Chapter 40
Rustle, rustle.
Pushing through the thicket, a large golden dog appeared. When the knights tried to strike it down with their swords, Theo shouted loudly and tried to wriggle out of my arms.
“Don’t hurt them! They’re all my friends, Theodore’s friends!”
Then he sternly scolded the yellow pup.
“How dare you! Did I, Theodore, not tell you to wait quietly?”
“Woof!”
Plop!
At Theo’s words, the dog barked, and from its mouth a stalk of sugarcane dropped.
Everyone’s eyes went wide. It was the very same sugarcane stalks that we were each chewing on right now. In other words, we had been happily munching on dog treats.
I quickly tried to smooth things over, smiling gracefully as I spoke to them.
“Delicious things are meant to be shared by all living creatures equally, so don’t be alarmed.”
I decided that once I started my business, the fact that sugarcane was originally dog food must remain an absolute secret. Then I examined the dog Theo was clinging to tightly around the neck.
It had golden, long, glossy fur and square, floppy ears—just like a golden retriever from our world.
It was so gentle that, even in this tense moment, its eyes were fixed only on Theo’s face.
As if to show affection, it licked Theo’s face with its long tongue, slurp, slurp.
“Stop that! Silly dog!”
I couldn’t help but find it delightful—the sight of a little devil laughing while clinging to a golden retriever.
Yes, keeping one dog as a pet might actually be good for his emotional well-being.
But then—
The bushes shook again.
“Woof!”
“Arf arf!”
Various dogs surrounded Theo.
Gasp. What is happening?
Wasn’t Theo just with a group of five- or six-year-olds a moment ago?
“Shh! Quiet!”
At the gesture of Theo pressing his finger to his lips, the dogs instantly fell silent. Once they quieted, Theo put both hands on his hips and declared to me:
“I, Theodore, will take all these friends back to the castle!”
What the heck? Dear devil, this wasn’t in the plan!
Faced with this unprecedented situation, I beat my chest, regretting bitterly that I had dared enjoy today’s peace without suspicion.
I must never forget—even for a moment—that he is the devil.
* * *
Inside the Eliso Trading Company, in the merchant lord’s office.
Gerald walked in.
Schmidt, who had been reading documents in the corner, rose to greet him.
“Who allowed the grand duchess to ride a horse?”
“She… she rode a horse?”
Schmidt’s eyes widened, and Gerald let out a sigh.
“With things like this happening, how can I just rely on you and bury myself in books?”
“You know I’m already buried under responsibilities—company matters, academy business, and now even the grand duchess herself.”
Schmidt emphasized just how overworked he was.
“If it’s too much, we could always call Steward Thomas back.”
Gerald said lightly, but Schmidt quickly bowed his head.
That could never happen. Thomas, who had once been chancellor under the late emperor, was ten times stricter than Gerald. If Thomas returned, the word “quitting time” would cease to exist.
“No, no, I’m happy. Utterly happy. Why, can’t you see how my dark circles have moved even higher than before? Such a comfortable working environment—you’d never find it elsewhere in the empire even if you searched with your eyes wide open. Of course, long live Your Grace, long live, long live.”
Gerald merely shook his head at Schmidt’s overblown response and sat down at the largest desk by the window.
Whew. Schmidt hurriedly gulped down the sparkling water on the desk. Gerald noticed immediately.
“Heh, of course, I must enjoy madam’s marvelous new invention to the fullest. Thank you, thank you!”
Still as frivolous as ever. Gerald moved to the point.
“The preparations?”
“They’re on standby.”
“Good. The documents.”
Schmidt quickly handed over the prepared files. Gerald pursed his lips and skimmed through them swiftly.
“Then let’s go.”
From a drawer, Gerald took out a yellow butterfly mask, held it up to the mirror, and fastened it around his ears.
The mask was enchanted: once worn, hair color, clothing, even silhouette—all changed. And it never changed him the same way twice. Thus, no customer could ever know what the merchant lord truly looked like.
That was the root of the great trust placed in them. If no one knew who the master was, there was safety from danger, and clients’ secrets would never leak.
For the company, it was also the perfect disguise, letting them gather information and quietly steer the empire’s power since the late emperor’s reign.
This time, the mask transformed him into a stern, silver-haired businesswoman.
Now it was time to uncover Sinclair’s secret.
Whether it would be poison or medicine remained to be seen.
* * *
Near the Schlesen Orphanage, by the coast.
Whoosh, woof.
Shhh, arf arf.
Crash, ruff ruff.
From a distance, our procession might have looked like something out of an advertisement.
The quiet, unpeopled seashore; the green barley fields swaying in the wind; puppies frolicking across the path; the laughter of a bright five-year-old noble boy.
