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Chapter : 19
“Whine, whine!”
Evelyn, who was in my arms, let out a cute little sound as if she couldn’t stand feeling cramped anymore.
Puppies are the best…
I felt like I was about to get a nosebleed.
I finally understood why Maria sometimes bullied me and said weird things like, “Please cry for us, Lady Shana!”
Cute! She’s so cute I could die!
Everything about her was adorable, but if I had to choose, the cutest things were the drool dripping from her slightly open mouth while she slept soundly, the little whimpers she made after realizing she felt uncomfortable, and the way her round, stuffed belly rose and fell with every breath after eating so much.
No. I can’t say that’s all of it.
The tiny teeth visible between her black lips were cute. The shape of her moist, split nose was cute. The black eyes that checked to make sure it was me when I petted her were cute. The way she looked at me, closed her eyes again, and stretched out her short limbs was cute too…
There isn’t a single part of her that isn’t cute. This is a problem. I can’t choose.
Her legs were short and chubby, and she even had jelly-like paw pads on the bottoms of her feet. What was this? Some kind of ultimate weapon? Was she specifically designed to make my heart explode?
“Lady Shana, your expression is incredibly serious.”
“Did the puppy do something wrong?”
“Should we scold her for you?”
Maria and Ella asked.
What? Scold my baby?
“No. I’m admiring how cute she is.”
Just try scolding her.
“Weren’t you glaring at her?”
“No! I was just wonderin’ how somethin’ could be this cute….”
What did she eat and grow up on to become such an adorable creature?
Maria burst out laughing at my sincere confession.
“What are you talking about? From our perspective, you’re much cuter, Lady Shana.”
“She grew up drinking Bailey’s milk, and yet somehow she’s this adorable. It was honestly surprising.”
Ella casually said something outrageous.
Was she saying Bailey had nothing to do with it?
Bailey had gone to the kitchen to get my lunch.
“Even Bailey’s son isn’t as cute as Lady Shana.”
“So we’ve concluded that what a living creature eats has absolutely no effect on how cute they are.”
“That’s too mean to Bailey….”
It was funny how they seemed to respect Bailey while also being completely ruthless toward her.
“Whine.”
“Yes, Eve. Eve’s cute.”
“Lady Shana, are you going to say nothing but that all day?”
Maria asked in a somewhat sulky voice.
Maybe I’ve gone a little overboard.
I had slept in relatively late today.
The commotion in the middle of the night had left me short on sleep.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I checked the spot beside me.
Evelyn was curled up asleep on the cushion as if nothing had happened, and I felt relieved.
As usual, Mother and Father came to give me a good-morning kiss before breakfast.
“In the end, we’re weak when it comes to you, Shana.”
Then they put a necklace on Evelyn as a gift.
It was a gold necklace adorned with a red gemstone that matched her black fur.
Honestly, since it’s Mom, I feel like she probably put some kind of trick on it.
I wanted to take it off because I had no idea what kind of magic she might have placed on it, but I couldn’t undo the metal clasp with my own hands.
My short, chubby fingers still weren’t capable of delicate work.
Darn it.
Mom definitely knew that and chose a gold necklace on purpose….
On the other hand, I also believed my parents would never give Evelyn anything harmful.
If it had been something like a dog collar, I would have cried until they took it off, but this was gold…
And the gemstone looked expensive too…
Evelyn, when I grow up, I’ll definitely take it off for you.
Just endure it a little longer.
After all, allowing a beastkin into the household and letting her stay by my side had probably already required my parents to make many concessions.
“You need to eat as well, so put the puppy down now. Evelyn, come here.”
Evelyn, still in my arms, cautiously glanced at me.
What was that?
Was she saying she’d only listen to me?
She was already cute enough, but if she did things like this…
“Cute! I’m gonna kiss you!”
“L-Lady Shana!”
The moment I planted a loud kiss on the top of Evelyn’s head, she stepped back in surprise and transformed into her human form.
Unlike yesterday, when she had been wearing nothing but a rough cloth, she looked quite neat today.
In fact, she had been dressed like this last night as well.
Like Maria and Ella, Evelyn wore a maid uniform made of navy blue and white, but because it was much smaller, it looked more like a school uniform to me.
“Eve looks awesome! Amazing! Clothes appeared too!”
No matter how many times I saw it, it was incredible.
Without realizing it, my eyes sparkled and I clapped so hard my palms hurt.
Evelyn grabbed my hands as they made loud clapping sounds.
“Your palms will hurt.”
“No. More importantly, Eve, how’d the clothes work? Do they just appear when you transform? Poof?”
“The clothes I was wearing return with me. I don’t really know the principle myself. I’ll ask Lord Renat later and tell you.”
“What about your ears? Gone?”
“Ah, you mean like this?”
Evelyn raised a hand above her head.
Dog ears popped out from among her hair.
“Gasp…”
“Lady Shana?!”
My heart…
“Y-you’re too cute….”
“Huh?”
“Eve, c-can I touch them just once?”
Evelyn’s eyes widened.
Had I been too rude after all?
Nervously, I clasped my hands together.
