LFDD 08

Chapter : 8

“Isn’t it okay…?”

She tugged lightly on his sleeve and looked up at him with expectant eyes.

Her lips were slightly curved from excitement.

After finishing the punishment of sinners, Kael always locked himself in his room for a long time.

He would sit by the window and stare up at the sky.

Even just moments ago, he had clearly been planning to do that again.

“……”

But for some reason…

He could not refuse Hiazelki when she spoke.

‘…It’s not like I’m trying to escape Albert.’

Kael made excuses to himself about something that strangely felt like guilt, and followed the child as she led him away.

She chatted about pretty flowers, how the weather was a bit cold but the sky was beautiful.

Listening to her cheerful voice, the dark clouds in his mood seemed to slowly clear.

Kael even began to think that going on walks like this might not be so bad.

‘…Not bad.’

He had originally followed her out under the excuse of avoiding Albert, but it actually felt quite good.

For the first time, it felt like he was being comforted.

More effective than sitting by the window after punishment and staring at the sky.

‘That child… she might be the only one who can give you what you want.’

Kael himself no longer even knew what he wanted.

But one thing was certain—maybe Hiazelki was necessary for easing his mind.

As the two walked through the garden, the maids and servants passing by looked shocked.

Kael pretended not to see them, but Hiazelki tilted her head, not understanding why they reacted that way.

‘Annoying.’

Kael found her sleeve, which she was still holding onto, increasingly bothersome.

“…Oh my… Master…?”

Just as he frowned at her grip on his sleeve, Yuri passed by nearby and looked at them with a pale face.

“Oh, Yuri!”

Hiazelki, unaware of anything, happily waved at her.

“A-a-a-a-a young lady… h-how did you end up with the Master…?”

Unlike the others who pretended not to see and walked away, Yuri approached trembling.

“We’re taking a walk together.”

Hiazelki answered casually.

Yuri cautiously glanced at Kael.

“U-um…”

She could not even bring herself to ask the simple question of whether he was alright.

In her noble training, she had been taught never to speak to the Dragon after a judgment.

‘Ah, I see.’

Unlike Yuri’s worry, Kael was actually thinking about how to remove Hiazelki’s hand from his sleeve.

He gently took hold of the hand gripping his sleeve.

A small hand was in his palm.

It was so small it was almost shocking.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes!”

Still holding hands, Kael walked forward with Hiazelki.

Yuri simply stood there, dazed, watching them walk away.

Albert, who had been blankly watching the two go on a walk, slowly closed Kael’s door again.

Then he hurried back to his room with quick steps.

Since becoming the butler of this castle, he had never once seen Kael go for a walk after passing judgment.

He did not even do anything other than sit by the window and look outside his room.

There was no record of such a thing in the family archives.

And everyone in the castle would likely say the same.

All of them were descendants of those who had served the Dragon of Judgment for generations.

They were educated by the family to serve him, and when ready, they were sent to the castle.

So they were not unfamiliar with Kael.

The butler quickly began writing a letter to Siel, as well as adding records from the Humphrey family, the lineage that had served Kael for generations.

“Lord Siel,

As you said, the Master is slowly beginning to change.”

Albert wrote in detail about Kael’s changes.

Then, as instructed by Siel, he inserted the letter into a white dragon scale and threw it out the window.

The letter instantly shot up into the sky and disappeared.

Step. Step.

Heavy footsteps were followed by smaller ones.

“…Papa.”

At Hiazelki’s small voice, Kael turned around.

“……”

He looked down at her silently, then turned away again and continued walking.

Of course, the only one shocked by this small word was Albert, who was walking with them.

The small steps stopped again.

“Papa.”

This time, her voice was louder.

Kael’s shoulders twitched, and he turned again.

Hiazelki simply looked up at him with round eyes.

Still confused, Kael slowly held out his hand.

Only then did she smile brightly and take it.

Calling him “Papa,” someone would turn around.

If she looked up, they would offer a hand.

It was all new to her.

Because of that, she began to like living in this castle more and more.

Walking with Kael holding hands.

Studying in the library while he read and she learned to write.

Even someone holding her hand when she woke up in the middle of the night.

Hiazelki was more than happy.

Even though somewhere in her mind, Kael’s words about “throwing fate away like garbage” kept echoing.

