Chapter 31
Eugene beamed with delight as she toured the palace.
It was the day she finally fulfilled her long-cherished wish—the ability to scoop up whatever she wanted with a single gesture. At first, she had hesitated, trying out the “from here to here” method, but no one seemed surprised.
“Really? Am I allowed to do this?”
Shouldn’t someone have stopped her?
Eugene looked around. Prince Michael now appeared satisfied, and Felix, standing near the wall, remained composed. Only the merchant, Belvedere, discreetly bowed his head, eyes flashing briefly.
Instead of discouraging her, the palace staff’s looks seemed to push her to go further. Eugene felt completely elated.
“I can do it! I really can do it!”
With a buoyant mood, Eugene was led to another room with more items. Thanks to Belvedere’s passionate explanations, she continuously “scooped up” item after item, finally trembling with excitement as she felt like she had truly imitated a Chinese super-rich person.
“Asian super-rich! I actually did it!”
She felt like a tycoon! Although the imperial family’s treasury had barely been touched, Eugene was thoroughly satisfied with her shopping that day. She stopped rolling around in her room and energetically dashed around the palace with her new treasures.
For Prince Michael, who wanted to see his little “puppy girl” face light up, the results were gratifying. Seeing her eyes sparkle with excitement over even the smallest gift he had given her left him extremely satisfied, and he continued to summon the merchants she liked one by one.
Each time, not only did Eugene’s gaze toward him deepen with admiration, but the prince himself felt a quiet pride.
“This is what it’s like to be born super-rich…!”
Eugene’s awed gaze made Prince Michael feel pleased. A devoted believer in capitalism, she now naturally referred to him as “Master” even in her thoughts.
There were no limits on what she could buy from the merchants.
Shopping without a budget or purpose opened Eugene’s eyes to new possibilities. What had started as a haphazard selection, hiding items in her room and opening them one by one, gradually escalated into grand-scale acquisitions under her master’s subtle encouragement to pick more.
Before, she would have worried about where to put everything. But with the palace overflowing with empty rooms and her master pushing her to buy more, Eugene’s interior decorating desires exploded!
Even after purchasing countless items from the merchants, the prince’s palace had more than enough space. Reinvigorated by her new possessions, she energetically dashed around, decorating and arranging them.
“Wow.”
Already imagining herself as the producer of an interior design show, Eugene proudly surveyed one of the palace rooms.
“Perfect.”
She nodded to herself in admiration, convinced that she had added a unique, otherworldly touch to the palace’s grandeur. In her mind, background music played, before-and-after comparisons flashed across the screen, and a studio audience’s impressed reactions echoed.
“Oh, this really turned out well.”
Feeling confident according to her own standards, Eugene looked around for someone to share her excitement with.
“Ha—ahh…”
Excluding the sloppy knight dozing off, Eugene, already proud of her work and having bragged to the others, felt a grudge at Felix’s indifferent reaction.
“When Sir Hatten returns, I’ll show him too…!”
She refused to let that insensitive knight’s cold reaction diminish her enthusiasm. He needed to understand how hurtful indifference can be to someone passionate.
“Oh, I want to show someone.”
She longed to share and discuss the results with someone. Having created something with her own hands after a long time, she itched to talk about it with someone.
Thinking hard, someone came to mind.
“Now that I think about it…”
Eugene glanced toward the direction of that person, rolling her eyes with anticipation.
“All of this was bought by my master, right? If we had spent someone else’s budget… I should go show them, shouldn’t I?”
Right. Using someone else’s money and keeping quiet would be rude. She should explain what she did, and showing it would be even better.
Resolved, Eugene left the room with a spring in her step and headed somewhere.
Click.
She carefully opened the door to Prince Michael’s study. Peeking inside, Eugene briefly confirmed the presence of her “master” in the usual spot where snacks were kept.
“…!”
Their eyes met for a moment, but Michael, with an indifferent expression, returned to the documents on his desk.
‘What’s going on?’
Of course, Michael’s mind was far from indifferent. His little “puppy girl” had come in on her own, and his heart raced, but he deliberately maintained composure so as not to startle her.
‘…Is Master busy?’
Eugene, peeking into the study, saw her master absorbed in work. She quietly stepped inside and gently closed the door behind her.
Awkwardly looking around the study, Eugene found her designated spot with snacks still on the table and sank into the soft sofa.
‘Will it take a long time…?’
Watching her master, buried in work, she reminded herself that despite calling herself the prince’s pet, she was clearly intelligent. She would not behave recklessly to interrupt him. Resolutely, she settled into the sofa, hugging a cushion, intending to wait until he finished.
Tick-tock.
Only the quiet ticking of the study clock filled the room.
Her legs and body, weary from running around all day and skipping naps, began to relax.
Crackling.
The gentle warmth from the fireplace made her drowsy.
Scratch-scratch.
The rhythmic sound of the quill on paper made her eyelids grow heavier.
Flip.
Another sheet of paper turned.
The sound of Michael writing with his quill and turning pages felt like ASMR meant to lull her to sleep.
Slowly, her eyes closed completely.
‘What’s… happening…?’
Half-awake, Eugene opened her eyes slightly.
Blinking, she tried to make out the scene, but her eyelids kept drooping.
Before they fully closed, she thought she saw something silver glimmer in front of her.
‘Feels good…’
A soft hand continued to stroke her hair. Familiar, gentle. The warm blanket surrounding her guided her back to sleep.
Before fully drifting off, she realized whose hand it was.
‘…Master…’
Feeling a sense of déjà vu, Eugene muttered as if whining in her sleep.
‘Master really likes stroking my hair…’
Drowsily, she closed her heavy eyes again.
Eugene woke from a deep nap, eyes bright and alert, staring at the desk in the study.
Thump.
“Looks like it’s finished!”
After a long while, Michael placed the last document atop the stack, signaling that he had finished his work.
At that moment, Eugene, who had been waiting impatiently for the study clock to move faster, leapt up.
Having stayed motionless in one spot for so long, her legs had stiffened.
“……”
Feeling Eugene’s bright, expectant gaze, Michael restrained the twitching muscles of his face and calmly stepped out.
Considering their stride differences, he walked at a slightly slower pace than usual.
Eugene, shoulders bouncing from holding back her bragging, quickly followed.
After all, the two were heading in the same direction as her residence next to the prince’s room. Eugene sometimes followed alongside him, and at one point, she dashed past him.
“……?”
Michael looked at the corner of the hallway where Eugene had disappeared, puzzled.
He quickened his pace slightly and turned the corner, only to find Eugene standing in front of a door, eyes full of anticipation, holding it wide open, waiting for him.
“……”
Prince Michael had no words ready for the little “puppy girl” staring at him with a look that silently asked for something.
For a moment, the two of them stood frozen, gazing at each other in silence.
