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chapter 14
“Hey.”
“Senica.”
“I called you first, didn’t I?”
“If you’re going to call someone, you should use their name like I do.”
“……”
Ha, seriously, unbelievable. That guy had an absurd talent for shutting people up. It wasn’t wrong, but somehow it was even more annoying coming from him!
But I don’t even know your name. Normally, kids from other noble families would introduce themselves first when they saw me—but he didn’t do that. He just kept staring at me the whole time.
Well, of course, it wasn’t exactly the right moment for introductions. Still, if he wanted me to call his name, shouldn’t he have introduced himself properly?
“Then what’s your name?”
“Jaeus Vyett.”
It was a name that suited him perfectly. Black hair darker than even the head of the Black Dragon household, and cat-like eyes with sharp upturned corners. Beneath long lashes for a boy, I could see bright crimson eyes.
Earlier, they had looked much redder—so it must’ve been the lighting. The color wasn’t blood-red, but closer to a soft pinkish crimson.
Because of that, he didn’t look especially sharp or cynical. Even though his atmosphere still felt like it.
“Jaeus.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re seriously annoying.”
“……”
“So can you leave now? I want to be alone.”
I folded my arms and lifted my chin. Jaeus stared straight at me without even blinking.
What, what?! What are you going to do by staring like that?!
I glared back at those crimson eyes with equal intensity.
Whoooosh—
A cold night wind blew. My eyes stung, but I refused to close them.
‘If I close them, I lose to Jaeus!’
My eyes burned. Tears I didn’t even want started rolling down my cheeks. Meanwhile, Jaeus looked completely fine.
In the end, I couldn’t hold out any longer and closed my eyes. They itched so badly I wanted to scratch my eyeballs out. After a while, when I finally managed to open at least one eye, Jaeus was gone.
All that remained where he had stood was a single green leaf blown in by the wind.
And there was one more thing he left behind.
“…Sweet.”
It was his sweet pheromone scent. The same scent I’d noticed from the very first time we met.
It didn’t suit Jaeus at all, so at first I didn’t even think it belonged to him—but when we were alone, I became certain.
He really had more unexpected sides than I thought. Not that it means I like him! Absolutely not!
Meanwhile,
Hail silently watched Senica’s retreating figure as she disappeared into the crowd after sulking off.
Can being sulky look that cute?
He knew he should go comfort her right away, but he just watched instead. It wasn’t rare for him to see her like this anyway—so he decided to observe for a bit.
However, his faint smile didn’t last long. His expression darkened slightly when he noticed Jaeus following after Senica.
That kid… is he following our daughter?
Just as Hail decided to go after her—
“Are you really not even going to let the kids get close to each other?”
Vivian grabbed his sleeve. Hail tried shaking her off, but she had no intention of letting go.
“Why are you so conservative?”
“Can’t you see your son approaching our daughter? He knows she’s pretty too.”
“Approaching? They’re just kids, what do they know. And why are you acting like such an overprotective fool?”
At Vivian’s scolding, Hail fell silent. Even as she kept nagging him, he closed his eyes tightly.
“I knew it. Gabi, I told you I’d be the one getting scolded again, didn’t I?”
At the voice coming from behind them, he turned around. The Azure Dragon clan head, Kan, and the Golden Dragon clan head, Gabi, were standing side by side.
“You two, stop fighting. You barely ever meet, and you still argue every time?”
With a tired tone, Gabi scolded them both.
Finally, Vivian let go of Hail’s arm, fixed her black hair, and Hail turned his gaze toward the banquet hall, slightly embarrassed.
Seeing them act exactly the same as when they were younger, Kan and Gabi let out dry laughs.
“Alright, alright. It’s been a long time since we all met. Let’s have a drink and catch up.”
Kan quickly handed each of them champagne glasses from a nearby table.
“Cheers, cheers!”
Under Kan’s lead, the four clinked glasses. The awkward atmosphere gradually softened, and smiles returned as they began sharing recent updates.
The four clan heads were closer than mere political acquaintances, yet not close enough to share everything. Somewhere on the edge of friendship—bound by a subtle kind of connection.
