Page 78 of The Villainess Chose Naps Over Death Flags

Before anyone could respond, there was a small whimpering sound from near Caspian's horse.

Carol looked over to see one of Caspian's soldiers carefully lifting a leather bag from the horse's saddle. The bag was moving.

"What—" Carol started.

Caspian turned back to her. "I found something on the way back. I thought you might..." He paused, then seemed to decide on directness. "Would you come with me for a moment?"

Carol handed Mochi to a surprised Bea and followed Caspian to where his soldier stood holding the bag. Up close, she could hear soft whimpering sounds and see the bag shifting.

The soldier opened the bag carefully, and Carol's heart melted.

Inside was a puppy. A shadow wolf puppy, to be precise—black as midnight with glowing amber eyes and already showing the distinctive features of its species. It was tiny, maybe seven inches tall, with oversized paws and ears that were still too big for its head.

It looked up at Caspian and made a small, plaintive sound.

"Oh," Carol breathed. "Oh, it's precious."

"Its pack was killed by the Blightspawn," Caspian explained quietly. "I found it hiding in the aftermath. It was too young to survive alone, and..." He trailed off, looking slightly uncomfortable. "I couldn't leave it."

Carol looked at him—this deadly warrior who'd just spent five days fighting monsters, who was called The Butcher of the North, who had a reputation for being cold and merciless—and he'd stopped to rescue an orphaned puppy.

"You brought me a puppy," Carol said, feeling something warm and bright unfurling in her chest.

"I thought you might want to name it," Caspian said. "Since you seem to have a talent for adopting dangerous creatures."

"It's not dangerous," Carol protested, even though shadow wolves absolutely were dangerous when fully grown. "It's a baby."

"It will be the size of a horse in two years."

"A very good boy horse," Carol said firmly, reaching carefully into the bag. The puppy sniffed her hand cautiously, then licked her fingers. "Hello, little one. Aren't you adorable?"

The puppy made a small yipping sound that went straight to Carol's heart.

"Shadow," she decided immediately. "His name is Shadow. Because he's dark as midnight and probably going to be very good at sneaking around."

"Shadow," Caspian repeated, and was that approval in his tone?

Carol carefully lifted the puppy out of the bag. Shadow was light, all gangly limbs and soft fur, and he immediately curled against her chest with a contented sound.

"He likes you," Caspian observed.

"Of course he does. I'm very likeable," Carol said, then looked up at Caspian with a smile that was probably far too bright. "Thank you. For saving him. For bringing him to me."

"You're welcome," Caspian said, and this time the almost-smile was definitely there.

Behind them, Carol heard Bea's quiet voice. "Did he just give our sister a shadow wolf puppy?"

"Apparently," Jasper replied, sounding bewildered. "Is that... is that romantic?"

"I think it might be," Bea said. "Look at her face."

Carol ignored them, focusing on the puppy in her arms. Shadow had already closed his eyes, apparently feeling safe enough to sleep.

"He must be exhausted," Carol said. "The poor thing. We'll need to get him settled. Food, water, a comfortable place to sleep—"

"The staff can help with that," Caspian said. "I'll have someone coordinate with you about his care."

"We can figure that out together," Carol said. Then, remembering herself, "After you've had a chance to rest, of course. You must be exhausted too. You've been traveling all day."