Chapter 392 - Chapter Two: Pet
Noein grew up without knowing his parents' love, but that doesn't mean he lived a completely flavorless nine years devoid of all warmth.
Even for Noein, who never once stepped outside the grounds of the Kivileft Count's mansion and was continually cold-shouldered as a concubine's child, there were a very few kind people.
For instance, the wet nurse who cared for Noein when he was still a nursing infant. He heard rumors that, at the same time he was weaned, she was given money to keep her quiet and forced to move to a distant noble territory.
For instance, the itinerant merchant who told Noein various stories about the world outside the mansion. He heard that after that was discovered, the merchant was banned from entering the mansion.
And then, thanks to Maximilian's pointless pride—"It's pathetic that my own eldest child, even if he is a bastard, can't even read"—a elderly tutor was assigned to Noein for just one year when he was seven.
Thanks to learning from him not only reading and writing but also what people and society are, Noein barely knows what humanity is. The servants whispered that, unfortunately, that benefactor had died in the recent epidemic.
Having received the goodwill of these people, and having learned about various interactions between people from books after learning to read, Noein now understands the feeling of cherishing another being.
In his own way, he has even acted based on that feeling.
For example, the squirrel that was weak in the grove of the mansion's garden in winter. He brought it into the warm indoors, gave it milk and fruit, and it showed signs of recovery, even seeming to grow attached to Noein. After that, it was found by his half-brother Julian, who killed it by submerging it in boiling water as a prank.
For example, the crow chick that had fallen from its nest and been abandoned by its parent bird. He secretly brought it back to his room and fed it leftovers from his meals, and it became very attached to him, perhaps thinking Noein was its new parent. Its cries came to Maximilian's attention, and he, enraged that "a filthy bird was brought into my mansion," beat it to death.
Those beings that Noein had cherished overlapped with the rabbit-eared girl before him.
"That looks painful... Poor thing. It's alright now. I'll cherish you from now on."
So Noein said that and gently stroked her cheek.
But perhaps touching her swollen cheek hurt, because the rabbit-eared girl flinched, her body trembling, and looked up at Noein with vacant, yet somehow fearful eyes.
Those eyes, too, reminded Noein of the eyes that the creatures he had once cherished first turned towards him.
She was different from the squirrels and chicks he had cared for before. She was a person. A creature this large, and one he could communicate with. Surely she would be worth cherishing. Noein thought so.
"Come, let's enter our new home."
Saying this, Noein turned back towards the annex, opened the door, and peered inside.
The first thing that caught his eye was the bed placed in the corner of the room. It was a bit large for a single person, almost too spacious for the small-statured Noein to sleep in. The sheets looked clean and thick, and judging by its fluffy shape, the straw stuffed inside was probably new.
In the center of the room were a table and one chair. Against the wall was a single shelf. Inside the shelf, a large and a small towel were stacked.
Beside the door, on the entrance-side wall, there was what looked like a small kitchen setup. A 'Boiling' magic tool was placed there, along with a pot for brewing tea, and one clean cup and one plain cup lined up. There were no tea leaves to be seen.
That was almost everything in the small living room. It was bleak, but Noein's own room up until now hadn't been much different, so he felt no particular dissatisfaction.
At the back were two small rooms, and since the doors were open now, he could see they were a bathroom and a toilet.
The living room window had a pane of glass set into it, so on sunny days, light from outside poured into the room. Thanks to that, the room was bright now. Being newly built, the walls and floor looked clean.
Not bad. It seemed like it would get terribly boring like this, but at least it was clean and seemed comfortable. That was his first impression of this annex.
"...Heh."
Looking around the room, Noein let out a vicious smile and a small laugh.
A clean and comfortable living space. But this was surely not prepared by Maximilian out of consideration for Noein. This was treatment to keep Noein docile here, without letting him think of escape.
After all, even if Noein ran away, he couldn't live properly. Even if a weak, naive little brat like him gained a brief moment of freedom through escape, there was no way he could survive while being targeted by a great noble house like the Kivileft Count's family.
In the first place, climbing over the high stone wall with no footholds that surrounded the mansion grounds was difficult, even with the help of the rabbit-eared Matilda.
Placed in such an environment, if he were also given a comfortable environment within the mansion grounds, the possibility of Noein taking a terribly bad gamble and trying to escape would be extremely low.
