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Chapter 23
It was only then that Kalterion’s gaze finally lowered toward the beech tree.
Through the thick leaves, glimpses of cloud-like silver hair appeared.
Even from afar, her clear face seemed radiant.
Behind this granddaughter-in-law, a small wolf pup bounced along.
The white, young life rubbed itself against the green grass, yet followed her diligently, as if Bella were its owner.
“Stop rolling around and come quickly!”
The granddaughter-in-law seemed focused on moving forward, but she occasionally turned to urge the wolf along.
Whenever she confirmed the wolf was following, she seemed pleased and continued on with her bouncy, airy steps.
Where was this child going so early in the morning?
“….”
Yet their destination appeared to be none other than Kalterion’s own study.
“Grandfather!”
Since some day in the past, the granddaughter-in-law had begun entering without hesitation.
Now, with those airy steps, she had come to see him again.
“Hello!”
Her unusually loud and confident greeting swept away the dimness that lingered in the study even with the sun up.
“Ugh.”
Bella, sitting heavily on the trunk of the beech in the central courtyard, muttered with a frown.
“What’s the problem?”
She had come to greet the duke early in the morning, yet once again, it ended in failure.
Kyle and Jonathan looked at the young duchess with mixed expressions.
Bella recalled what had happened so far.
Following Opaniel’s suggestion, she had tried to speak kindly and had greeted him.
She had even mentioned topics the duke might find interesting, like the etymology of the name “Cerberus.”
Yet, the duke and everyone present (Edwin, the head maid, and Count Rodik) stared blankly at her face.
A creeping sense that something was off filled her, but at that crucial moment, Opaniel was nowhere to be seen.
“Ah, right. I was supposed to offer concern and praise!”
Late to the realization, Bella’s eyes darted around for something to compliment. Soon, the duke’s meticulously groomed white beard caught her eye.
Even to Bella, the neatly trimmed beard looked impressive.
“Grandfather’s beard is really stylish. I suppose he trims it carefully as it grows.”
“It must take effort to maintain. If it’s alright, I could trim it for you sometime. I’m actually pretty good with… scissors…”
However…
“….”
“….”
As she tried to compliment him, the two members of the Fillmore family instinctively covered their mouths with their hands.
“Ugh! Ahem ahem ahem.”
Count Rodik made a strange noise and bowed his head.
The duke stared at her for a while and then sighed.
“Is that all you have to say?”
“Ah, what on earth is the problem?”
“Um…”
As she mulled over her first failed attempt, a small voice interrupted her thoughts.
A dark-skinned boy with grass tangled in his hair stood there.
Kyle and Jonathan, frowning, signaled him to leave, but the boy—still unaware of social conventions—quietly pointed somewhere and spoke.
“…Can I pet the puppy?”
Glancing over, Bella saw Kero hunting insects in the grass.
“He’s a wild animal. Fierce.”
She didn’t bother to explain he wasn’t a dog.
“My dad works in the stables. I’m like him, so I get along well with animals. I can give him milk too.”
“No, you can’t. He won’t drink from just anyone.”
“I can.”
The tiny troublemaker was persistent.
Bella, unwilling to argue, waved her hand as if to say, do as you like.
The boy, excited, picked up a milk bottle.
And indeed, he was not exaggerating.
Lowering himself slowly, he approached Kero, rolled around with him in the grass, and gently shook the milk bottle.
It seemed he was trying to win the young wolf’s favor.
As a result…
“Slurp slurp slurp!”
“Hehe!”
The wolf, who had stubbornly only drunk from Bella’s hand, now began drinking from the boy’s bottle.
Kyle and Jonathan, knowing how fierce the young wolf could be, raised their eyebrows approvingly, and Bella shrugged her shoulders in acknowledgment.
But the boy’s true intention was elsewhere.
“Leni!”
He glanced at a girl far away and then called her over.
The girl, Leni, cautiously watched Bella before trotting over to the boy.
He asked Bella,
“Can she pet him too?”
Bella, usually indifferent, felt a flicker of curiosity.
She allowed it, watching what the boy would do, and his expression immediately lit up triumphantly.
“Gently rub his back. Not the tail.”
Following his instructions, Leni carefully and slowly petted Kero’s back, while the boy merely observed.
Then…
“…?”
He handed over both Kero and the milk bottle to her.
Why? Didn’t he want to pet Kero himself?
“He’s so cute!”
“Hehe!”
Bella, watching them closely, called the boy over.
“Come here.”
She glanced at Leni, who was pressing her cheek against Kero’s head, and asked,
“So… it wasn’t you, it was because of her?”
The boy hesitated, then nodded.
“Why? Did she tell you to do it?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
The boy’s face flushed bright red. He cupped his hands around his mouth and whispered softly,
“I like Leni.”
Kyle and Jonathan chuckled.
But the human-like boy had been strategizing.
“So, you tried to win him over? To get closer to that girl?”
The boy’s expression quickly fell. Bella’s words sounded like a scolding, that’s not enough to win her over.
The dejected boy hesitated, then pulled something from his pocket.
“I prepared this too.”
“What is it? A four-leaf clover?”
His eyes immediately filled with tears.
Jonathan, feeling pity for him, softly explained,
“The four-leaf clover is extremely rare and symbolizes luck. In my experience, no one has ever disliked receiving one.”
Hearing this, the boy’s tearful face brightened.
Bella, reflecting on Jonathan’s words, looked at him and asked for confirmation.
“So, most people like this as a gift?”
“Yes! My dad gives it to my mom whenever he finds one!”
Excited by the girl’s words, Jonathan nodded subtly in agreement.
Bella focused on one word from the boy’s story.
“Gift?”
At that moment, Bella realized what she had overlooked in her first attempt.
“What’s your name?”
“John Mayer.”
“Good, John Mayer. Can you feed him milk every day? You can bring Leni each time.”
“Really?”
“However…”
The greatest warrior in the celestial realm smiled triumphantly and pointed to a small area on her palm, like a maple leaf.
Kyle and Jonathan, whose every moment supervising the young duchess was a series of sighs and complaints, let out another heavy sigh.
“Ha….”
But John seemed to think the deal was worth it.
By taking care of Leni and the puppy every day, maybe one day he’d get married like her parents.
“Yes, I understand!”
“Uh, Young Duchess…”
Jonathan tried to stop her quickly.
