Then, seven months after drinking a mixture of lily-of-the-valley berries and ground dragon scales, menstruation suddenly began, soaking her legs all at once. It felt as though the clock inside her body, long stopped, had started to move again.

There had been no reason to tell Dion back in Drasia. Their relationship was a contract, after all. Believing her body incapable of carrying his child, she let herself be with him as her heart desired.

Dion never asked. Perhaps that was only natural. Women’s matters were not something he would concern himself with. Whether the maid who observed Clementina’s body reported it to Dion remained unknown.

Yet there was no reason for the truth not to reach him. A woman was a man’s property, so the maid would have reported to the head maid, and the head maid would have told Dion. Thinking that Dion had heard the news and still remained indifferent left Clementina inexplicably despondent.

The sharp ache in her chest could not be helped.

And yet, only after parting from Dion did Clementina’s body become capable of bearing a child.

At first, she thought she was dying. Blood flowed between her legs, and she believed something had gone wrong. The idea that menstruation might begin now never crossed her mind.

But after five days, the bleeding stopped naturally. Only then did she realize that menstruation had begun.

If used properly, this could help women who could not bear children.

Clementina had many discussions with Custus about how to turn medical discoveries related to dragons into profit.

Clementina said to distribute it free, and Custus absolutely opposed. Without setting a price, it might rather arouse people’s suspicion and create those trying to illegally capture dragons.

But that was the same even with high prices. So they hadn’t yet found an appropriate price.

It was when Clementina had almost finished collecting scales from Leon’s nest with small tweezers.

“Wait a bit and let’s do it together.”

Dion opened the teahouse back door and strode over. Clementina had never been a late sleeper originally, but after getting sick, she slept even less. So it had become a habit to come out alone in the dim time before sunrise and look for work.

Today was the same. She’d moved more busily to shake off the fear that Dion might not come.

But Dion arrived at the teahouse when it was Clementina’s usual waking time.

“Already done? When did you start? What time do you even clock in? I’ll have to come earlier tomorrow.”

Dion kissed Clementina’s forehead like his daily morning greeting. The gesture was so identical to when they’d lived together at Aeskis Castle that tears welled up in Clementina’s eyes for no reason.

Dion naturally took the tweezers from Clementina’s hand and picked up Leon’s scales.

“Leon must have grown a lot.”

“I didn’t bring him. Leon followed……”

Clementina quickly waved her hands as she spoke. She didn’t want to be misunderstood as having deliberately taken Leon.

“Why so flustered? Of course. If I were Leon, I would’ve followed you too. Really. I really wanted to go with you too.”

“……”

Clementina’s flustered gaze wouldn’t leave Dion’s face. Then Dion furrowed his brows and made a handsome expression, then began changing into increasingly varied expressions. Ridiculous, then cute, then funny faces.

A smile spread across Clementina’s face.

The discomfort she’d felt when seeing Dion again had disappeared without a trace. Like all that stubbornness had been a lie.

Whoosh, thud!

Just as Dion swept up all of Leon’s scales, Kitan visited the teahouse for the first time in a while.

Kitan had also left with Clementina when she departed Drasia. When Clementina started staying at the teahouse, he’d been with her for the first few days. But after about a month, he’d suddenly left alone and then returned.

Clementina waved at Kitan.

“Kitan! You’re back? Where did you go this time?”

〔Long time no see. Me? Well, I went here and there. You look thinner again?〕

“You too with that?”

〔What’s wrong with your body? Even a skewer would be plumper than you. Do you even eat?〕

Kitan nagged Clementina the moment they met.

“Hmph! I’m invisible now?”

〔As if. I’m not blind—how could I not see such a huge body? No matter what I say, you can’t understand me anyway.〕

Kitan shook his head and snorted.

“He just mocked me, right?”

“Oh! How did you know?”

“Really? Hey, Kitan.”

〔Petty. Tattling like that. Like husband and wife. I’m hurt.〕

“Kitan! We’re not husband and wife anymore!”

“Oh! Right, right. We still look like husband and wife to you, don’t we? Dragon eyes are perfect indeed!”

“Your Majesty!”

“No! We agreed not to call me that here. You made a promise, so I’d like you to keep it, Clementina.”

“Hah……”

Clementina sighed once, then smiled brightly. She showed Leon’s scales from the basket as if she hadn’t heard their conversation.

“Look at this, Leon’s scales. The color is pretty, right?”

〔Instead of going on about scales, why don’t you eat?〕

“Where did you go this time?”

〔…….〕

Kitan lowered his head and examined Clementina’s body from various angles, circling around her. Both Kitan and Clementina were busy saying only what they wanted to say.

