Chapter 5-4:
A Desperate Struggle
MY DESPERATE STRUGGLE AGAINST DOGS continued even after I entered the academy. After all, whenever I met with the crown prince and queen, I was expected to bring the dogs along with me. I had to get used to these animals sooner or later.
But try as I might, even after my umpteenth encounter with them, the dogs trampled me. I had no chance of winning. I couldn’t continue to face these beasts without a plan in mind. In battle, one had to understand the mindset of their enemy—that was one of the basics of war. And so, before today’s skirmish, I called Lewis to my room. He was knowledgeable about dogs, and I wanted his advice.
“Lewis, you mentioned that you had a dog before you came to the orphanage,” I said. “You seem very skilled with them. Do you have any tips or tricks?”
“Huh? Oh, I’m not as skilled as you are, Lady Serena,” Lewis replied.
Shut up, I thought.
“In my case, the dogs just seem to rush toward me of their own volition,” I said. “I’m not inviting them over or anything. But that’s not true in your case, is it?”
“Ah, I see,” Lewis replied. “It’s true. Dogs just seem to flock toward you to an almost puzzling degree.”
And it’s unbelievably bothersome.
“Exactly,” I said. “So, well… I’m not really sure how to communicate with them. But if I am to spend time with the dogs of the royal family, I must learn how to deal with these animals.”
“You may be right, Lady Serena,” Lewis answered. “I understand. If you don’t mind having me as your teacher, I shall happily provide tips on how to handle dogs. I shall fetch my dog, so would you please give me a few moments?”
Lewis stood up and promptly brought his pet over. His animal was an average-looking dog with no unique characteristics. Recently, the dogs had stopped jumping on me on sight, but I could sense the passionate gaze from Lewis’s dog. It also seemed to be breathing harder.
Lewis smiled at his pet. “As I thought, my dog seems to be a bit excited when he sees you.”
Please stop that excitement. I’m begging you.
“First, to get along with a dog, you must speak to it gently,” Lewis advised.
“Speak to it?” I asked. “Do dogs have their own language?”
“That’s not what I mean. You can speak to a dog using human language, but you must put your intentions into your words and use a gentle tone. This is very important.”
“The dog won’t understand my words, but I still have to speak to it gently… Then could I just smile and say, ‘I’ll grill you whole and feed you to the other dogs,’ or the like?”
He looked a touch troubled. “Er… Dogs are creatures that are very sensitive to human emotions. You cannot just act kind; your words must be kind as well.”
What a nitpicky guy.
“All right,” I said. “Then I’ll try talking to your dog.”
I faced the animal and took a steady breath.
“You’re…cute?” I said. My tone made it sound like more of a question.
“A-arf!” the dog barked.
It turned into a beast as nature intended and immediately pounced on me.
This isn’t what was promised!
I desperately dodged for dear life as the dog jumped and pushed its snout against me, trying to lick my face.
“You’re as amazing as I thought, Lady Serena!” Lewis praised. “Your words are super effective!”
No, that’s not the point here!
“I don’t want such a passionate relationship,” I said. “I want to start by just being friends!”
I managed to tear the dog away from me, thanks to Lewis’s help.
“Hmm, I think that’s quite a difficult ask,” he said. “Dogs seem to love you very much.”
I didn’t want to hear those impudent words.
“Are there any other methods?” I asked.
“Usually, you can train a dog by using food,” Lewis explained. “For example, you can first offer a treat and attempt to teach your pet to sit.”
Use food to win them over, huh? It was a tactic that was highly effective against humans as well. I’d already expected as much and had some dried meat on hand. I took out a piece and raised it high in the air.
“Sit!” I declared.
In the next moment, the dog came flying towards my face. Unable to brace myself, I fell back. The creature sat on my face and rubbed its butt against me. I wasn’t sure if there was a hell in this world worse than what I was currently experiencing. After a while, the dog seemed satisfied and raised its butt before using its maw to grab the meat from my hand. I felt utterly humiliated.
“Dogs sure are clever,” Lewis murmured. His voice was filled with awe as he stroked his pet’s head.
Excuse me? Aren’t you supposed to take care of your master first? Are you or are you not my squire?
✦ ✦ ✦
I refused to give in. It was only when I visited the castle to see Prince Edward that the dogs became inexplicably quiet. However, I had no idea when they would betray me. Day after day, I relentlessly continued my battle against them until, finally, I had a mental breakthrough.
Humans are marvelous, I thought. They can understand words, after all. Why did I loathe Eleanor and my academy friends so much?
They were all human. I could communicate and negotiate with them as much as I liked. They were different from the beasts that refused to listen to me, no matter how much I ordered or pleaded. That advantage alone made people so much more valuable and precious.
I learned how to forgive. Any issue seemed trivial compared to the dogs. In fact, I was able to redo my life. Wasn’t that good enough for me?
Despite my thoughts, I continued to spend time with the dogs.
I had successfully vanquished numerous monsters across the kingdom; I couldn’t lose to mere household pets.
Plus, these dogs aren’t as energetic as they once were.
I didn’t know the precise ages of these strays, but they were likely quite old in dog years. Just because they were no longer spry, that didn’t mean that they were more likely to heed my orders. They were, however, easier to deal with. That made me happy and a touch lonely.
I knew that the dogs harbored no ill will toward me. In fact, they liked me quite a bit. I just didn’t like passionate displays of affection—if they had kept a bit more distance, I probably would’ve liked them a lot more.
Little by little, my mindset began to shift again.
✦ ✦ ✦
At the academy, the number of students who greeted me by the gates increased as the days passed. Upon closer inspection, I spotted the children of high-ranking nobles as well.
Why aren’t the teachers doing anything about this? I wondered. They should issue a warning or something. Whenever I tried to lock eyes with the teachers, they immediately turned away and averted their gazes. Do they think that they might turn into stone if they look me in the eye or something?
I wanted them to do their job better and carry out their duties. Even the king didn’t force his subjects to give such an obsequious greeting. I was a bit embarrassed by it all.
Speaking of royals, Crown Prince Edward—my fiancé—was in the same grade as me, but for some odd reason, he wasn’t present very much. In my previous timeline, I remembered that his very presence had been blinding—he glimmered as a royal should and stood out in a crowd. He seemed to have fewer people in his entourage too, this time around.
I asked one of my squires about it.
“But of course,” Oscar replied. “There’s only one other person in this academy who can truly guide the way. A person who only uses his rank to bolster his charm will naturally struggle to gather people.”
Uh, this person you speak of who only uses his rank is my fiancé. Besides, aren’t social status and rank important?
In my previous life, I’d considered social status the most important factor of all. Yet, contrary to those old thoughts, Prince Edward began to fade into the background and stood out less and less. At first, he acted like a fiancé should and spoke with me; he would even occasionally invite me for a spot of tea. But as time went on, he began to withdraw and neglect me.
When we were first engaged, he would joyfully converse with me as he played with the dogs, but ever since I had been dispatched to vanquish monsters, our time together had decreased.
I’m just repeating the same mistakes of my past life!
According to the information that my squires had gathered, it seemed the crown prince felt ashamed of himself when he compared his achievements to mine. I had accomplished many great feats, and His Highness hadn’t done much despite being the same age.
What a timid man. I could hardly believe that he was the very same crown prince who had viciously broken off his engagement with me in the previous timeline. Ultimately, he seemed to be a man who could only become assertive when he faced the weak. There was always a small voice in the corner of my mind whispering that I didn’t like Crown Prince Edward as much as I thought. Finally, a realization sunk in.
I merely coveted his social standing as the crown prince.