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Chapter 11
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IT was a fleeting moment, but a golden light emanated from the puppy’s body as she dared to open her tiny mouth and reveal her small teeth.

“Woof! Woof!”

“…?!”

The light just now was undoubtedly a shade of gold. It resembled the light he witnessed in the forest when he went to find this child. Khalid raised his head, unfazed by the puppy’s feeble attempt at intimidation.

‘Was it just my imagination? Perhaps this child has markings if she truly is the Child of the Sun.’

However, her small body was simply covered in ordinary brown fur, and no matter how he looked, she was too small. She was just a fluffy bundle. With her round, black eyes gazing from side to side, the puppy’s actions of extending her tiny front paw to meet Khalid’s gaze enveloped him in a subtle emotion.

‘This child… Could it be that she carries the blood of a lion underneath her appearance? But those eyes and the golden light from earlier…’

“Did any of you see that light just now?”

“Light?”

“Never mind, it’s nothing.”

Khalid shook his head. If he was the only one who saw it, then it must have been a mere illusion. As Khalid remained melancholy, the puppy playfully flopped down as if appealing for his attention.

Her tiny front paws were endearingly small. The smooth, white fur covering her belly perfectly matched the fur resembling boots on her paws.

Seeing the puppy’s antics, Sarah and Noelle let out a giggle, and Elliot smiled contentedly, discreetly observing his master’s reaction.

“This breed of puppy is particularly adorable, don’t you think? She is truly a smart and lovely baby.”

Khalid didn’t respond, but he, too, seemed to feel a subtle sense of warmth. He merely maintained his poker face for appearances’ sake.

This was the land of the lions, where the weak and fragile were considered sinful in the eyes of the mighty beasts. Khalid struggled to regain his composure, barely keeping his tail from wagging in an attempt to restore his calm demeanor. However, his once sharp eyes softened and couldn’t seem to tear his gaze away from the puppy.

The cold-hearted master they once knew was nowhere to be found. Elliot quietly left the room with the maids, not wanting to disrupt the atmosphere.

Afterward, the Duke spent another fifteen minutes with the playful little puppy. Cradled in his arms, the puppy was incredibly soft and fluffy, like a handful of gathered dust. Upon closer inspection, her face was surprisingly pretty.

With long, white eyelashes above her black eyeliner, it appeared as if she had double eyelids. From the clear, black eyes to the black nose and whiskers, there was no side of her that wasn’t endearing. The Duke caress the puppy’s fur, deep in thought.

‘I’m not sure if it shares my bloodline… but if I check slowly, I’ll find out.’

“Will you stay with me?”

“Woof!”

The puppy looked at him and put her front paw around his thumb, as if to say, ‘Don’t abandon me’ It reminded him of the face of the fragile Luichel who once held him close.

“Khal, will you always stay by my side?”

He also genuinely wished that this child was the embodiment of their love. Come to think of it, her fur and eye color were the same as hers. Ever since he observed her earlier, or perhaps even from the first moment they met, even if he wanted to deny the insignificant and feeble puppy, her round eyes kept appearing in his mind.

This was not just a feeling, but something else entirely. Khalid had already made up his mind about taking in this child.

“Now, I will protect you.”

Whether he would become a father or a master, Pudding had decided that it would be best to make a good impression on him.

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AFTER finishing her first encounter with the Duke of Crovache, Pudding tucked herself into the blankets of her crib.

Was it because the aura he emitted was too strong?

Just the act of facing the Duke drained all of her energy.

And so, her unexpected farewell with Theo unfolded in a chaotic manner.

‘Anyway, it turned out well. I can protect Theo, and I can protect myself… Theo, please stay healthy.’

Pudding, who had fallen into a deep sleep, woke up the next day in broad daylight. The blankets in the crib were cozy, but as soon as she stepped outside, the cold seeped in.

Shiver.

It was Noelle who first noticed Pudding trembling and huddled up.

