Chapter 58

I ended up playing the role of the adopted daughter a bit too well 058

“Why are you angry?” I asked.

Tundra hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“It’s because Lord Jermi disregarded the procedures and laws, and acted in a way that goes against the etiquette of the nobility.”

“Come on, you’re just making excuses.”

Jermi chuckled.

Jermi’s eyes curved into half-moons.

“You’re just jealous.”

Tundra met Jermi’s gaze.

Their eyes clashed in the air.

“Jealous?”

“Yeah, jealous.”

Tundra wanted to say, “Stop talking nonsense,” but couldn’t.

‘Jealous.

It seems Jermi is right.

After making a rational judgment, Tundra nodded.

She had to admit it.

“I think I was jealous.”

Viola felt a sudden calm.

‘Brother Han didn’t feel jealous of me...

Han Jun always treated Han Arin as family.

He was always warm and considerate, but he never treated Arin as a woman.

If anyone was jealous, it was Han Arin, not Han Jun.

‘I feel more at ease now.”

The difference between Han Jun and Tundra became clear.

If it were Han Jun, he wouldn’t have said it was jealousy.

“Do you know about my wish, Lord Jermi?”

“Yeah, a pet dog. It’s an interesting dream.

But is it real?”

“Yes.”

Tundra was desperate about the dream of being a pet dog.

So she studied it diligently whenever she had time.

She talked to people who owned pet dogs and even consulted with a pet dog trainer, a rising new profession.

“Some pet dogs show significant attachment and jealousy towards their owners.”

“Hmm.”

“It can be controlled to some extent through training, but I’ve never received such training. That’s why I feel jealous.”

Viola wanted to say,

‘That’s about real dogs!

You’re a human.

And Jermi! Why do you suddenly look so convinced?’

“So you were jealous?”

“Seems like it.”

She bowed her head deeply.

“I’m sorry, Lady. I dared to feel jealous.”

Jermi chuckled.

“You’re talking as if you’re a real dog?”

“It’s my dream to be a pet dog.”

The content of the words was absurd and funny, but her attitude was serious, even reverent.

Jermi was also serious.

“I like people with strong beliefs.”

“I think the value of beliefs can’t be judged by others.”

Jermi patted Tundra’s shoulder.

It looked like encouragement.

“I support your dream and beliefs.”

Viola shivered.

Those words appeared several times in the novel.

“I support your dream and beliefs.”

But the words didn’t mean what they seemed.

In the novel, it was often said when Jermi felt strong competitiveness.

Viola felt a bit like crying.

What part of Tundra’s belief (?) made Jermi feel so competitive?

‘Where exactly?’

Even Han Arin, a hardcore reader, found Jermi unpredictable.

The author even left a comment on the blog: “Actually, I don’t know where he’ll go. When I regain my senses, he’s already running wild. Jermi is like that.”

For example, Jermi is a character who gets kidnapped out of curiosity.

Jermi walked away.

“Anyway, we’re exploring the ruins together. See you in three days.”

He glanced at Viola and Tundra and smiled.

He said something very intentional.

“I’m your brother, so I’ll be informal in private. See you in three days, cute Viola.”

Three words stabbed into Tundra’s ears.

Brother.

Private.

Cute.

Tundra, unnoticed by anyone, curled her lips and growled low.

*****

Viola felt sorry for Tundra.

She looked like a drenched puppy.

“Was it too embarrassing to act like a pet dog?”

She looked like a drenched puppy with a drooping tail and trembling.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be jealous.”

“It’s okay.”

Viola felt quite good.

She realized Tundra was significantly different from Han Jun.

“Dogs act like dogs, so why are you apologizing?”

Viola gently rubbed Tundra’s waist.

Like a master petting a dog’s back.

Tundra’s mood improved quickly.

If Tundra had a tail, it would have wagged.

Just a moment ago, she looked like she was about to cry, but now she looked like she had the world.

‘She really acts like a dog.’

Tundra eventually calmed down.

Meanwhile, Xenon entered Viola’s room and asked.

“But Tundra, how did you know Lord Jermi was here?”

Viola tilted her head.

“Tundra knew that?”

