Chapter 1
In the Bestian Empire, which had unified the entire continent, there lived a mad dog.
His name was Aldehyde.
He had appeared out of nowhere and single-handedly brought the whole continent under one rule. Some said he had slain a dragon. Others claimed he had beaten the Demon King senseless.
In short, he was the strongest man in the world.
But as the saying goes, the gods do not give one person everything.
“What is it, old man?”
Aldehyde stretched his long legs gracefully as he spoke.
The man he called “old man” was the Emperor. He let out a deep sigh.
‘What a rude bastard. His personality’s in the gutter. Just because he’s the strongest, does he think that’s everything?’
Unfortunately, that was exactly how the world worked.
And to make matters worse, it was Aldehyde who had saved his life and placed him on the throne.
‘I’m just a puppet anyway. What can I do?’
The Emperor knew that if Aldehyde so much as willed it, his head would be hanging from the guillotine in an instant.
“N-No, well, that is to say, Duke Aldehyde. It’s not that.”
“What do you want me to do now? I’m busy.”
“Th-Then, could you at least listen to me for one minute? Just one?”
Aldehyde gave a lazy nod. The Emperor glanced at his face and sighed inwardly.
“In any case, for unifying the Empire over the past three years, I have given you a title, land, and wealth. Everything.”
“Yeah. And?”
“Is there anything more you require?”
“Not really.”
He had appeared one day without warning. Naturally, no one knew his origins. Even the name Aldehyde was one he claimed to have given himself.
The Emperor had granted him the noble title of Duke and appointed him Commander of the Imperial Knights.
So far, so good.
There was only one problem: no one could hold his leash.
The Emperor desperately wanted to secure Aldehyde fully on his side. Make it impossible for him to betray the throne.
And so he devised what he thought was the simplest and most effective solution.
“I would like to arrange your engagement to my eldest daughter, Princess Rosaria, known as the greatest beauty in the Empire. Then you would become a direct member of the imperial family. What do you say?”
At that moment, Aldehyde’s expression turned icy.
‘Wh-Why? Why that look?’
Had he somehow found out that Rosaria wasn’t truly the Empire’s greatest beauty?
“Hey, old man. Are you insane?”
A murderous aura rippled around Aldehyde. The Emperor swallowed hard.
“If it makes you uncomfortable—”
A faint blush suddenly colored Aldehyde’s cheeks.
“I dream of a love marriage.”
The way he said it made him look completely unhinged. The Emperor answered seriously, slipping into honorifics without meaning to.
“Then I sincerely hope you will achieve a love marriage…”
“Yeah.”
Even if he cut off the Emperor’s words mid-sentence like that, there was no one capable of stopping Aldehyde if he went berserk.
After glancing at his wristwatch with impatience, Aldehyde abruptly stood.
“W-Where are you going…?”
“I’ve got plans. What, you got more to say?”
He raised an eyebrow. The Emperor immediately shrank back.
“N-Nothing important…”
“Good. I’m not getting engaged, old man.”
Right. Best not to talk to Aldehyde at all.
That guy was completely insane.
***
About ten minutes later—
Whistling to himself, Aldehyde arrived in front of a building.
It was the headquarters of the Anmix Knights, the order directly under the Emperor.
The person Aldehyde, their Commander, had come to see wasn’t anyone particularly special. Just an ordinary mage.
With a fearsome expression that looked like he could split the world in half if annoyed, Aldehyde reached for the archive room door impatiently—then paused.
‘No, no. This isn’t good. Not like this.’
He pulled a cute little mirror with a ribbon attached from his pocket and checked his appearance.
“Hm…”
He stared at his reflection thoughtfully.
‘Why do I look kind of cute today?’
He forced the corners of his mouth up, unaware that it only made him look even more intimidating than usual.
Armed with what he believed was “maximum cuteness,” Aldehyde took a deep breath and carefully opened the door.
A low voice came from inside the archive room.
