Chapter 45: Daily Life at Shanter Castle
“Clop, clop.”
The sound of teeth gnashing against nails echoed ominously from my mouth to my eardrums.
One, two, three, four… countless pairs of eyes were glued to me.
Carlos remained as cool as a cucumber, sporting a scruffy grin that suggested he found this entire situation utterly fascinating—probably too much for his own good.
The Lady didn’t crack a smile; her half-squinted eyes and poker face hung over me like the Sword of Damocles, making me constantly worry it might drop at any second with a verdict of doom.
Pasifal, on the other hand, was beet red, resembling a ticking time bomb ready to explode at any moment—who knew what kind of outrageous act he might pull next?
I was fuming inside.
How dare they sell me out so easily! You can’t seriously say you wanted to confront him too!
My heart was racing like a rabbit.
At that moment, my little brain started spinning faster than a hamster on a wheel, desperately brainstorming strategies.
The air froze for an instant, and it felt like my mind had entered b*llet time.
I could almost hear the tick-tock of the second hand.
Tick-tock.
I slightly lowered my head, casting a guilty glance at my little boots.
Is there a way to clear my name…
First, if I simply denied it all, who knows whether the Lady would believe me, and Pasifal would surely come up with something shocking to defend himself.
This guy was sneaking peeks at Pepé’s underwear—! If he dares to say that, I’ll think of a way to sew his mouth shut.
I, Silvya, can’t afford to lose face like this.
What if I just own up to it? Just repeat what I told Pasifal last night… No, no, that’s just telling the Lady I tricked Pasifal into starting trouble!
Should I just slander him? Make the whole thing sound worse, paint Carlos as a creep who lifts my skirt and steals my undergarments right in front of everyone?
…That’s out of the question; that would be mortifying. My innocent little heart couldn’t handle such self-sabotage.
Tick-tock.
My eyes darted to the left.
What if I kept pretending to know nothing?
I could put on a confused expression, act shocked, and eventually show some wounded pride. Make the Lady think Pasifal messed up on his own and tried to pin it on me… but could I really fool her? Probably not.
I really shouldn’t have come here.
What to do? I’m so panicked!
Three seconds passed.
I ran through countless plans in my head, only to knock them all down one by one.
Everyone was silent, waiting for my explanation.
…No choice now; time to bust out my big guns.
I lifted my head and blinked.
I first wore a bewildered look, as if I had been daydreaming and didn’t catch their conversation.
“Huh? What—”
Then my expression shifted to one of pain.
I clutched my stomach with one hand, furrowing my brows, and gradually squatted down into a little ball at the Lady’s feet.
“Ouch, ouch…”
After my performance, immediately, the hunters around me reacted with concern.
“Little Pepé, what’s wrong?”
“Are you okay?”
“Is it a tummy ache?”
I felt a pat on my shoulder, and then the Lady’s voice floated down from above.
“What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”
I bit my lip and discreetly pinched my own thigh.
“Ow—”
Looking back up at the Lady, I gently tugged at her hem.
Practically oozing cuteness.
But inside, I was cursing.
Who said that!
Pinching my thigh would make me cry! What a load of rubbish; I’d get more tears out of a faucet—this hurts like the dickens!
Maybe it really hurt; my face was convincing enough that I noticed the Lady’s expression shift.
She leaned down, bringing her lips close to my ear. “Are you trying to pull a fast one?”
I nodded.
“Ugh—”
The Lady sighed, her shoulders relaxing as if a weight had lifted.
An oddly resigned smile spread across her face.
She knew all too well that this was likely all an act.
This little one was too clever, fully aware of how to navigate any situation. If I played my cards right, she couldn’t possibly keep me here anymore.
She wouldn’t dare ask, “Are you lying?” after all, what if it was true? Would she really let this little rascal bleed out in front of everyone?
She initially wanted to tease me a bit… but never mind that.
She stood up, cast a glance around at the quirky expressions of the hunters, who looked like they could burst out laughing at any moment.
Then she snapped.
“What are you staring at? Get back to your posts!”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Hey, hey.”
The Lady exploded, “What are you laughing at? Scram!”
But after shouting that, she could hardly contain her laughter.
She watched the hunters scatter, a warm feeling blooming in her chest.
It had probably been ages since a sight like this crossed their eyes.
Three years.
Not just her own restless nights filled with emptiness, but the whole of Shanter Castle seemed to have lost something.
And in that moment, that thing was finally back.
The Lady turned and gave a slight nod to Carlos.
“Mr. Carlos, I apologize for my unruly child’s behavior. It is, quite frankly, disgraceful, and I deeply regret the hassle it’s caused you.”
As soon as she said that, Pasifal immediately frowned: “Mother, why are you apologizing to him? He—”
“Silence.”
With that one sharp word, Pasifal clammed up, face scrunched in confusion.
“No problem at all, I won’t take it to heart.” Carlos waved his hand dismissively. “I’m here to see the Duke.”
“My apologies, he’s not in the castle right now. If it’s not urgent, why not come in for some tea and a break?”
“Oh, thank you, but please let the Lady know where I can find the Duke.”
“He’s in the central workshop.”
“Then I’ll go find him. Thank you for the invitation, Lady.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Just then, Pasifal trotted over.
“Mom, what’s wrong with Pepé?”
Smack—
The Lady slapped him on the head.
“Get back to where you belong.”
Not satisfied, she kicked him in the rear twice, aiming with her toes.
“Ah—!”
Pasifal yelped, barely managing to hold back his complaints as he hobbled into the castle, clutching his backside.
“Go wait for me in the study, don’t wander off!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
His figure gradually disappeared.
The Lady gently pulled me up.
“Little Shay…”
Carlos seemed like he wanted to say something to me, but I was having none of it.
Ignore him, ignore him!
I spun on my heel and hurried a couple of steps, only to suddenly freeze, slowing my pace while clutching my tummy.
Stealing a quick glance at the Lady to see if she noticed, I finally relaxed when she didn’t.
“Mr. Carlos, are you returning to the castle tonight?”
“No, thank you for your kindness, but I should be staying at the Church for now. If something comes up, I’ll drop by again.”
Huh? So does that mean I won’t have to see Carlos’s sour face for a while?
Awesome.
“Mr. Carlos, you’re too kind; Shanter Castle is always open to you.”
“Thanks! And about Little Shay… no, it’s nothing. I’ll be going now.”
“Goodbye.”
