Esa Promesa

Fortunately, as I stepped inside the palace, warmth quickly seeped into my body. I let out a sigh of relief and walked briskly toward my room.

“Lord Teian.”

“Yes?”

Ewyn’s voice called out as I placed my foot on the staircase leading to the chambers. I gave a casual response while continuing up the steps.

“What exactly happened between you and His Majesty?”

“Nothing of note.”

“Be honest with me. I’m dying of curiosity. Back when His Majesty ordered me to keep an eye on you, I thought he intended to kill you. But recently, His Majesty’s demeanor toward you has changed so much that it’s making me suspicious.”

Ewyn’s question was understandable. Officially, Diver and I weren’t supposed to have the best relationship.

Whenever I made mistakes in official matters, Diver would raise his voice at me before other nobles could, effectively shielding me from their criticisms. His words were always ambiguous enough to leave even the sharpest nobles questioning, ‘Is he defending him, or reprimanding him?’

“Is there a lot of talk circulating within the palace?”

If rumors about Diver were spreading among the palace staff, they needed to be silenced.

Diver was the king, and pointless gossip about him had no place here. I occasionally had to step in to keep things under control.

“It’s not that bad. It’s partly my personal curiosity.”

“If you tell me what kind of ‘strange thoughts’ you’ve been having, I’ll gladly address them.”

At my words, Ewyn stopped in his tracks. When I turned around to face him, his expression was peculiar.

“This might sound irreverent…”

“I’ll warn you in advance, if it involves slandering His Majesty, I’ll personally see to it that your head is separated from your body.”

“It’s nothing like that.”

“Then go ahead and say it.”

“Well, it’s just… His Majesty seems to treat you as though you’re his consort.”

I nearly tumbled down the stairs but managed to grab onto the railing just in time.

I knew I should control my expression, but Ewyn’s comment hit too close to home, leaving me momentarily stunned.

“I must have been mistaken, perhaps I thought so because your quarters were moved to His Majesty’s chambers. I’ll ensure no more rumors spread within the palace.”

“…Please do.”

I was being far too obvious. With Diver inviting me to dinner tonight, I resolved to tell him to tone it down. But would Diver actually listen? The thought of his usual antics made me feel despair creeping in.

Given how Diver had been acting, he’d likely respond not by restraining himself but by loudly declaring how deep his affection for me was, making it even worse.

What could I possibly say to counter that? Handling things on my end without involving him seemed like the best approach.

“Rest well, then. The bathwater is prepared.”

“Thank you, Sir Ewyn. Take care.”

The fact that Diver’s chambers had essentially become my quarters was, after all, largely his fault.

Enjoying the rare privilege of entering the king’s chambers first, I stepped inside. Although I shared the space, my room was the adjacent side chamber, making it a bit less awkward.

Of course, even that room was just as luxurious as the main chambers. Still, seeing Diver’s main bedchamber empty left me feeling unsettled.

If I could assist Diver right now, at least he wouldn’t have to sleep in the small room attached to his office instead of here. But despite my repeated offers to help, he had not only refused but also barred me from entering his office entirely.

In the past, Diver would have gladly taken advantage of my offers to help, working me hard. The reason for his refusal now was obvious.

It was my health. Because of a foolish lie I’d told, Diver saw me as a terminal patient on the verge of death. When we were together, he focused all his attention on even the slightest movements I made.

I couldn’t suppress the sigh that escaped me. How much trouble had I caused him with my poor judgment?

Still sighing, I opened the door to the side chamber.

“You’re later than I expected.”

The voice of a child in a place where no one should be made me open my eyes wide in surprise. Startled, I turned to see a young boy sitting on the bed, his golden hair and bright golden eyes immediately familiar. He hopped off the bed and ran toward me, his small feet pattering against the floor.

“Ah…”

I realized I had wasted half a day chasing my own tail, but the sight of the adorably childlike face before me lifted my mood instantly. I looked down at the small figure staring up at me with wide eyes.

“Lord Lasfame.”

At my call, Lasfame, currently in the form of a child rather than his usual adult appearance, smiled brightly.

