Chapter 55
After parting with Ralph, Ruan headed towards his bedroom.
‘I wondered why the Baroness didn’t directly reveal her erosion disease and properly seek a cure… So that was the situation.’
Having already known the content through the novel, Ruan was able to quickly grasp the situation after hearing Ralph’s story.
The Margrave Brandenburg family was a powerful family that appeared in “Tales of the Sirah Empire” as well. If they were in a situation of hostility with such a powerful family, the current approach was probably the best option.
But from Ralph’s perspective, it couldn’t feel like the best solution.
Ruan recalled Ralph’s expression as he talked about his mother and the Margrave Brandenburg family. The festering self-loathing that appeared on the face of the Retriever beast-person, which had been so bright it made one wonder just how much brighter it could get.
Until meeting Ralph in person, Ruan had thought of the erosion disease cure merely as bait to attract a capable merchant. Although he felt a bit guilty about taking credit for something Ralph would originally discover later, it was just that. He had no other sentiments.
However, meeting someone in person and realizing they’re not an abstract character but a person breathing right in front of you as a result of living a complex life is truly an extraordinary thing.
Having met the literally affectionate young guild master, heard about his mother, and glimpsed his heart, Ruan could no longer view him the same as before.
Ruan now sincerely thought that he wished Ralph would suffer less, that he could just remain that bright ball of energy.
‘From my position, there’s not much I can do for Ralph, but… still.’
He wanted to comfort him, but wondered if it had been conveyed even a little.
Recalling the Labrador Retriever with its gentle face bouncing around, Ruan let out a deep sigh.
‘No. Honestly, why are all the high-ranking people in this neighborhood so desperate to torment cute balls of fur?’
The furry ones should all just be happy.
‘By the way, I thought all beast-people were like the Grand Duke, but I was surprised by how sociable he was.’
Ruan had been internally nervous, thinking Ralph might appear naked, but was so surprised when he showed up clothed.
From what he heard, it seems Ludwig was similar to the Grand Duke in his younger days.
Ruan thought about Ludwig, who was treated as an eccentric for openly displaying his dog nature, Ralph who learned to mingle with humans through his mother’s utmost efforts, and the Grand Duke who was subject to various misunderstandings.
Seeing Ralph and hearing that Ludwig also gradually escaped being treated as a strange person after meeting Edeline… Ruan was momentarily intrigued, thinking of a certain cat who was always subject to tremendous misunderstandings.
After all, resolving the Grand Duke’s isolation due to strange misunderstandings was one of the things Ruan wanted to solve.
‘But dogs are originally a species that communicates and interacts well with humans, and follows training well. Since dogs and cats are different, we can’t apply their methods directly to the Grand Duke.’
What should be done for our cat who doesn’t even feel the need to clear up misunderstandings…
Our cat…
Our ca…
Ah. Wait.
As he was pondering while walking, Ruan suddenly realized he had forgotten something.
‘Cat.’
Ruan immediately tried to gauge the time.
The original plan was to have a quick late-night snack and return to the bedroom to greet the Grand Duke before he returned from patrol.
But while baking potatoes, he unintentionally met a large dog.
And he found out that the large dog was actually his business partner.
Then he even ended up hearing the love story of the guild master’s parents.
‘Time… has passed a lot.’
It was now well over an hour since the Grand Duke would have finished his patrol and arrived at Ruan’s bedroom.
‘The Grand Duke must have waited for a long time?’
Ruan recalled the Grand Duke, who had been exuding a bad mood every time they met today.
Immediately, Ruan’s steps quickened.
When Ruan, who had arrived at the bedroom at a speed he couldn’t have imagined normally, hastily opened the door.
“Your Grace! I’m so late…”
What greeted him was… two cat eyes glinting in the darkness.
* * *
The Grand Duke was displeased.
As always, it was because of his aide.
Frankly, the Grand Duke didn’t like that son of a bitch – not as an insult to humans, but literally meaning an animal belonging to the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. From the first time they met, that guy wasn’t in his right mind.
The first time he met Ralph Steiner was when he was not yet an adult, when he was forcibly dragged out of his territory and taken to an unfamiliar place.
At that time, the Grand Duke was quite on edge. Being suddenly placed in a place full of things to be wary of while his personal power was not yet complete, he couldn’t help but be.
