“Could I have a puppy?”

“A puppy…… you say?”

“I’ve always wanted to raise a cute puppy someday. Of course, my father never allowed pets, saying it was absolutely forbidden, so it remained just a wish……”

She seemed worried that Jürgen might also show reluctance. Noticing this, Jürgen firmly promised without further thought.

There was no reason he couldn’t give her a puppy.

Rather, he felt disappointed that he couldn’t give her more for her first wish.

“I’ll make sure to bring the cutest one.”

“Really?”

“If you have a particular puppy in mind, I’ll take note. Like fur color……”

After thinking for a moment, Diez soon answered.

“More than appearance…… I’d like a bright and healthy one.”

The smile on Diez’s face showed no sign of fading at the mere thought of a puppy. Had he ever seen her look so happy? There was nothing more to consider at this point.

His task was to procure a cute and healthy puppy as quickly as possible.

“How long do you plan to stay outside?”

“Do we have to go in already? The weather is still warm…… and I want to look at the sea more.”

“I wasn’t trying to direct you.”

Somehow he had a feeling. Diez saying she wanted to see the sea probably meant she wanted to enjoy her time alone.

“Then please return to the villa before it gets too late. I’ll be waiting.”

“All right.”

Jürgen left Diez, who couldn’t take her eyes off the blue sea, and walked back across the beach to the villa building. The servants seemed to wonder why he hadn’t brought Diez back with him.

How could he?

No one could force her anymore. Jürgen was no exception.

The servants, noticing that he wanted to give some instructions, approached him.

“Is there something you wish to say?”

“I need to bring a puppy.”

At the mention of a puppy, a second question crossed their faces. Their master was uncharacteristically anxious. And about a puppy, of all things.

“Is there any way to get a puppy in this area?”

“By puppy, you mean……”

“I’d like a cute and healthy one that Miss Schleicher would absolutely love.”

Only then did they show expressions of understanding. Needless to say, there was no one anywhere who could object to the Duke’s decision.

“We’ll look into it immediately. We’ll try to find one by the end of today……”

“Within two hours.”

“Understood. We’ll start inquiring right away.”

The servants withdrew quickly from his side to carry out the urgent instructions of the Duke.

Fortunately, the servants were able to contact a couple who lived on a farm not far from the private property. They said their dog had recently given birth to several puppies, and they had been wondering if they should give them up for adoption.

The small puppy brought by the servants was a poodle with curly brown fur. The fact that it seemed to like people and appeared lively reassured Jürgen. He was confident that Diez would surely like this puppy.

Diez, who had said she wanted to see more of the sea, returned to the villa only after 4 PM. Watching her from a distance as she sat on the beach, Jürgen felt an inexplicable tension as he saw her roughly dusting off her skirt and walking toward him.

Meanwhile, the poodle from the farm was quietly panting in his arms. Wondering if it wanted to run across the sandy beach right now, Jürgen gave a low warning to the puppy squirming in his arms.

“Stay still.”

Of course, the puppy couldn’t have understood his words. Worried that the small creature might suddenly jump out, Jürgen didn’t relax his arms holding the puppy at all.

By now, Diez had almost reached the summer villa. He could see the maids approaching to tidy her appearance.

Jürgen slowly approached Diez with the puppy in his arms. She, who had been quietly receiving the maids’ attention, seemed to sense his presence and looked in his direction.

Diez’s expression brightened when she discovered the puppy in his arms. Facing her rosy, radiant smile, Jürgen momentarily lost his words. It had been a very long time since he had seen Diez smile like that.

There must have been a time when smiling brightly was an everyday occurrence for Diez. Recalling how she used to surprise many ladies with her unrestrained smile, Jürgen felt a bitterness in one corner of his heart.

“Wow, it’s so cute.”

Diez approached with quick steps, displaying a smile brimming with happiness. Even knowing clearly that the smile was meant for the puppy, he felt his heart pounding.

The poodle in his arms wagged its tail enthusiastically, seemingly overjoyed just at the sight of Diez. Laughing as she felt it licking her carefully extended hand, Diez said,

“It seems to like me.”

“That’s good. It looks like the puppy will quickly adapt to life with you.”

“May I hold it too?”

Jürgen handed over the puppy he had been practically clutching to her arms. Though neither of them had experience raising pets, the puppy looked somehow more comfortable in Diez’s arms.

Although she had requested to raise a puppy, even he hadn’t expected that Diez would like it this much.

The smile seemed unlikely to leave her lips as she cradled the baby poodle in her arms. Jürgen didn’t regret pushing the servants by setting a two-hour limit.

He also thought: If I had known she would like it this much, I would have shown it to her earlier.

“I didn’t expect you to bring a puppy so quickly.”

Diez’s cheeks were still flushed as she said this.

“I never even thought I’d get a puppy today.”

“I just thought if I was going to bring one, it would be better to bring it as soon as possible. And this is the first wish you asked of me.”

At that, the blue gaze that had been looking down at the puppy all along turned toward him.

“I’m sincere about doing everything you want to do. I hoped you would come to trust me completely about that.”

His hope stemmed purely from his selfishness. He thought if he gave her satisfactory results, she might stay by his side a few days longer.

Perhaps he could even make her feel that life by his side was happy—such thoughts also occurred to him. Though he dared not say it directly, Jürgen wished for Diez to stay by his side as long as possible.

He wondered how he could have been focused solely on sending her away before. He regretted the days when he had done foolish things driven by fear.

Now he was confident he wouldn’t do anything that would leave scars on Diez. His heart, which had settled after going round and round, would not change from now on.

“It’s not that I didn’t trust you, but it’s true I didn’t think you would be this sincere about my wishes.”

“Do you like the puppy?”

Diez nodded.

“I’m thinking about what name to give it.”

“Take your time deciding. I’m sure the puppy won’t have any objections either.”

“Could I bring this little one into the bedroom?”

“Do as you please.”

Diez, who had been tenderly stroking the puppy in her arms, finally bent her knee to him and expressed her gratitude. He wanted to tell her there was no need for that, but not wanting to make her feel restricted in even the smallest action, Jürgen only showed a faint smile.

Watching her disappear into the villa accompanied by the maids, Jürgen at some point painfully furrowed his brow.

‘It’s starting again.’

Though he hadn’t supported his arm himself since the day he left the hotel with Diez, his right arm, already marred by burns, was getting worse because it hadn’t been properly treated. He had been neglecting it because he couldn’t bring himself to tell anyone. Above all, he worried that Diez might find out about his injury.

But he had a feeling that he couldn’t leave it alone any longer.

Instead of taking out painkillers, Jürgen deliberately ignored the pain that felt like being cut with a knife and called a servant.

“What can I do for you, Duke?”

“Find out if there’s a doctor in the area who can make house calls.”

“Is there something bothering you?”

“I have a small wound on my arm. There’s no need to inform Miss Schleicher that a doctor visited.”

The servants who attended him were all quite perceptive. The servant who quickly grasped his true intention nodded with a reliable demeanor.

Instead of searching for a doctor in the vicinity, the servants contacted the personal physician who had been taking care of the Klaus ducal family. He informed them that he would visit the summer villa immediately by car for the Duke.

Giving Diez the puppy early had been the right decision. While she was playing with the puppy in her own space, Jürgen secretly received the physician who came directly to his bedroom.

“Duke. According to the servants, you’ve injured your arm slightly.”

Jürgen silently nodded. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t just a slight injury.

“I would appreciate if you could roll up your sleeve so I can examine it directly.”