《Fostering the Male Lead》


 Chapter 1

    Rosetta Katzel.


    She was the spoiled youngest daughter of the Duke Katzel, a powerful family that even the royal family couldn¡¯t touch.


    She had quite a twisted personality. She wanted to possess everything she wished for and if she couldn¡¯t get what she wanted, she wouldpletely destroy it so that no one else could have it.


    However, there weren¡¯t many cases where Rosetta destroyed something.


    Because there was nothing that she couldn¡¯t have.


    Maybe that¡¯s why Rosetta got bored of things very easily.


    Whether it was a person, an object, or even her own life.


    After a long time, she finally had an object that she wanted to possess.


    And it was none other than Crown Prince, Sihael.


    After seeing the crown prince at the Emperor¡¯s birthday banquet, Rosetta became fascinated with him and developed a strong desire to have him.


    But what aspect of him captured her heart?


    Was it Sihael¡¯s beautiful appearance? His powers as the next sessor of the highest position in the empire?


    Or was it because he was going to be the next owner of a jewel called ¡®The Heart of Earth¡¯ that was hidden somewhere in the basement of the royal pce?


    That was not at all the case. Though ¡®The Heart of Earth¡¯ was something that everyone coveted, Rosetta wanted something more rare and precious than that.


    It turned out to be Sihael, who was cursed to turn into a wolf on every night of full moon.


    In other words, what she exactly wanted was the man who could turn into a wolf, not the human Sihael.


    Captivated by his rare silvery fur and bright golden eyes, Rosetta decided to be the Crown Princess, a position she had earlier no interest in.


    If she became the Crown Princess, she could have Sihael all to herself.


    But Sihael already had a woman he loved.


    Wolves only loved one female and lived with them for the rest of their lives.


    Rosetta knew he definitely wouldn¡¯t choose her as he thought of her as a horriblepanion.


    So, Rosetta decided to change her method.


    ¡®If I can¡¯t go next to him, then I¡¯ll make hime next to me.¡¯


    What could be the best way for a princess to have a Crown Prince who would be the next ruler of an empire?


    It was to bring the Crown Prince down from the position of the heir of the throne.


    And for that she only had to make up some ws.


    It was nothing for Rosetta to destroy what she loved.


    To do so, she joined hands with the Empress, who knew about Sihael¡¯s curse.


    She thought after making the second prince the crown prince, Sihael would be hers forever.


    Rosetta pushed Sihael into a corner in such a crazy way that no ordinary person would ever think of.


    Many people died in the process, but she didn¡¯t care about it at all.


    Her hideous obsession with possessing something even at the cost of destroying it, was truly terrifying. A state of mind without any morals.


    Sure enough, it was a typical viinous setup.


    But just like in the end of every novel, the main leads got their happy ending and Rosetta died a tragic death.


    That too by the hands of Sihael, whom she wanted so much.


    Like the fate of all viins, Rosetta was hit by the cane of justice and died in the end.


    ¡°Haah¡­.¡±


    ¡°Miss, is there any problem?¡±


    Yes, there is. A lot: lots of problems! Because I¡¯m that Rosetta Katzel.


    It¡¯s amazing that I became a stranger overnight, but I can¡¯t believe I became a viin in a novel.


    And that too, a viin who would be decapitated and then sent off to her death.


    I feel like I¡¯m going crazy.


    What really had happened was that the real Rosetta had died and I somehow came into this empty shell.


    I¡¯m not sure why I came into Rosetta¡¯s body, but what I¡¯m certain of is that I am dead.


    I still remember it vividly.


    The car that hit me while I was walking on the crosswalk and the pain that I felt as my whole body was crushed under it.


    So I was surprised when I saw my condition after waking up.


    After going through such an ident, I didn¡¯t have any broken bones or any grave injuries.


    ¡®I was really surprised when I saw this face.¡¯


    A week has passed since I became Rosetta, but I still haven¡¯t adjusted to this face.


    A cold beautiful woman with lustrous crimson red hair, white, clear skin, and enchanting emerald eyes was reflected in the mirror.


    An alluring beauty that could leave people open-mouthed, but is it because of the vibe she gives off?


    Even if I frowned a little, my eyes turned cold, giving off a very scary impression.


    Is this the viin buff?


    ¡°Shou, should I do it in a different style?¡±


    The frown on my face seems to have frightened the poor maid out of her wits.


    I quickly eased the furrow between my eyebrows and said.


    ¡°I like it. Go on.¡±


    Only then did the relieved maid move.


    Seeing the woman in the mirror, I let out a faint sigh.


    Now I was getting used to this life.

 Chapter 2

    Well it wasn¡¯t that I could get out of this body just because I didn¡¯t like it, so I was thinking of using this opportunity to live again.


    Except for what would happen in the future, Rosetta¡¯s life was perfect.


    Rosetta was a person born with a diamond spoon in her mouth.


    In other words, since her birth, she had so much money that she could lead a carefree life without ever having to work. It was a life that I could never even dream of in my previous life.


    ¡®No wait, am I not already living such a life?¡¯


    In the mirror, the woman was smiling like a satiated cat as if she hadpletely forgotten the fact that she had just been annoyed.


    I still don¡¯t know whether I feel sorry for myself for bing a viin or I am happy to get to lead such a magnanimous life. But thankfully the original story hadn¡¯t started yet.


    ¡®That means I still have a chance to change Rosetta¡¯s fate.¡¯


    The original story would begin a monthter, when the heroine Liliana would temporarily release Sihael¡¯s curse, who had turned into a wolf.


    During the process, Sihael imprints on Liliana and then the twoe to the Academy together.


    And Rosetta, who would go to the Academy on her parents¡¯ orders, woulde across these two people.


    And it is from there Rosetta¡¯s crazy obsession would start.


    So I¡¯m going to live here forever without ever going to the Academy.


    Then I won¡¯t be obsessed with Sihael. After all, it¡¯s the basic form of every Romance Fantasy novel that getting involved with the main characters would only bring you trouble.


    So I don¡¯t want to get involved with them at all.


    Even without me, the story will continue.


    Because I am not a main character. But would I get in some trouble if I decide not to follow the plot?


    ¡®The Empress will just y the role of the viin on her own. Ah, I don¡¯t know.¡¯


    It¡¯s none of my business what troubles the main characters would go through. All I just want to do is to enjoy my new peaceful and rich unemployed life.


    Then both main characters and I could have our happy ending and lead a happy life.


    However, the happy future, that I was drawing, shattered overnight.


    ¡°What do you think, Rose? Do you like it?¡±


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s this?¡±


    Surprised on seeing arge beast, I stepped back in fright.


    My heart thumped and sank down.


    The beast trapped inside the iron cage, fastened with many harnesses, was a wolf.


    A silver wolf, not the usual brown one.


    And as far as I know, there was only one silver wolf in this whole empire.


    The prince who was under the curse.


    ¡®Sihael¡­¡¯


    That¡¯s ridiculous. Why is he here¡­.


    Maybe he didn¡¯t see my face, which had turned pale with fear, but Lanoa boasted with intense pride.


    ¡°You said you wanted to raise a puppy. So this brother went to hunt one for you. How¡¯s your brother¡¯s hunting skills?¡±


    This crazy guy. From which angle does this look like a puppy?


    Can one shock be covered with another shock?


    Instead of fear, she felt absurd listening to Lanoa¡¯s words, that called a wolf a dog.


    ¡°You idiot! It¡¯s not a dog, it¡¯s a wolf!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same thing. A wolf is also a canine.¡±


    When I saw Lanoa shrug his shoulders nonchntly, my blood pressure rose.


    I forced myself to swallow back all the curses and swear words that were boiling deep inside me. I screamed, ¡°Release it now! Now!¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to. If you don¡¯t want to raise it, then I¡¯ll raise it.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you crazy!¡±


    Do you want us all to die together?! When I¡¯ve finally got my consciousness back, why are you creating troubles for me?!


    Just as I was screaming and fighting with Lanoa, the low cry of the beast fell into my ear.


    ¡°Grrrr¡­.. ¡°


    I turned my stiff neck while hitting Lanoa hard on his back.


    My eyes met Sihael¡¯s bright yellow ones, which were concealed behind his thick eyelids.


    ¡°Gasp.¡±


    ¡°Grrrrrrr, worr, grrrrreung!¡±


    Thud! Thud! Thud!


    Sihael, who rushed towards me, thrusted his head out of the iron bars.


    I was so surprised by Sihael¡¯s behavior that I instinctively sat down. It seemed as if he was rushing forward to bite off my neck.


    Lanoa giggled as he lifted me up from the floor.


    ¡°Even after being driven into a corner, it¡¯s still very high-spirited! It¡¯s not an ordinary wolf.¡±


    Of course! That¡¯s not an ordinary wolf, it¡¯s the Crown Prince! That¡¯s the male lead!


    Lanoa proudly muttered something like his eyes were not wrong. But I couldn¡¯t hear it.


    Because my eyes were focused on the bright golden ones, that were staring menacingly at me.


    This X.


    I¡¯m going to die before I can avoid the original story.

 Chapter 3

    How did this happen?


    At the chilly sensation of the cold metal against my hands, I opened my fist.


    The key to the iron bars that Lanoa left for me boasted an ugly appearance.


    ¡°It¡¯s more satisfying to tame the ones that are more fierce, right?¡±


    Tame it? Tame what, you bastard. No matter what I say, it¡¯s futile.


    I mentally chewed Lanoa out.


    He brushed away my vehement refusals and left.


    He has no idea just exactly what he¡¯s done.


    ¡°I thought I would be fine as long as I avoided it¡­¡±


    Originally, it was supposed to be Rosetta that hunted Sihael, not Lanoa. Rosetta, whose hobby was hunting, would stumble upon and hunt a rare silver wolf.


    Never in her wildest imagination could she have ever known that the wolf was Sihael, the little sun of the empire/kingdom.


    ¡®Even if Rosetta knew, she would have still confined him anyway.¡¯


    Whatever the process, in the end, she met Sihael earlier than the female protagonist Lillianna.


    It¡¯s just that Rosetta wouldn¡¯t know that the wolf was Sihael until the novel started.


    ***


    It was the norm for the prince¡¯s curse to naturally recede with the full moon.


    However, the prince fell to the empress¡¯s tricks and took a poison that would amplify the strength of the curse. He had been unable to return to humanity and was stuck in the shape of a beast.


    As a result, Rosetta had never seen Sihael¡¯s human form before.


    How, then, was she able to figure out who he was just from his wolf form when she came across him by chance at the Academy?


    That was due to the color of Sihael¡¯s pupils.


    Being more perceptive than others, Rosetta took one look at Siahel¡¯s peculiar but mesmerizing eyes to conclude that he was the silver wolf with confidence.


    She was happy to have found the lost wolf, but her happiness was cut short.


    She saw that next to Sihael stood Lillianna, burned with jealousy and anger, and grew obsessed.


    ¡®That¡¯s when she began to walk the path to ruin.¡¯


    I, who understood better than anyone else that the meeting between the two of us would only lead to misfortune, avoided stepping foot anywhere within the hunting grounds.


    Even when others invited me to hunt, I used the excuse of being sick to avoid it.


    I thought everything would be solved as long as we didn¡¯t meet. That was how I came to believe I had avoided my miserable end.


    But for Lanoa to catch him for me¡­¡­.


    It¡¯s already shocking that a man whose nosetips I haven¡¯t seen for one year suddenly showed up, why did it have to be Sihael who was caught?


    Even if I wanted to avoid it, can the original events not be avoided at all?


    A pretty red ribbon tied onto the iron key caught my attention. It was amusing to see it wrapped up like a gift for me.


    ¡°What present? You threw a nuclear bomb in front of me and left.¡±


    I ripped up the ribbon with an agitated hand. My future felt like the torn pieces of the ribbon that fell to the ground.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    ¡°Grrr¡±


    The situation in front of me was so frustrating that I couldn¡¯t help but to release a sigh, butat the sound of my sigh,Sihael, who had be sensitive, bared his fangs.


    Could I not even sigh once¡­. After a short while, I became used to his big fangs, and I was tired of reacting to every single one of Sihael¡¯s actions.


    I massaged my stiff eyes.


    ¡°Why are you only showing your temper to me?¡±


    ¡°Woof, Woof¡±


    ¡°Be Quiet!¡±


    Ugh, my eardrums might burst at this point. I covered my ears at the shaking sounds from the basement. basement shaking sounds. Just a moment ago, I was scared enough that my legs were trembling. Humans truly are animals of adaptation. Now, even if Sihael were to re at me, I can handle it.


    Besides, the cage is specially designed such that he can¡¯t rip it apart, and he can¡¯t bite me with his mouth muzzled.


    So now I just feelregretfulrather than scared.


    ¡°Someone else caught him, but why is he going wild when he sees me?¡± Mumbling, I took a chair from the corner and threw it down across from Sihael.

 Chapter 4

    ¡°Creaak¡±


    The iron chair made an unpleasant sound as it scratched the floor, causing Sihael¡¯s ears to flick. The bright yellow eyes that were following me without rest finally stopped when I sat my butt down in the chair.


    I folded my arms and raised my chin. I acted this way to not lose to him. Not avoiding my eyes, Sihael rattles his mouth to see if it bothers me.


    ¡°You dislike me, right?¡±


    ¡°Grrrrr¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like you either.¡±


    ¡°Woof.¡±


    It seems that somehow we were having a conversation? Does he still have human reason (mentality)?


    After he imprinted on Lilliana, I know he still retained human reason even after turning into a wolf, but I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s like right now, before imprinting.


    So I decided to test Sihael, with harsh (??? I don¡¯t know this word so this one is from Google trante) words.


    ¡°Wolfie, Should I set you free?¡±


    ¡°Grrrr!¡±


    Well, it seems the same as before.


    ¡°If you promise you won¡¯t eat me, I¡¯ll free you. If you understand, nod.¡±


    ¡°Woof! Woof! Grrr¡­¡±


    He nodded and put his head through the iron bars. When Sihael¡¯s head hit the bars, electricity jumped out.


    ¡®That¡¯s no joke.¡¯


    The iron bars filled with lightning magic were perfect for trapping Sihael. Sihael, who briefly retreated from the sputtering sparks, rammed into the bars with his body.


    ¡°Hey Hey, I got it. I won¡¯t do anything, so calm down.¡± I was worried that he¡¯d bea whole roast pigif he continued.


    I¡¯m not interested in him like the original, but it¡¯d still be bad if the male lead were to die.


    ¡°I said stop!¡±


    Sihael, who became tightly twisted, only stopped after I begged him to. I couldn¡¯t tell whether or not this madman had reason.


    But, I knew one thing. I shouldn¡¯t release him for my own safety. I should release him after he¡¯s regained some humanity, even if it¡¯s only a little bit. The problem is, Sihael¡¯s curse can only be freed by the female lead.


    And that female lead will only appear after one month.


    ¡°Being together like this for one month, it¡¯s a little..¡±


    As I murmured to myself, Sihael also snorted. As if to say that he felt the same way.


    ¡®This brat, does he understand me?¡¯ I had my doubts, but the image of him mming his body into the iron bars, just a while ago, rose up into my mind.


    It¡¯s frustrating. If only I were the Female Lead, I would have immediately freed him from his curse. If only I could purify, I wouldn¡¯t be in this sort of situation. Lillianna Maniu was an excellent magician who showed exceptional talent for purification. Her purification even cleansed the poison that was consuming Sihael¡¯s body.


    A month after being caught by the original Rosetta, Sihael finds a fortunate chance to escape from her grasp. He wandered around the North in his wolf form when he met Lillianna by chance. The friendly Lillianna recognizes his curse at an immediate nce and purifies his poison, returning Sihael to his human form.


    However, the timing wasn¡¯t good.


    Perhaps it was because he spent too much time as a beast.


    Sihael, who was following his instincts, became drunk on Lillianna¡¯s seductive pheromones. He entered rut and pounced on her.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡­, hnn.¡±


    After that, a scene fit for the 19+ genre unfolds.


    If I, who didn¡¯t even have purification ability, were to touch Sihael? He wouldn¡¯t return to being human, and a different sort of 19+ scene would happen. A 19+ horror genre filled with screams, blood, and gore.


    I slumped against the back of the chair and stared nkly at the ceiling. In the end, like it or hate it, we have to spend one month together.


    Tsk, I got dealt a dirty hand.


    I can¡¯t do anything about the fact that we¡¯ve met now, and I¡¯m not the original Rosetta, so Sihael isn¡¯t my object of obsession. Can¡¯t I just continue to keep him like this until I let him and the female lead meet? At the right time, like the original plot, he can go meet the female lead by himself.


    Until then I can foster him?


    Yes.


    I¡¯ll foster him.


    I¡¯ll protect you for a month, and then afterwards I¡¯ll send you to your owner Lillianna.

 Chapter 5

    ¡®Just think of it as rearing a puppy. It¡¯s morefortable that way.¡¯


    Even though it¡¯s excessivelyrge and is too fierce to even touch.


    Sihael continued to be vignt of me while licking his bloody wounds.


    ¡®His wounds are severe.¡¯


    He was littered with various wounds from the assassins sent by the Empress, from Lanoa, and, finally, from the lightning magic in the iron bars. To rush at me with the intent to kill, even with all those wounds, he must not be in his right mind.


    ¡°Grrr.¡±


    Sihael, who noticed my gaze, bared his fangs. His habitual growl entered one ear and went out the other.


    Let¡¯s start by treating him. Possibly? I can get close to him while treating his wounds.


    ¡°You, wait here calmly.¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    ¡°You answer well.¡±


    It seems he¡¯s calmed down a bit¡­is what I thought, but bullshit! As soon as I stood up from my seat, Sihael howled so loudly my ears felt like it might be deaf.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just be quiet!¡±


    ¡°Woof! Woof Woof! Awooo.¡±


    Cancel any notion of him being quiet. This damn mutt bastard.


    *****


    Treating Sihael was not easy. The ferocious beast, who has never been touched by human hands, bared his fangs at hands that were tending to him. Even though I¡¯ve gotten used to this sight, the healers that saw Sihael for the first time winced and backed down.


    Then, when they met my eyes, their faces paled and immediately returned to their positions.


    I couldn¡¯t believe it. Was I scarier than the beastly Sihael?


    How low must my reputation be¡­..


    ¡°Mistress.¡± Marina help up her anesthetic gun and announced that she was ready. At my nod, Marina pulled the trigger.


    <i>tang</i>


    Noticing the unusual atmosphere, Sihael quickly evaded, but, due to the limited space, he left his lower backvulnerable.


    I waited for him to hurry up and sprawl out.


    However, maybe because he¡¯s resistant to the drug or maybe he was mentally strong, he still stood firmly upright after being shot with a tranquilizer said to put elephants to sleep.


    ¡°Grrr, Woof!¡±


    Far from sleeping, he became more energetic. It was as if he was getting angry at us for daring to shoot something into his body.


    The people, amazed at this appearance, retreated in fear. I even saw someone crumpling down and crawling away.


    Marina was also surprised and stepped in front of me. I immediately felt her will to protect me.


    I was grateful to be protected by her whole body, but I wasn¡¯t really affected. I¡¯ve seen him act more fiercely before, and this is nothingpared to that.


    The me who became used to Shael approaching him with both of his hands raised up.


    ¡°Calm down. We¡¯re trying to heal you.¡±


    ¡°Grrr! Woof! Awooo!¡±


    ¡°Do you want to die from infections? If so, then keep on running around.¡±


    ¡°Woof! W-Woof! Awoo, Awoooooo.¡±


    He really is a disobedient child!


    ¡°Marina, one more time.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Awoo~¡±


    No matter how powerful the male protagonist was, two strongdosesof anesthetics were quite hard to bear, so his condition weakened little by little.


    After quite some time, he finally copsed.


    I didn¡¯t want to miss this opportunity, so I turned towards the healers andgesturedwith my chin.


    ¡°Get started.¡±


    However, it hadn¡¯t even been a minute since they entered and they were being thrown around.


    Thankfully, the muzzle helped prevent any bites, but the strength in his forepaws and tail made them all fall onto their backs and roll on the floor.


    The knights who pulled the chain around Sihael¡¯s neck couldn¡¯t help but get dragged along as they couldn¡¯t ovee his strength.


    As I watched this scene, a sigh escaped my mouth.


    ¡°What shall we do?¡±


    ¡°Give him anotherdose.¡±


    After threedosesof anesthetics, Sihaelpletely copsed.


    It took about an hour to heal him.


    The four healers were finally able to leave after they finished treating his wounds. Once they quickly finished the treatment, the healers scurried away.


    I¡¯m sure theywouldnevere back here again.


    Watching the figures of the healers shrink as they ran further and further away in a blink of an eye, I spoke to Marina.


    ¡°Make sure they keep their mouths shut.¡±


    ¡°Yes, My Lady.¡±

 Chapter 6

    It was unlikely to hear rumors of a silver wolf here. The rumors would not spread quickly because they were in the North,far away from the Academy, but the story would change if theEmpresswould startcrazily looking for Sihael.


    If the Empress found out that Sihael was here, she would send assassins to murder him.


    Or take him away by iming to be his owner.


    There was no way that Sihael would lose to those assassins, so I wasn¡¯t too concerned about that. But still, I didn¡¯t want to get involved with the Empress.


    ¡®I hate bothersome things. Hopefully this dies down quickly.¡¯


    As the employees went one by one after finishing up the cleaning, I gazed at Sihael¡¯s sleeping face.


    ¡®Is it just me or does he look a little cute when he¡¯s sleeping?¡¯


    I never realized this since his guard was always up when awake, but now that I look at him in this state, he seemed more like a puppy.


    After watching him for a while, I raised my head. A faint ray of light flickered through the perch hanging across the ceiling. In the corner was a spider web messily hanging from the wall. The room was closed from all sides and the floor was cold.


    Thiswas not a suitable environment to raise a dog.


    ¡°Marina, clear the room next to mine and make ithisroom.¡±


    ¡°The room next to yours, My Lady? It¡¯s too dangerous. If it ever escapes¡­¡±


    ¡°We will have to make sure the cage is big and quite strong so that doesn¡¯t happen. Can you do that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, My Lady.¡±


    Marina, who seemed worried, reluctantly nodded her head.


    Satisfied with her answer, I looked at Sihael with a big smile.


    Now that his treatment has been taken care of, the next step was to give him a pleasant environment.


    * * *


    I spent most of my time with Sihael. I had nothing to do anyway, so while I was killing time, I tried to get close to him.


    So, did Imanage toget close to Sihael in these three days?


    I¡¯m not sure if I would say we¡¯ve gotten close¡­ but it seems like he¡¯s gotten used to me.


    After all, I am his food supplier¡­


    Regardless of time or ce, the person who feeds was always the best.


    Since Sihael was sensitive, I prepared his meal, wondering if he would open his heart to the person who feeds him.


    Surely Sihael¡¯s perception of me would change.


    From an annoying and noisy piece of meat to a kindhearted piece of meat that serves food.


    Anyway, my status would still be meat. What should I do to promote myself from a piece of meat to a human¡­ huh, I guess the future looks bleak.


    But what should I do? I would do anything as long as I can do it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡±


    Today¡¯s lunch was Sihael¡¯s favorite beef. Coated in a fishy taste, it was raw meat dripping with blood.


    ButtoSihael, it was the most delicious meat in the world.


    Saliva dribbled from his slightly open mouth. Whenever food was in front of him, hepletely turned into a dog.


    ¡°How tasty is it for you to be so quiet? Hmm?¡±


    I habitually talked as I filled Sihael¡¯s bowl with meat. Even during that short moment, Sihael had a hard time waiting, so he howled anxiously.


    ¡°Awoo!¡±


    ¡°Oho, wait.¡±


    You have to learn to be patient to be a great king.


    ¡°Grr!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. Here you go.¡±


    When I pushed the bowl into the cage, he ran towards it menacingly.


    I took a step back.


    Before, he didn¡¯t even look at the meat because he was wary of me, but now he doesn¡¯t look any way other than the meat.


    Along withthat, there was one more thing that changed. The frequency of his barking had decreased.


    His ceaseless barking had been irritating my eardrums. Thankfully, his barking had died down two days ago. It wasn¡¯t because he feared that I would take his meals away, but because he knew that barking would only hurt his mouth.


    It was the most peaceful time of the day.


    While he was eating, I nced at his body.


    Except for the biggerones, almost all of his wounds hadpletely healed.


    His recuperative powers were really great.


    ¡°I¡¯llebackafter you finish eating.¡±


    I headed to the dining room, leaving Sihael behind, who was busy gulping down the food.


    * * *

 Chapter 7

    ¡°You came?¡±


    When I arrived at the dining room, Lanoa, whom I hadn¡¯t seenina long time, weed me.


    ¡°When did you get here?¡±


    ¡°Today.¡±


    It was the first time we were together since the day I was forced to take care of Sihael.


    ¡°What are you doing here so often? I have never seen you stay at home for so long.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I always returned home.¡±


    Well, Lanoa was a wandering soul.


    Lanoa, the second son of Duke Katzel, lived freely without anyone¡¯s interference because he was far from seeding the title.


    He was a free spirit in a different sense from Rosetta.


    He wandered from ce to ce and went wherever his feet took him. Because of that, he did not appear much in the original book.


    ¡°Did you name it?¡±


    ¡°Nameit?¡±


    ¡°I meantthe wolf.¡±


    My hands that were cutting the meat came to a stop. Come to think of it, Ihadalways called him ¡°Hey¡± or ¡°Wolf.¡± I didn¡¯t even thinkofnaming him.


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s too much. You have to name it.¡±


    ¡°What should I name it?¡±


    ¡°Well since it¡¯s your dog, you shoulde up with ityourself.¡±


    I asked Lanoa for help, but he just distanced himself from the matter.


    Heughed wildly as if it wasentertainingto see me get embarrassedover Sihael.


    The sound of hisughter was awfully annoying. I fisted my hand and as a result, the fork bent.


    ¡°Are you having fun?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s fun. Who knew the great Rosetta Katzel would get embarrassed because of a wolf one day.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who brought the wolf!¡±


    ¡°Then shall I take him away?¡±


    Take Sihael away? Lanoa was as bad-tempered as Rosetta. If he took Sihael away, he¡¯d bully and abuse him, just like what Rosetta did in the book.


    And Sihael, whowouldeventually returnto his original form, would never let this go.


    I wonder if he would make up an excuse to get Lanoa kicked out of the family and then take his life without anyone noticing¡­


    The family would surely be safe, but Lanoa would eventually face a terrible end.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m going to raise it, so don¡¯t even think about touching it. Understood? If you touch it, I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. I got it.¡±


    Seeing him pretending to listen to my threats, Ileanedover the table and shoved the steak into Lanoa¡¯s mouth. Then I reached out my hand, grabbed his cup of water, and finished it all.


    I ignored Lanoa¡¯sments about how it was an attempted murder.


    Whatwas sogood about this shameless bastard?


    Ugh, I¡¯m just way too nice.


    * * *


    Throughout the meal, I kept thinking about what nice name I should give Sihael. I couldn¡¯t even recall if the food went through my nose or mouth.


    As soon as I finished eating, I went straight down to the basement.


    Sihael¡¯s ears perked up in wariness at the sound of my footsteps. He looked at my face, then lied down as if the question ¡°It¡¯s you again?¡± was scrawled all over his face. Hezily put his chin on his foreleg.


    I dragged a chair towards the front of the cage and sat down.


    ¡°Hey Wolf, I¡¯m going to call out a few potential names for you, so respond if you like any of it.¡±


    Icouldn¡¯tcall him Your Highness or Sihael.


    ¡°Whitey?¡±


    ¡°Grrrrrrrrrrr¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see you don¡¯t like it.¡±


    I don¡¯t think thiswassuitable for the Little Sun of the Empire¡­


    ¡°Mochi?¡±


    He didn¡¯t even reply. I guess that was not a good name either. Then, Sihael¡­ Sihael¡­ Sihael¡­ Shahel¡­ Shasha?


    ¡°Shasha?¡±


    Sihael, who wasn¡¯t moving before, looked up and tilted his head. Maybe I was hallucinating, but it seemed like his eyes were shining.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡±


    ¡°Grreung.¡±


    ¡°Okay. From now on, your name is Shasha.¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    ¡°Shasha, from now on, can you please listen to me?¡±


    ¡°Awoo?¡±


    I only gave him a name, yet it felt like we were getting closer.


    Well, Sihael just snorted at my words and rested his chin on his leg again. But it didn¡¯t seem like he hated the name.


