Chapter 7
—
“Ugh.”
I immediately pulled out my knife. In the chaos that erupted in an instant, the maid muttered.
“…I’ll kill her…”
I struck the back of the maid’s neck with my other hand.
If my prediction was correct, the maid should have collapsed. But she was staring at the fleeing princess with dazed, almost possessed eyes. It was clear she wasn’t in her right mind.
“Marion, step aside.”
At Kaiden’s words, I quickly dodged.
“Kyaaah!”
“Don’t look, Serena.”
I didn’t need to look to know. Kaiden had drawn his sword and killed the maid.
Blood splattered, and Serena, startled, screamed. It was obvious that Lucas was holding her close.
‘Damn it. Not being able to look at blood has this kind of drawback.’
I could feel blood flowing from my left hand, pierced by the knife. To avoid looking at the blood splattered around, I turned my gaze upward.
The glittering chandelier stung my eyes. I felt it once again.
‘Retirement is the only way to survive.’
“Are you okay?”
Before I knew it, Kaiden approached and carefully examined my left hand. Unable to look at that hand, I turned my head toward Lucas and Serena.
Serena, seemingly in shock, was trembling and leaning against her older brother. The sight of the maid with her throat cut must have been shocking.
Lucas, comforting her, met my eyes. He mouthed a silent thank you.
The surroundings were chaotic. Guards had come in and were clearing away the body.
Kaiden spoke to me.
“To the infirmary—no, to your room.”
“Yes.”
I obediently followed his words.
* * *
“I can’t live like this.”
“Why, what now?”
While I lay staring at the ceiling, receiving treatment, Kaiden stood by my side, arms crossed, and responded.
“I need to retire.”
“Haa.”
Kaiden buried his face in one hand. It was a clear sign of irritation.
“Marion, you did great today.”
Perhaps considering my injury, he didn’t get angry and instead tried to soothe me. But I found his intentions even more infuriating.
“Can’t you at least pretend to listen seriously? I really can’t live like this!”
“Marion.”
Kaiden called my name softly, but I ignored him and waved my injured left hand in the air.
“Look at my poor hand!”
That’s when it happened.
[Argh! Human, stop!]
“What?!”
Startled by the sudden voice, I bolted upright.
“Marion?”
I could feel Kaiden looking at me with a puzzled expression, but that wasn’t important right now.
A black creature was dangling near my bandaged left hand. I quickly grabbed it and lifted it up.
[Ugh! Let go!]
“What is this?”
I narrowed my eyes and examined it.
The distinctive scales of a reptile and red eyes blinking incessantly.
“A lizard?”
It thrashed its short limbs, expressing anger.
[A lizaaard?! I’m not some lowly reptile, you foolish human!]
I gaped in shock.
“The lizard is talking?”
“…Doctor, is she really okay?”
“W-Well, that’s…”
Kaiden and the doctor were looking at me with deeply alarmed expressions. Sensing something unusual in their reactions, I held up the lizard in my hand and asked.
“Can’t you two see this lizard?”
Kaiden and the doctor looked at me with trembling eyes, as if an earthquake had struck.
“…Marion. There’s nothing in your hand.”
I couldn’t understand.
“You can’t see it?”
“No.”
“It’s even talking like a person, and you can’t hear it either?”
As I asked in a bewildered voice, Kaiden covered his mouth and muttered.
“Now she’s hearing things too…?”
But I didn’t have time to care about his reaction. The lizard was struggling with all its might in my hand.
[Let go! How dare you subject me to such humiliation!]
“This tiny thing is so strong?! Stay still!”
As I twisted my body to hold onto the lizard trying to escape my grip, Kaiden shouted desperately to the doctor.
“Get a renowned psychiatrist here immediately!”
* * *
“It’s not a lizard, it’s a dragon?”
[Yes! I am the great dragon, Bled!]
When I asked with a skeptical look, the self-proclaimed dragon on my palm got extremely angry.
Upon closer inspection, it had tiny wings on its back and could stand on two legs. I doubted those wings could even fly, though.
I muttered without thinking.
“…Not a mutant lizard?”
[No!]
How such a loud voice came from that tiny body was beyond me; I winced as my ears ached.
“Dragons are supposed to be big and terrifying, aren’t they? This is way different from what I know.”
When I expressed my doubts, Bled hurriedly replied.
[It’s because I’m still a hatchling!]
“A hatchling?”
[Yes. When I become an adult dragon, I’ll be terrifying!]
Flapping its arms to describe its future self, it looked pathetic and cute. Feeling generous, I nodded.
“I get it. You’re still a baby, right?”
[A-A baby?! I’m not a baby…!]
“Not a baby?”
[…]
Bled fell silent. I tilted my head at the suddenly sullen atmosphere.
“How old are you?”
[…O-One hundred and one…]
“…You’re pretty old for how you look, huh?”
[Ugh…!]
Bled glared at me with a wronged expression but couldn’t argue back. I raised an eyebrow at its insolent look.
“Well, I won’t treat you like a kid.”
[You insolent human!]
This was actually perfect. According to my conscience from my past life, a true adult should be kind and considerate to children.
But since Bled, a child by dragon standards, was well beyond an adult by human standards, some adjustments were necessary.
So I decided to treat him as my peer.
As if sensing my thoughts, Bled narrowed its eyes and said.
[You have no intention of revering me, do you?]
…Isn’t it too small and pathetic to revere?
I quickly moved on to the next topic.
“Anyway, more importantly.”
[When I become an adult dragon, I’ll make your nose flat.]
Tch.
I snorted.
“So why can only I see you, and others can’t? You made people think I’m crazy.”
[That’s…]
Bled lowered its head, hesitating. I urged it to explain with a displeased look.
Just an hour ago, Kaiden had grabbed my head, frantic with worry.
He was so concerned about me seeing and hearing things that he was ready to bring a renowned psychiatrist from the capital.
To stop him, I had to pretend I couldn’t see Bled even when I could.
And yet, he still wouldn’t stop worrying and even made this suggestion.
“…Marion. How about sleeping in the room next to mine tonight?”
“The room next to Your Grace’s?”
“Yes. It’s meant for my future wife, but since your mental state isn’t stable right now, it’d be safer for me to stay close. After all, I’m the only one who can stop a swordmaster like you from doing something reckless…”
“…I said I don’t see anything! I’m not going to do anything reckless! Stop it!”
“No, a swordmaster seeing things isn’t normal. Come here for a second.”
“Ah! Stop trying to check my eyes! Go away!”
It took a lot of arguing before Kaiden finally left. I glared at the culprit of this mess, the lizard—no, Bled—and pressed him.
“Why can only I see you? Did you see how Kaiden reacted? Do you know how embarrassing that was?”
[I don’t know either… Normally, humans shouldn’t be able to see or hear me.]
“What do you mean? I can see you. Am I really losing my mind?”
As I began to doubt myself, Bled rubbed its tiny chin with a serious voice and muttered.
[I was drawn here by the smell of your blood.]
“The smell of my blood?”
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By Anna 💓
