Chapter 5. One Jindo Dog
“Your big brother’s wife is your sister-in-law. I’m going to marry your big brother later.”
“Andy likes sister-in-law. sister-in-law is pretty.”
The child’s face brightened a little more as he shyly spoke. Since I was five years old, seeing a child of a similar age felt familiar and comforting.
I started walking again with Andy. As we walked together, my drowsiness faded, and we ended up strolling further toward the outskirts.
The mansion was so vast that it felt like walking along a fortress wall. At regular intervals, there were outposts where knights stood guard.
The knights looked at Andy and me with amused expressions. I waved my hand, greeting them silently so as not to disturb their duty.
“What are the knights doing here?”
Andy seemed curious about why the knights were just standing there holding swords.
“They’re on guard—hmm, in other words, they protect this place so that bad people can’t enter.”
“Are there bad people here?”
“Andy, bad people are everywhere. That’s why we always have to be careful.”
I spoke with a serious tone, and Andy’s eyes turned equally serious. Seeing him like this, I wanted to teach him more.
“If bad people appear, you say ‘ Two Jindo Dogs.’ If bad people attack, you say ‘One Jindo Dog.’ So if I say ‘Two Jindo Dogs,’ it means bad people have shown up. Got it?”
“If bad people appear, Two Jindo Dogs. If bad people attack, One Jindo Dog.”1Where did she come up with this word🤣. Anyway, Jindo dogs are named after an island in Korean.
“That’s right. Andy is smart.”
He understood immediately. Just seeing him grasp it so quickly made teaching him feel rewarding.
I patted Andy’s head and smiled at him. His bright smile in response reminded me of a puppy wagging its tail. His snow-white skin made him look like a little white dog.
But my time with Andy was short. Sleepiness crept back in, and my body felt exhausted.
By the time I returned, Casey was grumbling while preparing a basin of water for me to wash my hands.
“Young Miss, where have you been wandering? What if you fall?”
It didn’t sound like she was actually worried about me falling.
“So what if I fall? I’ll just get up. That’s how kids grow up.”
“If you get hurt, I have to report it to Lady Flit. The doctor would have to come, too.”
“Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing. Falling doesn’t mean dying.”
“That’s true, but… Young Miss, you speak so well.”
I didn’t bother responding to Casey and simply lay down on the bed. As I closed my eyes, sleep naturally overtook me.
I felt the warm spring sunlight streaming through the window as I drifted into a cozy nap.
How long did I sleep? It must have been a deep sleep because my body felt lighter.
As I enjoyed that sensation, I heard Lisa and Casey talking.
“Should we wake the Young Miss?”
“No, I think she’ll wake up soon. Once she does, she can have some milk and then come down for dinner.”
Had that much time passed already? No wonder I was hungry.
“Another invitation arrived for the eldest young master. Since both the Crown Prince and the Prince signed it, it must have been ordered by His Majesty.”
“Will he go this time?”
“Who knows? If he doesn’t, won’t they come here again?”
The Crown Prince and the Prince might come here?
No way. The two people I need to avoid the most are coming here? But I just want to live quietly.
I knew that in the future, Rikael would become close friends with the Crown Prince, but I didn’t realize they had interacted since childhood.
And on top of that, they were sending invitations to each other? What kind of situation was this?
Crown Prince Leo was the son of the late Empress, while Prince Ramel was the son of Concubine Audrey. There was no way two half-brothers with different mothers would get along.
Especially since the Empress’s seat was still vacant. Even though the Empress had passed away long ago, Concubine Audrey hadn’t been able to take her place due to fierce opposition from the Empress Dowager, who favored the Crown Prince.
For various reasons, they were essentially enemies, though they couldn’t show it openly.
I abruptly sat up and asked Lisa,
“The Crown Prince and the Prince are coming here?”
“Oh my, you’re awake?”
I nodded and asked again if those two were really coming here.
“They sent an invitation. If the eldest young master doesn’t go, they sometimes visit in person.”
“Are the three of them close?”