This annex was meant to dull Noein's will to escape and to keep him tethered here. A small, clean, comfortable cage.
"See, you look too. It seems like a pretty comfortable place."
Noein said this with sarcasm as he turned around, and the rabbit-eared girl was standing, but still hadn't moved from her original spot.
"What's wrong? Come on, come here?"
"..."
When Noein called out to her, the girl, still looking frightened, finally walked over.
And then, hesitantly stepping into the annex, she looked around the room.
"...Ah, now that I mention it, there aren't any daily necessities for you."
Noein noticed for the first time. The bed was for one person, and there was only one chair. There was only one large and one small towel. Noein's comfort was considered, but her life as a slave was not thought of at all.
In the corner of the room, a dirty blanket was laid out. That was probably the living space allotted to her. So a beastman slave was to eat on the floor and sleep on the floor.
A small bag was placed on the table, and when he opened it, there were ten large silver coins inside. Ten thousand Rebro. This was probably his allowance for the month.
"Well, whatever, I'll buy them up later... By the way, I haven't heard your name yet."
When Noein asked, the beastman girl prostrated herself on the floor.
"My name is Matilda. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, young master."
"I see... Raise your head, Matilda."
As Matilda slowly raised her head, showing fearful eyes, Noein smiled gently at her.
"My name is Noein. I'm not very fond of being called 'young master,' so I'd like you to call me 'Lord Noein.'"
Being called "young master" in this house forced him to remember that he was the child of that detestable father. So Noein disliked this form of address.
"...! I sincerely apologize. I will accept my punishment without complaint."
Matilda prostrated herself again, saying this. Did she think she would be punished for using a form of address Noein disliked, even if she didn't know?
Noein looked down at Matilda with pitying eyes. She seemed accustomed to punishment, as if she thought being scolded for not knowing something was only natural. Then, he gently placed his hand on her head.
Matilda flinched, but when Noein continued to gently stroke her head, she looked up at him with a bewildered expression. It was a face that seemed to wonder why she wasn't being hit.
"I'm different from those other mean people. I won't do cruel things. I'm going to cherish you. So, you can feel safe."
Remembering the times he had encountered the weak squirrel and chick he had once cherished, Noein spoke.
When the squirrel and chick died, Noein felt lonely. Even the death of such small creatures was lonely. The death of a being this large, with whom he could exchange words, would surely be even lonelier.
He wanted this rabbit-eared girl to live forever, not to make him feel lonely. To that end, he had to cherish her. That's what Noein thought.
.....
"Lord Noein, I have brought your meal."
It was evening. Matilda, who had gone to the main mansion to fetch dinner, returned carrying a tray and bowls.
"Thank you, Matilda."
"...Um, Lord Noein, what is this table?"
Matilda said with a puzzled expression. While she was at the main mansion, Noein had dragged the table to move it.
The table was pushed towards the bed, and Noein was sitting on the bed, using it as a chair. Across the table from Noein, the room's only chair was placed.
"This way, you can sit in that chair and eat at this table, right? Until I buy a chair for you, let's eat together like this."
Noein had also eaten together with the squirrel and chick he had once cherished. For Noein, who was forced to eat alone in his room instead of the family dining room, having someone to eat with was a pleasant experience.
"But... for a slave like me to eat at the same table as Lord Noein... and to sit in Lord Noein's chair..."
However, Matilda, who couldn't understand why she was receiving such treatment, averted her eyes.
"I've decided to cherish you. So let's eat together. Please."
"...As you wish."
Taking this as an order from Noein, Matilda placed the tray and bowls on the table and hesitantly sat in the chair.
On the tray placed before Noein was a stew rich with meat and vegetables, freshly baked bread, and fruit water. It was simple, but the quality and quantity were more than satisfactory.
On the other hand, the bowl Matilda placed before herself contained a muddy-looking soup. On top of it, a piece of black bread that looked visibly hard was placed carelessly.
"..."
"..."
While Noein brought spoonfuls of stew to his mouth and tore off pieces of soft bread, Matilda soaked the black bread in the murky soup to soften it, and even then, she seemed to struggle a bit to bite it off.
Whether she was used to eating such meals, Matilda didn't make a displeased face. But to Noein's eyes, neither the soup nor the bread looked very appetizing.
Noein thought he should make it so she could eat more human-like food as soon as possible.