Then Evelyn smiled brightly and lowered her head toward me.
“If it’s you, Lady Shana, you can touch them as much as you want. I’d actually like that.”
“Sniff….”
“Lady Shana? A-Are you crying?”
“No….”
I’m just…
Too happy…
I reached out and gently touched the soft, squishy ears.
The fluffy texture and warm body heat seemed to cling to my fingertips.
I was certain the sensation would remain even after Evelyn left my side.
Mina, your sister’s dream came true….
Raising a puppy had been a long-held dream for both me and my sister.
Back when we constantly moved from one relative’s house to another, we could never keep one.
By the time our family of four was finally living together, Mom was in the hospital, and our circumstances were so difficult that even mentioning wanting a dog felt wrong.
So we both pretended we’d forgotten about it…
“Now then, Lady Shana. I know you’re happy, but it’s time to eat.”
“Ah, okay!”
Bailey said as she pushed a cart into the room.
Ella and Maria, who had been whispering among themselves moments ago, were suddenly sitting quietly as if they’d always been well-behaved.
How unfair.
They could have told me what they were talking about too.
“Evelyn, come here as well. You need to eat.”
“Huh?”
“What’s with that ‘huh’? Come sit down. You only drank a bowl of milk this morning. You’re getting hungry by now, aren’t you?”
As if she wanted Bailey to hear, Maria muttered,
“Becoming a mother has really made you affectionate, Lady Bailey.”
Bailey’s expression stiffened ever so slightly.
Internally, I prayed for Maria’s soul.
She always did things like that even though she knew she’d get scolded.
“No, I’m not hungry—”
“Come over here before your stomach starts growling, Eve.”
“……”
That came from experience.
Though hesitant, Evelyn carefully sat down.
Apparently, she had actually been very hungry.
Bailey took a plate from the lower shelf of the cart and placed it in front of her.
Evelyn’s meal consisted of meat, meat, and more meat.
“Wow….”
There was a mountain of meat.
The rich texture, glossy sauce, and fragrant aroma stimulated my senses.
It was adult food!
The kind of food I’d never tasted even once since being born into this world!
“Now, please eat.”
“Um… Bailey….”
“Yes, Lady Shana?”
“I want some too….”
“No.”
That was immediate.
“Wha! How’d you know what I was gonna say?!”
“You were going to ask for what Evelyn is eating, weren’t you?”
“……”
“No. Evelyn is a beastkin, so she needs to eat a lot of meat, but…”
“I like meat too! And Eve’s a puppy! She needs vegetables too!”
“Of course I’ll provide them. I’ve already prepared some.”
“Then why can’t I have it?”
I…
Why couldn’t I have it?
Tears welled up in my eyes as I suddenly felt like a tragic heroine.
Bailey’s shoulders twitched.
Give me seasoned food too.
Salt! Pepper!
The desire for flavorful food that I’d suppressed for so long was on the verge of exploding at the sight of the glistening steaks before me.
“I prepared meat for you too, Lady Shana. Look, right here.”
“No! Not this kind!”
Meat!
Glossy meat!
Seasoned meat!
Peppered meat!
Salted meat!
I’m not even asking for seasoned fried chicken…
I won’t even ask for regular fried chicken…
It’s fried food anyway, so I’ll make it myself later…
But seriously, I’m already three years old.
Isn’t it too much that you still don’t season my food?
Really, isn’t it?
It’s not like I asked you to make kimchi…
Even overprotective modern moms eventually have to make exceptions when eating out!
I had never once gone beyond the estate garden since I was born.
Except for that time I got kidnapped.
I didn’t even have opportunities to eat out.
Sure, the estate was enormous!
The garden was practically an amusement park, and I hadn’t even explored all of it yet!
So it wasn’t like I felt trapped!
But what I wanted was…
Salt!
Honestly, meat without salt was harder to chew and less enjoyable.
I’d continued eating meat only because it was meat.
I might have become able to appreciate the natural flavor of ingredients, but that didn’t mean I enjoyed it.
Maybe my brain had forgotten, but my soul remembered.
That thrilling saltiness and sinful richness of oil weren’t engraved into the brain.
They were engraved into the soul.
No matter how poor things got, Mina and I still ordered delivery once a month and shared that sinful taste…. We knew it was unhealthy, yet we paid good money for it anyway.
The nostalgia suddenly exploded.
“I don’t wanna! If I can’t have that meat, I won’t eat!”
“Someone who never used to be a picky eater suddenly acting like this…”
“It tastes bad!”
“The head chef would cry if he heard that.”
“…Sob… It’s not that it tastes bad, but it’s bland….”
“……”
“It’s too plain….”
As I pretended to sniffle, a real tear actually rolled down my cheek.
I wiped away the tear and then—
Lick.
“Ah! Lady Shana! What are you doing?!”
“It’s salty….”
“I’ll give you seasoned food! Just please don’t do that!”
Bailey cried out as though she were about to burst into tears herself.
I rejoiced at my success for a brief moment.
But then I saw the troubled expressions on Bailey, Ella, Maria, and even Evelyn.
I’m basically a spoiled picky child right now….
The reality hit me hard.
