Chapter: 711
Titi, sitting next to Mother, stood firm and proud like a Cerberus guarding the gates of hell.
Our Titi was cuter, gentler, and smarter than a three-headed pit bull, but her resolve not to move was as unshakeable as Cerberus himself.
“Titi, it’s time for Mother to go back, so come here.”
Having a giant dog right next to me made it awkward to walk around. I coaxed Titi to come over since Mother had to head back, but—
“Titi?”
Even from afar, Titi, who usually responded to calls, completely ignored me this time.
To be precise, she was fixated on staring at Mother’s face.
‘What’s going on?’
It was strange. While Titi loved people, she usually didn’t block them from coming or going. She welcomed guests into our mansion warmly but never clung to those leaving.
Plus, this wasn’t the first time Mother had visited. She’d had no issues before, so why today?
‘Is it because of Teresa?’
I glanced at Teresa, snuggled in Mother’s arms.
Mother and the nanny often came to our mansion, so there was no reason for Titi to act differently. Teresa came along occasionally too, but like every kid, she was growing up fast. Maybe from Titi’s perspective, the changing Teresa piqued her interest?
‘Did she have fun playing today?’
I recalled Titi rushing through the mansion with Teresa on her back. Lately, Titi had been walking more, making up for the extra energy build-up. Now that Teresa was here, a bundle of joy full of energy, it must have given Titi quite the shock in her calm routine.
“Mother, just a moment.”
I decided to hold Teresa in my arms instead, trying to verify my hypothesis.
If Titi was interested in Teresa, she’d likely come back to me. So, I first separated Mother from Titi and then planned how to coax Titi back.
‘Nope.’
My hypothesis was wrong. Even as I held Teresa, Titi remained glued to Mother’s side.
What was going on? Did Titi secretly score some treats from Mother without me knowing? But Mother already gave her snacks regularly…
“Why are you behaving like this? Do you want to go with us?”
—Woof!
Mother, scratching Titi’s head, smiled awkwardly, and Titi barked loudly.
It was almost like she was whining to be taken along.
“Uh, Carl?”
“Yeah?”
As I was caught between Titi’s sudden actions, Marg called out cautiously.
“Actually… I think Titi has been tired lately.”
“Titi?”
“Yes.”
I blinked in surprise at her unexpected comment.
Titi was the one who insisted on walking with me each morning. We’d roam around for at least two hours before heading back, and she continued to lounge around in the garden afterward.
Was Titi tired? I could’ve sworn her stamina was only increasing!
“I guess I’m not the only one noticing,” I mumbled.
Then, Pinne, who had managed to waddle her way to the main gate in her near-maternity state, nodded along with Marg’s comment.
“Lately, it seems Titi hasn’t had the same energy. It felt like she was on alert every time we walked around the mansion, and her tail wagged slower than before.”
That was quite the specific observation—its persuasive quality had risen.
One person’s opinion might be a misunderstanding, but if two or more people felt the same way, it was something to seriously consider. Naturally, I had to start caring about the theory that Titi was fatigued.
‘Wait a minute.’
Just as I was about to worry if Titi was sick, I suddenly sensed a discrepancy.
“Has anyone seen Titi playing with the kids lately?”
“Oh.”
“Yes, she hasn’t really played much in recent times, has she?”
Upon my question, the ladies all responded similarly.
So that’s it. Now I understood why Titi had been clinging tightly to Mother.
“She must have been worn out all this time.”
—Kiiing…
After ignoring me all this while, Titi finally looked soulful and droopy-eyed.
Her heartbreaking reaction almost brought me to tears. The reason Titi had been insisting on walks and pacing back and forth in the garden wasn’t merely due to heightened energy levels—it was to avoid our children. If she went on walks early, she would avoid encountering the kids, and wandering around the garden meant she would be less likely to run into them.
“It makes sense that the kids loved Titi the most.”
Which meant she also suffered the most from them.
As Lynn spoke, neither I, the ladies, Mother, nor the nanny could find a response.
—Kiiing…
Only Titi’s sorrowful whimper echoed in the silence.
I’m sorry, Titi. I forgot that you too had fatigue limits. This owner of yours had neglected that fact.
“I am a living thing that feels fatigue too! A living thing!”
Even the former evil god had shouted like that once. So it was only natural for Titi, who played more and longer with the kids than Jangsaeng, to reach her limit.
“Mother?”
“Oh, yes. Speak your mind.”
“Titi… could you take care of her for a few weeks?”
The moment my request finished, Titi looked at Mother with pleading eyes.
Sure, Teresa had more energy than most kids, but if it meant having to deal only with her instead of seven children, it would be a hardship worth enduring.
Thus, Titi’s first vacation began.
*
Teresa returned home with the head maid after heading to the capital.
It would’ve been nice to let her enjoy herself a bit longer now that she was there, but I felt grateful yet guilty that she came back before dinner, thinking of me.
So I planned to greet her personally at the gate—
—Woof!
