That Marriage, I’ll Do It in this Life - Chapter 25

“That’s strange.”

Of course, it was possible that things had changed since her previous life, given that this was her first time entering the room in this life. Still, based on her current age, the translated notes should have been here. She had discovered the book at the age of fourteen while organizing the library, and she started translating it soon after. Though she had left the latter half untranslated when she got married, the first half should still have been here.

Was her memory distorted after all these years?

‘Am I imagining that I translated parts of it when I didn’t actually do it…?’

No, that wasn’t it. She could still recall the general contents of the book. It was a sort of memoir written by a man who had fallen into a coma after suffering a severe injury centuries ago. After waking, he had documented his experiences during his unconscious state.

The author claimed that during his coma, his spirit had entered the realm of spirits, where he encountered and conversed with a guardian spirit. The book detailed why these spirits began forming contracts with humans and how those contracts were established.

Though her translation hadn’t been complete, she remembered the gist of it. Back when she had been engrossed in the work, she had even entertained fanciful thoughts like, ‘Wow, if I fully translate this, maybe our family could form a contract with a guardian spirit again!’

Of course, there were absurd claims in the book—such as the author extending his lifespan by hundreds of years thanks to the guardian spirit, despite being fated to die. These details had undermined the book’s credibility.

Still, once things settled down, she might be able to resume her translation work. Saena gently closed the book and placed it neatly on the desk.

After gathering the materials she planned to show Duke Kramer, she spent the rest of the day sorting through additional documents in the storage rooms and exhibition areas. By evening, she had compiled everything and instructed the servants to load the materials onto the carriage. Exhausted, she headed to her bedroom.

She needed to return to the townhouse early the next morning.

* * *

After a long day of sorting through documents, Saena bathed and went straight to bed. However, she woke suddenly in the middle of the night.

‘…It felt like someone was calling me.’

The memory of a dream lingered faintly, though she couldn’t recall its details. There was an inexplicable sense of emptiness, as if she had forgotten something important.

Saena rose from bed and walked to the window. The full moon illuminated the night, its light so bright that it left no shadows. The sky was clear, with countless stars twinkling against the dark expanse. The air was still, and the branches outside remained motionless, creating an eerie sense that time itself had paused.

“……?”

As she gazed outside, something unusual caught her eye. In a world where nothing else moved, something was stirring. Naturally, her attention was drawn to it.

The central garden lay just outside her window. Among the ornamental trees, something small was wriggling.

‘…What is that?’

It wasn’t a person—it was far too small. Nor did it seem like an animal; it appeared to be a glowing, moving mass.

Narrowing her eyes, Saena focused on the movement. The thing rolled around briefly before darting off at surprising speed toward the eastern rear garden.

‘…What did I just see?’

Saena briefly pondered the identity of the strange movement she had seen, then remembered the ‘shoot’ in the eastern rear garden. She decided she needed to check on it. She didn’t know what it was she had seen, but if it harmed the shoot, it would be a disaster.

Throwing a robe over her nightclothes, she hurriedly made her way out. She opened the door to her room and descended the stairs. The mansion was deathly silent, making her footsteps echo loudly through the halls.

She unlatched the bolt on the side door that led directly to the rear garden and stepped outside. Without sparing a glance elsewhere, she walked briskly toward the eastern rear garden.

To the place where the Yuri’s tree shoot was growing.

Though the moonlight was bright, the shadows cast by the tall trees left the area around the shoot in darkness. As she quickened her steps, the spot slowly came into view.

“…Huh?”

Something was wrong with the fence. Though it was hard to see clearly in the dim light, one side of the protective barrier surrounding the shoot had collapsed.

Was it that glowing thing from earlier?

Feeling a mix of frustration, anger, and worry, Saena rushed forward—only to stop abruptly just before reaching the spot. What she saw was entirely unexpected.

“…What on earth…”

The fence was indeed toppled, but the shoot itself was unharmed. No, it was no longer just a ‘shoot.’ In the span of a few days, it had grown to the height of an adult’s forearm.

Even stranger, a small animal was sitting quietly beside the plant, wagging its tail. It looked like a puppy, no more than a month old.

“…Who are you?”

