IYSPF 04

Chapter 04—A White Ball of Fur

The Ether Empire must be ridiculously enormous.

I had no idea how many hours had passed. We’d been riding in the carriage for what felt like forever, yet there wasn’t even the slightest sign of the Valoran Ducal Estate.

Inside the carriage headed toward the Duke’s residence, I—someone from the modern world without even a cellphone to pass the time—had grown so bored that I had started counting the trees we passed.

Crash!

“Aaah!”

A loud bang rang out together with the coachman’s scream, and the carriage came to an abrupt stop.

I nearly tumbled over from the violent jolt but managed to steady myself by grabbing the wall inside the carriage. Judging by the commotion outside, it felt like we’d been in a traffic accident, so I had no choice but to get out.

“What happened?”

“M-My lady, well…”

Beyond the flustered coachman lay a huge creature sprawled in front of the carriage.

A little bigger than a giant retriever? No… more like the size of a tiger.

It resembled a dog, but something about it felt different.

The moment I saw it lying motionless as though unconscious, I hurried toward it, but the coachman stopped me.

“My lady, it’s dangerous! I’ve never seen a creature like this in my life…”

“But it’s hurt. Did the carriage hit it?”

“W-Well… there was definitely nothing there, and then it suddenly flew in out of nowhere, collided with the horses, and collapsed.”

“I’m going to check on it.”

“No, my lady! It’s too dangerous! I’ll go instead.”

“Then let’s go together.”

We approached cautiously.

Even up close, the animal didn’t move at all. Was it dead? No… it was still breathing.

Looking at it more closely, it resembled a wolf more than a dog—the kind I’d seen back in Korea.

It wasn’t bleeding, and when I placed a hand against its neck, I could feel that it was still alive.

“Is there a hospital nearby?”

“A hospital? What’s a hospital?”

The coachman tilted his head in confusion.

It seemed they called hospitals something else here.

“Ah… I mean… is there somewhere that can treat animals? Like a veterinarian?”

“A… veterinarian?”

“I mean somewhere that can heal this little guy!”

“My lady, there are no medical facilities in the Ether Empire that treat animals. They only treat people.”

“Then what are we supposed to do? It got hurt because of me.”

“Oh goodness, how is this your fault? It charged at us first.”

“Then forget the hospital. Is there somewhere we can at least rest?”

“We’re already far from the capital… The closest place now is the Valoran Ducal Estate.”

“…Sigh.”

The Valoran Ducal Estate.

Would the antisocial Duke who hadn’t even replied to my letter really take in this animal?

At this point, I wasn’t even sure I’d be allowed inside myself.

“It can’t be helped. Let’s go there first. We’ll figure something out.”

“Yes, my lady… But are you really planning to take this animal with us?”

“Of course. How could I leave an injured animal behind?”

The coachman looked even more bewildered than I was.

“My lady… in the Empire… people don’t let animals ride in their carriages. They’re filthy.”

“This little one is softer and warmer than I am.”

Filthy?

That was much too harsh for such a noble-looking puppy.

Actually, thanks to Serna’s memories, I already knew that the Ether Empire had no concept of pets.

All animals lived in the forests, and even adorable creatures like dogs and cats weren’t treated as companions—they were considered wild beasts.

Whenever one wandered into the capital, people would throw stones at it or beat it until it fled back into the woods.

There was hardly anything crueler than that.

Beating defenseless creatures that couldn’t even speak.

This world, where the concept of animal abuse didn’t even exist, felt deeply unsettling to me.

No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t just abandon this fluffy white puppy and continue on my way.

It didn’t seem to be critically injured, and even if it turned out to be dangerous, I couldn’t ignore a living creature right in front of me.

“But what if it wakes up? It could be dangerous. Besides, you’re afraid of animals, aren’t you, my lady?”

“It’s alright. I’ll hold it myself. Let’s get going again. How much farther to the Valoran Ducal Estate?”

“If we let it into the carriage, who knows what kind of evil omen it might bring? Absolutely not.”

“…?”

The coachman, who had been showing his displeasure all along, finally raised his voice.

The way he looked at the puppy was as if it were something filthy and horrifying.

“…Fine. I’ll pay you extra. Just let it ride.”

Ignoring him, I bent down to lift the puppy into the carriage.

The coachman suddenly rushed over and shoved me with considerable force.

Already struggling with the puppy’s weight, I fell helplessly onto the ground.

My arm scraped across the dirt, ruining both my sleeve and my skin.

Whether or not he realized he’d just laid hands on a noblewoman, the coachman simply continued glaring at the puppy with undisguised disgust.

The puppy, which had fallen beside me, slowly opened its eyes from the impact.

A pair of jewel-like blue eyes quietly studied me.

“Hey!”

“M-My lady…”

Only then did the coachman seem to realize what he’d done.

