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Tex received a sudden and unexpected order. An order to send someone to the Imperial Palace to retrieve a dog.
Riding in the Prince’s carriage without his presence was an honor difficult for even a direct family member to obtain, but the dog enjoyed it as he was taken to the Academy.
After his arrival, Tex opened the door to see a small little puppy sitting in the seat, his fur a vague mix of golden and cream color. His little black eyes, big enough to fill his whole face, seemed to echo dissatisfaction.
It was almost like he was trying to say, who are you? And why did you bring me here?
[ Goldie ] “Bark, bark—!”
When Tex went to grab his leash, immediately the pup started barking.
[ Tex ] “Don’t bark. I’m taking you to your master.”
He got quiet like he could understand, but he was clearly still in a bad mood.
He was rather well behaved, too. As they walked, he stayed calm and quiet, but did not spare Tex even a single glance like he was upset.
Why does it feel like I’m being ignored? Maybe it’s just my imagination?
[ Tex ] “Your Princeliness. Your humble servant brought the dog you asked for.”
When the dog saw Lexus, he acknowledged him with a single bark, but still refused to wag his tail or look pleased.
[ Lexus ] “Oh, good. Nice work.”
[ Tex ] “Here you go.”
Tex handed over the leash, making a somewhat confused and uncomfortable face.
[ Lexus ] “Alright, he looks to be in one piece.”
[ Tex ] “What’s up with the dog?”
[ Lexus ] “He’s my secret weapon.”
That sounded like complete nonsense but Tex was really curious to hear more, so he swallowed his biting remarks.
[ Tex ] “Secret weapon?”
[ Lexus ] “Or something like that.”
[ Tex ] “And are you planning on paying me for running this little errand for you?”
He felt it would be too unfair otherwise.
[ Lexus ] “Hm, pay you, huh…”
Lexus rummaged around in his pocket and then threw something at Tex. Tex reflexively caught it and what he found in his hand was a partially crushed hard candy.
[ Tex ] “Wait!”
He was just going to say how insincere it was, but Lexus ignored Tex’s irritated shout—grabbing the leash and heading off.
*
* * *
*
Valentia caught sight of a certain man, walking through the Academy yard holding a dog by the leash. She honestly thought it was a rather interesting sight to see—a leisurely walk would be too unrealistic.
The little puppy saw her and kept turning back at the man to bark, trying to run at her with all his might.
The dog pulled on the leash as much as he could, reaching Valentia before the man walking her could, struggling around her ankles. He seemed very lively today, his tail turning like a windmill.
[ Valentia ] “I didn’t think you meant we would walk him today.”
[ Lexus ] “He’s impatient.”
Valentia looked down at that golden fur reflected in her eyes. He looked very different from yesterday.
So this was his original color?
Before, his fur was dirty and tangled, full of mange from living life as a stray, but it was clear he had received meticulous care since then, turning him clean and glossy. His once tangled fur even looked as though someone had taken the time to trim it.
[ Valentia ] “You seem to be doing well.”
[ Lexus ] “You can call him by his name now. It’s okay.”
Lexus was using that word again.
His name.
Until now, she was terrified of showing this animal affection, so she refrained from touching him or even giving him a name.
Valentia smoothed out her skirt, bending her knees as she knelt down.
[ Valentia ] “Goldie.”
The dog barked like he could understand.
[ Valentia ] “Goldie.”
Bark, bark—!
[ Valentia ] “……Puppy.”
Can he really understand me? she thought.
As a test, she called him differently, but unlike before, Goldie did not respond. He just sat there, only wagging his tail.
[ Valentia ] “You must really understand.”
[ Lexus ] “He must be smart if he understands his name so quickly.”
[ Valentia ] “I suppose so.”
Goldie pushed the tip of his wet nose into her bag, sniffing wildly.
[ Valentia ] “What is he doing?”
[ Lexus ] “Isn’t he looking for food? You took some dog food out of your bag last time.”
[ Valentia ] “Ah.”
Even though she knew he didn’t need it anymore, she habitually took the food out of her bag. Once she spread it out across the ground like she usually did, Goldie stuck his nose right in and started to eat.
[ Lexus ] “Anyone seeing this would think he was starving.”
Obviously the Imperial Palace was likely taking good care of him, feeding him enough food that his stomach could burst, but he looked so cute to Valentia—eating like he’d never eaten before.
[ Lexus ] “It’s okay, you can pet him.”
[ Valentia ] “Sorry?”
[ Lexus ] “I’ve given him temporary shelter. And now that there’s someone taking care of him, it’s okay for you to pet him now. Go on, give him a pat on the head.”
Valentia turned away from Lexus, hesitantly and slowly lifting up her hand. Though she seemed to be thinking hard about it, eventually she settled her hand down and stroked the dog’s head with a careful touch.
His soft fur felt ticklish upon her fingers, and as it did, suddenly it felt like her heart was turning numb.
The dog was once very distracted by the food, but then he looked up at her with confusion in his eyes as he sat by her feet. He barked, seemingly shouting for more pets and love.
[ Valentia ] “Goldie.”
[ Goldie ] “Bark, bark—!”
Goldie moved along with Valentia’s hand, and her heart was warming at the feeling of the small puppy’s movement along with her hand.
