“C-Cold.”

As soon as I stepped out of the building, a chilly wind blew fiercely. I hunched my shoulders and shivered.

Although the temperature control magic reached the corridor, it was still colder than inside. I even borrowed Rumel’s fur cloak before coming out. But it seemed insufficient to block the cold.

‘I should have worn something more!’

I’m quite sensitive to cold to begin with. I overestimated myself.

But if I went back to the infirmary to put on more layers, I wouldn’t dare to come out into the cold again.

Alright. Since I’m already out, let’s walk for at least 30 minutes before going back in. I gathered the trailing ends of the cloak and strode forward with long steps.

As Rumel said, the corridor behind Kronen Castle was perfect for a light stroll.

There wasn’t an elaborate garden, but instead, the view of the snow-covered fir forest spread out before me was quite scenic.

I walked along, my gaze fixed on the fir trees swaying in the wind. It was my first time seeing such tall fir trees standing so densely together.

I was so engrossed in the fir trees that I only noticed there were other people in the corridor when I had gotten quite close to them.

‘Who could it be?’

I stopped in my tracks and observed the two people standing still about thirty paces away from me.

Both wore identical neat black dresses with aprons. They each held long brooms, mops, and wooden buckets.

Maids coming to clean?

‘They’re dressed so lightly. I guess this level of cold is nothing to the locals.’

It reminded me of a friend from Cheorwon who used to boast that Seoul’s cold was nothing.

Anyway, interesting is interesting. Since I’ve met people, I should greet them. It would be even better if we could have a conversation!

Excited to approach them, I suddenly realized their gazes had been fixed on one spot for a while.

My eyes naturally followed theirs. And I discovered it.

A white dog, constantly looking around.

‘!’

A fluffy white dog, like a Samoyed. Its size was a bit smaller than a 20kg rice bag. Judging by its build, it wasn’t yet fully grown, probably in its adolescent stage.

And the dog was currently feeling extremely anxious, warily scanning its surroundings.

Its hunched body, slight trembling, eyes darting nervously, and tongue flicking out to lick its nose – it was clear.

What’s going on? Where did this pup come from?

‘And… are those people too scared of the dog to move?’

Having grasped the general situation, I calmly approached the two women.

The dog was aware of them but not particularly interested. So I planned to help them leave while I had the chance.

But at that moment, the two who had been fidgeting suddenly took a stance as if about to turn and run.

‘No!’

The moment they turn their backs and run, the dog will surely chase them!

Fortunately, I was now only five steps away from them. I quickly moved to block the space between them and the dog.

I could sense the two women behind me stopping in confusion. But I couldn’t turn to check.

Because right now, my eyes and the dog’s,

Had met.

Was it my imagination? For a moment, the dog’s eyes flashed red.

A chill ran down my spine.

“…”

From the moment our eyes met, I stared at the dog without the slightest movement. The dog, too, didn’t take its eyes off me.

Thankfully, I couldn’t sense any hostility or aggression in its gaze. But there was no telling how it might suddenly change.

For a while, the dog and I silently observed each other. A tense battle of wills continued.

Finally, the dog was the first to look away and back down.

Still, I didn’t let my guard down. Keeping my eyes fixed on the dog, I whispered in a low voice to the two women behind me.

“This might be sudden, but would you listen to me?”

“Huh? Y-Yes, yes.”

The trembling voice sounded young. From afar, I thought they were about my age, but they might be even younger.

Realizing my counterparts might be younger than me made their frightened breathing sound even more pitiful. I spoke in the gentlest voice possible as I quietly began to explain.

“From a distance, it looked like you were having trouble because of that dog, so I came to help.”

“What? B-But… is it alright for you to deal with that…?”

What does she mean, is it alright? Is she asking if I’ve ever subdued an excited dog before?

If so, I could nod without hesitation. Before I died, I was a dog owner with large breeds, and I had worked part-time at my uncle’s dog training center for quite a while.

I answered in a bright voice to reassure the two.

“It’s fine. I’ve done this many times. Don’t worry.”

“You’ve done this… many times? Really?”

“Really! Now, don’t worry and listen to me carefully. Right now, the dog is aware of me, but it’s no longer paying attention to you two.”

“Yes.”

“So now, slowly back away. Be careful not to startle the dog. Oh, but that means you’ll have to leave the corridor, is that okay? It’ll be cold outside the corridor.”

“It’s fine. It’s not that cold today…”

Not that cold? I feel like I’m freezing to death. These locals are amazing!

“That’s good. Then slowly move away and go inside. Don’t turn your back or run until you’re at a safe distance. The dog might get excited and chase you.”

“Okay. We’ll do that.”

