READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 49 - My Dog Doesn't Bite... But He Does Lick Me Obscenely
49. My Dog Doesn’t Bite… But He Does Lick Me Obscenely
Lebrado said.
“You don’t have to tell me the details of your situation. Even if you live as Count Hannah instead of Ellie, I won’t wonder why.”
“… … .”
“I just want to be by your side, Master.”
Lebrado.
Is it me you want, or is it my hand you like?
This time, he blurted out his words without crying.
“I can promise you on my mother’s life. Trust me. I won’t betray you, Master.”
The owner of the small ring on Lebrado’s necklace was his mother.
The woman he loved so dearly.
He loved her so much that he even missed her hand even after she died.
“You were the first person who readily offered me your hand and didn’t think I was strange.”
“… … .”
“I know it’s not easy. I’m not stupid. I know how kind my master is… Why would I betray someone I’ll never get to find again in this life?”
A sincere confession and true heart.
I still wasn’t sure if he liked me or my hands.
But I felt his sincerity.
He would not betray me.
I was sure of it.
Even if he were Lennon’s knight, he would give it up for me.
I accepted the silver necklace he held out toward me.
Then I got up from my seat and put the necklace back around his neck.
“…! My, my master!”
I even straightened his collar and then locked eyes with Lebrado.
“You said it was your mother’s heirloom. Why would you give me something so precious?”
“But… You don’t trust me… ”
Lebrado fidgeted and looked between Hardwin and me.
“It’s okay. I think I can trust you.”
I looked at Hardwin.
I wondered if he also sympathized with Lebrado’s sincerity.
“… Ellie. Okay. I’ll trust him a little bit. But I can’t trust him completely. Because Sir Lebrado is a knight of the Hills Duchy.”
Hardwin turned to Labrador with a question.
“Aren’t you associated with Lennon Hills?”
Only then did Lebrado correctly name the lord he was serving, not me.
“I am serving Lord Lennon.”
“Even if you snuck out, I suppose Lennon might notice that you visited the Count’s house, and you might tell him our secret.”
“In that respect, you have nothing to worry about.”
Lebrado assured him.
Then he began to list the reasons for his confidence.
“When I met Master during the day, Lord Lennon was with me. I don’t know how much Lord Hardwin knows about us, but Lord Lennon knows that I like Master very much.”
“… … .”
“Even if you had denied it you weren’t Miss Ellie on the spot, Lord Lennon would have thought this.”
Lebrado’s eyes narrowed as he spoke.
“
“… … .”
“That’s why Lord Lennon would find it even more strange that I didn’t go to the Count’s house.”
That was a plausible statement.
If I were Lennon, I think I would also have been more suspicious if Lebrado did not go to the Count’s house.
“Lebrado. You… ”
He wasn’t a stupid dog.
I barely managed to hold back from saying that.
“Hehe. Since it’s related to you, Master, I thought about it thoroughly. I’m not a knight of the Hills duchy for nothing.”
Lebrado looked at me as if he wanted some sort of reward..
I could tell at once what he wanted.
I clenched and unclenched my clammy hand.
Offering my hand to Lebrado wasn’t difficult for me.
But I hesitated.
The reason for my hesitation was…
“… … .”
I glanced at Hardwin’s face.
“I know you’re a good guy… but I still don’t trust you one hundred percent.”
Lebrado looked noticeably disappointed.
“I need your trust, Hardwin, to see my master, don’t I?”
I nodded.
Hardwin, who had been deeply absorbed in thought, finally parted his lips.
“I’ll make you a proposition: if you do what I suggest, I’ll trust you more.”
“What is it?”
The words that came out of Hardwin’s lips were not what I expected.
“I want you to spy on Lennon Hills.”
Unlike me who was surprised, Lebrado, who was seemingly unfazed, answered.
“May I ask what specifically you wish me to spy on?”
There was a strange gleam in his golden eyes as he asked that question.
It almost seemed as if he had expected this kind of request to be made.
I became more and more curious about what the ‘real Lebrado’ looked like.
I wondered if the real Lebrado was the one that could handle any situation and not panic, or the one that was my idealized version of a puppy that would jump up and down at my hands.
Hardwin’s answer came naturally, like he was reciting something he’d thought about earlier.
