My Beloved Dog is the Strongest in Another World

I Answered Mr. Ekenhart Seriously

While nothing clear had been said, it was true that I often felt that Ms. Claire was fond of me. There was that one time when things had been particularly intimate.

And then Mr. Ekenhart had ruined it.

“I cannot…answer it now.”

“Why is that? I can sense that Leo is tense, so it would be nice if you could just hurry up and tell me…”

“Grr…”

I repeated that I could not answer, and then Mr. Ekenhart glared at me.

And Leo stood up and glared back at him.

Mr. Ekenhart was overwhelmed and seemed to shrink back.

It’s fine Leo, you don’t need to intimidate him.

Mr. Ekenhart loved his daughter, and would not attack me out of nowhere.

In any case, it seemed like he would not let me go unless I gave him an answer. And it would affect how he treated me tomorrow. So it was best to say something.

“Um… Well, the truth is that I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Yes. I have never been close with someone like her before… So I don’t know my own feelings… Well, I am indebted to Ms. Claire, you, and the people of this house. And while I like her as a person, I don’t know if those feelings are romantic yet…”

“So you lack experience… I see. But even if it’s just light-heartedly, why not reciprocate a little?”

“No… Wouldn’t that be toying with her?”

“Well, you might become serious if you try?”

“His Grace failed many times in such a way when he was younger. Until he finally married his late wife…”

In spite of what he said earlier, Mr. Ekenhart was now suggesting that I didn’t have to be serious.

Surely that would just lead to a situation where he cut me down.

It was true that I could change eventually…

But after hearing how many time Mr. Ekenhart had failed, I did not think it was a good idea.

“Also, while I am allowed to live here and make money selling herbs, I am still being protected by you.”

“Well, that is true. Though, with Leo, it is also like we are being protected.”

“Wuff!”

“Leo, this is no time for boasting.”

“Wou…”

“…In any case… I suppose I want to become independent and try different things for myself first. And as I do that, I think things will become more clear to me. Perhaps I just want to buy time…”

“Hmm… I see…”

“Hohoho…”

In spite of Leo and Weed Cultivation, I was still under their protection.

We had a contract and were selling herbs, they were doing a lot of the work for me, and helped me with so much.

Perhaps I sounded too formal or traditional, but I wanted to live independently first.

There was so much about this world that I didn’t know yet, and I wanted to learn and become stable.

Mr. Ekenhart became thoughtful, and Sebastian laughed.

But they both seemed strangely relieved.

“So, you are at least thinking about Claire seriously?”

“Ms. Claire…myself, Leo, Weed Cultivation…and this world.”

“…”

Mr. Ekenhart asked again and stared at me.

In spite of the fact that he had drunk a lot of wine, he was still intimidating. It reminded me that he was the head of a great house.

Still, I held my ground and answered.

He was the kind of person that watched closely to see if someone was lying.

I had seen him do it with Tilura before, and it certainly made me nervous to be his target.

“Your Grace…”

“What do you think, Sebastian?”

“He is not lying. I have watched Mr. Takumi closely, and he is not the kind of person to lie about such things.”

“…Indeed. Exactly. Sorry, Mr. Takumi. I ended up testing you.”

“No… She is your daughter, so it is only natural for you to want to assess potential partners… Phew…”

“Wuff…”

Sebastian and I had talked quite a lot since I came to this world.

And so it felt good to be trusted by someone who was trusted by both Ms. Claire and Mr. Ekenhart.