Chapter 28
Tos, the dog, jumped out of the forest and hung to Elliot’s hem.
“What is this?!”
Elliot was taken aback and leaped.
“Argh!”
Tos shook his head bravely. Elliot’s leg wobbled like a reed due to the strength of the grip.
“Let it go, let it go!…Ugh!”
Elliot leaned forward when Tos pulled hard on the hem.
Tos charged at Claire, leaving Elliot lying on the ground.
“Dear Lady Alicia! Get out!”
Elliot, still stunned, yelled. He could only stretch out helplessly with his hand from his prone posture.
“Woof! Woof!”
“Lady Alicia!”
“Tos!”
Claire exclaimed joyfully.
She knelt to greet the rushing Tos lovingly.
She pressed her cheek against his velvety fur, relishing the long-awaited reunion.
“Tos… Oh, I’m overjoyed to see you… What have you been doing… Haha.”
“Dear Lady Alicia…”
Elliot gazed at Tos while passionately licking Claire’s face.
“This is Miss Alicia’s dog. You can unwind.”
Elliot was comforted by Hanna, who had approached unobserved.
Elliot stood there dumbfoundedly, watching the dog. The same beast that menacingly bared its teeth at him was so gentle with Lady Alicia. Embarrassment poured through him as he remembered how he had panicked.
“Is that right?”
Elliot coughed and stood up, dusting his pants to shake off the unpleasant circumstance.
“How did you find out about me?”
Claire was concerned about Tos when she left the mansion. She was departing for a distant location and worried that Tos would be unable to follow, even if they would never meet again.
Tos showed his happiness by furiously waving his tail.
“He’s quite smart.”
“Hehe.”
“But, he seems to have grown since I last saw him?”
Claire leaned back to examine Tos.
He had changed since she first met him. His body was larger, despite his puppy-like appearance. Even his paws appeared to be thicker.
“Lady Alicia.”
“Argh.”
Tos instantly stood up and bared his teeth in response to Elliot’s command.
“Count Schneider, are you hurt?”
Claire stood up after calming Tos.
Elliot’s clean uniform was soiled.
“Does that dog do not bite?”
“Of course,” she says. “He’s my dog.”
“A dog? Not a wolf?”
“You’re saying the same thing as His Majesty?”
“Do you mean His Majesty saw the wolf as well? When?”
Elliot’s eyes widened in shock.
“At the victory ball.”
“Did he, His Majesty, spare that creature?”
“How could you kill such a cute puppy? Of course, he intended to at initially.”
“Right? It’s uncharacteristic of His Majesty to spare such a terrible wolf…”
“I said it’s a puppy.”
Claire smirked. The continuous comparison to the cute small puppy as a wolf irritated her.
“Well, then, let’s call it a wolf-dog. Isn’t it time to return it, even if it followed the Lady here?”
“We’re taking it to the empire.”
“That could be a problem.”
“His Majesty has given permission.”
“What? Our Emperor say that?”
Elliot exclaimed in surprise, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe what she was saying.
“Excuse me, Sir Elliot.”
Unnoticed, Richard approached them.
“I apologize for interrupting, but I think it’s time to take Alicia.”
“Look at the time. I’ll leave then.”
Elliot, still bewildered, exited the scene.
Claire thought as she watched him walk away, ‘What an amusing person.’
“What’s the deal with that dog?”
Richard approached, a strange expression on his face.
When Tos noticed Richard pointing at him, he bristled his fur and became hostile. Richard, undaunted, held out his hand.
“Don’t come any closer, brother.”
“Hmm?”
Richard tilted his head in curiosity as Claire stepped in front of Tos.
“He’ll bite you if you get too close.”
‘I wish I could say that our dog never bites.’
‘Observing Tos, I noticed he was unusually cautious despite his cute appearance.’
Except for her, he bared his teeth to everyone. He hadn’t bitten anyone, but it was better to be careful than sorry.
“You’re acting as if you’re the dog’s owner. How long has my lovely sister been keeping animals?”
“Well… not for long.”
Claire was uncomfortable. Tos’s existence could no longer be concealed.
“I’d like to know the whole story.”
“We met by chance.”
“By chance?”
“I guess there was a gap in the fence around the mansion. I met him while out walking.”
Claire blinked quickly.
She had unintentionally lied. She may have simply stated that they met in the palace on the day of the victory ball.
It felt stingy to deceive Richard over something so insignificant.
“There was a hole in the fence?”
“He appeared hungry, so I gave him some food. He has come to see me on occasion since then.”
