Only Realized After Losing You

20. Loyal Dogs’ Stamina

Deep in the starless night, Lebrado closed his eyes tightly.

There was one thing he did every day before going to sleep.

It was to pray to his mother who passed away a few years ago.

‘Mother. I want my master to be happy. I hope my master smiles every day.’

Lebrado thought that his mother, who was far away and could never return, might be surprised by his prayers.

It was the first time he had ever prayed for someone else.

Ellie.

The woman he came to trust so blindly that it was hard to believe that she became his master only a few days ago.

Lebrado closed his eyes and tried to remember how he’d first met her.

Of course, he didn’t decide to meet Ellie, “the mute who listened to others”, just to lick her hand.

Lebrado just wanted to talk to someone about his love of hands, that was all.

But as soon as he realized that her hands resembled his mother’s, Lebrado lost reason.

He had frantically licked her hand without her consent.

Then, when he finally came to his senses, his first thought was:

… I’m screwed. She thinks I’m weird and a pervert.

But she smiled.

As if she understood his entire story. Without knowing anything about it.

She is a strange person.

It was Lebrado’s first impression of Ellie.

Lebrado confided to Ellie about how he came to like hands.

‘… Don’t you think I’m strange? Don’t you think it’s gross?’

Then Ellie, who could not speak, shook her head.

She seemed to understand him after just listening to his simple story.

An angel.

She must be an angel.

An angel with beautiful hands who cannot speak.

That was Lebrado’s second impression of Ellie.

Then Lebrado thought:

Since she is so understanding of my situation, I want to be understanding of hers.

He wondered why she did such a strange job.

That was the first question that he had towards Ellie.

Although his attraction started with her hands, Lebrado liked other things about her as well.

Like the way she was so deliberate in everything she did.

The way she appeared to think deeply for a few seconds when she was asked something.

She even readily complied with the ridiculous suggestion of letting him lick her hand.

There was not the slightest reason for Lebrado to dislike her.

When they went to the fountain together, the sight of Ellie lightly touching the rising water column with her fingertips was so beautiful.

At first, he was only looking at the back of her wet hand, but then he realized he was looking at her pretty face.

He realized that he was looking at her face and not her hands that were just his type.

It was unbelievable.

Maybe that was why.

Ellie somehow caught his eye and he wished she would smile a little more.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen her smile so brightly.

How can I make her smile brightly?

One thought led to another, like a stream of water.

Lebrado’s mind drifted to Lennon and Ellie, when he had seen them at the banquet hall this afternoon.

How did the two of them know each other?

Lennon had told him to go fuck himself.

His voice as he said that was terrifying.

He realized that his master must be listening to Lennon’s secrets as well.

Otherwise, there would be no reason for Ellie, a commoner, to have contact with Lennon.

Lebrado wasn’t particularly interested in what Lennon’s secret was.

Everyone lived with at least one secret.

The same could be true for Lennon Hills, who seemed to lack nothing.

However, it just felt awkward that such an arrogant man would have revealed his secret to someone else.

There was one thing that bothered him more than Lennon’s secret.

That was, Lennon seemed to like Ellie.

Lebrado didn’t like that.

It felt like his master, who only loved him, had another pet.

I’m jealous.

I hope my owner doesn’t get along with Lennon…

Lebrado made up his mind.

He was going to go see his master early tomorrow morning.

There was almost nothing to eat in his master’s kitchen, so he decided to go grocery shopping.

Then, he would cook her the dish he was the most confident in.

Perhaps then she would like him more than Lennon.

Other than the strange job of making money by listening to other people’s secrets…

He even thought that he would like Ellie to be his master by his side for the rest of his life.

If money was an issue, he was confident that he would never run out.

Even though Lebrado acted like a puppy in front of Ellie, he was the right-hand man of the next head of the Hills duchy.

Not only was he good at swordsmanship, but he was also good at making money.

… Of course, he had messed up and was currently on temporary suspension.

“Phew.”

Why did I touch the hand of ‘that man’ who is known to be sensitive?

Lebrado had been suspended by Lennon for touching that man.

He quickly dismissed the vision of the man that briefly flashed through his mind.

It was something he didn’t really want to think about.

He desperately thought about Ellie again and hoped to fall asleep quickly.

However, his thoughts continued for a long time, and he could not sleep until dawn.

* * *

“… What time is it?”

Even though he slept late, Lebrado woke up early in the morning.

