<Episode 22>
I knew instantly who the wolf was, staring at me with a threatening gaze.
'This wolf must be Eden Wyvis, the one Theo and Deon mentioned.'
Eden was a boy who gave off an overall cold and prickly vibe. He had very dark gray hair and blue eyes like Mr. Hogwood, but he had none of the hearty image.
'Mr. Hogwood is scary because he's as big as Meowtain, but he seems like a good person…'
The difference between smiling and not smiling is this big.
Judging by the cold look he was giving me so openly at our first meeting, it seemed like Eden would never smile at me.
Moreover, Eden seemed to have already started suspecting me.
"What kind of wolf is scared of something like this?"
If Eden shouted, "That kid is a cat!" I might be stripped bare and kicked out.
The Gridwolves had temporarily adopted me because they saw my perked ears and thought I was a wolf.
'A Wyvis's words would carry weight. What am I gonna do…'
No matter how I looked at it, Eden didn't seem to think well of me. His decision to teach me must have been made with some other intention.
I had been really looking forward to having a wonderful wolf teacher and friend. I was so upset that tears welled up in my eyes.
Eden, regardless of whether I was disappointed or not, bowed to Mr. and Mrs. Gridwolf.
"Caris, Jackal. Long time no see. How have you been?"
"It's been a while, Eden. We've been doing the same old, same old, except for taking in Kittia."
Eden, who greeted them flawlessly and handsomely, turned his emotionless blue eyes back to me.
"I heard you decided to take her in temporarily."
It sounded to my ears as if Eden was deliberately emphasizing the word 'temporary.'
Of course, I was also planning to leave the mansion when I became an adult to avenge my mother… but hearing it from someone else’s mouth made my chest ache.
‘I won’t beg you to think of me as real family. I’m grateful just for being fed and protected.’
I tried hard to calm myself down. Eden moved on without even acknowledging Theo and Deon, who were scowling.
"I'm feeling a little carsick from reading in the carriage. Can I go rest for a bit?"
"Oh dear… Paul, please guide Eden to his room."
Caris called the head butler and spoke. Eden left without hesitating or looking back even once.
Hogwood, left alone, scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly.
"Hehe, I apologize on his behalf, Kittia. Eden is a bit prickly, isn’t he?"
"Ah, no. I think Eden must be feeling unwell because of carsickness."
"You are a brave little wolf, just like Caris said. I’m late to greet you, but I am Hogwood Wyvis."
Lord Hogwood held out his hand to me. His hand was so big that it seemed difficult to grab and shake with one hand.
I took Hogwood’s large hand in both of mine and shook it firmly.
Hogwood's eyes lit up.
'Mr. Hogwood likes my soft paws, too!'
I felt proud and beamed. I hoped he would like me as much as the Gridwolf wolves did.
Jackal, who had been silently watching us from behind, spoke bluntly.
"I heard her nickname is Squishy Paws."
"Haha, that’s a well-made nickname. Since you brought it up, Jackal, I guess you like it too?"
“……”
Jackal shut his mouth again, but Hogwood just laughed it off.
‘Wolves have such diverse personalities.’
Hogwood finally let go of my hands after a while.
"When my wife was alive, Eden was also kind and friendly… but at some point, he closed his heart. He used to get along well with Theo and Deon too.”
Theo and Deon looked bummed, but I kinda got it.
Lena had said so. Eden lost his mother four years ago when the panthers went berserk.
‘He was separated from his mother when he was even younger than me.’
Apart from him being prickly to me, I felt a little sorry for Eden. Hogwood sighed lightly and continued.
"After my wife died, I stayed by Eden’s side, but… maybe because I was often away from home when Eden was young, he doesn’t seem to rely on me."
“……”
"He must be more attached to my wife. And for her to end up like that trying to protect Eden…"
Hogwood trailed off, but I could tell that Eden’s mother had lost her life trying to protect Eden.
After losing his mother, Eden gradually stopped meeting Theo and Deon even when they went to the Wyvis mansion to play.
I felt kind of bad.
"You don't like meeting people, so did you come all this way just for me?"
"It’s true that he avoids socializing with others more than before, but him becoming your teacher is probably because of me."
Hogwood gave a bitter smile.
"The panthers are getting antsy, so I'm gonna have to get moving again. I told him I was worried about having to leave the mansion for so long, and he said he'd stay at the Gridwolves' and be your tutor."
"Ah…"
I knew very well that Eden hadn’t happily become a teacher to teach me, who had temporarily become a member of Gridwolf.
