Chapter 8
“Father.”
Duke Graywolf looked at the little girl with faintly puzzled eyes. The title still felt completely foreign to him.
“I’m sorry, but from now on you’ll have to eat breakfast alone. I’ll be eating with Callion, in his bedroom.”
The little girl said it with a determined expression, as if preparing for battle.
“Then I’ll be going now.”
She confidently lifted the hem of her skirt, performed an elegant curtsy, pushed the cart loaded with five plates of tender veal slices, and left the dining hall.
The duke chewed a piece of meat while watching Shayla’s retreating back.
Antonio noticed his gaze and smiled faintly.
“As expected, the Young Lady is no ordinary nine-year-old.”
“Really?”
“Yes. One could say she is extremely clever and quick-witted.”
Antonio began recounting in detail everything that had recently happened in the duke’s castle.
“Ever since she chose a maid from the northern fief, she no longer seems like someone from the capital.”
“You personally redecorated the young master’s bedroom, didn’t you?”
“He’ll hate it.”
“It seems the young master likes it too.”
The sentence had no clear subject, but Antonio instantly knew who was meant.
“I heard from the maid that she visits every day. If he hated it, she wouldn’t keep coming.”
Antonio’s instincts told him this hastily arranged marriage had succeeded.
They had chosen the right person.
“She seems like a very intelligent and mature lady.”
“…”
The head butler’s eyes sparkled, but the duke’s expression remained cold as ever.
Even if Shayla was older than Callion, she was still just a child with chubby cheeks.
‘A nine-year-old child living alone in a strange place without complaining even once.’
On the contrary, instead of complaining, she adapted quickly with intelligence that made people might find her annoying.
‘Has she already learned to act this mature?’
Count Lexi, a true merchant, boasted that he had raised his only daughter like a flower in a greenhouse, showering her only with love. But…
‘She looks like a grown-up child, always watching others’ reactions.’
Her thick blonde hair tied with a red ribbon, bold golden eyes.
For some reason, her small back drew attention.
* * *
“Chew well so you don’t get indigestion.”
How could such a tiny body hold all those meat slices?
The five plates disappeared in the blink of an eye. It was as if it was nothing; he even licked his lips greedily.
“I’m done eating.”
“H-Huh, okay…”
He ate anything ravenously, but he had his own preferences.
He ate the soft sweet potatoes given yesterday, but didn’t touch the apple chips.
The grilled asparagus and mushrooms that came with the steak remained untouched. The mashed potatoes mixed with cheese, however, he devoured eagerly.
He’s small and adorable, but in the end he’s a wolf; it’s natural he doesn’t eat vegetables…
‘But he seems to like starchy crops.’
I’ll remember that. Note to self.
“Then.”
The now-full little wolf lightly hopped onto the table and looked at Shayla with a bored expression, as if nothing was lacking anymore.
“So how are you going to make me human now?”
Just yesterday he was ready to believe she could turn beans into cake, but today he looked at her like she was a con artist.
He must have thought about it all night and concluded it was “a lie.”
Yesterday he had seen her off warmly, but today, despite her coming early in the morning, he was lukewarm.
‘He really takes after his father…’
That indifferent look was exactly the same. Only on this little wolf it felt forced.
“First you fed me delicious food to win me over, and now you’re trying to slither away like a snake, aren’t you?”
Oh heavens, she’d been found out.
But Shayla didn’t falter. Hadn’t she learned anything from Count Lexi?
‘The more scared you are, the more brazen you must be.’
“There’s no word too harsh for a cute rabbit. A snake, really?”
Callion narrowed his eyes even more at her feigned innocent reply.
“You said we’d start the plan today, didn’t you? High-quality meals are part of the training.”
“Filling my stomach with meat won’t make me human!”
He ate so eagerly, and now he’s grumbling so cheaply…
“Is it a lie? That there’s a way, and that you know it?”
“You believed some wandering merchant’s nonsense, but you don’t believe me, who actually changed from rabbit to human?”
“I don’t believe that either.”
Where did he learn such rude behavior while turning his face away in disgust?
“I’ll show you proof.”
“Proof?”
“Yes. If you still don’t believe even after seeing it, I’ll go back to the capital.”
“What?”
The little wolf jumped up at the threat of leaving the duke’s castle. He looked flustered, pacing back and forth, but Shayla pressed harder.