    Later that afternoon, Ireceivedthe news that Sihael¡¯s room had been prepared. It was all thanks to the efforts of my faithful henchman Marina.


    Finally,thebig, sturdy and perfect cage waspleted.


    * * *

 Chapter 8

    Sihael stoodatthe edge of the bright room and startedto lookaround.


    Suddenly being put in an unfamiliar environment, he slowly explored his newenvironmentwithoutloweringhis guard. He lowered his nose towards the floor and sniffed while wandering around the spacious room.


    Unlike before, where he was blocked by iron bars even if he moved a bit, Sihael was able to look at me while freely walking around the room.


    Of course, he was still inside a cage, but this time it was a wide, clean, and well-lit cage. It was quite a pleasant environmentinparison to his previous one.


    He moved again after I gestured with my chin, encouraging him to keep moving.


    After being stuck in that narrow ce, I was proud to see him move to his heart¡¯s desire.


    To give this room to Sihael, Irenovatedtwo fine rooms, but it was not a waste.


    The ce where the tip of Sihael¡¯s nose touched was arge cushion that I personally hand-picked.


    Instead of a bed, I chose to put a cushion there because I was afraid that he¡¯d break it while runningaround. But I was d that he seemed to like it. I was pleased to see himnudgingthe cushion with his nose and scratching it with hispaws.


    ¡°My Lady, what should I do with this?¡± It was the muzzle that Sihael wore.


    I forgot about it because it had been a while since I left it out. I was toozy to remove it and put it backonevery time I gave him food.


    ¡°Shall we put it backonnow?¡±


    I shook my head when I saw his free mouth. Hehadnever escaped from the cage, so it should be fine. I feltguiltyfor shootinghim withan anesthetic gun to putonthe muzzle.


    ¡°No, wash him and dry him up. I¡¯ll take him out for a walkter.¡±


    ¡°W-Walk?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we can¡¯t always keep him locked up here.¡±


    If he didn¡¯t attack me right now, then I would take him for a walk right away.


    As if contemting, Marina mumbled and mouthed something.


    However, she eventuallybackeddown without saying anything.


    This was why I liked viinesses.


    Even though my reputation was in shambles, I was satisfied because no matter what I did, no one dared to question me.


    ¡°Oh, by the way, make a leash and a name tag. His name is Shasha. Have his name and address engraved on the back, and put a location tracking function.¡±


    ¡°That much?¡±


    ¡°Yes, because there are people whowouldwant what¡¯s mine.¡±


    ¡°Shall I kill them?¡±


    Marina, no mattermuch of anelite assassin you are¡­


    The opponent is the Empress. Your head would be chopped off before you could even approach her.


    I shook my head. Although I was forced to take care of the male lead, I had no intention of handing him over to theEmpress.


    ¡®I have to raise him safely and then hand him over to the female lead.¡¯


    Although he was really annoying, I had developed a soft spot for him. He was just a little puppy who threw a fit and had a terrible attitude.I didn¡¯t want him to suffer because of the Empress¡¯s hand.


    Feeling a gaze directed at him, Sihael hit the cage with his front paw.


    Boom!


    At the heavy sound, the servant, who was filling the bowl with water, hesitated andretreated.


    ¡°Why are you angry again?¡±


    My nose twitched as I wondered what he was so dissatisfied with that he started behaving rudely again.


    I didn¡¯t want to see Sihael get hurt, so I removed the magic from the cage. Just when I finished, Sihael looked very excited.


    I spoke quietly, looking straightintoSihael¡¯s gleaming golden eyes.


    ¡°Shasha, I¡¯m your temporary owner for now, okay? You can¡¯t behave rudely.¡±


    ¡°Grrrrrrr!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no use doing that.¡±


    ¡°Woof, woof! Grrr. Arf, arf!¡±


    As expected, Sihael rebelled violently.


    The sound was so loud that people clutched their ears when he barked.


    Marina used her Spirit of Sacrifice to cover my ears, but I gently pushed her hands away. For me, this was a level of noise I could tolerate.

 Chapter 9

    I red straight into Sihael¡¯s eyes and raised my voice. It was childish, but I didn¡¯t want to lose.


    ¡°Keep quiet! I¡¯m your owner!¡±


    ¡°Woof! Woof!Grrr! Argggg.¡±


    ¡°I. Am. Your Owner.¡±


    ¡°Woof, woof! Grrrrr!¡±


    Ugh, I couldn¡¯t stand this. I clenched my teeth and blocked my ears. It was such an ear-splitting sound that it felt like my ears were bleeding.


    Just when Sihael, who won the fight, was trying to bark louder and louder, someone burst in as if they broke the door and shouted.


    ¡°Hey! Stop that dog from barking!¡±


    It was Lanoa. When we had lunch earlier, he was fine, but now he reeked of alcohol. I frowned and waved my hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m training him so stay out of it.¡±


    ¡°Is this what you call training? Why are you training him by making all this noise?¡±


    Maybe his head hurt because of the hangover.Lanoa grabbed his forehead and red at me irritatedly.


    I could see people silently showing their support for Lanoa. When I met their eyes, they quickly lowered their eyes, but they might have been inwardly shouting,¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right.¡±


    I felt embarrassed for no reason and cried out.


    ¡°You left him with me so why are you getting angry now?!¡±


    ¡°Woof! Woof! Grrrrr!Woof!¡±


    Sihael started barking at Lanoa as if to counter my irritating cry.


    ¡°Right! Well done. Bark more! Break that bad guy¡¯s eardrum!¡±


    ¡®Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof!¡±


    ¡°Well done! Well done,Shasha. Well done!¡±


    As I pped and cheered, he barked excitedly in tune with the rhythm.Now that there was amon enemy, we fought against Lanoa just like we fought with each other before.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Lanoa screamed and plugged his ears. He was really drunk and it seemed like he was about to fall down.


    ¡°There are two sons of bitches in this house¡­¡±


    For the first time, regret shed across Lanoa¡¯s face. I liked the look so much that I couldn¡¯t help but clutch my stomach andugh.


    I think I heard someone muttering that it¡¯s all a mess but I don¡¯t know. Who cares! Lanoa¡¯s despair was my happiness.


    ¡°Why did I pick up that thing¡­ Why did Igive thatto her¡­.?¡±


    Lanoa drooped his shoulders as he muttered to himself and left the room like a loser.


    ¡°W-Well, then we will go out too.¡±


    Those who had finished organizing the room didn¡¯t miss the chance and escaped like an ebb.


    In an instant, the noisy room became quiet.


    The barking Sihael calmed down and wandered in front of the cage a few times before he sat on the cushion.


    Watching Sihael liefortably on the cushion, I alsoid down on the sofa.I reached out and opened one of the books on the table.


    <b><i><You Can Train A Ferocious Dog Too!></i></b>


    The moment I saw the title, I knew that this was the book for me. Even the author was a famous person.


    The moment I saw his name, I wrote down everything written in his book without even reading the contents.


    <b><i><From Puppy Adoption To Training.></i></b>


    <b><i><What¡¯s the Best Way to Deal With My Troublesome Dog?></i></b>


    <b><i><A Good Dog Comes From A Wise Master.></i></b>


    From thebest-selling author,Mortenzi Garcia.


    The dog master who could turn any ferocious dog into a docilemb.


    With great reverence, I engraved one word after another on my heart.


    Sir, I believe in you!


    * * *


    I think I¡¯m doomed.


    What¡¯s the use of reading a book every day? Icouldn¡¯teven apply it. I don¡¯t think I have a talent for teaching.


    At first, I wanted to teach him to ¡®give paw¡¯.


    But I ended up doing it wrong. Then, I decided to teach him to sit down first since I was afraid of him biting or smacking my hand.


    It was exciting at first, but I kept on failing repeatedly.


    The problem was that I was inferior to Sihael. Even though I tried to reverse this, he was so strong that it didn¡¯t work.


    So, another week passed like that.Even though I tried to appease, get angry, plead, and do everything that was said in the book, Sihael didn¡¯t blink an eye.At this point, I became very exhausted.

 Chapter 10

    ¡°Shasha, if you do this, you can¡¯t go out for a walk.¡±


    Of course, Sihael didn¡¯t even listen to me.


    He continued to chew the bones he had stolen from me yesterday.


    Ugh! I don¡¯t know. If it doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll lock him up, raise him and then send him to the female lead in a month.


    No, it definitely needs to be after a month.


    ¡°Shall I start looking for her from now on¡­¡±


    I got up from the sofa.


    My head feltmuddled, so I decided to go out for a walk.


    When I opened the door after taking my coat, the servant who brought the meat looked surprised and started to tremble.


    ¡°Uh, My Lady, Shasha¡¯s lunch is ready¡­ Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Walk. You give it to him today.¡±


    ¡°M-Me?¡±


    I felt my anger rising. What was so good about that son of a bitch that he got to have a meal? He¡¯s a troublesome little bastard!


    Sihael didn¡¯t even look at me in spite of my ring eyes.


    ¡°Be careful not to get bitten.¡±


    After leaving thetremblingservant and Marina behind, I stepped out and walked along the trail all by myself.


    ¡°WherecanI find the female lead¡­¡°


    It would only be a month when Lilliana woulde to the North. Because of my limited knowledge, I did not know where she was prior to her arrival. She had a great talent for purification and wandered for ce to ce, looking for people who needed her abilities.


    As a result,she never stayed in one ce.


    ¡®Should Ihiresomeone to find her? But can I really find her by doing this?¡¯


    The probability of finding Lilliana was very small since she was very good at hiding and running away.


    In no time, I finished threeps around the trail.


    ¡°Kyaaaa!


    ¡°Argggh!¡±


    ¡°S-Save me!¡±


    I heard a piercing scream, before hearing something break inside the mansion.


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    A chill crept up my feet.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be that, right?¡±


    As I approached the main gate, the screams grew louder. Along with it, there were cries of a beast.


    <i>Crash!</i>


    ¡°Argggh!¡±


    ¡°Stop it!¡±


    As servants rushed through the ajar door, they fell down as Sihael stepped on them, revealing his majestic presence.


    ¡°How¡­¡°


    How the hell did he get out of the cage?


    ¡°Grrrrrrrrr.¡°


    Hisbright golden eyes that Iplimented for being pretty until yesterday watched me warily.


    At that moment I realized.


    We had never gotten close.


    I¡¯ve been trying so hard, but I was still a piece of meat to him.


    ¡°Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.¡±


    At first, I saw Marina and Lanoa chase after Sihael. Then, servants and knights surrounded me.


    I tried to stop Sihael, but he ran at me without even looking at the people around me.


    ¡°My Lady!¡±


    ¡°Rosetta!¡±


    I could hear people calling me from afar.


    I knew I should avoid him, but my body was asstiffas a stone and didn¡¯t even budge.


    Oh, what should I do? I should avoidhim¡­


    My body didn¡¯t move because of the pressure I felt on the day I first saw Sihael.


    Sihael, who was just a short distance away from me, opened his mouth.


    Oh, I don¡¯t know! I closed my eyes tightly and swung my fist.


    ¡°Shasha, stop!¡±


    <i>Punch!</i>I gave him a heavy blow.


    ¡°Aaugh!¡±


    Sihael shuddered and stepped back. He staggered and shook his head to see how much the blow affected him.


    After btedly figuring out the situation, I closed my mouth and looked at my fist in surprise.


    This was crazy! Was I that f*cking strong?


    ***


    Now that we¡¯re at this point, let¡¯s talk about Rosetta¡¯s hiddenabilities.


    As a child of the Katzel family, Rosetta learned martial arts from an early age and came across many kinds of weapons. She could easily handle most basic swords, bows, guns, and even maces. Not only that, but her innate sense ofbat was as good as her sessor, Leonard.


    Her immense power was only a small part of her genius. Because of this, her family had high expectations for her.Herpersonalitywas as bad as being stuck in a trashcan, but because of her abilities, she was considered a genius that came once every 100 years.

 Chapter 11

    The elders, who bothered Rosetta by questioning andining about her conduct, also appreciated her genius.


    They diligently trainedtheimpudent Rosetta, withtheexpectations of creating a swordsman in the future who would go down in history.


    However, contrary to the elders¡¯ expectations, the disobedient Rosetta threw away the sword they gave her without any hesitation.


    ¡®Those condescending old geezers look forward to my abilities? Then I¡¯ll definitely have to give up.¡¯


    Rosetta didn¡¯t want to do anything good for the elders even if she died.


    The title of genius? The best swordsman? A chance to make a name in history?


    Rosetta was not at all interested in all those things. She was just looking for something interesting to break the monotony in her life.


    Like a crazy dog, she kept making trouble and did as she pleased. Contrary to her family¡¯s expectations, the elders were so overwhelmed by her actions that they decided to wash their hands off her.


    The duke and his wife treated their young daughter¡¯s immature behavior as her childishness, so they only cleaned up all the idents she caused and left for the capital at the call of the emperor.


    Now with no one to stop her, Rosetta, who was left alone in the north, wandered all over the northern area like a foal whose reins had been loosened.


    For your information, the story above does not appear even the slightest in the original novel.


    It was because the author did not write any of Rosetta¡¯s stories.


    ¡®Who would have thought that a viiness could be such a genius!¡¯


    I would have never known about this story if I hadn¡¯t possessed Rosetta¡¯s body. Although I had seen through Rosetta¡¯s memories, I just thought that she was faintly strong.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t expect her strength to be this much.¡¯


    When I saw Sihael running towards me, I lightly stepped aside to avoid him.


    Sihael¡¯s movements looked as slow as those in a slow-motion video. No, they had actually slowed down.


    Sihael looked exhausted from the 30-minute confrontation.


    Usually, this guy wouldn¡¯t tire easily even after an hour, but now he couldn¡¯t control himself because he was too livid.


    Sihael missed me and crashed into the spot where I was just standing. He then spitted out the grass that he had identally swallowed during the crash.


    While he paused, I scooted towards him, grabbed him by the throat, and pressed him down with force.


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, stay still!¡±


    ¡°Ruff ruff argggghh!¡±


    I fumbled a little in the middle, but Rosetta¡¯s trained instincts took over and led me safely.


    Sihael, who was grabbed by his throat, struggled and thrashed his legs.


    ¡°Bring the muzzle!¡±


    Marina came running, cutting through the murmuring crowd.


    As I grabbed Sihael¡¯s ttering jaw and forced him to shut up, the quick-witted Marina quickly fastened the muzzle on his mouth.


    At the same time, Sihael pushed me away with all his strength as if he were making his final move.


    ¡°Eek!¡±


    Unable to prepare for his sudden move, I fell back on the floor. Sihael dashed towards me without wasting any chance and stretched out his paws to attack/crush my head.


    I quickly dodged my head to avoid his paws and kicked him hard in the stomach.


    ¡°Awooo!¡±


    Sihael staggered and fell down. I stood up to check whether my attack had properly worked.


    Exhausted, he pulled out his tongue and gasped. When I approached him, he didn¡¯t try to attack me anymore. Finally, our long fight hade to an end.


    ¡®Looking at his condition, it would be impossible to walk with his feet. I¡¯ll just call someone¡­ .¡¯


    Just as I looked up at the crowd of servants and knights while thinking about how to move Sihael, everyone avoided my eyes. Their gazes were exactly like that of a student desperately trying to avoid the eyes of the teacher in case the teacher asked to give a presentation.


    There was nothing I could do. So, I ced my hand on Sihael¡¯s shoulder and lifted him.


    <i>*Lift*</i>


    And then hung him over my shoulder.


    ¡®Rosetta, how strong are you?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t at all hard to lift the giant Sihael.


    I felt like cursing someone. If I had known that Rosetta was stronger than Sihael, I wouldn¡¯t have suffered so much. Until now, I was scared, so I decided to tread carefully till the time to hand him over came.

 Chapter 12

    When I approached the door with Sihael slung over my shoulder, the servants clung to the wall in fright and made some strange noises. While everyone was shaking and clinging to the wall like a cicada, Lanoa pped and admired.


    ¡°Indeed, you¡¯re my little sister. Good job.¡±


    ¡°Are you still here? I thought you went in.¡±


    ¡°I decided to stay here just in case our family¡¯s bastard lost to another bastard who just rolled in from somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy? Is that all you have to say to your sister who fought hard with a beast?¡±


    ¡°But, aren¡¯t you the beast here?¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Seeing Sihael narrowing his eyes, Lanoa ran away while Sihael paused. A horribly childlike giggle resounded through the hallway. I was going to chase him right away and kick his butt, but I gave up soon.


    It would only be a waste of time if I go after that moron.


    I ordered a maid nearby to bring a doctor and went upstairs.


    ¡°Shasha, you¡¯ve been making a lot of trouble.¡±


    Sihael started to struggle when he saw the broken chains and cage. I pped him on the back of his struggling bottom.


    <em>Spank!</em>


    ¡°Just stay still before I smack your butt.¡±


    ¡°Arrr¡­ ruff¡­.¡±


    ¡°Shh!¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Good boy.¡±


    When we went back into the room, I put Sihael in the cage and closed its door. Contrary to my assumption that the lock might have broken during his escape, the lock remained still intact.


    Then, how did hee out? Sihael couldn¡¯t have opened it by himself.


    This door was designed in a manner that it could not be opened from the inside unless someone opened it from outside.


    ¡°Can you tell me what happened?¡±


    I squatted to meet Sihael¡¯s eyes. He stepped back, being wary of me for the first time.


    Thank god! It seems like now he doesn¡¯t see me as some piece of shit he didn¡¯t need to be scared of.


    ¡°Shasha, now do you understand? I¡¯m your master.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Woof.¡±


    Sihael, who had always been imposing, looked small for the first time.


    * * *


    In conclusion, Sihael¡¯s escape was the fault of a servant who was in charge of his lunch that day.


    Among the toys I had given to Sihael, there was an expensive one which the servant wanted to take for himself. So when he opened the door, Sihael took the chance and ran away.


    His face had turned blue when I asked him to feed Sihael. So, I didn¡¯t expect him to have the courage to do such a thing.


    The servant begged me to forgive his mistake, saying that he had lost his senses for a moment.


    I indifferently looked down at his pathetic figure and ordered him to be thrown out. To be honest, I didn¡¯t even want to see his face.


    More than twenty people had been injured because of his<em>¡®momentary mistake¡¯</em>.


    ¡®Even though no one was seriously injured, that doesn¡¯t mean I can overlook the misdeed.¡¯


    And it was me who was in the most danger.


    If it weren¡¯t for Rosetta¡¯s trained body, I might have been digested in Sihael¡¯s stomach by now.


    After knowing the whole story, Lanoa insisted on cutting off the servant¡¯s hand, but I shook my head. Since he had suffered quite a bit of injuries in return for his greed, I decided to quietly move on by firing him.


    However, knowing Lanoa¡¯s personality, there was no way a person who hadmitted an offense against the Katzel family would be allowed to leave without any harm. Maybe he took care of it behind my back.


    But I decided not to care about it.


    I just spared his life and it was now up to him to survive. Also, I¡¯m not that free to care about a servant who had already been fired.


    ¡°Shasha, paw.¡±


    It¡¯s been a week since I started training him. The smart Shasha followed the training very well.


    There were some trials and errors in the process, but he gradually got used to it.


    The problem now was that he could understand what I was saying, but he ignored it because his pride was too big.


    Just like now¡­


    Shasha, who raised his head to the familiarmand, looked at my hand and jerked his head away with an exasperated expression.


    He was again rebelling. At first, he followed well, but his grumpiness increased as days went by.

 Chapter 13

    ¡°Shasha.¡±


    During times like this, I lowered my voice and raised my hand, waving it lightly.


    ¡°Grrr.¡±


    Shasha reluctantly put his forepaw on my hand.


    He was looking at a faraway mountain because he didn¡¯t like being tamed by a mere human being.


    It was disrespectful, but since he diligently carried out my order, I decided to let it slide.


    ¡°Good job.¡±


    I praised with a soft, amiable voice while patting and stroking his head annoyingly.


    The restless Shasha pawed my knee impatiently and kicked me, pushing me away.


    His kick seemed light but was actually very heavy.


    If I hadn¡¯t had Rosetta¡¯s body, with this much power, I sure would have fallen back just like any normal person.


    ¡°Okay, wait.¡±


    I picked up the raw meat from the bowl and threw it at him. Big pieces of meat were a favorite of Shasha.


    Shasha closed his eyes while savoring its taste. After finishing the meat, he looked at me and licked his mouth as if this much was not enough for him.


    ¡°Sit down.¡±


    Since he liked the meat he had just eaten, this time, he obediently sat down on his butt.


    ¡°Good job.¡±


    I patted his head and immediately gave him anothermand.


    ¡°Stand up.¡±


    As soon as themand left my lips, Shasha again pawed me on the knee and strongly protested why I didn¡¯t give him the meat.


    I shook my head when I saw his belly protruding out.


    He had gained weight because I fed him too many snacks this week for training. Also, he ate a lot and he only exercised by moving around the house.


    At this rate, you¡¯ll turn from a canine into a pig.


    A fat male lead! It can¡¯t happen in a romance novel.


    ¡°Stand up, Shasha.¡±


    ¡°Grrrrrrrrr.¡±


    ¡°Hah! Shasha.¡±


    The smart Shasha raised his butt when he realized that he wouldn¡¯t get any meat if he showed his temper. He stood up obediently even though he was annoyed.


    He still hadn¡¯t fixed his rude attitude and hadn¡¯t controlled his growling tendencies, but it was still a satisfying result after one week of training.


    I gently scratched Shasha¡¯s chin. Shasha stepped back as it was a touch he had experienced for the first time in his life. But he soon stopped moving and calmly entrusted himself to me.


    I didn¡¯t know whether he was feeling good or not, but his flustered face was cute.


    If I showed him this look in the mirror, he would definitely jump up and down, asking who this spineless bastard was.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡±


    ¡°Grrr.¡±


    Blushing, he looked out of the window with a smile. Now he looked more like a puppy.


    ¡°I think we can go for a walk now.¡±


    Maybe he understood the word ¡®walk¡¯, Shasha perked his ears up in response.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go out and have fun.¡±


    I smiled awkwardly at Shasha¡¯s convex belly. A male lead with belly fat was a bit¡­


    ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s lose some weight.¡±


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    Shasha, who didn¡¯t understand me, tilted his head.


    To help him understand quickly, I bent down to his level and rubbed his stomach. The protruding belly fat was soft.


    Surprised by the candid touch, Shasha jumped up. His eyes opened so wide that I thought they would pop out of his sockets.


    ¡°¡­ Awoo?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you need to get out more.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Woof?¡±


    ¡°Or else you¡¯ll be a pig¡­¡±


    ¡°Ruff, ruff, ruff, awoo, awwooo!!¡±


    Shasha cried in shock, perhaps because of his belly fat or my remarks about him turning into a pig.


    ¡­ Sorry.

 Chapter 14

    While crying to go out of the mansion, Shasha suddenly hit me with his head.


    I was too frustrated and distracted while trying to soothe him. Because of that, I was suddenly pushed back and hit my back against the door.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    There was not enough room for me to retreat and Shasha identally knocked me with too much power.


    ¡°Ah, it hurts. Okay, okay, we can go now.¡±


    Shasha stepped forward and looked at me with disdain as if he didn¡¯t like my slow attitude. I couldn¡¯t stand his impatience, so I picked up the leash and muzzle hanging on the wall.


    When Sihael saw the muzzle, he twitched his nose and jerked his head. He was outrightly expressing his rejection, but I couldn¡¯t help it.


    I knew it was frustrating for him, but I couldn¡¯t just let him wander freely considering how he had hurt people while running around.


    ¡°If you want to go for a walk, hang in there.¡±


    I forced the reluctant Shasha to put the muzzle on him and then put the leash around his neck.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    We headed for the gymnasium where it was empty.


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    ¡°Come, we¡¯re almost there.¡±


    I took Shasha around the gymnasium with me. Thanks to the torch I was carrying, it was as bright as daytime, so we didn¡¯t face any difficulty while taking a walk.


    Shasha, who had always been under my supervision, was excited to wander around and sniff everything. I followed him gently.


    Then he suddenly raised his leg.


    I was briefly shocked by the scene I saw for the first time, but I quickly recovered.


    ¡®That¡¯s understandable. After all, he¡¯s a wolf now. He can¡¯t stop physiological phenomena. But why does he keep on staring at me?¡¯


    I turned my head because I felt embarrassed, but then I remembered what I had read in a book not long ago.


    <em>When dogs look at their owner while relieving themselves, it means that they feel vulnerable and are asking for protection.</em>I looked into Shasha¡¯s eyes and nodded my head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll protect you.¡±


    But was my gaze too intense? Shasha quietly lowered his leg and avoided my eyes.


    ¡°Sorry, I won¡¯t look.¡±


    Contrary to what I learned from the book, it seemed Shasha felt ashamed when I looked at him while he was relieving himself.


    ¡®I¡¯ll keep that in my mind.¡¯


    I turned my back and started aimlessly kicking the dirt while waiting for Sihael to finish his business. The leash suddenly slipped out of my hand while I wasn¡¯t paying attention.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Fortunately, I grabbed the end of the rope in time, but I lost my bnce because of Shasha¡¯s great strength. I stumbled forward and ended up getting dragged by him.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    He really stopped. But it wasn¡¯t because of mymand, rather he stopped because of the destination we arrived at. Shasha looked up at a tree and barked fiercely.


    ¡°Arggg, ruff ruff ruff! Grrrr!¡±


    When I looked up, I saw a crow on a branch looking down at Shasha. That crow didn¡¯t do anything, but Shasha tried to climb up the tree and bite the crow¡¯s neck off. Seeing him act so recklessly and frantically, I was afraid he might get hurt.


    ¡°Shasha,e on.¡±


    ¡°Ruff, ruff, ruff! Grrrrrr! Ruff, ruff!¡±


    ¡°Shasha, calm down.¡±


    The flushed Shasha didn¡¯t listen to me at all.


    I stroked his back and tried to calm him down, but it was all in vain. I didn¡¯t know what to do. If I let him go, he would stick to the tree again, and if I held onto him, he would bark at me. I picked up some branches around me and threw them towards the crow.


    ¡®Phew! Fly away.¡¯


    Even though the situation was quite intimidating, the crow was eerily still while looking down at Shasha.


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t bother my kid and fly away!¡±


    Its beaded eyes passed over Shasha and then fell on me.


    ¡®What? What are you looking at?¡¯


    When the branches hit its wings, it spread out its wings.


    <em>Caw, caw~</em>


    As the crow flew up in the sky, Shasha rushed forward to chase it. I quickly tugged the rope hard and hugged Shasha to stop him.


    Shasha, who lost the crow, felt overwhelmed under my power. He kept on staring silently at the sky where the crow had disappeared.

 Chapter 15

    Shasha¡¯s chest was violently rising up and down. I patted him slowly on the back, unable to hide my agitation.


    ¡°Shh. Calm down.¡±


    Despite my efforts, Shasha continued to stare up at the sky for a long time.


    * * *


    I told Marina, who was brushing my hair, about what happened in the evening.


    ¡°Sasha looked at the crow and barked like crazy.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he wanted to hunt the crow.¡±


    ¡°Hunt?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s a predatory animal after all. It must have been stressful for him to be locked up for so long.¡±


    Marina had a point, but¡­


    He was too anxious for something like that.


    ¡°I need to take a look.¡±


    It bothered me to see a guy, who wasn¡¯t afraid of anything in this world, show strange behavior to just a crow. When I opened the door and came outside, the door of Shasha¡¯s room also opened at the same time.


    The new maid, who was put in charge of Shasha, came out with a grim face. I heard howling soundsing from behind her. The maid stumbled, struggling to close the door. After closing the door, when she saw me, she quickly ran over as if she had seen a lifeline.


    ¡°My Lady, I think you shoulde. Shasha¡­¡±


    When I entered, the room was aplete mess. The wallpaper was torn and ragged, and the bowls rolled around andid upside down on the floor. The toys were smashed and the cushions were ripped apart with cotton flying everywhere around the room.


    ¡°What a mess!¡±


    Other than that, I had nothing else to say about this. The person who was responsible for this mess whined when his eyes met mine.


    ¡°Aww, awooo.¡±


    Shasha¡¯s trembling figure came as quite a shock to me. It seemed he was bullied by a crow when he was a kid. That must be it. Otherwise, there was no other reason for him to be like this.


    I couldn¡¯t believe that he was showing his vulnerable side to me.


    If I knew he¡¯d care this much, I would have killed that crow on the spot, or let Shasha hunt it.


    Now it was toote to regret it.


    ¡°Shh. It¡¯s okay.¡±


    As I approached him, he put his head out of the cage and looked up at me. His eyes shook like waves.