“Rather than being close, His Majesty wants them to interact frequently.”
Ha! What kind of twisted fate is this? I didn’t see this coming.
The person who killed me in my past life and my future husband were already interacting?
This wasn’t exactly a tiger’s den, but I was definitely getting too close for comfort.
The prince who would eventually kill me once said that he fell in love with me at first sight—but that was when he was sixteen.
What if we happened to meet by chance and he fell for me when I was just five years old?
This story isn’t supposed to go this way…
Even if the prince comes here, as long as we don’t run into each other, we can live our lives without ever knowing each other, right?
“From what I saw last time, the prince is quite curious. He likes wandering around, meeting people, and even greeted Young Masters Andy and Jake. If the eldest young master announces his engagement, he might even ask to be introduced.”
Casey said as she opened the window. The warm breeze made the white curtains ripple like waves.
“I’d rather not meet him…”
I murmured weakly, watching the curtains settle back into place.
Yeah. That guy was curious.
As the day drew to a close, my thoughts weighed heavily on me. If only Rikael would just go to the imperial palace, everything would be simpler.
Then I wouldn’t have to meet the princes at all.
* * *
Time passed quickly.
It had already been a month since I started my so-called “walks,” which were actually endurance training. Spring had deepened. And then, I encountered something completely unexpected, a snake.
Not just any snake, but one bigger than the anaconda I had seen in movies.
It was truly a moment that made my heart swell with awe.
Every May, the Arcades family held a grand meeting. It was also the one day a year when the Grand Duke traveled to the ducal residence in the capital.
Finally, that day had arrived, and I was once again reminded that I had been reincarnated into a fantasy novel.
As a purple light began to flash inside the iron oval structure beside the garden fountain, the servants bustled about in preparation.
That was the location where the teleportation gate would open.
A purple glow signified that travelers from the North were preparing to depart, and a blue glow meant the gate would open within five minutes.
The distance from the North to here was about 600 kilometers, and yet the gate allowed people to cross it in just five minutes.
It was an extremely costly magic, only used by the imperial family and the most powerful noble houses.
Standing in front of the iron structure, I couldn’t help but feel anxious.
What if the Grand Duke, known as a cold-blooded man with no mercy, didn’t like me?
What if he saw me, a mere five-year-old, and dismissed the engagement as absurd, sending me away?
I approached the gate nervously. Rikael and Jake were already waiting.
“Hi.”
I waved at Rikael, but he ignored me. Jake kept his head down, avoiding eye contact.
As the second of three brothers, Jake was Rikael’s devoted follower. He liked whatever his older brother liked and disliked whatever his older brother disliked.
Until Rikael accepted me, Jake wouldn’t acknowledge me either.
Feeling a pang of bitterness, I stood there in silence—until Kaizen Arcades, the Duke, finally appeared.
It was my first time seeing his face properly since that day, and he looked gaunt.
When he saw me, however, he gave a gentle smile.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yes, Duke. Hello.”
“Are you doing well?”
“Yes. Everyone has been very kind to me, so I am doing well.”
I was a little sad that he avoided looking directly at me, but just having a safe place to live was already a blessing.
The maids had told me that on nights when I was fast asleep, the Duke would sit by my bed for a long time before leaving.
They also said he deeply cherished me, constantly reminding Lady Flet and the servants to take good care of me.
But what was the point of watching over me while I slept?
He still hadn’t given up drinking, never stepped into the sunlight, and seemed to be drowning in sorrow.
Was there anything I could do for him?
I had planned to keep a low profile so I wouldn’t become a nuisance, but seeing him in person made me think—maybe I should do something.
As I stood there lost in thought, a blue glow began to shimmer around the iron structure.
And moments later, the gate opened.
As the bright light faded, a man emerged, followed by several attendants.
Judging by his aura, the middle-aged man at the front was likely the Grand Duke of the North.
I had expected an old man with graying hair, but he was surprisingly young and well-built.
Of course, at fifty years old, it was a bit early to be called a ‘grandfather.’
