Chapter 54
Tracing back through history to the time of the first emperor, the noble house of Brandenburg was based on vast plains and the wealth they produced, never once declining in power throughout that long period.
Born and raised as the eldest daughter of this house, Edeline was noble to her very core.
Of course, there could be various opinions on what it means to be ‘noble’.
Not all nobles truly possessed dignity and honor, and the empire was full of nobles who valued wealth and power more than these elements that were difficult to acquire and offered no immediate rewards.
But even such people couldn’t dare deny that dignity and honor were noble and shining values in front of Edeline Brandenburg.
Graceful, dignified, and intelligent.
Honorable, refined, and able to command people.
This beautiful and noble woman always occupied the center of social circles, receiving the admiration of countless people.
In fact, the young Ludwig, who was like a thunderous brat, could only cause such a commotion in social circles because she was absent.
The first words Edeline, who had been away on territory business, spoke to the bomb that had fallen on the social scene in her absence, and was still revving up to cause trouble even as she appeared, were…
“Wait.”
…that’s what it was.
And Ludwig, who had stopped mid-trouble at that firm word, looked at the resolute-faced woman who had stopped him… and was captured by a single thought.
That he wanted to follow this person for the rest of his life.
Thus, Edeline unexpectedly gained a large dog as her master with just one “wait.”
After that day, the capital witnessed the spectacle of ‘that Ludwig’ trailing after ‘that Edeline’. As a natural result, the social circles were turned upside down.
This put Edeline in a dilemma.
This was never Edeline’s intention. Even Edeline, with her excellent insight, couldn’t have predicted that suddenly a dog in human form—Ludwig, blinded by Edeline, didn’t know how to hide anything from her, and Edeline soon learned after first meeting him that the dog-like creature following her around was actually a dog—would appear and consider her its master.
But whether it was intentional or not didn’t matter to her.
Turning away a dog that had already started following her was not an honorable act. Edeline, who considered it an essential virtue of nobility to take in and care for those who followed her, decided to take in Ludwig.
Suddenly becoming a dog owner, she began by building up her knowledge about dogs.
Edeline was someone who had considered it her duty to take responsibility and care for something from the moment she was born.
To properly care for something, one needs to have knowledge about it. Alternating between theory and practice to gain knowledge, then establishing plans based on that and going through trial and error was Edeline Brandenburg’s forte.
She obtained and read all existing books related to dogs, met with experts such as dog trainers and veterinarians for advice, and spent time with Ludwig to verify the knowledge she had gained. She spared no effort to learn about this creature she couldn’t understand but had come under her responsibility.
Once she judged her knowledge about dogs had reached a certain level, the first thing she did was… basic training.
She could no longer stand by and watch the dog under her responsibility run wild.
This was how Ludwig Steiner transformed from a thunderous large dog into a gentlemanly large dog.
The social circles that had been thrown into chaos by Ludwig’s appearance seemed to regain peace, but…
That peace didn’t last long.
One day, as the relationship between the strict yet affectionate dog owner and the therianthrope dog who loved her excessively deepened, Edeline and Ludwig’s relationship reached a turning point.
Due to an accidental happening, Ludwig realized that his feelings for Edeline… included romantic love—At this point, Ruan’s eyes began to shake violently. He belatedly realized that the story he was listening to was not a variety show about the transformation process of a precious dog, but the love story of the parents of the man in front of him.
Ludwig had to endure days of losing hair in clumps due to the mental anguish of trying to make his beloved understand his love. Even after that, after creating numerous episodes and making continuous efforts, he finally succeeded in winning Edeline’s heart.
And the real turmoil began from here.
Edeline, who had accepted the man who had been whining and circling around her as her lover, declared to her father that she would not marry anyone but Ludwig Steiner.
Edeline’s father, the previous Marquis of Brandenburg, was furious at this declaration from his eldest daughter.
His anger was even greater because she had always been smart and ‘noble’.
The enraged Marquis immediately summoned Edeline and ordered her to break up with Ludwig and marry the partner he had chosen, but…
* * *
“Mother said to that, how could someone who couldn’t even take responsibility for their own lover take responsibility for so many people? That if one starts weighing and discarding like that, they’ll only end up discarding endlessly. That someone who so easily betrays those who trust, choose, and rely on them doesn’t deserve to enjoy the authority that comes from them. Then she walked out and held the ceremony with Father.”
Ralph looked at Ruan, who was quietly listening to his story.
From Ludwig’s appearance in social circles to this part, even though it was quite a famous story except for the fact that Ludwig was a therianthrope, Ruan seemed to be hearing it for the first time.
This was because he was a recently possessed person who had crossed over to this world, and the novel he had read didn’t mention the story of a supporting character’s parents… but Ralph couldn’t know this, so he just thought Ruan wasn’t interested in rumors and continued speaking.
