Chapter 33

“Puppies?”

Elizabeth tilted her head.

The memory of her father heading to the hunting ground with a gun with a large dog during the hunting season remained vaguely in her mind.

What did the dog she saw at that time look like? Elizabeth traced her memory.

With pierced ears, black eyes, exposed red gums with sharp teeth, and a large body that reached up to her father’s chest. It was more like a beast than a guard dog or a pet dog.

“Um… I’m not sure.”

Thinking about it, Elizabeth knew that even scary animals also used to be small.

However, no matter how much she tried to use her imagination, it was difficult to imagine that state of such a great beast.

“Is that so… ?”

Leonhardt’s shoulders drooped down a little.

“There are puppies born recently.”

“Puppies?”

“The dogs were originally raised by nomads living beyond the northern border,… I think they were sent for rapprochement purpose? Is it,…? Anyway! They sent me a pair of the loveliest and prettiest puppies, saying that we should not fight and remain in peace.”

Lovely and pretty dogs?

Elizabeth tried to recall the image of her father’s hound in a picture book, but soon gave up.

“They gave birth to puppies this time. Their fur is white as a cloud, their eyes are black… Don’t they just sound cute?”

“Are there dogs like that?”

Elizabeth, who only saw the dog at the duke’s house, which was either a hound or a guard dog to protect the house, widened her eyes.

Leonhardt nodded.

He was sure that the puppy was to be Elizabeth’s best friend.

“Would you like to go see them?”

“Yes!”

Elizabeth’s expression brightened.

Leonhardt again fixed the flower crown that was about to slip off Elizabeth’s head, grabbed her hand, and headed towards the puppies.

“(whimper)… ”

“Arrr… .”

“woof!”

As precious new lives were born, the small puppies were using the entire small hut located on the side of the garden of the Imperial Palace as their home.

The cozy hut, laid with dry straw bales and soft blankets, was a little paradise for puppies. A veterinarian and maids were always present to take care of anything at any time.

“Wow… ”

Leonhardt looked at Elizabeth with quite a sense of pride.

A little while ago, Elizabeth followed him trembling as if there were some monsters living in the hut. As soon as she heard the puppies’ sounds, she ran to the white fence that separated the human area from the dog’s space with awe.

“Is that dog their mother?”

The veterinarian, bewildered by the unexpected visit of the Crown Prince and Elizabeth, along with the maids of the Crown Prince’s palace who followed behind them, adjusted her glasses and gave a slight bow.

The mother dog, lying on a side over the fence and feeding the puppies, was particularly gentle and friendly toward people. But she might react sensitively to the appearance of strangers.

Also, if a little girl didn’t know better and treated the puppy like a toy at will, it would a big deal, so the veterinarian clings to Elizabeth’s side, unnerved.

However, contrary to the veterinarian’s concerns, Elizabeth held onto the fence tightly with her small two hands, her mouth slightly open, and she looked at the puppy quietly as if possessed.

‘I can’t believe there exist such animals in the world! Is that really a ‘dog’ like his father’s hunting dog?’

As Elizabeth thought so, she couldn’t take her eyes off the puppies that squirmed in search of the world’s warmest and most cuddly embrace.

Those whining with their eyes open were noticeably more mature, while the puppies which were still young were struggling to get even a little closer to their mother.

White fur that seemed like it would fly away like a dandelion spore when blown, black eyes that drooped down and looked gentle, adorable tiny teeth that appeared when yawning with their mouth wide open, and pink soles underneath their feet.

Before long, Leonhard was also next to Elizabeth, observing the puppies.

‘I didn’t expect to see him again like this.’

Leonhardt smiled bitterly as he saw the ribbon tied around a particular puppy’s neck to distinguish between them.

He didn’t have any friends to share his feelings with.

But when he had a secret he couldn’t tell anyone, Leonhardt would hug his big white dog and tell him all about it.

Then, that big and warm animal would bark as if to tell him ‘don’t worry about it anymore and just focus on playing with me right now!’  He would ask for a wooden stick, and then in minutes, Leonhardt would forget all the troubles that had tormented him just a moment ago.