In this childlike form, Lasfame was as endearing as Diver had been during his boyhood. However, the golden eyes unique to dragons, so far removed from an innocent child’s gaze, created a strange dissonance.

When I first saw him in this form, I was a little intimidated by that uncanny feeling, but not anymore. Despite having seen this youthful appearance of his recently, I found it almost impossibly cute, which was, frankly, concerning.

“It would have been nice if you’d let me know in advance.”

I’d spent all morning searching tirelessly for Lasfame. Knowing this perceptive dragon, he would’ve spotted me from a distance and immediately figured out my intentions. And yet, he had waited for me to return, only to appear with a cheerful grin. The reason was obvious.

“I couldn’t help myself after seeing how passionately you were searching for me.” 

If he weren’t Emar’s guardian dragon or so adorable in this form, I might have pinched his cheek in retaliation. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. My trembling fingertips didn’t go unnoticed, Lasfame grinned mischievously and spread his arms wide.

If he had been in his adult form, my heart might have raced for entirely different reasons. But as he appeared now, as a small and fragile-looking child, I could only feel sympathy.

I bent down and scooped him up into my arms. Lasfame wrapped his arms around my neck, holding on comfortably as if this were routine.

For Lasfame to appear in his child form here meant that his true body was elsewhere. Even for a dragon, creating an avatar to share their consciousness was a significant drain on their power. Lasfame had once admitted that if this avatar were injured, it would cause considerable harm to his true body.

Knowing this, I couldn’t dismiss him coldly, no matter how frustrating he might be at times. I understood that he took on this risk because he was the guardian dragon of this kingdom, which made me even more unwilling to criticize him.

“Where are you right now?” 

“In the northern lands.” 

The north, perhaps where the Ice Castle lay. I had already decided to begin my next life there, but aside from a few well-known regions, most of the north was unexplored and unmapped. I had so many questions I wanted to ask.

But I quickly gave up, knowing Lasfame wouldn’t answer them anyway, and switched to another question.

“When will you return?”

“Do you intend to make a wish?”

Having a question answered with another question wasn’t particularly pleasant, but the way Lasfame’s wide, gleaming eyes matched his childlike appearance made me nod involuntarily.

“Faster than I expected.” 

I couldn’t help but laugh at his sincerity. Apparently, he wasn’t lying when he said he was looking forward to it.

Sitting down on a chair, I placed Lasfame on my lap. His expectant gaze never wavered from mine. I had a sudden thought that if I jokingly said, ‘Just kidding,’ he might teleport away without so much as a goodbye.

“Were you that curious?” 

“It’s your wish to me. Not being curious would be strange.”

“Since you’re this excited, I’m starting to feel pressured. It might not be anything special…”

“That’s for me to decide. Now, speak.”

It was rare for him to urge me, so without thinking, my hand moved to brush the hair that had fallen over his cheek. When his round eyes narrowed in slight irritation, I quickly spoke.

“My wish is for you to bring my chimera… Silex, to me.”

For the first time, I saw the ever-composed dragon king wear a completely dazed expression.

It wasn’t a look of shock. It was sheer, uncomprehending disbelief. Was my wish really that strange?

After a moment of reflection, I realized why Lasfame reacted that way.

For a wish granted by a dragon, it was laughably modest, almost foolishly so. It wasn’t like I didn’t know where Silex was, so to Lasfame, it might seem like I was wasting my opportunity on something trivial.

Still, his continued blank stare was endearingly childlike. If he were in his adult form, I might have scolded him to snap out of it and give me an answer. But as he appeared now, I simply enjoyed observing his young face in silence.

“Are you serious?” 

He finally asked after a long pause. I burst into laughter. 

“Yes. But please, make sure His Majesty never finds out. I’ll give you the coordinates to the cave. It’s protected by enchantments, so only you would be able to enter.”

“….…”

“Then, I leave it in your hands, Lord Lasfame.”

I handed him a small note with the coordinates I had prepared earlier in the morning. In his current childlike form, even the notepad-sized paper looked comically large in his hands.

As he stared down at the coordinates, his face turned expressionless, but it was clear he wasn’t thrilled about the task. His reluctance was written all over him.