Chapter 54
What on earth is going on?
Wasn’t this supposed to be a competition where everyone practiced hard at home with the dog they already owned, then came to show off together?
If you did well, great—you got a golden ticket.
If you didn’t, still great—you made memories with your dog.
Either way, a happy competition.
But what I saw instead was a crowd of dignified Border Collies, each accompanied by an entire entourage of professional trainers and groomers—along with their owners.
From what I’d heard, Baron Border Collies were one of the most advantageous breeds for agility competitions.
…You’re telling me all these people just happened to already be raising Border Collies?
Really?
“Did you at least scrub the dog properly?”
“Arden.”
I looked up at Arden, who had come to stand beside me.
Unlike his usual stiff imperial knight uniform, today he was dressed casually—in a shirt and coat that made him look oddly relaxed.
The white shirt was so clean it almost seemed unreal. Arden stared down at Dubu, who was spinning in place and barking enthusiastically, with clear displeasure.
“When did this dog last get a bath?”
“I don’t know.”
“Ugh.”
“Say hello. His name is Dubu.”
I lifted Dubu up and waved his front paw. Dubu locked eyes with Arden and started panting happily.
At some point he must’ve dug in the dirt—his front paws were filthy.
After glancing at those muddy paws, Arden quietly averted his gaze and changed the subject.
“There are a lot of people.”
“Yeah.”
It felt like every child in the empire was here.
Even kids who weren’t competing—who had no chance of getting a golden ticket—had flocked in just to glimpse the amusement park from afar.
Beyond the fence encircling the lake, crowds pressed in, watching.
The competitors and their dogs on one side.
And on the other, the amusement park—still unopened in the bright midday sun.
“But Arden, there’s something I’m curious about.”
“I’m listening.”
“Does our country usually raise this many Border Collies?”
I’d thought Maltese and Pomeranians were far more common.
“How did everyone bring a Border Collie?”
“Did people with other breeds just decide not to come because they’d lose anyway?”
Even so, just entering the competition let you see the amusement park up close. If you had kids, wouldn’t you at least come?
Because—
“Even people without dogs came just to watch from far away.”
I pointed to the crowd outside the fence.
Arden followed my gaze—from a father lifting his daughter onto his shoulders outside the fence, to a family inside the fence giving instructions to their trainer—and tilted his head.
“That’s strange. That family should be allergic to dog fur.”
“You know them?”
“Apparently, 99% of the participants are nobles.”
Cassian, who had just returned from submitting the registration forms, joined the conversation.
“Ninety-nine percent?”
That was basically everyone. My eyes widened.
“Why? Everyone wants a golden ticket—nobles or commoners alike. Why only nobles—”
And then it hit me.
“Oh. Right.”
Commoners usually couldn’t raise dogs suitable for a competition like this.
They couldn’t afford to.
Pepper’s Collie was a rare exception.
And even if they did have such a dog, they wouldn’t have the time to train it properly.
Even if they somehow managed that—how could they beat a Border Collie with a professional trainer attached to its side?
Meanwhile, nobles have the resources to make their children the very first—and only—guests of the amusement park.
Enough resources to adopt a Border Collie just for this competition, even if their family had dog-fur allergies.
The application form never said only nobles could participate—but bringing and training a dog capable of winning meant that, in reality, only nobles could.
“Wow… even here.”
There’s a difference, based on class.
I looked from the kids packed tightly outside the fence—dressed up cutely for a day at the amusement park—
to the kids inside the fence, boasting loudly.
“Our dog’s going to win!”
“No way! Ours is better! Dad brought him all the way from the north!”
Kids bragging about their dogs’ bloodlines.
It left a bad taste in my mouth.
It feels like teaching discrimination from the very first day at a place meant for dreams and happiness.
Sure, the kids outside could come back after the park officially opened.
But—
The chance to be the owner of a golden ticket exists only today.
It felt like the chance to be the protagonist had been taken away from them from the start—simply because they were commoners.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
Arden muttered quietly beside me.
“…This is a mistake. I didn’t expect things to turn out like this.”
Cassian added bluntly,
“Yeah. How did you not see this coming?”
“….”
“You can’t afford to miss something like that.”
Why are you scolding Arden?
Is Arden the crown prince or something?
I looked between a dejected Arden and Cassian, who was clicking his tongue disapprovingly, then changed the subject.
“But how do you two even know each other so well? You seem really close.”
I almost spoke casually out of habit, then hurriedly corrected myself.
Cassian smirked.
“Curious? Using honorifics now?”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Well, actually… Arden’s parents—”
“Arden’s parents?”
Arden has parents? I tilted my head.
I mean, obviously he does—but he never talks about them.
“Yes. Arden had trouble socializing as a child, so his parents stuck him to me.”
Cassian sighed midway through the explanation.
“He was really cute back then.”
“Hyung!”
Ignoring Arden’s protest, Cassian leaned toward me and whispered behind his hand.
Everyone nearby heard it anyway.
“If he ever asks you to meet his parents, don’t go. You’re not allowed to raise your head in front of them. They’re terrifying.”
“Oh….”
You can’t even lift your head?
“So are they the type to splash water and throw money envelopes at you, saying, ‘Take this and break up with our son!’?”
“Not exactly.”
Depending on the situation, they might be even scarier. Cassian curled his lips into a smile.
“Anyway. Don’t lift your head.”
Arden snapped back indignantly.
“To interpret my parents that way—so it’s true that older men excel at slander.”
Cassian bristled.
“You think you won’t age?”
“Even if I do, I’ll still be younger than you.”
“….”
Why are they fighting all of a sudden?
“If you’re one year older, you die thirty years earlier.”
“Who says that? What nonsense. This is why younger men—”
“Are you not dead yet, hyung?”
“….”
Tap.
I shook my head at Dubu, who was staring blankly.
“Enough nonsense. Just pet the dog.”
I handed Dubu to Arden.
Caught off guard, Arden awkwardly received him, holding him like a baby—one hand supporting his back, the other his rear.
After slipping a few times, Dubu planted his paws on Arden’s shoulder and stabilized himself.
Three jellybean-shaped paw prints were stamped neatly onto Arden’s white shirt.
“But listen.”
I scanned the surroundings.
“You said 99% of the participants are nobles, right?”
I was here to spy on nobles anyway, so that part was fine, but—
“Then where’s the remaining 1%?”
That was when—
“Woof!”
A dog barked somewhere.
That thin, pitiful little voice—
A small dog?
I turned my head.