“…Titi?”
An unexpected addition to the party returned with her from the capital.
And it was none other than Titi, proudly strutting back while carrying Teresa on her back, a pet directly gifted by His Majesty to Carl.
“Why are you here?”
I was momentarily flabbergasted. Titi was a familiar face whenever she visited Carl’s mansion, but seeing her here, where she wasn’t supposed to be, threw me off.
“Ma’am.”
“I’m sorry. I should have said something in advance, but this happened suddenly.”
I looked toward Mother for an explanation, and she wore an awkward smile.
“This little one has helped our grandchildren a lot. She seemed like she wanted to rest for a while, so I decided to take her in temporarily.”
“Rest? Really?”
—Woof woof!
Titi barked as if agreeing with Mother’s words.
It was hard to comprehend a dog running away to rest, but there were seven grandchildren at Carl’s mansion. Once the new northern addition was born, that number would total eight.
Thanks to Teresa, I had come to understand how tough taking care of a child was. But Titi had been entertaining seven kids, so there was nothing strange about her running away.
“Make sure to relax while you’re here.”
A gift from His Majesty, Carl’s pet, and our grandchildren’s friend.
At this point, she was more than just a visitor; she was part of the family. I hoped she could rest easy while she was here.
…Although with Teresa around, relaxation was going to be a challenge, but one was better than seven, right?
“Since Teresa is back home, I’ll head down now.”
“Okay!”
At my cue, Teresa hopped off Titi’s back.
Her face was beaming with glee, clearly happy that Titi had come all the way to the castle. It seemed she’d finally made a friend in her age group after not having any.
It looked like it would be nice to get a pet. Unless we had to give Teresa a sibling, at the very least, she should have a pet to play with.
After finishing dinner, Teresa gallivanted around the castle with Titi until night fell.
Kids never ceased to amaze me. Despite playing all day from morning onwards, they showed no signs of tiring. Even seasoned knights would struggle to showcase such endurance.
The good news was that Teresa now had a companion for her exuberance. Usually, the ladies, the head maid, or other attendants would take care of her, but this time it was Titi doing all the work.
‘We definitely need a pet.’
Maybe think about getting two or three of them if necessary. If we can’t find a human friend for Teresa, at least we should provide her with a furry one.
So, having played to her heart’s content, when Teresa finally fell asleep, I planned to enjoy some wine with Mother.
“Hmm.”
But I found no sign of the corkscrew that was usually next to the wine display.
To be exact, there was no working corkscrew at all.
‘That was right. I had been meaning to replace the broken one.’
A few days ago, the corkscrew broke while opening a bottle. I had meant to grab a new one, but then Georg called me to go fishing that day. I just completely forgot to swap out the corkscrew.
“Sorry, Mother. Please wait a moment.”
“That’s alright. Take your time.”
I asked Mother for her understanding and opened the door. Occasionally, it was fine to send a servant, but it felt ridiculous just sitting there with a broken corkscrew in hand.
—Woof?
“Hmm?”
As soon as I opened the door, Titi, who was passing nearby, made eye contact with me.
“You’re still awake?”
The precious youngest was a diligent worker. Expressing my gratitude, I patted Titi’s head, and she whimpered in delight, wagging her tail.
Such a sweet creature, and she had escaped Carl’s embrace. It made me feel a little sad to think of how burdensome it must have been for her.
—Woof?
Just as Titi was merrily panting, her gaze shifted to the corkscrew in my hand.
—Woof woof!
Then, she dashed off toward somewhere at a quick pace.
It looked like she wanted to explore around her new surroundings. If I just let her be, she’d probably entertain herself until she found a nice place to settle down.
…Or so I thought.
—Mwooo!
“Whoa.”
I was taken aback when Titi reappeared, this time carrying the corkscrew in her mouth.
Could it be she knew I needed a new corkscrew and went to fetch it? I hadn’t given her any instructions, and she didn’t even know the layout of the castle yet.
“Impressive.”
What kind of genius dog could be this smart?
*
Titi’s first vacation met fierce resistance.
Not because our kids suddenly lost a friend? Nope. Our good kids were simply sad to hear Titi was off to play, but they weren’t throwing tantrums demanding she return.
“It’s on a break… you say?”
No, the main source of rebellion was Jangsaeng.
As soon as he learned about Titi’s absence, he looked up at me with a heartbroken expression.
“Why… why…! Why is she the only one off to play? I am tired too!”
Jangsaeng seemed ready to foam at the mouth in his frantic whine, leaving me speechless.
That was true. Plus, with Titi gone, Jangsaeng now had to fill the gap she left.
“You can’t leave me without an assistant!”
“What are you talking about?!”
In response to my comment, Jangsaeng howled even louder.
Sorry, buddy. But I don’t want both of you disappearing at the same time. I don’t have the confidence to handle that future.
Still, when Titi gets back, I’ll think about letting you take a break, so just hold on a little longer.
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