Chapter 18
The moment Dioana saw Puppy’s face, she knew at once.
This is destiny! Puppy is fated to be Auntie’s husband!
Anyway, Dioana had one goal—get Puppy and Auntie together.
“Anyway, Puppy, don’t worry. I have a plan! Got it? You trust me, right?”
Eden felt a little uneasy at Dioana’s proud question but soon nodded.
He really was desperate for help—even from a child.
From outside the sandy play area, Daphne only saw it as two kids—mentally about the same age—chatting happily together.
What on earth are they talking about to be so excited?
Watching Dioana and Puppy giggle away without including her made her feel a little left out.
They weren’t even building a proper sandcastle, just fiddling around like making a toad’s den or something. But they seemed more excited than when they played with her.
Then both Dio and Puppy turned to look at her at the same time.
Daphne, sitting with her arms crossed on a bench outside the sandpit, tilted her head at their sudden gaze.
What’s going on? she thought, starting to get up and approach them.
Just then, Dioana shouted,
“Auntie! Auntie, can we take Puppy to training later?”
“What? Why would you take him there?”
So now she wanted to carry him around everywhere? Daphne frowned, feeling oddly like her favored position had been stolen.
Take him? Absolutely not. Puppy needed her supervision.
Then Dioana jumped up, ran over, leaned her little body against Daphne’s knees, and craned her neck up with an adorable expression. She clearly really wanted to take Puppy to training.
“Come on, Auntie, you can be there too!”
“Auntie has to work.”
“But you’re just doing work early anyway. Aren’t you curious? Dio’s gonna be like—whoosh! swoosh swoosh!—all cool with the wooden sword. You’re not interested in Dio at all?”
Her eyes sparkled as she tried to make Daphne curious about how impressive she was.
…Come to think of it, Daphne really hadn’t observed Dio’s lessons lately.
“Fine, fine. I’ll watch.”
“Really? For real? Then you and Puppy will both watch Dio, okay?”
“Alright.”
Overjoyed, Dioana bounced up and down with her hands on Daphne’s knees. Whatever her scheme was, she looked so happy that Daphne didn’t mind being dragged along for now.
She brushed the clumps of sand from Dioana’s small hands and held them tightly.
“Let’s see how good you’ve gotten, then.”
“You’ll be really surprised! If we showed the old geezers, they wouldn’t say I’m unreliable anymore.”
“…The old geezers said you were unreliable?”
“No, I just overheard it once. Puppy! Come here! Let’s go!”
Daphne looked at her, not knowing what to say for a moment. She had thought Dioana was too young to understand such words—but apparently not.
She had heard everything the elders and other nobles said about her—and about the Steren family.
It hurt to think she’d been exposed to that. It made Daphne feel like an incompetent aunt.
I promised my brother and sister-in-law I’d raise Dio without her ever knowing such things, so she could be bright and happy.
Maybe it was her fault. Squeezing Dioana’s hand, Daphne said,
“Dio, you don’t need to care about what adults say.”
“Mm-hm. I know. I don’t care.”
Come to think of it, Dioana didn’t need to inherit the family.
So maybe instead of forcing endless lessons to mold her into a successor, Daphne should let her find what she wanted for herself.
Maybe she’d want to travel, paint, or do music.
Daphne realized she had never actually asked Dio what she wanted to do. She had just been worried that other nobles would say Dio was unfit as an heir, so she tried to raise her to be perfect in everything.
But maybe Dio didn’t even want that.
See—right now she preferred playing with Puppy over her friends. Or… maybe she just found it hard to fit in with the other kids.
“If any of your lessons or training get too hard, tell me.”
“Mm-hm.”
“Or should we skip training today?”
“What? No! I have to go—it’s been so long since I saw Master!”
Daphne had expected her to be delighted at the idea of skipping, but Dio shouted in protest. She said she missed her master and really wanted sword practice lately—unexpected, considering…
Wasn’t Dio afraid of Cedric?
She used to say his burly frame was like a moving boulder. But if she wanted to go, there was no reason to stop her.
“Puppy, hand!”
