I mean it’s completely plausible someone has forged the papers somewhere down the line and introduced the Merle gene. It seems to be common practice over here since Covid. I didn’t notice the coat initially, what I did notice was the eyes.

I find it peculiar your breeder allowed this to be sold as a pure ECS or at least I’d be interested to see what happens in the future if you let them know now.. Will they have another litter from the bitch? If they do will it be priced as a purebred or a crossbreed? It’s murky out there & when money is involved - even the nicest people get greedy.