“…Seems like you feel incredibly cold. It seems that Winter Castle is generally quite chilly for the young lady. Should I bring more blankets?”

“Rather than that, I should talk to Elliot and borrow a magical wall fireplace.”

“Oh, right. That’s a good idea.”

With Sarah’s words, Noelle clapped her hands and disappeared.

A ‘magical wall fireplace’, even though Pudding didn’t know what it was, seemed like it would cost quite a bit. When she lived in the cabin in the forest, all she needed was a large pot and a fireplace to keep the whole house warm.

It was also a great pleasure to eat the stew Daisy made. But now, there was no going back, was there?

She suddenly felt nostalgic. Pudding’s black eyes grew misty. However, soon, she shook her head.

‘No. Let’s not think about that place anymore.’

This was the Crovache Duchy, a powerful noble family even within the Cantium Empire. It was a place with the best conditions for ensuring safety. Of course, surviving as a puppy amidst the lions would not be easy.

‘As long as I’m here, I’ll be safe. The black mage Aquinas or Duke Biolark won’t be able to harm me.’

In truth, there was one thing that bothered her. As a newborn baby, something unfavorable had happened to her to the extent that she was forcibly sent to a distant village in the Eastern countryside.

‘Then who was it that drove away a baby like me? I have to find out!’

If it was the Duke, she had to be cautious. But she wanted to believe in her father, the duke.

‘He came to find me after all… Maybe he will cherish me a little?’

Now that she thought about it, her father had provided her with a quite spacious room and even assigned a maid to her.

‘Now, what I need to do is ensure my safety in Crovache and be acknowledged as his daughter.’

But how?

As Pudding thought about it, she soon came up with an idea.

‘The Duke likes strength.’

He tried to demonstrate the power of the ice by releasing bursts of icy energy.

If that was the case…

‘Since I can wield the power of the sun, I can use that to win his favor.’

The spirit of the sun, Lioferranda, had mentioned that by frequently exposing herself to sunlight and using the power of the sun, she could become stronger. And above all, to recall all her past lives, she had to keep falling asleep under the sunlight. That was her lifeline in this life.

‘Okay. Let’s go see the sunlight!’

Pudding, who was looking around, glanced at the side with the window. Even if she climbed up by stepping on the cushion of the crib, she could barely see the outside.

Hop! Hop!

With her short legs, she barely managed to jump and peered out of the window. But she was surprised and slipped on the blanket, tumbling down.

“Woof… (Th… there’s no sun outside…)”

It was true. Outside was dark, and there was a snowstorm raging with a howling wind.

‘I can’t dream or use my powers without seeing the sun… This is a disaster.’

Pudding helplessly buried her head and crawled back into the blanket. After a while, Elliot and the servants came together, installing a square object on the wall that looked like a frame, and left. It wasn’t a frame-like object, but a real frame. To be precise, it was a framed picture, and inside it, someone had skillfully drawn a fireplace.

‘Is this a joke? Are they telling me to endure by looking at that?’

Disappointed, Pudding buried her head in the cushion and burrowed deeper into the blanket.

“You won’t feel cold anymore, child.”

Surprisingly, as time passed, the wood in the picture frame fireplace burned brightly, warming up the room.

Crackle, crackle.

As the firewood crackled, Pudding, who was staring blankly, felt a strangely soothing sensation. The calmness that the rhythmic sound brought to the heart was tremendous. Soothed by that, Pudding made up her mind again.

‘The weather may not be good now. I can go out on another day. There will surely be sunny days.’

But the next day, and the day after that, the weather continued to be stormy with no sunlight.

‘The weather in the Northern region is truly devoid of dreams and hope.’

Pudding suddenly worried that she might never see the sun again and be unable to use her powers.

Taking advantage of the maids’ absence, Pudding tried secretly summoning the sun. But perhaps because she hadn’t seen the sunlight, even when she put all her strength into her heart, the sun she summoned was just the size of a bean, barely visible.