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Chapter 11
“This is a restraint.”
As he spoke, Michael pointed to the ring lying on the table.
What kind of restraint is that?
The head attendant, who had personally watched the ring being crafted at the prince’s command, thought to himself.
Although it was called a restraint, the material was comparable to the finest accessories worn by imperial princesses, and its performance surpassed even the protective artifacts reserved for the heirs of great noble houses.
From what he could remember alone, it could generate a multi-use defensive barrier, transmit an emergency location signal, provide light protection against the cold, and even insulate against heat.
Still, as someone who had served in the Crown Prince’s Palace for many years, the wise attendant chose to remain silent.
Talking carelessly inside the Imperial Palace only shortened one’s lifespan.
“If you’re a slave, you should know what this is.”
An ordinary restraint was essentially another name for an explosive collar used to prevent escape.
Of course, the restraint before them possessed entirely different functions, but there was no way the girl standing before him could know that.
“I’ll be using it on you.”
Michael deliberately lowered his voice in an attempt to frighten her.
Yet Eugene showed no sign of being shaken.
For some reason, Michael felt an odd restlessness, as though he couldn’t bear to remain seated.
He quickly gave his next order.
“Put it around your neck.”
Even though he had just handed her something that supposedly held her life in its grasp, the girl accepted it without the slightest resistance.
As instructed, she fastened the ring around her neck like a collar.
Then she looked back at him with eyes that seemed to ask,
I did it just like you told me to, didn’t I?
Those round black eyes held neither caution nor fear.
They were exactly the same as before—
Filled with unquestioning trust.
You foolish creature.
Why did this adorable little thing trust him so completely?
Prince Michael sighed at the lovable foolishness of the girl who insisted on calling herself his dog.
In truth, however, it was only natural that Eugene wasn’t disturbed by the restraint he offered.
She already knew exactly what it was.
Later in the story, before locking the protagonist inside a cage, it would be used to mark him as Michael’s possession and allow his location to be tracked wherever he went.
Canis had hated the magical tool as much as iron chains.
But Eugene had nothing to prove about herself right now, so she had no particular reason to reject it.
Besides, who would be reckless enough to harm someone openly wearing a collar declaring she belonged to the Crown Prince?
Thinking along those perfectly reasonable lines, Eugene casually put on the magical ring Michael had handed her.
Naturally, Michael had no way of knowing the chain of thoughts running through her mind.
He simply stared at her with a conflicted expression.
Why do you trust me?
Do you even know who I am?
Unconditional trust.
Affection without reason.
They were things Michael had never received.
He didn’t know how he was supposed to respond to them.
Prince Michael believed he understood himself objectively.
The mechanical way he handled matters, never distinguishing between sacrifices.
His merciless refusal to show leniency even after a single mistake.
His inhuman manner of carrying out only his duties without ever revealing emotion.
All of those things inspired discomfort in others.
People tried to hide those feelings in front of him.
But the prince’s unusually perceptive eyes saw through them with ease.
“Your Highness is truly a fair person.”
He knew that the same people who praised him like that called him an emotionless prince and a chilling tyrant behind his back.
He had no desire to deny it.
They’re not entirely wrong.
Even he thought there was no reason for anyone to place trust or affection in someone like him.
He wasn’t the kind of person who decided matters based on personal feelings.
In the past, there had been young nobles who approached him hoping to gain advantages through friendship with the Crown Prince.
But once they realized he treated childhood acquaintances and complete strangers from distant territories exactly the same while handling official affairs…
They all stopped trying.
No one approaches me anymore.
And yet this foolish girl had chosen someone like him as her master.
She trusted him.
Even when he told her to wear something rumored to be an explosive restraint, she obeyed without suspicion.
She continued looking at him with the same unwavering eyes.
Whenever Michael met Eugene’s gaze, he could always sense that strangely comforting trust.
No one had ever looked at him that way before.
Simply meeting those eyes made something tangible and warm spread through his chest.
It was a feeling closer to relief than anything else.