Fate. Curse.

Since that day, she had often fallen into thought.

And she had reached a conclusion—it must be the curse.

‘If that’s the case… maybe I just need to break the curse?’

Of course, it would not be easy.

But if she could, maybe she could completely forget her past of never being loved by her parents.

Now she was being cherished here.

She looked down at the large hand holding hers.

Then she murmured quietly.

“…Papa.”

After a long hesitation, she said it again.

She had wanted to call him “Dad.”

Would he turn around again if she called him like that? Would he look at her?

She was curious—or maybe she just wanted to try.

But she was afraid to say it.

Because she had never once been met with warmth before.

“Why do you keep calling me.”

“……”

It felt like she had heard a similar answer before.

But it was different.

The voice, the expression, the eyes.

Before coming to this castle, her parents in this life had been a little different.

Maybe.

But still, they were mostly annoyed by her existence.

And in the end, what filled their gaze was something Hiazelki could not understand—hatred.

Almost disgust.

“…I like it here.”

At her small voice, Kael’s eyes glowed faintly as he looked at her.

He did not answer and simply waited.

“I like everyone in the castle.”

“…Is that so.”

“Yes. I like everyone…”

“……”

“Of course, I like Papa too.”

“…I see.”

She had hesitated for a long time, unsure whether to call him Dragon-nim or Papa like before.

Albert, who had been shocked earlier, slowly changed his expression as the conversation continued.

His face softened, then turned somewhat sad.

Instead of replying much, Kael simply tightened his grip on her hand.

‘…God’s will.’

Even if it was not that, as long as she stayed by his side, he felt he should protect her.

It was just Kael’s excuse to himself—that she was a human loved by God and could not simply be left alone.

A castle standing tall in the barren northern land.

The place where the Dragon of Judgment lived, served by a small number of humans.

More than a year had already passed since the small child arrived there.

“Young lady.”

Hiazelki, heading toward the library, stopped at Yuri’s call.

“Yes?”

She was about to turn six by the end of the year.

At first, she had spoken a little awkwardly, but now that was gone.

She had always been beautiful since the first time they saw her.

Her coral-colored hair looked like spring had finally come to the cold north.

Her golden eyes gave off a gentle impression.

Like a golden apple on a cherry blossom tree—Hiazelki had that kind of beauty.

Yuri, briefly distracted by her appearance, shook her head and regained focus.

Then she approached with a serious expression.

“You must answer me properly.”

“Yes, Yuri.”

Hiazelki nodded obediently.

Yuri asked sternly.

“Do you know when your birthday is?”

“Yes.”

“When is it?”

“In winter. On the last day of the year.”

It was currently summer.

In the northern lands, summer was not very hot—just mildly warm.

Yuri sighed deeply while looking out the window.

Something had bothered her for a long time.

Hiazelki had been in the castle for nearly two years.

But she had never once said anything about her birthday.

Yuri looked distressed.

If her birthday was on the last day of the year in winter, that meant she had spent her birthdays here without ever mentioning them.

“Why didn’t you ever say it was your birthday? It’s also my fault for not asking…”

“Huh? But…”

Hiazelki was confused by Yuri’s sadness.

“Isn’t a birthday just the day you were born?”

“Yes. It’s a day to celebrate your birth together.”

“Celebrate? Isn’t it just a day you remember?”

Yuri was now confused too.

“Have you never celebrated your birthday?”

“Is a birthday something you get celebrated for?”

Yuri confirmed it then.

Hiazelki had never once celebrated her birthday.

She did not even know it was something to be celebrated.

She had lived three past lives and this was her fourth—and no one had ever celebrated her birthday.

Yuri did not know about her past lives or her previous families.

But the fact that she did not know how birthdays were celebrated meant her parents had never taught her.

‘And she is so bright and lovely…’

What kind of parents would fail to teach even this?

Normally, parents would be happier than anyone to celebrate their child.

Yuri sighed again and looked out the window.

Since it was summer, they would have to wait months for winter.

Seeing Yuri’s gloomy expression, Hiazelki felt worried.

‘Did I do something wrong?’

Anxiously, she grabbed Yuri’s sleeve.

Then Yuri clapped her hands.

“Ah! Then let’s do this.”