“The village?”

Iska’s eyes widened at the sudden proposal.

“Everyone will hate me.”

He quickly shook his head, implying that no one would like someone as hideous as himself.

“No, they’ll all like you. They might be surprised at first, but everyone will love you because you’re cute and kind.”

“I only need you to think of me that way.”

Iska offered a gentle smile, though his expression remained somber. While he now occasionally removed his hat and pushed back the shaggy hair that used to hide his eyes, Iska had concealed his appearance from Rudis for a very long time. Remembering how he once called himself hideous and dangerous, begging her not to keep him nearby, Rudis could somewhat imagine the wounds Iska had suffered. This wasn’t something she could force on him.

“But everyone really would like you…”

In Rudis’s eyes, Iska was truly impressive. Though large in stature with a somewhat dark countenance, he was never frightening. Rather, he was adorable and more diligent than anyone. It saddened her that such an Iska remained confined to the farm due to prejudice.

“Lady Rudis.”

“Yes?!”

Suddenly, Iska’s face brightened. Wondering if he had changed his mind, Rudis waited for his words with wide, expectant eyes.

“I think you should go to the barn now.”

“Why?”

“I believe a lamb has been born.”

At Iska’s words, Rudis put down her spoon and rushed to the barn. Iska was right—the black sheep she had been waiting for had finally been born.

“Oh my.”

But when Rudis appeared, the sheep began making strange bleating sounds. This had never happened before.

“Calm down, everyone.”

Rudis tried to soothe the sheep, but they grew increasingly agitated, jumping and running wildly around the barn. Eventually, a golden sheep pushed Rudis from behind and kicked her.

“Ahhh!”

Rudis lost her balance and fell. She instinctively covered her head, but fear washed over her.

“Lady Rudis!”

Just then, Iska rushed in and wrapped his arms around her. When he appeared, the sheep suddenly flinched and huddled toward the corner. They fled in terror as though confronted by a large predator. Iska hurriedly helped Rudis to her feet and apologized.

“I’m sorry. It’s probably because of my scent. That’s why I tried to stay away from the barn…”

Rudis blinked in surprise, realizing something she hadn’t noticed before.

Iska was a predator—one with sharp fangs. It was natural for livestock to fear him. She belatedly understood why Iska had insisted on doing only farm work.

“My scent seems to have affected you too. I’m sorry.”

“…I see.”

Rudis quietly nodded. In fact, she had noticed this recently—the faint forest-after-rain scent that emanated from Iska had subtly permeated her as well. This was natural since they spent all day together.

But that tail…?

Rudis glanced at Iska’s tail. Behind the dejected-looking Iska, his tail was gently swaying back and forth. Was it moving like that because he was upset?

While Rudis was distracted by the thick, fluffy tail, Iska spoke again.

“…You don’t dislike me now, do you?”

He asked in an infinitely low, sorrowful voice.

“Of course not!”

Rudis shouted without thinking. At the same time, his tail began spinning like a pinwheel.

What’s this? Is he angry now?

Startled, Rudis quickly added:

“Don’t ever think that I dislike you or would come to dislike you. That will absolutely never happen. Understand?”

“Yes.”

At Rudis’s reassurance, Iska smiled with a flushed face, his fangs gleaming in the summer sunlight.

“Then, could I take care of the ranch work from now on?”

“Huh? Why? It’s fine. I can do it.”

“Something like today could happen again. If I do it, you won’t get hurt…”

Rudis shuddered at Iska’s words. Today it was sheep, but there were also cows in another barn. There was no guarantee that Iska would be there to help every time something like this happened.

“I want to help you. You’re so busy… If I handle the ranch work, you could spend more time playing with me.”

It was a very reasonable argument. Iska was large and strong, and judging by the sheep’s reactions, there seemed to be no danger. Moreover, ranch work was indeed burdensome during busy times like these. Nevertheless, Rudis shook her head.

“It’s okay. I can handle it.”

“Is it because I dislike potions? If that’s the case, I’m fine now. I can use them if you teach me.”

Iska hit the nail on the head. That was indeed the main reason she had rejected his offer. Ranch work often required using potions—growth accelerators, breeding aids, health restoratives. But Iska had a strong aversion to potions. Whether due to his past or beast-person traits, he extremely disliked using them.

“You don’t need to try so hard, Iska. I mean it, it’s fine.”

“I did have an aversion to them. But watching you use them, I realized they’re not all bad. I’m okay with them now, so please teach me. I’m begging you.”

Iska pleaded earnestly. And to use the word “begging”—Rudis’s greatest weakness—left her with no way to refuse.

“Alright. But if you can’t do it, or if you dislike it even a little, you must tell me. Understood?”

After receiving his firm promise, Rudis headed to the basement with Iska. In the storage room filled with potions, she taught him about the different types, how to use them, and how to distinguish between them.

Though they all came in similar colored bottles of the same shape—which made them look pretty when grouped together but difficult to differentiate—it was fortunate that Iska could read.

“The deeper the color, the higher the grade. See how these are lighter? I bought them a while back but don’t use them anymore. These days I only use premium potions.”

“What happens if they get on a person?”

Was he still afraid of potions? Rudis found his cautious questioning adorable. She furrowed her brow and lowered her voice.

“Once I spilled fertilizer on my foot…”

“…”

“Enormous amounts of hair grew on my toes! So fluffy!”

She had been so shocked at first. After trying to pluck them out, she ran to Noah in tears. Noah gave her the treatment with an expression that seemed to say “you’re really something.” Of course, it wasn’t free.

“So they affect humans too.”

Iska muttered with a serious expression, apparently frightened by her story.

“Don’t worry! I have the remedy right here! I bought tons of it!”

Rudis pointed to one side of the shelf, trying to comfort the startled Iska.

“Are those fertilizers over there?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Please teach me about those too. I’ll handle them from now on.”

Rudis smiled at Iska’s enthusiasm and walked toward the shelves.

“Hmm. These are growth accelerators that I use when I need to harvest earlier than usual, like when the typhoon came, or before the seasons change. I’ve planted all the summer crops so they can be harvested before autumn begins, so we won’t need these for a while.”

She moved to another shelf and continued.

“Oh! This isn’t a high-grade fertilizer, but it works better than premium fertilizers on legumes. Interesting, right?”

Seeing Iska’s enthusiasm, Rudis excitedly continued her explanations. In truth, this was the first time she had shared her not-so-secret techniques with anyone, which made her heart flutter. Because of this, she failed to notice where Iska’s gaze was directed as she chattered away.

“Ah, Iska, you haven’t seen the greenhouse yet, have you?”

While she was at it, Rudis decided to show him the greenhouse too. It was her proudest achievement—a culmination of agricultural technology created with tremendous financial investment! Almost everything was automated, making it a place Iska had no reason to enter since he only plowed fields and watered crops.

“Wow…”

As soon as the greenhouse door opened, releasing a wave of clear air, Iska let out an exclamation of admiration. Even Rudis thought this was a natural reaction.