Chapter 15

If exaggerated a little, the hole was large enough for an adult woman to pass through with ease. Karina, leaning her arms on the windowsill, frowned. Becky shrugged her shoulders with a strangely triumphant expression.

“Don’t worry. I heard the construction will be over in just a day or two.”

“…….”

“Oh, and just to be sure, don’t go into the backyard until then. It could be dangerous.”

Knowing Karina’s occasionally unpredictable tendencies, Becky repeated her advice several times. However, Karina had already disregarded Becky’s words.

It wasn’t out of simple curiosity. There was suspicious movement outside the hole. The sunlight shining on one side of the garden illuminated a soft gray body.

“You understand, right? If you want to go out, it’s fine to visit the town instead.”

Becky’s nagging stopped at the same time a large tail swept across the grass. Karina didn’t think twice. She naturally closed the curtains and turned around.

“Alright. Then, I’ll take this chance to go out for a bit.”

Becky looked slightly suspicious but was ultimately fooled by Karina’s brazen demeanor.

After quickly preparing to go out, Karina peeked through the curtains and left her room. Her steps, though pretending to be casual, were filled with energy.

She managed to avoid the servant who was supposed to accompany her by using the excuse of taking the carriage.

‘This far should be out of sight.’

Karina deliberately walked along the path opposite the garden and slipped behind the mansion, evading Becky’s gaze. Any slight annoyance was quickly erased by her curiosity. Before long, the backyard came into view.

At first glance, it looked as ordinary as always, but the state of the dug-up grass on one side was far from normal.

Glancing around cautiously, Karina stood against the wall opposite the hole, checking her surroundings. She let out a brief sigh of self-consciousness, but only for a moment. Something appeared from the hole she had been staring at.

“……A puppy?”

White fluffballs poked their heads out of the hole one after another. Four small puppies, just past their infant stage.

‘Could this be what they meant by wild animals?’

The unexpected intruders barked adorably. Their surprisingly strong voices echoed off the mansion walls.

Snapping out of her daze, Karina waved her hands in an attempt to quiet them, but it was futile. She quickly gave up and turned her attention back to her original goal, looking around.

‘But where did that thing go? I’m sure it was right here.’

Her gaze, which had been scanning near the hole, suddenly shifted to one side of the garden. It was the path she had just passed. Beneath a vine-covered iron passageway stood a large wolf. Its blue eyes, glowing in the shadows, stared directly at Karina.

‘Don’t worry. It may look like this, but it never bites.’

It was the wolf she had encountered at Noah’s mansion. Unconsciously stepping back, Karina froze as the wolf suddenly turned and walked away.

At that moment, faint barking came from beyond the wall. Realizing the puppies had disappeared, Karina followed the wolf. Passing through the iron gate, she saw the wolf’s bushy gray tail vanish into the bushes.

Soon, Karina discovered a particularly wide gap in the metal fence.

‘No way.’

Beyond the fence was a quiet road.

Moments later, Karina, now standing on the road, witnessed the most absurd sight she had ever seen.

“What on earth….”

The wolf was walking leisurely ahead, followed by the four puppies from earlier. They even maintained a synchronized distance, as if it had been planned.

Despite her disbelief, Karina naturally began to follow them.

‘They were so ferocious that they barked madly if you even got near the hole.’

That was what Becky had mentioned in passing. It was a warning that didn’t match the fluffy creatures ahead. The wolf leading the group might be considered ferocious, but Karina still found it hard to believe. After all, they were already acquainted.

After walking for a while, a small bridge came into view in the distance.

‘Is this the bridge that connects to the neighboring village? I haven’t been here since the main road was built.’

Karina tilted her head, recalling memories from her childhood.

The closer she got, the fainter those memories became. Both the old bridge and the stream beneath it had grown murkier with time. Finally, Karina stopped on the bridge and turned her head. The puppies barked loudly beside the yawning wolf.

As she absentmindedly watched the scene, she heard splashing sounds and turned her head.

“Ah, it’s cold.”

A muttered voice echoed from below. At the same time, the puppies became visibly excited and started jumping around.

Karina, feeling a sense of foreboding, looked down at the stream. A man was waist-deep in the water, playing as if it were a swimming pool. It was an unbelievable sight in many ways. While Karina stood frozen, the man lifted his head.

“Miss Karina?”

