Canaria Became a Dog
A political marriage. Canaria had turned into a dog. This wasn't a metaphor.
I woke up to find a golden retriever suddenly sitting beside my bed.
"Canaria?"
"Woof woof!"
"What."
She'd apparently become a dog. That was the conclusion I'd reached after careful deliberation. A real dog.
*Clunk*
"You called for me?"
"Hm?"
At that moment, the bedroom door opened, and Canaria walked in. I looked back and forth between Canaria and the dog.
The golden retriever let out a resounding *woof!*
Oh no. There'd been a slight misunderstanding.
"Canaria. There's some mutt in my bedroom."
"Ah. It's the dog the head maid brought. She's planning to raise it here in the mansion from now on."
"I don't recall hearing anything about that...?"
"The head maid doesn't have a yard at her house."
Ah, right. Can't be helped if there's no yard...
"Get rid of it."
"Yes, sir."
Canaria nodded, dropped to one knee to match the dog's eye level, and started barking.
"Woof woof!"
"Woof?"
"Arf arf!"
"Whine..."
The retriever slunk out of the room with a dejected expression, looking like the most pitiful thing in the world.
Canaria turned back to me triumphantly.
"I've made sure it won't come into your room again, Your Grace."
"Canaria, were you a Druid?"
"My mother carried the blood of nature. My father, a young noble at the time, met her while strolling through the forest."
"Ah, got it."
No wonder she mimicked the pup so well. Then again, a normal girl becoming an assassin who took down Nosferatu of all people? She had to have a few hidden tricks.
"You didn't know?"
"Nope."
"I thought you knew everything, Your Grace."
"I read thoughts, not memories."
Druids. Beings who mimic the lifestyles of animals. They transform into beasts, speak their languages, act like them, or just live like them... something along those lines to gain power.
That's why true Druids are so rare. Those living in human society aren't much different from ordinary folk, and those in the wild aren't much different from beasts. Plenty never even realize they carry Druid blood.
"Even among the empire's Druids, mine manifests strongly. After my family fell, I lived like a street mutt."
"So the dog impression was because you're a Druid?"
"No. I did it to make money."
"Ah."
I nodded.
"Can you transform?"
"Not a full transformation. I can do something similar, but you'd probably be disappointed."
Canaria activated her Druid transformation ability.
And then her hair grew thick and fluffy, covering half her face, while a pair of puppy ears sprouted atop her head.
"Oh, and I have a tail too."
Dog ears. The classic "puppy-eared maid" look.
I was impressed.
"You look just like a real dog."
"Thank you."
"I should summon Maid Gigachad and compare—"
"Don't you dare."
No wonder she hated it when I brought out Maid Gigachad. Her character overlapped with it.
"It's just creepy."
"My bad for not respecting you. I'll make sure not to infringe on your unique traits from now on."
"That's not it."
Canaria's skirt rustled. There was a thwap thwap sound, like a broom tapping the floor.
Was her tail wagging inside there? Fascinating.
"Canaria. Mind lifting your skirt a bit?"
"Certainly."
She lifted it, revealing a creamy tail swishing side to side. It started in a glossy rice-cake color and faded to white at the tip—a long, fluffy tail with wavy fur that looked incredibly soft.
"Can you control the tail at will?"
"Sort of. It reacts to my emotions and moves on its own, so consciously controlling it is tricky. Practice might help, but... I rarely stay like this. The fur flies everywhere, and it's inconvenient for work."
"So it's just dog hair."
"Yes. Just dog hair."
The tail drooped limply.
I pulled a gold coin from my pocket. Canaria's tail shot up, wagging furiously side to side with thwap thwap sounds.
"Ooh."
"Like this."
"Fun. Could use it instead of a broom?"
"Wouldn't that shed even more?"
"Ah, true."
It didn't seem all that practical. Maybe animal therapy at best.
"No need to expect circus tricks. It's entertaining enough."
"Thank you."
"You should've told me about this talent sooner."
"You never asked."
Hm! Fair point; couldn't argue.
I nodded.
"But you said your father met your mother in the forest?"
"Yes."
"Don't Druids who live in forests usually take animal forms?"
"Correct."
"Huh?"
"Pardon?"
"Yeah, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"So your mother..."
