently with my eyes.
Is this really okay, Butler Squawk?
He gave Kalz a serious look and chimed in.
“Master, just this once, I must disagree. Leon isn’t like Briel. He’s a resident of Swalter Village—and the son of the former lord. It’s safest to keep contact with the castle to a minimum.”
“Right? See? Refusing him is clearly the smarter move!”
Ah, Butler Squawk. Always a voice of reason. Or so I thought—until Kalz beckoned him over. The parrot flew to Kalz’s shoulder, and Kalz handed him the letter. After reading it, Butler Squawk studied Kalz’s expression and gave a slow nod.
“…However, he’s already visited multiple times and clearly has a strong interest in the castle. If we keep shutting him out, it may only raise suspicions. Considering that… I’ll defer to your judgment, Master.”
“Wise decision.”
Wait, what? What the hell was in that letter? What kind of sorcery is Leon pulling with his writing?
“Let me see it too.”
“There’s no need. My decision wasn’t based on what the letter said.”
“Liar. At least Butler Squawk seems influenced.”
“You’re mistaken, Briel. I just gave it more thought and realized the Master made a valid point.”
“There you go.”
“Alright, then I definitely should be allowed to read it. If it’s nothing special, there’s no harm in letting me see—ah! What are you doing?!”
“Disposing of trash.”
When I clearly wasn’t going to back down, Kalz straight-up tossed the letter into the fireplace. I stood there, stunned, suddenly even more desperate to know what was written in it. I should’ve read it before handing it over. I was trying to be polite, and now I seriously regret it.
Just like the letter crackling in the flames, my nerves were burning up with it. Even Butler Squawk—my last line of hope—had betrayed me. I only brought the letter back because I couldn’t shake the guilt from seeing Leon’s eager, flushed face. It wasn’t like I actually wanted to invite him to the castle. Not even a little.
“Still, isn’t this dangerous? What if the staff’s identities get exposed?”
“There’s no need to worry. We’ll simply have them stay out of sight while Leon’s here. The castle’s big. As long as it’s not a surprise visit, it shouldn’t be difficult.”
“Fine, let’s say the staff hide. What about Kalz? Leon’s definitely going to ask for him.”
“I’ll just wear a mask again, like last time.”
“That’s way too flimsy! What if the mask slips off?”
“It won’t—unless someone forces it off again, like a certain someone did.”
Ugh, not this again. Dragging up that memory just to shut me down. And unfortunately, it worked—I had nothing to come back with.
“Then it’s settled. Bell, you’ll be heading down to the village again next weekend. That’ll be more visits than your contract allows, but I’ll permit it. Not that you’ve ever let that stop you.”
“So the visit will be after that. When would be good?”
“A day that’s not too sunny, preferably.”
“Got it. I’ll ask Jack. He’s always had a good instinct for predicting the weather.”
Watching the Beast and a literal parrot calmly discussing possible invitation dates made my head spin. Was I the only one worried about this castle’s secrets getting exposed?
No—there had to be something. Some kind of emergency protocol. A castle manual. That’s why they’re acting so calm. That has to be it.
“Um, excuse me—do you two already have a plan in place?”
“We’re making one right now, aren’t we?”
“Not like this! I mean an actual, thought-out response plan for when Leon arrives.”
“Response plan? Butler Squawk, do we have anything like that?”
“Hm… not that I can recall.”
“Okay, then what did you do the last time someone was invited to the castle? I mean after the curse.”
“Are you seriously asking that? We’ve never invited anyone since the curse was placed.”
Unbelievable. He says that like it’s something to be proud of.
“Then what about uninvited guests? People who made it into the castle—how did you handle them?”
“You already know. The first one was your father. The second was you.”
“…So only two people have come here in over a hundred years? And one of them found out the truth. That’s a 50/50 failure rate.”
“Technically, yes.”
We’re so screwed.
I could maybe excuse Kalz being careless, but Butler Squawk too? I never saw that coming. No, I couldn’t afford to go along with this blindly. If no one else was going to take this seriously, I would.
“Sorry, but I think the date of the visit is the least of our worries right now.”
And just like that, the emergency strategy meeting for Leon’s visit began.
Contingency Plan #1: Alcohol (Proposed by Briel)
“We get Leon completely smashed. If anything suspicious happens, we just blame it on the alcohol. If he blacks out entirely, even better.”
“That’s ridiculous. He’s not dumb enough to drink himself under the table alone.”
“Exactly. That’s why we drink with him.”
“Hah. Where’s all this confidence coming from? You talk like you can hold your liquor. And let’s not forget, your drunken habits are terrible.”
“Who says? I’m not a lightweight, and I don’t have any bad habits!”
“Really? Then what about last time, when you got drunk and tried to—”
“Okay, okay! I already apologized for that!”
Seriously? He’s bringing this up right in front of Butler Squawk? That lion holds a grudge like nobody’s business.
“But hey, there are other ways. You’ve heard of card-sharking, right? Ever heard of stacking the deck?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s the ultimate trick—getting the other guy drunk while staying mostly sober yourself.”
If they drink ten glasses while I only sip one, it doesn’t matter how strong their tolerance is—they’ll go down eventually. But Kalz still looked skeptical.
“I still say no to drinking. What are you planning to do with a drunk guest? Roll him down the mountain back to the village?”
“Then we won’t get him wasted—just tipsy. Just enough that he can still walk. I’ll take him back myself.”
“You? You can barely stay on your own two feet, and now you’re going to escort someone else down a mountain? What, planning a double cliff dive?”
What a lovely way with words. And the worst part was, I couldn’t even argue. If he hadn’t caught me being carried back by Grill last time, I might’ve had a chance at bluffing.
“Then we let him sleep here and send him off in the morning.”
“Why would I let that guy sleep in my castle? That’s like inviting a time bomb inside. Absolutely not.”
“Then what do you suggest? Got a better idea?”
Contingency Plan #2: Cold Shoulder (Proposed by Kalz)
“What’s there to plan? Just talk to him for a bit, then send him on his way. Done.”
“You’re calling someone all the way up to this mountain castle just to talk and send them home? No food, no welcome, nothing?”
“What kind of welcome does he need?”
“Then why even invite him in the first place?”
“Because it’s his wish. I’m simply granting it out of the kindness of my heart.”
Wow. And here we have the benevolent tyrant himself.
Either way, no. Absolutely not. Leon might be a headache, but he was still coming here as my guest. I couldn’t let him be treated like some random intruder. Maybe not a grand feast—but I sure as hell wasn’t letting them throw him cold leftovers and send him packing.
