CH 23

At his gesture like he’s asking for her to hug him immediately, the blushed Beatty rushed to the chair and sat down.

‘H-H-How can he say those kinds of words so calmly?!’

It was her first time seeing a boy her age talking like that to her, so Beatty was really flustered.

Kind and sweet. But the boy’s words were different from the only kindness she knew, the Duke’s Castle people.

‘Sly? Uhmm. Sex appeal? No. Ah! Seduction!’

Yeah, it’s a seductive feeling.

He was a person whose voice seemed to be brushing against her hand and made her feel stuck in his words.

Beatty seemed to have seen in a book what this kind of person was called.

‘A playboy!’

That’s what they called a person who seduces others like breathing.

Flush.

Perhaps because of the fire by the stove or something else, Beatty cooled her hot cheeks with her palm.

Breathing for a while and arranging her heart that had been beating hurriedly, Beatty glanced away.

“Hm?”

As the boy noticed Beatty’s gaze, he smiled again as if it was natural.

The line of mouth as if it was bewitching people.

“!”

‘It’s completely his habit to seduce people!’

Beatty was convinced.

‘As expected, a playboy!’

So, that kind of person is what people call a playboy.

When she saw it in a book, she didn’t understand why people fell for playboys, then they lost their wealth along with their reputation. And by seeing that they only lose things instead of gaining something, she didn’t understand it. But,

‘Now I understood.’

So, that’s what happens when a person is bewitched by that kind of smile!

Thinking of the examples of people who fell in love with a playboy and wasted all their wealth, Beatty raised her awareness.

‘Because I don’t have any money to be robbed or any power to be used, I don’t know what will be taken away.’

Those who have it also become broke if they get caught, but she never imagined how far the situation would get worse if she got caught, who was originally broke.

‘Pull yourself together, Beatty!’

Let’s be on guard! With a handsome guy!

Let’s not be bewitched! By a playboy!

Beatty became more on guard and slowly moved her butt to the opposite direction of the boy.

***

It was quiet in the cabin.

Beatty was slightly curious about the boy’s identity, but she purposely didn’t ask his name.

‘It covered up to half of his face….’

It was because it seemed clear that he didn’t want to reveal himself.

‘Let’s not ask something that he dislikes.’

After concluding like that, she was spaced out for a while watching the burning firewood. However—

Growl.

“Ugh.”

At the sound that rings without any sense, Beatty bent forward with a bright red face.

‘Why must it be now out of all times?!’

When there was no one in the capital mansion and then the growling sound came out, she was okay with it, but like this, in front of another person, she was a bit embarrassed.

“Hm-hm.”

Beatty pretended to cough for no reason and turned her head to hide her face that became red.

‘If I knew it would be like this, I would’ve eaten more in the morning.’

This was absolutely not because she has a voracious appetite, but it was because she was still young, and it was hard to hold back her appetite as it was before.

‘They did say that a shapeshifter does eat a lot more than an ordinary person, right?’

Beatty recalled the first time she saw her older brother’s mealtime and was surprised at it.

Her older brother ate the packed dinner on the long table alone as one meal and said that it was originally the amount of meals for lion shapeshifters.

Rather, when he saw Beatty, he asked that no matter how small a squirrel shapeshifter is, how can she live when she ate as much as a bird’s nest?

‘…He did say that he was going to feed me all the big roasted turkey, right?’

In front of Beatty’s eyes, who was recalling where she was shaking her head desperately, saying to her older brother that it wouldn’t fit in her cheek pouch.

“Here.”

Suddenly, the boy’s hand came in.

“?”

“Although there’s no tea, wouldn’t it be okay for dessert?’

It was a biscuit.

The boy personally gave a pouch of biscuits onto Beatty’s hand and said with a polite smile.

“Surely, I can’t let the Lady skip tea time.”

“T-thanks.”

Beatty, who was bewildered, glanced down at an unexpected snack.

Crack.

She cut the large biscuit in half and reached it out to the boy.

“This—”

“It’s because I don’t really like refreshments.”

Still smiling, the boy firmly refused.

“Instead, will Lady eat it for me?”

“Uhm….”

“If not, just throw it away.”

“Ah! No! I’ll eat it all.”

At the boy’s attitude as if he would throw it out without any regret if she handed the biscuit over, Beatty firmly gnawed all the biscuits she received.

‘I’m full.’

Beatty had slightly been overeating because she was afraid to throw it away, and with her stomach full, she couldn’t help but to be bloated.

A little later.

Growl.

“…?”

