“D-Don’t say things like that. You’re liable to be overheard, and Master wouldn’t be happy,” Chestnut replied in a panicked haste.
“It’s fine. Besides, he’d be in the kitchen around this time anyways, no?”
Though her master was wealthy and kept many maids in his employ, there were none who tended to the kitchen. He cooked all of the meals himself and, as such, remained there until he’d finished preparing dinner.
“All right, well, I’m off that way now,” Tigaro said. As she went to open the mansion door, a wine glass nearly fell from the tray. Chestnut opened the door for her.
“Here, let me take that glass,” she said cheerfully.
“That’d be a huge help, thanks. I’d never hear the end of it if I broke it. Are you done out here, though?”
“Yeah. I already watered the plants. Now I’m supposed to meet up with the cleaner and start weeding around the house.”
“It’s so nice that you get to work outside, Chestnut. I’d love an assignment like yours.”
“I think you have it better, Tigaro. Only one person gets to work as the server. It’s proof that the master trusts you. That’s an incredibly high honor, if you ask me.”
“Sure, but it’s so dull. I bring food over three times a day and then I spend the rest of my time on standby in my room. I’d like to actually exert myself once in a while, you know?”
Chestnut chuckled a little, as though she found Tigaro’s words strangely amusing.
“You’re not at all how you look, are you Tigaro? You’re so adorable, but inside, you’re like a determined boy.”
“Hey, I-I’m not cute,” Tigaro said. She felt embarrassed and her cheeks grew hot.
She was not aware of it herself, but she was objectively quite beautiful. As a matter of fact, it was Tigaro’s good looks that had gotten her hired in the first place.
She had been an adventurer just two years earlier. In the course of her duties carrying luggage and equipment for the human party members, she had passed through the seaside town in which she presently resided. When the mayor happened to lay eyes on her, she was offered the position right away. He’d told her that nothing added flair to a well-cooked meal like a beautiful woman to serve it. For that reason, only the most attractive maids were entrusted with the position.
The maid who’d previously held the job had needed replacing after she fell and injured her face. When Tigaro’s employer told her that she’d spend the time between deliveries on standby in her room, he had explained that it would be to prevent her from accidentally ruining her beauty, too, with a wound. A measure of preservation.
Tableware in hand, Chestnut and Tigaro made their way to the kitchen.
“Excuse us.”
They entered. Inside, a middle-aged man was washing vegetables. He was thin, with dark bags beneath his eyes and scant few hairs left atop his head. Despite his high station as the headman of a large town and his great wealth, the man looked quite unhealthy.
“We’ve brought back the plates, Mr. Monstro,” Tigaro said with utmost politeness.
“Set ’em down there. Did Mr. Beelzé say anything about the food?”
“No, nothing.”
“I see... Well, set the tableware down and get out, then.”
“Understood, master,” Tigaro said, placing the dishes in the sink before turning to depart alongside Chestnut. They were on their way out when, suddenly, something fell to the floor with a thud loud enough to make Tigaro’s heart jump in her chest. Startled, she pivoted around to see a bottle fallen at Chestnut’s feet.
The walkways in the kitchen were narrow. Chestnut, failing to take account of her large, fluffy tail on the way out, had knocked it over by accident.
“What the hell are you doing?!” shouted Monstro, picking up the bottle with a rapid change of expression.
“I-I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Monstro!” Chestnut said, lowering her head apologetically as her skin went deathly pale.
Monstro grabbed Chestnut’s ears tightly.
“Hey,” Tigaro demanded, “what are you—?!”
“I’m so sorry! I’m really, really sorry!”
“Is ‘sorry’ supposed to make me feel better?! That wine was set aside to be served to Beelzé tonight! What the hell would I have done if you’d broken it, hmm?!”
“H-Hey! It didn’t even break. It’s fine! Besides, we have tons of other wine if you need a replacement!” Tigaro said, pointing at the wine rack.
“Shut up!” shouted Monstro without letting go of Chestnut’s ears. “That wine was perfectly suited to tonight’s dish. ‘Tons of wine,’ come on! Don’t take that tone with me. Who do you, a lowly, vulgar hybrid, think you’re talking to with that attitude anyways?”
“To you!”
“To ‘you’? You will address me appropriately as your master, damn it!”
“Do you think that being master gives you the right to be violent toward us? It—”
“It does if I’ve decided it does! You damn hybrids only get to live comfortable lives here because of my generosity. If you don’t want to go back to whatever miserable lives you led before me, then you’ll remember your place and obey. From now on, do only what I instruct you to do! I don’t remember giving you permission to enter anyhow!”
Chestnut’s face contorted with pain as Monstro yanked on her ears. She began to apologize through her distorted expression.
“I am so terribly sorry, Mr. Monstro! I promise I won’t come into the kitchen again! P-Please forgive m—”
“You too, Tigaro! Beg for my forgiveness!”
“No, I refuse to apologize!”
“You want to get fired then, you bitch?”
“Fine! I’ve already decided that I won’t work for you anymore no matter how much you ask. Fire me or not, it makes no difference to me!”
“You ungrateful little... Get out of here! Immediately!”
“I will!” Tigaro shouted tersely. She left the room immediately and rushed straight to her room. As she was packing her stuff, Chestnut entered looking apologetic.
“I... I’m sorry, Tigaro. It’s my fault that—”
“It’s not your fault, Chestnut,” Tigaro said. “Are your ears okay?”
“Y-Yeah. They still sting a bit, but... More importantly, are you really not going to apologize to Mr. Monstro? You’re the only one who serves the food, Tigaro. If you apologize soon, he’ll probably still forgive you,” Chestnut said.
“I’m not going to, really. I’ve had enough of working under humans,” Tigaro said. Humans thought they could just treat hybrids however they pleased and have them quietly take it. It was the same when Tigaro had worked in the city: her employers had rubbed and grabbed at her tail, and even the smallest pushback would lead to dismissal. When she became an adventurer, she’d been paid terribly and pushed around by everyone she worked for. Since hybrids were replaceable, other party members had seen no issue with abusing her. The memories were terrible.
When hybrids worked under humans, harassment and discrimination always followed. Wherever she worked it was the same. Still, she had to earn money. For financial reasons, it had been easy to decide that taking employment at the mansion was a less objectionable option than any other.
But I’d rather be fired, thought Tigaro, then bow down to the human who manhandled my friend.
“B-But...what will you do?” Chestnut asked. Perhaps feeling responsible for Tigaro’s situation, she was anxious thinking about her friend’s future.
“Well,” Tigaro said, thinking, “it’s been two years since we’ve seen each other, but Frieze is still in the royal capital’s Hybrid Town. A long time ago, when we were younger, she asked me to become adventurers with her once we grew up. That’s what I’ll do.”