His early wake-up time was out of habit.

However, he was very tired.

Yesterday, he went to an unfamiliar banquet and had a sleepless night.

Half-awake, Lebrado slapped himself hard to wake up.

Smack.

As the smack sound rang out, Lebrado frowned.

With his copper-colored skin and bold facial features, his wrinkled face looked grim.

It was so bad that when he frowned, the lowest-ranking knights of the Duke’s family couldn’t dare say a word to him properly.

And then there was that other time.

That time when a passing dog peed on him when it saw his frowning face.

However, the words that came out from between his lips were somewhat weak.

“Ouch… ”

He must have hit himself too hard.

Lebrado quickly got out of bed and started grooming himself.

“Because I’m going to meet my master, I need to wash myself cleanly and wear nice clothes.”

Lebrado was planning to make breakfast for Ellie this morning.

Of course, it was not an arranged meeting with her father.

Late at night after the banquet, he went to the bar where her father always stayed but…

‘Tomorrow? She already has guests booked for tomorrow.’

He was one step too late.

It was a last minute visit, but would she turn him down at the door if he offered to make her breakfast?

“By the way, who are the already booked guests referring to?”

Lebrado suddenly remembered Lennon’s face. He just hoped it wasn’t his damn lord.

Soon, he finished preparing and started heading to Ellie’s house.

He also bought several ingredients on the way.

He didn’t know what she would like, so he bought quite a few things.

It was still early in the morning when Lebrado, with his hands full, arrived at Ellie’s house.

“Is it too early? Is she still asleep?”

If she was sleeping, all he had to do was wait until she woke up.

If I cook a delicious breakfast, tidy up the house, kneel down to greet my master, wouldn’t she pat me on the head?

Lebrado desperately wanted those pretty hands to tangle his hair.

If she would let him lick it, all the better.

He knocked gently on the front door.

Tat tat.

“Master! Master! Your faithful pet dog is here!”

Is the greeting a bit excessive?

He was excited without even realizing it at the thought of seeing Ellie.

Lebrado said, “whew,” and took a short breath.

Soon, the tightly closed front door swung open.

Through the open doorway stood the person he had been looking forward to seeing.

“Master!”

Ellie smiled awkwardly and placed her index finger on her lips.

Perhaps it was a sign to be quiet.

It was then that a strange woman he had never seen before appeared behind Ellie.

The woman stuck her head out and looked at him carefully.

Her gaze was so overt that Lebrado felt embarrassed for some reason.

When he least expected it, the woman’s commentary began.

“Oh, you look good. I bet you have the… stamina to last all night.”

… Stamina.

Lebrado was startled by those words and lost grip on the large bag he was holding in both hands.

Thud.

Several ingredients spilled out of the fallen bag and landed on the floor.

Colorful paprika, juicy beef, red tomatoes, green bay leaves, fresh button mushrooms… It was the same thing.

“This intruder will disappear, so enjoy yourself to your heart’s content.”

The woman who had been saying strange things all morning turned around with a devious smile on her face.

Ellie seemed as embarrassed as he was.

Lebrado came to his senses late and lowered his posture.

Then, he quickly started putting the fallen ingredients into the bag.

“Is she the master’s mother?”

Ellie nodded her head slowly.

When Lebrado had gathered up all the fallen items, he straightened up from his low stance.

He felt as if sweat was flowing down between the ridges of his back.

Why am I so feverish?

He could confidently say that he had never imagined doing anything dirty with Ellie.

He meant it when he said there was no sexual connotation to licking her hand.

However, the term ‘stamina’ was a word that naturally evoked strange imaginations.

Lebrado felt the need to say something that had nothing to do with fertility.

Even something small would do.

He needed to say something, anything to take the heat off of him.

Otherwise, he would be overcome by the heat.

So early in the morning. And against his honorable master.

“Ah, I’m here to cook something pleasurable for breakfast!”

“… … .”

… Ah. The word pleasurable.

The words of Ellie’s mother resonated in Lebrado’s ears.

‘This intruder will disappear, so enjoy yourself to your heart’s content.’

The amount of cold sweat flowing down his back had noticeably increased.

Hot. Lebrado wanted to take off his clothes right now.

Lebrado lowered his gaze and said.

“… It would be better to refrain from saying that pleasurable. I feel embarrassed for some reason.”

His face, the tips of his ears, the nape of his neck… Every place where his skin was exposed was red.