Jürgen, who had been reading a newspaper, couldn’t answer right away. This was because he couldn’t be certain if this was the second wish Diez wanted to request.

But if she wasn’t asking for his permission, there seemed no reason for her to come looking for him, holding the puppy, at such a late hour.

Does bathing a puppy require my permission?

Meanwhile, the small puppy in her arms had already transformed into a somewhat dirty state.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to have the maids do it?”

“I didn’t want to assign the first bath to the servants. After all, it’s my puppy.”

Whether Puppy understood Diez’s words or not, it barked once.

“Ever since I imagined having a dog, I always pictured myself giving it baths.”

“I understand.”

Jürgen put down his newspaper and asked in an uncertain voice.

“Do you…… want me to join you?”

“You, Duke?”

As if she too hadn’t foreseen that Jürgen would offer to help bathe the puppy, Diez’s eyes opened wide.

“I’m not sure if I can ask for your help.”

“Didn’t I tell you? That I would help you do everything you want.”

Though he said this, Jürgen wasn’t without concerns either. He had never even raised a dog before. Could two beginners successfully complete bathing a small animal?

Of course, it seemed more reassuring for him to join her than for Diez to bathe it alone. After all, she didn’t seem to want help from the servants.

“If you want me to help, please feel free to say so. Though I can’t guarantee I’ll be of much assistance……”

“I think it would be much better if you helped, Duke.”

Since she had carefully requested it, Jürgen had no choice but to comply.

The two of them headed to the large bathroom attached to the room, carrying the puppy that had gotten dirty from playing excitedly on the sand. Puppy, wagging its tail without knowing anything, seemed to sense what situation it was in only after Diez placed it in the bathtub.

Unfortunately, Puppy turned out to be a dog that didn’t particularly like water. The moment water splashed over its body, Puppy began whining and struggling with all its might to escape the bathtub.

Small as the puppy was, once cooperation became difficult, the difficulty of bathing skyrocketed. Jürgen’s role was to forcibly hold Puppy, who was making pitiful sounds and struggling.

Even that was no easy task as he tried to restrain the puppy without hurting it. While Jürgen restrained Puppy, Diez diligently washed it, soaping the puppy’s body with awkward hands.

He couldn’t help but think.

‘Why is Diez volunteering to do this?’

No matter how he looked at it, this wasn’t something she should be doing. If she hadn’t received his help, he couldn’t even imagine what disaster Diez would have faced alone.

By the time they succeeded in making Puppy clean, both of them were thoroughly soaked with water. In the midst of this, it was Puppy who looked like it had been through thick and thin.

Diez, fortunately, seemed satisfied. She wore a proud expression as she dried the puppy she had cleaned with her own hands using a towel.

Only after the moisture had been wiped off to some extent did Puppy escape from her arms and shake its body as if it had a motor attached. Jürgen, sitting on the edge of the bathtub, watched this and asked.

“It must have been quite tiring for you, are you all right?”

“It was fun.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“I feel bad that you had to go through trouble because of me, Duke.”

“I must keep my promises. If you’re satisfied, that’s all that matters.”

Although water had splashed all over his bathroom from bathing Puppy, he had no intention of complaining. It would be a lie to say it wasn’t difficult, but for Jürgen, the time spent with her wasn’t all that bad.

Diez was deeply grateful that he had helped with Puppy’s bath. She left his bedroom with Puppy so that Jürgen could change his clothes.

Throughout the process of washing off the sweat and changing into a robe, Jürgen was consumed by thoughts that didn’t match his station.

Could he have become a little closer to Diez through today’s events?

Although he had resolved not to covet her heart, he couldn’t do anything about the lingering attachment.

In any case, what was important to him was that he had created an enjoyable time for Diez.

I’m glad I brought the puppy early.

Thinking that in his heart, Jürgen laid his tired body on the bed.

