Chapter 32
With trembling front paws, Asil picked up the scarf and sniffed it.
Although it didn’t carry Mom’s scent, it had the pleasant smell of something new, mixed with Edenber’s body fragrance.
‘He must have kept it with him until he gave it to me.’
Tears welled up in Asil’s eyes, moved by the gesture.
Edenber, cautiously observing Asil, asked softly,
“Do you like it?”
“Bbi-ya.” (Yes.)
Asil didn’t want to show a human that she was crying.
Rubbing the scarf against her face to quickly wipe away the tears, Asil sniffled and took a deep breath.
Then, with her fern-like front paws, she swiftly tied the scarf around herself, placed both front paws on her hips, and puffed out his chest.
“Bbi-yat-bbi!” (Asil is pretty, right!)
“Yes, you’re pretty.”
Only then did Edenber, relieved, smile brightly.
He sat beside Asil, wiping the whipped cream off Asil’s mouth with a handkerchief, and said,
“I heard you trained the knights to prepare for the friendly match with Starapit.”
Edenber slightly bowed his head.
“That was my job, but thank you.”
“Bbi, bbi-ya bbi-i-ya?” (Why does Husband have such dark circles under his eyes?)
If this continued, Asil felt like she might cry again. To change the subject, Asil pressed her cheeks tightly with both paws.
“Bbi-yat-bbi.” (Your face looks gaunt too.)
“I’ve been busy with the civil war report. But I managed to complete the marriage contract.”
He handed over a piece of paper written in his own handwriting. This was the real reason he had come to see Asil today.
A lot of time had passed since he promised Asil marriage.
Unlike Asil, who was diligently fulfilling the duties of a divine beast, she hadn’t even managed to prepare a single marriage contract, using busyness as an excuse.
How could such a faithless person claim to be the master of a divine beast?
So, he had set everything aside to prepare the contract first.
Edenber gestured with his eyes for Asil to read it.
Asil, sniffling, read the contract.
「1. Edenber Monlepe will never harbor feelings for another rational being.
2. Edenber Monlepe will grant anything Asil desires.
3. Asil permits the adoption of an heir for the continuation of the Monlepe lineage.」
“You might think the first and second clauses are obvious, but since some people don’t keep even those obvious promises, I wrote them down to put your mind at ease.”
‘And the third—’ Edenber lowered his gaze.
“Since I can no longer have children, we’ll need to adopt an heir to continue the lineage. Even if it upsets you, I hope you’ll agree to this one thing.”
“Bbi-i?” (Why can’t you have children?)
Asil tilted her head.
“Bbi-i-ya bbi-i?” (Doesn’t the stork friend bring a baby if you hold hands and sleep?)
The teachers at the beastman kindergarten had said that if you hold hands and sleep with a male beastman, the stork friend brings a baby the next day, so you should never sleep in the same bed holding hands with a male beastman.
“No, that’s not it.”
Edenber’s expression turned serious.
How could he explain to a child who still had eggshell on her head that he couldn’t have descendants due to a physical condition?
After a long pause, he drew a line through the third clause and wrote ‘To be discussed later.’
“Adopting an heir is something I’ll do after I become an adult anyway, so if you don’t understand, just focus on the first two clauses.”
As he said, Asil stared intently at clauses one and two.
Both seemed to benefit only Asil. Was Husband really okay with this?
“Bbi-i-ya bbi-ya?” (Doesn’t Husband have anything he wants Asil to do?)
“Yes. The only thing I want from you is to stay by my side forever as my divine beast.”
That won’t do. Asil has to go home.
‘But since clause two is there, I can bring it up later, right?’
Asil dipped her front paw in the black ink Edenber brought and firmly pressed his paw print.
Edenber signed next to it in his elegant handwriting.
They made two identical copies of the contract and each kept one.
He said solemnly,
“We’re now officially contracted. Since we can’t marry right now due to our ages, I’ll propose as soon as I become an adult.”
“Bbi-ya.” (Okay.)
Asil didn’t realize how significant it was for a human to have just stamped her paw print.
She simply fiddled with the scarf Edenber gave her. The soft texture felt so nice.
Then, she looked at Edenber when he suddenly spoke.
“By the way, how did you celebrate birthdays where you’re from?”
“Bbi-i?” (Why?)
“Just curious how it’s different from us.”
“Bbi-yat-bbi bbi-i-ya, bbi-i bbi-i-ya.” (We wore pretty cone hats, sang songs, blew out candles, and ate birthday cake.)
“It’s no different from us?”
For a moment, Edenber pictured lizards wearing cone hats, singing, and eating cake.
With a slightly surprised expression, he said,
“Lizards know how to make cakes too.”
“Bbi-i-ya.” (Asil isn’t a lizard.)
“Alright, black dragon. So, your birthday parties are similar to ours.”
He had wondered if they’d have to slaughter a pig for a blood feast or something, but thankfully not. He’d throw a birthday party for Asil later.
“Bbi-haaaam.”
While talking with Edenber, it was already bedtime.
Tired, Asil let out a big yawn.
Edenber personally tucked Asil into bed and covered him with a blanket.
After saying goodnight, he left the room.
That night, Asil dreamt of joyfully running around with Ednver while wearing the scarf.
* * *
Finally, the day of the friendly match arrived.
Determined to thoroughly humiliate Monlepe, Duke Starrafit invited every connection he had to the arena.
Not stopping there, he ensured that everyone, regardless of status, could attend the match.
Thus, the arena was packed with spectators, not a single seat empty.
“Which house do you think will win, Moonlepe or Starapit?”
“Starafit, of course.”
“Monlepe doesn’t stand a chance. I heard their knight order was completely decimated after the desert cave incident…”
“Well, they did manage to prevent a civil war, so their skills aren’t bad. But can they compare to Starafit’s knights, who’ve been with a divine beast?”
Everyone predicted Starafit’’s victory.
Some shrewd spectators even started betting money.
Among them was Selena.
‘I’ve been waiting for this day.’
Thanks to her contribution to healing Elcai, Selena was allowed to stay with Monlepe.
However, she couldn’t become Asil’s maid, as she had to continue treating Elcai.
‘Haha, I’m doomed.’
Having to stick by Elcai’s side.
Since Elcai was like a grandfather worrying about his grandson, one misstep could entangle her with the male lead.
As if to prove her suspicion, a few days ago, Elcai had thrown out a random question while receiving treatment.
“Are you preparing for something like an engagement?”
“What?”
The sudden question caught her off guard. An engagement out of nowhere?
She wanted to ask what he meant, but knowing Elvai wasn’t the type to explain kindly, she answered honestly.
“No, I’m not preparing for anything like that.”
“Hmm. I see.”
With a troubled look, Elcai closed his eyes tightly and fell into deep thought.
Meanwhile, all sorts of wild thoughts swirled in Selena’s mind.
‘Wait. Isn’t this around the time Princess Eokaste starts tormenting people with political marriages?’
Eokaste Princess was the mid-tier villain in the original story.
If things followed the original plot, Selena would need to fake an engagement with Edenber to avoid the third princess’s schemes.
‘Ugh, this old man. Is he trying to pair me with the male lead?’
There was no other reason he’d ask about an engagement.
Since she was the only girl her age around, he must be trying to set her up with Edenber, but no way!
“Lord Elcai, I’m against marriage. I plan to stay single forever.”
At that, Elcai looked disappointed.
In truth, he was disappointed about failing to guess Edenber’s engagement partner, but Selena completely misunderstood.
‘See, I knew it.’
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By Anna 💓