And behind them, a noble lady with violet hair streaming in the sea breeze, guarded by knights and attended by servants.
If only I had a parasol, it would be a perfect scene.
I scoffed at myself.
Because such leisurely sentiments belonged to others, not me.
A sigh escaped.
Several of the puppies weren’t satisfied with just Theo and circled around me.
At those moments, Theo would turn his gaze to me, his smile angelic and radiant, silently sending me a message.
Stepmother, we’re taking them all back to the castle.
I could only return a smile, neither affirming nor denying.
For I had learned by now that whenever Theo made a declaration, hands on his hips, it was a display of absolute confidence—an unbending will.
Absolutely impossible, my dear child.
But voicing those words would unleash a storm. And my very life was in his hands.
Childhood wounds last a lifetime.
I still remembered the sorrowful eyes of “Nyonnyo,” the white dog dragged away by the dog catcher when I was young.
She had been named “Nyonnyo” because she peed everywhere—“nyo” for urine. She had soiled my grandmother’s bedding not once, but several times, until the household’s ultimate authority decreed her removal.
I resisted with everything I had, tried to hide her. But in the end, my grandmother—who brooked no defiance—struck me across the back and forced me to send my companion away, sobbing.
I had chased after the catcher’s motorbike, reaching desperately for Nyonnyo, only to trip and fall.
That trauma haunted me even as an adult.
So I swore I would never inflict such a wound on this innocent child.
All the more because, as the ill-fated stepmother, I knew one misstep could make me the target of Theodore’s wrath—an object of destruction.
I could not afford to earn his hatred.
Ah, how am I to coax this laughing little devil?
For now, I kept plastering on my fawning smile. But instinct told me the dogs could never be allowed back at the castle.
Picture it: the solemn, dignified Schlesen Castle.
A horde of dogs charging across the drawbridge, eager to storm inside?
First, Steward Thomas would likely turn pale and erect barricades.
Even if Theo and I convinced him to open the gates, stern Head Maid Madeline would raise hell about dog fur, fleas, and droppings.
And then there was Mori, Gerald’s lover, who already disliked me—she’d scream about them disrupting her studies.
But most of all—Gerald himself.
His face flashed in my mind, drained of blood.
Even this morning, when Theo merely sat on a horse—with me right behind him, holding him safe—Gerald had panicked as if seeing a ghost, ready to leap from the carriage.
If he now saw Theo toddling forward hand-in-paw with a golden retriever, followed by a whole pack?
Would he try to kill me?
Hadn’t he declared that death itself would sever our marriage?
The thought made cold sweat drip down my back.
I had to appease the devil. But I had no plan.
And the noisy barking of the dogs made it impossible to think.
Some pawed at my skirts, tails wagging madly, tongues lolling. One squat little fellow with round eyes was so persistent at my feet that I had no choice but to scoop him into my arms.
At last, the Schlesen Orphanage came into view.
Please, let this walk last longer.
Because the closer we drew, the more frantic I became trying to figure out how to get rid of these dogs.
Perhaps the orphanage could bathe them first?
Maybe the children could take care of them?
I was desperately grasping at compromises.
Then it happened.
From the opposite direction came villagers with plows and shovels, rushing toward us.
But their manner was unusual—almost as though preparing for battle.
We stiffened.
The knights moved forward cautiously.
The dogs, too, sensed something, barking and forming ranks.
And then Theo stepped out in front of even the knights.
“How dare you! What insolence is this?!”
The villagers faltered, exchanging nervous glances.
What on earth was happening? I hurried to Theo’s side.
“Theo—”
At last, the villagers recognized him and fell to their knees, crying out:
“Your young lordship! Have pity on us! Those dogs have been ravaging the fields, destroying our crops!”
“Crops?”
“Please grant them to us! Give us the dogs!”
“Please, Your Highness, give them to us!”
They pressed their foreheads to the ground in supplication.
“What? How is that reason enough to take them?”
This was my chance. I quickly stepped forward.
“Your Highness!”
“What is it, stepmother?”
“The dogs, being hungry, went into the fields and tore up potatoes, barley, and radishes, causing great harm.”
“Hmm, I see.”
At last, Theo understood.
“Isn’t that right, good people?”
At my prompting, the villagers raised their voices.
“Yes, yes, that’s right!”
They seemed about to add more, but I cut in swiftly.
“And so these kind villagers wish to care for your friends properly.”
The villagers looked startled at me.
“That… that’s not what we—”
But I pressed on.
“That is why they’ve appealed to us, the lords of the land, for help.”
As I stroked Theo’s hair, trying to soothe him, he bit his lip and clenched his fists.
Please, Theo, please!
I prayed silently with all my heart.
