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Chapter 14
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PUDDING raised her head as she pondered, her head wrapped in a towel. Sarah entered the bathroom and opened the curtain, taking a quick glance.

“Oh, you’re behaving well during your bath. Good job.”

“Woof! (I like baths!)”

“Next time, I’ll bring a floating boat for you to place on the bathtub.”

Sarah said so and lifted her out of the bathtub, gently drying her body, making her fur fluffy and voluminous in no time, thanks to the magic fireplace depicted in the frame.

“Oh my, your chest fur has become so voluminous and elegant. You look quite regal today.”

Pudding tilted her head at Sarah’s praise. She also brought a mirror for her.

“Don’t you know how adorable you are? Let me show you.”

Saying that, Sarah got excited and went to fetch the mirror. As she shook her bottom, her tail swayed playfully. The mirror she brought was surprisingly huge, which startled Pudding.

‘She must’ve had superhuman strength.’

Tuk!

Pudding touched the mirror with her paw and looked at her reflection. She had fluffy and round fur. Her eyes and nose were black and round. As Sarah had mentioned, the fur around her neck seemed to rise more today, giving a playful and elegant appearance. Just like the manes that lions have.

“Woof! (It’s quite adorable!)”

“Hmm… You’re already incredibly cute, but wait a moment.”

Sarah hurriedly ran to a dresser and brought back a straw hat adorned with flowers, a cute ribbon, and a bell to decorate her.

“Ah… You’re too cute. It’s a crime to be this adorable.”

Sarah sigh contently, making Pudding wonder if she was really that cute. As she wagged her tail, the straw hat that Sarah placed on her flew off.

‘Ugh, so annoying. But aside from that, should I go out and soak up some sunlight today?’

Though the maids were constantly hovering around, Sarah and Noelle never disturbed her when she was sleeping.

‘I’ll seize that opportunity!’

And Pudding’s prediction was correct. Posing as if she was asleep, she confirmed that all the maids had left.

Thud.

Before the door closed, Pudding quickly moved over the prepared basket and followed along.

Tip-toe.

Finally, Pudding stepped into the corridor. To others, it would appear as if the basket had been overturned. With a mischievous smile, she cautiously moved forward, pushing the basket with her body inside.

Thud, thud.

Then, a loud footstep echoed through the corridor. Could there be a lion nearby?

It was her first time venturing out, so she stayed alert and continued moving through the corridor.

‘I need to find the way out.’

Due to the obstructed view from the basket, she couldn’t see clearly, but through a small gap, they caught a glimpse of the outside. She could feel a chilly breeze accompanied by a gust of wind.

‘Yes, it seems like the wind is coming in from outside. Let’s go and see!’

As Pudding enthusiastically moved her four paws toward the source, something happened. Her sight turned pitch black, and there was a sense of pressure on top of the basket.

‘It’s… it’s heavy!’

At that moment, Pudding realized. Someone stomp their foot directly on the basket.

‘The person must have a really nasty personality to stomp on the basket with their foot like this.’

Pudding had a bad feeling. Her small eyes involuntarily narrowed, and she cowered under the imposing presence of the stranger.

‘Please, just go away.’

However, her uneasy feeling proved to be correct. The basket that she was using was forcefully removed, and a cold gaze accompanied the action.

“What’s this? A ball of fluff?”

The voice belonged to a boy, filled with displeasure. Pudding looked up and examined the face of the stranger. He had sharp, piercing eyes and a thin body. The boy had silver hair that shimmered, and his eyes were a distinct violet color.

‘He has the same eyes and hair color as the Duke. And his facial features resemble him a bit too.’

Though he appeared a year or two older than Theo, he was equally handsome. However, unlike Theo, he gave off the impression of having a foul temperament. The chilling violet eyes stared down at Pudding, exuding a strong sense of annoyance.

“Who left this thing here? A beast with fluffy brownish fur?”

The boy reached out to touch Pudding’s neck. But she wasn’t known for having a docile and gentle personality. Especially after experiencing an unfair death in her previous life, she had resolved to show her fangs when provoked.

“Arf, woof! (Don’t touch me!)”

Pudding barked, revealing her determination. The boy smirked as if amused.

“Did you dare to show your fangs to a direct descendant of the Crovache family?”

The boy’s mocking laughter made Pudding wonder if she had mistakenly provoked a madman, and she abruptly stopped barking.

“By the way, what kind of creature is this?”

The boy leisurely scanned Pudding’s body. At that moment, Sarah, the maid who took care of Pudding, approached with a shocked expression.

“M-master I-Ian, ple-please, r-re-returns the young l-lady. I beg you.”

“Young lady?”

Ian’s head tilted to the side.

According to the Duke, it was supposed to be a secret that a dog had been brought from a rural village. Only the Duke and a few others knew about it. Sarah wanted to slap her own mouth for her slip of the tongue.

“Oh, n-nothing. I misspoke. The young master is raising a dog. If you could kindly return her, we would be grateful.”

“What is my father raising?”

Ian’s eyebrows twitched, and he looked back at the dog.

“I mean, I referred to that dog, young master.”

Sarah’s words triggered a memory. He had heard that some human had a culture of raising dogs.

“I know what a dog is!”

“I apologize, young master.”

Ian’s attention returned to the dog in front of him.

But why would his father bother raising something so insignificant and unremarkable?

Pudding was too small to be of any use, barely a bite-sized morsel. Truly a piece of food. Of course, the Silver Lion Clan no longer had the savage habit of devouring animals as they were caught, like wild lions.

“…More importantly, are you asking me to believe that my father is raising a dog?”

It was an unbelievable situation. He had never seen his father raise anything. He had seen him kill a lot, so… it would be more acceptable if it were a battle monster or a horse. The fact that his father raised this insignificant puppy that rolls under his feet was unbelievable to anyone.

“It’s true.”

“Is that so?”

Sarah bowed her head. Ian’s cruel nature was already well-known within the Duke’s residence. Everyone knew that he would engage in fights in his bestial form as a way to vent his frustrations. Even though he was young, he was a direct descendant of the silver lion. If they were to fight in his transformed state, there was a high chance that the raccoon tribe would be killed instantly.

Therefore, it was an implicit rule among the Winter Castle servants not to provoke him. Sarah knew this well, so she lowered her head. But Pudding didn’t know.

“Woof! (Hey, I told you not to touch me!)”

Chew.

Pudding bit on Ian’s finger that dared to reach for her neck. Then, his violet eyes narrowed. A bewildered smirk was seen on his face.

Sarah trembled, thinking that something terrible had happened, and kneeled on the spot.

“I-I’m sorry, M-master Ian. It was just a momentary action from the young puppy, please, please forgive her for this.”

Seeing Sarah’s reaction, Pudding finally realized that her actions had provoked Ian. If he resembled his father, the Duke, then Ian would undoubtedly be strong. With a fearful heart, Pudding’s body stiffened, afraid that Ian might strike her. She wasn’t afraid of getting hit, but being hit by someone like Ian would surely hurt.

“….”

A cold aura emanated from Ian, brushing against Pudding’s cheek as if slapping her.

“How amusing. You’re the only one who has managed to injure my hand and survive.”

After handing the puppy back to Sarah, Ian vanished from the Dandelion Palace. Both Pudding and Sarah let out a long sigh with a face that showed they had aged ten years in an instant.

Sarah quickly embraced Pudding and hurriedly returned to her room as if fleeing.

“Are you alright, young lady? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Woof. (I’m fine.)”

“That’s a relief. You were startled, right?”

Sarah held Pudding tightly in her arms, and the warm embrace made all the anxiety disappear.