Still holding Daphne’s left hand, Dio held out her right to Puppy—like she was training a dog. Without hesitation, he placed his hand in hers.
Daphne gave him a look, but Puppy only smiled cheerfully.
I don’t like that smile. What’s there to grin about all the time? Do you know whose fault it is I’m in this mess?
His handsome face annoyed her enough that she turned away.
But then the memory of earlier in the office crept up on her, making her feel a pang of guilt.
Right—when she’d sworn she’d never done such a thing, but then suddenly remembered she had.
Ugh. How was I supposed to know I’d actually comforted him like that?
She remembered tilting his awkward, first-time face up and smiling in satisfaction. And once she remembered, the details only grew clearer…
Before she could dwell on it, Dio suddenly demanded to be pushed like a swing. She’d had Daphne and Jeremy do it a few times before, but now?
“On three, you both lift me up! Got it? Auntie? Puppy?”
Bending her knees, Dio counted, “One, two—”
On three, Daphne, resigned, lifted her up, and Puppy matched her timing perfectly.
Both of them were tall enough that Dio went high into the air, laughing gleefully as she came down.
They ended up doing it several more times on the way to the training grounds.
Dioana’s sword practice took place in a huge field behind Steren Castle. Daphne had trained there herself as a child with her brother and the knights.
Her brother believed every woman should learn at least some self-defense, so Daphne had learned not only swordsmanship but also foreign martial arts.
She had wanted to teach Dio as well, and since she didn’t have time herself, she had hired the best knight for the job.
Despite the gossip, their family’s status meant many wanted to train the marquis’s child—regardless of gender.
The one who won that competition was her old friend, the knight Cedric.
He was not only a master of the sword but also of archery, muskets, and many other weapons, as well as self-defense and martial arts.
“Master! Cedric!”
Dioana waved enthusiastically to Cedric, who was standing in the distance.
Cedric bowed politely when he saw Daphne and Dio—then looked curiously at the unfamiliar face holding Dio’s hand.
“Have you been well, Your Grace? Lady Dioana. And this is…?”
Fresh from vacation, Cedric seemed surprised to see a stranger—especially one walking so warmly with Dioana.
“Master, this is Puppy.”
“…Excuse me?”
Daphne quickly blocked Dio from explaining further—it would only be trouble.
“I’d like to personally observe Dioana’s lesson today, if that’s alright. I hope I’m not burdening you right after your return from leave.”
“Of course not, Your Grace. Lady Dioana, shall we show her what you’ve been practicing?”
“Yes! Puppy, watch closely!”
Wearing her child-sized armor, Dioana dashed to the practice ground with Cedric, who still glanced curiously at Puppy before following her.
The training began.
The girl who once couldn’t even hold a wooden sword properly was now striking for vital points—though Cedric was surely letting her land 99% of them. Still, her skills had improved greatly.
“She used to cry her eyes out if she got hit, but now she counterattacks right away. Impressive, isn’t it?”
Proud, Daphne blurted it out before realizing Puppy was nearby. She felt embarrassed—normally Jeremy would have been there to chime in, “Of course! Feels like she was in diapers just yesterday,” and they’d gush together.
She didn’t want to show this soft side to Puppy, so she bit her lip and clicked her tongue—only for him to speak.
“You really do raise Lady Dioana like your own daughter, Your Grace.”
“Well… she’s basically my daughter.”
“And she must know it, to be so diligent in everything. Loved children are always bright. And strong.”
His tone was serious, and when Daphne glanced at him, he shifted his gaze from Dioana to her. She quickly looked away.
The fondness in his expression carried a tinge of sadness—as though he saw something else in Dioana.
It wasn’t unpleasant, but it did make her curious.
“…I still can’t trust you. I don’t know why you came here under the name ‘Puppy,’ but I want you to promise me one thing. If you are some assassin sent for me, make sure Dioana doesn’t get caught in it. She really seems to like you.”
“You seem certain I’m here for your head, Your Grace.”
“If not, why else sneak into this house under some ridiculous role-play?”
“Whether you trust me or not is up to you. But I didn’t come here to harm anyone. I just…”
