Chapter 112

“You said you like animals.”

“How- how in the world is that an animal!”

I contemplated reaching out my hand before giving up, as it felt like my hand would disappear just like that if I did. Though it did have a leash, seeing how Tenon holding it was being dragged over here, I couldn’t feel at ease.

For the time being, I clasped Haniel—who had swooned in shock—to me and buried my head in my hands with her.

[M-Mommyy. The doggy, the doggy ish……]

“Sniff. I’m sorry.”

That I tried to reconcile you with these kinds of humans.

“B-baby. Open your eyes. Please?”

I had thought we were off to a great start, but seeing how this was how the ending looked like only made me think that this was what I’d expected from my life. No point of confusion, just perfectly what you’d expect from my life!

As I quietly stood there, breathing in a state of despair, at some point without my knowledge Rashid had come up behind me.

“What’s the matter? You said you wanted to see the dog last time.”

“…..I diiiid?”

When I lifted my head in a flash, sending messy strands of hair flying, I saw that Rashid looked slightly confused.

But at that moment, a certain somebody’s proud voice interrupted.

“As a direct descendant of the ancient magical beasts, there is only this one, owned by the Emperor, in all of Rohan. You will be hard pressed to see one like him anywhere you go.”

“…..Your Highness the Fourth Prince.”

It’s you. Yeah, so it’s you again.

Listening to Tenon’s explanation that nobody had even asked for, whatever leftover emotions that had been on my face gradually disappeared.

Just as you might expect from the one who had made substantial contributions in making the indifferent emperor an ‘oppressive brother of the worst evils,’ Tenon was excited all by himself.

“Didn’t you say it yourself last time, Duchess? That you were curious of how well one who has been taken care of by all in the palace would be.”

“……..Then this dog is…….”

So it was also you then, too.

As I looked at the growling dog b*st*rd, my cold logic was beginning to come back slowly.

This was the one who had scared my Haniel badly.

The dog of brutal vigor that had taken up an entire page in the novel was now right in front of my eyes.

“…..Duchess?”

“Catherine?”

As if they were awaiting my reaction, the two men’s faces were frozen in nervous expressions.

Rashid’s face had an additional layer of expectations written over it that made him especially hard to face.

“…….Riight, I see. So it was this little guy.”

“Hm, I am thinking of giving it a name….”

“A name, elder brother?”

At least plan so you can be on the same page with each other, you brothers.

When Tenon blinked like he had not a single idea of what he was talking about, Rashid’s eyes fiercened.

But when the magical beast tried to come near me after sensing Haniel’s smell, he sharply blocked its path.

“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.”

“Stop, dog.”

“…….”

Was he reciting a spell or something?

I had never heard a command with this strong an effect before apart from ‘open, sesame’. Seeing the dog stop in its place in obedience to his command, I burst out in incredulous laughter.

“Catherine. It’s nice to see, but don’t go too close. It has an intellect that would be superior to the average human.”

“……superior to humans?”

“According to legend, yes. And based on what I’ve seen, that is roughly correct as well.”

Like it really was understanding his words, the black dog leisurely lifted its head up. Maybe to show that despite its appearance, a dog was a dog, it even lowered its knees in front of the master he’d seen after a long absence.

“Of course, I will tell it to not hurt you, but it does not listen to the words of anyone other than its master, me.”

“It was very hard bringing it all the way down to the North, you know. We were only barely able to bring it down after we had smelt the scent elder brother had left behind.”

Seeing his chance, Tenon piped up about how they had brought the beast down. It seemed like it was pretty haughty itself, not unlike its master, seeing how it didn’t give its tail a single wag even as it submitted to Rashid.

“It will anyhow be very useful, during the hunting competition soon and all.”

“What do you mean, the hunting competition?”

“It is a competition that opens annually in the North at this time of the year. Were you unaware of it, Duchess?”

Tenon asked dubiously, but there was no way I could’ve known.

It hadn’t been a year yet since I had opened my eyes to this place, and even then I hadn’t ever gone out properly until these brothers had come. So whether or not some noisy festival opened on the outside, it was a given that it would have no relation to me.

“…..Catherine? Why are you not answering?”

“Your Highness.”

Compared to Tenon and his tendency to chatter from his own excitement, this man was sensitive to everything.

I didn’t know what reaction Rashid wanted from me in his blatant stare, but only one thing was important to me now.

[….mmyy… Doggy…. Doggy!!]

That our princess had met her older brother just twice and had fainted both times.

“We’ve looked at it enough so go take it back, Tenon.”

“No. We haven’t.”

“……”

“How could we see this wonderful dog for so short a time and send it away.”

I could end things with a sweet smile or two with the brothers, who ‘didn’t have ill intentions at the very least’.

Moving past those who were hesitating to face the black dog, I extended my hand first.

“This is such an important connection, so we could never.”