Morning in Oakhaven came with the sharp sound of steam whistles from distant factories, the loud footsteps of horse-drawn carriages on the cobblestone streets, and the ticking of mechanical clocks on the walls of the Valerius residence. But this morning, a new sound broke the sacred silence.
Woof!
Woof!
Woof!
Evelyn von Valerius woke up not because of Martha's gentle knock on her door, but because of heavy breathing and a tail hitting her wooden bed frame. She opened her eyes slowly and found a pair of big brown eyes staring at her with pure, carefree excitement.
"Sunny," Evelyn mumbled, her voice still rough with sleep.
The name felt just right. In a city covered in gray-black dust and full of iron, the dog's golden fur was the only thing that reminded Evelyn of sunlight—sunlight that rarely made it through Oakhaven's thick fog.
Sunny answered by putting his chin on Evelyn's silk sheets, leaving a wet mark that would surely make Martha sigh when she made the bed later. Evelyn just smiled a little, her fingers buried in Sunny's warm, thick neck fur.
"You're awake too early for a noble dog," Evelyn whispered as she got out of bed.
Usually, the first hour after waking was for Evelyn to sit quietly on her lounge chair, letting her mind prepare for a busy schedule. But now, she found herself looking for her house slippers because Sunny kept pulling the hem of her nightgown, urging her to go outside.
"Milady, you're awake?" Martha's voice came from behind the door, followed by a steady knock.
"Come in, Martha."
The door opened, and the senior maid entered carrying a basin of warm water and clean towels. She paused for a moment when she saw Sunny trying to chase his own tail in the middle of the usually spotless room.
"Woof!... "
"Woof!.."
Martha set the basin down neatly, her eyes glancing at the wet spot on the silk sheets.
"It seems this new guest doesn't understand morning etiquette, Milady," Martha said flat.
"He's just excited, Martha. Besides, I hear morning air in the back garden is good for your health," Evelyn replied, letting Martha help her into a lighter cotton morning dress than usual.
After the long dressing session, Evelyn took Sunny downstairs to the back garden. In Oakhaven, a private garden like the Valerius family's was a rare luxury. While most of the city was covered in concrete and iron rails, here there was still a stretch of green grass surrounded by tall wrought-iron fences, with a few old oak trees whose leaves always looked a little dull from factory dust.
Sunny ran as soon as his paws touched the grass. He jumped around, sniffed every corner of the stone flower pots, and barked now and then at the sparrows sitting on the tree branches.
Evelyn walked slowly on the stone path, watching Sunny's every move. She was a sharp observer, and she noticed how different this energetic dog's movements were compared to humans or machines. Machines move in straight lines, repeating the same patterns, easy to predict. Sunny moved in chaotic patterns, full of surprises, driven by desires that weren't always logical.
"Come here, Sunny!" Evelyn called.
She threw a small wooden ball, usually used for hand agility training. Sunny ran like lightning, his wide ears flying in the wind, and with one quick jump, he caught the ball before it hit the ground.
Evelyn felt a strange satisfaction. Watching Sunny play made her feel like the stiff weight on her shoulders had lifted a little. For a moment, she wasn't Lady Evelyn, who had to think about household budgets or political letters. She was just a girl playing in the garden.
Behind the garden fence, black smoke from steam trains on the upper track began to cover the sky, turning the pale morning light into a gloomy dimness. The factory whistle blew loudly, signaling the workers' shift change. The sound was so sharp that Sunny stopped playing, tilted his head, and let out a low, unusual growl.
Evelyn approached her dog, petting his soft golden back. "Just engine sounds, Sunny. It's okay. This world is full of those sounds."
Sunny stared toward the source of the sound, his eyes unblinking. He didn't look scared, just alert, as if he was detecting something in the machine's sound frequency that human ears couldn't catch.
Evelyn watched his reaction carefully. She knew dogs had sharper senses, but Sunny's expression looked too... human. As if the dog was trying to understand the mechanics behind the sound.
"Come on, it's time for breakfast," Evelyn said, trying to distract herself from thoughts that were starting to wander.
She spent the rest of the morning in the reading room, but this time she wasn't alone. Sunny lay under her feet, his head resting on Evelyn's silk shoes. The dog's steady breathing gave Evelyn a new rhythm as she read a book about Commodity Exchange Value Theory.
Mr. Miller arrived at ten o'clock sharp. The old tutor looked a bit surprised to see a large dog in the study, but he was too polite to question the Duke's decision.
"Today's lesson is about the history of steam loom development in the northern region, Lady Evelyn," Mr. Miller said as he opened his big book.
Evelyn listened, but her eyes glanced at Sunny from time to time. The dog sometimes hummed softly in his sleep, sometimes his ears moved to the sound of Mr. Miller's ruler tapping on the map. There was a real contrast in the room: Mr. Miller's dry voice telling stories about iron and steam, while under the table, there was warm golden fur from a cute creature taking a nap.
In the afternoon, Evelyn took Sunny for a walk around the inner pavilion area. She taught him some basic commands—sit, stay, and walk beside her. Evelyn did this with the patience of a scientist running an experiment. She liked the process where communication happened without complicated words.
"You're very smart, aren't you?" Evelyn praised when Sunny sat perfectly after she gave a hand signal.
Sunny wagged his tail, giving her a look that seemed to say he was only doing this to make Evelyn happy.
As evening fell and Oakhaven's fog thickened again, Evelyn sat on her balcony, watching the gas lamps light up one by one along the street. Sunny sat beside her, his head resting on the balcony railing, staring at the city as it began to glow dimly.
The outside world remained the same. Cold, stiff, and full of smoke. But inside her room, Evelyn felt Sunny's presence as a pleasant surprise. This dog's presence added a new color to her dull routine.
Evelyn took a hairbrush and began brushing Sunny's golden fur. She did it slowly, enjoying the soft texture of the fur between her fingers. In the silence of the night beginning to cover the Valerius residence, Evelyn felt that maybe, just maybe, her father was right. This house had indeed been too quiet before.
She stared at the dark sky, where the stars were hidden behind layers of air pollution. Oakhaven might be a city of machines, but tonight, Evelyn felt more alive and happy—proof that she was human, not like any machine she had ever seen..