Tallos couldn’t bring himself to pretend to know him now, so he ended up coming all the way to the servants’ quarters belonging to Niar Palace through the most deserted places possible. This was also the closest, and because Tallos was originally the head servant of Niar Palace.
Currently, since there was nothing to do at Niar Palace, the servants had gone to assist elsewhere, and Tallos was also managing other places.
Tallos and Beni were currently inside the common reception room of the quarters. Because this was the only place suitable for the two of them to talk. Beni fidgeted, then when Tallos smiled and told him to sit, he sat stiffly on a table chair.
Since something was bulging like horns from the part of his head covered by the blanket, Tallos had no choice but to be certain that he was indeed the Demon King’s rabbit.
Then… was he a beastkin? However, ordinary beastkin couldn’t live long in the Demon Realm. He’d heard at most five years. Moreover, since he was called a spirit of the Ravencoat Count household.
‘He must be a half-breed.’
After calmly organizing his thoughts, Tallos felt he somewhat understood why Beni was doing this. Because in the Demon Realm, the perception of looking down on beastkin was prevalent.
An ambiguous thing that was neither beast nor human, considered lowly for resembling monsters, yet a weak race that could only be helplessly victimized because they were weaker than demons.
The demons wouldn’t leave such a frail race that was good for tormenting alone. The shame of demons arbitrarily bringing beastkin and using them as they pleased was deeply rooted in their history from long ago until now. Needless to say for beastkin half-breeds mixed with that blood. Beastkin were already lowly, and the existence of half-demons mixed with that lowly blood became their joyful object of hatred.
The awareness that beastkin should not be persecuted had spread only relatively recently, and in the stuffy aristocratic society, considering them lowly was still regarded as common sense.
‘I did hear talk that Count Ravencoat frequently participated in beastkin auctions before.’
Since Tallos was also from a noble family though low in rank and poor, he roughly knew what talk circulated in social circles. After finishing organizing his thoughts to some extent, Tallos sat across from Beni. Tension and fear permeated from Beni who was examining all of Tallos’s actions.
“By any chance, does His Majesty the Demon King…”
At the word Demon King, Beni’s complexion immediately turned deathly pale. At that reaction, Tallos realized at once that Beni didn’t know he was the Demon King’s rabbit.
Then did the Demon King also… not know his rabbit was a beastkin?
In any case, for now it seemed better to disguise Beni as a servant.
Since the current Demon King Ruan had entered the Demon King’s Castle a year ago after the Second Prince went missing and was ultimately stripped of his successor position, Tallos didn’t know what his true personality was like.
He’d entered as the successor, so he would’ve naturally become Demon King just by waiting, but blinded by the position, he killed his own father—he could only surmise that his disposition was cruel no less than the previous generation.
Or perhaps not—still, the previous Demon King had shown some affection when his children entered the castle, so he might have been better. His violence was always directed only at the Demon King’s Castle’s servants and attendants.
When such a Demon King said he was raising a rabbit at first, how unbelievable it was.
So if the Demon King truly didn’t know and was raising him without knowing he was a beastkin, Beni could become endangered. Seeing that Beni turned deathly pale just from mentioning the Demon King… all the more so.
Tallos fell into deep contemplation. If he got more involved from here, his own position might become precarious. Though he’d brought him to the servants’ quarters, he still had the ability to withdraw from this matter.
However, it was also difficult to ignore that innocent face staring straight at him like that. Looking at those bright, sparkling eyes, he seemed to think of his young nephew. After pondering for a long while, Tallos ultimately lost to Beni’s earnest gaze.
Let’s try protecting this rabbit for now.
He’d have to see a bit more how things would flow later, but coincidentally, there was currently much personnel change within the castle. In such a time, it would be hard to notice even if he slipped Beni in as a servant belonging to Niar Palace.
Moreover, if he had him work at Niar Palace, it would be convenient for himself to manage, and for the time being, there would be no major problems for Beni himself to work.
“First, since I’ve already seen the ears on your head, stop trying to hide them. And I am Tallos, the head servant of Niar Palace.”
His bright yellow pupils trembled finely as he rather gripped the blanket even tighter.
“I don’t have bad feelings about beastkin. I think they’re just victims who suffered cruel things. If demons hadn’t abducted beastkin in the first place, beastkin half-breeds wouldn’t have been born either.”