    His eyes seemed like they were imploring me to open the door. His pretty eyes pulled me into a trance and I opened the cage dazedly.


    ¡°Come here.¡±


    I opened my arms to hug the anxious Shasha. But this little punk just walked past me and escaped out of the door.


    I was a fool to believe that Shasha woulde into my arms.


    ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t youe here?¡±


    I ran behind him anticipating a long chase, but Shasha was lying in an unexpected ce. He arrived in my bedroom, the room next to his. Shashay down on my bed and stared at me nkly.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    It looked like my room was the best ce he¡¯d ever been to.


    ¡®He¡¯s a little cute.¡¯


    Unlike me, who looked at him happily, Marina¡¯s gaze was unpleasant.


    ¡°That bastard.¡±


    Marina mumbled disdainfully. She was on the verge of flipping Shasha upside down.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Marina didn¡¯t know that Shasha would gobble up anyone whom he didn¡¯t ept if they tried to touch him. I quickly approached Shasha¡¯s front andforted him.


    ¡°Shasha,e down.¡±


    Then he turned his head as if he didn¡¯t hear me.


    ¡®I knew it! He never listened to me because I¡¯ve been treating him like a dog.¡¯


    Since he didn¡¯t listen, I pulled him down forcefully. Shasha struggled, thrashing around wildly.


    ¡°Come on, calm down!¡±


    When I somehow managed to pull him off the bed, he got back on the bed andid down again. I pulled him down from my bed but he climbed up. This repeated three more times. In the end, it was me who ended up raising the white g.


    ¡°Go get a new cushion.¡±


    I yield. I never thought I¡¯d see Shasha make a fuss. I put a cushion next to the bed and pulled Shasha down. Then I pressed his head down hard so that he wouldn¡¯t get back into the bed.


    ¡°If you promise to sleep here, I¡¯ll let you sleep with me.¡±


    Shasha, who quickly understood my intent,y down on the cushion.

 Chapter 16

    ¡°But, My Lady, Shasha is a predatory animal. It has always been trying to hurt you. It¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll win.¡±


    ¡°What if it attacks you when you¡¯re asleep?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t my instincts take care of it?¡±


    It might sound like bullshit, but it could still be possible with Rosetta¡¯s trained body. And I knew Shasha wouldn¡¯t attack me. I didn¡¯t worry about it too much. But Marina¡¯s thoughts were different.


    ¡°Then you should at least put a muzzle on his mouth.¡±


    Shasha, who understood her words, looked at me again with big eyes as if he was saying,<em>¡®Master, Shasha doesn¡¯t like muzzles.¡¯</em>


    Interpreting his eyes, I muttered as if I was possessed.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. He won¡¯t be able to sleep because he might feel stuffy while wearing the muzzle. It¡¯s okay because I¡¯ve subjugated him now.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay here and protect you. I can¡¯t leave you alone like this.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    After getting my permission, Marina settled down on the couch. She didn¡¯t take her eyes off him. From the beginning, Shasha didn¡¯t even care.


    Whether Marina red at him or not, he stretched out his body and closed his eyes. That¡¯s how the day ended.


    * * *


    When I opened my eyes, my neck was securely attached to my body and Shasha was still in the dreand.


    As I expected, nothing had happenedst night.


    Marina still didn¡¯t trust Shasha, but she no longer made faces when looking at the sleeping Shasha.


    Also, no matter how much she tried to stay awake, Marina wasn¡¯t able to keep an eye on Shasha every night.


    Why every night, you ask?


    I don¡¯t know what kind of change of heart he had, but Shasha starteding to my room every night. Even if he ate in his room, he came right into my room when he wanted to sleep.


    I was worried that he was suffering from separation anxiety, but during the day, he was theplete opposite, making me so confused. He reacted sensitively only at night and tried to sleep next to me.


    ¡°So, is he always going to be next to you?¡±


    Lanoa looked at Shasha, who was lying at my feet with tired eyes.


    ¡°He only stays with me at night.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s he doing beside your feet right now?¡±


    Lanoa again nced down at Shasha, who was drowsily lying at my feet.


    ¡°Cute Shasha.¡±


    I patted Shasha¡¯s head as hey face down near my feet, but Shasha dodged my hand. I smiled awkwardly.


    ¡®Why is he so cold during the day andes to stick with me to sleep together at night? I don¡¯t know what goes in his head.¡¯


    ¡°Huh, where is the Rosetta Katzel, who would whip the beasts she raised to make them strong?¡±


    ¡°I have been reborn. Forget the old Rosetta.¡±


    The Rosetta he mentioned was not me. I¡¯m going to live a good life now.


    ¡°I realized how I¡¯ve been living my life. I¡¯m going to live a decent life now.¡±


    ¡°Pft!¡±


    Lanoa choked on his tea and spat it all over my face.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s disgusting!¡±


    ¡°Cough! Cough! Hey, you¡¯re not taking some drugs behind my back, right?¡±


    ¡°Are you asking me if I¡¯m taking some drugs? Is that what you should ask your little sister?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re normal.¡±


    Lanoa would be such a good brother if he could shut his mouth. His mouth was always the problem.


    ¡°Shasha, bite him.¡±


    ¡°Grrrrrrrr.¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey, it was just a joke.¡±


    Seeing Shasha charge at him, Lanoa got scared and moved aside to dodge him. It was a quick move, befitting a Katzel. But Shasha was also not one to miss. He chased after Lanoa with all his might.


    Shasha, who was chasing him, suddenly ran towards the door.


    ¡°Ruff! Ruff! Ruff!¡±


    ***


    ¡°Young Master, it¡¯s me.¡±


    Shasha¡¯s barks grew louder at the unfamiliar voice. Of course, it was also a strange voice to me.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    The man who came through the door was someone who existed in my memory.


    Baron Pallia.


    Since Lanoa was a wanderer and I got involved in a lot of idents, he was the one who was in charge of managing the fief on our behalf.


    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s Young Lady, too.¡±


    Rosetta remembered not being on very good terms with the Baron. The Baron nagged Rosetta all the time for ruining the family, and Rosetta trembled at the Baron¡¯s nagging.


    Rosetta would try to avoid him if she heard his voice from afar, and she often ignored his greetings. But I am not that Rosetta.

 Chapter 17

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Baron.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±


    The Baron¡¯s face, which remained calm no matter what, cracked when I reciprocated his greetings and used honorifics. He was suspicious of my sudden weird behavior and wondered what kind of tricks I had up my sleeves this time. Of course, as a great vassal, he didn¡¯t show any of this, but I could tell what he was thinking.


    ¡°There¡¯s also a wolf you haven¡¯t met yet.¡±


    ¡°Grrrrr.¡±


    ¡°This is the guy that I¡¯m raising these days.¡±


    ¡®Shh, you have to be quiet.¡¯ Shasha closed his mouth as I whispered and tugged his leash. But he kept staring at the Baron vigntly.


    ¡°He¡¯s cute, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Huh, yes.¡±


    It was so obvious that he was answering reluctantly. The expression on his grim face was amon sight.


    ¡®You must be thinking that a crazy princess is now raising a dog that resembles her.¡¯


    It was so obvious. The outsiders always looked at me like that. But unlike them, the experienced Baron quickly removed his thoughts from his face.


    ¡°Young Master, I have something to tell you about the mine you mentioned the other day.¡±


    The Baron held something in his arms and put it on the table. It was a ck stone with an uneven surface.


    ¡®Oh, is it really that?¡¯


    The stone felt familiar to me so I picked it up and took a closer look.


    It was light, yet hard enough that it didn¡¯t break easily. It was cold to the touch, as if it was ice. Yet it was a stone I knew very well.


    ¡°The diamonds you were looking for werest reported a week ago. There are only stones like this left.¡±


    ¡°What a waste!¡±


    Lanoa clicked his tongue in disappointment.


    ¡®The mood here is like a house in mourning.¡¯


    I tilted my head, feeling the heavy atmosphere between the two.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a useless stone.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you saying! It¡¯s a mana stone. You would make a lot of fortune with it.¡±


    Even if it was a bit small, it would be worth a lot. As I was rolling the mana stone in my hand, I raised my head feeling the piercing gazes. Two pairs of eyes stared at me intently.


    ¡°A mana stone?¡±


    ¡°You say it¡¯s a mana stone?¡±


    ¡®Huh¡­? Wait a minute, don¡¯t they know it¡¯s a mana stone? I think I brought up something wrong again¡­.¡¯


    In the original plot, the duchy was famous for its mana stones, so I thought they would know about it. But at the same time, I didn¡¯t know much about the existence of mana stones, let alone the famous ones.


    ¡°A mana stone is a jewel that shines with a blue light.¡±


    ¡°Mana stones are processed stones, while this is a raw stone.¡±


    Just as the Baron said, a mana stone was a smooth jewel with a subtle blue light. But because it was a processed stone, one would need to break the hard shell of the raw stone, before grinding and polishing it to make it smooth.


    The gemstone that I was holding was an ugly stone.


    It had the same characteristics as the one I had read in the original book. If you weren¡¯t a wizard, there was no chance anyone would know if the jewel was a mana stone. Even nobles who knew about its existence had a hard time distinguishing it. Moreover, it was much harder for the Katzel family as they were very far from magic. The Baron asked as if he couldn¡¯t believe what I was saying.


    ¡°How do you know about it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen it.¡±


    ¡°Where? There¡¯s no way you would be interested in this sort of thing.¡±


    At Lanoa¡¯s question, I just quickly cooked up a story.


    ¡°The wizard I knew showed me.¡±


    I used an unknown wizard from Rosetta¡¯s memory.


    ¡°Ah yes, there was a wizard Young Lady had sponsoredst year.¡±


    The Baron sessfully bit the bait I had just thrown.


    ¡°He showed it to me, boasting that it was a rare gemstone. I¡¯m sure. It looks just the same as that one. Though, this is bigger.¡±


    This answer was much more usible than saying the stuff I knew from the book.


    Because Rosetta wasn¡¯t interested in magic at all.


    She wasn¡¯t the type to be interested in magic and wizardry. She would rather wield her sword a hundred times than waste her time on such things.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, then you can check it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡±

 Chapter 18

    Surprisingly, the Baron didn¡¯t entrust this matter to an expert. His brown eyes twinkled and lit up, as if he had been anticipating this for a long time.


    ¡°Everything you do is alwaysmendable.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    When the Baron nodded and agreed with Lanoa¡¯s sarcastic words, Lanoa blinked his eyes in surprise.


    No, isn¡¯t it too much to say something like this to someone¡¯s face?


    ¡°Baron, I see you think of me as someone useless.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll put it bluntly then. Considering how much money you¡¯ve been spending to sort out troubles for Young Lady¡¯s dignity¡­¡±


    The Baron shook his head and left the end of the sentence open-endedly.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you seem to being to your senses these days.¡±


    Since then, the Baron¡¯s nagging started to no end.


    ¡®Wow¡­. I think I know now why you and Rosetta didn¡¯t get along. How can you nag so much in such a short time?¡¯


    My head felt dizzy.


    Lanoa, who was initiallyughing at my misfortune, also was nagged by the Baron. His gloating face quickly withered.


    The idea of escaping from here gued my head.


    I grabbed Shasha¡¯s yawning face. Shasha frowned and shook his head.


    <em>¡®Stay still. I can get out of here by using you as an excuse.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Huh? You want to get out? Okay, my Shasha¡¯s tired of Baron¡¯s nagging. I¡¯d better get going.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something you need to know.¡±


    <em>¡®You¡¯re still nagging me?¡¯</em>


    When I looked at the Baron without hiding my weariness, he carefully said.


    ¡°There¡¯s a rumor going around about the Crown Prince¡¯s whereabouts. No one knows where he is right now.¡±


    Well, that Crown Prince was here now. As the Baron spoke, I looked down at Shasha. He too looked up at me.


    ¡°The Crown Prince usually does not wander here and there.¡±


    ¡°The Little Duke is secretly looking for him.¡±


    ¡°Older brother? So it¡¯s not just a rumor.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we have to see whether there¡¯s really a problem.¡±


    A problem? No, there were a lot of problems. The Crown Prince was not only hunted by Lanoa but he was also wearing the cor I ordered.


    ¡°If His Highness doesn¡¯te back by next month, we might have to hold Young Lady¡¯sing-of-age ceremony here.¡±


    ¡®Oh, it¡¯s my birthday soon.¡¯


    Now I understood why Baron¡¯s reaction was so cautious. Theing-of-age ceremony was a very important event for Rosetta.


    Rosetta had settled in the North at the age of twelve and had never left the North for six years. So, the Duke had promised her that hering-of-age ceremony would be the grandest in the whole imperial capital.


    So her long-awaiteding-of-age ceremony was to be held in a simple manner in the estate because of some Crown Prince, whose face she hadn¡¯t even seen?


    Rosetta was so angry that she flipped everything upside down.


    Maybe that¡¯s why the Baron looked at me like that.


    I clicked my tongue, seeing the two people sitting far away from the table.


    ¡®You know, you guys really are creating the situation to make me flip something upside down.¡¯


    I looked at them with a chilling gaze but they didn¡¯t even flinch.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine with me.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    ¡°I thought you would get angry, but this is unexpected.¡±


    ¡°I told you, I have been born anew.¡±


    And theing-of-age ceremony meant nothing to me.


    Unable to believe my calm reaction, the two people stared at me nkly with their mouths open. I didn¡¯t want to deal with them anymore, so I closed the door and left them behind.


    The approachinging-of-age ceremony meant that the start of the original story was also getting closer.


    In other words, there was not much time left before Shasha would leave.


    I patted Shasha on the head.


    ¡°You will be able to go home soon.¡±


    Once Liliana shows up, everything would be back in its ce.


    * * *


    ¡°My Lady.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t buy it.¡±


    ¡°Please take a look at this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m busy. Don¡¯t bother me and go.¡±


    I lightly pushed Baron Pallia around and threw the ball.


    A cloud of dust rose behind Shasha, who ran quickly after the ball. Seeing the dust cling to his body, the Baron furrowed his eyebrows. It was obvious that he wanted to clean up quickly and leave.

 Chapter 19

    ¡®You don¡¯t like it? Well, I don¡¯t like it either.¡¯


    We were already ufortable with each other, but now we¡¯re fighting all because of Lanoa.


    Lanoa, that son of a pig, ran away after slyly putting me in charge of the mine.


    <em><You¡¯re the one who found it, so you should be the one to look over its export.></em>


    By the time I found out, my name had already been listed as the person in charge.


    My only dream was to live as a wealthy, unemployed person, so why do I keep getting more work?


    ¡®It¡¯s all because I pretended to know. The problem is always my damn mouth.¡¯


    Irritated, I rubbed my forehead hard.


    In the meantime, Shasha returned and spit out the ball.


    Shasha wagged his tail as I pped at his pace, which was faster than yesterday.


    I patted his head, looking at him very pleasantly.


    ¡°Good job.¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    This time, I threw two balls at the same time.


    But I couldn¡¯t control my strength and as a result the blue ball went over the fence. Fortunately, Shasha ran after the red ball that fell inside the fence. As I watched him, I sighed, feeling the ominous presence behind me.


    ¡°Your opinion is my opinion, Baron, so don¡¯te to me anymore.¡±


    After all it was Baron Pallia, not anyone else.


    He had managed the Katzel Duchy far better than anyone else for the past four years, so I was sure he would do well without my opinions.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    We both had offered a solution that wasfortable for everyone, but the upright Baron always came to bother me this way.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It was you who recognized the mana stone that no one knew about, and you also found a reasonable processingpany. Of course, no one is more suited to be in charge than you, Young Lady.¡±


    ***


    Yeah, I dug my own grave.


    Lanoa was struggling to find a processingpany. So, I told him whatever I knew.


    Although the processingpany I mentioned was small in size, it was a firm that Liliana had chosen after careful consideration in the original story.


    Since it was a ce chosen by the main character, the quality was guaranteed, of course.


    It was not famous now, but it would soon soar to new heights.


    I only chose it before it became famous, but I didn¡¯t know it would bring such a result.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about business. So what can I do?¡±


    ¡°All you have to do is give your opinion. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­¡±


    If that was the case, then you should do everything.


    For now, there was nothing more important to me than spending the rest of my time with Shasha, who would be leaving soon.


    ¡®Come to think of it, why isn¡¯t Shashaing?¡¯


    And then I saw him.


    Arge ball of fur jumped over the fence.


    ¡°¡­Shasha?¡±


    By the time I noticed, he had already disappeared over the fence.


    ¡°No! Shasha! Come back!¡±


    ¡®You can run away, but that¡¯s only after the female leades to the North!¡¯


    It¡¯s pointless if you go now! You¡¯re going to have a hard time if you leave the house!


    ¡°My Lady¡­ Argh!¡±


    ¡°Move!¡±


    I thought I heard someone fall from behind, but I didn¡¯t care.


    I never thought he¡¯d run away. I let my guard down because he was quiet for a while.


    I sprinted straight out of the fence and ran in the direction where Shasha disappeared.


    ¡°Shasha, don¡¯t go there! Come back!¡±


    I wondered whether this was how dog owners felt when they lost their dogs. All kinds of thoughts were running through my head.


    Shasha getting hit by a carriage, Shasha copsing while walking around the street in a pitiful state, and Shasha getting picked up and bullied by a bad person¡­


    ¡°No! Shasha!¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    Huh? I turned my head to Shasha¡¯s voice.


    Seeing Shasha running from an unexpected direction, I slowed down.


    ¡°¡­Shasha.¡±


    The first emotion that washed over me was relief. Then it changed to doubt.


    Why did youe back? It was a golden opportunity to run away from me.


    He was definitely looking for an opportunity to run away while I was off guard. He wanted to go, so why¡­

 Chapter 20

    Shasha tilted his head as if he didn¡¯t understand why I was out here instead of being inside the fence. Then he spat something out. It was the blue ball that I had identally thrown too far away.


    ¡®I thought you ran away. Was it because of the ball?¡¯


    Ah¡­ like a fool, I was just assuming stuff on my own¡­


    As I stared nkly at the ball, Shasha pushed his head towards me. When I felt the soft fur in my hands, I came back to my senses.


    ¡°Hahahaha.¡±


    I was both happy and deeply moved.


    It was different from the day when I mistook him for getting close and familiar with me. This time, I definitely felt his trust towards me.


    It was the first time I felt a bond between us.


    ¡°Wow, our Shasha is awesome. You brought it without giving up until the end. It¡¯s really amazing.¡±


    Then Shasha wagged his tail wildly. He was so pretty and admirable that I hugged him tightly. Shasha was so big that I gotpletely buried in him.


    ¡°So adorable! You¡¯re so nice, my little puppy!¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    We rolled over the floor.


    The Baron, who followed me, was freaked out by this scene, but I didn¡¯t know¡ª I just didn¡¯t know what to do because Shasha was so adorable. When I got up after rolling on the ground for a while, a document popped in front of my eyes. It was done none other than by the Baron who noticed that I was now in a better mood.


    ¡°Sir Baron, do you know that you¡¯re very persistent?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s my strength.¡±


    I lightly red at the Baron and read the document he had handed me.


    In summary, the Katzel Duchy would make essories with the mana stones and deliver them to the top-tier jewelry shops in the capital. The Baron¡¯s n was to disy the essories made of mana stone there to attract not only the wizards but also the non-magicians.


    Man, I already knew it, but this really smells like big money.


    ¡°This is a good idea. But mana stones are hard to handle aspared to the other jewels, so using any craftsman might destroy them.¡±


    The baron handed me another page.


    It was a famous jeweler whom I had heard of. But he cost a lot of money.


    ¡°Is there no one else aside from him?¡±


    ¡°He was chosen because you said we can¡¯t just use any jeweler.¡±


    Yes, but he was too expensive. I didn¡¯t like the jeweler that the Baron chose. The Duchy had to make as much profit as it could.


    Why? Because that would all be my retirement savings!


    But the problem was that my information was limited here. My information waspletely based on the original story and it was inadequate for this little initiative.


    So there was nothing I could do. I could only follow whatever the Baron said. When I was about to give up, a name shed in my mind like a thunderbolt. It was Rosetta¡¯s information, not mine.


    ¡°Asi¡­.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Please contact Asi¡¯s workshop. It¡¯s not a well-known ce, but I¡¯m sure of his skills. Do you remember the ne that Countess Giller wore to His Majesty¡¯s birthday banquetst year? It was made there.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about that ne?¡±


    The Baron¡¯s eyes brightened as I nodded. Countess Giller¡¯s ne was famous enough for Baron to understand it right away.


    It was actually a magic tool that could be used by non-magicians while maintaining its beauty without being crude.


    It was the only ne in the world. It was so famous that news about it spread all the way to the far north of the kingdom.


    ¡°The jeweler is known to be anonymous. How did you know about it?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s an ornament.¡±


    The ornament was beautiful. And Rosetta was crazy about beautiful things.


    After hearing the rumors about the ne the Countess wore, Rosetta drove her men like dogs to find the name of its mastermind.


    She wanted to request a ne design for hering-of-age ceremony.


    And she finally found out the name of the jeweler. Asi, the owner of the Asi workshop.


    ¡°The cost will be reasonable.¡±


    The Baron¡¯s face brightened up like a light bulb.


    ¡°But it won¡¯t be easy to sign a contract with him. That person is excellent in skill, but he doesn¡¯t like getting attention. I was rejected too.¡±


    And then the light on the Baron¡¯s face immediately went off. The Baron¡¯s expression clearly showed what he was thinking, ¡®The unrivaled Rosetta Katzel failed? Is that even possible?¡¯


    ¡®Yeah, the unrivaled Rosetta failed.¡¯


    ¡°¡­Is he alive?¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, yes.¡±


    The Baron was greatly relieved to hear that. It was clear that he thought it was useful not to kill him because of his skill. If it weren¡¯t for Asi¡¯s outstanding skills¡­ He would have died.

 Chapter 21

    Rosetta¡¯s scary face when she went berserk while sharpening her knife was vivid in my mind.


    Even though he had rejected her, she didn¡¯t touch him at all.


    Because of his skillfulness, she was determined to have a ne made by Asi someday.


    A determined expression came over the Baron¡¯s serious and hardened face.


    ¡°Please leave it to me.¡±


    He looked like a general going to war. I pped and cheered for him.


    Since I left all the work on him, it was no longer my concern. If he seeded in making a deal, then it would fill the Duchy¡¯s coffers and if he failed, then there was nothing we could do. It doesn¡¯t necessarily have to be jewelry making, the export of mana stone could also make enough profits.


    ¡®I have nothing to lose.¡¯


    ¡°Well, you should go now.¡±


    ¡°See you next time.¡±


    No, please don¡¯te back ever.


    * * *


    Of course, that didn¡¯t happen. The Baron who had flown from his manor turned his head at the sound of lowughter.


    Rosetta was smiling and hugging a big wolf.


    The baron stopped in his tracks at Rosetta¡¯s smile.


    ¡®When was thest time I saw her smile like this?¡¯


    He had watched Rosetta since her younger days.


    It had only been six years, but he hadn¡¯t seen such a pure smile in a long time.


    The Rosetta he knew was always bored and indifferent, and she often got annoyed or angry rather than being happy or joyful.


    But now it looks¡­ The Baron felt a strange sense of detachment as he saw her running with the wolf.


    As the wolf crossed the fence, he remembered how she was worriedly chasing after it.


    Her voice was desperate as she cried anxiously looking for the wolf. It was not possessive, rather it was a voice full of sincere care and concern.


    His mind nked as if he had been hit in the back of his head.


    He didn¡¯t know Rosetta was someone who could care for someone.


    He implicitly regarded her as a cold-blooded woman who would shed no blood or tears.


    She was a person who could not empathize with other people¡¯s emotions and took life lightly.


    But it wasn¡¯t like that. Rosetta tamed and put the wolf, which attacked her, by her side instead of killing it.


    It was amazing to see her show patience in such a short time.


    The Duke¡¯s words came to his mind.


    <em><The child is just wandering for a while. Everyone is like that at that age. Rosetta¡¯s time is just a little longer than others. She will eventually grow up.></em>


    When the Duke said so about her good for nothing character, the Baron replied to himself that it would not happen even if he died.


    Rosetta¡¯s actions were outrageous enough to overthrow his loyalty to the duke. But the Duke¡¯s words turned out to be right.


    Rosetta changed and became a much brighter and healthier person than before.


    She knew how to make precious things and cherish life. She also hadmon sense and courtesy, something he didn¡¯t even know she possessed.


    More than that, he got help from her in the most unexpected areas.


    Rosetta made a great contribution to the business by recognizing the existence of a mana stone that no one knew about, and today, she even led them to an excellent jeweler.


    He had thought she was a spoileddy who didn¡¯t know much about the world.


    ¡®It was me who looked at the youngdy with prejudiced eyes.¡¯


    The Baron admitted his mistake. While he had given up, Rosetta grew up splendidly.


    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s not bad to teach her about management.¡¯


    Whether Rosetta heard him or not, the Baron marched forward without thinking of yelling at her to stop.


    * * *


    Oh, I¡¯m dying.


    The Baron, whom I hoped wouldn¡¯t return again, came to me and asked for my opinion.


    At first, I either ignored him or pretended not to know him and even sent him back, but the Baron was persistent.


    Facing his persistence, I gave up and threw out some opinions, no matter how rubbish they were.


    Only then could I get out of this misery.


    The more information and opinions I gave, the more Baron¡¯s face shone to the point I waspletely sucked dry.


    Late at night, after being harassed by the Baron, I returned to my room and threw myself on the bed.


    My half-stretched legs dangled under the bed. Shasha, who was hit on the head by my leg, growled angrily.


    ¡°Grrrr.¡±


    Even though he was irritated, he pushed my legs with his head and put them on the bed, and theny down on the cushion again.

 Chapter 22

    ¡®This tsundere.¡¯


    I rolled over and looked at Shasha with a grin.


    ¡°Thank you, Shasha.¡±


    ¡°Woof.¡±


    But howe his eyes seem to be sympathizing with me.


    It was somewhat nauseating to receive sympathy from Shasha, who was a dog- no, my bad, a wolf.


    I wondered why I was even living in all this splendor and honor.


    The problem was that he saw the gold coins that had been entering the safe not long ago being handedpletely to the Duke.


    ¡°Good night.¡±


    ¡°Woof.¡±


    I patted Shasha on the head and closed my eyes, and fell asleep like a log.


    When I fell asleep like this, I slept like a dead person until the next morning. It was because no one generally touched me and Shasha stayed calm until I woke up.


    But for some reason, Shasha barked fiercely today.


    ¡°Ruff, ruff, arggg, ruff!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, be quiet¡­¡±


    Please be quiet. I mumbled in my sleep and covered my ears, but I soon opened my eyes feeling chilling energy rising from under my feet. Many people charged quickly in the dark room. Men d in ck from head to toe were attacking Shasha with weapons.


    ¡°What the hell?! Assassins?!¡±


    One of them reached for me, but I quickly rolled over and dodged the assassin¡¯s hand. Just when my body rolled under the bed, Shasha jumped up and bit the assassin¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Aaaargh!¡±


    My head stuck out at the ear-splitting scream. I was stunned to the spot as I was experiencing such a situation for the first time. Seeing me in a daze, Shasha hit me in the face with his tail.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    ¡°Sorry!¡±


    When the tail struck me, I came to my senses and jumped up and pulled out the sword that was ced above the bed.


    I swung the sword at the assassin who approached Shasha and killed him in a single strike.


    I got goosebumps at the unfamiliar sensation that was transmitted through the de. Nevertheless, my hands did not stop.


    ¡°Ruff, argggg, ruff, ruff!¡±


    ¡°Shasha!¡±


    As he looked back, he crushed the assassins under hisrge size, kicked them with his feet, and bit them with his sharp fangs.


    The total number of assassins who broke into the room was ten. I had just killed one, while Shasha took care of four others all by himself. The remaining five enemies entered a battle stance while being wary of me and Shasha.


    ¡°Who sent you?¡±


    Of course, no one answered. All I could hear was their ragged breathing.


    Their gaze was strangely fixed on Shasha.


    ¡°Do you have any business with my dog?¡±


    When I pointed towards Shasha, they flinched. Not missing the moment, I quickly lunged at them and swung my sword.


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    <em>ng~!</em>The swords shed and made a chilling sound.


