Mr. Ekenhart Arrived With A Stranger
“…Phew… It’s so relaxing…”
Having the cold water splash over me had lowered my body temperature, and so the feeling of being warmed up again by the hot water was quite pleasurable.
Now I wouldn’t have to worry about catching a cold.
It was with such thoughts that I got out of the bathtub.
“Your fur really does look nicer now, Leo.”
Thoroughly warmed up, I returned to my room and petted Leo. Not only had she been dried, but her coat had been brushed as well.
Unlike when she was dirty, my hands didn’t get tangled, and her fur was smooth to the touch.
The silvery color gleamed beautifully. She was just as you would expect a Silver Fenrir to look.
“You look so much cooler with clean fur.”
Leo looked proud when I said that she looked cool.
It might not be the best compliment to give a girl, but Leo seemed to like it, so it was fine.
Tonight, I had been able to find out why Leo didn’t like baths, and was able to make some changes, so it was a productive night overall.
Bathing with Leo would be a lot easier from now on. It was with this sense of satisfaction that I got into bed before I could cool off again. And then I fell asleep.
“His Grace, Duke Ekenhart Liebert has arrived!”
The next day, after we had finished eating lunch, Mr. Ekenhart arrived at the mansion.
The servants, Ms. Claire, Tilura, Sherry, Leo and I all gathered at the entrance and stood in line.
I stood with Ms. Claire and the others, and not with the servants.
Last time, it was because I was a stranger…
Nicholas made the announcement and then opened the doors.
I could tell that all of the servants were nervous, now that their master was about to enter.
I had been too nervous to notice such things last time. But I suppose servants were usually more nervous when their master returned.
But thanks to their hard work yesterday, the entrance hall, as well as the rest of the mansion, was incredibly clean from corner to corner.
In fact, the sunlight from the windows reflected on the floor to a near blinding degree.
“Welcome home, Duke Ekenhart!”
Mr. Ekenhart stepped in through the doors.
At the same time, the servants greeted him in unison.
…It seemed to be a tradition here.
Mr. Ekenhart watched the servants bow and he nodded once.
At the same time, a few armored soldiers, who seemed to be his guards, entered.
And then a woman who I had never seen before entered after him.
Who was she? She looked to be the same age as Ms. Claire.
“Welcome back, father.”
“Claire. It’s been awhile…well, not really. I hope you’re well, Tilura?”
“Nothing has changed with us since you left.”
Ms. Claire took a step forward and greeted her father.
Mr. Ekenhart greeted his daughters with a smile.
As a parent, he was happy to see that they were doing well.
And then he turned his attention to me.
“Mr. Takumi, I heard about your exploits. Sebastian was very happy.”
“No, I haven’t done much at all. Most of it was Leo’s doing.”
“Hahaha, you are too modest. Of course, we have much to thank Leo for, but I doubt we would have been able to solve this case without you, Mr. Takumi.”
Mr. Ekenhart laughed and slapped me on the shoulder.
That was a habit he had not stopped… And though it hurt, it was a sign of affection, which meant I couldn’t move away…
“So this is Mr. Takumi?”
The woman had been watching me be hit by Mr. Ekenhart with a curious expression.
Now that I had a closer look, I saw that she was astonishingly beautiful, with delicate features and a slender build.
Her long…was it called ash blonde? hair had curls that reached her waist.
I had never seen someone with this hairstyle in real life… No one looked like that in Japan. It was the kind of hair you only saw in fiction.
“Yes, I will have to introduce you. While you’ve met her, Claire, Tilura has not.”
What was going on? Ms. Claire suddenly seemed disinterested.
I hope it wasn’t because I was looking at the stranger…
I suppose it was because these two had a history?
“Ah, good Leo. And you look well, Sherry!”
As if to say hello as well, Leo and Sherry moved in front of Mr. Ekenhart.
Mr. Ekenhart chuckled and then petted them.
Apparently, the treatment he underwent before leaving the mansion had worked, and he was used to being around Leo now.
While there was still some awkwardness, there was no longer any fear.
“Wuff? …Sniff-sniff… Wou!”
Due to Leo moving closer, the woman raised her voice in fear. Upon noticing this, Leo moved her face even closer in order to smell her.
This happened pretty much every time that Leo met someone new. But in spite of her noble appearance, she let out a very strange kind of sound, which was not the most ladylike.
“Leo. Don’t do that. It will scare her.”
I said, and then Leo returned to me.
The woman took in several deep breaths and tried to regain her calm.
“Haa…haa… What… What is that thing!?”
Once she was calm again, she began to mutter. Though, the last few words were more of a scream…
“Well, calm down. I told you about her. This is Leo. Don’t worry, she will not harm anyone.”
“Don’t worry? When something of that size is approaching you… How can I possibly be calm…”
She continued to breathe heavily as she put a hand to her chest and answered Mr. Ekenhart.
If only she understood how cute and harmless Leo was…