“Woof!”
The puppy wagged its tail and greeted Judas with its tongue sticking out.
Judas momentarily plunged into self-doubt at the sight of the cheerful dog.
Eliya casually asked,
“Are you scared of the dog?”
“…No, I’m not.”
Eliya chuckled at the curt response.
She was just teasing him, knowing the answer already.
“Ha… Good grief. Seriously, how could I mistake this for a ghost?”
Judas laughed helplessly, kneeling down to pet the dog.
The dog, as if familiar with him, rolled over, exposing its belly to feel Judas’s touch.
“Humans tend to only see what they want to see. It’s a kind of bias. Since you thought it was a ghost, you saw it as one. Once people’s perceptions are set, it’s hard to break out of that mold.”
Looking back at his testimony, he couldn’t deny it.
A creature moving on four legs—the obvious conclusion was that it was a dog.
Its strange coloration, mostly black with some white.
“How did I not realize it was a Border Collie…. Anyway, it must be some kind of herding dog.”
Yet, a question remained.
“Why did it steal food from people?”
The dog sometimes hung around when he was staying at the Jericho.
And it also roamed around the homes of villagers.
It was a dog that liked people and followed them. There was no reason for it to sneak and steal food from anyone.
“Who knows… not everyone likes dogs.”
“…Oh, true.”
Recently, Jericho had thrived significantly as a base city.
New people had started flocking in from outside Jericho.
Among them, there could be someone who disliked dogs, possibly treating this dog coldly.
That was just the speculation of Eliya and Judas.
Judas carefully checked the dog’s body.
“No injuries… and its joints seem fine; it doesn’t look like it was hit. Wait a minute, it turns out she’s a female.”
Since he hadn’t paid attention to gender while living together, he had never checked closely.
He hadn’t seen the dog frequently as it roamed from house to house.
But now that he looked closely, her nipples were noticeable.
“…You mean I was living under the same roof with her?”
“Eli? What does that mean?”
“Hmm, hmm.”
After a few coughs, Eliya pretended nothing was wrong.
Judas laughed in disbelief at her brazen attitude.
“Looks like jealousy knows no bounds….”
Her clingy jealousy was endearingly cute, a reflection of his own issues.
“But it can’t be good for her to eat human food….”
While Judas was worried, Eliya organized her thoughts.
She had suspected right from the start that it wasn’t a ghost.
She even thought that the source of the rumor could be a beast.
But there still remained an unsolved mystery.
“The groaning sounds. And what could’ve made it stay in this inconvenient place…. No way, could it be….”
“Woof! Woof!”
The dog tugged at Judas’s sleeve, pulling him along.
It seemed like it wanted to take him somewhere.
“Hmm? What’s going on?”
The place the dog was leading him to was a pile of boards by the castle wall.
The spot where the dog had just been hiding.
“Is there something important inside?”
“Looks that way. I’m a stranger, so it might be cautious of me. I’ll keep a distance.”
The dog began to circle around in front of the board pile.
Judas carefully moved the boards so they wouldn’t collapse.
Soon, something hidden inside revealed itself.
It was a very small creature that moved awkwardly.
“…Huh?”
What wriggled out were four tiny puppies.
They were all huddled together, still unable to open their eyes.
“Puppies…? Are they hers?”
“So that’s why she couldn’t leave this spot. With more people around, it must have been tough to move them alone, and she was worried about leaving them behind….”
The source of the groaning sounds was also resolved.
Those sounds were the puppies babbling.
Right now, they were quiet, perhaps asleep.
“Hmmm… what should we do with them?”
Just then, the puppies began to squirm.
It seemed they were waking up due to the sudden light.
The mother dog hurried over as if to reassure them.
Then she lay down beside the puppies.
The little ones snuggled up to their mother and began to nurse.
They were suckling fiercely, almost like a battle.
All four of them desperately held their ground to drink.
Judas and Eliya watched the scene in a daze.
It was a mystical sight.
It was just a dog nursing, yet it possessed a charm that was irresistible to watch.
The wonder of life and growth.
They could also feel the marvel of nature.
But more than anything else,
“They’re so cute….”
It was incredibly adorable.
The struggling puppies.
The mother dog lying calmly in front of them.
“Eep…”
One puppy almost slipped, so Judas gently supported its bottom.
They were small enough to fit two in one hand.
And soft like dough.
“What are these little cakes….”
Their color combination looked like white dough with black beans embedded in it.
Meanwhile, Eliya felt like she might cry.
It was a strange feeling.
There was no reason to cry over cuteness.
But for some reason, she felt that way.
Something unknown welled up in her fluffy heart.
The two stared at the scene, enchanted, and spoke up.
They spoke simultaneously.
“Should we take them?”
“Are we going to raise them?”
They exchanged glances.
A brief silence fell.
Then they grinned.
They didn’t think of it as kidnapping.
It seemed the dog had needed someone to trust and turn to for help all along.
That was probably why she had led Judas by the hand.
“But I’ve never raised a dog before… Will we be able to handle it?”
Judas suddenly grew worried.
He had never even thought about raising an animal, let alone had experience.
Yuel was a slight exception.
After all, Yuel was independent and managed just fine.
Most of the care had been taken care of by Bradley, who was the stablemaster at the time.
Since they were not ordinary beasts but ethereal beings, they didn’t require human care.
On the other hand, these dogs were pure animals.
Taking them in to raise would definitely require some effort.
Eliya also stepped back from her impulsive desire.
She couldn’t take the act of taking a life lightly.
If they thought of raising them,
“I heard Mei has raised dogs. She’s a veterinarian who takes care of animals.”
Actually, it was always Mei who checked Yuel’s health.
“Well, even if we don’t raise them ourselves, it would be better to take them and feed them than leaving them here.”
