TEB Ch 45

I spent a day alone, taking a walk around the neighborhood. It was difficult to rest with a set schedule. If it were my nature to live comfortably and carefreely, I would have lived an incredibly happy life. But unfortunately, he was the type of person who was spoiled by the daily routine, as he tended to get anxious as soon as I had fun.  

“Well, it’s good that there’s nothing urgent to do right now, but…” 

As the time spent alone grew longer. A good coincidence came out.   

“Why do you look so unhappy these days? Is something wrong?” 

Renard’s private mansion was located a bit away from the main areas of the palace. It may be unavoidable since the front yard had an open space where a large body could take off and land, but thanks to that, Liev could hear the maids on their way to and from work every morning talking about various conversations as they passed through the large yard of the mansion, which Liev could overhear while spending time in the garden. That day, as usual, I went out of the garden to get some fresh air and stared blankly at the mountains behind me and the sky, watching the birds come and go, when I heard the chatter of tea and maids. 

“Um, it’s nothing. I just have something on my mind that bothers me.” 

“What is it? Is it a guy problem? Is it because of the guy you met last time?” 

It’s always a good time for young kids. Liev was trying to close his ears to the unintentionally overhearing conversation between the teenage girls, who were in their late teens or early 20s, talking loudly. However, the maid who received the question reacted with disgust and raised her voice. 

“It’s not like that! I don’t like guys who are that ugly!? It’s a completely different issue, so don’t misunderstand!” 

Well, I guess I should take a break from saying “good times.” Liev involuntarily shuddered at the contempt that seemed to be genuine in the maid’s reaction. Unexpectedly, the following sentences caught Liev’s interest.

“Robby is at home, you know. He hasn’t been eating well for a week. She looks fine on the outside, but she keeps whimpering only when she eats, so I’m really worried.” 

“The Robby? Ah, the brown puppy?” 

“Yeah. I was supposed to go home this weekend, but there’s nothing we can do, so everyone in the family is just pacing around.” 

She looks fine on the outside, but she can’t eat properly. If he is whimpering while eating, it indicates he is in pain. Could it be a dental problem, or… should various possibilities be considered, ranging from common diseases? As Liev pondered, he heard the maids brushing their hands off their clothing and standing up from their seats. 

“Our work here is done. Let’s go to the main palace quickly. If we’re late, Madeline will scold us again.” 

No, it shouldn’t be overlooked like that. Rather than easily letting go of the problem with the dog, Liev hesitated for a moment out of fear of being rude, but the well-being of the dog was more important than that. Liev gathered his courage and suddenly spoke to the maids. 

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but…” 

The two maids were naturally startled by the sudden appearance of the well-dressed tall figure from behind them.   

“Ahhhh!” 

“What, what, what’s happening!?” 

Although Liev had freely come and gone to this mansion countless times, the appearance of a resident they had never properly met before momentarily stunned them. There were rumors that the face he showed at the appointment ceremony was very handsome, but once his face was mentioned at a ceremony, saying he was handsome, the man quickly returned with a large pair of glasses and messy hair. The man put the rumor to rest; he awkwardly scratched his head and opened his mouth. 

“The puppy you mentioned just now, could you please bring it here?”   

Although there had been talk that he was from a commoner background, they found it confusing why the man, who had succeeded in being promoted to knight after receiving an ordain directly from his majesty, would use honorifics to address them. Liev felt a flicker of anticipation in his heart, wondering if his career, which was said to have worked at a magical beast research institute, might come in handy.   

*** 

From that day on, a small addition was made to Liev’s boring daily routine. While he couldn’t perform complex surgeries or provide prescriptions, he began providing simple veterinary care to the members of the staff working at the palace. Of course, if Renard found out, he would go on a rampage, asking why I would do a useless thing and why he dared to bring another animal into his mansion, like a spouse who disapproves of an unwanted pet, but since he was currently absent, Liev decided not to worry about it. 

“Thank you so much. Since you treated her that day, he’s been eating well like a glutton.” 

