Three Days After the Attack.
I woke up and called out:
โDa-u?โ
Immediately, the puppy lying beside me eagerly sniffed at me with great enthusiasm.
โDa-u~ (Good morning).โ
โKyun!โ
The puppy rolled onto its back, trying to slide its body under my hand. It seemed to want to be petted.
โDa-u (Well, I guess I have no choice).โ
Since Iโm just a baby, I canโt move my arms and legs freely. However, if someone places themselves under my hand, I have no choice but to try my best.
โDa-u, da-u, da-u!โ
โPiii!โ
I moved my hand to pet the puppy. Or rather, it might be more accurate to say I was lightly slapping it. But since the puppy was overjoyed, I figured it was fine.
While I was playing with the puppy, someone spoke up:
โOh my, Da-u. Lady Luria is awake, isnโt she?โ
โWoof.โ
โThank you for letting me know.โ
The nanny said this as she gently stroked my head.
โDa-u? (Da-u?)โ
โAuu.โ
The puppy wagged its tail happily. For some reason, the puppy, who was once called Leonardo, was now referred to as Da-u.
I thought Da-u suited the puppy better anyway.
Apparently, Da-u had earned the right to stay in my crib. Since the day of the attack, every time I woke up, Da-u was in the crib with me. Neither my mother nor the nanny seemed inclined to remove him anymore.
It must have been because he protected me from the attackers.
My parents must be the type to reward loyalty.
โDa-u~ (Thank you, Father).โ
I expressed my gratitude to my father, who wasnโt here at the moment.
โDa-u (Thank you too, Da-u).โ
โKyun.โ
Da-u licked my hand happily.
Even as a baby, Da-u had risked his life to protect me. He was a remarkable and loyal pup.
Just then, my older sister entered the room.
โLuria, youโre awake. Youโre as adorable as ever today.โ
โKyah kyah (Youโre adorable too, Sister).โ
โShall I read you a book?โ
My sister always read me stories and sang lullabies. Her singing always made me sleepy, and Iโd drift off to sleep with Da-u by my side.
Sleeping, waking up, drinking milk, and playing with Da-u. Watching Da-u was quite entertaining.
Although Da-u mostly stayed in the crib with me, he sometimes ran outside. He needed the exercise, so I thought he should run more often.
When my father was in the room, Da-u would sometimes leave and not return for a while. He was probably running around the mansion. Perhaps he trusted my father to guard me in his place.
One day, after playing outside, Da-u returned with my mother.
โWhatโs the matter, Amalia?โ
โWe need to discipline him.โ
With that, my mother said,
โDa-u.โ
โWoof?!โ
She made Da-u sit in my room and stared him straight in the eye.
โDa-u, your toilet is here.โ
โWoof?โ
โYou mustnโt pee anywhere else.โ
โWaa-ooh?โ
Da-u tilted his head, seemingly unsure why he was being scolded.
My father chuckled at this.
โDid he do it again?โ
โYes, he seems to have wanted to mark his territory.โ
It appeared Da-u had peed in various places around the mansion. What a troublesome pup.
โI tried placing a toilet in my room, but he never used it. So I had to put one in Luriaโs room, where he spends the most time.โ
โAnd itโs still not working?โ
โExactly. Iโm starting to wonder if weโll have to keep him outside.โ
That would be cruel.
Da-u was smart enough not to do his business in my room.
Or waitโฆ Could it be that instead of using the toilet in my room, he was going around marking spots elsewhere in the mansion?
โDa-u!โ
โWoof?โ
โDa-a-u, da-u! (Da-u, use the toilet properly!)โ
โWah-ooh.โ
Perhaps Da-u was trying to protect me by marking his territory to ward off intruders.
But marking territory didnโt mean much to humans. It was just meaningless peeing.
โDa-u! (If you keep this up, theyโll make you live outside!)โ
โWoof?!โ
Though I could only say โDa-u,โ I tried my best to persuade him. Maybe, just maybe, heโd understand.
Eventually, after some scolding and training, Da-u learned to use the designated toilet. He even barked to notify the maids after he was done.
Thanks to Da-u, my room stayed clean and odor-free.
โDa-u is such a clever puppy.โ
โWoof~.โ
Pleased by the praise, Da-u even started alerting people when I soiled my diaper.
โHmm? Da-u, did Lady Luria need a diaper change?โ
โWoof~.โ
As the nanny changed me, Da-u watched with a smug expression.
โLady Luria is such a calm baby. Thank goodness for Da-u. Youโre such a good boy.โ
โWoof~.โ
After receiving lots of praise, Da-u would gently pat my head with his paw.
โDa-u?โ
โWoof!โ
Then heโd wag his tail vigorously.
I was sure Da-u was trying to praise me in return. Just as he was praised for doing the right thing, he mustโve thought I deserved the same for doing mine.
โDa-u! (Thank you!)โ
I lightly patted Da-uโs head with both hands. He wagged his tail happily, then hopped off the crib and dashed towards the door.
โDa-u is full of energy today,โ my brother said as Da-u excitedly jumped up to greet him.