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Chapter 15
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‘IAN is someone I should avoid, but it’s even stranger that I, as the young lady of this house, should avoid him. But I have to endure it. Endure.’

With a self-encouragement, she calmed her heart. From that day on, Ian became a lunatic in Pudding’s mind.

Anyway, the plan to secretly go out to see the sun failed miserably. Something needed to be done. Since she couldn’t communicate as a puppy, she couldn’t say that she wanted to see the sunlight, so incidents like this will happen again.

Then, something caught Pudding’s eye. It was a pile of toy dolls in a basket.

‘Yes, if I don’t have hands, I’ll use my mouth!’

For hours, Pudding vigorously tumbled and played with the doll pile using his front paws and snout. Finally, she found a sunflower and sun-shaped doll. It was a moment filled with excitement.

‘If I show these to the maids or the Duke, maybe they’ll understand what I want!’

Jingle, jingle.

However, the maids seemed to think that Pudding was just playing with toys, even when she gnawed on the sun and sunflower dolls.

“Oh, the baby must be exploring her toys. How adorable!”

The maids failed to understand…

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THE next evening, after finishing his official duties, the Duke visited the Dandelion Palace. As soon as he entered, Pudding brought the sun doll to his feet to convey her intentions.

Squeak, jingle.

“Hmm?”

The Duke, bending his knees, looked at the maids, indicating that he needed an interpretation.

“The baby has been playing with that doll for a few days. Seeing that she’s giving you her favorite toy, perhaps the baby really likes you, Your Excellency.”

When Sarah interpreted it that way, the Duke’s stern expression softened.

“…Oh, was that it?”

The more he thought about it, the more perplexing it was that this little fellow had something to offer him. A smile blossomed on the Duke’s lips.

“Woof! (No, it’s not like that!)”

As Pudding barked and wiggled her body, the Duke picked her up in his arms.

“The weather seems to have cleared up quite a bit today. Let’s take a little stroll.”

“Woof? (Really?)”

Pudding wagged her tail happily, indicating her approval. It seemed that things could resolve itself quite easily. After countless efforts, she finally got to see the sunlight that she hadn’t seen for a long time, all within two weeks.

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PITTER-patter, bounce, bounce.

Excited Pudding trotted around, searching for places where the sunlight shone brightly.

‘Wow, how long has it been since I smelled the outside air!’

Now that she smelled the refreshing outdoor scent, it felt like she was truly alive. However, for Pudding, who grew up in warm region, the weather was still cold. As Pudding pranced around, the Duke, observing the lively puppy, quietly sat on a bench in the garden.

Pudding looked around, trying to find a spot where the sunlight shone, but it seemed that the best spot was on the bench where the Duke was sitting. Pudding could do nothing but approach him and look up with innocent eyes.

“Go and play, I’m surprised by you following me so closely.”

Though he seemed to have some misconception, it wasn’t important at the moment. When Pudding lifted her front paw onto his ankle, the Duke lifted and placed her on the bench. Pudding then climbed onto his lap and fell asleep, basking in the warm sunlight.

She felt the warm and cozy feeling that only sunshine could provide. Overwhelmed by happiness and sweetness, Pudding quickly fell asleep.

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THEO was in shock after losing Pudding. He saw a tremendous light had emitted from her body when she saved Theo from the monster. However, the most shocking thing was that for a very brief moment, Pudding had transformed into a young child.

‘It was clear. Pudding had transformed into a child who seemed to be about three years old.’

Theo belatedly went to search for Pudding, but there was no trace of her. Only a large bee remained, so Theo brought it back. It occurred to him that Pudding had ridden this bee while confronting the monster.

A dog riding a bee, the existence of such a large bee, and a dog transforming into a human—everything was utterly nonsensical.

‘What on earth happened to Pudding? It’s all because of me.’

If he hadn’t followed the herbalist, none of this would have happened. Tears streamed down Theo’s cheeks, realizing he had lost his precious Pudding. He had gone to gather herbs in order to buy a beautiful and soft new cushion for Pudding. In the end, he couldn’t get it anymore.

‘This isn’t how it’s supposed to be. Pudding might be crying and searching for me somewhere.’

Theo wiped away his tears with his sleeves and ran back outside.

“Pudding! Puddiiing!” He shouted until his throat was hoarse, but Pudding had truly vanished without a trace.

When Theo returned home, his eyes were swollen from crying for several days.

“Theo, I’ll get you a new dog. Stop crying, okay?”

Daisy’s words were in vain.

“Pudding is not just a dog. She means everything to me.”

Tears filled his eyes with worry. Without him, Pudding wouldn’t be able to sleep or eat properly. Tears blurred his vision.

“Crying like this won’t help find Pudding. Stop crying and let’s gather strength to eat. That way, we’ll have the energy to find Pudding, okay?”

“Okay. I will definitely find Pudding.”

The young Theo’s eyes glimmered with determination. From that moment on, he truly believed that Pudding was not just an ordinary dog.

‘Pudding was a person just like me.’

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WAS it because of the sunlight?

Pudding had another dream. It was a dream of the days when she was in the imperial palace, being called by the servants to do their laundry and enduring their mistreatment.

“Eek! There’s a rat-like creature here! Chase it away or catch it!”

She had transformed into a dog to escape the mistreatment, but instead, the servants tormented her even more. She was hit with a broomstick, starved, and even slept outside or locked in a dark warehouse. It was a life where she was unwelcome to anyone other than Theo and Daisy. She grew up as a pitiful child without even knowing her parents’ faces.

Even until her death, she was called Pudding, a name from her dog days.

“A person named Pudding… Don’t you find that funny?”

“Well, Lady Lester, even if she’s close to His Majesty the Emperor, she can’t escape her lowly status.”

“I heard she has black eyes.”

There were also the noble ladies who pitied her and laughed at her. In the palace, Pudding always lived in secrecy.

‘I was always alone.’

She lived as an immature servant, silently watching over Theo’s shadow from afar. A naive and ignorant dog companion who couldn’t even grasp the empire’s ruse.

That was her.

Pudding jerked awake from the agonizing pain in her dream, her eyes narrowed. When she opened her eyes, she wasn’t alone. She found herself lying on the Duke’s sturdy knees. A large hand descended and gently stroked Pudding’s fluffy back. The warm touch brought comfort and a sense of relief.

“Did you sleep well?”

It was a tender question. The words were spoken was something a real father would say to their daughter, and somehow, it pierced Pudding’s heart.

“Woof. (I slept well.)”

The puppy replied with bright, black eyes, full of vitality. The Duke, finding the puppy’s response adorable, curled his lips upwards. He gently stroked the puppy’s head with his index finger and said, “I have a place to go with you.”

With those words, he cradled Pudding lovingly in his arms and started walking somewhere far away.