“Yes. She stood in front of the door for a long time. She seemed to have noticed Lord Jermi early on.”

Viola looked at Tundra.

“Did you know?”

“Yes, I knew.”

“How?”

“By smell.”

Suddenly, Tundra’s nose twitched.

It moved like a dog’s when it detects a certain smell.

Xenon smiled.

“You noticed Lord Jermi by smell? Do you mean his body odor?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

“There’s a unique smell of mana.”

Viola doubted her ears.

‘Unique smell of mana?’

Viola had read the novel ‘Shadow of Bellato’ multiple times and even finished reading the author’s setting book several times.

But the phrase ‘unique smell of mana’ never appeared.

Not in the novel, not in the setting book.

“Everyone’s smell is different. I felt Jermi’s smell.”

“Interesting. That’s a unique phenomenon.”

It was something never mentioned in the novel.

It seemed the male lead, Tundra, had gained a new ability not in the novel.

‘It’s probably okay.’

Xenon asked again.

“Do I have that smell too?”

“Yes, but your smell changes every day. That’s why I don’t like it.”

“Why?”

“It feels deceitful and cunning.”

“Ah. That’s a harsh evaluation. We’ve been together for five years, and that’s all you think of me?”

Tundra nodded without hesitation.

“I’m hurt.”

Xenon claimed to be hurt, but his expression didn’t show it, and Tundra didn’t care much.

“What about Lady’s smell?”

“Nostalgic smell.”

Tundra spoke without hesitation.

Without a second of hesitation, she said, “Nostalgic smell.”

“I’ve known my master’s smell for a very long time.”

“A very long time? How long?”

Xenon’s smile deepened.

“I met Lady five years ago.”

“No. I’ve been longing for Lady’s smell for much longer.”

Viola frowned.

I don’t understand what she’s saying.

“What nonsense?”

“It’s not nonsense.”

Tundra’s expression was serious.

It didn’t seem like a lie.

‘Why is she saying such strange things?’

Tundra always confuses me.

The same face, the same voice, but she keeps saying strange things.

“If it’s not nonsense?”

“I knew it from the moment I first felt my master’s smell. I’ve known it for a very long time. It felt familiar and nostalgic even the first time I smelled it.”

Tundra was honest about her feelings and thoughts.

‘Dogs don’t need to think deeply.’

I don’t know about human Tundra, but dog Tundra can be honest.

Viola told her to be that way.

“It felt like a long connection, like a thread that has been tied for a long time.”

A faint smile appeared on Tundra’s face.

“Somehow, it feels like I’ve been living to meet my master. The smell tells me that.”

***

That night.

Viola stayed awake all night.

She pondered Tundra’s words.

‘Nostalgic smell. Long connection.

And another phrase.

‘Somehow, it feels like I’ve been living to meet my master. The smell tells me that.

When she heard those words, her heart ached.

She buried her face in the blanket.

‘Why do you say such things with that face?’

It was a strange feeling.

She knew Tundra wasn’t lying.

It wasn’t a lie with a hidden agenda; Tundra was simply expressing her true feelings and thoughts.

That’s why it was more confusing.

‘Tundra is just being a loyal pet dog.’

She said she studied a lot about dogs.

She must have unconsciously and sincerely imitated a dog’s nature from her studies.

‘Dogs don’t betray people.’

I heard they only look at their owners and live for them.

I heard that the owner is everything to a dog.

So, Tundra is probably making herself that way.

‘That’s Tundra’s character.’

She’s a character who always achieves what she sets her mind to.

If she says her dream is to be a pet dog, she will work hard to achieve that dream.

‘So, she gained a new ability that doesn’t exist in the original story.’

Furthermore,

‘She probably felt my mana smell as familiar and nostalgic for a long time.’

Tundra is a character who would create such a situation.

Viola had to accept it.

‘Ah, my head hurts.

By now, the bright morning sunlight was seeping through the window bars.

The chirping of bluebirds could be heard.

‘I must have fallen asleep without realizing it.’

Xenon was standing by the bed, waiting.

“You kicked off the blanket again, as usual.”

“When did you come?”

“I arrived two hours, 25 minutes, and 8 seconds ago. As part of my duties, I’m responsible for your health, so