Episode 20
“Can I hear more about that story?”
Just as Estelle felt like she found a clue and tried to ask more questions—
“Things were noisy out front. Did someone come to visit?”
An old woman’s voice interrupted them.
Before Estelle realized it, Duren had already reacted.
“Grandma!”
Duren ran into the arms of the old woman who had just come in with a cane.
“Child, who are you?”
The old lady was confused by the sudden hug from a child she didn’t recognize.
“Grandma! It’s me!”
Excited, Duren now had pointy ears sticking up and a fluffy tail wagging fast.
“It’s me!”
“…Dudu?”
“Grandma!”
The old woman’s eyes widened.
The ears and tail looked familiar.
The smiling face too.
Even though the appearance was completely different, except for the ears and tail, she just knew.
“You were so small back then…”
It was her dog.
“You’ve grown. My baby.”
* * *
Her dog came back as a person.
It didn’t make sense.
But then again, a person with dog ears and a tail didn’t make sense either.
“Have you seen this boy’s face before?”
Estelle asked the old woman, who shook her head.
“No. My memory isn’t perfect anymore, but I’m sure. I’ve never seen him.”
“As you can see, he believes he’s Dudu, your dog. Would it be okay to hear more about Dudu?”
Duren was now clinging to the old woman.
Estelle felt a little left out but politely asked.
The old woman nodded.
“Dudu was a stray. He started living with us after I fed him a few times.”
She smiled at the memory—but the smile faded.
“He never barked, and even after a year, he hardly grew. I thought it was strange. A traveling doctor came by, so I asked him.”
“…”
“He looked inside Dudu’s mouth and said Dudu wasn’t a young puppy like I thought.”
“What?”
“At the time, Dudu’s face was the size of my fist. His body barely this big.”
She showed with her hand how small he was.
[This is a popular treatment among nobles these days. They inject drugs to keep pets looking like cute babies.]
[Also, he had surgery so he couldn’t bark—definitely from a noble’s house.]
[They probably threw him away when he got too big.]
[Too big? He was tiny!]
[Nobles prefer dogs that can fit in teacups. Judging by his paws, he should’ve grown much bigger. It’s sad.]
[Please prepare yourself. He won’t live long.]
She had to cover Dudu’s ears quickly so he wouldn’t hear that.
And now, just like then, she gently covered Duren’s ears.
“Hmm?”
Duren looked up, surprised.
Seeing his innocent face made the old woman grip his head gently.
“The doctor said… if he lives another year…”
Her voice was barely a whisper.
“…it’ll be a miracle.”
“Grandma, you hurt?”
Duren reached out.
“Don’t be sick.”
Thankfully, it seemed Duren hadn’t heard the sad story.
But her face looked so sad, he gently touched her cheek—like wiping away tears that weren’t there.
Back then, when she first heard Dudu wouldn’t live long, the little dog had licked her cheek, just like that.
“Luckily, Dudu lived three more years. If he were human, he’d be about five now—like this boy.”
She finally uncovered Duren’s ears.
“The dog saved your life? What do you mean?”
Lennox asked.
Duren quickly raised his hand.
“That day, I felt weird!”
“…”
“So I told Grandma, let’s go out fast!”
Everyone said the old woman survived by luck, but Dudu had protected her.
“Is that true?”
“Yes. He barked early in the morning, wanting a walk. I was slow, so we hadn’t gone far when the monsters came.”
Disaster came suddenly.
When she saw the village covered in black, monsters rushed toward her.
And little Dudu pushed her with all his might.
“…No!”
The monster swallowed the little dog—and then, strangely, stopped coming closer.
“What the boy said is true.”
“Then let me ask one more thing.”
Unlike the shocked Estelle, Lennox sounded calm.
“Are you sure you’ve never seen this boy before?”
“Yes. I swear on everything I have. There was no boy like him in our village.”
“…”
“If Dudu really came back as a human, then it must be a blessing from the gods.”
She held back tears with great effort.
* * *
Duren didn’t want to leave the old woman, so Estelle and Lennox gave them some space.
A dog becoming a human was impossible—but it happened.
Estelle and Lennox needed time to think.
“You’re not surprised about his ears and tail.”
“Pippin already told me.”
Apparently, Pippin had included it in a report filled with complaints about Lennox.
“So Duren really is Dudu, reborn as a human.”
It sounded unbelievable, but too many things matched up.
And his memories with the old woman sealed it.
‘I mean, I was reincarnated into a book, so a dog becoming a human isn’t that strange.’
She finally understood the weird feeling she had around Duren.
Estelle accepted it quickly—but she wasn’t sure Lennox would.
“I suppose it’s true.”
But surprisingly, he accepted it too.
Feeling hopeful, Estelle shared her thoughts.
“Can we let Duren stay here a little longer? Just until he’s ready?”
“…”
“He missed his grandma so much, and she’s a kind person…”
“Estelle Bel—”
He almost said her full name but stopped.
“Estelle. I told you to keep a low profile for a year.”
“But this is about Duren’s happiness. You saw his face, right? Just giving him time to say goodbye properly…”
“No.”
He cut her off coldly.
“What if the boy wants to stay forever? Would you let him?”
“…”
“Once you make an exception, it gets easy to keep doing it. Unless you want him to stay a village boy forever, don’t interfere.”
He was firm—to prevent any future confusion.
“That kid will be Winterlen’s heir.”
If people heard a dog was reborn as a human, religious leaders would panic.
In their teachings, only humans could be reincarnated as humans—not animals.
They’d definitely oppose Duren becoming an heir.
“Annoying.”
Lennox muttered, thinking about how he’d have to silence the villagers.
He had learned something completely useless to him.
Hearing that, Estelle’s face darkened.
“Are you saying letting him spend time with his grandma is annoying? I just wanted to give him a proper goodbye. It’s such a sudden farewell!”
“Goodbyes are always sudden.”
“…”
“Stop wasting time. We’re going back.”
He didn’t explain himself.
“If we leave now, Duren will be alone again.”
“So?”
He asked like he genuinely didn’t understand the problem.
Estelle was speechless.
And she realized something clearly:
Lennox didn’t accept Duren’s difference because he was kind—but because Duren was useful as Winterlen’s heir.
He didn’t care about the rest.
It was cold, heartless.
“Duren will be your family. Family should teach that goodbyes are painful, but not hopeless.”
Estelle stared at him.
Lennox understood what she meant—but it sounded naive to him.
Maybe because she was from Bellonsa.
She was a sheltered flower raised in a noble house.
Was that why he felt irritated?
“Estelle. I didn’t marry a nosy wife.”
He sighed, tired of the argument.
He turned to leave—
Then Estelle said one thing:
“Let’s get divorced.”
