Chapter 75 - The Secret Life Of Alphie (Pet Shop Edition!) (1)

They walked to the aisle for the dog leash and collar, but there was something in Alphie's head right now.

'Uwaa, this place is like the torture dungeon in Alphie's kingdom. It's amazing!' Alpheus marveled. In his Eclipse Kingdom, it was one of his favorite places.

When he was around three years old, he wandered off by himself and then found the passage to the kingdom's prison and torture dungeon. He saw so many war prisoners, mostly the war general or leader of certain bandits or tribes that had been defeated. They were tortured in various methods, but most were by whipping and starvation. Unless it was a very prolific bandit, war criminal, or serial killer, they would be tortured as inhumanely as possible.

Alpheus watched everything when he was three years old and whenever he returned to the kingdom for a yearly event. Nobody stopped him anyway. Since he was the future king, it was necessary to see a torture method. 

What Alpheus liked the most from those tortures was the scream of agony and blood spurted from their bodies! It was truly magnificent to watch. 

Cha Junshik sensed that Alpheus was happy all of a sudden. He wagged his tail happily and also looked around in awe, making him wonder what was in this dog's mind right now.

'Will we torture someone? Ohhh, I really want to see some bones getting broken! Sir Junshik Hyung is truly magnificent. He is the best!' Alpheus thought. 

The female clerk stopped at the end of an aisle and then showed the rack full of various collars and leashes in many sizes.

"I see that you have a small dog, so we have these for your choices," the female clerk said as she pointed at one rack full of small collars and leashes. 

"Hmm… let me ask my dog instead, Alphie."

"Arf!"

"Which one do you like?" Cha Junshik asked. He grabbed Alpheus with one hand and showed him the rack full of collars. 

Alpheus' eyes wandered, checking one by one, and found that most of them were just too disgusting for him because it was so bright! The colors are so bright!

Until he looked down, and at the bottom of the rack, he saw a collar that he liked so much! 

It was a black collar with plastic spikes on it. It reminded him of that torture tool! 

"Arf! Arf!" Alpheus wiggled a bit and then jumped from Sir Junshik Hyung's palm. He landed on the floor and bit the one he liked.

"Oh, you want that small spiky black collar?"

"Arf!"

"Hmm…" Cha Junshik was thinking of bright color, but it seemed that Alpheus really disliked any bright-colored stuff. He only liked darker shade stuff or at least pastel-colored. 

"Well, let's try it first," Cha Junshik bent his knees and then took the small collar from Alpheus' teeth. He unclasped it and put it carefully around Alpheus' neck, tight but not too tight to choke Alphie. 

"Alright, we're done," Cha Junshik grabbed Alpheus again and showed him the mirror. Alpheus saw himself in a dog form with a spiky collar, and he was so happy.

'This means I am Sir Junshik Hyung's prisoner. Uwaaa! Alphie wants to be tortured by Sir Junshik Hyung! I hope Sir Junshik Hyung can whip me!' Alpheus thought. 

"Arf! Arf! Arf!" Alpheus jumped around happily and circled around Sir Junshik Hyung to show that he was satisfied with the collar.

Cha Junshik smiled and nodded. He looked up to the female clerk, who was still dazed with his look, and said, "Okay, we'll take this one and one leash as well."

"Ah—" the female clerk snapped out of her daze. But she didn't want such a handsome man to leave so soon. He was already extremely handsome for a man that hadn't taken a bath, let alone when he was fully dressed.

She wanted to spend more time, so she said, "Sir, we have another product to help with the growth of dogs. It's a vitamin that would be good for the bones and teeth of dogs!" the clerk said. "It's not expensive as well!"

"Hmmm…" Cha Junshik had no intention of buying another thing. But if it was a vitamin for Alpheus' health, he would like to take it, so Alphie wouldn't get sick.

Cha Junshik tried to grab Alpheus, who was still looking at himself in the mirror, barking at his own reflection. But when he was about to reach Alpheus, the dog suddenly dodged him.

