Chapter 35

Elliana grabbed the cheese cookies and enthusiastically immersed herself in drawing, swinging her legs back and forth. However, perhaps due to exhaustion, she suddenly transformed back into a puppy, slumping down with a sigh.

A little while later, Khalid’s aide, Jerus, came to Elliana’s room with some documents in hand.

“Lady, I’ve come to get your signature for the ownership documents of the southern forest.”

“…Woof?”

“Oh no, are you in your puppy form again? Please turn back into a human.”

As Jerus sternly spoke, Elliana tried her best to transform back into a human. However, instead of a ‘poof’ sound, there was a sound of air escaping, like a deflating balloon.

“…!”

Perplexed, Jerus turned to the maid, Noelle, and asked, “Noelle, why isn’t the young lady transforming back into a human?”

“Well, until a moment ago, she seemed fine… Maybe if she basks in the sunlight, she’ll regain the energy to transform back.”

“I see… Well, for now, it’s probably best if she just leaves a paw print. After all, it is her own document.”

“Woof, woof! (It’s bothersome, but if you say so!)”

“Just a moment, I’ll help you.”

Jerus evenly coated Elliana’s small pink paw pad with ink and pressed it firmly onto the document.

Startled by the adorable black puppy paw signature, Jerus flinched, and Noelle asked if she could have her apron stamped as well, finding it too cute to resist. She obliged and stamped her apron.

“Oh, and by the way, there will be a gathering of the clan where the formal announcement of the young lady will take place.”

“Woof? (So soon?)”

“Until then, we hope for your return as a human.”

“Woof. (Yes.)”

Why couldn’t she turn back into a human? Elliana buried her head in frustration.

She realized that it might be due to a lack of sunlight, as Noelle had suggested. She couldn’t afford to stay in her current form, especially with the successor training scheduled for tomorrow.

‘What should I do?’

“Woof.”

“…Don’t worry too much. Once you bask in the sunlight, you’ll return. Now, let me wipe your… no, your paw pad.”

While wiping away the ink from Elliana’s front paws with a wet towel, Noelle spoke.

But even after basking in the sunlight for one hour, two hours, and even three hours, Elliana still didn’t transform into a human.

“Woof! (What’s wrong? What’s the problem?)”

“Will it happen tomorrow?”

With anxious eyes, Elliana looked around and waited, but the next day, she was still in her puppy state.

“…Woof! Woof! (What should we do?)”

Worried, Elliana spun around in place, lost in thought.

‘If I can’t keep transforming into a human, I won’t be able to do anything. Yes, I need to seek help from Lioferranda at the sacred spring.’

But at the moment, she was in her puppy state. She had to convey her request to be taken to the high priest’s chamber through gestures and movements.

Coincidentally, Noelle approached Elliana.

“Woof! (Let’s go to the Priest Grandpa!)”

“Oh, are you hungry? Just wait a moment.”

Although it wasn’t the matter at hand, after eating the food given to her, Elliana dashed toward the paper and crayons.

She attempted several times to hold the crayon with her fluffy front paws, but it was an impossible task. After rolling the crayon back and forth with her paws for a while, one of them snapped.

“Woof! (Darn it!)”

However, holding the crayon with her mouth was possible.

Plop.

The taste was unpleasant. Elliana struggled, holding the sky-blue crayon in her mouth and laboriously pressing it onto the paper, starting to draw.

Seeing that, Sarah panicked and took the crayon out of Elliana’s mouth.

“Oh my, my dear. You’ve already had a meal, but you’re still very hungry? That’s not for eating. What should we do?”

“…Woof!”

It was incredibly frustrating not being able to communicate as a puppy. Elliana raised her drawing with determination, urging Sara to look at it.

With her ears perked up and her tail wagging, she looked back and forth.

It’s not about the food right now!

After observing the messily drawn picture for a while, Sarah tilted her head and clapped her hands.

“Lady, are you…? Oh my. It’s a truly splendid drawing of the sky and clouds! Should I put it in a frame?”

Sarah praised her with a bright smile.

The drawing depicted the face of the bearded priest though.

…It was a failure.