He was worried about being a burden to his father, so he was planning to stay temporarily with the Gridwolves, a close family.
‘Then, the position of tutor at Gridwolf was a good opportunity for Eden.’
So, there's no reason for him to have been so mean to me right off the bat. Does that mean he's figured out I'm a cat?
I got all bummed out and sulky. Theo and Deon, who were on either side of me, quickly whispered.
"Kitty, are you okay?"
"Your wolf ears were sticking straight up, but now they're all droopy."
"Ah…"
I hurriedly rubbed my wolf ears and tucked them in. Mr. and Mrs. Gridwolf and Hogwood's lips twitched like they were trying not to smile.
After moping around for a bit, the wolf guests started showing up. Kittia, who had been asked by Caris, had to move busily.
"Kitty. There’s still a lot of time until dinner, so we’re going to have a simple tea time. Do you wanna be in charge of the kids' table?"
"Yes!"
At Caris’s request, Kitty’s eyes sparkled and she nodded. Then, she quickly went to her room and took out a chick-yellow dress and a hat that went perfectly with it and put them on.
'If my cat ears pop out in front of Eden, he'll make fun of me again.'
Kitty held onto her hat tightly so it wouldn’t fly away and headed to the glass greenhouse. The maids were setting up for tea time in the warm sunlight.
Kitty remembered all of their faces, whom she had been introduced to before.
"Flora, Betty, Anna. Hello?"
When Kitty greeted them with a cute little smile, the maids gushed.
"Oh my gosh, Flora! She's here!"
"Thank you for remembering all of our names. Miss has a good memory."
Kitty, who quickly became happy, began to estimate the number of guests for the children’s tea party with the maids.
"Is it gonna be Theo, Deon, me... and Eden, too?"
"Yeah. The head butler asked, just to be sure, and Eden said he'd be there."
"Guess he's feeling better."
Preparing cups and saucers according to the number of people and choosing snacks to go on the tray was enjoyable.
It felt like all that studying with her brothers was finally paying off. Kitty prepared in a hurry with a proud smile.
“……”
Eden, who was early as usual, just stood there staring at Kittia.
'A cat living in a wolf's house.'
Eden was already annoyed by the whole Kittia situation.
When Hogwood first announced that Gridwolf’s temporarily adopted daughter was a cat, Eden doubted his ears.
After realizing that he had heard correctly, he couldn’t even let out a hollow laugh because it was so absurd.
The panthers who had taken over Blue Moon could go wild at any moment, and they're playing house?
And a scrawny cat who obviously wouldn't last a day with wolves.
'You've gotta be kidding me.'
Weak beings were inevitably bound to hold back strong beings.
Just like his mom, who was, like, the smartest beastman ever, ran into enemy lines to protect him and got herself killed.
He frowned, looking at Kittia's messed-up hair and skinny body. An unwelcome voice echoed in his mind.
"Kale. My wife's body..."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Hogwood. Her body is in really bad shape, so the funeral's gonna have to wait a few more days. She charged into enemy lines, and..."
“…It’s alright. It was my wife’s choice to protect Eden.”
Eden tried to shake off those thoughts. At the same time, Kitty, who was placing a teaspoon, looked at him in surprise.
"Eden, when did you get here?"
"You wouldn't be able to hear me coming."
Eden said sharply.
Kitty, who decided not to endure it any longer, put her hands together and spoke to Eden.
"I was really happy that you were gonna be my teacher."
"Not really."
"...Why are you so mean to me?"
Kitty asked in a trembling voice. Eden narrowed the distance and growled in a low voice.
"I don't care about you. You're weak, and you're just gonna be a burden to the pack."
“……”
"They're only keeping you till you're grown, right? Don't cause any trouble and just stay out of the way. That's the only way a weakling like you can survive."
Eden said in a heavy voice. He was about to go read a book until tea time, but Kittia called out to him.
"I'm not gonna live like that!"
Her voice trembled thinly with instinctive fear, but Eden clearly heard Kitty’s words.
Her emerald eyes flashed with defiance for a second, and his cold expression faltered.
"Right now, I've got a chipped tooth, I lisp, and I'm all skin and bones, but I'm gonna get stronger. And then... I'm gonna get revenge for my mom, with my own two hands."
He was just listening to some weakling's fantasy, but his head started spinning. Eden spat out.
"So, that's why you snuck into the Gridwolves' place pretending to be a wolf, even though you're a cat?"
“……!”
Thump. Kitty's heart dropped to her stomach.
