Chapter 12

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I am a baby. My name is Ruria.

When I woke up,

“Daa?”

I said, and sensed something right next to me.

“Haha”

It was the puppy called Leonardo by my sister. He was wagging his tail happily.

He had stuck his head between the bars of the crib and was clinging to the futon with his front claws.

“Dau-”

“Pee”

When I called out, the puppy made a whining sound as if to be affectionate.

“Dau? (Did you come with the nurse?)”

“Hahaha”

Then I realized.

The bed was quite high off the ground.

So, the puppy shouldn't have been able to reach it with his size.

“Dau? (Could you have been hanging there?)”

“Kyuun”

The next moment, the puppy fell with a thud and disappeared from view.

Indeed, he had been clinging with his front claws.

Though I couldn't see him, his hind legs had been dangling.

“D-Dau? (A-Are you okay?)”

“Au! Au!”

The puppy, who was apparently jumping around, could be seen peeking out from time to time.

I'm glad he seems to be fine and very cute.

It would be nice if whoever brought the puppy into the room could also put him in the crib.

If the puppy is by my side, I'll be happy and delighted.

“Dau~ (Please, someone)”

“Wafu!”

The puppy, who had been jumping around, clung to the futon with his front paws.

Then he wriggled his way into the crib.

The puppy, though small, has incredible jumping power and strong front paws.

“Dau- (Future guardian!)”

“Wau”

For a puppy, he's surprisingly strong.

His legs are quite thick for his small body.

He's sure to grow into a fine dog.

“Hmph”

The puppy, who had climbed onto the crib, immediately came to sniff me.

In return, I sniffed the puppy.

He smelled good.

The first time we met, he smelled like a dog, but he must have been washed clean.

“Dau? (You're clean)”

The dirty brown fur I saw the first time we met has turned into a beautiful golden color.

His fur is long and fluffy.

I grabbed the fluffy fur, which felt so good.

The puppy licked my hand.

It was fun.

“Dau~ (Still, you're being pampered by the spirits)”

Spirits had gathered around the puppy, sparkling.

The puppy moved his front paws as if to play with the spirits and rolled over onto his back.

“Oh, when did this happen!”

Mother, who had been out on some errand, returned and noticed the puppy.

She seemed to have recovered her strength and has been staying by my side as much as possible lately.

“You can't just come in, Leonardo.”

“Dau? (Leonardo?)”

It might have been Mother, not my sister, who named him Leonardo.

The puppy doesn't seem to fit the name Leonardo, but he might grow into it.

“Kuun”

“No cuddling”

The puppy was picked up by Mother and handed to a maid, who took him outside.

The nurse would usually let the puppy stay, but Mother often takes the puppy to another room without mercy.

“Fgyaaa”

I cried in protest, but it didn't work.

“Ruria, are you hungry? You're so lively.”

Mother picked me up. She smelled good. She was soft and warm, and I felt safe.

In my previous life, after my parents died, I never felt this relaxed.

“Dau!”

“Ruria is such a good girl.”

I was given a breast to suckle.

“Mugyugyu”

I forgot about protesting the puppy being taken away.

I was hungry, so I drank the milk.

“Of course, Miss Ruria was crying because she was hungry.”

The nurse smiled.

“It seems so. Compared to Gilbert and Lydia, you hardly cry, so I was worried...”

“You drink more milk than Young Master and Miss Lydia, so there's no need to worry.”

“I'm sure you're right.”

By not crying, I had worried Mother.

Maybe from now on, I should cry a bit more.

After drinking a lot, I got sleepy.

I burped and fell asleep.