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Note: This chapter has not been edited yet (editor is on hiatus)
Growl. Of course, the trauma-inducing culprit, no. The nameless magical beast let out a low growl.
Others might feel suffocated at the immense intimidation, but mothers were always the greatest.
“Oh dear, you must be frightened.” I’m not just any mother either.
Grrr. So, you’re the magical beast? I was cursed by black magic.
I reached out, seemingly for a handshake, but did not touch it at all. Instead, I took out a small bag from under my coat.
The beast, which looked like it was about to do something to me, calmed down all of a sudden. It seemed like it knew what the bag contained.
“Your Majesty, may I give some of these to the dog?”
“What’s this?”
“Oh, I brought some snacks for Reina, but I thought it’d like some too.”
It should like these, right? Since it had a sharp sense of smell.
I made these especially for my precious princess by finely blending the deboned filefish and dried till it was crunchy.
It was all animal’s second nature to fall for common fish jerky, so it wasn’t enough to just offer their obedience to such luxurious snacks.
“I made this personally, but I’m embarrassed to give such humble snacks to Your Highness’s dog….”
“Give it.”
“But brother! We don’t know what that is!”
I was speechless. What do you know about this that’s making you break out in cold sweat then?
I leered at Tenon, who was overly wary about snacks that were being offered to a dog.
You’re given -1,000 points! I made a huge mental note on him.
Tenon had been acting as if I had been putting a curse on them. I could not see him in a kind light even though he was a prince.
“Your Highness, if not, I’ll take my leave….”
“Just give it.”
Tenon could only keep his silence.
“Catherine, just do as you wish.”
I felt sorry since Rashid had agreed to my request so readily.
It was just giving a simple snack to the dog, but of course, that wasn’t the end.
“Oh my, it must have found the snack delicious.”
The dog dived for the snack as soon as Rashid gave his order, without looking up once while chewing. It ran for the handkerchief in my hands, panting, disregarding everything else around it. Obsessiveness dripped from its watering mouth as it wouldn’t let go of even a tiny piece of the fish jerky.
‘Others might mistake it to have been starved all this time.’
It was the first time I felt that this was ‘just a dog’ like Rashid had mentioned. But even so, it was the very same dog that had instilled fear into my young Haniel. This fact mustn’t be forgotten.
“I’m thankful that you’re enjoying it.”
Bark bark! Its obedient barking had startled Tenon, who had been taking care of it throughout from the Palace. He looked at me suspiciously. I wasn’t sure if it was in disappointment or amazement.
“J-just what did the Duchess give?”
“I said it was snacks.”
“But we gave it sufficient snacks even back in the palace… There must be some secret ingredient in it, seeing how the dog had gobbled it up so deliciously….”
“So are you saying that I’ve given it something that I shouldn’t have?”
“N-no, it’s not that….”
“I must have been more careful then, instead of getting ahead by myself and getting mistaken like this.”
I lowered my eyes with sadness written all over my face and pulled out the handkerchief from the dog’s mouth. It whimpered sadly as if the milk bottle that it had been drinking from had been snatched away. I looked at it with the handkerchief covering my mouth.
“I’m sorry. I want to give some more to you too.”
Grrr! Now the magical beast was glaring intently at Tenon, circling him in a most unusual way.
It wouldn’t jump at Tenon since Rashid was around, but it was expressing how there was nothing else it would care for right now.
If it was circling like that around my Haniel…. Just imagining it sent shivers down my spine.
Grr!
“Dog! How dare you do this to a prince like myself…”
“I’m sorry, doggie. I’ve made you upset.” I said in a comforting voice and patted its ears, a stark contrast as compared to Tenon’s fiery tone.
The agitated dog blinked its eyes in confusion, it must be treated this way for the first time in its life. I bet that it hadn’t heard the term ‘doggie’ before too.
“…Oh my. How disappointed you must be.”
“Duchess, but I too, have done everything I possibly could…”
“Sureee. You’ve done everything, but haven’t given it a name.”
Tenon was stunned, then licked his lips as if wanting to protest.
Another’s misfortune was my chance.
I grabbed the opportunity and reached out both my hands, soothing the back of its neck.