The baby tiger will be raised by a squirrel.
Before I knew it, Jane entered Hokan’s room holding the nightclothes worn by the maids.
Taking the pajamas she handed me, I stepped in front of Hokan.
I asked him with my eyes if we were ready to begin the wager.
The boy nodded with solemn determination.
According to my original plan, I had intended to win this contest decisively and use the momentum to give Hokan a bath.
Yet somehow, I found myself wanting to grant the boy his wish.
Persuading His Grace, who practically radiated an aura of pure dread, worried me to no end.
Still, I would just have to summon every ounce of earnestness I had and plead with him.
Though I had resolved to lose to Hokan, I kept up appearances so it wouldn't show.
My expression remained deadly serious, and my fingers fussed dramatically as I untied the lace ribbons.
All the while, I made sure to pace myself carefully.
Sweat beaded on Hokan’s brow as he worked through each button, stripping off his vest and shirt in one swift motion.
He glanced down at his body, mottled with traces of beastly traits, and then peeked in my direction.
Before he could turn his head fully toward me, I swiftly pivoted to face the wall.
I deliberately kept my back turned, shedding my clothes without sparing him a single glance.
Even though he had answered while staring right at me.
A laugh threatened to escape, but I held it in and nodded.
Seeming further reassured, Hokan let out a shallow breath and resumed undressing.
Soon, the rustle of him slipping into the nightclothes reached my ears.
At Hokan’s joyful cry, I quickly turned around.
The thin chemise was only halfway draped over my shoulders.
Realizing he had won by a hair, Hokan giggled and stomped his feet in excitement.
I pulled the nightclothes the rest of the way on and laughed along with him.
The pure ring of Hokan’s laughter settled in my chest like a pleasant warmth.
Regardless of whether I passed this employment test, my duty now was to fulfill Hokan’s wish.
Even if the immediate path forward looked completely daunting.
Just then—
Knock, knock.
Jane’s voice called out from beyond the door.
Feeling at ease since it was only another woman, I answered without hesitation.
I intended to show Jane that Hokan was dressed in his nightclothes, then ask for a moment alone to change back into my own.
Yet when the door swung open, an imposing figure stood towering on the threshold.
At my shrill shriek, His Grace’s eyes went wide, and he hastily ducked behind the wall.
Shocked by the duke’s unexpected appearance, I dropped straight to the floor, wrapping my arms tight around myself.
After all, I was clad in nothing but a thin chemise, without even a robe over it.
The low, gravelly voice from behind the wall sounded unfittingly shameless.
As I shouted back, Jane, who had been standing outside, scurried into the room and shut the door behind her.
Jane hurried to stammer out an explanation for the duke’s arrival.
Even so, my racing heart refused to settle, forcing me to take several deep breaths.
***
Once I had changed back into my clothes and descended to the first-floor drawing room of the annex, the young ladies turned to look at me with wide, startled eyes.
One lady asked immediately, unable to suppress her curiosity.
Another made no effort to conceal her envy.
Yet another harbored dark suspicions.
Just as I was about to speak up, Maurice stepped forward to block the young ladies.
Maurice snapped his fingers, and the maids moved in crisp unison.
Once all the young ladies had departed, the only ones left in the room were Butler Maurice, Jane, the duke standing haughtily with crossed arms, and a single knight guarding his side.
This time, too, His Grace did not ask me directly, choosing instead to address the butler.
Apparently, speaking directly to me would sprout thorns on his tongue.
I smoothed out my furrowing brows and strove to maintain an even expression.
Fortunately, Butler Maurice explained the wager calmly, and the duke nodded slowly, seeming satisfied with the account.
When I stepped forward beside Maurice and spoke, His Grace peered down at me intently.
The sheer pressure rolling off his lowered gaze made me flinch for a second, but I could not back down now.
The gaze he leveled at me felt sharp enough to loose poisoned arrows.
Beneath that taut, piercing glare, I ventured carefully.
Was he about to praise my family, and me alongside them, for devising such a plan? Feeling a wave of relief, I offered a faint smile.
It was the single most humiliating insult I had ever endured in my life.
I set my jaw against my trembling chin.
The duke pressed his index and middle fingers together, tapping his own temple as he questioned me.
Dumbfounded, I stared at His Grace until a soft thudding sound behind him drew my eyes toward the landing.
Hokan was descending from the second floor.
A gravelly growl seemed to scrape against the man’s throat, making me recoil instinctively.
Perhaps startled by my visible shudder, Hokan widened his eyes in equal fright.
Soon, resigning himself, Hokan dropped his gaze and hung his head low.
He then turned slowly and began climbing back up the stairs.
Thud, thud. With each step, a corner of the child’s heart folded in on itself.
‘This isn’t right. I am not a teacher who breaks her promises.’
The money I could earn as a tutor mattered, of course.
Yet the children placed in my care mattered far more.
I clenched my fists tight.
“I stake my honor on keeping my promise to Hokan. If Your Grace grants my request, I shall do everything in my power to ensure your honor remains unblemished as well.”
His Grace looked genuinely oblivious, as if he recalled nothing of the sort.
This time, the duke’s face flushed just as mine had earlier.
