Then Tahan rose from his spot and rummaged under the nest Caroline had used as a bed.

He lifted the now-hard, crumbly branches with his nose and brought out something in his mouth.

In Tahan’s mouth was a book with a brown leather cover. Tahan placed it on Clementina’s lap.

〔I don’t know human writing anyway. So I can’t reminisce. How is it? Think it’ll help you?〕

Clementina opened the book. It was Mother’s handwriting that now felt unfamiliar. Page by page detailed what she did each day, how she felt.

It was Caroline Sustain’s diary.

〔Take it.〕

“No, I’ll look and return it. I don’t need it. Just lend it to me briefly.”

Clementina gently stroked the nose bridge of the prostrate Tahan with her hand. Tahan slowly closed his eyes, seeming pleased. The shouting and displeasure from earlier had disappeared. Just the fact that they’d talked about someone they both knew made them feel noticeably closer.

〔Do as you like.〕

Clementina turned Caroline’s diary from the first page. She seemed to have started writing after leaving Sustain.

Caroline had sensed something wrong with her body and definitely came to southern Derin for recuperation. Since her body hurt, she stayed in the Welia region, met physicians, and visited famous medicine shops.

In the process, she’d also learned about Custus’s teahouse.

That’s why she’d risked her life to go to Diahart Island. She seemed to have decided to die in the dragons’ homeland since she’d die anyway. Caroline knew dragon blood flowed in her body. It was written that she’d heard it from her mother.

“Bad mother.”

Then why had she disappeared without saying a word to her?

All she’d done was sing lullabies in dragon language and tell the true story of Bisha and the golden woman Rakane. Did she think that was enough?

Or perhaps she hoped Clementina wouldn’t make the same reckless choice as herself.

Did she want her not to choose to fall in love?

But it was a complete miscalculation.

“Mother, I’ve fallen deeply in love. I’m destined to die anyway. Didn’t you prepare for this case at all? A way to survive should definitely be written.”

〔Hehehe. What are you muttering to yourself?〕

“The more I read the diary, the angrier I get at Mother—am I strange? I can’t blame a dead person.”

Clementina lamented to languidly lying Tahan and buried her head in the diary again.

Caroline had discovered through dozens of experiments that grinding and drinking Custus’s lily of the valley berries mixed with dragon scales reduced pain.

Not just dragon scales, but all kinds of herbs used in experiments were written down from type to efficacy.

Clementina discovered a new side of Caroline. She wasn’t the mother she’d known.

Rather, she felt she resembled Sue. Could Sue have learned about these herbs from Mother?

“Coooo—”

Then a dragon’s cry was heard from afar.

〔Ho, what brings that one out? He rarely comes out.〕

“Who is it?”

Clementina turned her head toward where the sound came from. The pouring waterfall couldn’t have let outside sounds be heard. This was a dragon’s cry echoing inside the cave.

〔A dragon who came newly a year ago. He came here completely dejected, having lost his batum. At first his pink scales sparkled with light, but now he’s lost that color. A depressed dragon who’ll die soon.〕

Clementina ran toward the outside as if she couldn’t believe it.

Tap, tap, tap, tap. Clementina’s hurried footsteps echoed in the cave.

“Huff, huff. There, there……”

With the pouring waterfall at his back, a dragon was looking into the cave. Clementina approached very carefully, one step at a time.

She couldn’t be certain this was the dragon she knew.

The dragon had changed greatly from the appearance Clementina knew. The skeletal frame and body, already small for a dragon, had become even smaller. The face was haggard with almost no flesh attached. The bone shapes showed through under the skin—it was amazing he’d even made it here.

The dragon spread his skeletal wings wide and flapped weakly several times.

The dragon spoke to Clementina with wary eyes.

〔Dimint?〕

“Ah…… Sir Dimint is……”

Clementina couldn’t say anything. Just as she was pondering how to bring it up, the dragon suddenly drooped his head glumly.

〔Ah, right.〕

The dragon collapsed weakly to the ground. His legs seemed to have lost strength.

〔Dimint died. Right. I forgot.〕

“Lili.”

〔Hehe, right, that’s right. That was my name. Lili. The name Dimint gave me, Lili.〕

Clementina lowered the hand she’d raised to bring to Lili’s face. How could she comfort Lili? Dimint’s death was already a year ago.

Was there anyone who remembered Dimint?

The Gold Dragon Order welcomed a new dragon rider and dragon. Pink Lili and William Grant, former commander of the imperial knight order.

Even Clementina had never thought of Dimint just because she wasn’t in Drasia. She’d never gone back to Aiba to offer words of comfort.

Cruel and cold-hearted. Just because her body hurt, because her heart was wounded, she’d completely forgotten Dimint and Aiba.

Clementina had no right to comfort Lili.