“I noticed yesterday that you know my name.”
He had called her “Shayla” only once, but she was certain.
“My family calls me by an affectionate nickname, ‘Shasha.’ You do it too.”
“Shasha…?”
“Yes! Calling family members by their full name is illegal.”
Count Lexi called her Shayla, but that was an exception.
Shayla was brazen enough to claim absurd logic without consistency.
“Illegal…? Is there really such a law in the capital?”
“Yes, there is.”
How would you know when you’ve never been to the capital?
She looked at him with contempt, and Callion buried his face in his front paws, as if embarrassed by his ignorance.
“I-I’ve lived in the north my whole life…! It’s only natural I don’t know!”
“It’s fine. You can learn what you don’t know little by little. But being stubborn despite knowing makes you a bad person.”
The hierarchy had to be established now. Otherwise he’d keep rebelling and disobeying like before, and that would hurt everyone.
Look at that anxious expression.
His whole body was practically shouting:
‘I need a leader.’
Yes, I’ll gladly be the strong leader who guides you.
‘As your wife.’
Discipline must be enforced. Shayla nodded.
“From now on, always call me Shasha. If you don’t, I’ll never tell you the way to become human. Understood?”
“Okay.”
Look at this. When she pushed firmly, the little wolf obediently nodded, as if he had never defied her. He really needed a strong leader.
“Then, what will you call me from now on?”
“What?”
“Choose one for me, Shasha. I don’t have any affectionate nickname.”
She hadn’t thought that far. He wants a nickname too?
“Hmm.”
Shayla thought.
“There’s a rabbit-style naming method. I don’t know if you’ll like it.”
“What is it?”
Layla’s nickname, the way Shayla called her, was Lala. Cousin Violet’s was Vivi. Nysa’s was Nana.
So Callion’s nickname would be…
“Coco.”
“What?”
The little wolf openly frowned.
“That’s the worst name…”
“Then how about Lily?”
“No! If you call me that, I won’t eat the food you bring.”
“…You don’t have to growl at me like that.”
“It’s an insulting name! I’m a wolf…”
“Don’t cry now!”
He looked like he would never accept it, howling with teary eyes.
As expected, he wouldn’t accept the clever rabbit naming, what a silly wolf.
“Cali?”
“No… sounds like a dumb blonde’s name.”
“What about Leon?”
“Leon?”
His drooping ears suddenly perked up.
So naive. He shows all his feelings with his body. So cute.
“I like Leon!”
“Great! From now on, I’m your Shasha, and you’re my Leon.”
“My… Shasha?”
“It means we’re close enough to use affectionate nicknames. Now you can never betray me.”
“Okay.”
“Swear on the family name.”
“Do I have to swear too?”
“Of course. What I’m about to show you is a great secret.”
“A secret?”
“If my secret gets out, I’ll be buried alive.”
“Okay.”
Callion stood up, solemnly raised his right paw, and declared:
“In the name of Graywolf, I swear I will never betray Shasha.”
“…”
Suddenly Shayla’s eyes widened.
‘Does this wolf have jelly pads on his paws?’
They were even pink…!
Rabbits, including Shayla, don’t have jelly pads. Rumors said they were soft, and she had always been curious, but to actually have jelly pads…!
‘When we get closer, I’ll ask if I can touch them.’
If she rushed excitedly, he’d hate it. She had to be patient for now. Forget the jelly pads for the moment…
“Ahem, okay, watch carefully. I’ll prove my words are true.”
Shayla stepped down from the chair and focused her mind. She closed her eyes and placed her hands on her temples.
“Hup!”
In truth, she didn’t need the exaggerated gestures or sound effects, but they were to gain Callion’s trust.
And suddenly…
‘Oh, a bad smell…’
The lingering garlic odor still permeated the room.
The smell of buttered corn stuck to her body, the smell of rotting wood, stagnant water, and the lavender used for cleaning.
The sensation of wearing a thick fur coat—her sense of smell becoming extremely sensitive—was proof the transformation had succeeded.
Shayla suddenly opened her eyes.
“Wh-what is this?!”
Callion, whose eyes had grown as round as beads, jumped off the table in shock. Shayla was inwardly startled too.
‘This wolf looks huge from this angle, doesn’t he?’
Not to mention the wild beast smell coming from him. A scent that made her fur stand on end instinctively.