    I noticed from the beginning that their target was Shasha, not me. If I was the target, they wouldn¡¯t have just swung their swords at me, rather they would have stabbed me with the sword first.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    ¡°Your side! Aaargghh!¡±


    Seeing that the assassin was distracted while shouting at me, Shasha bit him from the side. Shasha sunk his teeth into the assassin¡¯s ribs, shook it and threw his mangled body into the wall. My stomach churned at the sight of his exposed internal organs.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t see anything. I didn¡¯t see it.¡¯


    Trying to forget the disgusting scene, I tickled Shasha¡¯s chin as he came next to me. The enemies gulped nervously seeing the mutted figure.


    ¡°Tell me, who wants my puppy?¡±


    ¡°Grrrr¡­¡±


    ¡°Since there¡¯s no answer, there is nothing I can do. I have to kill you all.¡±


    Well, needless to say, it must be the Empress. She must have prepared to clear everything up. There was no way a thorough person like her would leave any trace, and we would gain nothing by torturing them alive. My grip on the sword tightened.


    I must have been slicing around with my sword for a while because when I came back to my senses, the room was a mess with corpses and blood everywhere. The blood clinging to my face made me feel sick.


    ¡°¡­Ha.¡±


    I wiped the blood flowing under my chin.


    ¡°That came out of the blue after a good night¡¯s sleep, right?¡±


    ¡°Grrrrrr.¡±


    ¡°Shasha?¡±


    Even though everything was over, he still seemed like a bundle of nerves. He suddenly raised his head.


    <em>Kyaa!</em>


    I looked out of the window and saw a crow perched on a tree staring at me.


    ¡°That bird, that¡¯s the crow, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    My green eyes met its red ones.


    The shiny marble-like beaded eyes moved from me to Shasha and then to the messed-up room.


    An ominous chill ran down my spine. So that¡¯s what she was watching us with.


    ¡®It was the Empress¡¯s bird¡­!¡¯


    Now I understood why Shasha got so angry at the crow. Sihael knew that the crow was the eyes of the Empress.


    <em>Caw caw~</em>


    The crow spread its wings. Did it think I would let it go?


    I took the gun off the wall and loaded it.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    <em>Bang!</em>


    With a loud shot, the crow fell down helplessly. I checked where the crow fell and shot once more for confirmation.


    ¡®How did she know where Shasha was? I didn¡¯t know she was watching him with a crow.¡¯


    It was my mistake. In the original story, it was mentioned that the Empress used the birds as her familiars but I didn¡¯t notice.


    I should have noticed it sooner and prepared for it. I bit my lips hard.


    I left the messy room behind and hugged Shasha, who was still in an anxious state.


    ¡°Shh, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    I hugged and stroked Shasha. But his back, which should have been soft, was damp. When I looked at it, dark red blood stained my hands.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    I quickly reached over to the bed and wiped the wound with a nket. Fortunately, the bleeding wasn¡¯t heavy, but I was upset. This had happened when he bit the assassin¡¯s hand while I was stupidly dazed.

 Chapter 23

    ¡°Did this happen when you were protecting me?¡±


    What should I do? Because of me¡­ With his ability, he probably would have taken care of it all by himself, but I ended up getting in his way. Even though I wasn¡¯t of much help, I was disturbed by the fact that I was dead asleep and only noticed the dire situation after hearing the sound of his barks.


    ¡®I am unqualified to be an owner.¡¯


    I swallowed back a sigh and stroked Shasha¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Then Shasha licked my cheek. I felt a sharp pain in my cheek. I didn¡¯t know because I was distracted, but I guess I got a cut.


    ¡°It stings.¡±


    I pushed Shasha away but for some reason, he stuck to my face and didn¡¯t let go.


    ¡®Come to think of it, this is the first time Shasha has licked my face.¡¯


    Was he scared? Misunderstanding him, I looked into his eyes and whispered,


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll protect you.¡±


    I hugged Shasha¡¯s neck and buried my face in his fur.


    <em>¡°¡­What?¡±</em>


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    Why was a strange man¡¯s voiceing from my arms? But Shasha was the only one in my arms¡­?


    <em>*Push*</em>


    I quickly pulled Shasha out of my arms. A soft, fluffy fur, two thick ears, and a long snout came into my sight. Surely, it was my dog, Shasha.


    I looked around, but I couldn¡¯t feel anyone¡¯s presence. I had confirmed that all the assassins were dead, so the voice definitely didn¡¯te from the pile of corpses.


    ¡®What? Am I having some auditory hallucinations because I was so surprised?¡¯


    I tilted my head and hugged Shasha again.


    I wanted to heal myself by burying my face in Shasha¡¯s soft fur.


    However, unlike before, when I hugged him, he kept wiggling his butt and moving back.


    Something was weird.


    ¡°Shasha, is it because of the Empress? It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll protect you.¡±


    <em>¡°How do you know that it was the Empress¡¯ doing?¡±</em>


    ¡°Oh, what the f*ck!¡±


    I pushed Shasha hard.


    I couldn¡¯t control my strength and pushed him too hard, because of which Shasha fell to the side.


    Shasha, who was thrown out, opened his mouth and blinked his eyes in surprise.


    No matter how surprised you are, you can¡¯t be more surprised than me!


    ¡°¡­Speak¡­ The dog can speak¡­¡±


    I raised my right hand and pped myself hard on the face.


    p!


    My right cheek tingled.


    ¡°I must be dreaming- no wait I¡¯m not dreaming. What on earth¡­ Shasha can talk? This dog?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a dog, but a wolf.¡±


    ¡°This is crazy¡­¡±


    How, how was he talking? Didn¡¯t the story mention that he couldn¡¯t speak? When he became a wolf, he turned into a real beast, so he did not have either reason or consciousness!


    He couldn¡¯t speak anything even after imprinting on Liliana!


    ¡°This is crazy. This world really is insane¡­¡±


    It was already stupid of me to raise Sihael, who was no different from a time bomb, after possessing the body of the viin, but now he could talk.


    I thought it would be all over if I sent Sihael to Liliana. Of course, after that, he wouldn¡¯t remember me!


    ¡®But what is this? No matter how I look at it, it seems he has regained his consciousness!!¡¯


    I¡¯m doomed. I¡¯m screwed.


    Suddenly my shoulders drooped and the silver fur fluttered in my sight.


    Hisrge front paws pressed against my shoulder. I was on my knees, so I lost my bnce and fell backward.


    <em>¡°I¡¯ll ask you again. How do you know that it was the Empress¡¯ doing?¡±</em>


    Sihael sat on top of me and asked lowly.


    It waspletely different from when he lost his temper and ran towards me.


    He didn¡¯t attack me like that day, nor did he show any aggression. He only asked me calmly with his unwavering, firm eyes.


    The problem was me. When I saw him on top of me, the scene reminded me of that day.


    The head, which instinctively perceived the situation as dangerous, swung freely.


    <em>Bang!</em>


    <em>¡°Arghh!¡±</em>


    ¡°Oh, uh, oh, my God! I¡¯m sorry! I was surprised. I didn¡¯t know¡­ It hurts a lot, doesn¡¯t it? I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    I jumped to my feet in surprise at the sight of Sihael rolling on the floor. But since I was too startled, I stumbled and ended up hugging him.


    When I saw his face distorted in pain, I felt guilt flooding me like a tidal wave.


    ¡®Shasha got hurt while protecting me, and I just made the wound worse. What are you doing, you idiot?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m a bad owner¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re treating me like a dog.¡±


    Ah, that¡¯s right. He was not a dog anymore!


    I let go of the hand that was stroking Sihael¡¯s back and slowly backed away.


    Sihael looked at me persistently.


    ¡®I can¡¯t breathe. How long do I have to stay like this? ¡®


    Finally, unable to bear the tense atmosphere, I opened my mouth first.


    ¡°Well, how are you able to talk?¡±


    <em>¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never seen anything like this before.¡±</em>


    ¡°Oh¡­ Okay.¡±


    <em>¡°I¡¯ll ask you this again. It¡¯s already the third time I¡¯m asking you, so I want you to answer this time. How did you know it was the Empress¡¯ doing?¡±</em>


    What should I say? That I had read about it? I have to give a usible excuse¡­


    As I forcibly tried to work my brain, I saw a gun lying on the floor.


    It naturally led me to think about the crow I killed.


    ¡°Because of the crow.¡±


    ¡°The crow?¡±


    ¡°I heard the Empress raises crows, that¡¯s how I came to know¡­¡±


    I led Sihael and showed him the dead crow outside the window.


    ¡°It has stalked us before. I thought it was weird back then, but I didn¡¯t expect her to send an assassin like this.¡±


    Of course, I thought it was weird then, but I didn¡¯t think too much about it.


    The thought naturally led to the crow I killed.

 Chapter 24

    I muttered and tilted my head with an innocent face, as if I knew nothing.


    What do I need now? Yes, acting skills that are as good as an actor¡¯s!


    I slowly blinked my big eyes and put on an ¡®I don¡¯t know anything¡¯ expression.


    ¡°Shasha, by any chance, were you the Empress¡¯ dog- no, I mean wolf? All the assassins were only after you¡­¡±


    <em>¡°Don¡¯t say such horrifying things. It makes me wanna throw up.¡±</em>


    Oh, okay. That was a very intense reaction.


    He shot the crow a ferocious re, filled with contempt as if just thinking about it would make him nauseous.


    Woah, Shasha can make such a face, too. He really looked like a real person. Well, he¡¯s actually a human being but¡­


    I decided to pretend not to know until Sihael himself revealed his identity.


    If he was going to hide it till the end, then I was also going to pretend I didn¡¯t know until the end.


    ¡®Even if I die, I can¡¯t say that I raised him knowing that he was the crown prince. It was definitely suspicious that anyone would raise him even after knowing his identity.¡¯


    The moon, which had been obscured by clouds, was revealed to the world.


    The moonlight lit up Sihael¡¯s face as well as mine.


    I frowned at the stark horror that unfolded before my eyes.


    First of all, I¡¯ll have to call someone and clean this mess up. As soon as I made that decision, I turned around.


    <em>¡°Rosetta Katzel?¡±</em>


    As I turned around in surprise at the voice calling me, I saw a wolf with surprised eyes as wide as mine.


    ¡°Huh? You know me¡­?¡±


    <em>¡°¡­I know.¡±</em>


    Sihael, who took a moment, curled up his lips.


    <em>¡°Your Ladyship is quite famous as Katzel¡¯s unruly mad dog.¡±</em>


    Sihael¡¯s mouth twitched in amusement.


    Wait, so wolves know how tough¡­ no, not that. Have the rumors spread to the Imperial capital?


    Unlike me, who was scared, Sihael looked relieved as if a huge burden had been lifted off him.


    <em>¡°If you¡¯re here, does that mean this is the Katzel Duchy?¡±</em>


    ¡°Right.¡±


    <em>¡°Should I say I¡¯m relieved¡­¡±</em>


    Sihael, who was muttering while looking at the crow, looked into my eyes as if he had made a big decision.


    I could feel a sense of determination from him.


    <em>¡°I have something to say to you, My Lady.¡±</em>


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    <em>¡°I know it¡¯s hard to believe but I am the Crown Prince of the Empire, Sihael von Idris. I¡¯m like this now because of a curse.¡±</em>


    ¡°Oh? Oh¡­ Yes?¡±


    You¡¯re telling me this right away? That¡¯s top-secret; a secret you shouldn¡¯t tell anyone!


    Surprised by this sudden bomb, I shrugged my shoulders. I was so surprised that the reaction came out naturally without even having to pretend/act.


    ¡°Can you say it¡­ Is it okay to say it like this? Shouldn¡¯t you keep¡­ shouldn¡¯t it be kept a secret¡­.?¡±*


    [*She¡¯s switching from informal to formal]


    Shit, I must look like a fool. Since I had been using informalnguage all the time, I was finding it difficult to speak formally.


    While I was being awkward, Sihael didn¡¯t care much about it.


    <em>¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do about it because you¡¯re the only one I can rely on now. But you¡¯re taking this much easier than I thought.¡±</em>


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t believe after seeing a wolf talk¡­ I think you¡¯re right, seeing how familiar you are with speaking informally¡­¡±


    <em>¡°My Lady, unlike your appearance, you have a nice personality.¡±</em>


    Huh, what was this? The atmosphere had suddenly turned nice.


    I had hit him in surprise, but fortunately, it seemed he had a good impression of me, so I was relieved.


    <em>¡°But, My Lady, how did I end up in the duchy?¡±</em>


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember, Your Highness?¡±


    <em>¡°I don¡¯t.¡±</em>


    ¡°Really? Not at all?¡±


    <em>¡°Yes, is there a problem?¡±</em>


    ¡°Oh, no no, there¡¯s not.¡±


    That¡¯s a relief! I hoped that his memories would nevere back in this life.


    If Sihael found out what I had done¡­ it was terrifying to just imagine.


    I¡¯ll keep my mouth shut even if I am arrested for sphemy against the imperial family.


    ¡°My second brother brought the wounded Your Highness.¡±


    Yeah, it was him who brought him here. But even if I died, I couldn¡¯t tell him that Lanoa actually hunted him.


    <em>¡°That second brother should be Lanoa.¡±</em>


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Sihael¡¯s walls slowly crumbled. The fact that he was picked up and looked after in the homnd of Leonard¨Chis best friend, the Katzel duchy, which became a fence for him after he lost his mother, seemed to have yed a big role.


    Maybe that¡¯s why this wolf could crack a joke that didn¡¯t fit the situation.


    <em>¡°I¡¯m asking you this out of concern, but you weren¡¯t raising me to ughter me, were you?¡±</em>


    ¡°Are you crazy? How can you say that? Do you even know how I felt while raising Shasha?¡±


    How can you say such harsh words?! Once the suppressed grievances broke out, they poured out uncontrobly.


    ¡°I fed you the highest quality meat! I let you sleep on the finest and softest cushion ever! I even took you for a walk every day! How many hardships I suffered while raising you with that flippant personality of yours! Do you- no, does Your Highness know that¡­?!


    All the hardships I had been through shed before my eyes.


    Hah, I felt dumbfounded just thinking about it again. How dare you diminish my efforts?!

 Chapter 25

    As I heaved my shoulders and gasped, that jerk of a wolf wagged his tail and scrunched his eyes.


    This punk! You¡¯re enjoying this now, aren¡¯t you?


    <em>¡°Then I¡¯m relieved because the rumors about the princess are quite horrendous.¡±</em>


    Woah, so this was your personality? I thought you were the serious and scary type.


    ¡®Where did my cute puppy go? I can¡¯t believe this sly wolf jerk is pulling my leg!¡¯


    Realizing that I had been teased by him, I wetted my lips.


    ¡°Do you want to be kicked out?¡±


    <em>¡°I didn¡¯t think you would be this petty¡­¡±</em>


    ¡°My Lady! Are you alright?¡±


    I suddenly blocked Sihael¡¯s mouth with my hand. Surprised, he blinked. I put my index finger on my lips, gesturing to him to stay quiet.


    ¡°Shh, I think the maid is here.¡±


    Sihael, who understood what I meant, nodded his head. Seeing that he was quiet, I went ahead and opened the door.


    ¡°You¡¯re just in time. I was just about to call you.¡±


    ¡°Haa!¡±


    ¡°My Lady!¡±


    Marina and an unknown knight gasped as they peered at the devastation that was spread behind my back.


    ¡°As you can see, it¡¯s a mess. I know it¡¯s quite troublesome at night, but please clean this up.¡±


    I stepped aside and let them in.


    Then Marina came straight up to me, while the knight rummaged through the dead bodies to check whether there was anyone breathing.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to check. They¡¯re all dead.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±


    The knight gulped nervously while seeing the mutted and dismembered corpses.


    In the meantime, Marina scoured my entire body, looking for even a small scar with hawk-like eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Rather, Shasha got hurt trying to protect me. Get him a doctor.¡±


    ¡°So that bastard Shasha can do something worthwhile, huh uhh!¡±


    I hastily closed Marina¡¯s mouth.


    ¡®Shit, he must have heard everything right now!¡¯


    As I slowly turned back, I saw Sihael raise his eyebrows.


    Oh, I guess he heard it.


    ¡°Hang on, My Lady. Your cheek.¡±


    After seeing the scar on my cheek, Marina jumped up like a freshly caught live fish.


    ¡°A scar on such a national treasure-like face! We need to get it treated right now!¡±


    ¡°What national treasure? Don¡¯t say stuff like that.¡±


    ¡°Actually, national treasure isn¡¯t enough to describe it. You must be content with holy artifact-level, right?¡±


    <em>¡°Pfft!¡±</em>


    ¡°What was that sound?¡±


    I covered my face as if I hadn¡¯t heard the knight¡¯s question.


    ¡®Oh,e on. This is so embarrassing. This kind of face would be all over the capital for being notorious, so what¡¯s with saying it¡¯s at some national treasure level?¡¯


    It felt funny to be called a national treasure-like beauty from Marina¡¯s mouth. My face turned hot.


    ¡°I feel a little icky now. I wanna wash up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get your bath ready right away!¡±


    As I was almost being dragged by Marina¡¯s hand, Sihael followed me.


    * * *


    I was tired. Maybe it¡¯s because I didn¡¯t sleep well.


    My head was nk and my body felt like it was floating.


    Even Rosetta who had an iron stamina would be out of breath after taking care of the baron, a deadly assassin attack, and a talking Sihael in a row.


    After washing up and getting treated, I stumbled and straight-up copsed on my new bed.


    I¡¯m not kidding. I really fell down.


    <em>¡°You must be very tired. There are dark circles under your eyes.¡±</em>


    As Iy on the bed and stared into the air, I rubbed my ears at the low-pitched voiceing from my side.


    ¡®Oh, I can¡¯t get used to it.¡¯


    After getting ustomed to the growls of a wolf, I was having a hard time getting used to the low-pitched man¡¯s voice.


    The voice was really good.


    It was soft but not light, and it was a serious and strong voice suitable for someone like the Crown Prince.


    The problem was that it was not the human Sihael, but the wolf Shasha, who had that voice, so there was a huge sense of alienation.


    The Shasha I know was a cute little puppy who would often throw a fit. When did he grow up like this?


    Was this how a mother feels when sending away her youngling? My heart felt empty.


    <em>¡°May I ask you a few more questions, if you don¡¯t mind?¡±</em>


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    As soon as my answer came, Sihael jumped up on the bed and asked his questions.


    From how many days he¡¯d been here to the situation in the capital after he disappeared, he asked about everything.


    After answering the first one or two with utmost sincerity, I gradually got tired of it.


    I knew he was frustrated because he didn¡¯t remember anything, but I really felt like I was going to die.


    ¡°You know what, Your Highness?¡±


    <em>¡°What?¡±</em>


    ¡°You are my dog now. As you may not know, you are wearing a cute cor. So Your Highness is now under my ownership.¡±


    <em>¡°It¡¯s difficult to im ownership at the first meeting.¡±</em>


    ¡°I have been raising Your Highness for almost a month, so I think I am qualified. So, as the owner, Imand you.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t it said that people talk nonsense when they feel sleepy?


    When my brain lost its filter function due tock of sleep, my mouth began to run rampant and gave away all my inner thoughts.


    ¡°Please, I¡¯ll do the rest tomorrow¡­¡±


    After that, my vision turned ck.


    * * *


    She really fell asleep.


    Sihael looked down at Rosetta, who had fallen asleep.


    Contrary to her cold impression, she looked like an angel when she was sleeping.


    ¡®That¡¯s not what I¡¯ve heard.¡¯


    The rumors said she had a vicious temper, was beyond redemption, and she had even killed someone.


    All the rumors that Sihael had heard so far were really terrible. He had even heard about them on the battlefield, so he could see how severe it was.


    The Duke seemed to be trying his best to stop these rumors, but it wouldn¡¯t have spread if he could simply block them.


    Even after the Duke and his wife hade to the capital, the people kept on murmuring about how they left Rosetta alone in the duchy.


    Sihael wondered if she was imprisoned in the Duchy because of what she had done in the past. Since it was a rumor, it was bound to be exaggerated, but when he saw his friend, Leonard¡¯s face hardening whenever someone mentioned about his younger sister, it didn¡¯t seem like the rumors werepletely nonsense.


    But far from being vicious¡­


    <em>¡®Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll protect you.¡¯</em>


    Her voice was so gentle and her arms were so warm that Sihael didn¡¯t even think of overpowering her, who might possibly turn out to be his enemy.

 Chapter 26

    Rather than wary, he felt a sense of security in her arms.


    The sweet scent that ovepped the fishy smell of blood made him feel drowsy.


    Sihael was bewildered at this feeling of security that he had felt after a long time.


    ¡®She said we¡¯ve been together for a month, so maybe that¡¯s why.¡¯


    For some reason, Sihael felt like he shouldn¡¯t dig deep into this, so he consciously erased those thoughts.


    ¡°Oh, um¡­¡±


    Meanwhile, Rosetta, who was tossing and turning, moaned with her neck arched.


    A deep furrow formed between her crumpled brows.


    Sihael, who was staring at this scene, sighed and pushed his head up near her nose.


    ¡°She¡¯s such a handful.¡±


    He pushed Rosetta¡¯s head with his head and put it on the pillow, and then pulled up the quilt that was crumpled under her feet.


    Only then did her face rx and she let out a sigh of satisfaction.


    <em>¡®So, Your Highness is now under my ownership.¡¯</em>


    ¡°How absurd!¡±


    Anyway, she was quite an interesting girl.


    Sihael smiled andy down next to Rosetta.


    He still had a lot of questions and things he wanted to know, but he had plenty of time ahead.


    After lying beside Rosetta in afortable position, Sihael snorted when he saw the deste cushion that had been abandoned by its owner.


    A crown prince couldn¡¯t sleep on a worn-out dog cushion.


    * * *


    One!!!


    Two!!!


    ¡®Ugh, so noisy!¡¯


    I covered my ears with a pillow at the sound of cheersing from outside.


    As the sound faded away, so did my consciousness.


    I barely fell asleep, but I felt a persistent gaze this time.


    As I forced my heavy eyelids to open, I almost let out a gasp of surprise on seeing Sihael¡¯s face right in front of me.


    My heart started pounding.


    ¡°Ah really, why is¡­?¡±


    Wait, what time was it now, and were you already waiting for me to wake up? My heart ached at the thought of having to soon face each of his questions.


    I looked up stiffly and looked at the time; it was ten o¡¯clock. It was still early in the morning.


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you in two hours¡­¡±


    My usual wake-up time was around noon. I pushed away from the looming Sihael andy back on the bed.


    However, it wasn¡¯t Sihael¡¯s nature to give up. He growled and pressed down my shoulder with his front paw.


    Ah, it¡¯s annoying as hell. The heavy weight on my shoulderpletely shook away my sleep and I got up groggily.


    ¡°Use your words. Words. ¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    ¡°¡­What the hell? Why are you like this again?¡±


    Sihael, who had been bothering me until this morning, looked clearly dumbfounded.


    ¡°Woof woof!¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡­I can¡¯t understand a thing.¡±


    Was I dreaming, or did something go wrong while I was sleeping and he went back to being a dog?


    Either way, it was clear that there was definitely a problem.


    ¡®I¡¯m going crazy. If this happens, there¡¯s no way to tell if it¡¯s Shasha or Sihael.¡¯


    Just as I took a deep breath, Sihael bit my puckered lip.


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    *Lick*


    Then Sihael licked my lips.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    To be exact, what he licked was the blood flowing from my lips. He licked greedily as if he couldn¡¯t miss a drop.


    ¡®Is this guy crazy? Was hepletely out of his mind now?¡¯


    My mouth was all wet with saliva.


    I frowned and grabbed Sihael¡¯s back. As I pulled Sihael off me as hard as I could, he shouted at me at the same time.


    <em>¡°It worked!¡±</em>


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®it worked¡¯? Why are you suddenly biting people¡¯s lips?¡±


    He moved away from my lips and wagged his tail as if seeing something good. I flicked his head with a thump.


    <em>¡°My Lady, don¡¯t you think you were too violent?¡±</em>


    Sihael grunted as he shook his head to check whether it hurt.


    ¡°Your Highness, would you like to tell me why you were biting my lips to pieces while I was barely awake?¡±


    The bleeding didn¡¯t stop easily as he had bitten a bit hard.


    ¡°Your Highness, now that you can use words to express yourself, please do me the honor of telling me why you licked my lips?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to eat.¡±


    Was he a pervert¡­? Seeing my eyes filled with contempt, Sihael added hurriedly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that! When I woke up, I couldn¡¯t speak. That¡¯s why I tried to wake My Lady, but your lips looked so delicious- no, it smelled delicious.¡±


    ¡°Did you just think of me as food?¡±


    I barely have the social rank to subdue him. What should I do?


    Should I still care about superiority and ranks to subdue him? I was up against the Crown Prince. Should I just beat him up¡­?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s something in your blood. I be fine if I consume your blood. That¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll believe that?¡±


    ¡°Not even when I started speaking only after I consumed your blood yesterday and today?¡±


    Come to think of it, didn¡¯t he start speaking after he licked the wound on my cheek?


    As Sihael said, there might be something special about my blood.


    Maybe, like Lilliana, I too had the ability to purify people?


    ¡®No, it can¡¯t be. If I had such an ability, then Sihael would have returned to his human form yesterday.¡¯


    He was still cursed.


    <em>¡°So for the record, can I not lick your lips?¡±</em>


    Sihael stared at my lips and licked his lips.


    <em>¡°Too bad!¡±</em>


    I could hear his small murmur in my ears.


    ¡°Are you crazy, Your Highness? You may be a dog now but your soul is definitely a man!¡±


    <em>¡°Do you mind it?¡±</em>


    Of course, I didn¡¯t mind it. No matter whose soul was in there, the outer shell was still a dog.


    Badump, badump. But strangely, why was my heart pounding?

 Chapter 28

    No, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case. Wasn¡¯t it a problem if you felt something like this for a dog in the first ce?


    But it annoyed me when that person said things like that, because it really got on my nerves.


    ¡°If Your Highness needs blood next time, just bite my finger. Don¡¯t drench my lips with your saliva! It feels unpleasant.¡±


    ¡°I was being considerate and not to make you feel unpleasant.¡±


    Sihael mumbled with his tail drooping as if he was hurt by my words.


    ¡®Ugh! If you do this with Shasha¡¯s face, I can¡¯t help but care about you!¡¯


    If it were Sihael¡¯s main body, I would have ignored his pretense of acting cute, but since it was done by the dog I raised I couldn¡¯t ignore him like that.


    Seeing his shoulders continue to droop, I had no choice but tofort him with a gentle voice.


    ¡°Do you still need more?¡±


    <em>¡°It would be nice if I can have some more.¡±</em>


    Then, his eyes twinkled as if the gloomy eyes before were just an illusion.


    I¡¯m a fool for getting deceived like this. I nced at Sihael and stabbed my index finger with a dagger.


    Red blood dripped down from my finger.


    Was this less? I cut my fingers a little bit more.


    When I reached out my hand, Sihael stuck his face in my finger.


    Was my blood that good? He licked my hand hard as if he was eating something delicious.


    Um, this felt weird. It tickled.


    <em>¡°Can¡¯t you just stay still?¡±</em>


    ¡°It tickles.¡±


    When I flinched a few times, Sihael immediatelyined.


    He didn¡¯t even care about the feelings of his owner who was serving him for free.


    ¡°What do you n to do in the future?¡±


    <em>¡°First of all, I¡¯ll contact Leonard.¡±</em>


    In the current situation, the only person he could trust was Leonard, who knew of Sihael¡¯s curse and also had a blood rtionship with me.


    ¡°How?¡±


    Sihael just kept sucking my finger without answering. Reading his intentions in his dull eyes, I smiled a nk smile.


    So you want me to take care of you? This punk!


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m your servant?¡±


    <em>¡°When the work is finished, I¡¯ll listen to whatever My Lady wants.¡±</em>


    ¡°Then please act like a dog.¡±


    While I agreed to it, I decided to write a letter to my brother right away. I took a piece of paper from the desk and wrote down as Sihael told me to.


    The letter was brief.


    The message was mainly:<em>Come quickly to the duchy since Sihael happened to be staying there.</em>


    <Sihael Von Idris>


    In the end, I wrote his name and put a period, but it felt like it was missing something.


    I put the letter on the floor and grabbed Sihael¡¯s front paw.


    <em>¡°What are you doing?¡±</em>


    ¡°We have to leave a mark so that it¡¯s clear it is a letter from Your Highness.¡±


    I carefully applied the ink all over Sihael¡¯s feet and then pressed it down on the corner of the letter. Arge footprint was clearly stamped on the paper.


    It was perfect.


    ¡°Is this okay?¡±


    <em>¡°Well, it¡¯s not bad.¡±</em>


    I grabbed Sihael¡¯s paw and shook it.


