Chapter 15: A New Pet for the Young Miss

“Cassina, this is the new maid I’ve bought. She’ll be accompanying you to Moon Island, so you should claim her.”

Inside the Young Miss’s room, I was presented to the Lord’s daughter like a piece of merchandise being traded.

Miss Cassina had been enjoying her afternoon tea. As she became aware of my presence, her previously bright face gradually clouded over.

“Huh? Father, what is the meaning of this? Why is it this detestable creature? Didn’t Mother beat her to death last night?”

Her gaze at me was filled with disdain, clearly indicating her utter displeasure.

It was hardly surprising; after all, I was likely the first person in her pampered life to ever lose my temper with her.

Such privileged children were often outwardly fierce but inwardly timid.

“She’s been punished. I personally oversaw it.”

The Lord seized my hair, as if holding a bird’s feather, and tossed me before his daughter.

“Properly apologize to your future mistress.”

His cold voice carried an undeniable authority.

With a despondent expression, I bowed my head and knelt before Miss Cassina.

My knees were numb, and dozens of scabbing wounds on my body still oozed faintly.

Occasional throbbing pains constantly reminded me of yesterday’s ordeal, making it impossible to forget.

Indeed, I had lost consciousness towards the end of last night. My only memory was Madam Kachel’s furious downpour of blows.

Perhaps I should have been beaten to death right there, but it seemed I was an important pawn to the Lord, and thus, I temporarily clung to a miserable existence.

I clung on, painfully .

“Hmph… I thought it was something serious.”

I heard the Young Miss’s voice, a mix of mockery and triumph.

Of course, she could be triumphant. After all, the maid who had dared to lose her temper with her yesterday had been severely dealt with by her mother, then brought before her by her father to apologize without an ounce of dignity.

“Heh heh, since you’ve become my property, then…”

I heard the Young Miss’s footsteps drawing closer.

Before long, a pair of beautiful pink sandals appeared before my eyes.

They were so close I could even see the creases on her toes.

Slowly, I looked up in confusion, only to see a face twisted into a malicious smile, and something in the Young Miss’s hand.

That was…

My pupils trembled uncontrollably as I stared at the dark brown leather collar, connected by a black iron chain, lying before me.

The Viper family had an ancient tradition: every spring, they would host a grand hunt within their territory.

As the eldest daughter of the Viper family, Cassina was also enthusiastic about this ancient activity. Though her archery skills were not superb, unlike her father’s unerring aim, she excelled at training animals.

She often went out with her several hunting dogs. I remembered she once owned a female hound with short, dense, dark brown fur and an agile physique.

Each time it ran, its fur would gleam with a healthy luster in the sunlight, earning the Young Miss’s deep affection.

However, during one hunt, that female hound was killed by a black bear.

The Young Miss grieved for a long time over it.

To console her, I had gone to great lengths, finally locating that female hound’s collar to keep as a memento for her.

For that, I had almost been caught by the black bear myself.

And now, the item the Young Miss held in her hand was that very collar from back then…

‘What is she going to do?’

Just as I pondered this, the collar clicked shut, fastened around my neck.

“Ugh—!”

I let out a suffocated cry.

Even though my neck was much smaller than a man’s, the collar, being sized for a hunting dog, instantly constricted me, making it difficult to breathe.

Fortunately, after a slight adjustment, I felt marginally better, though only marginally.

Seeing my pathetic state, a long-lost excitement bloomed on the Young Miss’s face.

“Hahaha! Father, look, look! It’s just as I expected. The moment I saw this creature, I knew she’d be perfect for wearing this!”

She tugged at the iron chain attached to the collar, proudly displaying me to her father, much like when she had first acquired her female hound.

Her pull unbalanced me, sending me tumbling to the ground. My hands instinctively reached to tear away the constriction from my neck.

But upon seeing a certain pair of eyes silently coercing me, I quickly gave up.

“Isn’t that what your former pet wore?” the Lord asked, a hint of confusion in his voice. “I thought it had been lost somewhere.”

“Our former butler helped me find it! I’m so grateful to that uncle!” the Young Miss said, beaming. “Thanks to his help back then, I can now play with my new pet using this!”

“Pet?” The Lord’s voice sounded somewhat surprised, and his gaze upon me held a touch more amusement.

The Young Miss immediately explained with excitement:

“That’s right, I already have enough maids! Bena, Mia, Aisha, ugh, seeing them every day just annoys me. It feels pointless to get another maid.”

“Besides, once we get to Moon Island, there’ll definitely be far fewer things to eat and play with than here. To keep myself from getting bored, I was planning to get a little puppy.”

“But just now, seeing her apologize to me, she looked so much like my old dog! So I suddenly thought of putting this collar on her!”

“Hehe! And it suits her perfectly! So from now on, she can be my dog!”

Upon hearing this, the Lord sighed deeply and took the chain from the Young Miss’s hand.

Perhaps it was because I still held some value to this man, or perhaps he feared this idea would disrupt his plans.

I saw him give his daughter a rare serious expression, warning her in a low, viper-like hiss:

“Play around in private, but don’t go too far. Your actions on Moon Island will be watched by your future fiancé. Don’t let this cause him to cast you aside!”

The Young Miss’s previously enthusiastic expression deflated considerably. She pouted, turning her face away as if greatly displeased.

“Did you hear me?” the Lord’s voice grew louder.

The Young Miss pouted her eyes at the Lord, acting coyly,

“I know! I know! Ugh—Father, you’re just so boring! That’s why I don’t like talking to you so much!”

“I won’t let those people on Moon Island know about my private affairs, alright? Haven’t I maintained a good enough image outside? Which elder doesn’t say the Viper family’s Young Miss is elegant and noble in her demeanor?”

“Anyway, you can—go—now—I want to play a game with Lilian!”

“Lilian?”

The Lord mused over the name with a puzzled expression, finding it somewhat familiar.

Unconsciously, his hand holding the chain slowly loosened, and the Young Miss took it back.

“Father, how could you forget?”

The Young Miss pulled the collar high, as if deliberately lifting my neck to better admire her new toy.

“It’s the name of my dead dog from back then.”