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Chapter : 10
The man called Geel walked over with Kael and Hiazelki to the shade and sat down at Albert’s answer.
“That’s a pretty name.”
“Don’t just sit there. Leave.”
“You’re being unusually quiet today?”
Geel glanced sideways at the child hiding behind Kael and smirked.
“Is it because she can hear?”
“Shut up.”
Kael gently covered Hiazelki’s ears with his hands and still spoke harshly.
“I can hear everything…”
Hiazelki pretended not to notice anything.
The Judgment Dragon was covering a child’s ears so she wouldn’t hear bad words.
Hiazelki recalled what she had once read about the Judgment Dragon in books.
But now, that image didn’t really match Kael at all.
Geel, sitting across from them, looked like he was enjoying this immensely.
“So. What brings you here?”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
“If it’s about a criminal, you could just send a messenger…”
“Oh, you mean me coming here?”
Geel brushed his long braided hair back.
“I heard you’re raising a human child, so I came to see it myself.”
“Now that you’ve seen her, go back.”
“How cruel, as always.”
Geel ignored Kael completely. Albert only smiled awkwardly, clearly troubled by his master’s mood.
“Not that Lord Kael is exactly ‘raising’ her, though.”
Albert added this unnecessary correction.
Kael shot him a sharp glare, but Albert pretended not to notice and looked away.
Just then, a maid returned with wine.
“Good, a party in a garden like this. How nice.”
“Are you thinking of settling down now, Lord Geel?”
“No way. If I stay in one place, the balance will break.”
Geel drank straight from the bottle of wine and then lay down on the blanket.
The blue sky was blinding.
“Break the balance? If you stay in one place?”
Hiazelki, who had been quietly sitting behind Kael, poked her head out.
“Hia.”
“Can I not ask? Aren’t you both dragons? Why not?”
Her eyes were wide as she looked between them.
Kael didn’t answer right away.
Hiazelki moved closer and sat beside him.
Ever since she first arrived, she had been afraid of the Judgment Dragon.
But now, she was no longer scared of Kael.
Being next to him felt calm… even safe.
‘If he really gets angry, I’ll just apologize and stop.’
She had a good sense of when people were truly angry, so she moved a little closer to Geel.
“Hia, don’t get any closer to him.”
“Why?”
“He will definitely have a bad influence on you.”
Geel, who had been lying down, suddenly sat up.
“Only you would say that the Earth Dragon gives a bad influence!”
“You just don’t know your own reputation.”
“I am a dragon of blessings!”
“Sure. So are all dragons… except in your own opinion.”
Geel fell silent at Kael’s words.
The atmosphere grew a little tense.
Hiazelki quietly sat between them.
“Um… Lord Geel?”
“Just Geel is fine.”
“Really? I can call you by your name?”
Geel nodded kindly.
“Then… Geel-nim.”
“That sounds too formal. Drop the ‘-nim,’ kid.”
“Eh? But…”
Albert had called him “Geel-nim” just a moment ago.
Hiazelki looked at Albert, who simply shrugged with a small smile.
“Okay… Geel.”
“Good. Give me your hand. I’ll read your palm.”
“Hah, even dragons do strange things.”
Despite Kael’s comment, Geel ignored him and held out his hand.
Kael’s gaze stayed fixed on Hiazelki’s hand as it moved.
Geel noticed Kael’s tension and smirked, taking her hand quickly.
He had planned to tease Kael by making him flinch.
But he couldn’t.
The moment he touched her hand, Geel felt it.
Hiazelki blinked in surprise.
His hand was trembling slightly.
Geel was the Earth Dragon, the one who blessed the land. That was his role given by God.
He had traveled across the continent, seen countless humans.
He had never shown himself openly, but farmers treated him like a god.
Still, Geel had never cared about being worshipped.
Dragons were all like that.
They simply watched over the world and humans living on the land.
So he had thought he understood humans better than Kael, who stayed in his castle judging criminals.
But this child was different.
She gave him a feeling he had almost forgotten.
A feeling from a very long time ago, when he had once stayed beside the gods.
It felt like something deep inside him was breaking.
Geel slowly stroked her palm.
“…I see.”
The trembling stopped.
When he lifted his head, his usual playful smile was gone.
Instead, there was something gentle and distant.
“You are a child born under a destiny of being loved.”
His voice was calm, not teasing.
Hiazelki looked at him quietly.
‘But…’
She didn’t fully agree.
Even though she was being loved now, her past was too painful to call it a “destiny of love.”
So she stayed silent.
Geel gently held her small hand with both of his.
“…Take care of me from now on.”
“You don’t need to. We won’t meet again anyway.”
Kael’s words broke the atmosphere instantly.
“Why!”
“Just leave.”
“Don’t say bad things in front of Hia!”
“Don’t act close to her. Stay away.”
Kael stood up and pulled Geel’s hand away.
“Then goodbye.”
“Hey! I’m not leaving!”
“Hia, I’m going inside to rest.”
“Papa?”
Kael froze at the way Geel looked shocked.
For a moment, no one realized what was wrong.
Geel looked between them with his mouth wide open.
“Did you just say ‘Papa’?”
“Yes?”
Hiazelki tilted her head, confused.
“Like… ‘Dad’?”
Now she froze too.
She meant something like that, but she had never had the courage to say “Dad,” so she said “Papa” instead.
“Uh… that’s…”
She tried to explain while glancing at Kael.
But Kael spoke first.
“What’s wrong with that?”
“…”
“…Nothing wrong with it. You’re doing a decent job as a father figure.”
Kael looked at her for a moment with an unreadable expression, then turned away.
“Guhk!”
Then he casually kicked Geel and walked into the castle.
“Are you okay?”
Hiazelki asked in shock.
Geel just smiled brightly.
“Sorry about him, Geel-nim.”
“It’s fine. He’s the most twisted of us anyway.”
Geel drank more wine and lay back down.
The warmth of Hiazelki’s hand stirred something inside him.
A feeling he had long buried: longing.
He lay there staring at the sky.
“…You resemble them.”
“Pardon?”
Hiazelki asked.
Geel smiled.
“Kid, go enjoy the garden a little more. It looks like they worked hard on it.”
“Ah, okay.”
She obediently stood up and returned to the others.
Geel then called Albert.
“Albert.”
“Yes, Lord Geel.”
“I’m staying here for a while. Prepare a room.”
“…Yes, I will prepare one.”
Even while Albert was clearly troubled, Geel only smiled.
He lay down in the garden and muttered softly.
“I won’t let him have her all to himself.”
“Just how long are you planning to stay? Leave quickly.”
“Hey! Hia! Kael is saying bad words again!”
Geel jumped around Kael and ran to Hiazelki.
“Hey! Don’t cling to Hia!”
After seeing the two walking together in the hallway, Hiazelki waved her hand.
It had already been a week since the Earth Dragon arrived.
“Hia, come here.”
“No, kid! Come to me! Want to go outside? I’ll show you flowers blooming!”
“Don’t try to lure her like that.”
Kael frowned.
But Hiazelki had already taken Geel’s hand.
“Are you going to make flowers again?”
“Of course!”
Hiazelki loved flowers—trees, animals, everything in nature.
Geel had figured out her preferences in just one week.
And blooming flowers was something Kael could not do.
Geel smirked and picked her up.
“Alright, let’s go, kid!”
“I can walk on my own.”
“Nope! You’re not heavy at all!”
