Chapter 13
Dioana had never felt better in recent days.
She used to always sleep in, eat dessert before bed without brushing her teeth, and run away whenever her tutor came over.
“Lady Steren, judging by how diligently you’ve been attending lessons and not showing up late lately, it seems you’ve finally come to understand the responsibilities of a successor,”
said Mrs. Bobby, her tutor, with a proud smile as she looked at the now-model student.
In response, Dioana proudly puffed out her chest and lifted her chin high.
She swelled up her tiny body and spoke in a very dignified voice.
“Of course, ma’am. I’m trying to show the virtues of a good master these days.”
“…The virtues of a master?”
“Yes, the virtues of a master. Because I now have a slave to look after.”
“Excuse me? A s-slave?”
“Well, technically he’s my aunt’s slave.”
“…Come again?”
“He’s an incredibly handsome man. His name is Puppy!”
“…Let’s just begin today’s lesson, shall we?”
Fearing that the conversation might spiral into something beyond her control, the tutor quickly opened the textbook and began the lesson.
Slave? Puppy? She decided to pretend she hadn’t heard any of that.
She had been teaching noble children for a long time.
And the reason she was able to maintain her position for so long as a private tutor was precisely because of this discretion. She never repeated what she heard, and never asked what she didn’t need to know.
But thinking silently to herself was still allowed.
‘The Duke Daphne Steren… she must be quite… rough.’
There were no slaves in the Manua Empire, but keeping such people nearby wasn’t illegal.
It wasn’t uncommon for nobles to keep men or women labeled as “slaves” in secret as lovers or concubines.
She composed herself and continued the lesson.
After wrapping up the lesson and putting her thoughts aside, she made her way to the carriage in the garden with Dioana seeing her off.
“My aunt is busy today and had to leave on a short trip. She’s sorry she couldn’t greet you.”
“Would you kindly tell her I appreciate her consideration, Lady Steren?”
“Of course. Then goodbye. See you next lesson, ma’am.”
“Take care until next week.”
Just as Dioana had been taught, she lightly lifted the hem of her dress and moved her right foot in its Mary Jane shoe behind the left.
Mrs. Bobby returned the curtsy and stepped into the carriage. As the carriage circled the grand fountain and headed for the main gate, she saw Dioana running toward someone through the window.
I’ll have to remind her not to run like that next time, she thought.
But as her eyes remained fixed outside, they suddenly widened in disbelief.
Her head, which had been turned to look out the window, slowly returned to face forward.
What shocked her was the man Dioana was running toward — the one she had called “Puppy” and hugged.
“W-Why is he so handsome…?”
His looks were straight out of ancient mythology.
Hair as dark as the river at night, golden eyes like rich honey, and features so well-defined that they were clear even from a distance.
There were plenty of men in loose ruffled poet shirts, but had that shirt always been such a holy and beautiful garment?
‘He can’t be from the Manua Empire.’
That black hair was rare here.
But more than anything, it was his face that was the most uncommon. She had never seen beauty like his.
She might appear to be a mere private tutor, but she was actually a behind-the-scenes powerhouse responsible for launching many prominent figures into high society.
All the famously handsome and beautiful people in society had learned etiquette from her.
In other words, there wasn’t a single young nobleman or noblewoman in Manua who hadn’t passed through her hands.
Since she didn’t recognize him, he clearly wasn’t of noble origin. Judging by his black hair, he was probably from the Oshiria region.
‘Come to think of it, they do have slave markets there. So he must have been purchased there. To discover such a face… Wait — isn’t that the perfect face to turn high society upside down? What is the Duke thinking? If she brought him here just for pleasure, she wouldn’t have left him with her beloved niece.’
She clapped her hands and muttered as if she had made a realization.
“Of course. The Duke must have a plan!”
Daphne Steren must be planning to take high society by storm.
With a face like his, he’d become a star regardless of status.
And even if someone took issue with his origins, if she, Bobby, became his patron?
And not just any house — the House of Steren.
A man chosen by the master of that house!
What better bait could there be to tantalize the aristocracy?
