NOVEL NEXT The Beloved New Daughter-In-Law of the Wolf Mansion
Chapter 23
After lunch, I ate a lot of snacks.
And after 2 p.m., Yeckhart’s gate opened for the first time today. ‘Don’t tell me?’ I gazed at the gate with glittering eyes. The gate opened, and a fairly expensive-looking carriage entered the mansion. ‘They must be here!’ I shook Arsene, who was nodding, waking him up. “They’re coming, Arsene!” “Uhm… Who’s coming?” “The elders!” Arsene opened his eyes and looked out of the window. And he frowned his brows as if he saw a familiar carriage. “Ugh… It’s Elder Renox’s carriage.” “Elder Renox?” “There is… a very strict grandfather… who brings strange medicine every day…” Arsene yawned loosely. I looked out the window eagerly, whether Arsene was dozing or not. Starting with Elder Renox, a lot of carriages came in. There were so many that it seemed impossible to count them all. “No, it’s a lot, isn’t it?” Raniero’s senate consisted of thirty or so at most. However, it seemed to be fifty in Yeckhart. Elders in navy robes were seen rushing into the mansion. They seemed to be heading to the conference hall of the annex. ‘Hoo.’ Among them, people in blue robes stood out. They looked older than the other elders, and above all—. ‘There aren’t a lot of blue robes?’ At most, it looks like there are about seven people. Then those people will be the great elders who represent the senate. ‘All right, what time does the meeting end?’ I looked back at Betty, sitting next to me the whole time. And pretended not to know anything and asked innocent questions. “You know, Betty. Why are they coming?” “The elders? The Lord has called and gathered them.” “Then… when are they going back?” “Well, it’s different every time— I think they usually have a meeting for about two or three hours.” Two or three hours. I quickly looked at my watch. It’s 2 p.m. so—. I guess I’ll have to sit in front of it starting around 5 p.m. I could have run to other elders if I got there too early. My target wasn’t them. ‘Blue robe!’ People who look like the great elders, no matter who looks at them! Because being good to the great elders was the same as being good to the whole elders. Then I just have to wait two hours. “Linsy, let’s go to the kitchen.” Until Arsene became annoying. “Kitchen?” “Ung.” Arsene quickly looked into Betty’s eyes. Then he lowered his head, put his face to my ear, and whispered softly. “I want to eat cookies.” Fortunately, Betty didn’t seem to hear. We were supposed to have only one snack a day. We were only allowed to eat snacks once a day. I used to eat as much as I wanted—. Having eaten so much, Ethan made a new rule. Of course, it was Arsene who couldn’t stand this rule the most. So now he’s begging me to sneak into the kitchen and get a snack. I jumped up from my seat, pretending not to win. “Okay, let’s go.” It was the first time since I went to the kitchen with Arsene after we went in bird form. ***** We lied about going to play in the garden and then secretly headed to the kitchen. “Are you keeping your eye?” “Ung, Arsene. But it’s really open here, so what’s the point of keeping an eye on it?” “Phew, you fool. I don’t mind getting caught by other maids.” Arsene said, pounding his chest with his fists as if frustrated. “There are only four people we have to watch out for. Ethan, Chloe, Betty, and the head maid Rodri.” “I got it, so hurry.” We barely made it to the kitchen. Standing in front of the kitchen, and already savory smell pierced my nose. They seemed to be baking delicious bread. “Arkim!” As Arsene called out loudly, the grim-looking man turned his head. “Young Master!” Arkim was a chef at Yeckhart, who was in charge of desserts. He was also a good person who secretly gave Arsene and me snacks every day. Arkim approaches us, wiping his hands over his apron. “Young Master, what brings you here— huh?” Arkim opened his eyes wide when he saw me. This is indeed the first time he saw me without my bird form. I smiled awkwardly and said hello. “Hello, Arkim.” “Are you a baby bird, Lady? You pecked chocolate muffins—every day—.” “Ung. That’s right.” Arkim smiled brightly and went back into the kitchen. “Anyway, I made some cookies to give to the two of you. I baked them nicely.” It was a cookie filled with raisins that Arkim confidently drew from the kitchen. “Come on, I just baked it, so it’ll be very delicious.” It was then. A familiar voice was heard behind Arkim. “Of course, it is, hoho.” Arsene and I stopped at the same time and glanced