Chapter 209

‘Hehehe, who knew things would go so well.’

It was a midsummer night.

The young dragon Solitas was walking through the still-hot tropical air.

But as a dragon, he didn’t care about the heat at all.

All he could do was clench his fist, thrilled with what he’d accomplished.

‘I did it. I did it. I finally mastered wood carving.’

Solitas replayed the day in his mind.

As usual, he’d been groaning.

Struggling with wood carving.

Cutting, carving, trimming—shaping the wood into pieces smaller than his fingernails.

Maybe it was when he was focusing so hard—

A voice spoke right beside him.

“That’s enough. Now, let’s move on to the next stage.”

It was his master, the Dwarf artisan, Wells Cogidus.

When had his master come over?

How long had he been watching him work?

Solitas had been so absorbed he didn’t even notice him approach.

And those unexpected words startled him even more.

Wells Cogidus chuckled.

“That means you don’t need to hold onto the wood any longer. I can see you’ve worked hard, so I’m proud of you.”

“Th, then…”

“Starting tomorrow, we’ll carve stone.”

Tap, tap.

As if to say he’d done well.

As if he really was proud.

Wells Cogidus patted him on the shoulder a couple of times and walked away.

Solitas didn’t know how hard he’d cheered inside as he watched his master’s back.

‘I thought I’d never escape wood carving.’

It was true.

Even he thought he was seriously hopeless.

No matter how skilled his master was, Solitas couldn’t absorb even one percent of his teachings.

Wells Cogidus, who taught him every day, had been frustrated nonstop.

But Solitas hadn’t given up.

‘Of course. I have to get married!’

He had a grand wish.

To get married.

To build a happy family.

He’d sworn early on that he wouldn’t hesitate to walk any thorny path for that.

‘So I didn’t give up. It was really hard. Sniff.’

Walking along the path, Solitas wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

He was overwhelmed as he remembered everything he’d endured since becoming an apprentice to the Dwarf artisan in this territory.

‘Besides, this gem crafting class wasn’t free.’

Once a month, he had to dispose of the sewage sludge from the Grand Aqueduct.

Human poop.

Orc poop.

Even the smelliest Elf poop.

Every time he fired his breath at the dozens of tons of poop, the self-loathing that bloomed!

‘Of course, I’ll probably have to keep living like that for a while. I’ll have to do more of it. But it’s okay. I’m improving. I just need to try a little harder.’

Solitas clenched his fist.

He’d reached the stage of carving stone.

Next would be metal, and someday he’d be able to craft real gems.

‘Then I can pile up mountains of beautiful and valuable gems like other dragons. I can do it.’

Just ten years.

If he tried that much harder—

He’d be able to confidently jump into the marriage market.

Solitas continued his delusion with the mindset of a kimchi-soup-one-shot-drinking man, already reserving pre-meeting dress codes, honeymoon destinations, family plans, even postpartum care centers and silver towns.

Naturally, his delusion drifted to potential bride candidates.

‘Hoo. If I really get married, who will I end up with?’

He was curious.

So he started counting.

‘Based on the current time, how many female dragons my age are still unmarried… let’s see… according to what I heard before… was it seventeen?’

He clenched and unfolded his fingers.

As the list of bride candidates came to mind, he suddenly thought of someone else.

‘Ah, there’s also the daughter of King Verkiss.’

He’d heard King Verkiss married a human woman and had a daughter.

Uniquely, she was half-human, half-dragon—a half-dragon—so her marriageable age was said to be different from ordinary dragons.

In other words, the King’s daughter was also technically a candidate.

But Solitas shook his head.

‘Oh, come on. What am I thinking? Even so, the King’s daughter. No way.’

No matter how much he fantasized, some things were simply impossible.

To dare think of the King’s daughter—

There was no chance of being connected to a being like that, no, not even of meeting her.

Someone he couldn’t even look up to from the start.

‘So, exclude her. Hoo. I hope the remaining candidates are doing well for the next ten years, until I pile up a lot of gems. Don’t catch a cold, take good care of your scales, and don’t get reflux esophagitis from breathing too hard.’