"I heard she took the form of a red fox when in the forest."
"Erm."
Your father had excellent taste.
"She was wounded and dying in the woods when Father brought her to the mansion and nursed her back. He only learned she was a Druid after she transformed into human form."
"Ah! So that's what happened."
Sorry, Canaria's dad. My bad.
"Canaria."
"Yes."
"You said that on purpose, didn't you?"
"No."
"Want me to turn on telepathy?"
"I'll invoke my right to remain silent."
As Canaria and I bantered...
*Bang*
The door flew open, and the head maid rushed in. Canaria instantly reverted her transformation.
"Your Grace!"
"Yeah. Head maid. You bring a dog into the mansion without a word—"
"A guest from the imperial palace has arrived!"
"What."
...
The Imperial Palace of the Empire.
The worst shut-ins in the Endless world.
The imperial family were extreme recluses who barely emerged from the palace even once a year.
Most empire nobles had never even seen the emperor's face.
"Then how do they govern?"
"They don't."
"Pardon?"
"They just don't."
You could tell from how families calling themselves "execution nobles" or "assassination nobles" ran wild unchecked. Hell, there was even a house infamous as the "traitor nobles" for selling mines to enemy states.
"But why accept such people as emperor?"
"They're competent."
"...Isn't that contradictory?"
"Competence means maximum results with minimal effort."
As I said before, the imperial family emerges from the palace less than once a year.
But.
On the rare occasions they do step out...
Everything changes.
"One day from the imperial family outweighs a commoner's lifetime."
For example, consider military matters. If noble soldiers and knights are conventional forces, the imperial family is a "nuke."
Rarely used, but their mere existence deters war—and when deployed, they obliterate everything.
The moment any noble rebels, their territory vanishes with them.
And that's not hyperbole. It actually happened.
"That's... terrifying."
"Right?"
"With such an imperial family, the 'traitor nobles' who sold mines to enemies scare me more."
"Ah, those guys."
Anyway. In every field, the imperial family is "off-spec."
Whenever the empire teeters on collapse, they save it single-handedly.
One day from the imperial family outweighs a commoner's lifetime.
"For such a powerhouse, doesn't the world end too often?"
"Well, some dooms are impossible to intervene in from the start—and the imperial family is trying to stop them."
"Pardon?"
"I told you before, right? The doomsday button in the palace is best left untouched."
"Ah, vaguely recall."
The imperial family tries hard.
To avert doom.
No, actually...
Averting doom is their job.
"This world has already been destroyed once, in fact."
"Pardon?"
"The current world is just a patchwork the gods stitched together."
This world was already doomed.
That's why it falls so easily.
...
Staring at the self-proclaimed imperial proxy holding a gold-stamped edict, I let out a hollow laugh.
This situation felt eerily familiar.
"Is sneaking in disguised a habit for you highborn? Got a manual for it?"
"Pardon?"
The shrine maiden did the same last time.
Why was this a thing? Was cross-dressing trending? Or did the Endless devs get lazy and recycle assets?
"Didn't expect Her Highness the princess to come herself."
"Ah."
"Why would someone so busy napping in the palace visit in person?"
The empire's princess.
One so noble had dragged her heavy body all the way here.
Her cover blown, the princess tilted her head innocently. No intent to hide, apparently.
"Hm, was my disguise awkward?"
"No."
"Ah, telepathy then. My apologies for the irreverence."
"I'll be careful."
"No, it's fine. Saves me the hassle of explaining verbally. Talking's such a chore."
The princess nodded and shut her mouth. Read my thoughts, her attitude said.
I activated telepathy.
- "Marry me."
"Pardon?"
Ridiculous. Hard to grasp the context.
- "Engagement first? I'm a pretty decent catch, if I do say so—plus you'd inherit the empire."
Ignoring my bewilderment, the princess pressed on.
- "Engage now, and you get a beautiful bride and imperial rights...?"
Her eyes curved into charming crescents—a seductive smile unimaginable from an imperial princess.
I couldn't hold back.
"Forgot you're disguised as a man?"
- "Oops."
"What."
My first meeting with the empire's princess...
She seemed a bit of an airhead.
- "But doesn't this make me cute and lovable?"
"Saying it yourself kills any cuteness."