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Translator: penny
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: My Chest Feels Strange
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Recently, life in our annex had changed noticeably.
Especially when it came to meals.
It was beyond "leveling up"—to the point of being unbelievable.
No matter how much practice she got, how could she improve at this pace?
Every single day, Aira brought out entirely new styles of cuisine.
Refined dishes that required a lot of effort.
They were good enough to grace a noble family's formal table without raising an eyebrow.
And that was for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Three times a day, without fail.
But it didn't stop there.
She was also getting the hang of miscellaneous chores like cleaning, laundry, and tidying up.
It had only been about ten days since she arrived at the annex.
Taking that into account, it was honestly impossible.
'...I didn't expect her to be this good.'
At first, it really was just rehabilitation therapy.
The goal was to get her moving and using her strength.
But now, much to Piel's chagrin, Aira had become indispensable to the annex.
"Um, Aira. About the laundry today..."
"Oh, I already took care of all of it, Piel."
"Huh? Then what about sweeping the dining room..."
"I did that too!"
"...Then, um..."
"The garden cleaning, right?"
Aira continued with a smile.
"I handled that as well. So Piel, you can just play frisbee with Master Lucas. I'll make the food and bring it out to you."
"Ah, okay..."
Piel nodded, unable to ask more.
A slave like her, handing off work to another slave and spending time alone with the master, laughing and playing.
Objectively speaking, it was the best life imaginable.
In fact, Piel had been sticking to me much more lately.
Aira was handling almost all the annex chores by herself.
Thanks to that, we spent quite a while playing in the middle of the garden.
Piel scampered around on all fours like a real fox, panting as she fetched the frisbee I threw and dropped it at my feet.
At first, her speed was impressive.
But day by day, the time it took her to return with the frisbee grew longer.
Eventually, she stopped chasing it right away.
She would pause, hands on the ground, and cautiously glance back at me.
"Master... I have something I want to say."
By then, Piel's expression had grown a bit forlorn.
I could guess what it was about.
After all, she was the maid I'd officially recognized as the head maid of this annex.
She was used to managing the maids and coordinating the household chores—always bustling about in service.
Now that Aira had taken over most of those duties, it must have stirred memories of slaves being discarded once they lost their usefulness.
No matter how much her head knew it wasn't true, the instincts carved into her body wouldn't fade easily.
At first, I thought she was anxious about her idle days and wanted to talk about Aira taking all the work.
But no.
"I'm... really worried about Aira."
My guess missed the mark entirely.
Piel continued, head slightly bowed.
"Lately, she's pushing herself too hard. She's moving from morning till night without any rest."
Then it clicked.
Ah, right.
This was the real Piel.
She wasn't worried about her own share shrinking—she was concerned about someone else breaking down first.
Piel was Piel, after all.
Such a thoughtful little fox of the annex.
"You think so too, Piel?"
"Yes."
Piel nodded vigorously.
"Ugh... To be honest, it's nice having Aira do all my work. I love it. It means more time with you, Master."
She paused to catch her breath, her voice growing quieter.
"But... separate from that, this place is starting to feel stifling."
As she spoke, Piel cautiously took my hand.
And placed it against her chest.
Thump thump.
The heartbeat transmitted through my palm.
It wasn't fast or strong. But it trembled strangely.
Looking at Piel's face now, on the verge of tears, it felt like her heart was sobbing in sorrow.
I let it stay like that for a moment.
Allowing her to feel her own emotions.
Then I spoke quietly.
"Piel. That's guilt."
"Guilt...?"
"Yeah."
I continued without pulling my hand away.
"Aira's taken on all the work you were supposed to do. It's bothering you. Your heart's sending a signal that this isn't right."
"...!"
Piel's eyes widened.
"R-Really? Then... did I do something bad? Is that why my heart's trembling like this...?"
Her anxiety poured through.
Piel gripped my hand tighter, shivering.
I didn't let go. Instead, I leaned down and placed my other hand on her drooping fox ears.
Stroking them slowly, over and over, I said,
"No. It's proof that you're a good girl."
"...Really?"
"Of course. It means you have brakes that stop you from doing bad things."
"...Brakes?"
I smiled and added,
"In simple terms, like a leash."
"!!"
Piel's eyes lit up.
Her ears perked straight, and her tail wagged for a moment.