Solitas prayed for the well-being of the bride candidates who might someday become his partners.

With a determination to live even harder going forward.

Reminiscing about his fruitful plan to get married one day.

He walked down the midsummer night path with a happy heart.

Then he heard a suspicious sound.

‘Hmm?’

For the first time, Solitas stopped walking.

He perked up his ears and focused on the far end of the path.

‘Someone’s coming?’

Who would be out at this hour past midnight?

Two people were walking toward him.

Solitas heightened his senses.

He pierced through the darkness with vision that transcended human levels and examined their faces.

Thanks to that, he saw it clearly.

‘Humans. Two. One man. One woman. At this late hour? Walking side by side? With flushed faces?’

The young dragon swallowed hard without realizing it.

He knew what they were the moment he saw them.

A couple.

Disgusting.

Walking side by side at this hour, sprinkling salt on the wounded hearts of innocent dragons, without even knowing how ashamed they should be.

But… he couldn’t think of a single thing to say to rebuke them.

‘Da, damn it!’

Solitas gnashed his teeth.

Someone was burning dozens of tons of poop every month with their breath just to get married. He was paying tuition with labor that valuable, stuck in a dusty workshop every day carving wood and stone.

Meanwhile, those disgusting couples just laughed and joked, showing up everywhere.

He was jealous.

He felt wronged.

But he still couldn’t say anything.

‘Damn it, damn it! From tomorrow, I’m going to carve stone even harder!’

The young red dragon clutched his tear glands in indignation.

He hurriedly ran to the opposite side, so those disgusting couples wouldn’t see him like that.

At that, the woman in the couple, Scheherazade, tilted her head.

‘Hmm?’

Just now, she’d sensed something far away.

‘It disappeared quickly. Who is it?’

She didn’t know.

But it didn’t feel like a human presence.

If they weren’t a Swordmaster, they wouldn’t be able to hide their presence so quickly.

‘A rabbit, maybe.’

Scheherazade let out a small sigh.

After all, there was a rabbit-like being right beside her.

“Um, why… what’s wrong?”

Julian asked, worried.

“No, nothing.”

Scheherazade shook her head quickly.

And she was grateful the moon wasn’t bright tonight.

Thanks to that, Julian wouldn’t notice her red face.

‘Hoo, I’m going crazy.’

Scheherazade bit her lip, careful not to let Julian see.

In truth, this midnight walk had never been intentional.

She never meant to walk with Julian from the start.

No—she never even expected it.

‘I just felt so stuffy. I just wanted some air for a while.’

She hadn’t been able to leave her room in the lodging all day.

From morning to evening, she kept repeating Lloyd’s words from last night.

That Julian would be leaving for the capital soon.

She spent the entire day turning those words over.

‘I don’t even know my own heart.’

Her heart had sunk the moment she heard it.

Why couldn’t she get those words out of her head?

She couldn’t understand.

On one hand, she was anxious.

What if she ran into Julian?

What expression should she make?

What greeting should she give?

All she could think was that she didn’t know.

So she couldn’t leave her room all day.

She was afraid she’d really run into him.

It felt scary and awkward.

She thought she’d look pathetic if she got flustered.

And so she spent the whole day pacing in that small room.

‘So I just came out to take a breather for a while.’

Because it was past midnight.

Because she wouldn’t run into anyone.

Only then did she finally leave the lodging with a little peace of mind.

That was why Scheherazade never dreamed she’d run into Julian on this path, at this time.

“Hoo.”

Julian didn’t know that either.

He never imagined Scheherazade would be out walking at the same time, in the same place.

‘What should I say? No… is it okay to keep walking together like this?’

Julian walked, worrying.

Should he make an excuse and take another path?

He thought about it for a moment, then shook his head.

‘If I do that, Scheherazade will think it’s even stranger.’

She might even feel sad.

So he had to keep walking together.

‘What should I say?’

He needed to say something.

He needed a conversation.

But he couldn’t.

Because he remembered what Lloyd had told him last night.

Because the feelings he’d realized then were pounding in his heart.

But what if he was the only one who felt this way?

He couldn’t speak rashly.

