If You're Being Held Hostage, Wiggle the Carrot! - Chapter 33
“If it’s not impolite, may I ask for your name?”
“It wouldn’t be impolite. I’m Ruby de Rosa.”
“Ah… I see.”
She had already assumed she wasn’t a commoner from her attire, but upon realizing she was indeed a noble lady, Leslie felt more uncomfortable. But she didn’t show it. Instead, she smiled brightly and spoke.
“Let’s get along well from now on.”
“Yes, of course.”
Seeing her respond respectfully made Leslie feel somewhat disconcerted. So she pointed to the bunny ears on Ruby’s head and asked Liam, “By the way, butler, she doesn’t seem to know the rules of the Duke’s house?”
“My Lord has given her permission to do so, and I dare not question it.” Liam’s cold words did not deter Leslie.
“That wouldn’t be fair now, would it? The other hires would look at you curiously. You’re a guest, but you’re staying at the Duke’s house, and you have to follow the rules.”
Liam saw through Leslie’s shallowness at continuing to refer to her as ‘guest’ even after she’d asked for her name. Yet, Liam felt limited in openly supporting Ruby.
Wolves are loyal. But that’s for males, not females. Females follow only their own mates.
Liam, caught in this dilemma, unconsciously glanced at Ruby. “Hmm, if that’s the Duke’s rule, I guess we’ll have to live with it.”
His cool agreement made Leslie’s pupils briefly tremble. She had anticipated a negative or fearful response, so the positive answer left her momentarily speechless.
“I suppose the Duke has spoken,” said Ruby. “But I’ve lived my whole life like this. Please allow me some grace.”
“But…”
“As Miss Weaver mentioned, I am here as a guest. Can’t you show some leniency?”
“If special treatment is given to just one person, rules quickly crumble.” Leslie, now back to her senses, provided a plausible answer.
She intended to separate Ruby from the Duke under the pretext of teaching her how to hide her ears. Additionally, she wanted to torment those ears a bit. Carnivorous beings don’t prey on herbivorous ones. They’re not beasts. However, they can still inflict torment. When faced with a weaker being, it was an instinct to establish dominance.
“Yes, so I should learn how to hide my ears.”
“Then I’ll…”
Leslie opened her mouth quickly, pleased that she had gotten the answer she wanted. But Ruby was a step ahead of her, remembering Ivan’s words from a few days ago.
“Since the Duke said he would teach me, I’ll ask. That should work, right?”
As she said this, Ruby toyed with her rabbit ear. Even just touching it made her feel ticklish and oddly uncomfortable. She wondered if she could put them in without any trouble.
“…”
Leslie, tongue-tied, couldn’t continue speaking. Ruby, facing her as she stood dumbfounded, politely acknowledged her.
“Thank you for saying hello, and I hope you enjoy your lunch break.”
Liam, who had been watching from the side, looked at her with admiring eyes. Following closely behind her as she smoothly ascended the stairs, Liam glared at Leslie. And without a word, he signaled her to stop.
Leslie, who was persisting till the end, had no choice but to tightly seal her lips at Liam’s reproach. No, in fact, she had already lost control. Pushing further would only lead her into a disadvantageous situation.
She chewed her lip in exasperation as she looked at the pink ears and hair, something she didn’t see on the Duke. Ruby’s remark about learning directly from the Duke echoed in her ears.
She followed Ruby’s disappearing figure with cold, sinking eyes.
As if she was determined not to lose sight of her prey.