His hands trembled violently.

He hurried toward me, but I raised a hand to stop him.

“You know exactly what you’ve just done, don’t you?”

“I-I’m terribly sorry, my lady! I was only thinking that animals must never ride in a carriage, so I…”

“I’ll overlook it this time.”

I looked him straight in the eye.

“But you’re putting this little one in the carriage.”

“B-But…”

“If you’d rather be executed for assaulting a noble, then do as you please.”

The coachman hesitated helplessly before finally giving in to my threat and lifting the white puppy into the carriage.

Silence filled the carriage except for the puppy’s quiet breathing.

Only then did the scrape on my arm begin to sting.

Blood had gathered on the torn skin.

As I carefully peeled my sleeve away from the wound, the puppy lifted its head and gently licked my hand.

“Feeling a little better?”

As if it understood my words, its ears perked up.

Thankfully, it didn’t seem seriously hurt.

I rested its head on my lap and gently stroked its soft fur.

“When we get to the Valoran Ducal Estate, I’m sure we’ll find some help.”

I smiled faintly.

“For both of us…”

The puppy let out a soft whine.

Its eyelids trembled as those deep blue eyes looked at me once more.

They were breathtakingly beautiful.

Unable to resist, I lightly kissed the puppy.

“Yip!”

It gave a startled little bark and shook itself.

For a moment I flinched, wondering if it might suddenly turn into a ferocious beast and attack me.

Instead, it simply closed its eyes again, apparently exhausted.

After I stroked its head a few more times, it seemed much more relaxed.

“You’ll be alright. Just hang in there a little longer.”

After what felt like an eternity, we finally arrived.

“I’m Serna Shube Troide of House Troide. I would like to meet Duke Valoran.”

Just as I’d expected, the gates of the ducal estate were tightly shut, with two heavily armed guards standing watch.

Far from civilization stood a magnificent castle worthy of the Duke’s reputation.

It was imposing…

Dark.

Almost ominous.

Beyond the closed gates stretched a vast field without a single flower in bloom.

Only rows of short trees lined the road.

“My apologies, but without a letter bearing His Grace’s signature, no one is permitted to enter.”

Somehow, even this matched my expectations perfectly.

“Oh dear. I did receive a letter from His Grace.”

I scratched my cheek awkwardly.

“But… wouldn’t you know it? I lost it on the way here.”

“…?”

Apparently my acting wasn’t convincing.

The sturdy guard stared at me like I’d lost my mind.

If anything, he looked even more suspicious of me now.

“I’m serious… We had quite a major accident on the road.”

To prove it, I hurried back to the carriage and showed them the white puppy.

Still asleep, it twitched its ears and shifted slightly at the noise.

“This little puppy ran into our carriage, and when the carriage shook…”

“Gasp!”

Before I could even finish, both guards froze the instant they looked inside the carriage.

Were they simply shocked that a count’s daughter had brought such a filthy animal with her?

Well, they were people of the Ether Empire too.

Naturally they’d think that way.

“It’s not dirty. It doesn’t smell, and it doesn’t bite.”

“Ah… w-well…”

“And just look at its eyes. They’re as blue as the sea. Its fur is so fluffy and soft, and…”

“Gah!”

Again, they gasped before I could finish.

Now they were outright covering their mouths with both hands.

“Why do you both keep reacting like that?”

I turned to look inside the carriage where they were staring.

And there…

“…”

“…”

“…Who are you?”

Before I knew it, I found myself seated across from the infamous Duke Valoran.

The fluffy white puppy had vanished without a trace.

Instead, an absurdly handsome man sat before me.

Considering he had the exact same blue eyes and silver-white hair as the puppy that had ridden in my carriage, perhaps it wasn’t a lie after all.

The puppy really was Duke Valoran.

But how was that even possible?

Neither Serna’s memories nor anyone living in the Ether Empire had ever heard of a person turning into a puppy—or a puppy becoming a person.

With elegant ease, the Duke brushed back his hair and smiled warmly at me as I sat stiffly in my seat.

It looked gentle.

Beautiful, even.

So why did I feel as though I were walking across thin ice?

“My lady, your tea is getting cold.”

“Huh? O-Oh, right.”

I hurriedly picked up the still-steaming cup.

The fragrant aroma filled my nose and gradually helped relax my tense body.

I’d had so many things I wanted to say once I met Duke Valoran.

Yet now my mind was completely blank.

Suddenly, I remembered kissing him when he’d still been a puppy.

The Duke himself looked perfectly calm, but my cheeks instantly burned.

How was I supposed to know the puppy was actually a person?

As I fanned my flushed face with one hand, the Duke spoke in an icy tone.

“I am not a patient man, so I’ll get straight to the point.”

“Y-Yes!”

“I would prefer it if no one learned what you saw today.”