    ¡°Your Highness, now that we are in the same boat, call me Rosetta.¡±


    As long as we have a connection, let¡¯s build up our friendship.


    * * *


    ¡°Butler, send it to Brother Leonard. It¡¯s urgent, so please hurry up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, My Lady.¡±


    The butler who put the letter in his arms looked at me.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Yourplexion looks bad.¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s because I¡¯m a little busy these days.¡±


    I swept my face down with my hands. But what I felt was rough skin. The skin that used to be as smooth as a peeled egg was ruined in less than a month.


    I bit my lip in anger and frowned at the stinging pain. The butler also frowned at the same time as if he was the one who was hurting more.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Last night, the young master was very angry because My Lady got injured from that unpleasant incident.¡±


    ¡°My brother?¡±


    ¡°You can hear the knights¡¯ dying sounds all the way here.¡±


    No wonder it¡¯s been so noisy since morning. I remembered hearing cheers and screams all this morning.


    ¡°My Lady, we¡¯ve got a lot of good medicinal herbs today. I know you always refuse to take a tonic, but this time, can¡¯t you just follow this old man¡¯s advice?¡±


    ¡°A tonic? Okay, I¡¯ll take it. I¡¯ll definitely eat it. Then please prepare it¡±


    The butler was worried about my refusal. So when I agreed to take the tonic, his face lit up. The look on his face was that of an old man looking at his grown-up granddaughter.


    ¡°I¡¯ll then prepare it every day.¡±


    Of course, of course. One¡¯s health should be taken care of from a young age.


    I drank the medicine the butler gave me and walked to the training ground.


    ¡®This Lanoa! How could he not show his face when he says he¡¯s worried about my injuries?!¡¯


    As I entered the training grounds, I saw the knights dying, just as the butler said.


    No one was fine.


    They were all struggling and were covered in dust and dirt. Though they were breathing, they looked more like a zombie. I approached Lanoa, who was resting in the shade.


    ¡°Hey Brother, I heard you were worried about me? But then why didn¡¯t youe to see me?¡±


    I patted his shoulder which had a light bruise.


    When Lanoa saw my face, he clicked his tongue.


    ¡°What a mess.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    I shrugged my shoulders and said it was not a big deal, but Lanoa¡¯s distorted expression showed no sign of easing up.


    He was clearly angry, but he couldn¡¯t get angry at me as I was the victim. So it was the poor knights who had to bear the brunt of his anger.


    ¡°Who told you to rest?! Why aren¡¯t you all running? Keep on running!¡± (Lanoa)


    ¡°Yes!!!¡± (Knights)


    After the roaring reply, the knights ran across the training ground, dragging their exhausted bodies.


    I felt pity, seeing their miserable appearance.


    ¡°Why are you making them suffer like this?¡±


    ¡°Even though a rat sneaked in, they were sleeping peacefully, so of course they should suffer. Also, it bothers me that you had to get rid of all those rats who stealthily crawled out from behind. It¡¯s embarrassing that these careless people are the Knights of the Katzel Duchy.¡±


    Lanoa, who had scolded the knights hard, looked at the empty space next to me and asked.


    ¡°Is Shasha seriously hurt?¡±

 Chapter 29

    Following his gaze, I also looked down at his paw. My eyes almost bulged out in disbelief. The wound on his paw hadpletely disappeared as if the deep gash I saw before was just a lie.


    ¡°Are you saying my blood healed you?¡±


    <em>¡°As you can see yourself, yes.¡±</em>


    What¡¯s this? Is there healing power in my blood?


    ¡®Rosetta didn¡¯t have this kind of ability.¡¯


    Did Rosetta have any healing ability from the beginning? If the main character had it, it was understandable, but a viin could not have such power.


    ¡°Would this also work on humans?¡±


    <em>¡°Maybe it¡¯s impossible. If it were possible, there wouldn¡¯t have been a scar left on your body.¡±</em>


    Of course, indeed. Why would anyone give a viin healing powers?


    ¡®So this power is limited to Sihael?¡¯


    No matter whether I liked it or not, I couldn¡¯t get rid of the feeling of being deeply connected with him.


    <em>¡°Are you sad?¡±</em>


    ¡°Not really. I¡¯m so strong that I don¡¯t get hurt easily. The same goes for my family.¡±


    I shrugged my shoulders lightly and beamed.


    Because of that, the wound Sihael bit off got open again, giving out a fishy smell. My expression quickly turned into a frown.


    <em>¡°¡­Does it hurt a lot?</em>


    ¡°If I think this much hurts, then I should be ashamed of calling myself a Katzel.¡±


    Sihael was worried about what I had done, so I said something to soothe his worries. He looked so cute when he nced at me disapprovingly as if he didn¡¯t like what I said, so I reached out and stroked his head gently.


    For me, stroking Sihael was as natural as breathing, but it wasn¡¯t the same case for him. Sihael flinched, feeling embarrassed by the gentle touch he had felt for the first time since he had regained his consciousness.


    Surprised, I also hesitated and stopped my hand.


    ¡°Should I not?¡±


    <em>¡°¡­No, it doesn¡¯t matter. Why are you stroking my head?¡±</em>


    ¡°Because you¡¯re adorable.¡±


    Does there have to be a reason for finding someone adorable?


    Sihael blinked nkly as if he didn¡¯t understand what I was saying.


    <em>¡°Am I adorable?¡±</em>


    He murmured to himself.


    I got up and stretched my body, leaving him alone in his confusion.


    * * *


    I was having a difficult time these days because Sihael had mistook me for a goodhearted person.


    He kept asking if I was the notoriousdy of the rumors or how the rumors came about, but I had nothing to say to him.


    I¡¯m different from the previous Rosetta, so I¡¯m not thedy from the rumors¡­


    ¡®Can¡¯t he see the servants avoiding me?¡¯


    Even though I wasn¡¯t as harmful as before, to them, I was still someone to be feared. The only people who werefortable with me were the butler, who had been with me since I was little, my brother, Lanoa, and Marina, who had sworn her allegiance to me.


    In addition to that, there was also Baron Palia, with whom I had a good rtionship recently, and Allen, who became my escort knight, making it altogether five people.


    The reason why Sihael mistook me for a good person despite my awkward rtionship with everyone was especially because of those two whom I had recently be close to.


    Are you wondering why I brought up the Baron?


    After hearing the news that I was injured, he ran to my side and checked my condition.


    ¡°What kind of bastard dared to target you!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t hide his anger when he saw the scratches on my cheeks and swollen lips. His anger escted when I used my wounds as an excuse to keep away from the Baron.


    ¡°I will kill them all.¡±


    What would you achieve by killing people who I¡¯ve already killed? And speaking of that¡­


    ¡°Baron, aren¡¯t you bad at fighting?¡±


    ¡°Ehem, I¡¯ll also hire some assassins.¡±


    Seeing Baron Palia, the real power of the Katzel duchy, worrying, nagging, and hovering around me, Sihael began to mistakenly believe that my notoriety was just a rumor.


    Plus, Allen¡¯s attitude also changed drastically.


    Contrary to the first time he was wary of me for fear of getting on my bad side, he began to approach me actively.


    ¡°Good afternoon, My Lady!¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Are you going for a walk? I¡¯ll go with you!¡±


    Not paying attention to Allen¡¯s babbling, I opened up my umbre, but Allen reached out his hand.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold it!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need your help so go away!¡±


    I appreciated him being nice to me, but honestly, it was annoying and ufortable.


    Whenever I went for a walk, Allen did not leave my side, so I had to forcibly cut off my conversation with Sihael.


    It had already been two days since I had been taking walks without saying a word. Aside from being frustrated with not being able to speak, it was ufortable being guarded so closely that I thought it was excessive.


    ¡°I¡¯m going with Shasha today, so wait over there.¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°WAIT. OVER. THERE.¡±


    Emphasizing one word at a time, I red at him.


    Surprised by the look on my face, Allen shifted his gaze along where I pointed.


    The quivering eyes soon started to twinkle when he saw that the ce where my finger pointed was under the cool shade.


    ¡°My Lady¡­¡±


    Ha, it¡¯s annoying.


    ¡°Go away!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be off now!¡±


    He bowed to me and ran to the shade like an arrow.


    Allen waved his hands at me.


    I wonder how such a stupid person got into the Katzel¡¯s Knights Order. He really was more like a dogpared to Sihael.


    As I waved back my hand reluctantly at him, I heard a voice mixed with mirth next to me.


    <em>¡°Why don¡¯t you try taming him? I think he¡¯ll listen to you well.¡±</em>


    ¡°I¡¯ve done it. I have already tamed a very fierce fellow.¡±


    <em>¡°I don¡¯t think that fierce fellow is me.¡±</em>


    Hmph! You¡¯re so sure, even though I hadn¡¯t said it. Sihael twitched his nose as I patted him on the head in a yful way.


    ¡°Oh, by the way, brother Leonard said he¡¯d be arriving today¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t finish the sentence when I saw Sihael¡¯s dirty fur.

 Chapter 30

    How long has it been since hest took a bath? When I counted mentally, I realized it had been around three weeks ago.


    ¡°Your Highness, would you like to take a bath before my brotheres?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to, but are you sure you can do it?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    I was confident I could because it was me who tookplete care of Shasha before. Sihael nodded at my confident answer.


    ¡°That¡¯s great, though it¡¯s still awkward.¡±


    However, Sihael, who allowed me to bathe him, immediately regretted it.


    ¡°The rumors weren¡¯t false.¡±


    Sihael trembled, feeling betrayed.


    ¡°I thought you were a kind person, but I didn¡¯t expect you to be so vicious.¡±


    This kid. Was this something you should say while I¡¯m washing you to the best of my ability even though I¡¯m having a hard time?


    ¡°Yes, yes,e here. Your fur is as dirty as a rag. Ugh, just look at all this dirty water.¡±


    ¡°I have lost my innocence.¡±


    Someone might misunderstand if they heard it. I just touched it by ident while bathing him!


    Sihael, who crouched down to avoid my touch, had a yful look in his eyes.


    ¡®Is this how you¡¯re going to y?¡¯


    Sihael often teased me in this way to make sure I wasfortable, but it was clear that he enjoyed seeing me in trouble.


    But who I am, I am the one who tamed the finicky Shasha! I won¡¯t get embarrassed by this kind of prank!


    ¡°Oh my, Your Highness! Haven¡¯t you mated not even once before? To think you¡¯ll lose your innocence just with a light touch like that. You are so innocent, unlike someone who has rolled in the battlefield.¡±


    Because of my exaggerated gestures, Sihael¡¯s eyes widened as he hurriedly took my hands off his body.


    He could not hide his embarrassment because he didn¡¯t know I would react like this.


    ¡°You, you! That¡¯s not something that a kid should say!¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m all grown up.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still a child if you haven¡¯t had youring-of-age ceremony.¡±


    What is it, you boomer? I just didn¡¯t have mying of age ceremony, but I¡¯m 18 this year.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go around saying stuff like mate or anything like that.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What did you say? Did you say you want to mate? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll find you a nice female!¡±


    ¡°Rosetta, are you not ashamed?¡±


    ¡°Aww, baby Shasha is very shy.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    Was it because I was not all scared of staring at his soaking body? What¡¯s with the rmed look on your face? I was just smiling because I found his sagging fur funny. When I giggled out loud, Sihael revealed his fangs, showing that he was really very angry.


    It was the first time Sihael had shown me his fangs since he regained his consciousness, and funnily enough, I was happy to see his sharp fangs.


    <em>¡®Before, whenever he had a chance, he would show his fangs to intimidate me¡­ My Shasha, where did you go, leaving your older sister?!¡¯</em>


    Missing my Shasha, I poured water on the growling Sihael to wash away the foam.


    The way he growled and showed his fangs was just like my Shasha, so I wanted to touch him more. However, maybe I provoked him too much. Sihael looked grumpy until he finished taking a bath.


    ¡°There, it¡¯s done.¡±


    Sihael¡¯s eyes instantly shed as I approached with a towel.


    ¡®Uh, wait¡­!¡¯


    Sihael shook his fur without stopping.


    Tatatatatat!


    Drops of water sshed all over my face, clothes, and everywhere.


    ¡°Ah! You should have told me before doing that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s revenge for harassing me.¡±


    Sihael¡¯s face softened, perhaps because he was feeling a little better.


    Okay fine, as long as you like it. I roughly wiped the water that sshed on my face and walked over to Sihael and covered him with a towel.


    I wiped his fur with a towel.


    From his head to waist, even his hips, and tail. Lastly, as I was wiping his feet dry, Sihael¡¯s gaze became strange.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there something on the ceiling?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s just that there are a lot of water droplets.¡±


    What are you talking about?


    I dismissed Sihael¡¯s words as nonsense, and took out a new towel, and wiped the remaining moisture.


    ¡°Done. Now it¡¯s clean.¡±


    I took him outside to dry up the remaining water on him.


    ¡°Now go.¡±


    Sihael¡¯s steps were light as if he was happy to finish his bath.


    Just when I stepped out of the bathroom, I shivered for a while feeling a chilling gaze.


    As I turned around, wiping my dripping head with a towel, a strange man called me.


    ¡°Rosetta.¡±


    ¡°Brother?¡±


    It was Leonard, Rosetta¡¯s eldest brother. I opened my mouth foolishly when I saw my brother¡¯s face for the first time.


    ¡®He really looks like me!¡¯


    A man who looked like Rosetta¡¯s carbon copy approached me.


    I thought I looked like Lanoa, but it turns out my real resemnce was with this guy. Leonard¡¯s beautiful face looked at me and then moved towards Sihael.


    While the two exchanged nces, Lanoa, who had followed Leonard, cried out.


    ¡°Did you y something in the water?¡±


    When I came back to my senses, Lanoa looked at me and frowned.


    ¡°I can see your undergarments. Don¡¯t torment my eyes. Just go and change your clothes.¡±


    ¡°Is that what you should be saying to your sister?¡±


    Leonard smacked Lanoa¡¯s back.


    ¡°Ouch! Brother, why are you hitting me when I said something true?!¡±


    As they fought, I lowered my head and looked at my chest, and as Lanoa said, my undergarments were visible. The dress I wore today was white, so they came out to be more clearly visible. Now I understood why earlier Sihael avoided my eyes when I asked him why he was looking at the ceiling.


    ¡°Did you see it?¡± (Rosetta)


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see it.¡± (Sihael)


    ¡°You saw it. You definitely saw it. Pervert.¡± (Rosetta)


    ¡°Ho, who¡¯s really the pervert here?¡±(Sihael)


    The conversation naturally led to an argument.


    Lanoa, who was watching this sequence of events, pped himself on the cheek.


    ¡°Am I dreaming¡­ the dog is talking.¡±


    ¡°Rosetta, he¡¯s behaving the exact same way as you did.¡± (Sihael)


    Because of Lanoa¡¯s response, Sihael smiled remembering that day when Sihael regained his consciousness.


    I smiled at the dumbfounded Lanoa.


    Yes, how can our reaction be so simr?

 Chapter 31

    ¡°Is this voice¡­ His Highness, the Crown Prince?¡±(Leonard)


    ¡°You haven¡¯t changed at all. Are you still living like a carpet knight*?¡± (Sihael)


    [*The actual word also means a man of the military ss who has not passed the examination for an official post or an idle youth of the gentry.]


    ¡°This is crazy!¡± (Lanoa)


    Like the blind Shim* who regained his sight, Lanoa opened his eyes wide and suddenly ran to the bed.


    [*Shim Hyeon is a character from The Tale Of Shim Chong. He is the blind father of Shim Chong.]


    When I was wondering what he was doing, he yanked the nket and wrapped it around my body.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look!¡±


    He yelled at Sihael and then got mad at me.


    ¡°Why are you standing like this in front of a man?!¡±


    ¡°What am I supposed to do if you can see how drenched I am while giving a bath?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you?! All bastards are wolves!¡±


    ¡°Ah, rightly said. But you were the one who gave him to me knowing he was a wolf!¡±


    ¡°Because I thought it was a real wolf!¡±


    Why are you getting angry at me? Weren¡¯t you the one who forcibly tossed Sihael over to me because you didn¡¯t want to take care of him?


    We were fighting and growling at each other like dogs. Leonard grabbed the back of both of us and pulled us away from each other.


    ¡°Rosetta, get changed and thene down to my room. Lanoa, don¡¯t make noise ande down after washing your face.¡±


    Maybe because he was the firstborn, he dealt with us younger siblings as naturally as flowing water.


    It had been almost a year since we had seen each other, but I didn¡¯t feel any difort at all.


    ¡°Alright. Brother, then would you help Your Highness dry his fur? He might catch a cold if he¡¯s left like this for so long.¡± (Rosetta)


    ¡°Yes, Leonard. It¡¯s cold.¡± (Sihael)


    ¡°¡­Okay, I¡¯ll do it.¡± (Leonard)


    Leonard paused as he looked at Sihael¡¯s damp fur. There was a brief pause before his answer. He had never once dried anyone¡¯s hair, but soon after, he nodded.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go.¡± (Rosetta)


    ¡°Rosetta Katzel! Wear something ck! No matter what, ck, understood?


    Lanoa¡¯s words echoed behind the closed door.


    * * *


    I simply wiped my body and changed my clothes.


    I wanted to take a shower, but I quickly gave up that thought in consideration of the people waiting for me. Marina and two maids helped me quickly dry my wet hair. I finished my grooming as soon as possible and walked to Leonard¡¯s room.


    Since it was the first time I hade to Leonard¡¯s room, I cautiously knocked on the door. The door opened revealing a pale Lanoa weing me. Seeing his pale and bloodless face, I realized something had happened in the meantime. Just then, a warm wind blew past Lanoa.


    <em>¡®I didn¡¯t think they would really help Sihael dry up.¡¯</em>


    I was really looking forward to the rare sight of Leonard drying Sihael¡¯s hair. I imagined Leonard¡¯s face hidden behind Lanoa¡¯s back. He must be looking so embarrassed right now. As evidence of that, Leonard¡¯s way ofbing could be seen as awful.


    I wanted to watch this up close, but Lanoa stopped me.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Lanoa grabbed my shoulder and whispered, looking at Leonard behind his back.


    ¡°Hey, did you tell him about that?¡±


    ¡°About what, ah¡­¡±


    Now that he realized that he had hunted the Crown Prince of this Empire, sweat dripped from his forehead. Due to the circumstances, I lowered my voice.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. Hus Highness doesn¡¯t even remember anything, so don¡¯t make it difficult for me by talking nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll never do it!¡±


    At that moment, Lanoa¡¯s face slowly began toe alive.


    No matter how much he lived like a rascal, he was scared of the consequences of something as big as shooting a bullet into the Crown Prince¡¯s body.


    Lanoa patted me, gesturing that I did a good thing, but I pped away his big hand and went into the room. In the meantime, Leonard stood up wiping off the sweat on his forehead, perhaps because he had dried all of Sihael¡¯s hair.


    My eyes fell on Sihael, who was standing behind Leonard. He no longer looked shaggy in any ce. The soft silver fur that had been matted and dirty before had now regained their original color and also smelled good.


    Although Leonard¡¯s attempt was clumsy, thanks to his meticulous personality, there was no ce that wasn¡¯t dry, but there was only one ce where he made a mistake.


    Eye booger.


    I asked while removing the booger he had missed.


    ¡°Did brother Leonard do a good job?¡±(Rosetta)


    ¡°He couldn¡¯t even clean my eye boogers. He¡¯s hopeless.¡± (Sihael)


    ¡°Oh no, then he is disqualified as your groomer.¡± (Rosetta)


    Sihael and I made fun of Leonard by mixing jokes and facts together.


    ¡°Everyone, gather here. Your Highness, you too pleasee here.¡±


    Leonard, who pretended not to hear our jokes, turned around and gathered us. When I sat across from Leonard, Sihael naturally sat down next to me.


    Lanoa had no choice but to sit next to Leonard, but his gaze on Sihael was wicked. Even knowing Sihael¡¯s true identity, he was still behaving like that.


    Was this guy¡­ out of his mind?


    I turned to Sihael when I suddenly thought of something.


    ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t you mind if Lanoa knows who you are?¡±


    ¡°We have to stay together for a while, so there¡¯s nothing we can do about it. And it¡¯s not any other person, it¡¯s the Katzels. So I trust you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t trust us.¡±


    Lanoa, who replied bluntly, whined as he was smacked in the head by Leonard for being rude.


    ¡°Now let¡¯s talk about what happened.¡±


    It was Sihael who spoke first to Leonard¡¯s question. He briefly exined the situation of losing consciousness after being attacked by the empress, to the story of drinking my blood and as a result regaining his consciousness back.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying you consumed Rosetta¡¯s blood and your consciousness came back?¡±


    ¡°Not only that, but my wounds also healed as well.¡±


    Then, three pairs of eyes of different colors turned towards me.

 Chapter 32

    I shrugged at my brothers, who were shooting stinging gazes towards me, wanting to know how this had happened.


    Even if you look at me like that, I don¡¯t know.


    Leonard sighed at my carefree attitude, which did not fit the serious matter. He asked,


    ¡°If you can heal His Highness¡¯s wounds, is it possible to do the same for a human?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m curious about that too. I want to see if it works for humans too, so how about having one of you brothers be my test subject?¡±


    I grabbed both of my brothers¡¯ hands and smiled, but Lanoa frowned and pulled his hand back.


    ¡°Ew, I do not want to. How can I drink your blood? And just think about it. How can you have such a good ability?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you want to do it? All right, why don¡¯t we just cut one of your fingers slightly.¡±


    ¡°Hey, get away from me!¡±


    When Lanoa and I quarreled, Leonard stopped us both.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Taking the dagger out of his arms, he shed his palm without hesitating.


    ¡®You didn¡¯t have to cut it that big.¡¯


    I frowned at the wound that was deeper than I thought. Leonard held out the dagger that still had his blood with an unconcerned face.


    As I took the dagger, I also shed my palm long, and Lanoa, who was lying on the sofa, started making a fuss and nagged me.


    ¡°Hey! Cut it gently. We just need a little bit of your blood. Why are you cutting yourself so much? Gently! Do it gently!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, this nagging! We need arge amount of blood to pour enough into a ss.¡±


    Leonard wasn¡¯t Sihael, so I couldn¡¯t tell my brother to lick my blood. I held out a ss of blood. After a moment of reluctance, Leonard made up his mind and took a sip of my blood.


    However, contrary to our expectations, Leonard¡¯s wounds did not heal. We waited to see if it would take some time, but no change urred. It was truly an ability that could only be used by Sihael.


    ¡°It seems to be of no use to humans.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Unlike Leonard, whose hand stopped bleeding after the experiment failed, I was still bleeding. So, I reached out my bleeding hand towards Sihael. Sihael, who had already tasted my blood, quickly lowered his head and licked my blood. Then Lanoa, startled by the unfamiliar sight he had seen for the first time, jumped up and pointed his finger at us.


    ¡°You have to stop the bleeding. Why are you feeding it to him?!¡±


    ¡°It would be a waste to throw it away.¡±


    Like Lanoa, Leonard too was looking at Sihael with indescribable eyes and then spoke softly.


    ¡°Nanabi will arrive soon. First, let¡¯s see if we can cleanse the poison given by the Empress.¡±


    Then Leonard asked us to exin how we met the crown prince. Lanoa imed that he had saved Sihael with pure intent, but Leonard did not believe it.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you it¡¯s true. Should I have left him to die?¡±


    ¡°Lanoa is right. Can¡¯t you see that His Highness is doing well until now? He even gained weight.¡±


    I eagerly responded, defending Lanoa.


    But Leonard, who knew us too well, did not doubt that the two of us had made some trouble again. He was actually correct about us making trouble.


    But it doesn¡¯t matter how you go, as long as you go to Seoul*. As a result, we rescued Sihael, who was dying, and took care of him until now, which turned out to be a good thing for everyone. We were only able to escape from Leonard¡¯s piercing re with the appearance of Nanabi.


    [T/N*whatever the method is, as long as the result is good¡±.]


    ¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Nanabi Terran.¡±


    Nanabi Terran.


    She was one of the few people who knew about Sihael¡¯s curse and the only wizard belonging to an elite unit set up by Sihael himself. However, even Nanabi, who was acknowledged by Sihael, could not cleanse the poison.


    She said that the antidote could not be used recklessly because it was a poison created bybining the existing poisons.


    ¡®No one can solve it unless they¡¯re the heroine.¡¯


    In this way, I realized another rule of fiction.


    Sihael did not show any sign of disappointment as if he wasn¡¯t already expecting much. It was rather Leonard who was visibly very disappointed. It had been almost a month since he turned into a wolf, but he still couldn¡¯t return back to his human form, so it was a problem in many ways.


    The Emperor¡¯s birthday wasing soon, and I could clearly see that he was worried about what would happen if he didn¡¯t return to being human by then. In the meantime, Nanabi collected my blood. She said she would give us the results tomorrow, but I wasn¡¯t really looking forward to it because I didn¡¯t care what the results were since it would not be avable to me.


    I pressed the spot where the syringe needle had pricked with cotton. The three people¡¯s faces darkened, perhaps recognizing the seriousness of the situation.


    ¡°You said that the reason why the curse ced on Your Highness cannot be lifted is because of the special poison used by the Empress. So, will the curse bepletely lifted if the poison is removed?¡±


    When Lanoa, who had been quietly listening to everything so far, asked, Sihael shook her head.


    ¡°No, once the poison is removed, I will return to my human form at once, but when the full moon rises, I will be a wolf again.¡±


    ¡°Is there no way to break the curse? It would be troublesome if the Empress knew about your situation.¡±


    ¡°She already knows. That¡¯s why she sent those assassins.¡±


    Lanoa could not hide his anger at the assassination, which he got to know about recently. He prowled around saying that the next time if they showed up again he will get their confession, even if he had to torture them himself.


    Sihael¡¯s eyes sank as he nced at him.


    The curse he had received was a curse passed down in the Imperial family from generation to generation, and when the full moon rises, he would turn into a wolf and lose his reason and move only as per his instinct.


    Besides, he only had to spend a whole day as a wolf, so it was not an annoying curse.


    There was only one way out of the curse.

 Chapter 33

    Chapter 33


    All he had to do was meet apanion who would be with him for the rest of his life and imprint on her.


    And hispanion was Liliana Maniu.


    Knowing what was gonna happen in the future, I tapped the table lightly to draw everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°First, let¡¯s remove the poison. I know of a wizard who specializes in purification.¡±


    ¡°You know?¡±


    Leonard¡¯s eyes widened at my words that flowed out lightly.


    I could count on my hand how many times I had seen Leonard surprised, but today he seemed to get surprised a lot. I stared at his rare surprised face and answered steadily.


    ¡°There is a wandering wizard named Liliana Maniu. If you just find where she is, His Highness might be able to return back to his human self.¡±


    The original story had already copsed. Sihael going out and stumbling upon the female lead was already out of the question. Since this had happened, we had no choice but to find the female lead and meet her in person.


    ¡°Is that information reliable?¡±(Leonard)


    ¡°Brother, Rosetta is really close with the wizards. You can trust her, so do what she tells you to do. Then you can make rice cake even in your sleep*.¡±(Lanoa)


    [T/N: good things you didn¡¯t expect would happen]


    Lanoa, who had already benefited from my knowledge of mana stones, gave me a thumbs up.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s start by looking for her.¡±(Sihael)


    Sihael also took my side.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here while you find the wizard.¡±(Sihael)


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go to a safer ce than here¡­¡±(Leonard)


    ¡°Leonard, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re worried about, but there¡¯s no ce safer than your sister¡¯s side.¡±(Sihael)


    ¡°Yes, Brother, that child can surely hold her ground. Besides, who would dare hurt His Highness? Those assassins sent by the Empress? Not a chance. Even though our Rosetta has stopped training and been fooling around, she still has it. She herself cut off all those rats¡¯ throats.¡±(Lanoa)


    Leonard was swayed by the two people¡¯s praises of me being a great custodian and bodyguard. There was still a slight anxiety in his eyes, but due to Lanoa¡¯s words, he acknowledged my strength. So Leonard took a step back.


    ¡°Please take care of her, Your Highness.¡±(Leonard)


    ¡°Even if Brother hadn¡¯t asked, I would have taken care of myself.¡±(Rosetta)


    ¡°Okay.¡±(Leonard)


    As I grunted just like Rosetta, Leonard nodded his head familiarly. He reached out his hand andid it lightly on my head.


    ¡°You did well, Rosetta.¡±


    It was the firstpliment I had heard in six years.