This wasn’t a lie but sincere. Since all kinds of mixed-race species existed in the territory where Tallos grew up, he sympathized to some extent with the pain of being ostracized for being different. Perhaps Beni also felt such sincerity, as he slowly pulled down the blanket. Two white ears perked up, rising upward.
Now that he looked, from the hair to the fluffy ears, it was very similar to that pet called the Demon King’s rabbit. Since Tallos worked in places where the rabbit didn’t appear often, he’d never actually seen it, but he’d heard a gardener’s description of the rabbit.
〈Something was creeping around in the corridor! What looked like a big cotton ball was waddling around! I was startled and tried to catch it, but it turned out to be His Majesty the Demon King’s rabbit! But the funny thing about that rabbit is, it looked at me and suddenly whoosh climbed right onto a feather duster and pretended to be a feather duster! Do rabbits these days even learn concealment techniques? Anyway, since His Majesty the Demon King said to pretend not to know, I passed by pretending not to see, but really. How peculiar.〉
Cotton ball… Just looking at Beni’s hair, he could understand why that comparison was made.
“If you haven’t been assigned where to serve yet, let’s make you belong to Niar Palace.”
Niar Palace… Beni hesitated for a moment, then nodded his head.
“All servants use rooms with two people per room. Empty rooms are…”
Tallos became quiet as if lost in thought for a moment. He recalled the rooms remaining in the servants’ quarters. The Demon King’s Castle had a better environment for servants than other places. In other noble estates, it was generally common to have multiple people stay together in one room like a chicken coop, but this place consisted of two-person rooms even if small.
One completely empty room, and one room being used by a servant alone.
The completely empty room was the largest room among the servants’ quarters, where multiple servants had stayed before. It was the very last room, and cold air particularly gathered there making it damp, with mold continuously growing. Moreover, it became a room left vacant because servants who stayed there all said strange sounds were heard to the point they couldn’t sleep.
Then…
Tallos felt a slight headache. When Tallos grimaced alone and grasped his forehead letting out “Aiyoyo…” with a sigh, Beni also became nervous in response.
‘Is there some problem?’
Before long, Tallos shook his head side to side and spoke.
“…The servant child sharing the room might be a bit, very peculiar.”
At those words, Beni nodded as if it was nothing, and only then did Tallos notice something strange. The fact that Beni hadn’t said a single word until now.
“Can you not speak by any chance?”
At that question, Beni belatedly let out “Ah!” in exclamation.
Right, he was a person now.
Perhaps because he’d made a sound with his voice after a long time, the end of his voice cracked. Beni suddenly thought that if just living as a rabbit for three months was like this, if he lived a lifetime he might forget how to return to his true form.
“N-no, I can speak.”
Hearing his own voice, he worried whether the servant—no, Tallos—might realize his identity, but fortunately he showed no particular sign. It was certain he truly didn’t remember him at all.
When he encountered Tallos at Niar Palace, he thought he’d now be driven out from the Demon King’s Castle, but he never expected to be mistaken for a servant. His appearance was, after all…
Beni recalled himself with only a single blanket wrapped around and no shoes. If he became a servant of the Demon King’s Castle, he wouldn’t have to live in hiding anymore, right?
However, the point that he might possibly encounter the Demon King weighed on his mind. But would there be occasion for a servant of the lowest status to meet him?
While Beni was having such various concerns, Tallos asked.
“That’s fortunate. Then what is your name?”
Name… Beni watched for cues before answering.
“…It’s Ben!”
Since the name was suddenly asked, he didn’t know what to answer, and if it was too different from his own name, he felt he wouldn’t recognize it. Then the Demon King’s rabbit’s name came to mind and he opened his mouth as is.
“Ah, Beni. I see.”
Flinch—Beni’s shoulders trembled. Amusingly, Tallos had misheard and it became his original name. Beni pondered whether to correct it, but seeing that he didn’t find it strange even after calling the name, he thought there was no need to do so and nodded his head.
“Yes, Beni.”
Tallos stood up from his seat.
“I’ll give you necessities first, so let’s go.”
“Ah, yes…!”
And so Beni abruptly became a servant of the Demon King’s Castle that he’d dreamed of.