“What I saw today…?”

His gaze plainly said it.

You know exactly what I mean.

Crossing one leg gracefully, he sipped his tea like a man who had stepped straight out of a high-quality illustration.

His silver-white hair shimmered like spun silk, drifting gently in the breeze from the window.

His blue eyes sparkled more brilliantly than any gemstone I’d ever seen.

Watching him lounge so casually in that thin white shirt against his pale skin…

A dangerous thought suddenly crossed my mind.

Get a grip, Serna.

Don’t drool.

Absolutely not.

“If that’s truly Your Grace’s weakness…”

I forced those ridiculous thoughts aside and met his gaze calmly.

“I’d like to make you a proposal.”

Though he still smiled pleasantly, his eyes were as cold as snow in the dead of winter.

Looking into them was strangely suffocating…

And yet mesmerizing.

Seriously, pull yourself together.

“It appears you’ve misunderstood me, my lady.”

“…”

“What I meant was…”

His smile remained angelic.

“If only you didn’t exist, then no one would know.”

Just what kind of person was Duke Valoran?

He wore the face of an angel while saying something so terrifying.

Thanks to him, goosebumps prickled along my arms despite the warm spring day.

“I think…”

I steadied my trembling heart.

“…you’re the one who’s misunderstood.”

“…”

“I’m not planning to use your secret for anything malicious.”

“I’ll repeat myself.”

His smile grew sharper.

“It isn’t a weakness.”

Even faced with that chilling expression, I continued.

Whether Duke Valoran transformed into a puppy or not wasn’t what mattered to me.

I’d come here for another reason entirely.

“I’m planning to start a jewelry business.”

At that, genuine interest flickered across his face.

He leaned back against the sofa with the faintest curl of his lips.

“I need a supplier for gemstones—the most important part of the business.”

I smiled politely.

“But my financial situation isn’t very good.”

“So…”

I met his gaze directly.

“In exchange for keeping your unusual condition a secret, I’d like to receive gemstones on credit.”

“So that is your proposal?”

“Yes.”

I nodded.

“Actually, that’s why I came here in the first place—even before Your Grace boarded my carriage.”

“…Boarded your carriage?”

He repeated in a low voice.

“As… a puppy.”

“…A puppy?”

“…Wasn’t it?”

“I have no obligation to explain myself.”

He looked at me coolly.

“But if I must correct you…”

“…”

“I am a wolf.”

Those vivid blue eyes swept over me once again.

Strangely enough, he looked far more wolf-like in human form than he ever had as an actual animal.

His sharp eyes seemed capable of cutting through anyone.

Honestly…

He was exactly my ideal type.

I’d decided to value money over love this time.

But someone this handsome…

A Duke, no less.

And incredibly wealthy.

That really was tempting.

“Very well.”

“I agree too—…Huh?”

“I accept your proposal.”

“…Really?”

His answer completely caught me off guard.

Just like that?

The notoriously antisocial Duke Valoran?

“Make a list of the gemstones you require and send it to me.”

“W-Wait, Your Grace!”

“…?”

Leaving half his tea untouched, he rose to his feet.

I hurriedly called after him.

There had been something bothering me ever since earlier.

Through the white fabric of his shirt, a vivid crimson stain spread across his waist.

It must have been from when he collided with the carriage.

Did he simply not feel pain?

Or was he enduring it?

There was enough blood to soak his shirt red, yet he stood there as though nothing had happened.

“Are you alright?”

I gently tugged at the hem of his shirt so the fabric wouldn’t cling to the wound.

Caught off guard by my touch, he leaned slightly toward me.

“You were hurt when you hit the carriage, weren’t you?”

I looked up at him.

“Doesn’t it hurt?”

“I’m fine.”

His expression remained indifferent.

“You should leave.”

“If you leave it untreated, it’ll get infected.”

I frowned.

“Please disinfect it and put medicine on it.”

Just as he was about to walk away, he stopped.

Turning back toward me, he lightly tapped the gold-rimmed glasses hanging from one hand against his thigh.

Tap.

Tap.

For a long moment, he said nothing.

I was worried about him, yet his reaction was so strange.

Perhaps the rumors about his poor social skills really were true.

He simply stared at me, blinking slowly.

“What compels you to say such things?”

“Because you’re hurt.”

I answered as though it were obvious.

“So naturally I’m worried.”

“We only met today.”

“So?”

I tilted my head.

“Do people usually ignore someone who’s injured just because they’ve only just met?”

“I usually do.”

The way he calmly admitted that there was something wrong with his personality left me speechless.

His expression was so sincere.

As if he truly couldn’t understand why anyone would worry about a stranger.

“Then…”

Without waiting for my reply, the Duke turned and walked away.

If we didn’t have a contract, I’d have cursed you out already.

You damn puppy.