“Your Highness, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

Elizabeth whispered to Leonhardt.

“It hurts here.”

The place she pointed with her fingertips was near her heart.

Leonhardt felt his heart throb as well.

“Why-, why is that? Why is your heart hurting all of a sudden? Are you sick? Did you eat something wrong?”

“It just… It just hurts here. It’s tickling. It seems to be throbbing… uh…”

“They’re cute, right?”

The veterinarian spoke with a benevolent smile, expressing Elizabeth’s feelings.

“What is ‘cute’?”

But Elizabeth blinked her rounded eyes and asked again.

The veterinarian, who thought the girl would agree with her by nodding, turned bewildered and started reciting the dictionary meaning of ‘cute’.

“By being cute… It means being lovable for it is endearing.”

“What is ‘endearing’?”

“Endearing… well… um… .”

The veterinarian began to ponder how to explain it from a child’s point of view.

“Lizzy, being cute is… It’s the kind of thing that makes you feel lovable the moment it catches your eye, it makes you feel good, you want to protect it, and you want to hold it in your arms again.”

Leonhardt explained the definition of cuteness in his own way to his young fiancée with a fairly confident attitude.

In fact, that was the feeling he felt every time he saw Elizabeth.

When Elizabeth heard the answer, she blinked blankly a few more times and smiled shyly.

“Then, you are such a cute person.”

“I?”

The veterinarian and the maids began pinching each other’s sides, desperately trying not to laugh.

It was also very cute to see the Crown Prince bewildered at the words of the adorable miss.

“It makes me feel better whenever I see Your Highness.”

Leonhardt looked at her blankly, his mouth half agape. He froze on the spot like a statue.

Elizabeth shifted her gaze back to the dog.

When the puppies had eaten enough to make their stomachs plump, they became curious about the strangers and started rushing toward the fence. They tried to stand on two hind feet or hopped to reach them on the other side of the fence.

“Woof, woof, woof… ”

“Do you like them?”

Elizabeth nodded in response. The corners of her mouth went high enough to hurt her cheeks.

“Would you like to raise one?”

“Pardon?”

Elizabeth turned around in surprise.

As a result, one of her hands slipped off the fence, making her arm fall over to the other side of it.

It was a little quicker for the white little beasts to jump at her than for the veterinarian and Leonhardt to take her away in panic.

“Kya! Ah? It-, it tickles! Whoa! What should I do? You guys, stay calm… Whoa… !”

The creatures rushed to the stranger’s arms, waving their short tails vigorously.

They then brought their moist, black nose close to it to sniff it, licking it with their tongue to see if she had something delicious in her hand, or tapped it with their soft soles.

Subsequently, the veterinarian moved Elizabeth to a safe place.

“Lizzie! Are you okay? You haven’t been bitten, have you?”

“… Can I have one?”

As the maids wiped her arm with a wet towel, Elizabeth asked Leonhardt for his permission, as if she was enraptured.

“As long as Lizzie wants, you can even have a lion, not just a puppy.”

At Leonhardt’s words, a maid smiled briefly and crossed over the fence.

She then pulled the sleeves of her long navy blue skirt up and carefully lifted the puppies one by one to show them to Elizabeth and Leonhardt.

“I will take good care of it so that it can grow up to be even better than a lion.”

“Lizzie, you choose for yourself. Which one do you think is the prettiest?”

The puppies with ribbons of all colours, red, yellow, blue, green, purple, and white all had lovely and cute faces and thick paws as if predicted that they would soon grow to be as big as their mother dogs.

Elizabeth pursed her lips slightly, the look on her face also turned a little more serious. She was troubled.

‘All look pretty. Which one should I choose?’

While Elizabeth was contemplating, Leonhardt, with the permission of the veterinarian and maids, crossed the fence and cuddled a puppy with blue ribbon.

He was enjoying the joy of reunion with a friend whom he had not met for a long time.

Seeing this, Elizabeth nodded as if she had made up her mind.

“That puppy with the blue ribbon.”

Leonhardt came closer to Elizabeth with delight. At the same time, the puppy, relieved of his vigilance, followed after him.

