But how humiliating it must have been to marry a count’s son due to political pressure, let alone if he was the count’s legitimate son.

Still, Laila, with her good nature, tried not to show it.

A child’s ability to hide emotions has its limits, though.

Fortunately, Laila fell in love with Marlboro. Plus, she now knows well that her husband is the future king.

‘Has Ellen’s heart changed as Laila’s depression disappeared?’

Maybe Ellen’s heart opened to her daughterinlaw after the wedding.

When you get down to it, Ellen and Laila had a lot in common and were ideal for sharing empathy.

‘They both came from abroad, fell in love with their husbands, and are both beautiful and smart.’

Thinking wistfully about the two, Philip gave a faint laugh.

“……sigh.”

Then he became depressed.

He had made time for a dinner request with Ellen amidst his busyness, and it was not realized again today.

Ellen fled the scene again.

The old Ellen would have fussed with her dress and hair all day, even pestering the maids, which was strange.

‘Did I lose my mind against Alexandre?’

The act of overthrowing Alexandre.

Philip still didn’t understand why he had done it.

Thankfully, Ellen cleverly handled it and it was averted.

‘Maybe she hates seeing me as a violent husband?’

But Ellen neither blamed him for the accident nor refused his love.

‘That night’s memory makes that reason impossible…….’

He asked outright if she disliked him, but the response was that she was busy with business.

A reason he could understand.

Even Philip found it hard to make time for family meals when work piled up.

Philip recalled the night he shared love with Ellen and reassured himself.

‘Yeah. It’s simply that she’s busy. Let’s not think otherwise.’

No matter how many times he thought about it, they shared love properly this time. He told her sincerely that he loved her, and Ellen actively responded.

Of course, she had accepted Philip in their prior two nights together. But this time was different.

The fact that she didn’t kick Philip out in the morning was evidence.

When he woke up late due to Blanc’s commotion, the space next to him in bed was empty.

“…….”

Philip’s thoughts naturally flowed to the incident with Blanc.

When he saw Ellen screaming in surprise, his anger shot through the roof.

He wanted to chop down anything or anyone that endangered her on the spot.

He wanted to fire the caretaker and Haid without a second thought.

But when Ellen became safe, Philip’s rationality returned.

He naturally checked the situation.

It turned out to be something that would not have happened if he hadn’t hit Alexandre.

He maintained his composure in front of the servants, but he was extremely embarrassed.

Still, he had to deal with Blanc, the culprit. He didn’t want to after knowing everything, but he had no choice.

It was a matter where Ellen was in danger. If he let Blanc off the hook, Ellen would be disappointed.

‘Did you care more about that dog than me? Even after seeing me in danger?’

He could almost hear her ringing voice in his ears. Philip didn’t want to disappoint Ellen over a single dog.

It was resolved without anyone dying or getting fired due to Ellen’s unexpected choice, though.
Here’s the translation:

At this point, an unthinkable thought occurred to me.

‘Ha! Did I look cruel when I said I would kill Blank then?’

It seemed quite plausible. At the same time, Philip felt somewhat wronged.

‘I just prioritized Ellen… To go so far as to say that I will take the dog after the mourning period ends…’

Now she’s the one using divorce as a weapon.

It was an obviously false statement, but even so, Philip was not concerned about divorce every time he heard it.

“No matter what, Ellen won’t divorce. It must be a request for more attention from me…”

Muttering to himself, Philip let out a small sigh and stood up.

“She probably wants me to treat the one remaining dog better too.”

Since Ellen was out and not available to see, he intended to visit Blank.

“Father?”

“Sir?”

As Philip, who had just packaged a snack for Blank, encountered Marlboro and Laila on their walk, he said,

“It’s you two.”

“Are you going for a walk?”

“I’m on my way to the breeding ground.”

“I see. But…”

Marlboro’s gaze turned to Philip’s hand.

“Ah, this. It’s a snack for Blank…”

“The snack for the black one? I thought it was a weapon.”

“With its size, it should be this big.”

Philip’s expression and the snack in his hand made Marlboro laugh nervously.

“Laila seems to be like that too… Everyone around seems to be deeply charmed by Mother.”

He couldn’t say no. Marlboro continued without waiting for Philip’s answer.

“Lately, all Laila talks about is Mother. I’m quite jealous. Haha.”

Laila’s face reddened at Marlboro’s words.

“Ah! You said you liked all the stories about Mother.”

“Of course I do. But I’m still jealous.”

Arguing with Laila in a small voice, Marlboro soon sought advice from Philip.

“Father, how can I get Laila to say that she likes only me?”

This time, Philip’s gaze went to the snack in his hand. Staring at it, he chuckled and shook his head.

“I’m not sure either. However.”

“……?”

“Just by doing well in everything that the one you love likes, I guess that day might come.”

.

.

.

Blank, at the breeding ground, was resting, leaning his large head on a soft rug and cushion.

Since the previous incident, Blank had been assigned a separate breeding ground and was being cared for more cleanly.

Sometimes Ellen would use Blank as a cushion when going out.

According to Mild Keing, Ellen seemed to lean on Blank and doze off for a while.

“Woof?”

Blank, who had perked up his ears, happily stood up and wagged his tail as soon as Philip entered.

“Here.”

Blank’s mouth opened wide at the large bone Philip brought.

“I thought you would have to go to the countryside since you can’t hunt, but it turned out well for you.”

Philip glanced around. Confirming that no one was watching, he petted Blank’s head, which was focused on the bone, and chuckled.

“In fact, I’d like it if Ellen knew how well I treat you. She seems cold lately, perhaps upset about the day I tried to catch you.”

A hollow wind blew in Philip’s heart. It soon became a long sigh that scattered into the air. A faint breath that he could only take when no one was around.