The creature was so small and unthreatening that Saena felt no need for caution. She knelt down to get a closer look.

“Where’s your mother? Why are you here alone?”

Of course, the puppy couldn’t understand her words, but it was so endearing that she couldn’t help but speak to it. The moment she extended her hand, the puppy sprang to its feet and pressed its tiny head into her palm, rubbing against her affectionately. Its tail wagged furiously, as if it couldn’t move any faster.

The soft, fluffy sensation of its fur against her hand was delightful. The puppy had already won her over—if only because she had found it near Yuri’s tree.

“If you don’t have a mother… would you like to come with me?”

Before she could even finish her sentence, the puppy clumsily climbed into her palm.

“So that’s a yes, huh?”

Cradling the small creature in her arms, Saena murmured to herself. At that moment, she was completely smitten. Even if its mother were to appear and demand her pup back, Saena doubted she could let it go.

Feeling a pang of guilt at the thought, she glanced around just in case. Then, as if afraid someone might see her, she quickly stood and hurried away with the puppy in her arms. She didn’t even notice the collapsed fence she left behind.

* * *

The next morning, Saena awoke to find the puppy curled up at her bedside. As soon as she stirred, it wagged its tail and approached her, confirming that the events of the previous night had not been a dream.

Now that the full moon had passed and daylight had returned, her rationality began to creep back in. Though the puppy was still irresistibly adorable…

‘If it has a mother… I should probably return it, right?’

It seemed too young to be separated from its mother. She had heard that animals needed to nurse and stay with their mothers for at least three months to build immunity and learn social behaviors. The puppy in her care was barely the size of her palm, likely no more than a month old. The thought of its mother searching frantically for her lost pup filled her with unease.

“Hmm. Do you want to go back to your mother?”

Trying to soothe her conscience, Saena asked the puppy. It tilted its head quizzically, wagging its tail as if it didn’t understand.

“Miss, are you awake?”

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.

“Come in.”

Smila, her personal maid, entered with a cheerful smile.

“You’ll need to hurry if you want to leave for the capital on time. Would you like to wash first, or—oh, what’s that animal?”

Smila’s eyes widened in surprise as she noticed the puppy on the bed.

“Ah, I found it while out for a walk… I brought it back.”

“You brought it back? Are you planning to keep it?”

“Well, I’d like to, but… do you think it belongs to someone?”

“…Are you sure it’s a puppy?”

“It looks like a puppy, doesn’t it? If it’s not a puppy, then what is it?”

Smila stared at the creature with a puzzled expression, as if something about it didn’t quite add up.

The beast, as if trying to appeal with a ‘I’m harmless’ expression, wagged its tail at the maid with sparkling eyes.

“It looks a bit, um, strange to call it a puppy. And I’ve never seen eyes of this color in any dog before.”

Yesterday, it had been too dark to notice, but now that it was mentioned, the eye color was indeed peculiar. It was a complex mix of colors—silver, light purple, and blue.

“Wow, the eye color is so pretty.”

Did it understand what she said? The puppy’s tail wagged even faster.

“Is there anyone in the manor who keeps a dog? Could you check if anyone has lost a puppy?”

“Yes, understood. But if no one has, are you planning to keep the beast in your room?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I think the nanny might oppose it. The animal’s smell could linger in your room…”

Saina picked up the small beast, which fit snugly in her hand, and sniffed it, but there was no smell at all.

“I don’t smell anything, though.”

“It probably hasn’t been potty trained, so it might relieve itself on the carpet or in the room.”

Saina sniffed the beast’s fur again, rubbing her nose against it, but still, there was no smell. It was so odorless that it seemed almost strange. Shouldn’t there be at least a faint smell characteristic of animals?

This puppy, quite literally, had ‘no’ smell at all. If it weren’t for the warm body temperature typical of young creatures heating her hands, she might have doubted its very existence.

“Hmm. First, check if there’s a mother dog who’s lost her puppy.”

Somehow, the vague recognition that this was a special beast she had discovered was subtly taking over her mind, but she wanted to go through the verification process first.

“And make sure this little one is well taken care of until I return to Delvon.”

“Yes, I’ll see to it.”

Smilla, noticing that Saina couldn’t take her eyes off the animal, replied.