Currently, the Manua Empire’s high society was not in great shape.
Daphne Steren, once infamous for her libertine ways, had become the cold Duke of the North after inheriting her family title due to her parents’ sudden deaths.
She had rejected all suitors and stopped appearing in society.
And since she wasn’t without enemies, the vacuum was quickly filled by ambitious opportunists.
Now, the ones with the most influence were Duke Caleb and his cousin, Marquis Bernard. They had begun dominating society.
What’s more, both the Caleb and Bernard houses were always eyeing the Steren duchy.
They seemed eager to drive a wedge between the aristocracy and the House of Steren.
Although Mrs. Bobby didn’t consider herself a schemer who took sides, she found the actions of the Caleb and Bernard families distasteful.
Society was already rotten and stagnant. A few nobles held all the power, while the rest just bowed and catered to them.
If someone new were to burst onto the scene like a comet, she hoped it would be someone from the Steren family.
‘So that’s it. The Duke can’t stand watching those two families flaunt their power. I can’t wait to see what happens next in high society.’
She hoped Daphne would rise and sweep the social scene with a fresh new wind.
“But seriously, he’s so handsome. Really, really handsome… Where in the world did she find a man like that… goodness.”
Even as she contemplated the politics, Mrs. Bobby couldn’t stop praising “Puppy’s” looks and admiring Daphne’s eye for talent.
Dozens of times a day, I ask myself:
Is this really the right thing to do?
“Okay, Puppy! Paw!”
“Yes, my master.”
“Hehe, I told you to call me Dio, not master!”
“But I’m Puppy, after all.”
“Then bark for me! Woof!”
“Woof!”
…Is this okay? Is this really acceptable?
Whenever Dio held out her hand and said “Paw!” Puppy would cheerfully raise his much larger hand in a fist and smile brightly.
Seriously, is this normal? Is this really appropriate, as Russell said?
“In this house, the only one allowed to bark is the real dog.”
“That’s right, Puppy!”
“Yes, understood.”
“Our Puppy is so well-behaved!”
“Then please pat me.”
“Okay! Pat-pat!”
The sight of a grown man crouching in front of Dioana, asking for praise like a dog, left me utterly speechless.
If Russell were here to witness this, I’d ask him directly: The kid is literally treating a person like a dog — and you’re saying this is educational?
And the man didn’t even seem to mind. He was smiling like he was genuinely happy to be treated this way. It was insane.
If anyone else saw this, they’d think our household had completely fallen apart.
Maybe sensing my complicated feelings, Dio suddenly turned her head toward me and dashed over.
“Auntie! You pet Puppy too!”
“I-I don’t do things like that.”
“Come on! Do it now! Puppy’s waiting! Hurry! Hurry!”
“…Haa.”
Before I could resist, Dio grabbed my hand and placed it on Puppy’s head.
To make things worse, Puppy even bowed his head to make it easier for me to pat him.
I couldn’t stand myself for playing along. But I had no way out of this dreadful situation.
After much negotiation between the old man and Dioana, I had agreed to accept this man — for now.
He would be Dioana’s playmate, but I would always be present during their time together.
“Let’s give him a name other than Puppy, Dioana. ‘Puppy’ isn’t a name for a person, right?”
“…I agree with the young lady on this one, miss. ‘Puppy’ is a bit much…”
“Why? Puppy likes being called that. I don’t want to change it. Puppy likes it! Puppy said so himself!”
Faced with Dioana’s stubbornness, we tried to reason with her and suggested letting the man choose his name himself.
“Me? I, of course, like the name my master gave me best.”
“See! Puppy likes it!”
And so, the man’s name officially became Puppy.
I would’ve been fine with something common like Jack or Steven, but not only Dioana — even the man insisted on being called Puppy.
“You don’t have any say, Auntie. Because now I’m Puppy’s master. You’re the former master. I’m the current one. It’s too late to regret it now.”
“So she says, former master.”
Regret? Who’s regretting anything?
Now that she could speak more fluently, Dioana had become clever enough to take jabs. It was impressive — and a little exasperating.