    * * *


    I didn¡¯t know how I got back to my bedroom. I sat down on the sofa and ran my hand over my head where Leonard had patted. Maybe it was because of the unexpectedpliment, but I felt weird.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been touching your hair.¡±


    Sihael jumped up on the sofa and pushed his face towards me. Since he already had a history of biting my lips, I quickly covered my mouth and pushed him away.


    ¡°I was just checking, did you have to push me this far?¡±


    Sihael, who was pushed to the other end of the sofa, grumbled.


    ¡°It¡¯s just, it¡¯s been a while since someone patted me on the head.¡±


    With Lanoa, we were like real brothers and sisters, so he had never done such a strange thing, and the duke and his wife were far away. The rest didn¡¯t dare because they were lower in status than me.


    I, who had already died, also had no such experience since I was very young. It¡¯s been a while since I felt warmth and my mind was in a mess, so I touched my hair without realizing it, and I got caught. Embarrassed, I rubbed the back of my neck when something popped up on my head. It was Sihael¡¯s feet covered with fluffy hair.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I can do it for you too.¡±


    A big foot shook my head back and forth. He said he would pat my head, but it seemed he couldn¡¯t control his strength. So rather than stroking my head lightly, he kept on rubbing my head hard. It was clear he had never stroked anyone¡¯s head in his life.


    ¡°Who strokes someone¡¯s head like this?!¡±


    ¡°Huh, you don¡¯t like it? It¡¯s your Shasha¡¯s favorite foot.¡±


    ¡°You told me not to treat you like a dog.¡±


    Only at times like this, he would use my Shasha. Sneaky Sihael. Mumbling inside, I stretched out my arms and pulled Sihael into my arms. His soft fur felt nice so I buried my face in it. Sihael¡¯s body stiffened as if it had turned into a stone.


    I gently stroked Sihael¡¯s hardened back. Then, his body gradually started to rx and he slowly snuggled into my arms looking for afortable position. Sihael, who had been in my arms for a while, suddenly tilted his head.


    ¡°Rosetta, did you often say stuff like ¡®So adorable¡¯ or ¡®So nice¡¯ to me?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember something?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that. Is it because I¡¯m used to staying in your arms like this? I feel like I vaguely heard your voice.¡±


    Umm, this was a little dangerous. I raised my fist in front of Sihael and shook it lightly, just in case.


    ¡°Does this ring any bells with you?¡±


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t like it. I want to avoid it.¡±

 Chapter 34

    Chapter 34


    I was sure he didn¡¯t have any memory of his time as Shasha, but when something simr happened. He seemed to vaguely recall the memories of that time.


    ¡®Is it instinct? I¡¯ll have to be more careful in the future. I¡¯ll be in serious trouble if someone finds out that I swore at the Crown Prince and called him a shitty mutt.¡¯


    I loosened my fist and quickly mumbled, ¡®Ah you¡¯re adorable, so pretty,¡¯ while hugging him tightly.


    ¡°How long do we have to stay like this? It¡¯s frustrating.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯re really bad at stroking someone¡¯s head, so let¡¯s just make do with your body.¡±


    ¡°You really¡­. What do you mean by make do with my body? Don¡¯t say stuff like that to someone, all right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯ll do it only to Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°¡­ That¡¯s uneptable, too.¡±


    His worries were right, but it wasn¡¯t really wrong. Sihael put his chin on my shoulder and murmured like a sigh. Either way, I wouldn¡¯t let Sihael go.


    I liked this better than him patting my head.


    * * *


    ¡°Tell me what happened. If I find out you¡¯re lying, you¡¯ll have to run 30ps around the training ground.¡±


    After Rosetta returned with Sihael, Lanoa bit his tongue as he was threatened.


    ¡°You brought His Highness here because you felt sorry to see him pitifully die? Yeah, right! I know you caught and brought him here with the intent of using him as a watchdog.¡±


    What Leonard said was true. He hit the nail on the head, making Lanoa nervously scratch the back of his head.


    ¡°Rose wanted to raise a dog, so that¡¯s why I brought him here.¡±


    ¡°And what else have you done with him?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°If I ask the butler, he¡¯ll tell me everything.¡±


    Lanoa knew his brother couldn¡¯t be fooled. Seeing Leonard¡¯s terrifying eyes, he sighed and blurted out the truth.


    ¡°I shot him once.¡±


    Punch!


    Lanoa frowned at the fist that crashed into his abdomen.


    ¡°Ah, I really didn¡¯t know his identity. Do you have to do this? Well to be honest, if I hadn¡¯t brought him in, he would have died there!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve lost your mind.¡±


    ¡°Argh, argh! Okay, okay. Geez! It¡¯s my fault. Stop! Brother, stop, it hurts!


    Lanoa, who was hit ten more times for no reason, looked sad. It really hurt like hell. The wolf looked fine, so he brought him here but who knew the wolf would turn out to be the Crown Prince?


    Lanoa rubbed his numb stomach and slowly moved away from Leonard.


    Leonard did not further chase Lanoa.


    If Lanoa had given His Highness to Rosetta, then that meant he had washed his hands off him afterwards. His younger brother was such a guy.


    The problem was their youngest sister.


    ¡°Rosetta could get in serious trouble. If it¡¯s found that she even swung a whip on His Highness, it would be a real big deal, so tell me the truth.¡±


    ¡°She really didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    Leonard did not believe Lanoa¡¯s words. No, he couldn¡¯t believe it. Rosetta and Lanoa were simr types of people like two peas in a pod. They both were impulsive and hedonistic people and had simr beliefs and habits.


    Maybe that¡¯s why, when they were young, his younger siblings showed a careful demeanor while hiding the troubles they¡¯d caused.


    In fact, they would all suffer because of it every now and then.


    When Leonard suspected that these guys were going to cause trouble again, Lanoa got angry.


    ¡°Brother, do you even know how much she has taken care of His Highness? Every time she opened her mouth, there would be only Shasha, Shasha. She fed His Highness the best food, personally treated all his wounds, and even remodeled the room next to her because she felt sorry for seeing him live in the basement.¡±


    ¡°Rosetta did that?¡±


    ¡°You think that was all? She took him out to walk everyday and sent him to the bathroom; she helped him exercise when he gained weight, and even helped him take care of those assassins. Even if I knew who he was, I wouldn¡¯t do that. She worked really hard, so don¡¯t me her.¡±


    Anyone could see that Rosetta was genuinely sincere.


    The younger sister, whom he had met after a long time, cared so much about Sihael to the point she seemed unfamiliar.


    ¡°And Rosetta has reformed herself.¡±


    ¡°You want me to believe that?¡±


    ¡°Trust me! She doesn¡¯t pick fights with anyone anymore and she also doesn¡¯t bully the servants. Because she was raising His Highness, she didn¡¯t go out for a while, so she didn¡¯t cause any trouble.¡±


    Leonard couldn¡¯t believe it. She couldn¡¯t be Rosetta Katzel if she didn¡¯t stir up trouble for a day.


    ¡°Our mana stone business started this time thanks to Rosetta. I¡¯m off the hook and the Baron is working with Rosetta.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure Rosetta really did that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If you doubt it, then go ask the Baron. Do you know how much Baron loves Rosetta now? He would nod and p his hands like a seal no matter what opinion Rosetta gives.¡±


    In fact, when the Baron did what Rosetta told him to do, the business kept on soaring high. There was no day that the smile on the Baron¡¯s face would disappear as the safe piled up one after another.


    As per Rosetta¡¯s suggestion, he now seemed to be busy trying to sign a contract with Asi or something, but he even enjoyed that.


    Needless to say, the days now for Lanoa were much more fun than the days when he used to be in tricky situations. By now, he should have left for the next kingdom to set his schedule so that he could stay at home.


    ¡°Rose said it herself that she has been born anew now. So Brother, don¡¯t offend the kid for no reason. I know you¡¯re trying to save her but don¡¯t offend her and make her go astray again.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I saw her be good like this.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you have any more questions? Then I¡¯ll go.¡±


    Lanoa grabbed his throbbing abdomen and turned around. Leonard looked at his brother¡¯s back that was moving away after saying what he had to say.


    Something had changed.


    Rosetta and Lanoa had a good rtionship, but they weren¡¯t that close to each other. Lanoa wasn¡¯t the only one who had changed.


    ¡®Brother?¡¯


    Her eyes that stared at him always dripped with malice. The clear eyes now held a distinctive brightness. He felt nostalgic for a moment at seeing that face for the first time since she was 12 years old.


    ¡°I should watch her a little more.¡±


    Leonard still couldn¡¯t easily believe it. The Rosetta he knew was a person who could do all kinds of bad things whenever she was displeased.


    * * *

 Chapter 35

    Chapter 35


    I was now in a very ufortable situation. It was because Leonard was staring intently at me.


    ¡°Do you have something to say?¡±


    ¡°No, keep doing what you¡¯re doing.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but feel pressured when he looked at me like that.


    ¡°Go away.¡±


    I raised my eyes and red at Leonard, but he didn¡¯t care a bit. Rather than leaving as I told him to, he didn¡¯t budge at all and stayed there stubbornly. So, I had no choice but to assume that Leonard was a wall.


    Yes, he¡¯s a wall, a wall! I quietly muttered andbed Sihael¡¯s fur. Sihael purred in a good mood.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    The voice that answered wasnguid. His eyes drooped as he fell asleep. I looked at the time and it was time for his nap.


    I had to finishbing his fur now.


    I gathered the fur that rolled around the floor and patted Sihael¡¯s back, which was stuck to the floor as if it had be one with it.


    ¡°Go up and sleep.¡±


    ¡°When are you going to wake me up?¡±


    ¡°In an hour. Then we need to go for a walk.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    Sihael, who got up dawdling, climbed up to the bed and closed his eyes.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know if now that¡¯s my bed or Sihael¡¯s.¡¯


    His fur was scattered around the bed because he squirmed into my bed every night saying he couldn¡¯t sleep even if he died on the dog¡¯s cushion.


    After a while, I heard a sound of even breathing.


    ¡®At first, he only slept on my bed because he was wary of his new surroundings.¡¯


    He knew that my bed was a safe ce, and so he often fell into a deep sleep. He believed that I would protect his defenseless self, but it was truly strange to see him trusting me so much. Originally, our rtionship was so bad that I wondered if it would be more terrible, but it was amazing to see that we had a rtionship that had been built from trust and friendship.


    Of course, it was all due to my efforts, but it was also thanks to Sihael quickly letting me in his heart. I was staring at Sihael when Leonard called me.


    ¡°Sit down.¡±


    I sat across from him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Did you cause any trouble recently?¡±


    I removed the fur from my dress and then straightened my posture to Leonard¡¯s serious face. I took my time to answer. Did something happen without me knowing? I racked my brain quickly, but nothing came.


    At least I was staying quietly while raising Sihael.


    ¡°No,¡±


    ¡°Really, no?¡±


    ¡°No, really. The only thing that I could think of is that I have been raising His Highness.¡±


    That was the only big, recent ident that came to my mind. Everyone knew about the assassins, so I was sure he was not asking because of that. So why was he doing this?


    I couldn¡¯t understand the intent of the question, so I stared at him nkly.


    But the pensive Leonard didn¡¯t look at me. He covered my mouth with his big hand and muttered ¡®Is that so?¡¯ under his breath.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    As I pushed him with annoyance. The forest-colored green eyes that resembled mine softened. The hair on my arm stood up at the sight.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot of good things about youtely.¡±


    Was that what he had been observing and lingering around me fortely? Leonard, who decided to stay for a few more days, hovered around me and talked to the people around me frequently.


    Well, it was actually only the baron and Allen. I nodded roughly, smoothing the hairs that had risen on my arm.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been doing fely. I¡¯m going to live a nice life now, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Lanoa also said the same.¡±


    What¡¯s gotten into him?


    I knew Lanoa would tattle to Leonard but I didn¡¯t expect him to say this.


    While we were chatting, a maid came in with tea. We were talking about Sihael, so the conversation was cut off for a while. Suddenly, silence fell, and the maid became overwhelmed by the atmosphere and her hands started shaking.


    ¡®She seems nervous.¡¯


    As soon as I thought so, the maid spilled the cup. The spilled tea wet my legs.


    ¡°Gasp! I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    The maid trembled at her mistake with a deadly pale face. She looked at me nervously not knowing what to do. I didn¡¯t give her a nce.


    It was more of a problem if I stared at her and picked a fight with her for no reason.


    ¡°Get out.¡±


    At times like this, it was better to kick her out. When I waved my hand signalling her to get out, the maid went outside in tears.


    I roughly wiped the tea with the handkerchief that Leonard handed me and set the spilled cup back on the table. I could feel an intense gaze from my other side.


    ¡°You¡¯ve really changed.¡±

 Chapter 36

    Chapter 36


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to grow up so well since Ist saw you. Our parents will be happy to see you like this.¡±


    Is this something to be praised for¡­?


    They might get happy because I didn¡¯t make a fuss about cutting the maid¡¯s hands off unlike before, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something to boast about¡­..


    ¡°I¡¯m also happy for you, Rosetta.¡±


    ¡°¡­Are you on something?¡±


    ¡°Your habit of saying things mindlessly still remains the same.¡±


    Leonard¡¯s features tremendously softened and he stroked my hair. Feeling the tender warmth over my head, my lips trembled and puckered. Leonardughed, seeing my mouth stick out like a duck¡¯s beak.


    ¡°That habit is still the same.¡±


    At that, I curled my trembling lips up.


    * * *


    That evening, the results of my blood analysis came out.


    To put it simply, my blood was an aphrodisiac and a nourishing tonic for monsters. Ingesting my blood would give their body strength and improve their brains/make their brains more active.


    The concentration of magic in my blood was also high, so I could heal their wounds even if they consumed just a little of my blood. In addition, my blood also smelled very sweet. So if a demon smelled it, it would get drunk and would fling itself at me.


    ¡°No wonder those demons went crazy and pounced on this child whenever they saw her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, our sister has suffered a lot since she was young.¡±


    Lanoa and Leonard shook their heads, saying that they now understood why the demons were after me so much.


    ¡°His Highness also attacked her.¡±


    Giving a sidelong scowl to Sihael, who was sitting quietly, Lanoa continued. His nose twitched, feeling awkward.


    ¡°You said it yourself, that His Highness smelled something delicious from you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because His Highness too has demon blood flowing in his veins. It¡¯s natural for him to be affected.¡±


    Just as Nanabi said, Sihael too had the blood of the demons. Sihael¡¯s ancestor was the first demon to enter the human realm. He married a human woman he loved and had a child. The mixed race child born out of that union had superior intelligence and power far beyond human capabilities. The child knew how outstanding he was and he thought that the only right ce for him was to be an emperor.


    So finally, he usurped the throne, and the mixed-race child became the first emperor of the Idris family. Are you wondering how such a powerful person who had so many strengths, let alone a weakness, ended up getting cursed?


    It was because he killed a wolf deity that was protecting the Imperial family during the usurpation of the throne. When the deity saw a man with the blood of the demons step into the Imperial Pce, cut off people¡¯s throats, and spill blood, he cursed him in extreme anger.


    It cursed the Emperor that on the night when the full moon rises, he would turn into a wolf and kill a beloved person.


    Just as the deity cursed, the first Emperor became a wolf every full moon and put the people around him in danger.


    The Emperorughed and treated the curse as a joke, saying that he only needed to pass the day of the full moon well. But the curse did not stop there. At first, the Emperor returned to his human form after the full moon, but at some point, the time he stayed as a wolf began to lengthen. He eventuallypletely turned into a wolf and died at the hands of his own children.


    ¡®The real problem started then.¡¯


    The curse continued even though the first Emperor, the main culprit of everything, died. It was because of the damn condition that the curse would be valid as long as the bloodline of the demons continued.


    In order to resolve this curse, the Emperor¡¯s descendents had to look for a mate and imprint on them. There were cases where some descendents met theirpanions early and imprinted on them, but there were also many cases where they could not find them until their death.


    Fortunately, as time went by, the demon blood was diluted and the effect of the curse gradually faded. As a result, no cursed child was ever born.


    But was it a joke of fate? When Sihael was born, the fading curse arose out of the blue, making him suffer terribly by turning him into a wolf every full moon.


    From Sihael¡¯s point of view, the recurrence of the curse was like a bolt out of the blue.


    Out of all the people, thebination of the demon blood and it¡¯s crazy curse had to befall him!


    ¡®That means if he didn¡¯t imprint on hispanion, he would be a wolf like the first Emperor.¡¯


    As I looked at Sihael with pitiful eyes, I suddenly remembered our crazy first meeting and asked Nanabi.


    ¡°Then, the day when His Highness saw me and tried to eat me up, was it because of my blood?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s highly likely.¡±


    So that was why he left everyone else alone and only attacked me. I wondered whether the reason why he kept looking for me again and again was because he was bing impatient to eat me.


    ¡°Did I really do that?¡± (Sihael)


    ¡°Yes, you saw me as a fresh chunk of meat.¡±

 Chapter 37

    Chapter 37


    These days, he would sometimes look at me with an expression of wanting to eat me, but he now knew how to restrain himself. It was better than the Shasha in the early days, who just opened his mouth thoughtlessly to eat me. Nanabi was curious about my blood, so she asked me a lot of questions.


    ¡°Is His Highness regrly ingesting your blood?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I feed him when he wakes up. Otherwise, he won¡¯t be able to speak.¡±


    There were times when he sometimes returned to being a dog and kept on bellowing. Though it was cute, it got on my nerves, so if possible, I tried to feed him thoroughly to avoid him turning into a dog.


    ¡°Does he maintain his consciousness?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he hasn¡¯t lost his consciousness so far.¡±


    ¡°If he takes arge amount of blood at once, would itst that long?¡±


    I nodded at the constant stream of questions.


    The effectsted several days if I fed him a lot of blood at one time. But it wasn¡¯t something we did often. I became tired due to therge sudden loss of blood, and more than that, Sihael hated it.


    The reason was that the little punk wanted to eat delicious things every day. After Nanabi¡¯s questions were finished, Leonard asked.


    ¡°What about the wizard?¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t found her yet. It seems it will take some time.¡±


    Ah, right! Liliana hid very well. She faithfully followed her teacher¡¯s instructions not to reveal her abilities easily, as her abilities could be misused.


    ¡°Hurry up. We don¡¯t have much time left.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s faces except mine had turned dark. I was rxed as if I were in apletely different world.


    I had told them to wait. She was supposed toe soon.


    A week at thetest.


    She will appear soon.


    * * *


    The next day, Leonard, who could no longer stay away from his duties, returned back to the capital. Before leaving, he left me with a message that he was leaving His Highness in my care and would see me soon at mying-of-age ceremony.


    Unlike his curt and cold mannerism on the first day, he was much more gentle this time. I felt awkward because it was different from what I knew of him, but I didn¡¯t hate it.


    ¡®It¡¯s nice to be close to a handsome brother.¡¯


    I waved my hand at him as he left. Now that there was no one to watch over Lanoa, he again returned to his free-spirited self. Having been henpecked by Leonard for three days, he left with a crate of alcohol, saying he would enjoy his life his best this time and did not leave his room.


    He seemed determined not to run into Sihael as much as possible. Nanabi decided to remain in the duchy just in case, but she spent most of her time studying my blood. Just like Lanoa, she had also locked herself in her room and didn¡¯te out. It was just that she didn¡¯t drink.


    When Sihael, who had regained consciousness, became calm, the servants got used to him running around without a leash, and sometimes talked to him or gave him snacks. Although things around had changed, the days were generally going peacefully.


    ¡®Please let the days ahead be just like today.¡¯


    I prayed like that, but a fight unexpectedly broke out on a surprisingly trivial matter.


    ¡°Please stop it now.¡±


    I frowned when I saw my hands full of teeth marks.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°But how can you chew my hand like this?¡±


    The beginning of the incident was his growing appetite.


    As his time as a wolf increased, Sihael started to relieve his stress by eating.


    ¡®If this goes on like this, something terrible might happen.¡¯


    Worried about his health, I reduced his meal to two meals and put more vegetables in his meat-oriented diet. I adjusted Sihael¡¯s diet only for the sake of his health, but he didn¡¯t understand my heart. As the amount of food decreased, he started chewing my hand whenever he had a chance. He said it was because his mouth was bored.


    He didn¡¯t bite hard enough to make it bleed, so I let him do whatever he wanted, and he yed with my hand like a toy. My hands, which he had bit, sucked, and chewed, were full of teeth marks and had be swollen like the hands of a sick person.


    ¡°Here, bite and y with this.¡±


    I thought this was bing too much, so I gave him a bone instead of my hand, but Sihael didn¡¯t like it and kicked it away with his hind paw.


    ¡°I won¡¯t bite you. I¡¯ll just lick you.¡±


    ¡°But why does it have to be my hand?¡±


    ¡°You smell delicious.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    At the firm refusal, Sihael expressed his dissatisfaction with his actions. He stomped his feet, raised his ws and scratched the wall. Every time he scratched with his paw, the wallpaper peeled off.


    ¡°Stop it.¡±


    Sihael gave me a nce, snorted and ran around the room, hurling all kinds of things.


    Crash, clink.


    Things broke and shattered.


    This jerk!


    It might be because he had been a wolf for a long time, he gradually acted more and more like a dog that didn¡¯t listen.


    ¡°I said stop it.¡±


    Even though he heard my dangerously low voice, he did not stop. After going around my room, Sihael finally ran up to my bed and scratched the nket. He ripped apart my nket and then scratched the pillow, making the cotton inside fly around everywhere.


    The canopy caught in his toes got torn and tattered. The scene of my room being messed up in a blink of an eye unfolded before my eyes.


    ¡®This shitty piece of shit!¡¯


    Unable to stand it anymore, I hit Sihael¡¯s head.


    ¡°You just won¡¯t listen to me, would you?¡±¡±


    ¡°Did you just hit me?¡±


    When Sihael red at me, I didn¡¯t back down and stared back into his eyes.


    ¡°From where did you learn such bad things? Do you really want to get in trouble?¡±


    ¡°Trouble? How dare you scold me, the Crown Prince of the Empire?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re a crown prince, then behave like a crown prince!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk. You¡¯ve never treated me like a prince! Until when are you going to treat me like a dog? Woof! Woof! Woof!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    A dog¡¯s bark resounded, which did not suit the tense atmosphere.


    It seems the effect of my blood had worn out.


    ¡°¡­Woof, woof, rufff!¡±


    ¡°What timing!¡±

 Chapter 38

    Chapter 38


    This was rather good. It was better to stay as a dog on a day like today because we would only fight if wemunicated further.


    ¡°Woof! Woof! Ruff Woof!¡±


    However, Sihael had some different thoughts. When he unexpectedly became a dumb beast, he stomped his feet and barked incessantly. It sounded like he was asking for my blood.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Woo?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a punishment for all the troubles you caused today. Stay like that until tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Ruff! Ruff! Grrrrr! Ruff!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what he meant, but I was sure he was very dissatisfied. I firmly pushed Sihael away. Sihael, who was pushed back by my strength, blinked.


    His eyes fluttered in shock, perhaps because he didn¡¯t know I¡¯d push him away. But soon, his bewildered eyes changed in an instant.


    ¡°Woof wooo, woof!¡±


    Sihael pounced on me and tried to get my blood by force. But before that could happen, I hugged Sihael¡¯s waist and threw him onto the bed.


    Boom!


    However, because I failed to aim the throw correctly, he crashed into the wall instead of the bed.


    Thud!


    Chunks of bricks fell on the floor from the cracked wall.


    ¡°Shit, I¡¯m in serious trouble. What should I do?¡±


    Surprised by the gaffe I had made, I looked at Sihael. And Sihael, who was lying on the floor, also raised his head. The gleam in his golden eyes grew brighter.


    ¡°Heuk.¡±


    In an instant, I stormed out of the door and escaped from the (increasingly) chaotic atmosphere. Sihael barked and chased after me fiercely to the outside of the mansion.


    ¡°Aaaahhhh!¡±


    This was driving me crazy! I had never been chased like this before. A cold sweat ran down my back at this first experience.


    ¡°Let¡¯s calm down and talk! Okay?¡±


    ¡°Grrr! Ruff ruff!¡±


    A deadly tag game had begun.


    * * *


    I didn¡¯t know how long it had been, but it felt like around half an hour had passed. In that interval, I went around the mansion several times.


    Just as I got out of the garden, barely escaping from Sihael, I felt a heavy weight on my back and lost my bnce, making me roll down on the ground.


    ¡°Ugh! Ackk!¡±


    I spat out the soil that had entered my mouth and grabbed onto Sihael¡¯s snout, as he buried his head in my neck.


    ¡°I told you I won¡¯t give it to you today!¡±


    ¡°Woof woof woof woof!¡±


    Sihael cried out, feeling wronged. The flowers that the butler had been diligently growing were crushed behind my back. The scent of flowers engulfed us. It was a scene that didn¡¯t go well with our current situation.


    If the female lead was here, it sure would have been a romantic scene, but with me, it was a deadly fight with my life in line. After tossing and turning for a long time, Sihael lost in our power struggle and came down from above me helplessly.


    The drooping tail represented his mood. Sihael didn¡¯t try to rush at me anymore. Perhaps he realized that he could not change my firm stance no matter how hard he fought.


    Instead, he changed his method and pretended to be pitiful to induce sympathy from me. Of course, it didn¡¯t work. I ignored his drooping tail and walked away.


    Soon after, I heard Sihael rumbling and trudging along helplessly.


    ¡°¡­Wooo!¡±


    ¡°I said no.¡±


    Sihael cried and wailed all day, feeling wronged. He couldn¡¯t talk even the next morning.


    Why?


    I didn¡¯t give him my blood. While he was discouraged, I decided to correct Sihael¡¯s wicked habit of always having his way. I took Sihael, settled in a moderatelyrge open space, and threw a ball up. I nned to y ball after a long time just like when I had raised Shasha.


    ¡°If you behave well today, I¡¯ll give you my blood.¡±


    I threw the ball to Sihael with all my might.


    The flying ball flew towards the mountain in a long parab.


    Sihael ran after the ball without a second thought. I sat in the shade looking at Sihael¡¯s back, which had suddenly be a white dot. However, Sihael did not return after a long time, perhaps because the ball flew quite far.


    ¡°It¡¯s veryte. Did something happen?¡±


    I got up and brushed off my butt. Just then, a ball of silver fur ran through the wind from afar.


    But something was weird.


    Something wriggled in Sihael¡¯s mouth. Sihael, who approached me, spat something out.


    It was a rabbit. And it was alive.


    As I alternated between the shivering rabbit and Sihael. Sihael, who had been hunting rabbits instead of bringing the ball I threw, looked at me.


    ¡°Do you want to reconcile?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Woof, woof woof woof.¡±


    Sihael offered a bribe and asked for reconciliation.


    Looking at him anxiously waiting for an answer, I bit my lip to hold back myughter. My heart throbbed when I imagined Sihael sweating hard to catch the rabbit without killing it. It was so cute. Seriously, from where did this guy learn this?


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that next time.¡±


    ¡°Wooof!¡±


    When I reached out my hand as a sign of eptance, my pale hand disappeared into his mouth.


    Sihael bit my hand and licked the blood. After a while, Sihael, who opened his mouth, spoke in a low, subdued voice.


    ¡°¡­I did something wrong, so I won¡¯t don¡¯t do this again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry too for treating you like a dog.¡±


    Sihael¡¯s pride seemed to have been taken a considerable blow, but we seeded in reconciling safely.


    I released the rabbit at the entrance of the mountain. Sihael grumbled, asking if I would release the rabbit that he barely caught.


    ¡°Where did you learn such a cute thing?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°If you do it to your loverter, she will be very happy.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    When I stroked his head, he turned his head away from my hand.


    Ah, he was really cute.


    * * *

 Chapter 39

    Chapter 39


    Knowing that Sihael was under a lot of stress because of this incident, I decided to feed him whatever he wanted. And in return, he promised to work harder on his workout.


    But that didn¡¯t mean it was okay to wake me up at dawn. I was in a deep sleep, and I opened my eyes to a hand pressing down on my cheek.


    ¡°Whyyy¡­¡±


    ¡°Rosetta, I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°Bear with it. If you keep eating like this, you¡¯ll be a pig.¡±


    I pushed Sihael away and covered myself in a nket. Then Sihael bit the nket and pulled it down, and blew into my ear.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t do that!¡±


    He knew that I hated it when anyone touched my ears!


    I pushed Sihael¡¯s face away with all my might, but he held onto me like a leech.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t wake up, I¡¯ll eat you up.¡±


    Oh my, can you really eat me?


