The Noble Girl Living in Debt Chapter 11

Chapter 11: A Kitten and a Kitten and a Cub!?

Translator: BabyDalyn

TLC: Krrizis

Editor: Momielxai

First published on Ainus.h.i.+

Bernard was trying to come up with a plan on how to deal with Agnes. However, it was difficult for him to come up with a solution immediately. It was too great of a problem to be handled alone.

“—Captain.”

“What is it?”

“There is something I would like to consult with you.”

As he had declared with a serious face, Lazare decided to listen carefully to him after work and proposed that to him.

“No, I want to think about it a bit more so can we talk about it tomorrow?”

“I understand. You can tell me anytime.”

“Thank you very much.”

Even though he knew that it would be better to report about the matter as soon as possible, he felt that he shouldn't discuss it when his feelings were all over the place. Lazare too, felt the same.

“You don’t need to worry about it. It’s alright to talk things out when you're lost but in the end, it's you who decides. It's fine, to a certain extent, to mull over the problem.  “

However, he was warned not to exhaust himself over it.

◇◇◇

After the closing bell rang, Bernard started making his way home.

The sky was cloudy. It was windy and there were dark clouds rapidly drifting about.  While glancing at the sky he thought that it’ll just be a matter of time before it begins to rain.

He picked up the pace and hastened towards the carriage stand when it suddenly began to pour.

Given that he was drenched from the rain, the other pa.s.senger will look coldly at him should he decided to board the carriage. As Bernard had experienced this many times in the past,  he decided to seek shelter from the rain under the shade of a closed bookstore.

The drizzle gradually grew into a storm.

Come to think of it, he remembered that Gigille had told him that he better brought an umbrella with him.

Since the sky was clear in the morning, he thought that it’ll be fine not to bring one.

Bernard’s mother had always told him time and time again that her words were never wrong so he should listen to her. Those words surfaced in his mind now.

Luckily, it will repeatedly pour down suddenly then stop during this rainy season. It never rained for long. He decided to wait in front of the bookstore since it would clear up soon.

As he expected, the storm slowly died down and became a drizzle.

At this rate, it was possible to board the carriage without being too drenched from the rain.

Still, he thought it would be better to cover his head with his cloak, just as he unfastened the top b.u.t.ton of his cloak, he heard something like a meow from behind him.

—Meow, meow

It was a cry from a weakened cat.

Wondering where the sound was coming from, he looked around when he noticed underneath an empty wheelbarrow was a box with a kitten inside. He didn't hear it then due to the heavy sound of the rain.

Crouching down to take a look, he locked eyes with the extremely malnourished cat. As it quivered, the cat mewed as though wis.h.i.+ng to be saved.

It's body was slightly dirtied by mud and there was mucus acc.u.mulated in the corner of its' eyes, making its' eyes half-opened.

With one glance, he knew the kitten had been abandoned.

While it rains, there was hardly any pedestrians crossing by. The nights were extremely cold these few days. Barnard knew well what would happen to the kitten if he left it alone and headed home.

—Meow, meow!

The kitten seems to be desperately begging for something. Was it hungry? Was it cold? Bernard didn't know.

As he was looked at it, he felt his heart tightened.

The kitten had clear blue eyes and if he look closely, it's fur was gold.

It was crying —meow, meow with its forelegs raised against box. Looking at it, Bernard thought it resembled Agnes when she clung onto him last night.

Bernard felt helpless before the kitten.

He recalled the words his father left him several days ago that he had forgotten, "When you're unable to reach an answer, abide by the knight's doctrines".

Before he realized, the rain had stopped. The sunset was slightly visible in the sky.

“—d.a.m.n it!!”

Bernard wrapped the box with the kitten inside with his cloak and stood up. After that, he rushed over to the carriage stand.

The kitten didn’t make a sound whilst inside the carriage. Bernard was relieved that the cat was able to read the situation.

By the time he finally reached home, the neighbourhood was completely dark. With heavy steps, he made his way to the entrance.

When he opened the door, Agnes greeted him.

