Chapter 62
I looked around to see the mess of the broken wall.
I can’t just stay here like this, so I planned to get the dragon and go downstairs, then tell the Grand Duke that the wall of the warehouse was broken. I hope he won’t be offended by it because the incident was also inevitable.
“Don’t yell at Nina and Franc again.”
“Kyuu.”
“Okay, come here first……”
Clearly, the dragon, who answered meekly, had a reason for destroying the wall. It was someone you can talk to, judging by the fact that he can understand and respond to what I was saying. So with the intention of getting out the dragon from the broken wall, I took a step forward.
“Hgggg!”
Then this time, the dissatisfied Miya swung her tail to the floor and cried out, shooting daggers from her eyes towards the dragon who was also staring at her.
“Miya, stop! You too, stop staring at each other!”
Miya continued to stare at the dragon with her fur all standing up and the dragon glaring at her, even though I already said that. But it seems like Miya couldn’t withstand the dragon’s intense eyes and power, so she slowly tucked her tail between her hind legs and looked up at me with terribly regretful eyes.
I think she looked at me like that because she thought she couldn’t protect me from the dragon, while on the other hand, the dragon didn’t seem to really want to hurt me.
“Indeed, I have to go to Dad.”
I murmured, crossing my arms and looking at the dragon.
It was clearly a situation that I couldn’t solve on my own.
“…So, this child here came out.”
I explained the process in detail how we discovered the dragon, and the more I spoke, the more I was worried about the dragon in my arms, with the Grand Duke looking at it with an inexplicable gaze.
“Sorry for knocking down the wall, Dad.”
As the Grand Duke tilted his face, there was a clear dissatisfaction on his face. The dragon also looked like he was angry as it faced the Grand Duke, and had an attitude as if he didn’t even want to look at the Grand Duke.
‘Don’t you think it has something to do with the founder if it was a dragon, so why does it look like you hate it so much?’
A dragon that was clearly related to a Divine being, the founder of this family.
I think I would treat it well if it was me….
As he opened his arms towards me, the Grand Duke said, “Come here.”
As I slowly approached him while looking up at him, he gently lifted me up and put me on his lap. Then he picked up the dragon in my arms, put it on the desk, and pushed it away.
“Listen carefully, Shushu.”
“Yes.”
“You can’t just hold any unidentified monstrous creature with your hands, because you’re still weak.”
“Unidentified? But it’s a dragon…”
The dragon will be upset!
Instead of being astonished, the Grand Duke clicked his tongue, and soon I heard his protesting voice behind me.
“I know how many years ago this mansion was built. That creature has lived inside that wall for a long time, and no one knows how that thing will affect you.”
“But the dragon won’t hurt me.”
I was strangely certain and convinced if I really looked into the dragon’s eyes – there’s no harm it will do to me within those quiet eyes.
“I’m sorry that I took down the wall, but I want to stay with the dragon, can’t I? Please? Dad, please?”
When I asked with both hands clasped together and looked up at him with my big round eyes, the Grand Duke was silent for a moment and heaved a sigh.
“I will be troubled if you ask for something while looking cute like that.”
Mission accomplished!
With a face that said he did not know what to do with my cuteness, the Grand Duke patted my head with a faint smile as I waved both of my feet in joy.
“Who do you really resemble for me to be someone that easily gets affection…….” (T/N: Grand Duke, you can’t fight our Shuelina’s cuteness. )
He muttered to himself then shut his mouth the next moment. He seemed to think that it wasn’t a fact he wanted to actually dwell on. I liked his smiling face the most, so I was annoyed when his brows furrowed again.
“I look like Dad, of course.” As I spoke with a broad smile, the Grand Duke’s eyes slightly widened.
“Me? I guess it’s because you don’t know…”
He shook his head in denial, as if I was a naïve person for not knowing his notoriety, as if he was wondering if I had never heard the rumors describing him as an evil and villainous Duke. I felt pity for the Grand Duke who was also disparaging himself like that.
“It’s not like that. Dad is a kind person that’s why you brought me here when we first met.”
The Grand Duke saved me no matter what my intentions were in the beginning, that’s why he, my brothers and the people of the Grand Duke can’t ever be villains to me.
Even if all the people shouted ‘no’ and called them ‘the devils’, they were kinder than the angels for me.
“Anyone who saw you for the first time would have tried to bring you in.” The Grand Duke murmured as he looked down at my skinny wrists.
Even though I already spent several months in the mansion eating well, and getting plenty of rest, I was still skinny. With my arms like dry branches, the chef taking care of my meal still has a long way to go for me to become chubbier like a child should be.
‘No, no one would help me.’
I know what life Shuelina had as she moved around the streets alone, so what the Grand Duke said was wrong. I tightly hugged the Grand Duke’s neck instead of denying it.
“You must have been surprised today, Shushu, so first, go with your maid to wash up, have a snack and get some rest. Leave the dragon here for now.”
The Grand Duke suddenly instructed me and stopped me as I reached out to gently touch the dragon on the table.
Oh, my clothes! Turns out that they became dusty when the wall collapsed!
I forgot when the Grand Duke casually hugged me.
“Huh, why do I need to leave the dragon behind? Why is it going with Nina?”
“Because you need someone to wash the dragon and take it to you. Moreover, I have to make sure that thing has no health problems so I will call the wizard to check it out.”
