Chapter 203: Susie: Audrey, How's My Acting?

 Chapter 203: Susie: Audrey, How's My Acting?

Susie thought it should pretend to faint, just like Audrey did whenever she didn't want to deal with people. Audrey's tactic was very effective.

After observing several times, Susie felt it had mastered the skill of pretending to faint, but it had never had the chance to use it.

Now was the perfect opportunity.

Under the watchful eyes of Audrey, Hastur, and Glaint , Susie first took small steps out of the shadowed area into the sunlight. Then, as it started to jog, its pace slowed down. Finally, it took two difficult steps, its front legs buckled, and it collapsed forward. Its eyelids drooped weakly, and it gave Audrey one last glance before closing its eyes.

Susie had observed Audrey many times. Audrey would always first act as if she wasn't feeling well and then pretend to faint in front of everyone.

Every time she did this, it would cause a commotion, and people would worry about her, making her stop her activities and go back to her room to rest.

"..."

"..."

"Susie looks really off," Glaint exclaimed, while Audrey tried to hide her embarrassment, and Hastur stifled a laugh.

Susie thought its performance was flawless.

But as an expert in pretending to faint, Audrey could read Susie's intentions from its eyes.

Hastur, through observing the details, could see through Susie's clumsy and heavily imitative performance.

Susie must have learned this from Audrey, Hastur thought, glancing at Audrey. Audrey turned slightly to avoid showing her embarrassed expression to Hastur.

She hadn't expected Susie to use the fainting tactic, and so poorly at that, fooling only Glaint .

"Susie is really smart; it learns quickly," Hastur remarked, implying something. Audrey's cheeks burned, and she didn't dare stay alone with Hastur. She followed Glaint to where Susie had "fainted."

When they reached Susie, Audrey bit her lip. If no one else were around, she would have kicked Susie for pretending to faint.

Sensing someone approaching, Susie started acting again. It twitched a few times, foam appeared at its mouth, and it opened its weak eyes to look at Audrey before closing them again, looking peaceful.

"Susie..." Audrey felt embarrassed for the drama queen golden retriever.

When Glaint wasn't looking, she discreetly kicked Susie, signaling it not to overdo it.

But Susie got more into it, not only pretending to faint but also letting out suppressed, sorrowful whimpers.

"..."

Audrey covered her face, feeling utterly humiliated.

She felt that after today, her image in Mr. Hastur's eyes would definitely change.

"Hey, Susie doesn't look that bad," Glaint said, squatting down to examine Susie closely. He could tell Susie was perfectly healthy.

Audrey suggested, "Glaint , Susie is done for. Let's throw it into the water and let it stay here forever."

"Better bury it in the ground. If it stays in the water, its body will bloat, and that would look too ugly and gross," Hastur added.

"You can't do that, Susie isn't that bad off..." Glaint began, but then Susie sprang up, shook itself off, and wagged its tail at Audrey.

"Susie, you can play dead!" Glaint exclaimed. He had been planning to have Hogg compete with Susie, but Susie had already given him a surprise.

Its superb acting had even fooled him. It was too smart!

"Woof woof," Susie ignored Glaint , focusing on pleasing the not-so-happy Audrey.

"Good to see you're okay," Audrey gave Susie a look that promised a scolding later.

"Woof..." Susie followed Audrey, head down, wondering why its acting hadn't fooled Audrey.

After this episode, Glaint temporarily gave up the idea of competing with Susie.

The three of them rested by the pond, and soon Earl Hall arrived, looking cheerful.

It seemed he had made some gains while they were resting.

With everyone present, Hastur had the staff bring tea and snacks for a simple afternoon tea.

"It's a pity the forest is too dense for horse riding. Hunting on the plains or in sparse woods would be more fun," Earl Hall remarked, then described a true noble hunting scene to Hastur and Glaint .

If it were a royal hunt, there could be hundreds of hounds, with nobles on horseback driving the hounds to chase prey, using their hunting rifles to compete.

Each hunt could last several days, with camping and barbecuing the day's catch at night.

Noble ladies and gentlemen would sing and dance around the campfire, with wine and guns being the essence of the hunt.

Earl Hall, getting excited, shared his youthful exploits, like how many animals he had hunted or how accurate his shooting was.

Hastur thought that if Audrey weren't here, a bit more wine might make Earl Hall share his youthful romantic adventures too.

Audrey listened with a smile, not stopping Earl Hall from reminiscing.

Hastur and Glaint also listened quietly.

Fortunately, Earl Hall knew his limits, always skipping some topics, keeping Hastur and Glaint interested without offending Audrey.

After about an hour, Earl Hall stood up, whistled, and led three hounds back into the forest.

Glaint quickly followed, determined to catch something in the second half of the hunt.

Audrey, seeing Susie uninterested, decided to stay and explore nearby.

Hastur and the little hound followed Earl Hall, wanting to show its potential.

"Susie, let's take a walk," Audrey said.

"Woof," Susie quickly followed, seeing Audrey wasn't angry anymore.

"Susie, do you think we'll meet a witch living in a tower in this forest?"

"Woof?"

"Susie, how about we explore somewhere without people?"

"Woof."

"Glad you're interested. Let's go," Audrey chose a path with tall trees, Susie wagging its tail behind her.

After about twenty minutes, a light mist seemed to rise around them.

At first, Audrey didn't mind, but when she noticed her attendants and maid had disappeared, leaving only Susie, she felt a bit uneasy.

In the forest, mist could rise occasionally. As long as they didn't wander, it would clear up if they stayed put.

If they wandered, they might get lost deeper in the forest.

"Susie, we might be in trouble," Audrey said, frowning at the thickening mist.

"Susie, what if we can't find our way back?"

"What if some mysterious creature attacks us?"

"Could we meet elves living deep in the forest?"

Audrey said a lot, seeming worried but also expectant.

Susie came to her side, silent for a moment before saying softly, "Audrey, I remember the way back."

"..."

Audrey's beautiful brows furrowed slightly.

"You shouldn't invest too much in obvious fantasies."

"..."

"There won't be any elves here."

"..."

Seeing Susie about to continue, Audrey interrupted, "Susie, you're just a dog. You can't just talk."

"Woof," Susie barked obediently, making Audrey's expression more complex.

After about five minutes, the attendants and maid found them, and the mist began to clear.

The so-called misty environment gave way to reality.

Audrey looked at the clearing scenery, sighing in disappointment.

She still hadn't had the adventure she longed for, nor met the legendary elves.

...

At night, Hastur and the others gathered at the forest entrance.

Earl Hall had the most hunting success, Hastur was second, and Glaint tied with Audrey for third with a single foolish deer.

"Your little hound is quite good," Earl Hall praised. Hastur took the opportunity to gift the hound to Earl Hall, completing his bribe.

(End of Chapter)