Elliana covered her face with her paws. She tried to draw another picture, but once again, she couldn’t convey the message of being taken to him.

And those drawings ended up in frames, and were sent to the Duke. Sarah and Noelle were happy.

“Our lady drew the picture with a cute mouth, using crayons as if they were candy.”

“She even refused snacks and drew non-stop as soon as she woke up.”

“She’s amazing. The way she confidently depicted the sky and clouds with strong and powerful lines is captivating.”

Even Elliott, who had some artistic experience in childhood, evaluated it like that.

While contemplating the drawings, Khalid, who had been lazily stroking his chin, expressed his thoughts.

“…It’s beautiful. I never thought my daughter would have such talent for drawing. Elliott.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“I will also organize an art exhibition during the upcoming clan gathering. Display the Sky 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 series prominently.”

“Understood.”

Upon hearing the news, Elliana was shocked and dropped the pudding she had in her mouth.

To think that everyone would see those scribbles, it was terrible and embarrassing.

‘Dad, that’s not it… Please don’t do that.’

Eventually, all efforts failed, and in the evening, High Priest Julius visited Elliana’s room, allowing her to meet him.

Elliana wagged her tail with joy.

Woof woof woof!

“I didn’t expect Your Highness to welcome me like this. Hehehe.”

The High Priest Julius’ face brightened with misconception.

‘No, grandpa, that’s not it.’

Elliana clung to the legs of High Priest Julius, her fluffy head rubbing against him, and barked.

“Woof! Woof woof woof! (Take me away quickly!)”

“But why are you in the form of a puppy?”

“Woof! (I don’t know either!)”

When the High Priest Julius couldn’t communicate with Elliana, he asked the maids for clues.

“Ah… It seems like Her Highness used a lot of the power of the sun and failed in the transformation into a human.”

“Woof! (That’s right!)”

“In that case, let’s go to the my chamber for now.”

‘Ah, finally, our hearts have connected.’

Elliana let out a deep sigh of relief. The High Priest quickly carried the puppy and headed towards the sacred fountain. As the High Priest moved forward, a shadow followed closely behind and narrowed its eyes.

“That puppy…”

However, as other priests passed by and greeted the High Priest, the shadow quickly hid behind a pillar.

Finally, High Priest Julius arrived at the High Priest’s chamber in the temple. When Elliana barked towards the sacred fountain, High Priest Julius carefully placed her on the marble platform surrounding the fountain.

‘I have something to attend to here.’

“Woof!”

Knowing that Elliana could communicate with the sacred fountain, he entered his study.

Elliana perked up her ears and wrinkled her nose as she approached the fountain on all fours.

Then, with pitiful black eyes, she spoke.

“Woof woof woof! (Help me, I can’t transform into a human!)”

*Bloop bloop.*

As she approached the sacred fountain, bubbles popped, and Lioferranda’s voice could be heard.

[“Oh, you used the power of the sun recklessly. This is a natural phenomenon where your power is becoming stronger. Don’t worry, you’ll soon be able to transform into a human once time passes.”]

“Woof woof? (Really?)”

[“Yeah, if you’re in a hurry, come inside. Then you’ll quickly return to being human.”]

“…Woof! (I won’t bathe just anywhere.)”

Elliana dipped her front paw into the spring, thinking that she would have to wait until she could humanize. It was the paw blessed by the sun.

Then, with a whoosh, a bright white light flowed through Elliana’s body.

Just as Lioferranda had said, a pink mist bloomed and swirled around Elliana’s body, transforming her into a human form.

“Phew, thankfully.”

But then, a strange man swiftly entered and started examining the surroundings sharply. His sharp eyes seemed as if he were searching for something. Startled for a moment, Elliana walked behind a sacred statue of a silver angel and hid her body.

The man, who walked clumsily up to the statue, was dressed as a high-ranking official. He exuded a sinister aura and had sharp, piercing eyes.

‘…This unpleasant aura, I can’t help but feel uneasy. How did such a person become an official?’

However, that was just for a moment. When the man grasped something around his neck, that unpleasant and sinister aura vanished as if it were a lie.