The problem with the dog that the maid was worried about was that it had a small thorn stuck in its mouth. It seemed that the dog had been trying to remove it with its tongue, but in doing so, the thorn had been pushed further inside, causing more inflammation. When the dog, which had been weakened due to pain and was unable to eat properly, was treated, the thorn lodged inside its thorn was removed, and medicine was applied to relieve the inflammation. Within a few days, the dog’s condition improved noticeably. 

“It’s nothing special.” 

“No, really! I never imagined it would be such a simple reason.” 

While Liev feigned modesty, from the maid’s perspective, he seemed incredibly impressive for effortlessly solving a problem that all of their family members had struggled with for days. If it weren’t for Liev, the poor brown dog might have silently suffered and died without anyone knowing the reason. 

Soon as the rumor spread that Liev had cured a sick dog with ease, other members of the palace cautiously began to visit Liev’s mansion. This time, it was a cat with a missing claw. Liev carefully removed and disinfected the necrotic area, and then prescribed a painkiller suitable for animals according to their weight. Just like before, the condition improved significantly within a short period of time. 

As the rumor began that Renard’s knight would treat sick animals if you went to Lennart’s private residence, all kinds of gifts began to pile up in Liev’s study. From cookies secretly taken from the kitchen to luxurious soaps only used by the maids and leftover precious fruits from royal banquets.  

Liev never asked for anything in return, but he felt sorry for refusing gifts, so their gifts increased one by one. Liev couldn’t help but notice. 

“What on earth are you doing!? Where do you keep bringing in these strange smells from?” 

Saying that, Renard hugged Liev with his whole body and rubbed against him as if marking him, but Liev, the subject himself, dismissed it as the behavior of members within the same group exchanging scents to strengthen their sense of belonging. 

“But you can’t just ignore that it hurts.” 

“Why do you care about that?” 

“Don’t you help other humans too? And besides, what will I do if you leave and I’m left alone out of boredom?”   

The conclusion was Liev’s victory. Since Renard wished for Liev not to leave the mansion, it was an argument he was bound to lose. The reason he is helping humans with their work is solely to be with Liev! Nevertheless, as Renard was absent from the mansion, more and more people started coming to see Liev. 

“Hello, Sir Liev!” 

The maid who greeted me with a cheerful voice while hugging a basket of laundry was a typical example. 

“Oh, yes. Hello. Is Robby doing well these days?” 

It had been a month since the maid responsible for cleaning started entering Renard’s mansion. The girl, who had grasped what kind of person Liev was during that time, responded with a bright smile. 

“Yes, she’s very lively now. Last week, she even caught a rabbit in the forest.” 

Well, people here probably process the caught rabbits for everyday meals, so it couldn’t be considered a pointless sacrifice. Liev was contemplating for a moment while silently grieving for the unfortunate rabbit that died according to the food pyramid.   

“Thank goodness. From now on, when you give her fish, make sure to clean it thoroughly, removing any sharp bones and thorns. Even if you remove the thorn, if inflammation worsens, it could develop into a severe illness.” 

Adding some advice just in case, the girl nodded earnestly with a serious expression. Thinking about it again, he was quite a strange person. She thought that he hated interacting with people. When it comes to things related to animals, he doesn’t shy away and speaks without hesitation. It seemed like his social skills came to life only when discussing matters related to animals. Considering his past job as a researcher at a horse stable and his current job as a dragon knight, he had a unique personality.   

“Well, anyway, he seems to be a good person.” 

Though he might be very blunt at other times, it wasn’t that he lacked interest in people. It’s just that… The girl paused for a moment, recalling the strange rumor that had been following Liev recently. Should she mention it? But what if he already knew? And if it was the truth? Maybe it would be better not to become involved in a situation that might resemble poking a beehive. The girl glanced at Liev with a slight hesitation. 

Huge glasses with roughly tied auburn hair. The girl burst into laughter and opened her mouth at his appearance, which did not fit the image of being slender or voluptuous.