At first, hearing Lili’s trembling voice, Clementina thought tears were welling up in those pink eyes. But they weren’t. Lili’s eyes were so dry they felt parched.

It seemed all the tears that could be shed had already been shed. Lili rose from her spot with difficulty. His thin legs trembled.

Then he bowed his head and went outside through the waterfall’s stream.

Clementina tried to follow, but Caroline’s diary was in her hands. So she returned to Caroline’s nest, left the diary with Tahan burying his head there, and hurried outside.

But Lili was already gone.

In the pond where the waterfall flowed, Kitan was swimming, moving his wings. Before Clementina, who’d hurried outside, Dion stood with his back turned, looking at the forest.

Clementina was certain Lili had disappeared into the forest. So with one small hope, she approached Dion’s side.

“Where’s Lili?”

“He disappeared before I could catch him. Probably went to his nest.”

“Where could Lili’s nest be?”

Dion gazed into the distance. Like he knew where Lili’s nest was. He didn’t look shocked by Lili’s appearance.

“Did you know Lili was here?”

“No, I didn’t know either. But since I know what Lili likes, I’m roughly guessing.”

Dion smiled bitterly. Clementina asked Kitan, splashing in the pond.

“Kitan! Do you know where Lili’s nest is?”

〔I don’t know either. How would I know where a dragon who lost his batum nests?〕

Kitan had a nonchalant face as he parted the water with his wings. He showed not a trace of sympathy.

“Why so indifferent? You’re both dragons. You really don’t know where Lili is?”

〔Don’t force human emotions on dragons. Of course, I comforted that one. Every time I came here, I looked for him, comforted him every time we met. But it’s useless. That dragon won’t listen. Would your words be any different?〕

“……!”

Kitan was right. Clementina’s words would be no different. Yet Lili had been here. Could she see him once more before leaving? Clementina grew gloomy. Then Dion gripped her shoulder firmly. Just having him beside her comforted her heart.

“Did you find a clue? Did you learn what’s happening to you?”

At Dion’s question, Kitan emerged from the pond and shook his body. Water splashed all over Dion and Clementina. Her lemon-gold hair got thoroughly soaked. Dion laughed and stroked Clementina’s hair. His refreshing laughter filled Clementina’s heart.

〔Can you live?〕

Kitan shook his wings and asked, like wondering what had happened.

“Pff, pff. Ptoo! Kitan, stop shaking.”

Clementina frowned as she flicked away the splashing water droplets with her hands. Only then did Kitan fold his wings.

“Tahan doesn’t know. He said to ask Mother.”

“How? How can you ask your mother?”

“I found Mother’s diary. I’m going to read it. If something’s written, couldn’t I live at least five more years from now?”

“You should live longer than that.”

Dion comforted her as he wiped the water droplets on Clementina’s even more dejected face with his hand. Actually, the comforting words Dion offered were for himself.

He hoped Clementina could live long. With him.

Kitan thought Clementina was dejected because of her illness, but that wasn’t actually the reason.

More than not knowing her exact illness, Clementina’s heart ached more at seeing grieving Lili.

But since Kitan couldn’t know this fact, he offered one-sided comfort from a dragon’s perspective.

〔You might live longer. You could be somewhat different from your mother. But humans are really strange. Mother, father—is that so important?〕

“Dragons lay eggs and keep them too. Kitan, you kept Leon too. Didn’t you feel affection or something? Of course, he’s not really your child, but if you kept him in your care for so long, don’t you develop child-like feelings?”

〔Hehehe, that’s our instinct. I don’t really know the feelings you’re talking about. As I keep saying, don’t force human emotions on us. If there’s a somewhat different feeling, it’s only when playing with female dragons. Hehehe.〕

“You, you’re really a beast.”

〔Of course. But if you put it that way, your batum isn’t much different either. Hehehe.〕

“Ki, Kitan!”

Clementina swung her hand in the air toward Kitan’s retreating head like hammering. Beside her, Dion grabbed Clementina’s pinky finger with a pitiful face.

“Not me. Don’t misunderstand.”

Though Dion spoke anxiously with his lips drawn down, Clementina knew how beastly he acted on the bed, so finding that hateful, she slapped his shoulder.

“Ow! Ow!”

Dion exaggerated unnecessarily, grabbed both her wrists, and pulled her into his embrace. Then Clementina burrowed into his arms without resistance.

A subtle tension had already been flowing between them, and Kitan’s words had only fanned the flames.

Clementina hurriedly pushed against Dion’s chest and stood up.

“I think I need to stay here a bit longer.”

Clementina wanted to stay here longer for her mother’s diary and Lili’s matter. Since there was the place where Caroline had stayed, there would be no immediate inconvenience.

“Good. Let’s do that. Even if we stay here the whole month, I’m fine.”

Dion clasped his hands behind his head and flopped down on the grass. His wet shirt made his firm chest stand out more.