TMDW | Chapter 011

Chapter 11

“Shasha.”

“……”

“Shasha!”

When Shayla felt a light tap on her arm, she belatedly snapped out of her thoughts.

Callion stood in front of her, one front paw raised, face full of dissatisfaction.

“What were you thinking about so deeply?”

“Ah, sorry.”

“I called you and you didn’t even turn… Tsk!”

Shayla quietly laughed at the sly little creature who suddenly turned his head away.

“Do you want me to look at you?”

“I didn’t say that. Hmph!”

It was painfully obvious he was acting sulky to get her attention.

Shayla had her chin resting on the table. Without thinking she reached out, but stopped abruptly.

‘I almost touched him again…’

Is it instinct for my hand to automatically reach for cute things? Those cute things might not want to be treated that way.

“What are you doing?”

Callion lifted his head, ears folded back, eyes wide as he stared at her.

Their gazes met—her hesitating hand in midair, and her eyes.

“What are you doing right now?”

“Ah, nothing.”

“Then why aren’t you doing it?”

“Because you don’t like being touched, right?”

“…That’s true.”

Callion muttered a few words, then bowed his head and yawned as if he had nothing left to say.

After eating three hearty meals today, Callion looked far more relaxed and at ease than when he was eating garlic.

‘He didn’t hide under the bed even once while I was in the bedroom.’

Shayla had deliberately wandered around the room, fixing torn fabric or busying herself with small tasks, all while carefully observing Callion.

Henry had been right. Instead of someone constantly caring for him, Callion never left her side for a moment—he kept circling her.

She discovered that his tail was drooping most of the time in daily life.

It only stood high when Shayla transformed into a rabbit, or when mealtime arrived with the lamb cart.

Although she didn’t know much about wolf physiology, Shayla was certain Callion’s mental state wasn’t normal.

Perhaps that was why Antonio had ended their previous conversation with:

“Help the young duke become confident in himself.”

Everyone already knew about his problem.

“Hmm, my chin feels a little itchy…”

Callion was scratching his neck with his short hind paw in awkward, exaggerated motions, clearly trying to draw attention.

He kept glancing sideways at Shayla.

“There’s a spot I can’t reach that’s itching me…”

“Use your front paws to scratch.”

“Ah? Oh, right, yes.”

He looked embarrassed and fidgeted.

“Listen, Shasha, could you…”

“Leon, we need to talk seriously.”

“What?”

After a hearty dinner and with the breeze feeling refreshing, this moment felt right.

The reason he couldn’t transform into a human.

“I think I’ve figured out why you can’t become human.”

Though she wasn’t an expert in transformation, there was one thing she was certain of.

“The reason?”

His round eyes widened even more. Shayla nodded, arms resting on the table, looking straight at him.

“Lack of self-confidence.”

“…!”

Callion froze as if struck in a vital spot.

“Of course, I’m not completely sure. This is just my guess. But…”

Shayla chose her words carefully so as not to wound the pride of this little beast.

“Self-confidence is believing you can do something. You know faith has tremendous power, right?”

“Tremendous… power?”

“Yes. Faith has the power to turn falsehood into truth, even to create something out of nothing.”

Shayla had watched countless times how her father’s soul-filled lies turned into reality.

Count Lexi was the perfect example of overconfidence without foundation.

‘If only he had half of Father’s personality, it would be ideal.’

Callion was far too timid and cowardly. He said his nerves were so sensitive he hated even someone passing in front of his bedroom.

Years had passed since he told Antonio not to bring him food, saying he’d manage himself.

And now here he was, sitting face-to-face with her, talking.

It had taken a long time and hadn’t been easy. That was thanks to Shayla’s persistent efforts.

“Create something out of nothing…? Nothing?”

Callion muttered, tilting his head, afraid of revealing his ignorance.

“Do you mean the long thing? The one we eat…?”

“Simply put, faith creates miracles.”

His ears twitched at the word “miracle.”

“How?”

“If you believe in yourself, the whole world will help make your wish come true.”

Shayla spoke earnestly, just as she had learned from her father, eyes shining.

“A merchant’s lie works on whoever hears it. That’s how they open their wallets.”

That was what Count Lexi said after selling cheap pink salt from Baltus to a noble in the Chang region for a fortune, claiming it was “ladies’ salt” with a fabricated story about tears from a famous monastery priest giving it a pink hue.

In the capital, pink Baltus salt was known for its low quality and hadn’t been used for food in ages.

“Do you understand what I mean?”

Though the situations were different, Shayla wanted to inspire Callion.

But this little wolf, lacking confidence and unaware of the meaning of “nothing,” was quick-witted.