    I snorted, but eventually got up with a tired face and headed to the kitchen due to his incessant biting actions. As Sihael led excitedly, I noticed his butt had be plump.


    ¡°See, your butt has gained weight. What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll run two rounds tomorrow.¡±


    Like hell, you would run! Sihael¡¯s words were t-out lies. Where did the war hero, who once killed off the enemy, go? Now only a dog remained, who becamezy after once settling for peace.


    ¡°You really have to run two rounds, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    After getting a promise that would most likely not be kept, I followed Sihael down the stairs. The mansion, which was so noisy during the day, was now so quiet that one could hear anyone breathing. In the quiet mansion, where only the sound of our footsteps could be heard, I suddenly heard the sound of something falling.


    ¡®Was that from the kitchen?¡¯


    As we looked into each other¡¯s eyes, we silently muffled our footsteps. I looked around to see if there were any weapons nearby that could be used, but there was unfortunately none.


    ¡®Oh well, if need be, I¡¯ll just ask Sihael to bite them.¡¯


    So with this casual thought, I opened the door. And what awaited us was not some strange trespasser, but a googly-eyed maid. In front of her, leftover food was spread out; her puffed-up cheeks stiffened.


    It was funny how I had misunderstood her as some trespasser, but she looked more like a chipmunk. My tensed shoulders loosened up.


    ¡°Cough, cough, cough.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether she was surprised because of the sudden opening of the door or because of suddenly seeing me. The maid who swallowed the food down the wrong pipe coughed breathlessly. I approached her and patted her on the back.


    The way she quickly threw away the food in front of her was almost simr to putting away a corpse. The maid, who had been coughing for a while, finally calmed down after drinking the water I gave her.


    ¡°M-My Lady.¡±


    As soon as she was able to breathe properly, the maid dropped to the floor and started begging.


    ¡°I was really wrong. Please forgive me just this once.¡±


    Looking closely, I realized it was the maid who spilled the tea over me not long ago. At that time, she had spilled the tea on me, and today she was caught trying to chuck down the leftover food. I left her shivering self behind and searched around the kitchen.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you have dinner?¡±


    ¡°I-I did eat¡­¡±


    *Grumble*


    ¡°But from your stomach, you seem to not have eaten anything.¡±


    ¡°Heu, heuk. Please let me live!¡±


    No, what should I say if someone begged me to let them live when I haven¡¯t even done anything to her? As I stared at her dumbfoundedly, she gasped and started bbering about her family situation without me even asking about it.


    ¡°M-My fam-family¡­ is poor¡­¡±


    She stammered and babbled at lengths. So to sum it up, she had a sick brother and all her sry went to pay her brother¡¯s medical expenses. Moreover, she said there were times when she had to often skip a meal and so she sometimes sneaked some dinner home. Whenever she was very hungry, she would sneak in here at night and eat the leftovers. The maid, who kept making excuses in a mumbling voice, prostrated on the floor with a fearful look on her face.


    She looked like she was fifteen year old at most. It was the age when one needs to eat enough to develop their bodies, but she looked too thin. Sihael on the other hand, seemed more plump than her. I didn¡¯t like to see the sight of a skinny child prostrating on the ground. It was not a good scene to watch. I threw a ratherrge piece of beef to Sihael and turned on the burner.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°H-Hannah.¡±


    Hannah. The name sounded familiar. I muttered to myself and put the meat on the pan. Soon after, a delicious scent started wafting throughout the kitchen. Sihael leaned next to me and nuzzled me on the back.


    That meant that he wanted to eat grilled meat. I picked up the meat I threw and grilled it. The grilled meat was ced in front of Sihael and the rest was served to Hannah.


    ¡°Eat it.¡±


    Hannah, who had been distracted by the smell of her meat, jumped up and cried.


    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry, My Lady. Please don¡¯t feed on me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t eat human meat.¡±


    ¡°No. Not the Lady, I meant Shasha.¡±


    When I frowned at what she was saying, Hannah fumbled,


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you trying to fatten me up and then feed me to Sir Shasha? You said to us all that if we didn¡¯t do well, we all would be Sir Shasha¡¯s meal¡­ It¡¯s already my second mistake¡­¡±


    Man, there were so many rumors going around.

 Chapter 40

    Chapter 40


    Since there were quite a few servants who gave snacks to Sihael behind my back, I thought they liked him. But it was a little shocking to know that they saw him as a man-eating puppy.


    ¡°Shasha only eats the finest meat. Do you think he would eat something like you?¡±


    Hannah¡¯s face turned red as I gruffly snapped at her.


    ¡°Of course, he wouldn¡¯t, My Lady!¡±


    ¡°Eat.¡±


    Hannah politely received the te with both hands and put a piece of the meat in her mouth while looking at me. Hannah¡¯s eyes welled with tears after taking a bite of meat. Seriously, I¡¯m not kidding. She cried as soon as she ate it.


    ¡°It¡¯s so good.¡±


    ¡°Do you want more?¡±


    When she nodded her head, I grilled more meat and put it on a te, which made her cry more, with snot streaming from her nose.


    ¡°What¡¯s your brother¡¯s illness?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The doctor said it¡¯s an incurable disease of unknown cause.¡±


    ¡°What about your family?¡±


    ¡°My parents died a long time ago, and now it¡¯s just my brother and I.¡±


    Of all the things, why was this simr? Feeling homesick from a stranger, I stood up bitterly.


    ¡°Okay, clean up after you eat.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Good night, My Lady!¡±


    I replied by nodding my head. Back in my room, Iid on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Themotion of the dawn hadpletely woken me up.


    ¡°Is it bothering you?¡±


    ¡°A little bit.¡±


    When I answered honestly, Sihael tapped my hand.


    ¡°You are nice.¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what makes you kind.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why he was saying this. I hadn¡¯t been exactly nice to him. I always made him lie down on the cold floor and keep threatening and scaring him.


    ¡®Ah, I can¡¯t get it out of my head.¡¯


    There was no reason for me to be so bothered by it. The maid too had ck hair and ck eyes, and funnily enough, our family situation was also simr.


    * * *


    My reflection in the mirror looked like someone who had trouble sleeping all night. When I rubbed my swollen eyes, Marina, who wasbing my hair, hurriedly grabbed my hand.


    ¡°That¡¯s bad for your eyes.¡±


    I calmly lowered my hand at Marina¡¯s insistence and then she gently pulled her hand away from mine.


    ¡°Marina, do you know Hannah¡±?


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I heard that the kid¡¯s brother is sick.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think it¡¯s been around a year or so.¡±


    The quick-witted Marina figured out what information I was looking for and came up with an answer.


    ¡°No one knows the exact name of the disease. The butler took pity on Hannah and sent a doctor to them, but eventually the doctor couldn¡¯t find the cause.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    The doctor sent by the butler must have been apetent person, but not knowing the cause meant that it was a disease that could not be cured by medicine.


    ¡°Is it bothering you?¡±


    ¡°That kid is so skinny that shees frequently to my mind.¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t look like her age.¡±


    ¡°How old is she?¡±


    ¡°Seventeen.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    I thought she was 15. She was just a year younger than me? My face in the mirror was nk with shock. I rubbed my face roughly with both hands.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s bugging me more.¡±


    I tried to erase Hannah¡¯s thoughts from my mind. I had decided not to worry about other people¡¯s affairs, but when I came back to my senses, I was already in Nanabi¡¯s room.


    ¡°Nanabi, there is a patient with an incurable disease of unknown cause. Would you like to take a look?¡±


    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. Then let¡¯s meet after dinner.¡±


    Just like that, we quickly made up an appointment. Sihael, who watched the whole process, cocked his eyebrow and smiled brightly. I grunted at his gaze that seemed to scream he knew everything about my heart.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to.¡±


    Sihael responded lightly and wagged his tail.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to take me with you, right?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t youfortable staying at home?¡±


    ¡°What? What if something happens while you¡¯re away? You have to protect me. I¡¯m weak.¡±


    My hand that wasbing Sihael¡¯s fur stopped. If I didn¡¯t hear it wrong, he definitely said he was weak¡­


    With a whole body that was like a weapon, he unusually pretended to be weak.


    ¡°You¡¯re not weak at all. Not too long ago, you chased me frantically to catch me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bring that time. My injured pride has still not recovered.¡±


    Sihael grumbled, recalling his forced experience of a dog¡¯s life.


    ¡°Get up quickly. You were supposed to run two rounds.¡±


    ¡°I feel tired all of a sudden.¡±


    I knew he would be like this. As he pretended to be sick again today, I picked him up, opened the door and went outside.


    * * *


    Knock, knock, knock.


    ¡°My Lady, you called me¡­ ¡±


    Hannah bowed her head. She didn¡¯t forget her promise to stop by my room before work. I got up from my seat, fastened the leash around Shasha¡¯s neck, and approached her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Your house. Didn¡¯t you say your brother was sick? So, let¡¯s see if we can treat him. This person here is a great wizard.¡±


    When I introduced Nanabi to Hannah, Nanabi waved her hand gently. She was the first to arrive here and had been waiting for Hannah.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Ah, hello!¡±


    Hannah¡¯s bewildered face changed from surprise to joy and then brightened up in an instant. Her eyes glistened with rays of hope.


    ¡°Do you have anything to prepare?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. There¡¯s none! We can just leave right away!¡±


    * * *

 Chapter 41

    Chapter 41


    The ce I arrived in the carriage was an old house that looked like it would fly away with the wind. It wouldn¡¯t be strange to call it an abandoned house.


    I thumped my chest feeling nauseous.


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t have gotten in the carriage right after dinner.¡¯


    I looked around with a frown.


    ¡®This ce¡­ it feels familiar¡­¡¯


    Even though it was my first time seeing this dpidated house, I kept feeling a sense of deja vu. Hannah¡¯s cheeks flushed and she hurriedly kicked away the objects scattered on the floor, perhaps feeling embarrassed to show her house.


    ¡°It¡¯s too shabby for My Lady toe in.¡±


    ¡°Now that we¡¯re at your house, where¡¯s your brother?¡±


    At my question, Hannah guided us to the second floor. When I opened the door, I saw a small, weak figure of a man lying on the bed. The man had ck hair and ck eyes, resembling Hannah.


    ¡®It¡¯s definitely my first time seeing you, but why do I feel so uneasy¡­?¡¯


    ¡°My Lady, this is my brother, Eugene.¡±


    Ha, this was why this ominous feeling was never wrong.


    I closed my eyes at the familiar name.


    Eugene.


    Eugene Mell.


    He was the reason why Liliana woulde to the duchy and also the one who would be her disciple. Liliana appeared in the duchy to take Eugene away as per the order of the Master of the Wizard Tower. She found Eugene on the verge of death and cured him from the disease.


    No wonder I felt this house was familiar. So this was the first ce Liliana visited.


    ¡°Brother, over there is Lady Rosetta Katzel, and this is Nanabi, a wizard, who will treat you.¡±


    ¡°He¡­ Hel-lo.¡±


    He breathed hard after every syble, uttering the word with great difficulty. No matter how much I looked at him, he wasn¡¯t in a state where he could hold out until Liliana came. His eyes couldn¡¯t even focus, and it was questionable whether he could properly understand Hannah¡¯s words.


    ¡®How can he wait for Liliana in that condition? His life may end today or tomorrow.¡¯


    Nanabi hurriedly kneeled beside him as if she had simr thoughts as me.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    Nanabi, after pressing around Eugene¡¯s wrist, ankle, heart, and neck, approached me and whispered. Afterpleting her diagnosis, her expression brightened and she seemed full of confidence.


    ¡°It¡¯s manaemia. Manaemia is a disease caused by clogging of mana in the acupuncture points. It¡¯s amon disease among novice wizards.¡±


    ¡°Manaemia?¡±


    ¡°Without cirction, the mana umtes inside the body and makes the patient cough up blood. It is a disease that can lead to death in severe cases, but fortunately, the treatment method is simple. You just need to pierce the acupuncture points.¡±


    When she finished exining Eugene¡¯s symptoms, she had a look of pure admiration.


    ¡°But I can¡¯t believe hested a year. It¡¯s really amazing. Usually, the patients do not live more than three months. My Lady, if you keep him next to you and nurture his talent, he¡¯ll surely be useful to you. Above all, the amount of mana he has is amazing.¡±


    Of course, he would. Eugene was a one of a kind genius. It was not for nothing that the master of the Wizard Tower wanted him. Nanabi, who was appealing to Eugene¡¯s talent and value, quietly shut up when she saw me not saying anything.


    ¡®Why are Marina and the people around me so quick-sighted?¡¯


    I felt bitter because it seemed they had discovered my innermost feelings and had caught on to my hesitation to treat Eugene. Nanabi asked carefully.


    ¡°Should I treat him? Or should we finish here and go back?¡±


    If I let Eugene get treated now, would Liliana note to the duchy?


    Then, what about Sihael?


    In order for Sihael to return as a human being, Liliana was a must. Yeah, even if I left Eugene alone now, he wouldn¡¯t die. He¡¯s definitely not in a good condition, but he¡¯s not destined to die yet. He was the key to get Liliana here.


    ¡°My Lady, what-what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    As Nanabi and I whispered together, Hannah trembled with anxiety. I could see the hope that had bloomed in her eyes dwindle and get reced by despair. I looked down and nced at Sihael.


    Our eyes met immediately as if he had been looking at me from the beginning.


    From the beginning, he had only looked at me, trusted me, and relied on me.


    I kneeled and hugged Sihael, whispering only to him so that he could hear it.


    ¡°Your Highness, I will make sure to treat the curse.¡±


    No matter by all means.


    I gently pressed my lips on his forehead as I silently swore. Sihael¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at the affectionate warmth that he felt on his forehead and then nodded with a flustered smile. And then, he also answered in a low voice so that only I could hear.


    ¡°If you say so, I have no choice but to believe it.¡±


    I hugged Sihael tightly and then stood up.


    ¡°Nanabi, please treat him.¡±


    ¡°Miss Hannah, can you let go of his hand and go over there?¡±


    At Nanabi¡¯s request, Hannah came to my side. Not taking her eyes off her brother, she nced up at me and smiled shyly.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t answer anything when I saw her glowing face.


    If there were any problems with Sihael in the future and if it happens that I won¡¯t be able to find Liliana on time, I¡¯ll surely regret today¡¯s affairs.


    But I was affected by Hannah¡¯s anticipation. I couldn¡¯t trample her hope for her dying brother.


    Yeah, it would be my responsibility no matter what happens in the future.


    I had to pay the price for changing the original story.


    So wherever Liliana was hiding, even if it was hell, I had no choice but to chase her to the end and bring her before Sihael.

 Chapter 42

    Chapter 42


    I held Sihael in my arms the whole way back to the mansion. My heart was aching because I felt sorry for him.


    Sihaelid quietly in my arms as if he knew how I felt. Even though it was ufortable for him to be in my arms as I was much smaller than him, he didn¡¯tin at all.


    ¡°Nanabi, thank you for your help.¡±


    ¡°Oh, My Lady, don¡¯t mention it. It wasn¡¯t anything hard.¡±


    ¡°Go home and rest.¡±


    ¡°Mydy, you too. You look very tired.¡±


    Leaving her worrisome words behind, I entered my bedroom. With Marina¡¯s help, I took off all my outdoor clothes and changed into a nightdress, and then threw myself onto the bed. It was too early to sleep, but I didn¡¯t want to do anything. I was mentally tired, more than ever.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t expect Hannah¡¯s brother would turn out to be Eugene.¡¯


    This world was so small.


    For now, I decided to keep Eugene¡¯s treatment a secret for the time being. Before leaving Hannah¡¯s house, I deliberately asked her to exaggerate about Eugene¡¯s health, so that rumors would soon spread that he was about to die. After hearing the rumor, Lilliana shoulde to the duchy. I decided to put my hopes on it.


    It would be a relief if it all goes well, but considering the current situation that went against the original story, there was a possibility of failure, so I have to find her by sending someone from now on.


    Even if I have to send more people than what Nanabi and Leonard have sent to search the entire empire.


    I raised my arm and covered my eyes, and the nket next to me waspletely pulled down.


    ¡°There¡¯s something going on with that guy, right?


    There was no point in hiding it when he was already aware of it. So I answered honestly.


    ¡°Yes, there is.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I need that guy to be in his previous state to bring the wizard here. Kind of like a bait.¡±


    ¡°And you still healed himpletely?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I see, so that was why you vowed to release my curse.¡±


    He muttered under his breath, ¡°Now I understand why you said that.¡±


    When I remembered that time, I felt guilty.


    ¡®Aah, what should I do? I¡¯m already regretting it.¡¯


    While stomping my feet, I pulled Sihael¡¯s tail to cover my eyes.


    ¡°I guess you didn¡¯t know that he was your maid¡¯s brother.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I only knew about this after hearing his name today.¡±


    If I had known a little earlier, I would have pretended not to know anything. I wouldn¡¯t have reached out my hand so easily.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Because I kept thinking about that child¡­¡­.¡±


    The words of my apology weakly faltered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t me you. It is actually more reasonable to cure him than wait for a wizard toe.¡±


    Sihael, who did not know how necessary it was for Lilliana toe to the duchy, consoled me, saying I did well and made the right choice on a humanitarian level. He didn¡¯t know what I had done, and he trusted me entirely.


    ¡°Also, I believed you when you said you would release my curse.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness¡­ I¡¯m so touched. Even if that wizard escapes to hell, I will chase her to the end and bring her.¡±


    ¡°You know you sound scary. If that wizard goes to hell, then don¡¯t follow her.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll fish her out from the entrance of hell.¡±


    Sheww! Sihaelughed out loud when I pretended to be a fisherman throwing bait.


    ¡°Okay, then fish her out properly.¡±


    ¡°Just trust me. I¡¯m really good at fishing.¡±


    Before I died, my nickname was ¡®The Waltonian*¡¯. I¡¯ll definitely show you my skills!


    I rolled over and hugged Sihael.


    ¡°I¡¯ll certainly free you, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    * * *


    After waking up earlier than usual, Sihael let Rosetta sleep and went for a walk alone.


    It was because he had as many thoughts as Rosetta sincest night. To the extent, he even refused the snacks from the servants he encountered while passing by. He wasn¡¯t in the mood for a snack now.


    ¡®Your Highness, I will surely undo the curse.¡¯


    ¡®Even if that wizard escapes to hell, I will chase her to the end and bring her.¡¯


    Rosetta¡¯s determined voice kept ringing in his ears. Sihael had no idea why Rosetta was so devoted to taking care of him. The Katzel family was cordial to him, but her care as if she cherished him was too excessive.


    He could tell just by looking at Lanoa next to her without muchparison. He could see he was worried about his curse, but he didn¡¯t probe much into it.


    He seemed to know not to cross the line.


    It was a matter of course. Neither Lanoa nor Rosetta were his subordinates or swore allegiance to him.


    ¡®Does she still think of me as her puppy?¡¯


    For now, this was what made most sense. It could be just that she cherished and worried about the puppy that she raised so far.


    Except for their recent big fight, Rosetta granted most of his requests, but he felt like she listened to him because her ¡®Shasha¡¯ wanted it rather than because of his identity as the Crown Prince.

 Chapter 43

    Chapter 43


    ¡°Is that why she just carelessly kept touching, hugging, and kissing me?¡±


    When he recalled her warm and soft touch on his forehead, he felt his face heating up. He wanted to touch the spot she had touched before, but he could feel nothing with his paws.


    ¡°Haa.¡±


    It was utterly ridiculous how he was embarrassed and brooding over receiving a kiss once from a kid three years younger than him. It was good to be with Rosetta because she was fun andfortable to be with, but it would get dangerous if they got any closer than this.


    Her sweet, cordial expressions, friendly touches, and warm words.


    The affection that Rosetta generously gave was something Sihael had never received.


    ¡®If we get any closer than this¡­¡¯


    If he got addicted, there would be no turning back. Sihael thought he should distance himself from Rosetta, but it didn¡¯t seem like it would be easy. Whenever he slept on the same bed with Rosetta, nine out of ten times, he would wake up in her arms.


    Even today, he went to a lot of trouble to escape without waking her up.


    It was obvious from how often they cuddled that he, who was not much familiar with skinship, feltfortable in Rosetta¡¯s arms


    ¡°Sir Shasha!¡±


    Sihael, who was walking towards the garden, turned his head to the sound of someone calling him. The little maid Rosetta cared about was running towards him. She had just arrived at work, so she was dressed in her daily clothes.


    ¡°Haah, haah. Is the youngdy still sleeping?¡±


    Sihael nodded and looked at Hannah. Seeing how the kid was breathless and gasping for air just from that short distance, she was as weak as she looked.


    ¡®If it were Rosetta, she would have run up to me at once, and lifted me up and spun around.¡¯


    His thoughts naturally headed towards Rosetta.


    ¡°Are you taking a walk alone?¡±


    Hannah was a talkative child. He didn¡¯t like noisy things, but since Rosetta cared about this child, he decided to leave her alone. As a result, they ended up taking a walk in the garden together.


    ¡°Sir Shasha, what do you like?¡±


    ¡°Meat? Fish? If not these, then do you like fruits?¡±


    Even though she didn¡¯t get any answers, she still kept talking by herself. Sihael, who had been ignoring Hannah¡¯s questions, choked at the words that came out next.


    ¡°Oh, I see! It¡¯s the youngdy, right?¡±


    ¡°Keuk.¡±


    Why did she suddenly jump in that direction after talking a lot about food? Bewildered, Sihael made a mistake, which he would normally never make.


    ¡°Rosetta is not something to eat¡±.


    ¡°Of course! I didn¡¯t mean it that way. I meant to ask whether you have a liking for thedy!¡±


    Seeing how she wasn¡¯t surprised on seeing a beast speak, Sihael¡¯s eyes shone sharply with a glint of alertness at Hannah¡¯s natural response.


    ¡°So, you knew.¡±


    Hannah¡¯s shoulders flinched at the low voice. Sensing the unusual atmosphere, she looked into Sihael¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I identally overheard the two of you talking.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Last night, just before you got into the carriage at my house. I heard Sir Shasha worriedly asking thedy if she got hurt anywhere.¡±


    Frightened by the sudden interrogation, Hannah sped her hands tightly and blinked her eyes.


    ¡°I will never tell anyone. Please forgive me.¡±


    Seeing her pitiful look, Sihael swallowed back his sigh. He remembered asking Rosetta this and thatst night because he was worried after seeing Rosetta in low spirits then. He had thought there was no one around. It was definitely his fault for being careless as he had be used to a peaceful life for a while.


    ¡°Do you know who I am?¡±


    ¡°The God of Wolves¡­?¡±


    What kind of god was that?! Sihael narrowed his eyes. Seeing how Hannah was smiling bashfully, she didn¡¯t seem to know his identity. Because if she had known, she wouldn¡¯t have approached him so amiably.


    ¡°Yeah, just think like that. It would be better to know nothing.¡±


    Hannah nodded her head vigorously at the warning words. When the stiff atmosphere rxed a little, Hannah wiggled her fingers and carefully checked Sihael¡¯s mood.


    ¡°Umm, Sir Shasha. What does thedy like?¡±


    ¡°Me.¡±


    Sihael mped his mouth shut at the answer that he spoke out unconsciously. The embarrassment that he had barely managed to suppress overtook him once again.


    ¡®Wait, it¡¯s not wrong either. The one that Rosetta loves the most is me.¡¯


    He consoled himself after struggling with the embarrassment for a brief time. Hannah also helped to some extent by nodding her head and agreeing to it.


    ¡°Of course, thedy likes Sir Shasha a lot, but I meant food, not Sir Shasha. I wish it was some kind of snack, so do you know anything?¡±


    ¡°She eats everything without a fuss.¡±


    ¡°But still.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ Apple pie.¡±


    Sihael smiled when he remembered Rosetta¡¯s face while nibbling on an apple pie a few days ago.


    ¡®Like a squirrel or a rabbit.¡¯


    Although Rosetta didn¡¯t look like the gentle and meek types, at that moment the only animals that came to his mind were the small and cute ones.


    ¡®They say you¡¯re hopeless if you think someone¡¯s cute.¡¯


    He felt he was in more serious trouble now. Sihael sighed heavily and clenched his fists. He didn¡¯t pay any attention to Hannah¡¯s mumbles about the apple pie.


    ¡°Thanks for sharing this with me! Then I¡¯ll be on my way now!¡±


    Hannah, who ran away and disappeared to the back gate of the mansion, was like a spy who came to extract information. Maybe she was indeed a spy. At first, it did look like she was using Rosetta as a purpose to approach Sihael.


    ¡®No, that foolish kid can¡¯t be the empress¡¯ spy.¡¯


    Sihael shook his head when he saw the back of the hopping figure.


    ¡®She¡¯s just a guileless, silly kid.¡¯


    Sihael leisurely walked towards the door where she disappeared. He slowly went in.


    It was time for Rosetta to wake up.

 Chapter 44

    Chapter 44


    After returning from a walk, Sihael looked around with a sharp gaze. The quiet hallway was now unusually messy and disordered.


    ¡®Did another assassine in? Where is Rosetta?¡¯


    He hurried his steps up the stairs. When he got to the second floor, the servant he earlier ran into swallowed back his gasp. He had always been afraid of him, but strangely, his face lit up when he saw Sihael.


    ¡°Lady, Sir Shasha is here!¡±


    Then, from the end of the hallway, Rosetta ran up to him in her nightdress with a ¡®thud thud thud¡¯ sound and hugged his nape, making Sihael stumble in surprise.


    ¡®Why is she running around in these clothes?! Who roams around in their nightdress!¡¯


    He twisted his body to cover Rosetta, but her firm hands never let him go. Sihael was taken to her room, being embraced in an unsightly posture. Sihael didn¡¯t mind it as he was more concerned about Rosetta¡¯s thin clothes than his pride.


    ¡°Where did you leave your outerwear? How can you go out like this? Do you know how many guys are out there?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, where have you been since morning? I was so surprised to see you had suddenly disappeared!¡±


    Even though Sihael chastised her, Rosetta turned a deaf ear to his words.


    ¡°I thought something had happened to you. I almost wrecked the whole mansion searching for you.¡± Rosetta grumbled.


    When she said that she was worried about him, Sihael mped his mouth shut. He couldn¡¯t speak harshly to her knowing she had rummaged through the mansion in her nightdress searching for him simply because she was worried about his disappearance.


    This was why he found this problematic.


    Even though he thought he should keep his distance from her, he was again swept away by Rosetta¡¯s infinite affection. Rosetta, who carried Sihael to the bathroom, got some warm water and wet his feet.


    Her hands rubbing his feet were soft. Sihael nkly looked at Rosetta¡¯s side profile as she washed him, and then turned his head away.


    ¡®I have gone crazy. She¡¯s my friend¡¯s little sister, and she hasn¡¯t even had hering-of-age ceremony yet.¡¯


    ¡°You went out for a walk even before the sun rose. So, have you thought about losing weight now?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t gained that much weight!¡±


    ¡°How would you go back to your original body with this much belly fat bulging out like this?¡±


    Rosetta pinched Sihael¡¯s stomach, making him twist his body.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Your belly fat is so soft.¡±


    Haah, never mind. She has always been such a person. A mischievous and yfuldy who liked to make fun of people.


    ¡®She doesn¡¯t even see me as a person in the first ce, what was I even thinking?¡¯


    Sihael swept his hair and curled himself up on the bed. He was tired because he worried too much about useless things since the morning. Thinking that seeing Rosetta¡¯s face now might make him more distressed, he turned his back towards her.


    Unbeknownst to his thoughts, Rosetta reached out and gently stroked Sihael¡¯s back. Feeling the warmthing from his back, Sihael moved his body to the corner.


    ¡°Are you angry?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    At his blunt answer, Rosetta hugged Sihael and pulled him into her arms. Sihael was helplessly dragged into her embrace. He pondered whether or not to resist, but soon gave up the thought as he couldn¡¯t defeat her by strength.


    ¡°I was just joking earlier. Your Highness is the most handsome person.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more handsome when I¡¯m human.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Even though I¡¯ve never seen you, seeing how good looking Shasha is, you must be very handsome too.¡±


    ¡°I told you I am really handsome.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. You¡¯re the most handsome man.¡±


    No matter how he looked at it, it was clear she still thought of him as a dog.


    Who treats a crown prince like this?


    ¡®Her way of talking is just like that of a person soothing an upset dog.¡¯


    Sihael consciously loosened up his body when Rosetta slowly propped her chin on his back.