“What? Who just walks in without knocking?”
The man who hadn’t flinched once before the Emperor instantly shrank.
Then Aldehyde spoke.
“Sowwy. Noonaaa, can I come in?”
Shockingly, his tongue seemed cut in half, baby-talking through the words.
Had the Emperor heard this, he would have been horrified. But the woman inside answered as if it were nothing.
“Aldeni? Sure, come in.”
As Aldehyde stepped fully inside, the lights clicked on.
Like a puppy with separation anxiety, he followed the woman’s scent in long strides.
“Alright, Aldehyde. Stay right there.”
The large man’s shoulders drooped. He looked utterly dejected.
“I’m not Aldehyde. I’m Ppuppu… Hng.”
“You need to speak like an adult.”
“Hng. I will.”
He glanced at her cautiously.
After all, she was the person he respected and loved most in the world. His “Noona.”
***
Meanwhile, Sienna—Aldehyde’s “Noona”—pressed a hand to her forehead.
‘For a grown young man to suddenly start baby-talking… how unfortunate.’
She had no idea what had caused it.
Sighing, she pointed to the sofa.
“Sit down first.”
“Mm…”
Aldehyde squeezed his massive frame into the single-seat sofa.
Sitting across from him, Sienna asked seriously,
“So, Alde—no, Ppuppu. Why exactly did your tongue get shorter?”
“Huh? You said I was cute before. And that you like men who act sweet…”
When a giant man with a cold face tried to act cute, it was… mentally exhausting.
Sienna brushed her hair back.
“Fine. So what did you rush all the way here to say?”
“I missed you.”
“I told you not to act like this at work. You’re my superior. I’m your subordinate.”
She pressed her forehead again.
Just from his sulky expression, she could tell what he was thinking.
‘Are we really just boss and subordinate? Is that all we are?’
But she couldn’t let this slide.
“Our relationship is supposed to be a secret. It would interfere with work.”
“Okay, okay. Then grant me one request…”
He hunched his shoulders carefully.
Unfortunately, with his massive build, that didn’t make him look smaller. Just like a giant man bending slightly.
Sienna looked at him skeptically.
“What is it?”
“Noonaaa, don’t go to the company dinner. Have dinner with me instead.”
“No. Today’s menu is beef.”
At her firm answer, Aldehyde flinched and curled in further.
A 190-centimeter man with a huge frame launching a passive sulking attack made Sienna’s head spin.
“What’s with that depressed look? I’m even helping you save money.”
“…There.”
“You’re tall. If you mumble like that, I can’t hear you.”
He lowered his head gloomily, leaned toward her ear, and whispered a little louder.
“There’s a man there…”
“There’s one man. And Duke Brix is a married man in his sixties, Ppuppu.”
“Huh? Brix? You said his name?”
His tongue instantly returned to normal.
At the same time, his eyebrows shot up.
The restored tongue was welcome, but the fiercer expression was not a good sign. More precisely, it meant Duke Brix’s life was in danger.
“Ahem.”
At Sienna’s single warning, Aldehyde’s gaze turned obedient immediately.
“But that guy…”
She corrected him firmly.
“Who drops honorifics when referring to a sixty-year-old elder?”
“But… he’s still a man…”
She had no idea what he was talking about.
Still, she tried to soothe him. But the moment she grabbed his shoulder, his earlobes slowly turned red.
“Can’t you not go… and stay with me?”
His thick fingers slipped between hers.
Their fingers intertwined slowly. She could feel his pulse at her fingertips. His warmth spread into her hand.
His cheeks were already flushed.
Looking straight into her eyes, he whispered sweetly,
“I’m jealous.”
Sienna let out a deep sigh.
‘I just wanted to live the rest of my life quietly, doing good deeds and then die peacefully.’
But somehow, a cute, crazy madman had wandered into her fishing pond.
She hadn’t even made one. He had woven the net himself and quietly stepped inside.
Where, exactly, had it all gone wrong?
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