Somehow, the same sound again rang in the cabin.

Growl.

“… Excuse me?”

This time, it’s from another person’s stomach.

“You’re hungry… right?”

“….”

Pretending not to know, the boy slightly turned his head.

Beatty regretted.

‘If I knew it would be like this, I wouldn’t force myself to eat all the biscuits before!’

She didn’t notice the white lie of the boy who was also hungry while trying not to put pressure on her.

The boy opened his mouth when he saw Beatty was groaning out of feeling sorry.

“It’s okay.”

She was unable to make eye contact as if she was embarrassed.

“But….”

“It’s because originally my health made the content in my stomach spill out quickly.”

She contemplated whether that was also a white lie or not, but.

“It’s food. So, if the rain stops, I can just go hunting.”

The boy spoke as if he was reassuring Beatty.

That was a calm tone that seemed like it wasn’t a difficult problem at all.

“The Lady’s worry is an honor for me, but more than that, if you’re bored, should we play cards?”

Whether he was trying to turn Beatty’s attention away from being worried, the boy even found and brought a card from somewhere.

‘If the rain stops….’

Beatty looked at the window.

Whoooosh.

The rain still showed no signs of slowing down.

‘… But it isn’t stopping.’

As she said, even if the boy was a master of hunting, it wasn’t known how long he had to starve because of the weather.

‘I think he starved because of me. What should I do…?’

Beatty looked at the window with worried eyes.

When will the rain stop? She was looking outside like that. However—

“Oh!”

Something caught her eyes at a place that was close to the window.

‘That’s…!’

Step.

Getting up from her seat, Beatty hurriedly headed outside.

“Huh? Where are you—”

“Wait a minute!”

All of a sudden.

Behind Beatty, who suddenly opened the cabin door and went outside.

“B— Lady!”

The boy hurriedly took his sword, in case anything dangerous happened to her, and followed her.

***

Whoooosh.

Unlike the inside, which was warmed up by the bonfire, a chilly wind suddenly passed by as soon as they came out of the cabin.

Splish splosh.

At the wet ground, following Beatty, the boy’s large footprint was left.

“Lady.”

Standing a little ahead of him, Beatty felt drops of the cold rain splashing on her cheek.

“The outside is still cold.”

“….”

“If you want to go back, I’ll take you back after the rain stops, so—”

He secretly came to Beatty’s front and blocked the splashing rain, the boy opened his mouth.

However, despite his dissuading words, Beatty jumped into the pouring rain….

“Lady?”

… No, she didn’t.

She headed next to the cabin along the wall under the eaves of the roof.

“…?”

The boy with a puzzled look followed behind her.

‘As expected.’

After confirming the familiar leaves, Beatty reached out her hands.

Kasha kasha.

The roots of the plant were quickly seen through between the ground that was softened by rainwater.

“I’ll do it.”

For a while, the boy was flustered by the girl’s absurd behavior of digging the soil, and then he suddenly stepped forward.

Puk.

Not long after digging the ground a few times with the sword, all the fruit that Beatty wanted was revealed.

The fruits near the roots of the plant were full of lumps.

“It’s okay now!”

First, Beatty carefully removed the leaves of the stem, and then she was able to take out the fruit from the ground where the boy dug up easily.

She held them valuably and hurriedly entered the cabin again.

“…?”

The boy, with an odd face, followed behind her.

Inside the cabin, Beatty found a large bowl and she washed away the buried soil from the harvests with splashing rainwater.

The boy stared at her vacantly and asked.

“Lady, where are you going to use that…? If you happen to be worried about lighting the fire, the firewood is enough.”

Beatty looked at the boy with a look like she didn’t know what he was talking about. She wiped the water that splashed on her cheek, and said.

“You’re hungry, aren’t you?”

“No, I can hold it if it’s only at this extent—”

“Wait for a moment. Since I’ll give you food that you can eat right away.”

Blink. Blink.

The boy blinked at Beatty’s confident words and spoke as he pointed to the content of the bowl.

“But… isn’t that a Tuberosum?”

“Yup. It is a Tuberosum.”

‘After all, the information that this is a thing that can be eaten will soon spread out since it’s already been sent to the military….’

As Beatty took out the clean Tuberosum and shook off the water, she thought.

‘Surely, I have to repay his kindness.’

She has to pay back the kindness he had done to her whom he met for the first time, but with this, it would be enough, right?

“….”

Meanwhile, after thinking about something for a while, the boy spoke in a calm voice as if it was a natural inference.

“Are you trying to assassinate me?”