I woke up and, sensing something, turned to look beside me.
โโฆโฆโฆ..โ
A small brown dog was staring at me.
It was a long-haired breed with floppy ears, and its legs were thick compared to its body. Its body length was about the size of a baby like me. It must be a puppy.
โWhatโs that?โ
Around the puppy, spirits were gathered. Fluffy spirits surrounded the fluffy puppy, making it look like some incomprehensible creature.
There are always a lot of spirits in the room, but they never gather like this when others come. It seems the puppy has caught the spiritsโ attention.
In my past life, I met countless mean humansโno, after my parents were killed, I only encountered cruel humans. But I never met a mean animal. Whether it was a carnivorous bear or a lion, they were kind to me in my past life.
So, I didnโt feel scared of the puppy at all.
โWhatโs that?โ
โHun-hun.โ
When I spoke, probably thinking I was calling it with meaningless words, the puppy wagged its small tail happily and came to sniff me. Its black, wet nose and black eyes were so cute. However, it was very dirty and smelled like a dog.
โWhatโs that? (Youโll get scolded, you know?)โ
โKyoon. Hun-hun-hun.โ
Every time I spoke, the puppy wagged its tail happily. It was so cute. Goats are cute, but dogs are cute too.
It must be the puppy my parents are raising. Because even if the servants had a dog, they wouldnโt bring it to the mansion.
โWell thenโฆโ
How did it get onto this bed? It would be hard for the puppy to climb up by itself. Maybe someone put it here so I wouldnโt feel lonely.
I was grateful for the puppy because it was so cute, but it was too dirty. I began to worry whether my brother or sister might get scolded by my parents.
As I silently watched the puppy, it stretched out its front paws into the air, as if trying to catch the spirits.
It seems the puppy can see the spirits. It might be something like my dog version from my past life.
โWhatโs that?โ
When I spoke, the puppy came closer to me as if asking what was wrong. Its smell wasnโt unpleasant. The smell of beasts was nostalgic.
โHun-hun.โ
The puppy sniffed me and wagged its tail.
โWhatโs that?โ
When I spoke, the puppyโs tail wagged even harder. Watching it made me feel happy.
โKya-kya.โ
โHun-hun-hun.โ
When I laughed, the puppy seemed happy too.
Putting a puppy into a babyโs bed was an unthinkable thing to do. But I was grateful to whoever did such an unreasonable thing.
It really was cute.
As I spent a joyful time with the puppy, my mother arrived with a maid.
Even though she had been ill after giving birth to me, she came to see me every day without fail, and she would come multiple times a day.
At first, her complexion was very poor, and I was more worried about her than she was about me. Recently, she had started looking better and even sometimes gave me breast milk. She seemed to be recovering, and I was relieved.
โWhatโs that?โ
โYouโre in a good mood. โฆHuh?โ
My mother tilted her head when she saw the puppy.
โHuh? When did this happen? A dog?โ
The wet nurse, who had been in the room, became flustered.
โWhatโs that? (Didnโt you notice?)โ
It was a surprise.
โA puppy?โ
โWhat would you do if something happened to the young lady?โ
One of the maids scolded the wet nurse.
โAh, I-Iโm sorry.โ
Ignoring the wet nurseโs apology, the maid grabbed the back of the wet nurseโs neck and lifted the puppy up.
โKyoon.โ
The puppy let out a pitiful sound, scared and tucking its tail between its legs.
โWhatโs that? (Donโt hurt it.)โ
I tried speaking, but of course, it didnโt understand.
โItโs quite dirty. Where did it sneak in from?โ
โMake sure to support its bottom properly. The poor puppy.โ
โYes, maโam.โ
Chastised by my mother, the maid readjusted her hold on the puppy.
My mother gazed at the puppy thoughtfully.
โHmm. I donโt know this puppy. Could it be a puppy that someoneโs raising? Or did it come from outside?โ
โItโs hard to imagine a stray dog sneaking into the young ladyโs room.โ
โYes, youโre right. Hmm.โ
โIโll investigate who brought the puppy in.โ
โYes, thatโs important.โ
I was picked up by my mother.
She was so beautiful. Now I could understand why my father was so in love with her.
โAnd change the bedding.โ
โUnderstood. This dog is very dirty, so itโs a hygiene issue.โ
โKyoon.โ
The puppy whined anxiously.
If things continued like this, theyโd probably get rid of the puppy.
โWhatโs that? (Please donโt throw it away.)โ
I reached my hand toward the puppy to let my mother know I liked it. But I knew it wouldnโt get through.
โWhat should we do with this dog?โ
โWell, letโs wash it.โ
โHuh? Wash it?โ
โYes. It seems like the young lady likes it. And itโs very cute.โ
โWhatโs that? (What?)โ
I never thought my mother would understand.
โKya-kya!โ
I laughed happily, and my mother smiled back at me.
โKu-oon.โ
Immediately, the puppy wagged its tail, almost as if it understood what was being said.
โIโll take care of this one.โ
โUnderstood.โ
Though the maid didnโt seem fully satisfied, she didnโt argue.
As the maid left the room, holding the puppy,
โTake good care of it. Itโs my cute dog.โ
My mother reminded her.
Now that my mother had said that, I was sure the puppy would be fine. It would probably come visit soon.
Come to think of it, who put the puppy in the bed? Considering its size, it shouldnโt have been able to climb up on its ownโฆ
I wondered about this while nursing from my mother, burping, and falling asleep.