The Baby Tiger Will Be Raised by a Squirrel
Even I thought I had taken things a bit too far, but judging from the pure horror painting the Duke's face, my ploy was working wonders.
Staring blankly at me, his face bleached pale, the Duke shook his head violently.
Using my thumbs and index fingers, I pulled my eyes open wide to mimic the stunned look he had worn.
I snapped my index finger out to point straight at Jane.
The tutor exam didn't matter anymore.
I had to emerge victorious from this battle.
The moment she spotted the tip of my finger, Jane's shoulders shot up into the air.
Catching her master's piercing gaze, she trembled all over.
Caught in an impossible bind, Jane squeezed her eyes shut.
Her conscience would never forgive her if she backed her master and lied about not seeing it.
After all, she had seen it plain as day, and she had even tried to make excuses for the Duke right in front of me.
Watching Jane tremble so violently, the Duke finally seemed to resign himself, speaking through a heavy sigh.
When his head turned slowly back in my direction, the light in his eyes burned even sharper.
I could have paid for it out of pocket, but Hokan had undoubtedly spent his entire life eating only fine food and sleeping in luxury beds.
Even without matching that standard, finding an inn fit for him to sleep in would cost a substantial sum.
Knowing the cost would be overwhelming, I swallowed my pride and brought up the travel expenses.
Seeing the Duke's gaze turn sharper by the second, however, I quickly readied an escape route.
Cutting me off, the Duke stated what was already plain fact.
Even I knew that the blood of the imperial house flowed through the residents of this grand ducal estate.
Oh, to be frank, I hadn't thought that far ahead, but I had to come up with an excuse for now.
Our Durams family had always been fiercely sensitive to any remark hinting that we were small or feeble.
While our family genetics admittedly left us somewhat small compared to other houses, none of us lacked stamina in the slightest.
The tall man standing beside the Duke, looming like a giraffe, tried to placate me.
Insult me all you want, but speak ill of my family and I won't let it slide.
I planted my hands on my hips and raised my voice.
The giraffe of a man offered a half-hearted apology, but my anger didn't subside, so I glared right at him.
So this giraffe's name was Gale.
The Duke snapped his head around, prompting Gale to take a brisk step toward me.
When I echoed him in disbelief, Gale gave an earnest nod.
As I stared back and forth between him and the Duke in sheer disbelief, the Duke gave a curt click of his tongue.
The meddling sister-in-law is always more irritating than the mother-in-law. I shot Gale a burning glare.
‘Execute, my foot! Ugh!’
My heart and my mind were completely out of sync.
I only complied because I knew I would be the sole loser if I kept barking back at him.
As I recited it on the verge of tears, the Duke's gaze softened ever so slightly.
“Good. Lady Durams, if you pass this examination, I will provide elite knights and funds for travel, so you may make the trip this weekend.”
Overcome with jubilation, I seized both of the Duke's hands and hopped up and down.
Pulling his hands free with a face turned rigid, the Duke gave a stiff nod and departed the annex alongside Gale.
Just as I spoke to Maurice and started toward the stairs—
Maurice hesitated briefly before stepping into my path.
My mouth itched with the urge to tell Hokan right away, but I held it in.
‘I'll make sure to pass and take you to the North! To do that, I need to recharge my strength first.’
Firmly resolving to succeed, I swiftly followed Jane toward the dining hall.
***
Perhaps because my nerves had settled, I had eaten quite a large dinner, patting my full stomach as I followed Jane.
Jane halted outside a room, glanced back at me briefly, and opened the door.
My jaw dropped at the sheer size of the chamber before my eyes.
Presumably, high-ranking guests were given chambers in the main manor, while these rooms in the annex were reserved for merchants or the attendants accompanying visiting nobles.
Even so, this room with two beds was easily the size of three or four of the rooms my brothers and I shared back home.
Earlier in the dining hall, seeing how lavishly the staff ate compared to our meals at home had already made my chest ache.
It made me think of my younger brothers, who were probably getting by on cornmeal soup and stale, rock-hard bread for dinner.
I had heard plenty about House Blantiger possessing unparalleled wealth alongside its towering honor and authority.
Seeing it with my own eyes proved it was truly astonishing.
While I was wide-eyed, admiring the room, Lady Melissa Darters, who had arrived earlier to rest, spoke up out of nowhere.
Perched on the edge of the bed with her arms crossed, she bounced one foot with mild irritation.
‘Ah, she must feel uncomfortable having me here.’
Stealing a cautious glance at her, I waited for Jane's response.
Jane suddenly looked at Melissa with a remarkably troubled expression.
Still swinging her foot, Melissa jerked her chin toward Jane, demanding an answer.