at each other. And slowly looked back. “What are you doing here, Young Master, Lady?” “—Ethan?” What brings Ethan to the kitchen? Arsene looked at Ethan with an expression that looked like the world had collapsed. “Arkim, the cookie you just baked looks delicious, but Young Master and the Lady won’t eat it.” “Ethan!” “Didn’t you have a snack a while ago? We’ll give you another snack if you have a good dinner.” “…Ethan.” “It’s no use looking at me like that.” Ethan laughed and raised his glasses with one hand. We stared at the baked cookies with our mouths shut. Then, I had a good idea. “Then is it okay to give a present?” “Are you talking about the present?” “Ung, I want to give it to someone.” I nodded and gave Ethan a desperate look. The same was true of Arsene. “Who are you going to give it to?” “They must have been hungry from the meeting— with Kendrick and— uh, uhm, with Betty—” I folded my fingers to list the people I wanted to give cookies to. “And Ethan too.” “Thank you for taking care of me, Lady. A present would be fine. Arkim, please wrap some cookies.” “Wrapping? Yes, I understand~.” “Ethan? Me—!” Arsene looked at Ethan with his cheeks puffed out as if he was being treated unfairly. But Ethan was determined. “You can’t do it, Young Master. It’s obvious that you’re going to eat it all.” “It’s unfair!” “If you finish your medicine today, I’ll give you cookies. It’s a good deal, isn’t it?” While Arsene and Ethan quarreled, Arkim wrapped the baked cookies well. It was five bags. There were five cookies in each bag. Arkim handed me the bag and asked anxiously. “Can you carry them all?” He didn’t forget to tell me that he would lend me the tray if it were difficult to hold. After refusing the tray, I sighed and picked up all the bags. “Yes, of course. Thank you, Arkim!” I thanked Arkim and rushed out of the kitchen with the cookies. Arsene, who had been quarreling with Ethan all the time, rushed after me. “Linsy, let’s go together!” I checked that Ethan was not around and took out a bag of cookies. “Here, you eat.” Then I handed Arsene a well-packaged cookie bag. “You want me to eat it?” “Ung, I said I’d give it to someone as a gift. So I’m giving it to you as a gift, so you can eat it. I’m smart, right?” “…Yeah.” You’re smart. Arsene muttered unconsciously and closed his mouth. I looked triumphantly at Arsene. “So you have to listen to me carefully from now on.” Arsene looked impressed. Then, he opened a bag and put a cookie into his mouth. We sat in the corner of the garden for two hours and shared cookies. How long has it been? There was a noise near the conference hall, and shortly afterwards, elders in black robes rushed out. I sat quietly and waited for all the elders in black robes to go. And as soon as they almost got out, I jumped to my feet. “Where are you going?” “I have a place to go. You can eat cookies alone, right?” I handed Arsene another bag of cookies and ran quickly. Every time I ran, the hem of my dress fluttered. Thanks to the hard run, I was able to get to the front of the conference room in no time. When I peeped through a gap in the slightly open door, I saw seven elders in blue robes remaining. ‘As expected.’ The elders always stayed until the last minute to talk to the head of the family. That’s what I was aiming for. There was a commotion in the conference room. One of the great elders raised their voices. “No, my lord! There is no need to take Raniero’s daughter from Yeckhart with such a risk!” A loud voice resounded through the hall. I shivered with fear. ‘I was expecting a reaction like that.’ Still, it feels different from hearing it in person. The other elders also nodded their heads as if in agreement. In the middle, Kendrick was seen holding his temple. “Didn’t I tell everyone to leave? The head’s words don’t sound like words, now?” Hiik. I breathed in. This is because my legs trembled when Kendrick decided to threaten the elders. The pressure of the head of the wolf clan was truly enormous. I could see the elders faltering. “Then we’ll visit again tomorrow.” “You don’t have to come.” But the great elders were clear. “We’ll visit again tomorrow.” It seemed like they would stick to their opinions until the end. I checked that the elders were coming towards the door and ran quickly to hide. Hello! You can also buy the advanced chapter in Ko-fi now, just click the ko-fi button and look for the title of the novel in shop. Thank you for your support!
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