Now that I think of it, the dragon indeed needed to be checked if it was okay, so I nodded and put it on the table.
‘Huh?’
I seemed to hear the dragon shout ‘I hate it!’ as if we were connected by something. The dragon was intensely staring at me when I turned around.
Was the longing, anger, and rejection I felt earlier, really the feelings of the dragon?
‘That’s awesome.’
Then I guess it really doesn’t want to stay here right now. But, of course, health is more important.
As I turned my body resolutely, the dragon laid down flat on the desk in despair.
“Dad, see you later in the evening! Let’s go, Franc, Miya!”
I should think of what to name the dragon as I wait for it!
“Well then…”
Removing the faint smile gracing his face, the Grand Duke looked towards the dragon lying on the desk, who stood up weakly from the table and faced him.
‘Franc! Young lady!’
Clinging on the wall and trembling, Nina internally called for the two of them who had already left. It was just a snowball fight, but the air vibrated like lightning. (e/n: Nina is basically saying that even tho this situation isn’t dangerous, the duke is so scary that she feels like it is)
“I don’t think you’re useless at all… but I feel unhappy for some reason.”
In fact, the dragon’s attitude of protecting Shuelina wasn’t a bad thing, but the Grand Duke somehow felt displeased. He could only feel that the dragon was preventing him from spending affectionate time with his lovely daughter. (T/N: Nothing is cuter than a jealous daddy)
‘I mean, I don’t like you very much.’
When Shuelina disappeared, the atmosphere instantly changed and it was clear it (the dragon) was trembling. The Grand Duke thought that he should find out about the dragon’s habits so he called Nina closer.
“Did you know?”
“R-reporting! The young lady… loved the snacks, as Franc said!”
“So, you went around today just to tell me the same thing, that she likes snacks?”
With an expressionless face, the Grand Duke looked at Nina and asked.
Do you mean I should be preparing snacks as a birthday present?
This is the first year of Shuelina becoming his daughter so he wants to give her the grandest and happiest birthday ever.
“Oh, she liked toys and expensive things also, but she reacted the most to food.”
The Grand Duke tapped the desk without a word, and Nina overcame her fear and continued.
She can’t wish more than her little master having the happiest first birthday party.
“Probably, the food that the young lady was unable to eat in abundance at the orphanage, is the one that will touch the young lady’s heart the most.”
Those words moved the Grand Duke’s heart.
The time she spent starving seemed to have left a deep wound on Shuelina’s heart and because of this, she subconsciously showed an obsession with food.
‘Didn’t you say you were hungry?’
‘If I don’t eat now, I don’t know when I will eat again… Ah.’
She used to look like something was broken whenever she realized that. She was disappointed in herself for being unable to suppress her impulses though she knew she would never fall into such a miserable situation again. The Grand Duke seemed to feel that she is naturally weak though he only felt pity towards her in those moments.
“Excuse me… Master. This might be presumptuous of me… but the best gift you can give is something that the recipient will love.”
The Grand Duke looked at Nina’s crouched back, bent due to her fear.
It was certainly presumptuous of a young maid to advise a Grand Duke but somehow, he didn’t want to blame her for her mistake.
‘Not something I just want to give, but a gift for Shuelina.’
Have I ever prepared a gift for someone?
The Grand Duke thought deeply as he imagined Shuelina’s smiling face.
“Krrr….”
“Oh yeah, you can get up.”
He forgot about the dragon as he thought deeply about what to give Shuelina.
In order to make the excuse he told Shuelina become a fact, the dragon first needed a bath. The Grand Duke called out to Nina, throwing the dragon in her arms.
“Wash that dragon in the bathroom away from Shushu, and when you see the butler, tell him I called him.”
I have to put away that dragon far from Shuelina and prepare a gift.
The Grand Duke waved his hand, satisfied with the train of his thoughts.
After washing thoroughly and eating delicious snacks, I felt very refreshed.
There was a little bit of time until dinner time.
Franc also disappeared to clean the bathroom, and Nina wasn’t beside me either.
I can’t even see where my brothers went…
‘It seems like I will be alone for a while.’
The boy that I often see whenever I was alone like this, didn’t appear today. I thought that I should try talking to him rather than running away the next time I see him.
I sat on the bed, twisting my dry hair mindlessly, then abruptly stood up from the bed.
I’m bored, so I’ll go for a walk! And… I arrived at the garden near the annex.
‘I forgot, the Crown Prince is in the annex!’
Coincidentally, I just so happen to run into Luca, talking in the garden with Deleign. I instinctively hid among the bushes and looked at them.
What are they talking about? I could hear their voice relatively clearer this time, as I approached carefully so as to not be detected.
“The boundary of the annex is just here, exactly here! You can’t go for a walk more than this!”
Deleign was stomping his feet on the floor while screaming loudly.
“I don’t really have a clue. The people of the Grand Duke were often criticized as ruthless people, but this is the first time I have ever seen gold in the garden.”
The expression on Lucas’ face was too cold, evidently looking at Deleign with contempt.
‘Gold…?’
I stared at the floor where Lucas was looking down. There was gold painted on it that looked like it had been drawn with feet, and standing on its end….
‘What, did brother Del draw a line with gold so he can’t cross over?’