TBFP 08

Chapter : 08

“Is the dirt tasty?”

The monotonous voice, similar to the Grand Duke’s, seemed to have a subtle hint of amusement mixed in.

Heat rose to her face involuntarily. Leticia shook her head while wiping her dirt-stained mouth with her sleeve.

At that moment, something shiny caught her eye.

“…Huh?”

A large dog with silver fur that gleamed in the moonlight snatched up the grass root she had dropped. Then it approached her and extended its muzzle.

Despite its large size, its bright blue eyes were gentle.

Leticia hesitated before reaching out to the silver dog. As expected, its glossy fur was soft and fluffy.

When she gently stroked under its chin, the dog quietly placed the grass root on her hand.

“……”

“Come back, Tan.”

Lost in the surreal feeling while staring blankly at the dog, she snapped back to reality at the voice in her ear.

As she looked up, there was a boy patting the large dog’s head.

As if matching colors with the dog, the boy had silver hair, and Leticia finally realized why the dog’s fur color had seemed familiar.

‘The same color as His Grace the Grand Duke…’

Despite his beautiful appearance, the Grand Duke had a stronger sense of mystique due to his somewhat detached feeling from reality.

However, the boy who looked exactly like the Grand Duke seemed handsome rather than mysterious.

Under the tousled short silver hair, golden eyes identical to the Grand Duke’s stared at Leticia.

When their eyes met, the smiling face of the boy frowned, then quickly became expressionless.

In the suddenly chilled atmosphere, the boy spoke.

“Does the Empire raise its princes like beggars?”

The royal purple eyes.

Thanks to the moonlight, the boy seemed to have quickly deduced her identity after noticing her eye color.

Leticia quickly shook her head. But her stomach tactlessly made a noise.

Growl.

Hearing the sound made her feel even hungrier. The sound of her swallowing saliva to ease her hunger was audible.

Leticia kept her head bowed, hoping the boy would just pass by quickly.

However, instead of hearing footsteps leaving, there was a rustling sound accompanied by a delicious smell.

Despite her lowered head, her eyes involuntarily followed the smell.

The boy was holding jerky that smelled of smoke.

Noticing Leticia’s eyes fixed on the jerky, the boy twisted the corner of his mouth.

“This is Tan’s snack.”

The boy, who gave a piece of jerky to the dog sitting obediently at his feet, muttered to himself.

“How can a person eat what a dog eats? Even if you’re hungry, that’s not right.”

Then he turned to Leticia and grinned.

“Or are you a dog? Looking like that, I can’t tell if you’re a dog or a person.”

Despite the mocking words, Leticia’s eyes were fixed only on the jerky in the boy’s hand.

The boy deliberately extended his hand, waving the jerky, and said, “If you come on all fours like a dog, I’ll give it to you.”

It was meant to insult her, but Leticia didn’t feel particularly insulted.

Because she was terribly hungry, and the person the boy was trying to insult was the ‘prince’.

Not everyone in the Grand Duke’s family can be as mature as the Grand Duke.

So Leticia casually put her hands on the ground and quickly crawled to the front of the boy.

She reached for the jerky in the boy’s hand, but it was swatted away.

“What… What are you? You really crawled over? Don’t you have any pride?”

“Woof woof.”

Dogs can’t talk.

Leticia kept her gaze fixed on the jerky and reached out again. Surely he wouldn’t go back on his word.

However, the surprised boy quickly pulled his hand back, and Leticia shifted her gaze from the jerky to the boy.

“……”

Her face, gaunt like a skeleton, made her purple eyes stand out even more.

He had only heard about them, but seeing the eyes of royalty for the first time, they were like jewels, though he was reluctant to admit it.

Annoyed at having such a thought, the boy deliberately spoke gruffly.

“…Why is a dog using hands.”

Then I should use my mouth.

Without hesitation, Leticia opened her mouth and bit firmly on the jerky in the boy’s hand.

‘Delicious…’

She tasted saltiness on her tongue after a long time. It felt like stars were exploding in her head.

Leticia frantically stuffed the jerky into her mouth.

“Uh, uhh?”

When the startled boy tried to pull his hand back, she clenched her teeth tightly. She was slightly out of her mind after tasting meat for the first time in a long while.

“Stop…!”

When she came to her senses, she was already holding the boy’s wrist with both hands and not only the jerky but also the boy’s fingers were in her mouth.

Surprised at herself, she stopped chewing, and she could feel the boy’s fingers wriggling in her mouth.

When she looked up, she saw the boy’s neck, which had turned bright red.

He was covering his face with his free hand, so she couldn’t see his expression.

“Let go!”

The boy pulled his hand out of her mouth.

In the process, her tongue moved reflexively.

Lick.

The moment her tongue brushed against the boy’s index finger, the boy finally couldn’t hold back and shoved Leticia’s shoulder.

Even as Leticia fell back on her bottom with a thud, she could clearly see the boy running away as she quickly turned her body.

He disappeared so fast that after blinking a couple of times, even his back was out of sight.

‘If it weren’t for the jerky left in my mouth, I might have thought it was a dream…’

Leticia waved her hand at the large dog the boy had left behind while chewing and swallowing the jerky.

“Hello?”

Left alone, the dog sat with its bottom on the ground, wagging its tail gently.

“How am I supposed to return you to your owner…”

“Woof!”

As if answering her muttering, a bark came back. And as if to say it was okay, the dog slowly shook its head horizontally and then barked once more in the direction the boy had run.

“You can follow him?”

“Arf!”

The dog nodded its head up and down as if to say yes, then ran off in the direction the boy had left.

Leticia was suddenly left alone. It felt unreal, as if she had just had a dream.

A handsome boy resembling the Grand Duke and a dog.

Moreover.

“What kind of dog acts so human-like…”

***

The western tower of the Grand Duke’s castle was in an uproar.

Even in the middle of the night, knights carrying oil lamps were circling around, searching for the missing young duke.

In fact, if the young duke had disappeared alone, given his willful nature, there would have been no need for the knights to go out looking for him.

The problem was that he hadn’t disappeared alone.