“Giles flowers?”

Lamont, who had barely put Leona to sleep, asked with a tired face.

“Giles flower, isn’t it almost a myth? You’ve been picking up the clouds since—” (t/n: 뜬구름(을) 잡다 literally means catch clouds. But it means something like doing or seeking something unreal or false.) 

“Even though all the users of Yeckhart were attacked by Giles flowers, you sat idle. I don’t even know if it’s a lion’s clan next.” 

Kendrick asked leisurely as he sipped his tea.

Lamont, who had been smiling and shrugging his shoulders, asked with his eyes wide open as if he was serious.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, half of the servants fell asleep and half lost their minds.” 

Kendrick said. 

“You know, too. There are only three cases when a beastman loses their mind.” 

First, they lose control of themselves when they’re into unbearable sadness or some other emotion.

Second, if the Lord, the mental support of the beasts, loses his mind, the other beasts who followed him also lose their minds.

Third, when they inhale pollen from the Giles flower. 

However, since Giles flowers were buried in history along with the land of Tamar a long time ago, it was only natural that Lamont would react this way.

“Do you know what you are talking about?”

If the Giles Flowers really came back, and Raniero was involved in that.

It wasn’t something that other clans could ignore either. Lamont narrowed his eyes.

“Yeah. We’ll talk about it at the temple soon, but I thought you should know, so I’m here to talk about it in advance.”

After Kendrick finished his sentence, he set the teacup down with a thud.

“And Leon… she use her ability recklessly. You seem to have given the education the wrong way, Lamont.”

Kendrick said softly.

“Leon?”

The lion clan’s ability, obedience. 

It was a secret within the Lion Clan that their ability only worked on those weaker than themselves.

What Kendrick knew was Lamont’s mistake.

It was a fact that had been passed down for hundreds of years only in Fernando. 

Because the fact that their ability doesn’t work on people who are stronger than them may reveal their weaknesses.

So the Lion Clan forbade the children to use their abilities outside until they were strong enough.

“I told her not to use it like that… Alright, I’ll talk to her when she wakes up.”

“Okay, then I will go now—” 

Knock, knock.

The knocking sounded low in the quiet study.

Lamont glanced at Kendrick as if asking for permission. Kendrick nodded, pointing in the direction of the door as an answer.

“Come in.”

Kiik—.

The door opened, and Clemence, Fernando’s hostess and Lamont’s wife, with blue eyes and curly red hair in a ponytail, came in.

Kendrick looked at her and greeted her casually.

“It’s been a while, Clemence.” 

Clemence, Kendrick, and Lamont were childhood friends who grew up together, and Clemence also knew Kendrick well.

“Kendrick, are you leaving already?”

The wise-looking Lady blinked and asked.

“Yeah, now that we’re done talking, I should go. The kids are waiting for me at the mansion.” 

Kendrick nodded. Clemence naturally stood next to her husband Lamont and said. 

“You won’t stay any longer. But thank you for taking care of Leon.”

“Thank you, but I’m worried that Leon will be surprised at the Yeckhart Mansion.” 

Kendrick wrinkled his face slightly, and Clemence laughed.

“Leon said she had a really good time. She always asks for it.”

“What are you talking about?”

He recalled how exhausted Arsene and Linsy were during Leona’s stay and spoke bluntly. 

“Don’t let her stay again. Maybe because she looks exactly like Lamont, she’s a good player at distracting anyone.”

He also added that during Leona’s stay, she ran tirelessly around the mansion like a lion cub.

At Kendrick’s words, the Fernando couple looked at each other and laugh.

“It’s going to be more crazy than her older brothers, so I’m already worried about her first transformation.” 

Lamont laughed and said.

During the first transformation, children often failed to control their bodies and caused accidents.

There were children who couldn’t easily adapt to their bodies and cried, and there were also children who bit everything in the house. 

And Leona is—.

‘It must be the latter even if I don’t see it.’

At the time, he thought he should never let her into the mansion, and then he left the lion’s mansion after leaving a short greeting.

