Chapter 79
An indescribable awkwardness hung in the air as Edenber carefully lifted the baby dragon into his arms.
The creature flinched the moment his hands touched it, as if his very touch were intolerable.
“Are you hurt?”
The baby dragon shook her head.
“Sleepy?”
This time, a small nod.
“Well, since we’re already here, let’s have some strawberries before you nap.”
Something about all of this felt very wrong. Still, Edenber said nothing and carried the child toward the long table where refreshments had been laid out.
Then he realized what was missing.
The baby dragon hadn’t brought along the baby rabbit.
They were inseparable—wherever one went, the other followed. Naturally, it should have been here too.
“Where’s your bunny friend?”
“……”
The little dragon hesitated, then slumped in his arms and pretended to fall asleep.
So… she’s sleeping? He wanted to believe it, but something about the act felt unconvincing.
Edenber turned slightly, intending to ask Elcai if he knew anything, but the man was already deep in conversation with someone else.
I’ll ask later, he decided.
With that, he approached Lady Erzébet, who was sitting nearby, happily eating strawberries.
The moment she noticed the baby dragon, she let out a shriek.
“Hiiick!”
Her hair practically stood on end as she jumped away from the table and shouted,
“Asili doesn’t like black dragons!”
“……!”
The baby dragon froze, staring at her as if struck by lightning.
But the instant her eyes met Edenber’s, she snapped back to his usual, expressionless face and picked up a strawberry.
One bite. Then another. Then another—slow, mechanical movements that lacked his usual enthusiasm.
Edenber’s brow furrowed.
Compared to that…
He glanced at Lady Erzébet.
Since the baby dragon’s appearance, she hadn’t so much as touched another strawberry.
Instead, she was quietly nibbling on strawberry cookies, all the while stealing anxious glances in the dragon’s direction.
Watching the two of them, Edenber spoke softly.
“Asil.”
“Mm?”
“……?”
Lady Erzébet immediately looked up at him in surprise.
The baby dragon, however, turned his head a moment later, as if unsure whether the name referred to him.
Edenber’s eyes narrowed.
He had never—not even once—called Lady Erzébet Asil.
Unaware of his suspicion, she stuffed an entire strawberry cookie into her mouth and mumbled, cheeks bulging,
“Whaat?”
“…Nothing.”
Edenber looked away, pretending it was nothing.
A moment later, he murmured to himself,
“Spring strawberries don’t taste as good as winter ones.”
“No way! They’re super yummy!”
Again, Lady Erzébet reacted instantly.
Edenber turned his gaze to the baby dragon.
The little one, who had been eating strawberries without much energy, met his eyes—and hastily lifted a strawberry into the air as if to agree.
Spring strawberries were delicious, apparently.
Why isn’t she saying anything?
Normally, by now, the little dragon would be chirping or squeaking away.
Edenber decided to act as though he hadn’t noticed and continued casually,
“Then maybe I should reduce the strawberry supply from now on.”
“NOOO!!!”
Edenber blinked and looked at Lady Erzébet.
Her eyes were as wide as a full moon, frozen in panic. Then she stammered,
“…Th-that’s what that knight over there said!”
“Pardon?”
Dylan, who had been minding his own business nearby, flinched as she pointed directly at him.
Her voice trembled, her movements awkward—like someone caught red-handed. She stuffed another cookie into her mouth as if to hide behind it.
“Asil ate them all,” she mumbled through puffed cheeks, then turned and scurried off in the opposite direction, her small steps quick and uneven.
Edenber watched her retreating back for a long moment before lowering his gaze to the divine beast beside him.
The baby dragon was still eating strawberries—but slowly, almost listlessly. The difference was obvious.
Even when Edenber had announced he’d cut back the strawberry supply—an unthinkable provocation—the dragon hadn’t made a sound.
Feeling his gaze, the baby dragon glanced up, eyes slightly defiant.
“……”
Edenber pressed his lips together, biting back a sigh.
After that, he didn’t speak to his divine beast again.
No sooner had one uninvited guest departed than another arrived.
The legitimate heir of House Skya, Caron Skaya, circled around Asil with a polite smile that gave nothing away.