His cheerful voice echoed against the bridge and the stream. He was as radiant as the murky stream was dull.

Noah waved both hands with a bright face. From a distance, it almost looked like a cry for help.

‘What is he doing there?’

Karina briefly hesitated before shaking her head. She felt that even if she asked, she wouldn’t understand. As she debated whether to leave, Noah stepped out of the stream and onto the bank. His attire remained as light as ever. Unable to ignore him, Karina asked.

“……What are you doing there?”

“Just a moment.”

Noah replied in a short but friendly tone before walking under the bridge.

Karina let out a small sigh and looked to her side. Unlike the wolf, which was staring blankly into space, the puppies seemed agitated. Their whimpering cries sounded anxious. Karina soon discovered the reason.

Noah emerged from under the bridge, straightening his bent back. In his arms was a dirty dog. As the puppies rushed down to him one by one, Karina stood there in a daze.

“It’s been a while, Miss Karina. I apologize for the delayed greeting.”

Noah smiled slightly, bowing his head. The small creatures barked incessantly from beneath his carefully cradled arms.

***

An old man with white hair tremblingly removed his glasses. Karina held her breath. The elderly man, who had been jotting something down in a worn notebook, slowly raised his head.

“If you had been even a little later, it could have been a disaster.”

A gentle voice mixed with a faint smile. Karina relaxed her body only after confirming that smile.

“It seems it hasn’t eaten in quite a while. There’s a deep wound on its right hind leg too. It’s a miracle it survived.”

“Is its life in danger?”

Noah, who had been quietly listening, asked, and the old man slightly nodded.

“We’ll have to monitor its condition for a few days. Come back in a day or two.”

Noah bowed politely to the old man’s retreating back. Karina reflexively followed his example.

The place they were in was a barbershop run by an elderly man who used to be a doctor in his younger days. What Karina and Noah had brought wasn’t a person, but an animal.

“Mom, woof woof.”

A passing child pointed at the puppy. Feeling embarrassed, Karina covered her face, while Noah, who had been silent for a while, bowed his head toward her.

“Thank you for your help.”

“No, I didn’t really do anything.”

It might have sounded like empty words, but Karina was sincere. She truly hadn’t done anything today. She had merely followed five animals she encountered by chance, met Noah, and barely managed to keep up with him as he ran off somewhere.

As Karina stared out the window at the puppies scratching at the door, she turned her head toward Noah. He was quietly looking down at the dog wrapped in a white cloth. Unlike before, his gaze was serious.

His clothes, completely soaked from the waist down, looked stiff. After some hesitation, Karina untied her fur-lined cloak and handed it to him.

“…You look cold. Please use this.”

“Thank you.”

Without a hint of hesitation, Noah accepted it and carefully draped it over his shoulders. The luxurious wine-colored cloak with fluffy fur trim clashed starkly with his shabby clothes. The difference in size between him and Karina was also painfully obvious.

To some, it might have been a comical sight. But at least to Karina, it didn’t look that way.

“You crossed the stream instead of the bridge on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Pardon?”

“You did it because you were worried about being late, didn’t you? You said its condition was serious.”

Even though the dog wrapped in the cloth had passed out, its body trembled all over.

Karina felt pathetic for having thought he was playing in the water without knowing the situation. She lowered her gaze and muttered.

“If you had crossed the bridge, it would have taken more time. And here I was, clueless…”

However, Noah didn’t respond immediately. When she raised her head, she saw his face, clearly stiffened.

“That method didn’t even occur to me. I didn’t think of it at all.”

It was an expression she hadn’t seen since the first time he drank coffee without sugar. Karina turned her gaze to the air.

‘Of course.’

The faint sense of expectation that had just started to form crumbled and scattered into the air.

Noah seemed quite shocked, muttering something to himself. Ignoring him, Karina walked toward the entrance. As soon as she opened the door, a cool breeze swept across her face. The puppies ran up to her feet, wagging their tails.

“Do you like animals?”

Noah, who had followed her out, asked. Three of the four puppies changed their target and ran toward Noah.

Only the shyest one remained by Karina’s side.

“To be honest, not particularly.”

“Why not?”

Before she could even finish speaking, Noah asked. Without much thought, Karina answered.

“Because I only want to feel emotions I can take responsibility for.”

As she sat down and reached out her hand, the puppy hesitated but eventually approached. The strength of its bite on her fingers wasn’t painful, just ticklish.