17. — Ed and Enni (2)

Translated by Nabi

At that moment, the bottle that had been rolling on the table with a rumbling sound fell to the floor and shattered. A shard of glass with a picture of a dog on the floor awakened my dazed mind once again.

This situation was really happening.

Struggling to get out of the chair I was sitting on, I climbed up onto the table.

Even though my short legs dug through the bag to find the antidote, the fluffy feet were of no help other than being cute. On the contrary, the glass bottle in the bag collided with the dangerously touching feet and claws, making a loud noise.

Fearing that the sound would break the bottle, I became timid in fists, or even kicking.

After wrestling with a bottle that I could not pick up for the longest time, I screamed in frustration when I saw Cain gazing at me with his arms folded.

“Don’t just watch, help me! We had to find an antidote!”

Even though I thought I was stomping my feet in an anxious mood as I turned into a puppy, for some reason, my body turned round and round. As soon as I realized that I was spinning, biting my tail, shame rushed through my body.

“…This is truly ridiculous.”

I was obviously a dog…

I am a dog, no matter how you look at it.

No, even what I was doing now was a dog’s behavior. Instead of stomping my feet, my body rotated round and round. Whenever I moved, my paws hit the floor and made a — Tud, tud, tud — sound.

So cute, definitely too cute!

…But, I did not want it to be me!

As I sat down at the table and lowered my head in a rush of shame, Cain reached out his large hand towards me. His hand stroking my pricked ears felt quite familiar.

The feeling of languor crept into my hand as he gently touched my ear. Without realizing it, I shut my eyes and enjoyed my tiredness, then woke up belatedly.

…I was a dog who enjoyed the owner’s touch—

—A dog’s behavior without the slightest doubt…!

Contrary to the dizzying mind, my body continued to loosen up. Staring at my tail waving softly, Cain opened his mouth with a smirk.

“You seem to like it quite a bit.”

“This, this is…!”

My face flushed red as he spoke as if teasing me.

Suddenly, a faint sound could be heard through my ears, which were twitching in a mixture of shame and embarrassment. My forehead narrowed as I jumped up from the table I had been sitting on and pricked my ears.

“Why?”

“Can’t you hear anything?”

“Sound?”

“It’s like a scream…”

Following the faint sound of pain, the footsteps I was following came to a standstill. I then glanced down at the height of the incredibly high table and retreated back.

As I took one or two steps back, something touched my butt.

“Kkyaa!”

Cain clenched his fists as I turned around, startled by a place he had never touched in his life.

“I hope you don’t misunderstand…”

“…Did, did you touch my butt now?”

“So, I hope you don’t misunderstand.”

“What kind of misunderstanding?! You flinched just now!”

Cain touched his forehead as if he was uncomfortable at my words. He gazed at me with indifferent eyes and said.

“Don’t you think my hand deserves an apology?”

“…What do you mean?”

“I mean, I want you to think about the position of my hand, which unfortunately suffered even while standing still.”

“…Un, unfortunate? Why is my butt an unfortunate—!”

My voice went up automatically from the absurdity. Cain, who watched me arguing while breathing vigorously, burst out laughing as if he was amazed.

“Are you angry that I touched you, not that I said it was unfortunate?”

It was only then that I realized my mistake when he asked me like he was genuinely curious. Obviously, it made me angry that he touched my butt, but why is it unfortunate that he touched this adorable butt…!

Of course, I could not tell Cain about it.

I spoke, avoiding his gaze at the situation where it did not seem like it would be of any advantage to me if I said anything.

“Any, anyway…!”

The moment I stuttered in embarrassment, I immediately heard the sound of shoes approaching the waiting room.

Cain’s eyebrows narrowed as I pricked my ears and glanced at the door.

“What’s going on?”

“…Baron Jo Malone is coming.”

“What?”

“I’m certain. The sound of footsteps that sound like a limp on one leg is definitely Baron Jo Malone!”

His gaze turned to the tightly closed door at my words. Meanwhile, I hurriedly searched around the room at the sound of footsteps getting closer. In the large room, there was only a table, chairs, and a nightstand. There was no place to hide.

…Except for one place.

“Your Highness.”

His head, which had been facing the door, turned towards me.

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Crying on the table, I ran and clung to him as if I were leaning against him.

“What is this…”

“Hug me.”

“…What?”

“The only safe thing in this room after I turn into a dog is your arms!”