"A l-leash!"
Her shivering body relaxed as if by magic.
Her fluffy fox tail began swishing again.
Watching her, I thought to myself,
Yep.
This works fastest on Piel.
The morning and lunch routines were done. All that remained was dinner.
Soon, Piel and Master Lucas would return from playing outside and sit side by side at the table, as always.
So Aira didn't head to the annex.
She went to the Argent Family's main building.
More precisely, to the 'food warehouse' deep inside.
'Today, I want to make them lobster.'
The thought had lingered in her mind since noon.
The firm shell subtly scented with the sea, the tender flesh that split smoothly under a knife, the rich aroma when paired with butter and herbs.
Just imagining it made saliva pool in her mouth.
Of course, all this was Aira sneaking beyond the annex boundaries.
A maid—no, a slave branded with a mere title after being dragged here—foraging in a noble house's food warehouse to fill her master's table?
No excuse would hold, no matter how plausible.
It was a crime outright.
The moment she was caught, she'd be dragged out, beaten until her flesh tore, and no one would bat an eye.
And this wasn't just any noble house.
It was the Argent Family, ruling the continent's back alleys and shadows.
Here, pilfering from the food warehouse without permission was gambling with her life.
Under the pretext of punishing wicked crimes, they could sever a slave's wrist with a single stroke, and no one would frown.
Aira knew this in her bones.
Just a few days ago, she'd seen a maid caught taking leftover food from the warehouse.
Seized by the head maid on the spot, her clothes were stripped off amid screams as the club came down.
Beaten until her skin split and blood soaked the floor, then her nails were pulled out one by one.
Aira had witnessed it by chance, and that scene still burned vividly behind her eyelids.
So stepping into this place sent cold sweat racing down her spine.
Her heart pounded harder than necessary, her shoulders twitching at the slightest sound.
Yet here she was again today.
She steadied her breath in front of the warehouse's thick door, wiping the sweat from her palms on her clothes.
It was her last chance to flee, but her feet didn't retreat.
The reason was simple.
She wanted to feed those two—her family, or at least the ones she longed to call family—something even tastier today.
That single thought pushed back the fear and guided her hand to the doorknob.
"I can cook with the annex ingredients, but quality and quantity are the issues."
True to its status as the bastard's annex, the supplies were all subpar.
Ingredients that looked spoiled on the outside or like leftovers from previous use.
Even those, according to Piel, were recent rewards from some 'duel' she'd won.
Before that, there hadn't even been basic rations.
Thinking of their faces as they ate those meals without complaint, saying they were delicious, made her chest ache.
Aira shook off the thought and crouched lower as she ventured deeper into the warehouse.
Plus, it'd been about four days since she started stealing from here.
She'd learned the ropes.
In this vast warehouse, three lobsters missing wouldn't be noticed right away.
So today, as usual, she was carefully reaching for them when—
"As expected... a little thief."
"!!"
Her spine froze.
Before the thought finished, a purple magic circle unfurled on the floor.
Clank!
Iron chains burst out, wrapping her limbs in an instant. She dropped to her knees without even screaming.
The lobster slipped powerlessly from her hand and rolled away.
And as if he'd foreseen it all, a figure emerged from behind her.
Aira cautiously lifted her head.
The face that came into view made her breath catch, cold sweat beading across her body.
One of the Argent Family's official heirs.
The third: Walter Argent.
Her body trembled.
'Why is an Argent heir in the food warehouse...?'
No, that wasn't the point now.
Even getting caught by another maid would be disastrous.
But by an heir himself?
If the punishment fell only on her, that'd be lucky. But if word reached Lucas or Piel...
Throb.
Her chest tightened.
Her vision blurred, tears welling up from sheer terror.
Aira gritted her teeth, raised her head, and desperately addressed Walter, whose face always bore a thick air of fatigue and gloom.
"I-I'm sorry... Young Master Walter. I-I forgot my place... It was all my doing alone. So please, punish only me..."
But.
Before she finished, Walter froze.
He met her eyes, stared blankly down at her for a moment, then—to her shock—knelt on one knee before her.
His gaze slowly scanned her up and down.
Swipe.
Walter's finger brushed her eye corner.
He wiped away the streaming tears, then casually licked his finger and murmured,
"Wow... You're really pretty..."
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