“A gift? That huge dog? I thought it was a werewolf captured from some mountain range.”
“Oh, come on. How could an ordinary person like me have the strength to capture such a strong creature?”
Awoo!
Ludwin let out a small howl, apparently pleased with being called ‘strong’, and rubbed his head against my shoulder.
Boris, on the other hand, gave a bitter smile.
“But if it’s you, Sister, I wouldn’t be surprised if you could catch a grizzly bear…”
“What did you say?”
When I asked with a smile, Boris quickly looked away, scratching his cheek.
“Haha, nothing really.”
He then quickly offered me a cheese tart.
“Sister, isn’t this delicious? Have another one.”
“Oh, thanks…”
Chomp!
Just as I was about to take the tart from Boris, a dark shadow swooped over it.
“Lu?”
It was none other than Ludwin.
He took the large cheese tart, chewed it twice, and swallowed it in one gulp.
“Huh.”
Boris looked astonished.
“…Lu, did you want some?”
Even though it was my favorite snack, I was willing to share if Ludwin wanted some.
“Maybe he did want some. Would you like this one?”
Boris offered a fresh cheese tart, but Ludwin turned his head away sharply.
“Lu?”
His firm refusal left me even more puzzled.
‘What? Didn’t he want it?’
While I was confused, Boris pulled back the tart and spoke.
“If he doesn’t want it, then you should have it, Sister…”
But before he could finish his sentence, Ludwin snatched the tart again, chomping it down just like before.
“Ah…”
“Hmm…”
At that moment, we both realized which tarts Ludwin was targeting.
After devouring two tarts, Ludwin looked at us with an innocent expression as if asking why we were staring at him.
Why? What’s wrong? I don’t know anything.
His amber eyes looked so innocent that it was almost comical.
Still feeling slightly baffled, I looked at him, but Ludwin, unfazed, nuzzled his forehead against me, indulging in affectionate behavior.
“Well, Boris, I think I’ll handle the tarts myself.”
I smiled awkwardly and took a tart directly, this time Ludwin didn’t steal it.
Regardless, the tart was delicious.
Rich, savory, and slightly tangy—truly a specialty tart made with the renowned goat cheese from the Leon region.
“He really seems to have quite the personality. Are you sure he doesn’t bite?”
I waved my hands dismissively.
“Oh, Lu is such a reliable guardian at the flower shop. Not only is he dependable, but you wouldn’t believe how cute he looks carrying bouquets in his mouth.”
“Cute? Him?”
Boris pointed at Ludwin with a genuinely bewildered expression. The black dog merely snorted as if to say, What’s wrong with me?
“Why does everyone ask that? Isn’t Lu cute?”
When I asked sincerely, Boris gave me a strange smile.
He then leaned closer to me and pointed at himself with his index finger.
“Sister! I think I’d be more helpful than that big black dog. My swordsmanship has improved a lot! I can hunt down wolves with a single strike now.”
He even pretended to swing a sword at Ludwin.
In response, Ludwin bared his fangs playfully, as if to say, Don’t mess with me.
Their playful antics made me burst into laughter.
“It’s okay, Boris. Now that it’s spring, you’re probably really busy with estate work, so how could I ask you to help with the flower shop?”
“No, what I meant was that I could protect you if there’s any danger…”
Boris looked a bit embarrassed.
At that moment, someone approached.
“Young Master.”
It was a servant of the Leon family.
“What is it, Gale?”
“A guest has arrived.”
“A guest? Ah, right.”
Though usually, it was the host couple who greeted guests, Boris seemed to be assisting with the hunting event this time, so he had to attend as well.
Knowing this, Boris sighed but obediently stood.
“Are you leaving?”
“I have to. It’s probably the last guest.”
I sipped my tea and asked.
“Was there still a guest who hadn’t arrived?”
I thought I was the last one to arrive, so I was surprised.
“There’s a family that sent a late reply to the attendance request.”
“Really? Which family?”
I picked up another cheese tart.
I figured I should eat as much as I could since I wouldn’t get the chance once the eve-of-the-festival preparations started.
But just as I was about to take a bite, Boris dropped a bombshell.
“The Rivolte family.”
Thunk.
I dropped the cheese tart I was holding.
‘Why is Duke Rivolte coming here?’
Two hours later, I found myself still in utter confusion after seeing the carriage from the Rivolte family arriving.
Duke Andre Rivolte.
Although it is not officially known, in the original work he was a member of the Second Prince’s faction.
Since the Crown Prince and Princess were attending this hunting event, I had been relieved, thinking that Duke Rivolte, as a supporter of the second prince, wouldn’t come.
‘Why would someone who refuses to show his face in front of the crown princess because he doesn’t want to bow to a commoner, suddenly show up here?’
After all, Lilian was technically adopted from a commoner background.