Kitan worried about Clementina’s body, and Clementina didn’t want to cause Kitan needless worry.

Dion stood between them observing their noticeably closer relationship. Dion clenched his fist tight, unable to bear his jealousy.

“Great, now I have to be jealous of someone else’s dragon too. Hah……”

〔Your batum is quite obsessive indeed.〕

“Batum?”

〔Batum are obsessed with us. The chosen ones have even stronger obsession.〕

Kitan gestured toward Dion and flapped his wings. Dion scratched his furrowed brow with his finger.

“This person isn’t foolish, Kitan.”

“Does batum mean idiot?”

Dion realized Kitan and Clementina were talking about him and interrupted. Clementina smiled awkwardly, but Kitan raised his head proudly.

〔Dragons and humans cannot become one. They just choose and stay beside each other. But you chose this one. This one accepted you. Then you must take responsibility. Returning to this one was the right thing. You must take responsibility for the choice you made.〕

“I didn’t return to this person. We’re just together temporarily.”

〔Hmph! What nonsense is that? If you’re together, you’re together. Sometimes I can’t tell if you’re stupid or wise.〕

“What about you? Where’s your responsibility?”

〔I did my best for the batum I chose. Not spilling blood by that one’s side anymore was also my choice. Leaving was my choice too.〕

“I did my best too.”

Clementina spoke carefully while glancing at Dion beside her.

〔Hehehe. You did your best? Weren’t you running away out of fear? Don’t be a coward. You’re not the only one dying. This batum will definitely have problems too.〕

Clementina glared at Kitan. Threatening her using Dion.

Moreover, outwardly Dion had changed more splendidly than before. He didn’t seem sick like her just because she wasn’t by his side. Yet Kitan said Dion could have problems too—what problems could there be?

What could the Emperor of the Ronakia Empire possibly lack?

Clementina lacked the ability to see inside Dion’s burning heart. She didn’t know how many tears Dion shed inside while spending days and nights without her, stroking the cold bed, clenching his empty hand while walking through the garden.

If only her body weren’t sick, Clementina could actually say she’d been better off than Dion.

Clementina’s body was dying, Dion’s heart was dying.

“Were you always such a nasty dragon?”

〔Where would you find such a caring dragon? Who else would tell you these things?〕

“If this is caring, I’ll pass. It stings too much.”

Kitan lay down in front of Clementina with his head resting on his front paws. Then he put his nose to Leon’s scales in Clementina’s basket and sniffed.

Dion, silent until then, took Clementina’s basket and bent down to place it in front of Kitan so he could smell better.

“I agree. I’m glad Kitan is by your side. I’d gladly become an idiot if it meant I could be by your side.”

Dion knelt on the floor and looked up at Clementina with a meaningful smile.

The sunlight that should have been behind her seemed dazzling on Dion’s face instead.

“You seem to understand everything.”

Even as Clementina stood dumbfounded, Dion only smiled. Kitan had his nose buried in the basket.

〔Leon still has a long way to grow.〕

“Ah! Kitan, I’m curious about something. Leon can’t talk. When do dragons talk?”

〔Leon hasn’t chosen yet. Only dragons who’ve chosen gain wisdom. Only with wisdom can they converse.〕

“I don’t understand. People can’t talk to dragons. Only I can understand your language.”

〔Hehehe. That’s because you can use dragon language. Your batum could understand too if he learned dragon language. But you still can’t converse with dragons without wisdom. Have you tried?〕

Only then did Clementina recall that when she’d encountered rock dragons, they’d spoken like Pink Lili or Leon. No matter how well Clementina could speak dragon language, conversing with wild dragons had been impossible from the start.

“So anyone can do it if they learn dragon language?”

〔Probably. But who would teach them? And if you didn’t exist, who would believe dragons have language?〕

“Kitan.”

〔……?〕

Clementina called Kitan quietly.

“Why didn’t you tell me these things before?”

〔Hehe. I think I kept telling you?〕

“What?”

〔I kept telling you to return to your batum. Dragons who’ve chosen need their batum. That’s how they grow. But you didn’t want that.〕

“But you never explained the reason like this. You just always said to go back.”

〔Because I didn’t know either. My instinct just said you should return to your batum. So I told you. But now I know the reason, so I can tell you.〕

“You know the reason? How?”

〔You said you did your best. Really? As a batum, you probably did your best. But……〕

“But? What haven’t I done my best at?”

Kitan raised his head and looked up at Dion. Dion looked at Kitan without any change in expression.

Kitan slowly turned his head to look at the eastern sky.

〔You asked where I went this time?〕

Clementina nodded. Judging by his manner, he seemed ready to tell her this time. Kitan had never told Clementina where he’d been during his brief absences.