Touring the territory was enjoyable. I walked around cradling the egg while observing people.
Luden personally escorted me with his guard knights as my guide.
When I walked to the fountain in the city square, I found myself humming along to the music drifting through the air.
“A ball is held in the square once a week.”
“Is one happening now?”
“Yes, it should be.”
So that’s why I could hear music. Men and women dressed elegantly gathered in the square, chatting with one another. Those without partners glanced at each other, timing their approach to find a match.
I looked at Luden.
“You’re not going to dance, right?”
I asked, recalling what happened at the previous ball.
“Why would you think that?”
“Because you treat dancing like work.”
“Right now, it’s not work.”
He said that and approached me, firmly grasping my hand.
I entrusted the egg to a guard knight and danced with Luden.
He had changed considerably compared to when he refused to dance at my debutante ball.
Has he only changed for me?
I tilted my head and looked at Luden. He was watching me with gentle eyes.
He has changed—he never looked at me like that at the ball.
“Luden seems to enjoy dancing with me.”
Luden hesitated for a moment.
Why is he acting like that?
“Don’t seduce me.”
His firm words left me speechless.
“I’m not doing that!”
He always says I’m seducing him!
I grumbled. After the dance ended, I stood beside Luden, holding the egg in my arms while still grumbling.
We walked around every corner of the Regian city like that.
* * *
The egg was incredibly warm. Since I couldn’t hold it while sleeping, I placed it in a temperature-controlled box before going to bed.
When I woke up, a lizard with yellow scales was staring at me.
“Pretty.”
The lizard in the box spotted me and opened its mouth. I quickly lifted the lizard out of the box. It walked toward me.
The way it walked with tiny steps was incredibly adorable.
“My lady, are you awake?”
“Come in.”
Lella entered carrying wash water. She looked at the lizard I held in both hands with curiosity.
“It really hatched?”
“I had that feeling. I told you it seemed ready to hatch.”
But when Lella approached, the lizard spun around in circles on my palm, seemingly trying to hide. I quickly set the lizard down, and it scurried behind my feet.
“I’m a good person though.”
Lella grumbled regretfully. But the lizard didn’t seem to hear those words.
When I extended my hand to the lizard again, it quickly climbed onto my palm. I wanted to show the lizard to Luden.
Is he awake?
Yesterday Luden had a lot of work, so we slept in separate rooms. Perhaps I’d grown accustomed to sleeping with him, because being alone made me feel lonely and I couldn’t fall asleep.
I wanted to tell him we should at least sleep together tonight, but it wasn’t easy. When he has a lot of work, sleeping in his study would be more efficient.
Lella approached me while I was suffering in silence.
“Married couples are supposed to be together.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s written all over your face, miss. You were disappointed that the Marquis wasn’t there, weren’t you?”
Since she was right, I couldn’t say anything.
“Show him the lizard and casually mention it.”
“Alright.”
I said that and walked to Luden’s study. Knights stood guard at the entrance to the Marquis’s study. I greeted them and quickly knocked. Then I heard a sound from inside and the door opened.
“What is it?”
I glanced over Luden’s shoulder at the desk. There didn’t seem to be many documents on the desk.
Has he finished a lot of work? That would be good.
“It hatched.”
I extended both hands in front of Luden to show him the lizard.
“A yellow lizard—how unusual.”
His eyes turned toward the lizard.
“Igol, don’t be scared. Luden is your father.”
Then the lizard—no, Igol—stuck out its tongue and observed Luden. It seemed to understand my words, which was fascinating.
“Father?”
Luden said, sounding flustered.
“I’m going to raise it. So we’re its mom and dad.”
I spoke matter-of-factly. Then Luden’s face flushed.
“I never expected to have a lizard as a child.”
“It’s cute though.”
“That’s certainly true, but…”
Luden frowned. He seemed displeased about something.
“I named it first though.”
“Did you?”
“I was going to call it Ruth.”
“Let’s name the next child that’s born Ruth.”
I decided the name for the next child to be born in advance. Then Luden nodded, seemingly satisfied, and placed his hand on Igol. Perhaps because of what I said, Igol docilely accepted Luden’s touch.
What food does Igol like, I wonder?
I went downstairs to the kitchen. I asked the cook to bring foods that animals could eat.
Since it’s a reptile, I thought it might eat mice, but Igol smelled the milk and started eating it.
What? Is it not a regular lizard?
Luden also watched Igol drink the milk beside me.
“How curious.”
“Right?”
“Did you sleep well last night?”
Luden asked.
Since we started living together in the mansion, we always slept together. Even if we didn’t make love, we at least shared a bed.
“I felt lonely without you.”
I answered honestly.
“Same here. I felt a bit empty.”
At Luden’s words, I felt somewhat embarrassed. Thinking that he was looking for me, that he felt the same way I did—it gave me a strange feeling. My heart fluttered.