“My apologies for the late introduction. I am Caron Skaya.”
“I’m Asilian Erzébet.”
He looked like a snake—his features sharp, his smile too smooth.
Asil didn’t particularly like him, but she returned the greeting with proper manners. She had a question she wanted to ask.
“What happened to oppa and the young lady?”
“Opaa ? Ah, you must mean Briden.” Caron gave a thin laugh. “To call that bastard your oppa—well, I suppose that’s the one thing worth envying him for. If you don’t mind, perhaps I could also—”
“Lord Caron.”
The voice that cut through his sentence was as cold and precise as a blade. Edenber had appeared beside them without a sound.
“If you’re only here to inform us that Lord Briden and Lady Lilibet won’t be attending, then perhaps it’s time you took your leave.”
Caron chuckled smoothly.
“Ah, but wouldn’t that be such a waste? Our two houses rarely have the opportunity to interact.”
His tone was mild, but his eyes gleamed with something darker.
“In the days of our late patriarchs, our families were quite close. I hope I, too, might enjoy such intimacy with Your Grace.”
“What if I have no such intention?”
Edenber’s reply was clipped, final.
“I have no desire for any further association with House Skya.”
“…I see.”
For the briefest moment, Caron’s smile faltered. But almost instantly it was back again, smooth and bright as ever. He turned toward Asil.
“In truth, one of the reasons I came today was to meet the young Lady Erzébet.”
“Asil?”
“Yes. I’ve heard you’re close with my younger siblings. They’re bastards, so I’m sure their manners are lacking. Thank you for your patience in dealing with them.”
He had every reason to seek her favor—the saint’s close companion, the one called “sister” by the divine beast of Staraphit, the only living relative of the empire’s most celebrated inquisitor.
Even making the crown prince look a fool could be excused as a childish blunder compared to the potential benefits of her friendship.
“Lady Erzébet,” Caron said lightly, “I hear you don’t yet have a fiancé?”
“Bbaaaah!”
The sudden shriek came from the tiny dragonlet hovering near Asil. It had been pretending to follow Edenber obediently, but now it cried out, the sound sharp and metallic.
Startled, Edenber turned to his divine beast. The cry was strange—more furious than frightened.
“I myself am still unwed,” Caron continued with a practiced smile. “If the lady is amenable, perhaps we might cultivate a—urk!”
He didn’t finish the sentence. The baby dragon shot forward like lightning and slammed its head into his chest.
The entire hall went still.
A divine beast had just attacked the heir of a ducal house.
“What in the world…?”
Caron gasped, glaring down at the creature in disbelief.
For a moment, even Edenber was frozen by the shock. Then, regaining his composure, he stepped forward.
“Lady Erzébet is already betrothed.”
Caron’s expression twisted.
“What nonsense. Do you think I came here without doing my research? Even if she were engaged, that hardly prevents me from expressing interest.”
He tilted his head, lips curving into a smirk.
“Or perhaps you’re the fiancé, Your Grace?”
“And why,” Edenber said coolly, “should I answer that?”
“Well, if you’re not,” Caron replied, his tone smooth as oil, “then you’ve no reason to interfere, do you? Ah, but that’s right—you’re not her fiancé, are you?”
“…What?”
“At the Third Princess’s banquet, didn’t you publicly declare you had no interest in Lady Erzébet and told others not to cling to you on her account?”
Edenber’s face went rigid.
At the same time, Asil’s shoulders slumped a little.
Oh… right. He did say that.
Her husband had claimed he wasn’t interested in her. Even if he hadn’t known her true identity at the time, the memory still stung.
She lowered her gaze, scuffing the ground lightly with the tip of her shoe. That was when Edenber’s voice cut through the silence.
“…I am.”
Caron blinked. “Pardon?”
“I am interested.”
“…!”
Asil’s eyes flew wide. What did he just say?!
And she wasn’t the only one stunned into silence.
Only a short while ago, the Duke had all but spat the name Erzébet like a curse—yet now, before everyone, he had openly declared the exact opposite.
The entire room froze.
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By Anna 💓