And in the meantime, the heartless path came to an end.

“……Ah.”

Before he knew it, the mansion was right in front of them.

Realizing that, Julian hurriedly turned to Scheherazade.

“Um.”

“Yes?”

“Th, um…”

“Good night.”

“……Ah, yes.”

He wanted to say good night first.

But before he knew it, Scheherazade had already turned around and entered the mansion.

Behind her, Julian only bit his lip.

♣

The night grew deeper.

‘It’s strange. I can’t fall asleep.’

With his eyes wide open, Julian lay blankly in bed.

Why couldn’t he fall asleep?

Was it because he kept thinking about Scheherazade, whom he’d walked with earlier?

Was it because he regretted not saying the last greeting first?

He didn’t know.

No—he did.

It was because of what Lloyd had said last night.

‘You’re going to lose Scheherazade if you keep doing that.’

“……”

Am I really going to lose her if I keep doing this?

Like a fool, unable to say anything.

Stammering stupidly every time he sees her.

Am I going to lose her by being so frustrating?

‘I don’t want that.’

No matter how many times he thought about it, there was only one answer.

Julian bit his lip hard.

It was okay if he didn’t know what to say.

It didn’t matter if they didn’t share words.

Even if they just walked side by side like before.

Even if their eyes only met occasionally.

Even if he couldn’t convey these feelings.

‘I want to see her.’

Before he knew it, he’d jumped up.

Julian got out of bed and stepped into the dark hallway.

♣

‘It’s strange. I don’t want to sleep.’

With her eyes wide open, Scheherazade lay blankly in her lodging.

Why didn’t she want to sleep?

Was it because she kept thinking about Julian, whom she’d walked beside earlier?

Was it because she couldn’t stop thinking about how awkward and embarrassed she’d been, rushing to say good night first and entering the mansion?

She didn’t know.

No—she did.

It was because of what Lloyd had said last night.

‘Julian will be leaving for the capital soon.’

That one line kept stirring her heart.

“……”

Julian, that rabbit-like man.

When would he be leaving for the capital?

She should have asked him earlier.

What if he suddenly left tomorrow?

Then maybe the walk earlier had been the last chance.

‘I don’t want that.’

No matter how many times she thought about it, there was only one answer.

Scheherazade clenched her fist tight.

She didn’t want to send Julian to the capital like this.

She didn’t want to part so futilely.

It was okay if they didn’t share any words.

It was okay if they just walked silently like before.

She wanted to spend every day like that in the future.

So.

‘Let’s do it.’

Before she knew it, she’d jumped up.

Scheherazade got out of bed and stepped into the dark hallway.

♣

Julian walked.

Carefully, slowly, but surely.

He passed through the dark hallway leading to the annex.

He went down the stairs.

Toward the guest lodging.

He vowed to knock on her door.

♣

Scheherazade also walked.

Fearlessly, confidently, but holding her breath.

She passed through the dark hallway leading to the main building.

She went up the stairs.

Toward a closed door.

She reached out her hand.

♣

Knock knock.

The sound of knocking echoed down the hallway.

Julian flinched at the sound he’d made.

Was he being rude?

Knocking on a woman’s door at this hour—of course it was rude, without even needing to think.

‘But.’

Still, he wanted to see her.

He wanted to see Scheherazade, even if it was like this.

With that thought, Julian stared at the closed door.

Then—knock knock.

He knocked again.

♣

Squeak.

The hinges creaked in the hallway.

Scheherazade tensed, her shoulders tightening at the reaction she’d caused.

Was she being rude?

Knocking on someone’s door at this hour—of course it was rude, without even needing to think.

‘But.’

Still, she had to do it.

She wanted to be with Julian, even if it was like this.

With that thought, Scheherazade stared at the opening door.

“Who…?”

Had he been woken from sleep?

Count Arcos Frontera’s sleepy face appeared through the crack.

The moment she confirmed it—

Scheherazade dropped to both knees.

And she spoke the words she’d practiced and repeated hundreds of times in her mind.

“Count, please give me your second son. I am confident that I can make him happy for the rest of his life.”