It was when the Grand Duke was all bristled up like that that the guy approached.
From the moment he first smelled him, the Grand Duke realized. That the guy was not a human, but a dog.
And he also realized that the other party had noticed that the Grand Duke was not human.
The Grand Duke, as he had been doing continuously since being dragged out of his territory, first considered whether it was a danger factor.
The fact that the Grand Duke was a cat was a secret. Revealing a secret was equivalent to exposing a weakness, so it was indeed a risk factor.
But in this case, wasn’t it the same for the other side? If so, he wouldn’t be able to easily divulge the secret. The possibility of the Grand Duke’s weakness being exposed seemed low because of this.
Then could that guy himself be a threat?
That wasn’t the case either. Although he looked sturdy even though he wasn’t an adult, even if he became an adult, he would be stronger than other individuals, but still not as much as the Grand Duke.
The Grand Duke wasn’t careless enough to be defeated by such a guy.
Therefore, that son of a bitch was not a being that posed a danger to the Grand Duke.
The Grand Duke immediately turned off his attention from that guy.
He tried to.
…If only that guy hadn’t kept hovering around the Grand Duke and getting on his nerves.
When in his territory, most creatures did not infringe on the Grand Duke’s space and time. They didn’t even attempt to in the first place, but even if they acted a bit rowdy, they would distance themselves when the Grand Duke showed signs of displeasure. So the Grand Duke didn’t have much reason to be greatly upset.
If there were beings that invaded the Grand Duke’s territory, it would be monsters, but… he ripped out their throats as soon as he saw them, so they weren’t worth worrying about.
Therefore, the Grand Duke was experiencing such a being for the first time.
Someone who invaded the Grand Duke’s personal space at all times, was constantly noisy, endlessly spouted nonsense irritating the Grand Duke, and was so tactless that he couldn’t even understand when the Grand Duke showed signs of displeasure.
He was already stressed because everywhere was full of things to be wary of, and with such a crazy guy added on top, it was truly maddening. At that time, the Grand Duke’s fur was becoming messy from excessive grooming every day due to stress.
He thought about ripping out the guy’s throat several times, but… that guy was even lucky. Whenever the Grand Duke had such thoughts, something would happen to foil the attack.
Just when he was seriously thinking he should target the dog’s life, the Grand Duke returned to his own territory with just his fur in tatters, and naturally pushed the memory of that crazy guy to the back of his mind as the distance increased.
Until the aide suddenly blurted out that guy’s name.
The Grand Duke had an excellent memory, and he especially remembered well the things that had given him negative emotions.
Honestly, the Grand Duke felt like grooming just from recalling that senseless, crazy guy.
And now they want him to allow that guy to come in and out of the Grand Duke’s territory? There was no way he could be pleased about that. Who knows what kind of stress that guy would bring to the Grand Duke by being in front of him.
But.
Because the aide said it was necessary. Because it was necessary in the process of the aide trying to take care of the Grand Duke’s territory.
Even though he really didn’t want to, he decided to endure it.
…Not knowing at all in what way that guy would irritate the Grand Duke this time.
On the day Ralph Steiner arrived in the Grand Duke’s territory.
The Grand Duke was not in a good mood from the start, because the aide, who should normally be in the Grand Duke’s office, within the Grand Duke’s sight, was absent in order to go fetch that guy.
When the aide, who had been absent like that, appeared with the son of a bitch by his side, the Grand Duke was in an even worse mood.
On top of that, when the guy, who was still out of his mind even after more than a decade, consistently spouted nonsense, the Grand Duke’s mood turned foul.
When the aide went to clean up after the son of a bitch, leaving the Grand Duke behind, he was genuinely displeased.
However, these were all things the Grand Duke had decided to endure. The Grand Duke had no choice but to endure, endure, and endure again.
It wasn’t something that suited his innate nature, but because the aide said that guy was needed.
The Grand Duke just endured.
But the result of that endurance.
He had endured as much as he could all day, so he finished his patrol thinking only of returning to the aide waiting for him, covering him with his scent, handing him a quill pen, and watching him fawn to improve his mood…
But the room he returned to was dark and empty.
He sat for a while wondering where this guy had gone, and over an hour passed.
Just as he was about to get up to look for the aide who hadn’t returned, wondering if something had happened.
He didn’t know he would be greeted by the aide returning covered in dog hair and dog smell.