“I want to know the extent to which Lennon suspects Ellie’s identity, how far his investigation into us is. I don’t want family information that could blackmail the Duke.”
I looked at Lebrado.
There was no way a knight of the Duke’s family, especially one who was Lennon’s right-hand man, was going to be spying on Lennon…
“Yes! Okay. When would be a good time to start?”
… That wasn’t the case.
I wondered where his cool-headed appearance from awhile ago had gone.
Lebrado had answered readily, like a gleeful puppy.
I wasn’t the only one taken aback by his cheerful answer.
“Huh!”
Hardwin, who had been maintaining his composure the whole time, was frowning.
He was clearly perplexed.
Hardwin looked even more startled than when I told Lebrado to sit and he sat down right away.
He stammered.
“Hey, where has your pride as a knight gone?”
Lebrado, who was kneeling, looked at me, not Hardwin.
No, to be more precise, he was alternately staring at my face and my hands.
He opened his lips, his face suddenly serious.
“The master I want to serve has changed. I cannot pledge allegiance to two people at the same time.”
Lebrado’s persistent gaze was fixed only on me.
There was no doubt about the meaning of that gaze.
The owner that Lebrado wanted to serve right now was me.
He wanted to pledge his loyalty to me.
Lebrado didn’t just stop at talking, he even bowed his head.
His lips soon touched the toes of my shoe, which were sticking out slightly from my dress.
“… Le, Lebrado!”
I called his name in surprise, but Lebrado paid no attention.
He made sure to leave the mark of his lips on the toe of my shoe, then lifted his head.
It felt like a kiss pledging allegiance.
When I met his eyes again, there was a firm light in his golden eyes.
“I want to pledge my loyalty to Miss Ellie. I have never felt such a strong desire in my life. It is to the point where I feel that if I do not serve you, I am not worthy of living as a knight.”
“… … .”
“Miss Ellie. No, Count. I want you.”
Lebrado smiled softly at me.
His gaze slid over to Hardwin.
“My loyalty to Lennon Hills was not deep to begin with. I became a knight of the Duke’s household simply because I wanted to keep an eye on him.”
I had a strange feeling there.
I sensed a negative nuance in the tone of Lebrado’s words as he said, ‘I wanted to keep an eye on him.’
It was faint, but it was definitely unmistakable.
Lebrado showed hostility towards Lennon.
Lebrado added, quickly erasing the momentary hint of hostility he had shown.
“I also have a suggestion for Hardwin.”
Hardwin replied.
“What is it?”
“If things go well, please appoint me as a knight of the Count’s family, or rather, as the Count’s bodyguard. That’s all I ask.”
“… … .”
Hardwin looked at me, unable to answer readily.
It seemed like he was asking for my opinion.
I gave the most honest answer I could.
“Hardwin, it’ll be okay. Lebrado doesn’t bite.”
… But he does lick me obscenely.
I couldn’t bring myself to say that.
Hardwin looked at me strangely, then clarified the situation.
He said, running his hand through his fine silver hair.
“It’s getting late, so you should go back for now. Let’s meet again in a week somewhere else. I’ll send you a letter to your house with the information about where to meet.”
“…yes.”
“When we meet, Sir Lebrado, please tell me what you have learned from spying on Lennon for the past week. Depending on what you have learned, I will decide whether or not to accept your offer.”
Lebrado answered in a very disappointed voice.
“…yes.”
Lebrado’s head dropped sullenly.
He must have expected his proposal to be accepted immediately.
I reached out and patted Lebrado’s head a couple of times.
It was an action that I did before I could even think about it.
Lebrado felt my touch with his eyes tightly shut, just as he had the day before.
Then, for some reason, I hesitated to take my hand away.
I felt a strange sense of duty to comfort Lebrado until his sullenness subsided.
At that moment, someone grabbed my wrist.
“… ! Hardwin.”
Hardwin grabbed my wrist, which was resting on top of Lebrado’s head, stopping me from patting his head.
Hardwin’s palm felt hot against my wrist.
“It’s… very late.”
He said, jerking my hand away from Lebrado completely.
“Sir Lebrado, please return at once.”
There was clear hostility in Hardwin’s voice as he spoke to Lebrado.
It was similar to the hostility Lebrado had shown to Lennon before.