How foolish.
Are pets naturally this stupidly trusting of their masters? Or is this girl simply unusually innocent?
Such innocence wouldn’t be treated any differently from stupidity in this cruel world.
Even while thinking that over and over…
That ridiculous trust was simply too adorable.
This one doesn’t seem to possess even the most basic survival instincts. To think a living creature could lack even the ability to sense danger…
Had anyone heard his conclusion, they would undoubtedly have thought something was wrong with him.
I should keep her inside my palace. She must never go anywhere dangerous.
This child kept awakening emotions he had never experienced before.
It was awkward.
Strange.
He felt unable to control himself.
At that moment, Prince Michael believed that was all there was to it.
He had no idea…
That he had yet to experience any real change.
The feeling of affection overflowing.
The simple happiness of seeing someone.
The strength that came merely from having them nearby.
The desire to give them everything simply because they were breathing.
He didn’t know it yet.
But countless emotions he had never experienced were still waiting for him.
In time…
He would encounter feelings that, at this moment, he could not even imagine.
Chapter 2: A Peaceful Royal Pet Life
The first day in the palace.
Even after gradually regaining consciousness, Eugene remained curled beneath the blankets without moving until the sun had climbed so high that it was no longer visible from her bed.
This is comfortable.
At one point, a maid came and went to bring food for “His Highness the Crown Prince’s dog.”
Eugene slowly crawled out of bed and dragged a cushioned chaise lounge beside it.
She placed the tray holding warm soup, white bread, fruit, and milk onto the cushion.
Then she leaned back against the bed again and lazily ate what was somewhere between breakfast and lunch.
Chirp, chirp.
The little toy bird popped out of the clock once again to announce another passing hour.
The fat clock hand now pointed straight at noon.
I really slept in.
She had awakened to a morning where she had absolutely nothing productive to do.
No work.
No worrying about going to the office tomorrow.
It had been so long since she had slept this much that her head still felt slightly foggy.
Even so…
She felt wonderfully refreshed.
Flop.
With a satisfied sigh, she dove back onto the soft bed.
Pulling the silky blankets around herself, she sprawled across them.
What do I have to do today…
Nothing.
There was absolutely nothing she was obligated to do!
Aahhh!
Letting out an odd little cry of joy, Eugene happily kicked the blankets over and over.
How long has it been since I could just do absolutely nothing?
She genuinely couldn’t remember.
Her recent memories were blurry.
All she could recall was an endless cycle of commuting to work and collapsing into bed from exhaustion.
Not that all that hard work had left her with much to show for it.
“…”
Roll.
“…”
Roll, roll.
Pushing aside those gloomy memories, Eugene rolled around on the bed to empty her mind.
…I slept a lot.
Even though she had just enjoyed a full night’s sleep, simply lying there made drowsiness creep over her once more.
…Well, whatever.
She made no effort to resist.
Before long, heavy eyelids slowly descended over her fading vision.
A week passed.
For an entire week, Eugene lived without lifting so much as a finger while remaining on her bed.
As she faithfully devoted herself to doing absolutely nothing with almost obsessive determination, she gradually shed the version of herself that had always been tense and on edge back at the company.
Little by little, she regained a sense of ease she could barely remember ever having.
Along with it, the carefree side of herself that had long been suppressed began to emerge.
Like the child who once looked forward to waking every morning, she slept as much as she wanted, ate only what she wanted to eat, and let time drift by exactly as she pleased.
It almost felt as though she had truly become a child again.
“Please have some more of this.”
“Would you like me to bring more of the cookies you said were delicious yesterday?”
Perhaps because her appearance resembled a young girl who had grown up smaller than her peers from not eating well, the maids naturally treated her with the warmth and indulgence reserved for children.
This puppy life is amazing.
Everything around Eugene had gradually come to encourage and accept her complete laziness.
Ironically, once no one criticized her anymore…
The tiny remnant of something still lingering inside her gave her conscience a gentle poke.
Maybe… I should actually get up and do something.
