Chapter 66 …
Just a moment ago, Eden’s steps had been light and eager as he headed toward the central staircase, but now they slowed again, almost as if he were dragging a sandbag behind him.
He had thought he was handling Diona calmly and without showing any signs of his mood, but maybe he wasn’t.
Now, seeing Diona ask if the Worry Doll had helped with his troubles, he felt an unnecessary pang of guilt.
Even a child much younger than him could be so considerate of someone else’s feelings, yet here he was, an adult, prioritizing only his own emotions.
“Do you feel a bit better now? Like some of your worries have disappeared?” Diona asked, and Eden slowly nodded.
“So, you don’t want to be alone anymore, right? You don’t need more time by yourself?”
“Huh?”
“Since your troubles are settled, you don’t need to stay alone anymore. Right? Daphne was really worried as she left. She said Puppy seems to have a lot on their mind and might be feeling unwell somewhere, so it’s my job as the owner to watch over you carefully.”
“…You weren’t angry at me?”
“Why would I be? I’m not angry at all. Remember the promise yesterday? I wouldn’t stay out overnight, and in exchange, I would take good care of Puppy.”
“But to me…”
Eden had meant to say something, but suddenly realized how immature, arrogant, and selfish it would sound. He quickly bit his lip, trailing off.
Diona, however, looked at him steadily and then smiled before asking:
“Why did you go on a date without even telling Puppy?”
Diona swung her dangling legs on the chair, smiling mischievously as she dropped this bombshell of a question. Eden’s face turned bright red in an instant.
“Wow, Puppy’s face is completely red. Just like this tomato!”
Diona poked a cherry tomato on her plate with her fork and held it up. Eden lowered his head, with no room left for excuses.
Clearly excited by the situation, Diona popped the tomato into her mouth and laughed heartily.
After swallowing it, Diona beckoned Eden closer, saying she had a little secret to tell him. As he approached, Diona cupped her hand over her ear and whispered softly, just like Daphne had done for her the night before.
“See, I was going to wake Puppy, but Daphne said not to. She said Puppy looked like they were in a deep sleep, so waking them up would be bad. So I quietly went into Puppy’s room, tiptoed in, and snuck back out without waking them.”
Unable to hide her excitement, Diona held Puppy’s hand tightly as she continued.
“But when I asked if Puppy was sleeping well, your aunt had a big smile on her face. It was like she was proud that Puppy was sleeping so peacefully. So, she wasn’t angry at Puppy. If she were, she would have woken Puppy up and yelled!”
Eden’s face turned even redder at Diona’s words.
Then Diona picked a pomegranate from the fruit basket, comparing it to the color of Eden’s flushed face, and giggled again.
“You went into the room? Even His Highness saw me sleeping?”
“Yeah. Um, Auntie felt bad about dropping the donut yesterday, so she wanted to check on you this morning. But no matter how much she knocked, you didn’t come out. She thought you were unwell, so she went in—but you were sleeping.”
“You could’ve just woken me… I feel embarrassed that I looked so pathetic.”
“Why? You were sleeping so beautifully that even Diona was surprised. Auntie thought, ‘Wow, Puppy really looks good sleeping too.’”
Technically, Daphne had said, “How can you be so pretty even while sleeping?” Diona just adapted it slightly to her own style.
A few hours earlier, Daphne had stood outside Puppy’s room with a solemn expression, hoping to depart with a lighter heart. She knocked, tense as ever, and when there was no response, she swore to herself that she would see that face no matter what.
“If you don’t open the door, I’m really coming in.”
She had, in fact, gone in, and the maids, including Diona, had watched nervously, expecting a commotion.
Yet, inside Puppy’s room, there was no sound at all. Curious, Diona quietly followed, finding Daphne simply staring at Puppy lying on the bed.
But her gaze had softened, and she looked relieved, prompting Diona to tug on Daphne’s sleeve and ask:
“Is Puppy asleep?”
“Yes. You are.”
“It’s strange. Puppy usually doesn’t sleep well. They always looked so tired.”
Even though Puppy had tried not to show it and thought he was hiding it well, he apparently couldn’t deceive Daphne’s eyes. And Diona, sharp and perceptive like her aunt, had long sensed that Puppy hadn’t been sleeping properly.
“Puppy looked so peaceful while sleeping. I just couldn’t wake you. So I left quietly. Auntie told me to leave, so I did. So don’t be upset that I went without saying anything, Puppy.”
Blushing to the tips of his ears, Puppy nodded.
Seeing this, Diona smiled proudly as she looked at the Worry Doll in Puppy’s hand. There was something she hadn’t told him yet.
“This is…”
Daphne immediately recognized the doll clenched in Puppy’s hand. She had stayed up all night to make it herself as a gift for Diona.
“Yes. Diona let me have it because Puppy had worries. Seems like it worked, huh? Puppy’s sleeping so soundly now.”
“Seems so… That’s a relief.”
Daphne’s gentle smile was calm, not angry at all. Her expression of relief made Diona’s heart flutter unexpectedly.
Is this what adult love is like?
She had imagined it in novels as passionate, full of jealousy and grand declarations, yet why did it feel so soft and heartwarming?
Recalling the moment, Diona couldn’t help but giggle.
Eden, thinking it was because she remembered him sleeping awkwardly, blushed even more and pleaded that she forget about that morning.
After finishing breakfast, Diona noticed Puppy seemed lively again, and she felt excited that the promise with her aunt had been a success.
Even without Daphne, the staff at Steren Castle busied themselves with their duties. Cedric oversaw the soldiers’ training, Russell and the other retainers held meetings, and the servants managed the household. Everyone worked like interlocking gears, while three sat out, blankly staring at the lawn.
Puppy, Diona, and Jeremy—who had gotten a break after working late the night before and Daphne’s “date”—sat quietly, disconnected from the flow.
Jeremy, rarely resting on weekdays, lamented his life of being tossed around under Daphne’s command.
Eden, knowing Jeremy talked a lot, was relieved that he seemed to keep some distance from him.
But today, Jeremy was unusually chatty. Far too chatty. Eden felt like his ears might bleed and subtly scratched them.
Seeing Diona calmly sipping apple juice beside him, Eden realized she had long since adapted to this chaos.
Diona thought about it: whenever Jeremy talked too much, Daphne would have cut him off immediately.
Just then, Jeremy seemed to remember something and turned toward Puppy, asking:
“So, Puppy, did you cry yesterday because you were upset about not getting a donut?”
Calling him “Puppy” instead of “Puppy-kun” was Jeremy’s subtle way of showing envy that Cedric and Eden were on familiar terms.
Eden noticed, but he didn’t want to be too informal with Jeremy—he feared his ears might “bleed” if they got too close. So he leaned slightly away and answered:
“It wasn’t because of the donut…”
“See? Not because of the donut. It’s something else that’s been piling up, right?”
“Nothing in particular has been piling up.”
“Then why?”
Jeremy asked genuinely, but Eden hadn’t opened up enough to answer, so he firmly said he didn’t want to. Jeremy’s eyes filled with what looked like hurt. It seemed to say, I’m hurt.
“Why do you keep your distance from me, Puppy?”
“I’m not trying to keep my distance. It’s just that you keep coming too close.”
“Exactly! You get close to His Highness, Diona, even Sir Cedric—but why only me? I’m hurt! I’m part of the Steren family too!”
