Chapter 623

"My apologies, Fourth Master." The sudden voice broke the moment. A servant came running, his steps hurried, his face taut with anxiety. Breathless, with his brows knitted into deep furrows, he approached Robert as though prepared to receive punishment on the spot. "Fourth Master, it was my fault for not keeping a closer watch on the dog," he said, bowing his head. His tone was thick with remorse, each word weighted by guilt. Without another pause, he crouched down beside Pudding, reaching out. "Pudding," he called softly, coaxingly. But the little French Bulldog didn’t budge. Instead, Pudding pressed even closer to Eleanor’s leg, his small body warm against her calf, his stubbornness plain in the way his head tilted toward her. The servant hesitated. Then, unable to wait any longer, he reached out to scoop the dog into his arms— Only for Pudding to give a plaintive whimper and nuzzle more firmly against Eleanor, as if refusing to be separated. Eleanor looked down. Her gaze met the dog