🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 26
“What the hell are you, really?”
Aldehyde left the Knight Commander’s office and reached the palace grounds. Naturally, he was accompanied by the leashed dog.
For some reason, everyone avoided the scowling Aldehyde and his muscular dog, so he was able to enjoy a fairly pleasant walk.
“Not for going to the bathroom?”
“Kkiing.”
“Then what is it?”
Aldehyde roughly stuffed the poop bag he was holding into his pocket and frowned. The dog continued walking as if nothing had happened.
“Where are you trying to go? Want me to take you home?”
“Kking!”
“Then… a walk?”
The dog’s tail wagged vigorously.
“Ah, okay. Walk it is.”
Aldehyde held the panting dog’s leash and leisurely strolled through the knightly quarters.
Though, did he really need to hold the leash? That muscular dog seemed fully capable of taking care of himself.
“Unlike some cute little pet of a certain lady like me♥, this one seems entirely independent.”
He walked along, lost in thought. But then, the dog started whining and pointed with its front paw toward the animal shelter managed by the palace.
Aldehyde frowned and looked at the dog.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Kkiing! Kking!”
“What mischievous thing are you plotting, muscular dog?”
Despite his words, Aldehyde followed the dog faithfully.
The dog seemed to be looking for its friends, heading past the knightly stables toward the field where small animals were gathered.
Then…
“Huh.”
A familiar face appeared—Lilie.
“Uh, hello!”
“What are you doing here?”
“Eating and walking.”
The moment their eyes met, the muscular dog wriggled and thrashed energetically.
“Kkiing!”
“What the hell…”
Aldehyde loosened the leash slightly with a frustrated expression.
Then the muscular dog bolted energetically toward Lilie.
“Did that ungrateful thing just betray me?”
At that moment, a veterinarian, who had come over after hearing the dog’s whining while checking on other shelter animals, adjusted his glasses and muttered:
“Oh, so the dog and Miss Lilie already know each other?”
“Well…”
They did, in fact.
“She’s the one who rescued this dog from that ship.”
“Ah! That’s why it recognizes her! Hahaha!”
Finally, all the mysteries were falling into place. Aldehyde frowned, but the vet smiled brightly.
“From the look of it, it seems the dog has chosen Miss Lilie as its ‘mom.’ Then the two of you can take care of it! How wonderful! You can take turns!”
Why was this vet so cheerful?
“That way, it’ll be easier to figure out exactly what abilities this dog has!”
…It’s hard to refuse when phrased like that.
After all, the dog’s abilities could provide critical evidence for world peace.
“What the hell kind of childhood game is this?”
Grumbling, Aldehyde frowned but didn’t refuse. He had no awareness that he wasn’t bothered by the idea of this ‘mom-and-dad’ play with Lilie.
“…Mom selection? Out of nowhere, just like that?”
It felt like a dream, but it wasn’t.
The muscular dog clung to me like a piece of gum and showed no sign of letting go.
After hearing the situation from the vet, I brushed my hair back and murmured softly:
“So… basically, what you’re saying, vet-san, is…”
“Yes, yes.”
“That this little dog wants to get close to me?”
“Little? He’s muscular, though.”
Ignoring Aldehyde, I stroked under the dog’s ears. The dog loyally licked my fingers.
I smiled softly at the cute display, and the vet wiped his sweating forehead with the back of his hand and replied:
“Yes, that’s right.”
The warm body of the little dog pressed into my palm. Each time he inhaled, I could even feel the faint heartbeat.
“Oh no… too cute…”
At that moment, Aldehyde muttered while looking at me:
“Don’t tell me… you’re finding that muscular dog cute?”
“Sure, he’s a bit muscular, but he’s cute! He still thinks he’s a baby.”
The dog glanced at Aldehyde and burrowed further into my arms, as if asking me to scold Aldehyde for him.
“Sorry, but I’m number two here, little guy.”
The dog alternated looking between Aldehyde and me. Aldehyde wiped his face dry and murmured:
“But… why me? Not Paul. Paul found the dog too.”
“Kking, kking.”
“Even I don’t know that.”
I chuckled softly at the dog’s quiet little noises.
“Well, at least he’s alive. Right?”
Aldehyde stared at the dog for a long while.
“That’s true.”
Then the vet carefully spoke:
“This dog seems calmer when the two of you are nearby. It’ll be better if you both take care of him together.”
Together… take care?
Just thinking about being close to Lilie made my heart pound uncontrollably.
She’s not my sister—so why is my heart racing?
Maybe the reason I never got a reply from my sister is that she noticed my disgusting, filthy, shameful feelings?
Thinking that way, I suddenly wanted to punch my own chest.
Separately from Aldehyde wanting to punch his own chest, he and Lilie began diligently raising the dog.
[Palace Vet’s Rules for ‘Strong Muscular Dog’]
-
One of ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad’ must always stay with the dog!
-
You must take turns standing watch during day or night.
-
The dog is an omnivore, so please be careful when feeding him.
… -
The dog is still fragile, so help groom his fur. Don’t question whether dogs even groom their fur—just do it.
What is this, rules thicker than a law book?
Unlike me, who checked the rules first, Aldehyde immediately checked the dog’s body and health.
“He’s a male.”
That wasn’t all. He muttered quietly, showing no particular emotion:
“I need to check his mouth to feed him.”
He smoothed the fur near the dog’s mouth and scratched near the ears. The dog leaned on him as if he were its mother.
Aldehyde looked like someone who had raised animals for a long time.
“The pads of his left front paw are scraped. Make a note of it.”
“The left front paw?”
I panicked and leaned toward the dog, then picked up a sheet and started noting the dog’s condition with a quill.
“Yes, understood.”
The wound was so small that you could barely see it.
I blinked at how effortlessly Aldehyde noticed even the slightest symptom.
Moreover, the dog began grooming itself in Aldehyde’s hands.
It looked so natural that it seemed the dog had always been his companion.
“Really… amazing…”
I kept staring at him, astonished. Aldehyde stopped checking the dog and looked at me.
“Why?”
“I always take care of the dog, and I thought you… would just play along.”
Aldehyde casually lifted the dog from my arms.
“He’s heavy and muscular. How could you manage him? I’ll mostly take care of him. You just play along.”
“…Huh.”
“And for some reason, thinking that you work while I do this makes me angry and hot-headed.”
I stared at him quietly and thought:
He’s probably not a villain, but… his personality is fundamentally messy, that’s for sure.
Who would willingly hold this crazy dog’s leash? If such a person existed—and was a good person—the world would truly be peaceful.
Well, that’s not me, so it doesn’t matter.