When he opened his eyes again, his head felt heavier than usual. That wasn’t all. Though it was clearly his bedroom, Jürgen slowly opened his eyes, sensing the commotion around him.

Several servants were looking down at him with concerned expressions.

“Duke, how are you feeling?”

“What…… do you mean?”

“A maid who went to turn off the lights for you late at night, as you hadn’t done so, informed us that your condition wasn’t good. We’ve called the physician, so please wait a little.”

It was puzzling. What did they mean by his condition not being good? But even before hearing their words, Jürgen had felt that he was sick.

What reason would I have to be ill?

Could it be that he had fallen ill just from bathing a puppy?

If that were the case, he would find it difficult to even lift his head in front of Diez. Even while sick, such thoughts filled Jürgen’s mind.

As the servants had said, the physician soon appeared before him. First examining Jürgen’s right arm, he shook his head with a troubled expression.

“You must keep water from entering the wound. There’s a risk of infection. I thought I had made that clear……”

“I momentarily forgot.”

Had the doctor said such things? Due to his heavy head, he couldn’t recall well. It seemed that forgetting even the fact that his right arm was in pain while bathing Puppy had been the root cause.

After administering antibiotics and rewrapping bandages around his right arm, the doctor repeated the same precautions to Jürgen and left.

Even during all this, Jürgen’s mind was filled only with thoughts of Diez.

I should tell her to leave bathing the puppy to the servants for a while.

Perhaps there was a sleeping pill among the prescribed medications, as drowsiness soon came over him. Jürgen closed his eyes again, feeling the heavy pain subside.

He could only hope that the news of a doctor visiting late at night hadn’t reached Diez.

Morning dawned once more. Jürgen habitually looked toward the window. The greatest advantage of the large bay window was that one could see outside well even from bed.

Despite it being late morning, Diez was not visible playing with the puppy on the beach. Perhaps she planned to spend time somewhere other than the beach today.

As he was thinking this, someone knocked on the door. Assuming it was a servant, Jürgen sat up and said.

“Come in.”

Surprisingly, his visitor was not a servant but Diez. Moreover, she wasn’t even holding Puppy in her arms. Wasn’t this the puppy she never let out of her sight except during meals?

“Is something wrong?”

Jürgen asked reflexively. It was rather amusing that he would ask such a thing when anyone could see he looked like a sick person.

Diez shook her head and approached a few steps closer to him, saying,

“I heard a doctor visited last night.”

“……I didn’t want you to know.”

“Were you in a lot of pain?”

“It wasn’t anything serious. The servants just overreacted.”

At this rate, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to hide the fact that he was receiving regular medical care for much longer.

“I have a small wound on my arm, which worsened because I neglected it, so I’ve been receiving treatment. It’s nothing serious enough for you to worry about, so please don’t concern yourself too much.”

“I thought you had fallen ill because I asked you to help with Puppy’s bath.”

“Would I fall sick from something like that?”

Diez still seemed uneasy as she sat silently by his side. Suddenly, he wondered. Why are you worried about me? This mere burn on my arm is nothing compared to the pain she must have endured.

“How long have you been receiving treatment?”

“Just a few days.”

“I only just learned that your arm was wounded. If you had told me, I wouldn’t have asked for your help……”

“You wouldn’t have been able to handle it alone. Puppy is quite strong, you know.”

“But—”

“It’s really nothing. Just a minor wound that will heal in a few days.”

However, his claim lacked credibility. By the time he realized he hadn’t managed to hide his bandaged forearm, it was already too late.

He really didn’t want Diez to learn more about the self-inflicted injury.

Soon, he changed the subject.

“Where is Puppy?”

“I left it in the bedroom for a moment.”

“It must be quite bored.”

“Duke, is it really true that I don’t need to worry?”

Jürgen, who had been looking at her for a moment, nodded. This was exactly why he hadn’t wanted her to hear that a doctor had visited. He didn’t want her to waste time worrying about him when she should only be thinking about the things she wanted to do.