“So he ran that long distance from the mansion to here?”
“Well… yes?”
“Isn’t that risky? Even if the dog is small, flashing fangs like that is unacceptable.”
Tos, who was still hesitant, was pointed out by Richard.
“Additionally, he might become unmanageable once he grows a little bigger.”
“It’s perfectly fine for me.”
“Consider where we’re going. Return him.”
“I don’t want to.”
Claire flatly refused.
Richard lifted an eyebrow, surprised by her firm position.
He swiftly looked around without saying anything before speaking.
“Claire, we aren’t traveling leisurely right now.”
“The Emperor has also given his permission.”
“The Emperor?”
He furrowed his brow immediately.
“He said I could bring Tos.”
“That’s highly unlikely.”
“It’s true.”
“When exactly did he say that?”
“…while out for a walk.”
She had initially gained permission while pursuing Tos after Eiden had kidnapped the creature. But disclosing the complete truth would expose Toss’s unusual tastes, which she quickly avoided.
“Are you referring to the day he unexpectedly visited, using a walk as an excuse?”
“Yes.”
“…”
“I’ll be lonely and scared when we reach the empire. It’ll be less painful if I have Tos. I won’t feel so isolated.”
Claire implored, her hands clasped together. As she gazed at him, tears welled up in her eyes.
“Please, Your Grace. Don’t send Tos away if you pity me.”
“…”
“Please.”
Tears welled up in her eyes and slid down her pale cheeks.
“Whew, there’s no need to impersonate Alicia to get permission.”
Richard massaged his temples, seeming concerned.
“If the Emperor has given permission, I can’t refuse.”
“Brother!”
“But if he causes any trouble, we’ll reconsider.”
“Tos! This is fantastic!”
Claire ruffled Toss’ fur as she cuddled him.
“Hehehe.”
Toss wiggled his tail furiously.
“Let’s go, Tos.”
She could proudly have him at her side now that she had everyone’s consent. She planned on having him accompany her on the carriage ride.
Tos, following her with his tail wagging, stopped after only a few paces.
“What’s wrong, Toss?”
“Kng.”
He let out a quick bark before sprinting towards the woods.
“Tos!”
Everything happened so quickly that she could not catch up with him.
“You claim him as yours. It appears that you have not properly trained him.”
Richard teased her as she stood there in disbelief.
“Haha, maybe he’s just shy.”
“Well, it’s for the best. That dog belongs here.”
“What do you mean?”
“He followed us here, but it will be difficult now.”
“Why?”
“Due to the magical beasts. You haven’t seen them, have you? You wouldn’t know because you live far away from magical beasts’ natural habitats.”
“…”
“However, we must be cautious from now on. The path to the empire is treacherous. There are mystical beast habitats everywhere.”
When Richard noticed she wasn’t answering, he said, “Don’t worry. We have the Emperor on our side. We’ll be safe as long as he’s here. But who knows about that dog…”
Richard cast a pitying look at her.
If she could just tell him, her dog hunted mythical animals.
“This is a major matter. How should we proceed?”
That was all she could say, which made her feel bad.
* * *
She climbed back into the carriage after a short rest.
The person took Claire away before her as she climbed without hesitation.
“…”
Eiden sat, his chin slightly tilted, his gaze fixed on her.
That came as a surprise. His piercing stare sent shivers down her spine.
“Did you have a good rest?”
He finally broke the uneasy pause.
“What exactly did you talk about?”
Claire was perplexed, taken aback by his direct question.
“What do you mean?”
“You seemed to have a friendly conversation.”
“With whom?”
“Lord Elliot.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
“And also Sir Richard.”
Were you paying attention?
She had yet to notice the emperor while roaming around. From where was he watching?
“You seemed to be quite friendly.”
“If you were curious, you should’ve joined us.”
You may have participated instead of just watching.
His eyes narrowed in response to her statement.
A section of her heartfelt hot, and she tried to avert her gaze quietly. Richard had just boarded.
“Let’s go.”
The carriage began to move as soon as Eiden muttered.
Thud, thud, thud.
Claire moved her head away, attempting to ignore his penetrating gaze.
The view outside the window changed. They traveled for quite some time.
“Huh?”
Claire placed her face against the window as she stared out the window.
The dense green woodland appeared to be familiar.
“This is the place!”
She remembered where she was when she saw the giant trees shattered in one way as if something massive had passed through.
“Alicia?”
Claire spun around as soon as she heard Richard’s voice.
“Did you see something fascinating?”
Eiden was watching her with fascination.
“Not really.”