“From now on, even if it’s late, let’s sleep together.”
Luden spoke like making a vow and kissed the back of my hand.
With the newly hatched Igol, Luden and I returned to the capital.
* * *
“Where did my egg go!”
In the dragon’s lair, a woman with golden hair and golden eyes was wandering around.
She had fallen asleep because she was tired, and several days had passed. But the egg had disappeared.
An egg ready to hatch possesses self-awareness. So when it becomes curious or interested in something, it moves on its own and goes out.
It was her own carelessness. She had been so sleepy that she forgot to cast a spell to prevent it from moving before falling asleep. When she woke up, the egg had seized the opportunity and left.
“It looks perfect for roasting.”
Even if the egg possessed self-awareness, it couldn’t tell others it was a dragon. And humans wouldn’t know anything, so they might have caught and eaten it.
“My egg!”
She cried out, sobbing.
It was an egg she had finally obtained with great difficulty.
A miraculous existence born from one night with the dragon she had secretly loved for so long.
She wandered around, choking back tears. But then, a massive energy swept past her body.
A dragon just born from an egg is called a hatchling. When a hatchling moves, it releases tremendous energy that all dragons become aware of.
“That’s my child!”
She found the source of the massive energy. But the source was gradually moving.
Dragons imprint on the first being they see. And sometimes they consider them their parent and follow them around.
If that’s the case, it might be considering someone other than herself as its mother right now.
She suddenly felt miserable. She had cherished that egg so much.
Still, she had to find the hatchling first. She transformed into a dragon in the lair, quickly spread her two wings, and flew into the sky.
* * *
Her blue hair swayed gracefully. Her blue eyes were clear like gazing into the deep sea. On top of that, she wore a pleasant-looking smile.
“To think he rejected me.”
The lady-in-waiting organizing her waist-length hair chimed in from the side.
“He’ll regret rejecting Your Highness the Princess.”
“It wasn’t a position I was keen on either.”
When her father first asked if she would consider becoming Marquis Charlot’s second wife, she was truly furious. She couldn’t understand why she should go as a second wife.
Originally, those who inherit a family can have about two legal spouses or husbands.
However, the Charlot Marquis family was famous for having only one wife. Perhaps rejection was natural. To think he would put her in such a position.
What bothered her even more was that Luden hadn’t even completed his knight training yet. One becomes a true marquis only after completing knight training.
Anyway, there were many conditions she disliked. So she was somewhat relieved that Marquis Charlot rejected the proposal, but still, it felt unpleasant.
“I should be the one rejecting him!”
Few men had ever rejected her.
“It feels really strange.”
How great is Annelia that he rejected me for her?
“I’ve seen Marquis Charlot from a distance, and he was truly magnificent.”
At the lady-in-waiting’s words, she became curious.
“I want to see him too.”
“Your Highness the Princess will surely find the Marquis’s appearance pleasing as well.”
“It’s rare for Nerin to say something like that.”
Nerin, her lady-in-waiting, had very high standards. Knowing this well, she felt curious.
“Marquis Charlot is having his wedding soon, right? I want to go too.”
I need to see just how great he is.
And personally, she was curious about what kind of person Annelia was—the one who punished Jiton.
They say she’s so beautiful. Just how beautiful is she?
The first princess of the Duke Empire making her social debut this season, the one who had marriage talks with Luden—her name was Lorina Zeren Duke.
She was originally the female lead of the novel.
Lorina was supposed to meet Luden when he went for knight training, but fate had changed, and she became interested in Luden earlier than that.
Annelia still had no idea about this fact.
* * *
Igol was looking at me with sparkling eyes. It seemed to be asking me for more, so I gave Igol a cookie.
“Just what are you?”
Igol tilted its head.
It doesn’t eat mice or insects. It’s not reptile-like at all! And it loves cookies, chocolate, and sweet things. Should I say it’s similar to a person?
Igol grew rapidly and now I needed both hands to hold it.
When I sat on the sofa, Igol quickly spread its two wings, flew over, and sat on my lap.
“You’re not a dragon or something, are you?”
Do lizards fly? By now I knew Igol wasn’t a lizard.
Igol yawned, seemingly full, and closed its eyes. I stroked Igol’s head. Then Igol wagged its tail.
It even has traits similar to a puppy.
I was smiling quietly when someone knocked. Lella quickly opened the door.
“Annelia, about lunch…”
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Ravingcrow1118
Like I said, they are too relaxed about this. Also, did she only just notice the wings like days after the dragon was born? Annelia is very dim and Luden is taking a similar route. They were literally just in a territory know for dragons, picked up a random egg off the ground, just assumed it was a sort of monster egg, and went off on the rest of their adventure. I feel like the author really is a teenager with this simplicity. 😮💨😮💨