    It seemed she was going to treat him as a big pillow now.


    What was certain was that she had never once recognized him as a person. The time with Rosetta was fun andfortable, and sometimes made his heart flutter. He liked the time they spent together like this, but this made Sihael more and more greedy.


    ¡°Rosetta, if I go back to my human form, will you still call me adorable and handsome?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. Just because Your Highness returned to the way you were, doesn¡¯t mean our rtionship will change.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough for me.¡±


    A satisfied smile appeared on Sihael¡¯s face. Someday, their rtionship would not be that of the owner and the dog, but something more closer than that.


    Someday¡­


    Sihael¡¯s eyes brightened.


    * * *


    This was all my fault. This was my karma.


    Today, a report came in that they had again failed to find Liliana¡¯s whereabouts. I let out a nervous sigh. I had confidently told Sihael that I would definitely find her and to have faith in me, but as time passed with no whereabouts of Liliana, I became more anxious.


    ¡®How on earth can you hide like this?¡¯


    I had deliberately exaggerated the rumors of Eugene¡¯s life being in danger, but Liliana did not appear at all. I had thought Liliana would definitely show up after hearing Eugene¡¯s name. But, was the problem because I interfered in the original story?


    Perhaps, Sihael was worried seeing me sigh so much in frustration, so he threw the bone he was ying with and put his chin on my thigh. As I lowered my gaze to the sudden weight I felt on my thigh, he blinked his round eyes and looked up at me. The lump in my chest melted away.


    ¡®He¡¯s really very cute.¡¯


    When I reached out and stroked Sihael¡¯s head, he rubbed his cheek against my hand. For some reason, he then acted more cutely.

 Chapter 45

    Chapter 45


    ¡°Rosetta, are things not going well?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Although I expected this, it¡¯s really not easy.¡±


    I put away the gloomy thoughts and pulled myself together. I couldn¡¯t say anything pessimistic here. I was supposed to take responsibility for him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will definitely catch Liliana.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. After all, you¡¯ve done so well in fishing*.¡±


    [*T/N: The word used here means both ¡®to fish¡¯ and ¡®to catch¡¯. Sihael is joking, making reference to what Rosetta said in the previous chapter.]


    ¡°What did I catch?¡±


    ¡°Well, you caught me.¡±


    I doubted my ears.


    ¡®Wait, did Sihael say that cheesy thing right now?¡¯


    When I looked at him in shock, Sihael chuckled.


    ¡°Your Highness, this joke is a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not kidding. You have caught me in yourpletely.¡±


    Argh! This is so cheesy. I stamped my feet and closed my fingers like a grilled squid. I went along with his joke.


    ¡°What is this? Why did something strange get caught in my? Wasn¡¯t it only Liliana whom I was trying to catch?¡±


    ¡°So, are you saying you won¡¯t raise the fish you caught anymore? I wonder whether this is the famous ¡®fish farm¡¯.¡±


    [T/N: Fish farm here is a pun. Ites from the ng ???? which means managing a fish farm or fish tank. It refers to the act of getting close to many people and stringing them along without being sincere towards any.]


    ¡°What are you talking about? I don¡¯t remember putting Your Highness in my fish farm.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s just say I am in it from today.¡±


    Ho, who said you coulde in as you want! I lowered his head from my thigh and pushed him away.


    ¡°I¡¯m setting you free! Go! Go!¡±


    ¡°No. Since you¡¯ve caught me, you have to take me and raise me well. You should feed me and take care of me.¡±


    ¡°No way! You should go somewhere else, not this fish farm!¡±


    ¡°I have nowhere else to go except by your side.¡±


    What do you mean by ¡®nowhere else¡¯? There¡¯s a pretty and talenteddy named Liliana for you!


    I continued joking with Sihael and didn¡¯t perceive Lanoa¡¯s annoyed gaze.


    ¡°Are you guys dating?¡±


    Sihael and I stopped moving at the gloomy voice that did not suit the sunny weather.


    ¡°If you are going to do something, then go out and do it. Don¡¯t make a fuss in my room.¡±


    ¡°Woah, are you really dating a dog, no a wolf? Only a pervert would think of doing something like this!¡±


    ¡°Do you have a head just for decoration? Ughh, what an idiot!¡±


    Why was he picking a fight with me?


    Unlike me, who was ring at Lanoa, Sihael, perhaps realizing something, approached Lanoa and whispered to him. Lanoa¡¯s face distorted like a crumpled paper, and by the end of it, he stared at Sihael fiercely.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t. Nope!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you stay in the imperial wine cer all day.¡±


    Knowing exactly what Lanoa wanted, Sihael ced an attractive condition, which made Lanoa¡¯s eyes lit up. I instinctively felt ufortable seeing Lanoa¡¯s blooming face which I had seen for the first time after transmigrating into this body.


    Ugh, I didn¡¯t even want to see the sight of him.


    ¡°Hey, Rose. What¡¯s your ideal type?¡±


    Why was he asking this so suddenly? I was puzzled by the sudden question about my ideal type, but my mouth steadily recited what I wanted.


    ¡°Someone good-looking who would cherish me. He should only focus on me and also be a little obsessed with me. It would be good if he¡¯s also good at the night affairs. Of course, he at least has to have a cute side to him. It¡¯s okay if he doesn¡¯t have money as I have a lot.¡±


    ¡°¡­..¡±


    ¡°¡­..¡±


    Both of them didn¡¯t utter a word. I rolled my eyes at their silence.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this enough?¡¯


    Sihael said, breaking the awkward silence between us. ¡°What if he has a lot of money?¡±


    ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°Much more than you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that will be icing on the cake! Then I¡¯ll grab his hand and enter the wedding hall right away.¡±


    Sihael¡¯s face became noticeably brighter. He muttered something about making a reservation for the ceremony, but I couldn¡¯t understand what he meant.


    ¡°Huh? What did you say?¡±


    ¡°Which wedding hall¡­.¡±


    ¡°Icing on the cake? In your dreams! Just try entering a wedding hall holding hands with any rascal. I will pulverize him with my gun.¡±


    Was this nutcase confidently proiming that he would open fire at my marriage?


    I red at Lanoa, who was saying crazy things. However, Lanoa ignored my fierce re, and pulled Sihael back, stopping him from taking any step forward.


    Whack!


    Sihael hit his arm too hard. Lanoa¡¯s arm swung after being hit by him.


    ¡°Ah! My arm! My arm!¡±


    Lanoa made a fuss, saying that his shoulder felt like they had dislocated.


    ¡®I¡¯m the only one who can treat Sihael like a dog.¡¯


    I crossed my arms and clicked my tongue as I saw Lanoa pretending to be in extreme pain.


    ¡°You idiot. How about your ideal type¡­ No, why should I be curious about that? I don¡¯t care. Your Highness, what is your ideal type?¡±


    ¡°A healthy and strong person. She should be a strong person who can protect herself even if I am unable to protect her.¡±


    Oh, wow, that¡¯s good. Comparing our ideal types, I was embarrassed by my conditions for ideal type which seemed quite materialistic.


    ¡®Liliana sure is healthy, but I think she¡¯s by no means the strong person that Sihael desires.¡¯


    Of course, Liliana was strong enough to protect herself. It was not for nothing that her setting was a genius wizard. However, for the story to proceed, she had to fall into the Empress¡¯s trap and inevitably get help from Sihael.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it matter if she has a pretty face or a good personality?¡±


    ¡°It would be nice if she is a kind person with red hair and green eyes.¡±


    Umm, so is it someone like me? But where is such a person¡­ Huh, no way!


    ¡°Wow, how can you be so frank?¡±


    Lanoa muttered with a tired look.


    Yeah, that was too frank.

 Chapter 46

    Chapter 46


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you thought of my brother Leonard like that.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Strong and healthy with red hair and green eyes. I¡¯m not sure about the kind part, but that¡¯s certainly brother Leonard.¡±


    ¡°¡­Rosetta Katzel, I am really thinking about killing you right now.¡±


    If I hadn¡¯t sensed Sihael¡¯s burgeoning murderous aura, I would have thought he was joking. Lanoa pped his thigh and burst into a roar of loudughter as Sihael retched with disgust.


    ¡°Bwahhhhaaaaaha! Your Highness and brother Leonard pfft! Hahaha¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°Haha, there¡¯s no need for me to get in the way of you two. Because there is no hope for you, Your Highness!¡± Lanoa said with a shake of his head. He teased Sihael without even trying to hide the tremors in his lips.


    ¡°Did I make you lose heart, Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    I ignored their chatter and took a mouthful of the apple pie Hannah made for me.


    ¡°So delicious!¡±


    Anyway, when he¡¯d meet Liliana, he would forget all about this ideal type or whatever.


    However, where am I supposed to find Liliana?


    * * *


    When I ced the fork down, the tea time with the three of us came to an end. Despite the fact that it was ¡®tea time,¡¯ I was the only one who had anything to eat.


    Until we got up from our seats, Lanoa had a weird look on his face, as if he wasughing at something. It took Sihael a while to decide whether or not to eat Lanoa, but he eventually bit his leg to show his anger.


    ¡°Argh! My legs! Your highness, you shouldn¡¯t bite people!¡±


    Sihael walked right by me as he stepped on Lanoa, who was writhing on the floor in agony. In the past, Sihael had always apanied me, but this time he was so upset that he returned to the room without looking back. Watching Sihael walk away, I took a step in the other direction. I went to Nanabi instead offorting him.


    ¡°Nanabi, may I enter?¡±


    ¡°Yes, pleasee in.¡±


    Nanabi was deep into her research. When she asked me to wait a bit, I sat down on the sofa and gazed around the room. No matter how many times I saw it, the transformation of an ordinary room into a magicalboratory never ceased to amaze me. While I was examining the expanded collection of research instruments, I heard the door open from the inside. The moment I turned my head, Eugene¡¯s prim and proper eyes widened in recognition of me. When I first saw him, Eugene was merely bones, but now he had gained some weight and looked much better. He approached me swiftly and bowed.


    ¡°Due to my previous state of health, I was unable to properly greet you, Mdy. I am Eugene Mell.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten a lot better.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you, Mdy. I will surely repay this favor.¡±


    Eugene looked like he was willing to give up his life if necessary.


    ¡®You don¡¯t need to do that.¡¯


    I did save his life out of generosity, but everything that followed was carefully nned by me. When he decided to be Nanabi¡¯s disciple, I made the decision to be his backer, both for myself and for the benefit of the Katzel family. Additionally, in the original novel, Eugene developed the same ability for purification magic as Liliana did when he was her apprentice. As a result, he was worth anticipating. Despite the fact that his teacher had changed, his setting as a genius did not change, so there was a possibility that he might be able to use other magical abilities.


    ¡®Moreover, he¡¯s someone who the Master of the Wizard Tower values. It would be a waste if I did not take advantage of this opportunity.¡¯


    If he could possess the power of purification, it would be highly beneficial to Sihael, and if not, he could be the Katzel family¡¯s exclusive wizard. On my side, there was nothing to lose.


    ¡°For now, follow Nanabi¡¯s advice and strive hard to be a wonderful wizard for the Katzels.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely do my best.¡±


    The more I saw him act honestly, swiftly, and deftly, the better I felt. Failing to get Liliana was like a wound to the heart, but I took some sce in the fact that I had seeded in getting Eugene by my side. After my brief talk with Eugene had concluded, Nanabi, who had just finished tidying up, sat down across from me.


    ¡°Mdy, what brought you here?¡±


    ¡°I came here to ask about Liliana. Did you obtain any information concerning her whereabouts?¡±


    ¡°We sadly still haven¡¯t made any progress.¡±


    I¡¯de here hoping she¡¯d have some information on her, but Nanabi, too, appeared to have nothing. Nanabi sighed loudly, as if frustrated.


    ¡°If I can obtain even a faint trace, I can use it to locate her. But it¡¯s impossible because there is no trace of her anywhere.¡±


    The words that flowed out of her mouth were pessimistic and dismal. In the meantime, Eugene brought tea and ced the cup in front of me and Nanabi. When I caught a glimpse of Eugene¡¯s slender wrists poking out from beneath his long sleeves, my mouth dropped open. A bracelet adorned with lilies dangled from his wrist.


    ¡®Liliana¡­!¡¯


    I jumped to my feet halfway up and snatched Eugene¡¯s wrist. Eugene stumbled because I couldn¡¯t manage my strength in a hurry.


    ¡°Where did you get this?¡±


    ¡°Huh? What? This bracelet? Someone was handing it out to the vigers, telling them that it would be beneficial to their health if they wore it. That¡¯s when I got it, too¡­ Is there anything wrong, Mdy?¡±


    ¡°Did that person happen to be a woman?¡±


    ¡°Though that person was dressed in robes, their voice was unmistakably feminine.¡±


    Ha, here I was having a hard time finding you, but you had not only entered the Duchy but also managed to evade all the surveince systems!

 Chapter 47

    Chapter 47


    I sat down in the chair, a dejected smile on my face.


    ¡°How long ago was that?¡±


    ¡°Two days ago.¡±


    Until today, I kept getting reports that she was nowhere to be found, but Liliana had arrived in the duchy two days ago. It was both depressing and astounding at the same time.


    ¡°Is she still in town?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. She probably left. I haven¡¯t seen her since that day.¡±


    It would have been nice if she was still in the duchy, but it was okay as we could find enough traces to track her.


    ¡°Nanabi, you mentioned that if you have any trace of her, you can find her, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mdy.¡±


    Even without much exnation, Nanabi understood the situation through our conversation and extended her hands towards him.


    ¡°Eugene, can you give me that bracelet for a moment?¡±


    ¡°Sure! Will this help?¡±


    ¡°Yes, very much.¡±


    I was still taken aback by the fact that we had discovered a trace of her in such an unexpected ce. I was a little concerned about what I would do if I couldn¡¯t find it, but it just materialized in front of my eyes. Now, all of my worries felt absurd and pointless.


    I decided to put all of those negative emotions aside and focus on the joy.


    ¡°Thanks to you, we can find her now. Tell me what you want; I¡¯ll grant it.¡±


    ¡°No, there¡¯s nothing, Mdy. Your kindness is more than what I deserve.¡±


    ¡°When I give something, just take it.¡±


    ¡°Then, I will just ept your goodwill.¡±


    I could have granted anything Eugene wanted now, but he refused. Since he stated that he didn¡¯t want anything, I stopped pushing for it, since I did not wish to force him.


    ¡®I have to go and tell Sihael. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be delighted.¡¯


    A huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. My steps back to the room with the good news were light. But as soon as I walked into the empty room, all of my excitement was gone. Sihael was not in the room.


    ¡°Did he leave the house again? My puppy really doesn¡¯t listen to me.¡±


    Because I was worried about him, I had told him not to go out alone. I couldn¡¯t stop myself from worrying about him, so I went out to look for him. I walked back the way I hade, but Sihael was nowhere to be seen. I looked for him in the promenade, gardens, and even deep in the mountains, but I couldn¡¯t see a single strand of his tail hair, let alone his mountain-like body.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s here.¡±


    Thest ce I headed to was the training grounds, but he wasn¡¯t there either. When I looked at the location shown by the tracking device installed on Sihael¡¯s leash, it showed he was in the mansion.


    Oh, you were definitely out. When did you go back in?


    Someone called me when I was turning toward the mansion.


    ¡°Mdy!¡±


    ¡°Allen.¡±


    Allen approached me with a beaming face. After Lanoa¡¯s escort order was revoked, he returned to the Knights Order. The face that I was sick of felt pleasant now after not seeing for a long time.


    ¡°How have you been?¡±


    ¡°Good. You look much better now.¡±


    He used to be so frightened that he only uttered sounds like ¡®hiik¡¯, ¡®heuk¡¯ or ¡®ah¡¯ whenever he saw me. Allen¡¯s face turned red as I yfully teased him.


    ¡°Why are you roaming around during the training time? Don¡¯t you knights get suspended because of it? ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s open training time.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, really? By the way, did you happen to see Shasha?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t he go to the back gate with a maid earlier?¡±


    I frowned at Allen¡¯s answer. Did Sihael have a maid he was close with? He was not trying to seduce her, right?


    It would be embarrassing if he was begging for snacks by cutely wagging his tail.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll get going. Work hard.¡±


    After seeing Allen off, I walked to the back door. I could hear Sihael¡¯s voice in the midst of hushed voices.


    ¡°She keeps on treating me like a dog. If it were you, what would you do?¡±


    ¡°If it was me, I would be the youngdy¡¯s dog and be doted on by her!¡±


    ¡°Never mind. It¡¯s my fault to ask you.¡±


    The voice that followed was Hannah¡¯s.


    ¡®Why are these two together, no, more than that, the two of them are talking with each other?¡¯


    As I turned around the corner, I couldn¡¯t hide my surprise and asked the two.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Did you two talk to each other?¡±


    ¡°Mdy, you¡¯re here!¡±


    Unlike Hannah, who weed me warmly, Sihael was still grumpy. He didn¡¯t even look at me. I grabbed Sihael and asked again.


    ¡°Did you speak consensually, or did you get caught?¡±


    Seeing my nk face, Hannah trembled and stuttered as if she was terrified.


    ¡°I, I will never say anything to anyone! I have already promised Sir Shasha that I would keep this a secret until the day I die! Please trust me, Mdy!¡±


    ¡°Leave her alone. She¡¯s just a little fool who knows nothing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, right! I¡¯m a fool!¡±


    Judging by Sihael¡¯s casual reaction, it seemed that he had resolved it well. I grabbed Hannah, who was about to kneel down to her knees, and patted her trembling shoulder.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll trust you. And the apple pie was good. I enjoyed it.¡±


    Then Hannah, who stopped trembling, raised her thumb at Sihael with sparkling eyes. Sihael¡¯s reaction was still not good, but Hannah didn¡¯t care much.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll get going. You two can talk.¡±


    Hannah entered the mansion with light steps. I crouched down next to Sihael after confirming that Hannah had gone away.


    ¡°What were you two talking about?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡±


    ¡®Ho, now you are keeping secrets. You¡¯ve really grown up!¡¯

 Chapter 48

    Chapter 48


    ¡°I have some good news for you. Do you want to know what it is?¡±


    It was indeed great news. Sihael¡¯s ears perked up. I reached out and gently patted his neck.


    ¡°I think we can find Liliana. I happened to find something we can use to track her. The good news wille soon.¡±


    It was the news he had been waiting for, but Sihael only kept burrowing the ground.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look so happy.¡±


    ¡°¡­Rosetta.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I like women.¡±


    I was wondering what nonsense he was talking about when it urred to me that he was still bothered by my earlier question about whether he liked Leonard.


    ¡°I know. I was just kidding earlier.¡±


    I patted his neck and then stroked his head.


    ¡°Did you leave without me earlier because of that?¡±


    ¡°I assumed you¡¯d follow me.¡±


    I always went after him andforted him whenever we disagreed, so he must have assumed I would do it again this time. But this time, after a long wait, I didn¡¯t show up, which irritated him even more. I lightly scratched his head as he grumbled. When he was in a bad mood, this was one of the few things I tried, and it always worked.


    Sihael¡¯s eyes began to droop.


    ¡°I came here immediately after visiting Nanabi.¡±


    ¡°You should havee with me right away.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re such a child, Your Highness!¡±


    The way he frowned and grumbled was quite endearing, so I pulled his cheeks and teased him, and he bit my lips like earlier times.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    The scratch from his big tooth on my tender skin tingled. My eyes frowned at the fishy taste of blood that filled my mouth.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to bite my lip?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your punishment for saying those hurtful things to me.¡±


    True, I teased him, but when Sihael said those words, I was taken aback and feigned a smile.


    Sihael¡¯s gaze was only on my lips as I stared at him, dumbfounded. ¡°Can I lick your wound?¡± Sihael asked, wagging his tail.


    ¡°Then, would you feel better?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Well, okay, Mr. Male lead. Do as you please.


    I pulled Sihael¡¯s face closer to me.


    ¡°As soon as the bleeding stops, you will let me go. Okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Sihael licked my lips with his warm tongue. I wondered whether this could be called a kiss. Feeling my face be wet from Sihael¡¯s saliva, I looked like I was going to cry. If it was going to be a kiss, wouldn¡¯t it be better to do it with a handsome male lead? Even though Sihael¡¯s spirit was of the male lead, his shell was actually a dog.


    ¡°All right, now get off me.¡±


    Sihael, who managed to understand my muffled pronunciation, stepped back. I lowered my sleeves and wiped my lips. Because of how much he licked me, my sleeves werepletely soaked. When I looked at the person who had made my clothes in this manner, he simply acted dumb.


    ¡°Rosetta, will your blood still taste good even after I return to my human form?¡±


    ¡°How would I know that? You can maybe try itter.¡±


    I said it without much thought, but Sihael pricked up his ears, as if finding it tempting.


    ¡°Can I really bite you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your highness. You can do as you please.¡±


    Gently stroking Sihael¡¯s hair, I got up.


    ¡°Since we¡¯re out, how about we go for a walk?¡±


    ¡°Okay¡±.


    ¡°Let¡¯s change clothes first, then go mountain trekking today.¡±


    ¡°All right, let¡¯s do it¡±.


    I couldn¡¯t believe that a person who pretended to be sick to avoid the walks every day was willing to follow me.


    I guess he¡¯s in a good mood.


    * * *


    Standing at the foot of the mountain after changing clothes, I warmed up lightly.


    ¡°Today, we¡¯ll climb up to the summit.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to bet on who¡¯s going to reach the summit first?¡±


    ¡°What kind of bet?¡±


    ¡°The loser grants the winner¡¯s wish.¡±


    Seeing you say this, you must want something.


    I told him ahead of time in case he made an unusual wish.


    ¡°No strange wishes are allowed.¡±


    ¡°Certainly!¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, start!¡±


    I swiftly kicked the ground and took off. From behind, Sihael yelled that it was a foul.


    ¡®Whatever! I don¡¯t care!¡¯


    In order to beat the wolf Sihael, I had to use tricks like this. However, I could not defeat a four-legged beast, even with my tricks. Sihael passed by me, causing a strong gust of wind.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go first! Bye!¡±


    ¡°Your highness! Please be humane! Please cut me some ck!¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m a wolf now!¡±


    Sihael clenched his teeth and elerated his speed after provoking me with his retort. I let out a wry smile, amazed at how far Sihael had run in such a short time. I pumped up my legs to catch up to Sihael. My hair, which was pulled back into a high ponytail, brushed against my cheek.


    ¡®I agreed to the bet even though I knew I couldn¡¯t win, but why am I taking this so seriously?¡¯


    It was amusing how, despite my intention to take this all lightly, I ended up following Sihael with my eyes ming with greed for victory.


    ¡°The left road is mine!¡±


    Sihael looked back at me when I shouted that I wanted the less difficult left road of the fork.


    My annoyance heightened at the look on his face that said, ¡®Okay, I¡¯ll give you this much.¡¯


    ¡®Just you wait! I¡¯ll definitely win. I will never lose!


    Just as I gritted my teeth and increased my speed, I felt my body bend forward and a chill creep up my toes.


    Swoosh! Thud!


    A burning odor apanied the sound of something exploding. When I turned around, arge hole had appeared in the tree, which had previously been fine. It was dripping with a dark red liquid.


    ¡°What is this¡­?¡±


    Swish!


    I leaned back and dove for cover as another attack flew in.


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    Because of the trees and rocks in my way, I couldn¡¯t see the opponent. I drew my sword from my belt. I had brought it with the purpose of killing the Empress¡¯s assassins if they reappeared, but it was fortunate that I had taken it with me. I took a fighting stance and took a nce around. Along with the sound of the wind, I could hear something rustling in my ears. The closer I got, the stronger the odor became.

 Chapter 49

    Chapter 49


    ¡°A demon?¡±


    A foul-smelling four-legged beast-like creature with a bird¡¯s head stared at me. The monster¡¯s mouth was spouting the dark crimson liquid. I gulped anxiously at the first beast I saw. This was a normal hiking track, so why a monster¡­


    ¡°Ah, a nourishing tonic¡­!¡±


    Ipletely forgot that I was the blood bag that demons liked. Ah, I¡¯m doomed! I don¡¯t know what happened, but it seemed that the monster was drawn here by my blood and had crawled up to the mountain.


    ¡®I just need to avoid that strange liquid.¡¯


    I quickly approached the monster¡¯s bird-like head, avoiding the spewing liquid. I swung my sword aiming to take its head. The ground where the liquid sttered sizzled. I was able to evade the attack by jumping around like avoiding andmine.


    ¡°Keeeeeeek!¡±


    Perhaps as a result of my dodging its attacks, itunched a new round of attacks. However, before the monster¡¯s attacks could even reach me, it¡¯s neck fell to the ground.


    Tumble tumble!


    The demon¡¯s birdlike head, which I hacked off, rolled on the ground. The demon, however, who should have been dead, did not die. No, the monster was no longer alive, but the blood from its neck began to pool and take on a new shape. It was like a slime. Before it could fully materialize, I shed it with my sword. Despite my greatest efforts to chop and sh the demon¡¯s blood, it wriggled and attempted to regenerate.


    ¡°Oh, this doesn¡¯t seem good.¡±


    A blob of blood the size of my height suddenly swung its arm towards me. Fortunately, its movement was slow, so it didn¡¯t pose much of a threat to me, despite its intimidating size. But the trouble was that no matter how much I hacked it down, it would regrow.


    ¡®Ah, I don¡¯t know!¡¯


    I shed the lump of blood because I couldn¡¯t think of anything else to do. I wanted to set it on fire, but I only had the sword in my hand at the time. So I had no choice but to keep shing. I believed if I kept slicing it, its regenerating abilities would eventually deteriorate.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you win or I win.¡±


    Cut, Slice, Cut!


    I continued to cut down the lumps that reformed. I hacked it and ripped it apart. I wondered how long it had been since I began swinging my sword without thinking. The demonic lumps eventually lost their ability to regenerate and remained in the form of blood. I shook off the blood from the de, set the sword down on the floor, and wiped the sweat from my brow.


    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve had such a good workout.¡±


    As soon as I began fanning my flushed face, the grass in front of me shook and an unidentified object dashed towards me at full speed. I quickly grabbed the sword from the floor and assumed a fighting stance.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you daree here. I¡¯ll kill you all!¡±


    Just when I swung the sword to attack the unknown thing, it jumped out shouting, ¡°Rosetta!¡±


    I barely stopped my arms at the familiar voice.


    Phew, that was close! I almost killed the male lead!


    ¡°Please say something when youe, Your Highness. I nearly killed you.¡±


    Sihael sighed, as if frustrated, as he looked at me and the demon alternately.


    ¡°I expected you to cry after seeing a demon, but I see you¡¯re doing fine.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Why would I cry? I had never cried since I became Rosetta. When I asked him what he meant, Sihael just shook his head.


    ¡°I ran here for nothing.¡±


    ¡°How did you know about it, Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t know because the smell of its blood is wafting everywhere.¡± When Sihael saw the blood sttered all over the ce, he frowned.


    ¡°Good, you managed to destroy its nucleus. It must have been hard to find.¡±


    ¡°Nucleus?¡±


    What was that? Sihael¡¯s eyes widened torge circles when I tilted my head in confusion.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know? Then how did you kill the demon? Don¡¯t tell me you just kept shing at it mindlessly!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right! I hacked it until it died.¡±


    Sihael burst outughing when he heard my response. He seemed to find it extremely amusing, as hisughter did not stop.


    ¡°You are truly amazing, Rosetta Katzel.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s apliment, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s apliment. You are the first person to kill a Chimera* without knowing anything about its nucleus.¡±


    *[ It¡¯s not the Greek Chimera. Here it¡¯s a ss of demonic monsters that live in the demon realm. ]


    Sihael continued to praise me.


    ¡°If I had hands, I would have given you a standing ovation now.¡±


    It was nice to be praised, but I couldn¡¯t shake the implication of the proverb, ¡®Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.¡¯


    ¡°But why is a demon suddenly here?¡±


    ¡°There are two possibilities. One is that the demon might havee over here through the mountains in the north.¡±


    Sihael kicked the dead body of the mangled demon.


    ¡°The other possibility is that the empress is behind this.¡±


    My pupils constricted as I remembered the empress¡¯s setting from the original novel. The empress was a wizard who couldmand familiars, most of which were birds ¡ª mainly crows.


    Because the Empress¡¯s abilities were limited, she was unable to deal withrge animals. That was why she was so obsessed with creating chimeras that obeyed hermands.


    ¡°It must be the empress¡¯s work.¡±


    Sihael nodded as he looked at the cold body of the Chimera.


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