(A/N: It seems we posted at pretty much the same time, I tried to adapt my post to yours.)
"Not in the biological sense, Master."
"What do you mean?"
"Animals lack the intelligence and sapience to agree to a contract of their own free will, as decided by law."
So much for that idea: well, you guess not everything in the world can be about ascended animals.
"They were all, human once? The zoo exhibits? You were human?"
"Yes, yes, and yes this servant once was human, but she hasn't in, a very long time," Missy explained.
"You sure speak in third person a lot."
"Your loyal maid wouldn't wish to be rude Master."
"Did my grandfather make a deal with the devil or something?"
"Your servant is unaware if he did Master, but your servant doubts it. He treated us all with respect and kindness. This servant never asked where the power of the contracts come from. Your servant thinks it is passed down from one Master to the next, Master."
"My name is Noah."
"Yes, Master Noah."
"So you're not here all alone?"
"Some of the staff's contracts were explicitly to last only until your grandfather's death, others were given a chance to renew. The rest are asleep, our staff right now is a skeleton crew. You'll have to likely find new employees Master."
"Do they all have to become naked animal people?"
"It's part of the zoo bylaws Master."
"Are the... animals in the cages like you?"
"We prefer the term 'enclosure' not cages, Master. We are lifetime employees, not prisoners."
You remember vaguely how the enclosures of the various zoo animal did have creature comforts slightly out of style for a typical zoo.
"Wouldn't people wonder about animals going about on two legs with thumbs who can speak?"
Missy sighed. "Most humans when they look at us see a four legged creature because a four legged creature is what they can accept is real when inside the enclosures, outside the enclosures, a mascot in a costume is what they can accept when they look at us. There are circus performers who use similar contracts, and people see them as humans in make up because that's what they can accept as seeing Master. On the plus side, it lets us go around naturally without causing a scandal."
It was slowly dawning that you weren't just now the owner of your grandfather's zoo, but an anthro-animal nudist colony.
After the sandwich, Missy led you to the bedroom, and you told her to be late in waking him up, you were going to need the rest. The castle really was a maze, it would take time for you to learn all the twists and turns.
You decided that you were, tired, and you didn't want to risk being lost all alone here, and Missy seemed harmless enough, and the paper work did say her service contract meant she was now in your employ. Your grandfather's office would be here in the morning, and you didn't want to go snooping around among his things when you were half asleep if he had magical contracts laying about.
As she led you to the bedrooms you looked at your grandfather's collection. There wasn't a single taxidermy or piece of furniture made of animal skin or fur to be found. But there were plenty of paintings, life like and abstract, and statues, glass, marble, metal, and jade. You do notice they're all of humanoid animals like Missy, young and adults, both genders: they were all avians, marsupials, and mammals, and all of them had different expression of happiness on their faces.
You have to stop and stare at the diverse collection.
"Do you like what you see Master?" Missy asks.
Not sure if she meant herself or the works of art, you simply said, "Yes."
"They're all happy to hear that."
"They?"
"Them of course." She gestured at the works of art. "It's an immortal artwork's purpose to be admired and loved. And they're happy to know they fulfill theirs with yours."
"W-wait! All these statues ... they're alive?"
"Of course Master. The former Master did not believe in taxidermy, nor did the Master before that. They felt displaying glorified corpses was in bad taste. They think, they feel, they speak to each other, and since I am part of the estate like they are, they speak to me."
You passed by another room, with several monitors, most of them turned off.
"What's in there?"
"Oh that's the security room Master."
"Why are most of them off?"
"It would be disturbing to the zoo animals if they knew they were being watched while asleep."
Your bedroom is functional and well decorated. You had a feeling it was going to be a long day ahead of you.