“Welcome home, master”

“….. Ah”

Both Bernard and Agnes wore a grim expression.

Both of them had things they wanted to talk about but they just stared at each other without uttering a word.

Agnes's wet blue eyes were similar to the abandoned kitten earlier.

It was difficult for Bernard to read the mood oozing from them.

Still, there are some aspects that he easily understood.

It was a given fact that Bernard considered the kitten and Agnes "weak".

The actions he ought to take as a knight was very simple.

The moment he realized it, he resigned himself to it.

“Hey”

“Yes?”

Bernard took out the box with the kitten from underneath his cloak. He then handed it over to Agnes.

“From now onwards, it's your duty to look after this kitten.”

“! ?”

“Ask Gigille if you don't know what to do. She used to own a cat in the past.”

“U, Um, I, I.”

As he pushed the box to her, Agnes stared at Bernard dumbfounded.

Receiving the box that had been handed over to her carefully, she held it in her chest tightly and asked.

“Is, is it really alright for me to stay here?”

“Suit yourself”

“Th, thank you very much”

“However, there is one condition”

“?”

“It's not written in the contract however—”

Agnes was surprised by the additional condition he gave.

That was, he forbid her from going out to town. If she needed anything, she was told to ask them from Gigille.

“Lest I should be unable to protect you—”

“Yes, there won’t be a problem.”

Agnes gave a prompt response.  Unaware that her teary eyes were sparkling brightly.

Bernard was astonished by her immediate decision. Meow — he heard the cat cry and came to his senses.

“I–if you were to violate the terms, you will be immediately dismissed”

“Yes”

There was practically no one curious enough to venture into this dense forest. So long as she does not step out of the mansion, he doubt she would ever be discovered.

“Master, I’m really thankful”

“Never mind that. Have Gigille look at the cat”

“Understood”

Bowing quickly, Agnes left the entrance. She displayed a cheerful expression at the end.

Watching her from behind, he saw her leave with mixed feelings

After dinner, there was a report from Gigille about the kitten.

“Is it doing alright?”

"Yes, it's been weaned"

Since it's about a month old, it was in the state where the kitten has already developed teeth and is able to eat kitten food.

There won't be any problems raising it if they were looking after it for the time being.

“Let her take care of the cat for the moment.”

“Certainly”

Since he’s was bad with names when he was asked to name it, he left Agnes with the responsibility of naming it.

While he was at it, he told her that he had decided to officially hire Agnes.

Regardless of whomever asks about her, they were told not to disclose anything.

“….. I agree. The Le Verges family is in the spotlight.”

"I'm relying on you"

“Yes. I've also instructed my family to be prudent.”

Lastly, Bernard asked Gigille a question.

“This is just a 'what if' but if I were to be suddenly stripped of my position as a knight, disinherited from the family and expelled from the kingdom, what will you and your family do?”

He was asking about her. Gigille stared at him in wonder. However, it was soon replaced with a smile.

“If that were to happen, I'll open a shop in the countryside. How does a remote restaurant ‘The Kitten and Cub’, sound?”

“Why!?”

“We'll use meat from beasts hunted by my husband in the forest and Allen will handle the cooking. Yep, and we'll use the vegetables that Dominic has grown! I'll leave the serving to Eric. It'll be a cafe at lunch time, so I'll serve customers with Carol and Celia's homemade sweets. It’ll also be great to have a cute poster girl. —My goodness! When you think about it, doesn't it sound fun?”

“You're surprisingly positive”

“C'est la vie. Life is short so enjoy it”

He sighed deeply, all this time his worries were all for naught.

That's the way life works. You lose if you're pessimistic.

That resonated deeply in Bernard’s heart.

Hi guys, I’m helping Baby to post her chapter this week. Miss this? Well, I have good news for you. We have two chapters queued up that’s ready for release. If you want them out sooner, keep your eyes posted for an announcement tomorrow on Volarenovels. Yep! That’s right! We’re partnering with Volarenovel for an upcoming event! There are other projects queued for this such as Loner and Juliet! So make sure to look out for the announcement.