“Good. Now go.”

Instead of immediately backing away, the two hesitated for a moment. Then they whispered in my ear.

“We’ll… bring the knights right away…!”

“?”

Why are they saying it so gravely? And why are they bringing knights?

I was a bit puzzled but quickly dismissed the question. I thought I understood why they said that.

‘That dog must belong to some knightly order.’

While I was coming to my own conclusion, the presence behind me gradually faded away. Fortunately, the dog didn’t pay them any attention.

Instead, it paced on the snow, repeatedly glancing at me. I, too, didn’t take my eyes off the dog.

Just as the two were completely gone from the corridor, leaving only me and the dog, the dog began to hesitantly approach me.

Its fluffy tail wagged gently. Its careful steps and gentle eyes showed no hostility towards me. I relaxed my tension just a little.

The dog’s pace quickened. It trotted to my feet and sniffed around.

I stood still so as not to make the dog feel threatened. The dog circled me, sniffing enthusiastically.

After some time, having satisfactorily explored me, the dog sat in front of me, wagging its tail vigorously.

Then it rolled over, exposing its belly.

“!”

A, a strange dog suddenly showed me its belly!

I rolled my eyes around before slowly crouching down. The dog’s eyes were filled with curiosity and affection.

I can’t believe it. It was so anxious until just now. Was it looking for someone to help? Someone to rely on? Somehow, I felt a lump in my throat.

“Hello?”

I greeted the dog in an intentionally cheerful voice so it wouldn’t become anxious again. Then I carefully reached out to stroke under its chin.

The dog didn’t resist. So I used both hands to scratch behind its ears and stroke its chest fur.

A moment later, the dog and I had somehow become best friends, rolling around together on the ground.

“Oh, you’re so cute, so pretty. Our fluffy little darling~!”

“Woof!”

The dog enthusiastically licked my face. I hugged the dog and diligently scratched it all over. While doing so, I closely examined the dog’s condition.

First, no visible injuries. Overall health doesn’t seem to be a major problem. However, it’s generally thin and scruffy.

Considering various factors like behavior and eye expression, this dog clearly hadn’t received proper care from its owner and had been neglected.

Watching the dog whimpering and burrowing into my arms reminded me of my cute youngest, my precious pet Bingsu.

Bingsu thought everyone in the world should naturally adore her.

Recalling and comparing the two dogs at the same time made my heart ache even more.

“All dogs should be loved so much and be very happy… Where did you come from? Whoever your owner is, if I meet them…”

I’ll strip them naked, bury them in snow, and starve them for three days and nights.

I hugged the dog tightly, making this firm resolution. But then, I heard heavy footsteps crunching through the snow from the side.

‘Did those girls send someone?’

I turned my head to look where the footsteps were coming from.

There was.

“…”

Dark blue long hair fluttering in the cold wind. Blue eyes that looked down on all creation.

Against the backdrop of the fir forest, on the pure white snow, my beloved bias, Aspeiran Roakin, stood like a painting.

‘But, wait.’

Why is he here?!

I’m glad to see him, but I’m flustered. My back felt a bit damp. I hesitantly called out to him.

“L-Lord?”

“…”

Aspeiran wore a strange expression.

With furrowed brows, wide eyes, and slightly parted lips, he looked somewhat surprised and incredulous.

Is he shocked to find the person he personally put in the infirmary suddenly rolling around here?

His already stern face looking at me silently without saying anything was a bit scary.

But in that moment of carelessness, the dog that had been quietly nestled in my arms slipped out.

“Oh no!”

I quickly reached out to hold it again, but the dog moved too swiftly, turning its back to me and standing. And then.

“Grrrr―”

It lowered its body slightly and began growling at Aspeiran. As if… trying to protect me.

‘…Oh my!’

Is it trying to protect me now? Because it thinks I’m scared? How adorable! But what if something terrible happens!

As I hurried to calm the dog, suddenly there was a rumbling sound like the ground collapsing from the other side.

I turned my head in surprise. What came into view was none other than a group of armed knights.

I froze with my hand outstretched, my mouth agape. What are those knights doing here? Why are they armed as if they’ve come to catch someone?

‘This is crazy!’

The knights, who had been rushing over, stopped in unison when they saw Aspeiran. The knight at the front greeted him on behalf of the group.

“We greet you, Lord!”

Aspeiran nodded slightly. His gaze remained fixed on me.

“Yes.”

“We received a report from the maids and rushed out… Eeek!”

The knight, who had been explaining why they came to Aspeiran, glanced at me and suddenly screamed in terror, falling backwards.

But it wasn’t just that knight. The knights behind also started whispering among themselves, looking back and forth between me and the dog.