The Duke of Rivolte, obsessed with noble bloodlines, married the daughter of Marquis Weiss and supported the second prince, who aimed to implement a nobles-first policy.
However, publicly, he declared neutrality, claiming to follow the tradition of his family.
In fact, he had even lamented to others that Ludwin, who supported the Crown Prince, was breaking Rivolte family tradition.
Even Boris mentioned that the Duke initially declined to attend but then changed his mind at the last minute.
‘What is he up to?’
I stood there, arms folded, lost in thought.
After sending Boris off, Ludwin and I hid among the bushes, secretly watching Duke Rivolte arrive from a distance.
The way he got out of the carriage and greeted the Marquis and his family was truly befitting of a high-ranking nobleman.
However, considering it was an outing for a duke, the baggage and attendants were unusually sparse.
One of the attendants was the coachman, and the remaining three who followed Duke Rivolte out of the carriage didn’t seem to be knights or servants.
They were dressed in exotic clothing.
Unlike the familiar attire of the Rem Empire, which resembled the suits common in my past life, their clothing consisted of loose pants tucked into boots and tunics with elaborate embroidery across the chest.
One of them in particular wore a dark vest over his tunic with a thick belt around his waist.
‘I’ve seen those clothes somewhere before.’
I furrowed my brow, racking my brain to remember, and as I did, my arms began to lower unconsciously.
A stern voice interrupted my thoughts.
“Ah! Don’t lower your arms, Lady. You’ll get pricked by the pins.”
“Oh, sorry.”
Startled by her scolding, I quickly raised my arms again.
I was currently preparing for the eve-of-the-festival with Lena’s help.
“Lena, is it almost done?”
I asked, noticing that Lena had been sewing my dress for quite some time. With a pincushion in her mouth, she sighed lightly.
“Just a little more. Madam Mimon had it fitted to your measurements three months ago, but…”
She lamented that now two fingers could slip in between, even though it had been perfectly tailored before.
Madam Mimon was a widowed designer who had benefited from the Dilucia patronage system and now operated a top-class boutique in the capital.
When I summoned her to make a gift for Ludwin, she mentioned that she prepared a dress for the hunting event since she heard I would be attending.
I marveled at the quality of a top-class designer’s work, but when I put it on, it fit me like a loose, oversized garment, as if I had borrowed my mother’s clothes.
Madam Mimon was an expert, so the problem must have been with me, the ‘clothes hanger’.
As a result, Lena was now painstakingly hand-sewing the dress.
“Sure, I trust you, Lena.”
I made a fist of encouragement, to which Lena responded with a pained expression.
“No matter how well I sew, if you keep losing weight like this, Lady, it won’t do any good. Please, put on some weight, I beg you.”
“I just ate five cheese tarts.”
“That was a snack! I thought you’d finally gained a little weight after retiring, but now…”
Lena’s voice cracked, and I couldn’t help but feel guilty.
“Don’t cry. I’ll eat a lot at the banquet, I promise.”
“You promised!”
Lena’s face brightened at my words.
Ever since my reincarnation, I became so busy working that I didn’t even have time to catch my breath, and it became a habit for me to not eat properly.
Seeing me grow thinner day by day ignited a sense of duty in Lena to fatten me up.
‘With all the recent busyness at the flower shop, the beastmen, and preparing for the hunting event…’
I resolved to eat heartily at dinner so as not to make Lena cry.
Sniff, sniff.
Ludwin, who had been staring out the window since we returned, suddenly approached and started sniffing my dress.
He seemed to like it.
I gave a bittersweet smile as I watched him.
“Lu, I’m sorry to say this, but you can’t come to the banquet tonight.”
His tail stood straight up, clearly shocked by my words.
It seemed like he was shouting, No? What are you talking about!
“It’s an indoor banquet, so dogs are not allowed.”
The second shock made Ludwin stagger slightly.
As Lena finished sewing and moved on to another task, I bent down and whispered softly to him.
“And Duke Rivolte might be there. I can’t take you with me.”
Grrr.
A low growl rumbled from Ludwin as soon as he heard that.
‘He really dislikes him.’
Ever since he saw the Duke’s carriage arrive, Ludwin had been keeping watch out the window, vigilant.
Honestly, the thought of facing Duke Rivolte alone scared me a bit, but I couldn’t avoid going if I wanted to gather information.
“I’ve prepared a nice bone for you, so just wait here and enjoy it.”
Ludwin shook his head.
“No? Then…”
Awooo.
Ludwin let out a short howl, then nuzzled his face into my waist, clearly worried about me.
Feeling a surge of warmth in my chest, I patted his head gently to reassure him.
“It’ll be fine. There will be a lot of people, so he won’t be able to do anything.”
Just then, Lena returned. She was holding a white bolero made of ermine fur and gave me a stern look as she helped me put it on.
