章 11: The Girl with Red Eyes
The half-wolf's heart was palpitating with nervousness. He even found it strange, because that was the first time, he had ever felt this anxious. Tum dum! Tum dum!
'Maybe thinking all night about this wasn't that of a great idea' He assumed.
After a few moments of looking at the man through the window, the white-haired girl realized that this wasn't a new chef; at least, it didn't look that way from his clothing. Since the man was wearing a hood, she could not initially identify him, until Luke removed it and showed his wolf ears.
The maid, who insisted on carrying the man's luggage, just took two steps back. She knew that the new bodyguard would be a half-beast, but knowing this didn't quell her fear about the old stories her parents told.
With his sight and smell, Luke scanned the mansion and ground in a few seconds. Although it wasn't his job, he wanted to ensure he would be safe by the months he will be there.
"May I meet all the employees of the mansion?" He questioned the maid.
"Of course. But since it's still early, not all the staff has arrived. We have different cooks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, not to mention the various guards. There are also other servants like me, but we vary our hours as well."
Inside the Mansion, Nathalia didn't even have to look at the half-wolf too long; his heavy presence was intimidating, even more so than her instructor. Aiming to be courteous, she quickly straightened up and went into the main lobby to receive him.
When Martha, the maid, opened the door, so Luke could enter, he was surprised by the presence of the girl, who was already waiting for him. Somehow, he hadn't heard her heartbeat until he saw her.
'Skin white as paper, hair as white as the moon.' That's the analogy Luke thought at the moment he saw Nathalia for the first time. The girl's eyes were vivid red, and she seemed to be, in a way, a little innocent.
Even when she tried in every way to look more like a grown woman should look, Nathalia couldn't, because her arched eyebrows and gentle gaze were still there. In contrast to her mother, Ayumi always seemed ready to pounce.
"Good morning, nice to meet you, Miss Nathalia Strogueher." The half-wolf greeted her.
...
"Madam, the young bodyguard is greeting you." Martha alerted Nathalia, who seemed mesmerized by something.
"May I touch it?" Nathalia asked as she pointed to Luke's black ears. She had never seen a half-beast up close before.
Luke, who normally only let Meredith touch his ears because he might also fight back, was hesitant to allow it. While his tail was a weak point because it hurt so much when pulled, a half-beast's ears were a weak point because they provided a little pleasure when stroked.
"As long as you don't pull them or stroke them, it's fine." He spoke.
Nathalia, a little shy and curious, nodded to the half-wolf. He had to lean a little because the girl was shorter than he was. With her right index finger, she touched it for a second and then stepped back.
"They are... cute."
"I use some special products," Luke replied. Because his hearing is an important element of his abilities, he prefers not to compromise it for anything, so he sanitizes his ears very well.
"Yawn! You have finally arrived. Did you have any trouble coming?" A pretty woman, who was walking down the stairs from the second floor to the first, asked after yawning.
Luke looked in the direction in which the voice seemed to come and saw a woman with long, golden hair. Ayumi Yamazaki was wearing a sweater so tight, the half-wolf felt compelled to look away when he noticed that the woman's breasts were almost jutting out.
"Yes, we had some problems at the very beginning of the trip, but they have been completely resolved." Luke was blushing a little. 'Even Meredith wasn't as bold as that woman', he thought quickly.
"Mom..." Nathalia sounded more disappointed than embarrassed. "This is the second time in the week you've come down in a sweater. The first was with the City Market delivery man and now with my bodyguard."
"So, does that mean he's approved by you?" Ayumi approached her daughter and whispered: "You had told me you wanted to test him before, and now you've approved him? Don't give in to the flesh temptations being so young, my daughter."
Nathalia swallowed her own words, turned around, and said to Luke: "If you're not too tired, I would like to test you in advance."
The half-wolf nodded and began to follow her. With a glance back, he saw that the maid, Martha, and the Matriarch, Ayumi, were watching the two of them with narrowed eyes.
Luke, who preferred to not be alone with the young lady, chose to invite them. "Aren't you two coming too?"
"I will go for my breakfast," Ayumi said. She was still looking pretty sleepy.
"Then I must serve you." Luke got surprised, as he would have to be alone with the girl.
"What are you waiting for? Come on!" Nathalia's voice echoed coming from down the hall.
The mansion walls were filled with different art, from paintings, statues, and plants, to bladed weapons. So, Luke felt poorer and poorer as he walked through the house.
"How old are you, Luke?"
"Didn't your mother tell you?"
Nathalia merely denied with her head and continued on the way.
"I'll be twenty soon."
"What?" Nathalia said, astonished. "There's no way you're younger than me."
"Why do you think that?"
"Well, you had just moved to a new town and were chosen by my mother, so I didn't expect you to be under twenty-five. How did your parents let you leave home so young?"
"I don't have parents, so it was easier. Annn... I was living with some friends in a boarding house."
"Living with friends must have been nice." Nathalia said wistfully. Being from a wealthy family, the girl never had the chance to make great friendships.
The half-wolf didn't extend that topic too much because it could be a tactic to discover more about his past. He couldn't really trust a Strogueher.
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