It was time to go back to Linsy and Arsene.

***

“The taste of the food seems to have changed, Arsene.”

I poked the cooked carrot in front of me with a fork and said.

Arsene tilted his head.

“It seems so…, I don’t know.”

“Really?”

Then I must have felt it wrong.

I just shrugged and ate my share of food again.

The mansion was still busy cleaning up traces of that day.

The torn wallpaper was reapplied, and the claw-marked sofas were replaced.

Kendrick told Arsene and me to stay in the mansion until the problem was resolved.

‘Then wouldn’t it better to just go back to the main mansion?’

‘I brought all the knights of the mansion here to solve this problem, so it’s safe here for the time being.’

Arsene and I quietly nodded at Kendrick’s words. 

It was because we were all exhausted anyway and didn’t want to go out any longer. 

But. 

“Arsene, so…” 

“….” 

“…Ar–sene, are you listening?”

“Huh? Yeah…” 

“Are you sick?”

I looked at Arsene with my eyes wide open.

Since that day, Arsene has often been absent-minded like that.

‘Is there a problem?’

Or was the shock of that day too great?

Arsene shook his head and put the piece of bread into his mouth again. 

‘Uhm…’

I narrowed my eyes and watched Arsene’s actions for a while, then started eating again.

After eating,

Arsene barely said hello to me and went straight into his room.

I entered my room, grabbed Betty, and asked.

“Betty, don’t you think Arsene has gotten a little weird?”

“The Young Master?” 

Betty narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, then shook her head. 

“I think he’s okay… Does the Young Master look sick?” 

“Yeah. He doesn’t talk to me well, barely eat, and…” 

I thought of Arsene, who kept begging me to transform.

Only after he put me in his pocket as a bird did Arsene smile with relief.

The situation is rather strange.

Hmm, I puffed up both cheeks and pondered for a while.

Then.

“Where are you going, Lady?”

“To Arsene!”

I clenched my fist and knocked on the door of Arsene’s room.

“Arsene!”

“…”

But no answer came from inside the room.

He doesn’t even open the door. 

I couldn’t wait for an answer and opened the door.

Then.

“You surprise me! Linsy!”

Arsene sat on the bed alone, playing with his hands, and raised his head sharply.

I ran quickly and sat down on Arsene’s bed.

“Arsene, what have you been doing—ah~.” 

I nodded when I saw the shadow wolf slightly poking out from behind Arsene.

It seems that he was using his abilities alone.

I put my mouth to Arsene’s ear and whispered.

“But Sir Kendrick told you not to use superpowers during the festival…” 

“It’s okay because I’m alone in the room. No, of course, you are here too… I was alone until you came in.”

Arsene, who spoke at length as if making excuses, pointed to the door and said.

“Go and lock the door.”

“Ung, wait— huh?” 

As soon as Arsene’s command was finished, the shadow wolf sitting on the bed suddenly jumped out.

Then.

“Huh?” 

It was scattered in a shapeless shadow and floated in the air, but soon gathered black on the side of the doorknob.

And.

Click.

After locking the door, it turned into a wolf again and ran and sat in front of Arsene. 

“How did you do it?”

“I don’t know, just…I asked him to do something, and it asked for a snack.”

Arsene stared blankly at the shadow wolf and said sullenly.

“So I ordered this and that, and it listened well.” 

“Wow, that’s really amazing. Really…it’s so amazing.”

I watched the shadow wolf wagging its tail in admiration.

The shadow wolf was small, so it still looked like a puppy rather than a wolf.

Arsene looked at the shadow wolf for a long time with a dissatisfied expression and then used his ability.

Paat—!

“But… it’s boring.”

“Arsene?”

“I’m going to stop and sleep. Linsy, are you going to sleep here?”

Arsene asked. I nodded with a puzzled expression.

“Yeah, let’s sleep together.”

“Then change your clothes and come… Ah, never mind. Let’s go to the door together.”

Arsene jumped out of bed.

I looked at Arsene’s face for a long time with a puzzled expression and then nodded.