Lexus stood above them, looking down at the scene below him before eventually crouching down next to them—no matter how undignified it may look for someone like him.
[ Lexus ] “Goldie.”
Lexus called Goldie’s name. The wagging of his tail slowed, but he didn’t respond.
[ Lexus ] “Hah, unbelievable.”
He looked so perturbed by it that Valentia couldn’t hold back a small smile as the corners of her lips rose and her eyes angled softly.
And without even realizing it, Lexus zeroed in, focusing quietly as he looked into that very expression. She was a woman who only ever looked upon things with a chill on her face, so it was starkly unfamiliar to actually see her smiling.
And that was when another unknown and sudden thought entered Lexus’ brain.
Have other men seen this woman smile before? I don’t want them to see it.
But the thought came and went so quickly, Lexus didn’t even get the chance to recognize the feeling. All he knew was that some unknown sensation had echoed through his mind.
[ Lexus ] “Goldie must really not like me.”
Both owner and dog were very alike in that way.
[ Valentia ] “Well, that’s because he only met you yesterday. It would be strange if he liked you already.”
[ Lexus ] “That’s true.”
Before, he thought that being her lifesaver would be more important than this dog, but apparently that wasn’t the case. Somehow, he was getting the sinking suspicion that he would need to become close with this dog if he wanted to see any kind of success.
After Goldie finished eating, Valentia took the empty paper bag and packed it away.
[ Lexus ] “Now that he’s eaten well, shall we take a walk?”
She felt like she was being pulled along by the whims of his handsome and smooth-talking man, but it couldn’t be helped right now. When she saw Goldie, she became a little weak-hearted.
[ Valentia ] “Alright.”
Goldie ran off ahead of them, excitedly bounding around while occasionally checking back to make sure Valentia was still behind him.
–
Before even the next morning, rumors were already starting to spread that Lexus was seen walking his dog with Valentia.
*
* * *
*
[ Permat ] “How could he do this to me!?”
Taking into her grip whatever she had around her, Permat threw things without mercy.
It was an intricately crafted ceramic doll that smashed against the wall this time. The doll crashed, shattering from the impact, causing a loud booming sound. With their faces and bodies broken, all of them were distorted into terrible shapes.
[ Maid ] “Oh, my lady! Please calm down!”
The maid was so shocked and desperately tried to stop her.
[ Permat ] “Do I look calm now?”
The ceramic doll wore a dress that was designed to reflect reality, and it was very expensive, but it was not enough to abate her wrath. As soon as she threw it, she picked up the pieces and threw it again.
Fortunately the shards were not sharp, so it was not dangerous, but the maid was forced to endure her anger without knowing why.
[ Permat ] “Why is such a boring woman with the Imperial Prince!?”
At first, Permat was glad that the rumors she had spread were growing.
But the moment that wicked woman showed herself crazy enough to slap the Prince in the face, her heart fell to her feet. She was shaking in fear, terrified that the rumor that caused that incident would be traced back to her.
But this? How could she have seen this coming? She couldn’t even comprehend it, much less imagine it happening.
There were now rumors saying that the two of them looked very close.
It was not uncommon for the Prince to have a woman by his side, but this was the first time he’d taken one to see a dog he was raising like this. Everyone was wondering why the Prince was spending time with the woman who had slapped him, but no one knew the answer.
[ Maid ] “You’ll hurt yourself at this rate, my lady. Please.”
When the maid said that, Permat set down the object she was about to throw.
What exactly happened these past few days? While Permat was losing herself in anxiety, this woman was twisting the knife. She was a lowly woman, but she was cunning and snake-like, too.
[ Permat ] “How could he fall for such a woman?”
Permat was so much prettier than her, and even came from a good family with high status, but he never even spared her a glance.
She had her eye on Lexus from even before she entered the Academy. When her father’s presence was required at the Imperial court, she followed him, and met Lexus for the first time purely by happenstance.
There were only a few girls who could enter the Imperial Palace before their debut into society. One of those exceptions were the playmates of the Princess. The Marquis family was considered one of the highest ranking noble families, but Princess Elizabeth already had many friends of high status and Permat did not match her age.
But that day, somehow she was able to sneak around the Imperial Palace, her spirits high and her heart confident. But then she ended up getting lost. She wandered around the labyrinth-like garden of the vast Imperial Palace, uncertain of what to do.
There was no sign of any people, and she was too embarrassed to call out for someone, so she ended up wandering around recklessly—afraid she might get into big trouble if she was found. It was right when her legs hurt and she felt like crying that she heard something.
Someone called out to her.
[ Lexus ] —’Who are you?’
He spoke with a low but soft voice, his hair glistening.
The boy standing in front of her had a beautiful appearance that was far sweeter, softer, and even more brilliant than his voice. Pale skin, blond hair and dark gold eyes. Even his eyelashes were sparkling like gold.
[ Permat ] —’A prince…….?’
Permat muttered without even realizing it.
He was like a prince from a fairy tale. Younger back then than he was now, the Prince was such a sweet young boy, dreamlike in his energy.
He was always beautiful, the past being no different, but he was shorter than the grown man he would become and had a much smaller physique, so he seemed almost like a fairy.
At her quiet whispers, he laughed, and her heart immediately skipped a beat.