Chapter 36
“……”
“Woof!”
Ahem. I said it loudly as a small revenge for him pulling my fur painfully, but I absolutely wasn’t lying.
Wang really seemed to hate the feed the man had made.
“Seriously.”
The man snorted and leaned back.
“Well, well. Just because you’re wearing a disguise, you’re even acting like you’re possessed by a beast? You’re quite dedicated.”
Wait—how did he know about the possession?
When my eyes shook in surprise, the man crossed his arms like he had expected that reaction.
“But you still shouldn’t lie.”
Unlike the man, Wang’s eyes sparkled as he rubbed himself against my leg.
He kept looking straight at the man and tapping my leg with his tiny paw. The man frowned.
“Don’t tell me this beast-boy is right?”
“Woof!”
“No?”
“Grrr.”
“Yes?”
“Woof!”
“No…”
“Grrrr!”
“……”
After repeating this several times, the man grabbed his hair.
“My masterpiece tastes bad? What’s the problem this time?”
But soon he jumped to his feet.
“If I could just understand animal language, solving the problem would only be a matter of time.”
Excited, he said this could even become a business idea and, instead of asking for investment, he suggested a partnership.
“Why are you wasting such an amazing ability? Wait. Don’t you smell something?”
“A smell?”
Other than the scent of food and the musty smell coming from the man who clearly hadn’t washed properly, there was nothing special.
When I tilted my head, he whispered with shining eyes,
“I mean the smell of money.”
Seeing his burning gaze, I realized I had gotten myself into trouble.
I’ve been targeted before by people who search for enlightenment. I once had to listen to a long story about ancestors I didn’t even know about!
After being called a fool by my friends, I had practiced saying, “No. I don’t want to. Go away.”
It was time to show the results of that training.
Bang!
I immediately stood up from my seat.
Then I asked the man, who flinched and stepped back,
“Can you make 500 gold in two months?”
Really, the most dangerous moment is when your heart softens.
“I think he’s having an affair.”
At the gentle voice, Levi was startled.
Who was he?
He was the butler of the Berenice family, with forty years of experience serving both the imperial palace and the ducal estate.
Levi tried to maintain a poker face with the pride of a butler.
‘An affair? An affair?!’
Was the Duke—who had such a perfect face that not leaving behind descendants would almost be a crime—finally in love?
It wasn’t great to learn about it through suspicion of betrayal, but Levi was still moved.
At last, the Duke would experience the beautiful, brilliant, and even painful emotions of love.
But unlike the flower-filled imagination in Levi’s head, Valentin’s twisted lips did not relax.
He had been in a bad mood because of a certain puppy who had been acting strangely lately.
‘I’ve been watching for now.’
Even when he tried to coax him into sleeping together, the puppy stubbornly refused. It was clearly to avoid being caught coming home late every night.
They had slept together just fine before, but suddenly he was talking about how men and women shouldn’t share a bed after a certain age.
‘Now of all times?’
Ridiculous.
Just the other day he used to peek his head through the door and crawl into my bed. And now he says something different.
Valentin gently touched his lips that curved at the thought of that bold but cute behavior.
But only for a moment.
When he recalled what happened a few days ago, his mood darkened again.
“Ha.”
Even now, it was absurd. Valentin ran a hand through his blond hair as if brushing away the sunlight coming through the window.
“He locked the door?”
The moment he realized the doorknob wouldn’t turn because it was locked, he was speechless.
His anger had flared up immediately.
Of course he knew that since returning from vacation, Nathan had been leaving the castle every evening.
If he was fascinated by the outside world, that was understandable.
“‘Nathan asked me several times to keep his evening outings a secret from you, Your Grace,’” Levi had reported.
“‘Good.’”
Valentin had trusted Levi and simply stayed silent because he found it cute that Nathan believed he wouldn’t find out.
“But not only is he coming home late, he’s even locking the door?”
It may have been Nathan’s final method to hide his absence, but it only added fuel to the fire.
“If you’re going to cause trouble, do it where I can see it.”
Valentin had muttered coldly and immediately investigated Nathan that very day.
That was how he found out about the “Green of Life” brooch Nathan had stared at with longing.
He had heard that Nathan couldn’t leave the shop for a long time even after hearing its shocking price.
Valentin didn’t know what meaning the brooch held, but the most convincing guess was that Nathan was earning money every night to buy it.
‘Or does he really just enjoy working?’
Either way, he didn’t like it.
Valentin rubbed his tired eyes. Was raising one puppy supposed to be this exhausting?
“It seems my puppy needs some money.”
Judging by how he leaves me so lonely.
Realizing that “puppy” referred to Nathan, Levi chuckled.
“At least he isn’t doing anything strange. His partner, Jorge Patrician, is a royal palace chef of the Narche Kingdom with a clear identity. His business is actually flourishing.”
Of course, with the Duke’s support.
Levi smiled warmly and poured tea into Valentin’s cup.
“I can’t let Nathan work without pay.”
After learning that Nathan was helping Jorge, Valentin immediately approved the funding request for Jorge’s business.
He not only granted more than the requested amount but also provided maximum convenience.
If it were up to him, he would have persuaded Nathan to stop struggling and just ask him for help.
‘He should know the outside world is harsh so he can realize home is best.’
But at the same time, he wished Nathan would suffer as little as possible. The conflicting feelings gave him a headache.
Out of petty spite, he even ordered Devon to push Nathan hard in training—but it was useless.
No matter how much he was pushed, Nathan went through it brightly and still hurried out of the mansion every night after training.
‘I never thought I’d resent that monster stamina.’
Valentin allowed Nathan to roam outside every night, wondering how long his patience would last.
Nathan used to greet him with a wagging tail. That had been his joy.
Now that joy was gone.
Instead, he was greeted every night by a crookedly written sign that said “Sleeping.”
‘Like a dog abandoned by its owner.’
How could he explain the strange feelings twisting in his chest?
The urge to tear him apart because he was too cute, and at the same time the desire to cherish him carefully.
Would Nathan come home on time tonight?
‘Of course not.’
Even knowing that, he still secretly hoped.
“Your Grace, a letter has arrived from Petro.”
Levi returned after stepping out briefly.
Valentin took the letter and quickly read it while leaning back in his chair.
“…It says he’ll be back soon.”
After that, he said nothing more.
As if he had never worried about anything, he threw himself completely into his work—
Like someone trying to run away from something that kept distracting him.
Time flew by.
The sunset burned red as if it would set the sky on fire, then faded into darkness.
As expected, when Valentin entered his room past the “Sleeping” sign, he was greeted by Nadani.
It was the shabby doll Nathan left on the bed in his place.
The doll lay stiffly and awkwardly on the bed. Valentin tilted his head.
Of course, it felt more familiar than other fur dolls. But how could something like that replace him?
His crooked gaze swept coldly over the black fur doll.
“Instead of translating other people’s dogs, I wish he’d understand my heart.”
Valentin touched his lips and walked forward.
He’s cute, so maybe I’ll let it slide a little longer.
It was a huge success.
‘I can’t believe something like this is happening in my life.’
I stared at the long line in front of the shop, unable to hide my shock.
Money wasn’t just stacking up—it was pouring in endlessly.