A bond formed through mutual understanding of heavy responsibility. A relationship where they could show their true selves as leaders.
As the mood warmed,
“Hail. I’ve been really curious.”
After downing her champagne in one go, Gabi spoke excitedly.
“You delayed the announcement of your heir for so long even after the child was born. I wondered just how extraordinary that child must be.”
Kan nodded in agreement. Vivian quietly sipped her drink, waiting for what came next.
But it wasn’t Gabi who spoke again—it was Kan.
“In many ways… a truly unusual child was born.”
The statement was ambiguous—neither clearly positive nor negative.
Hail set down his glass and raised an eyebrow.
“Who would’ve thought you’d cherish your heir this much, Hail?”
“……”
“Honestly, didn’t you all think the same? After what happened with Erilin, Hail didn’t even take care of the egg—”
“Kan.”
A low voice cut him off.
Only then did Kan realize what he had just said.
Gabi rubbed her forehead, sensing trouble. This wasn’t the direction she had expected the conversation to go.
Hail walked toward Kan. Despite his cold voice, he wore a faint smile, which made him feel far more intimidating.
Gabi instinctively tried to intervene, but Vivian stepped in front of her and blocked her.
“Vivian!”
“Let them handle it. Don’t interfere.”
Vivian’s sharp red eyes flicked between them before Gabi finally lowered her hand with a sigh.
Hail stood before Kan, looking down at him.
“Is it really something you need to question that I care about my heir?”
“……”
“Yes, I was late in raising my heir because I couldn’t take care of the egg for a while. And I should be judged for that by you?”
“……”
“I recall even the Azure Dragon family had predecessors who went long periods without an heir.”
Kan had no reply. He simply listened in silence.
After that, they stared at each other for another minute.
Just as Gabi was about to step in again, Hail sighed, pressed a hand to his temple, and turned away.
He clearly had no intention of continuing the argument. He knew very well that if it went on, it would turn into a fight.
Gabi sighed in relief—but only for a moment.
Vivian approached Hail.
Gabi’s heart sank again. Vivian and Hail usually bickered over small things, and she worried she might provoke him further.
“Are you going to find the one who switched the eggs?”
Thankfully, Vivian knew when to stop.
Gabi exhaled in relief. It was a question she had also been curious about.
It was impossible for a human to be born from a dragon’s egg unless someone deliberately swapped it.
Even if someone had secretly replaced it, the idea of a human emerging from the egg was still hard to understand. But it was the only plausible explanation they had.
All the clan heads had reached a similar conclusion after hearing that the White Dragon heir was human—they would find the real heir who was supposed to be born.
But—
“……”
Why wasn’t Hail answering?
Vivian frowned at his silence.
“Don’t tell me…”
“……”
“You’re serious about raising a human child as your heir? It wasn’t just something temporary?”
“……”
Vivian waited for an answer with the last of her patience, but Hail remained silent.
She couldn’t understand it. Even for a family friendly to humans, the heir was a completely different matter.
Handing over a lineage protected by dragons for over five thousand years to another species—it was no different from insulting their ancestors and other dragon clans.
“Hail.”
“A human child or not, she carries my pheromones. She’s half dragon. There’s no reason it won’t work.”
All the other clan heads knew that if the egg had been influenced by Hail’s pheromones, the child inside would have been affected as well.
Still, their concern was that even if she was half dragon, her true nature was human.
“But still, you should reconsider—”
“Vivian. I understand what you’re worried about.”
“……”
“But this is a decision I made after careful consideration.”
“……”
“So don’t force your dislike of humans onto me.”
It had been a long time since they had seen Hail this serious. Because of that, the atmosphere grew heavy and unfamiliar.
The White Dragon family held ancient roots and immense power, making them difficult to treat lightly.
Even if Hail usually acted carefree, no one ever underestimated him for that reason.
The banquet hall felt as if only the space around the four clan heads had fallen into silence.
Trying to lighten the heavy mood, Gabi clapped her hands.
“…Hail must have his reasons. Let’s not worry too much, okay?”
But the tension did not ease easily.
“…I’ll go first. Senica must be waiting.”
In the end, Hail was the first to leave the uncomfortable gathering.