Her compromise held weight.
In any case, it was decided that they would take them for now.
Judas carefully cradled the puppies in his arms.
It felt like holding warm, fluffy dumplings.
“Whoa….”
“I’m so jealous….”
Eliya didn’t rashly reach out, fearing the dog would be cautious.
She was curious and envious of what it would feel like to touch those little ones.
“But wouldn’t it be better to ease the dog’s caution towards Eliya beforehand?”
“Hmm… that’s true. But can trust really be built so easily?”
Eliya knelt down softly.
She met the gaze of the mother dog wandering near Judas’s feet.
She had heard that looking directly into an animal’s eyes could be seen as an aggressive stance.
Eliya slowly approached the dog’s side.
Fortunately, the dog didn’t shy away from her.
‘Maybe she trusts me to some extent because she believes in Judas.’
Eliya slowly extended her hand toward the dog.
The dog sniffed her hand with curiosity.
She patiently waited until the dog finished sniffing, then gently patted its head.
Not in a burdensome way, but softly.
The dog stuck out its tongue, panting lightly, and slightly closed its eyes.
It was as if it was smiling at Eliya’s touch.
Seemingly feeling good, it lifted its head, actively rubbing against Eliya’s hand.
Eliya smiled contentedly.
“Good girl.”
A degree of trust had been established.
Eliya nodded at Judas, then immediately used teleportation.
*
In the main palace of the royal palace.
They arrived in the garden in front of the Sky Palace.
The puppies still couldn’t open their eyes, confused by the sudden change, while the dog looked around, astonished by the unexpected surroundings.
Eliya approached to pet the dog, reassuring it.
“Your Highness?!”
The maidens cleaning the garden jumped with surprise.
Even though they knew their master could appear anytime out of the blue, they couldn’t help but be startled when it actually happened.
“Don’t mind me, keep doing your work. By the way, can someone go fetch Mei?”
“I’ll go!”
“Okay.”
One of the maids ran off quickly.
The others sneaked glances at Judas and Eliya while cleaning.
More precisely, they were eyeing the small creatures they had brought.
The dog was wandering around, sniffing anything it could find.
All the puppies were nestled in Judas’s arms, but Eliya couldn’t resist picking one up as well.
“They’re so light…. And super warm. They feel like dough….”
The still-blind puppies burbled softly in her arms.
The sounds and gestures were enough to melt the maids’ hearts.
However, they couldn’t bring themselves to step closer to the regal figures holding the dog.
They could only hope in their hearts.
If there ever came a day when those puppies could run freely around the royal palace, that would surely be a joyous occasion.
Mei quickly arrived alongside the maid.
As soon as she spotted the dog and the puppies in their arms, she smiled brightly.
“Oh my! Where did these puppies come from?”
“We found them while checking supply deliveries.”
“They’re just newborns who can barely open their eyes. How cute! Could you please set them down?”
Judas and Eliya carefully placed the puppies on the grass.
“Dogs rely heavily on their sense of smell. It’s best to let them roam freely to adapt in a new environment, so they can thoroughly sniff around.”
“Hmm. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Judas and Eliya hadn’t known that fact.
The many tiny puppies began to wriggle around, exploring their surroundings.
Due to their size, they seemed to be crawling along the floor.
The mother dog approached and began to gather the puppies into one spot and lead them.
Everyone watched the scene with warm smiles.
Mei smiled while watching but then turned serious.
“Let’s give those little ones some time to adjust first. I need to check a few things with you two. You’re planning to raise them, right?”
“Yeah. If possible.”
“Do either of you have experience raising animals?”
Both shook their heads.
“Will you be keeping them indoors or outdoors?”
“Well… I hadn’t thought about that. I want them to be comfortable. We can’t watch over them all day.”
“Then outdoor would be better. They’re a breed that needs space to play, especially since they’re herding dogs. Luckily, the palace is spacious enough.”
Mei inquired about the place and environment the puppies had been in and jotted things down on some papers.
Judas couldn’t help but feel a newfound respect for the veterinarian.
Usually, he saw Gale more than Mei.
It was because Eliya took precautions about him being with another woman.
“What if they could stay with Yuel in the barn?”
“Would Yuel not mind?”
“Moon Deer are gentle creatures as long as they’re not provoked, so it should be fine.”
“If she doesn’t like it, we’ll find somewhere else.”
Eliya spoke decisively.
It showed her commitment to respect Yuel’s feelings.
“Yes, absolutely. So, shall we go take a look? It’s better to show them early where they’ll be staying so they can adapt.”
“Right! Let’s go now.”
Judas clapped his hands to get the mother dog’s attention.
The dog perked up its ears and wagged its tail, following him.
Right behind, the four little puppies followed suit.
In no time, Judas found himself leading the dog along.
Eliya purposefully kept a bit of distance, capturing the scene in her eyes.
Judas in the front, with the mother dog and puppies trailing behind.
It warmed her heart just to watch.
New guests arriving at the royal palace.
Those puppies became part of their family.
From what she had read, violence often gets passed down.
People unloved may struggle to love others.
That sometimes led Eliya to seriously ponder whether she could ever have a family.
She hadn’t recognized she’d been a victim of domestic violence as a child, but now she could see it clearly.
So, she worried more.
But seeing the man who loved her unconditionally reassured her once again.
With Judas by her side, she could certainly build a warm, happy family.
Eliya felt a warm glow swell in her chest as she trailed beside the man she loved.
She wrapped her arms around him and said,
“I love you.”
At her sudden confession, Judas smiled and replied nonchalantly,
“I love you too.”
As they walked side by side, they shared a brief kiss.
The sound of the puppies trotting behind sounded harmonious.
Eliya tightened her embrace around Judas’s arm and pressed forward.
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