"Huh?" Cha Junshik frowned. "What? You don't want to go with me?"

"Arf! Arf!"

'Sir, I want to look around this place!' Alpheus said in his heart, he wasn't sure whether Sir Junshik Hyung understood him. So he kept barking while dodging Sir Junshik Hyung's hands.

Cha Junshik sighed, "You want to roam around this pet shop?"

"Arf!"

Cha Junshik turned his head at the female clerk and asked, "Is it okay for my dog to look around? I would pay for any damage if he did something."

"Oh, surely, Sir!" the female clerk said. Now that the dog was busy by itself, she could talk and spend a long time with this handsome young man!

"Alright, don't make a mess, Alphie. Just roam around if you want and tell me if you like something," Cha Junshik warned. 

"Arf!"

Cha Junshik and the female clerk left Alpheus alone as they were about to talk about how to keep your dog healthy.

Alpheus looked around in wonder, and he strutted in this place, just like how he wandered around in that sex shop. 

He stumbled upon a cat in a cage, and he asked. 

"Hey, cat, what is your name, and what crime did you do to be locked in this dungeon?"

The cat lazing around looked at the dog out of the cage and replied, "Huh? Why are you out of the cage? Are you that house dog with a master by your side?"

"Yeah! My master's name is Sir Junshik Hyung, and I am Alpheus Wolve Rytnic, the Crown Prince of Eclipse Kingdom, and also the King of Super Awesome Prince Alphie!" Alpheus introduced himself in a friendly manner. He had no intention of colonizing this place because this was basically a torture dungeon. What was the fun of colonizing an already depressing place? It was better to watch it from afar and marveled in the cruelty!

"Oh? A King?' the cat was interested. "Well, my name is Pawtricia. I am one of the oldest cats in this pet shop. I've been locked here since I was just a young kitten."

"Oh! So that means you've committed a generational crime! Did they kill your family too?"

"Meh, I don't know. I've been separated from my mom since I was a kitten. Anyway, if you want to know anything about this place, you should release me. Just unlock this cage, and we can walk around while discussing many things," Pawtricia persuaded.

"Sure, but you must return to your cage after we talk, okay? My master will definitely scold me if I let you leave this torture dungeon!"

"I won't leave. This place is basically my home, and I get served food every day. This place also has guaranteed safety. Why would I leave such heaven?" Pawtricia said. "I just want to have a walk around. It's boring to stay in this cage for too long." 

"Yeah, you're right. Let me release you then!" Alpheus unlocked the cage easily with his teeth, and the cage was opened. 

Pawtricia strutted out of the cage and bowed her head in front of Alpheus, "Thank you, uh…."

"Just call me Prince Alphie!"

"Yes, thank you, Prince Alpheus. I've wanted to leave that cage for a while. I want to meet my friend too. She has been depressed for a while because of her boyfriend that got moved to another rack far from hers."

"Now, I am free to answer any question, Prince Alphie. Just ask me anything while we walk to my friend's cage, alright?"

…

Alpheus and Pawtricia walked together through the aisles. Alpheus started asking questions as he was curious about this place with so many caged dogs and cats around.

"So, is this a torture dungeon or a prison? I saw so many dogs and cats getting trapped in a small cage," Alpheus asked.

"Hmm, a house dog like you must've been adopted since birth. I will tell you, this place is what we call a pet shop. All these cats and dogs were locked inside the cage until humans bought them to be their pets. Some dogs and cats got lucky and were bought quickly, but some aren't as lucky. I am the example," Pawtricia said. 

"I am a middle-aged cat, and I've been here for so long, yet no human ever bought me. So I will just stay here for the rest of my life, no worry, and I get food three times a day. Besides, I've seen many dogs and cats were abandoned and returned to the pet shop in bad condition."

"How about you, Prince Alpheus? Did your master treat you well?"