“The previous Marquis of Brandenburg, furious at this, put pressure on the Steiner merchant group. As Brandenburg was a noble house that had accumulated wealth and authority over a long time… the Steiner merchant group, which was only a baronet and not yet as large as it is now, couldn’t help but falter.”
At that time, the Steiner merchant group was pushed into a truly serious situation. Even the bold Ludwig still needs to bury his head in Edeline’s embrace to find stability when recalling that time.
“To overcome this crisis, Father ran the merchant group more aggressively, and Mother mobilized all her connections and capabilities to confront the previous Marquis.”
A truly storm-like battle continued for a long time.
“In the end, they overcame the persistent interference and not only protected the merchant group but even grew it. And I inherited that merchant group and have brought it to where it is now.”
Up to here was a very well-known story. Basically, both Ludwig and Edeline were people who attracted attention. And it was such a sensational story.
The aftermath of that famous story was not known anywhere else.
Although the Steiner merchant group had essentially won, the Brandenburg family still harbored ill feelings towards the Steiner merchant group even now, after the death of the previous Marquis.
Because of this, Edeline continued her public activities while hiding her illness, even though she was suffering from the erosion disease. Only if she appeared to be in good health could she fully check Brandenburg.
The erosion disease ate away at the patient’s body moment by moment. Meanwhile, Edeline’s body grew weaker and weaker. Ludwig’s early retirement was also to care for his wife, who could have another attack at any time.
Ralph, who had inherited the merchant group, wanted to find a cure for the erosion disease, but… he couldn’t openly investigate the erosion disease.
If he made a wrong move, Brandenburg, with its excellent information network, might catch on, and then all of Edeline’s efforts to move around despite her ill health would be in vain.
He had to pretend to be interested in medicinal herbs while collecting treatment methods, and even then, he had to act as if it was a lower priority task so as not to appear too obsessed.
Thinking that if he had been more capable, he might have already found a cure, or been able to check Brandenburg by himself so that Edeline could focus solely on taking care of her health.
‘But if the medicine that can be obtained here is really the cure… it will be okay. We can treat her before another attack occurs. Even if it’s not, if we succeed in this business, we can increase the influence of the Steiner merchant group. Then we’ll be able to obtain more medicines, and Brandenburg won’t be able to take the merchant group lightly. So let’s do our best in what we can do now.’
After all, that’s why he came all this way in person.
Luckily, Ruan, Reinke’s business partner, was a good person, capable and trustworthy. Working with such a person, they should be able to do even better.
Really, this time.
Ralph opened his mouth to continue the conversation.
And then.
The hand that had fallen away while talking started stroking Ralph’s head again. Just enough skinship to convey a pleasant affection. Ralph raised his head.
“Lord Steiner and his wife must be pleased. The merchant group they worked so hard to protect is now being well led by a group leader who resembles them both so much.”
Blue eyes were looking at him. They were kind eyes that made the person receiving their gaze inevitably feel the gentleness directed at them.
Ruan, with movements that were still not quite skillful, stroked Ralph’s head and said,
“Aren’t you working hard and doing well, Mr. Merchant Group Leader? Now you’ll make a fortune with the business with Reinke, and on top of that, you’ll learn the cure for the erosion disease, so you’ll become even more amazing.”
The tone was slightly lighter than what he had been hearing all day. Knowing that Ruan usually spoke in a more measured and serious tone, Ralph easily recognized that this was an intentional manner of speaking.
“Ah, I forgot to mention this all day, but the cure I know definitely treats the erosion disease. Enough for anyone to recover completely.”
So… Ruan seemed like someone who had read Ralph’s mind and wanted to comfort him.
Ruan wouldn’t know Ralph’s circumstances. Edeline’s illness was top secret.
If so, he must have just sensed that Ralph’s mood had sunk.
Ruan didn’t stop stroking his head with clumsy gestures and speaking in a slightly exaggerated tone that seemed unfamiliar to him.
“It’s all because I contacted you and let you know, so you mustn’t forget me later.”
The person who skillfully considered others, deftly turned phrases to keep faith, and exercised his abilities for the group he belonged to, was now trying so hard in such a clumsy way just because Ralph’s emotions had sunk.
Ralph suddenly felt a bit strange.
Those eyes flickering in the bonfire light looked particularly pretty somehow… it felt like his insides were fluttering.
Puzzled, Ralph examined the person who had evoked this emotion again.
Ruan Daen, who was still stroking his head, was still, unchangingly, a ‘good person’.
But for some reason, his heart kept feeling strange.
Ralph gently rested his chin on Ruan’s shoulder.
‘I like it.’
Ruan tensed his shoulder for a moment as if surprised, but seeming to realize it meant trust, he let his shoulder remain.
‘I really like it.’
Feeling good about this, Ralph leaned a bit more weight on that shoulder.
Completely unaware that someone passing by was watching this scene.