“He is really pretty, isn’t he?”

The puppy who made eye contact with Elizabeth made a short cry.

“Do you want to hug it?”

“Is that okay?”

Leonhardt turned to the veterinarian. Elizabeth, too, was looking at the veterinarian with glittering anticipation.

The vet chuckled and bent her knees to sit down next to Elizabeth and taught her how to hold the puppy.

Promptly, the puppy with blue ribbon was placed into Elizabeth’s arms.

“Whoa…”

‘Its fur is softer than the carpet in my room. Oh my gosh! I can even see my reflection in its eyes. And its pink tongue is so pretty!’

“I’m going to take this one!”

Elizabeth’s cheeks, which had rubbed against the puppy’s back, were dyed rosy.

Leonhardt and Elizabeth left the hut only after hearing that they would bring the dog and other necessary items to Elizabeth’s room.

“… Lizzy?”

But Elizabeth stood still right in front of the door, and she moistened her lips as if she had something to say.

“What’s the matter?”

“That’s… Uh, nothing.”

“If you have something you want to say, you can say it.”

Leonhardt comforted and encouraged Elizabeth again. Only then did she part her lips, which had only been muttering for a while.

“… Can we stay here a little longer?”

‘Why not? Would you like me to bring a chair here too?’

Leonhardt dragged the veterinarian’s chair, which was larger than himself, to the front of the fence.

“As long as you want!”

The veterinarian and the maids exchanged glances with each other.

Rumours about how the Crown Prince fell in love with his young fiancée at first sight seemed to be true.

Seeing the puppies growling at each other, refusing to let go of a doll stuffed with cotton, Elizabeth let out a laugh unknowingly.

Leonhardt, who was just staring dazedly at the sight, unwittingly uttered his innermost thoughts.

“I want you to be happy here.”

“Pardon? What did you just say?”

“Huh? Oh no… nothing. It’s just… Should I say that I am glad because the puppies seem to be playing happily, or should I say that I appreciate their hard work as the Crown Prince?”

T/n: I think he meant hard work in making Lizzie happy 

“Appreciate?”

Elizabeth tilted her head as she sat in the adult chair, dangling her legs in the air.

‘Leon is very good at using difficult words. He is so smart.’

“The Crown Prince is like a wizard.”

“Pardon?”

‘Wizard? Clock Tower Wizard? What about those crazy idiots?’ 

Leonhardt wondered what she meant by thinking of him as a wizard.

“When we are together, it always feels tickling here. You also showed me a lot of things I saw for the first time in my life, taught me what to do for the first time, and knew a lot of difficult words…”

Elizabeth brought her fingers to her chest and murmured. Reassured that she didn’t mean he was crazy, Leonhardt said proudly, sticking his chin up.

“Of course, I’ve lived two years longer than you after all!”

“Then can I become a wizard like Your Highness two years from now?”

Elizabeth asked with anticipation and excitement. At that, Leonhardt pondered for a long time about how he should respond to her.

It was actually Elizabeth who could do magic, and he had already been enchanted by her for a long time.

***

“Ah! you were here Lady Elizabeth, it’s time to go get your dress fitted.”

“Dress?”

The door to the hut opened and a maid in the uniform of the empress’ palace found Elizabeth. Leonhardt looked at Elizabeth and asked what was with the dress.

“… It’s something only between women. Men don’t need to know!”

For some reason, Elizabeth’s face was a little more red.

While Leonhardt did not understand her words, Elizabeth ran to the maid. She hugged the puppy with the blue ribbon tight one last time before finally returning.

“See you later.”

With impeccable manners, Elizabeth left the hut with the maid.

Left alone, Leonhardt held the puppy with the blue ribbon in his arms.

The image of Elizabeth talking and laughing in a bubbly and clear voice till just now still remained vivid before his eyes.

Elizabeth arrived at a temporary residence located across from Leonhardt’s bedroom, not the Empress’s palace.

Overnight, her room had changed so much that it was notably different from the one she had the previous day.

Once the tailor brought her a design sketch, Elizabeth fell into doubt.