“Shasha, you sound like a con artist…”

“It’s simple. When you were little and learning to speak, there’s the cowardly Leon who fears mistakes and stays silent, and the genius Shasha who speaks enthusiastically about anything. Which one learns to speak faster?”

“The genius Shasha who speaks anything…”

“Exactly! That’s the point.”

Callion felt something unfair but couldn’t pinpoint what bothered him.

“Goodness, being with a child makes me childish too.”

“…”

“Anyway, our training will first focus on building your self-confidence. That’s step one.”

“Okay!”

This was good news.

Shayla had said she would help him return to human form, but for days she had done nothing but bring abundant meat for every meal.

It was nice to eat delicious food without worry, but as time passed, Callion grew anxious about doing nothing but enjoying good things.

When he ate garlic, at least he felt he was making an effort—even if it was futile.

“Where do we start? I’ll do whatever you say, Shasha!”

Callion stood up excitedly, spinning in circles, tail wagging furiously.

The idea of a challenge itself thrilled him.

‘This way, whether it succeeds or not, you have to try!’

Shayla nodded with determination.

“First, let’s start with education.”

“Education? What is education…?”

“…”

What a dangerous situation. How could a wolf like this not know such a thing?

She looked at him with pity, making him shrink back.

His drooping eyes and trembling mouth looked like he was about to cry.

“Stop! Don’t cry!”

He had already lost his enthusiasm; his tail was tucked between his legs.

“Education is declaring to the world that this place is your home. That way you’ll feel freer here.”

Callion moved in an extremely limited space within his vast bedroom.

Under the bed, by the window, on the balcony.

Even when the floor was covered in white dust, there were no footprints in the reception area or near the shelves.

Even now, after spending so much time together, the situation remained the same.

Shayla had deliberately wandered through the reception area and shelves to see his reaction. Callion had followed her very cautiously, as if the place was unfamiliar to him.

“If you’re not confident in your own bedroom, you won’t be confident anywhere else.”

Callion was surprised, but quickly changed his attitude.

“You’re right, Shasha.”

His sapphire eyes shone with new determination.

“Then how do I do education?”

“Education is…”

It seemed teaching him as a four-legged friend would be faster.

‘He loves my rabbit form.’

To boost his confidence too.

“I’ll teach you that by turning into a rabbit.”

“Ah?”

Look at that. His tail shot straight up. As it wagged furiously, Shayla transformed into a rabbit.

“You turned into a rabbit again, Shasha!”

He circled her excitedly; his appearance was somewhat majestic.

‘Those teeth… are sharp.’

Shayla lowered herself to the ground, waiting for his excitement to calm.

“Can’t I lick you?”

“No.”

Despite her refusal, he kept trying to get closer with sneaky glances.

He was completely lacking in manners and social awareness.

“Stop right now!”

She firmly blocked him with her front paw; he looked wronged.

“I was only going to sniff you.”

“…Fine, sniff only. If your tongue comes out, I’ll kick you.”

“Okay, understood.”

He answered quickly and began sniffing her head enthusiastically.

“How, how… Ah, vanilla scent! So fragrant!”

He almost hugged her head with his front paws.

Shayla’s face was buried in his fur; she closed her eyes.

His scent was strong—a mix of the black goat pie and raw liver he had just eaten.

It wasn’t unpleasant to a human nose, but it was unbearable to a rabbit nose.

‘But he likes it…’

I’ll endure a little.

She opened her eyes slightly and saw him still sniffing happily.

“How, how…”

Shayla gently pushed him away as he tried to get closer.

“Enough…”

Someone might think I’m drunk…

Ignoring her small protest, he rubbed his face against her head.

“Your fur is so soft, Shasha.”

Well, that’s true.

That’s why Shayla loved petting her sister’s back.

Rabbits are useful in many ways, especially their fur that soothes nerves and relieves anxiety.

If she could bring peace to this little wolf full of fear and anxiety, she could endure this blood smell for a bit.

“You didn’t eat buttered corn yesterday or today?”

“Buttered corn makes me gain weight if I eat too much.”

“You ate milk-potato soup, salted bread, and bitter-smelling herbs today.”

“Leon, you really are good at distinguishing scents.”

He smiled shyly at the sudden praise, wagging his long tail hard against the floor.

“The name of that herb is dandelion.”

“Dandelion.”

“Yes, it’s my favorite.”

He murmured, burying his nose in her fur.

“I think I’ll like dandelions now too.”

How funny.

At that moment, Shayla jumped when she felt a wet touch on her eyes and cheeks.

“What are you doing?!”