A Stowaway on the Roof and the Road to the Capital

With the correction of the prophecy, my business in the Great Forest was officially concluded. However, because Viscount Travie still had loose ends to tie up, I found myself enjoying—or rather, enduring—an unintended period of rest.

‘How tedious.’

The Great Forest was far too quiet. It wasn’t bustling enough for incidents or accidents to occur, leaving me bored to tears. In the Imperial Capital, I could watch a play or hold a banquet, but here, the height of entertainment was staring blankly out the window.

Today, as I was daydreaming, I spotted some local children running past, peals of laughter trailing behind them.

“Ah!”

A few of them caught my eye and immediately flushed a deep crimson. Being well aware of my own looks, I understood the reaction and gave them a friendly wave. Startled, the entire group scrambled away in a panic.

I was chuckling at their cuteness when a disapproving click of the tongue sounded from the empty air beside me.

“Tsk.”

“What is it now?”

“How much longer do I have to stay hidden?”

“I told you, don’t let anyone find out you’re a dragon. But I also said you don’t have to hide when it’s just the two of us.”

Kaiern puffed out his cheeks in a sulk. Despite my explanation, he seemed determined to be aggrieved, launching into a list of his current sorrows.

“And why does he touch you so much?”

“He? You mean Chase? Isn’t it obvious? He’s my attendant.”

If my attendant didn’t touch me, who would? From washing my face to dressing and undressing me, Chase’s hands were involved in everything. For some reason, this logic escaped Kaiern entirely.

“I’ll do it, so tell him not to!”

“Are you insane?”

I raised a fist at his preposterous suggestion. These days, the mere sight of my knuckles made Kaiern reflexively shut his mouth. Today, however, his sense of injustice won out, and he muttered under his breath with a protruding lip.

“You always pet him, but you only ever hit me…”

“Oh, brother.”

Then try acting like someone worth petting, I thought, though I kept the words behind my teeth. There was no telling what kind of “cute” behavior a lawless sociopath like Kaiern might come up with, and I wasn’t eager to find out.

“If I suddenly brought you out and said, ‘This is my new attendant,’ do you think anyone would just say, ‘Oh, I see! Nice to meet him’?”

The natural reaction would be to ask where he came from and who his parents were. The Great Forest was a tight-knit community where everyone knew how many spoons their neighbor owned. They would realize instantly that Kaiern wasn’t from around here.

‘And then what?’

A boy of extraordinary appearance living somewhere in the forest with no parents, yet looking perfectly refined. They might not jump to “dragon” immediately, but Kaiern’s behavior was far from that of a normal child. His cover would be blown in no time.

“So, go get yourself a proper identity. Then I’ll make you an attendant.”

He seemed to have no comeback for that, merely twisting his face and snapping his head away. It was his maximum expression of displeasure, which I promptly ignored.

I wasn’t about to coddle him just because he was pouting. When he realized his silent treatment wasn’t working, Kaiern was the first to fold. With a dejected “Fine,” he vanished completely just as the door opened and Chase entered.

“Your Highness.”

“Ah, yes.”

Chase brought in a tray with my lunch, scanning the room curiously. When I asked what was wrong, he replied that he thought he heard me talking to someone. I tensed up slightly.

“It must have just been my imagination,” Chase said with a bright, oblivious smile.

Everything must come to an end. My peaceful reprieve vanished the moment Viscount Travie finished his work. As we prepared to depart, a group of priestesses approached us.

“Your Highness, leave now?”

The one leading them was Ita, speaking in her clumsy Imperial tongue. After Meyril’s fall from grace, Ita had taken her place as the eldest remaining member.

The new Elder Ita seemed to be growing younger by the day; her white hair had vanished entirely. Aside from the hair color, she now bore a striking resemblance to a slightly older version of Concubine Dalia.

Since I could no longer speak to her informally, I responded with polite respect. She hesitated for a moment before asking, “Can we talk?”

She glanced not at me, but at Chase. I followed her gaze and, seeing that Chase didn’t look opposed to it, I nodded for him to go.

Chase looked a bit troubled but followed Ita a short distance away. Though I tried to mind my own business, curiosity got the better of me. I watched them, but they were too far away to overhear.

Kaiern, sensing my desire to eavesdrop, began to narrate from the void.

[That priestess is apologizing.]

“You can hear that?”

[Of course! I am talented!]

Though he was invisible, I could practically see him tilting his chin up in pride. He continued to relay the conversation, and I didn’t stop him.

[She says if the Imperial Palace is too hard to endure, he is welcome to stay in the Great Forest.]

Ita probably thought that now she was Elder, she could guarantee Chase’s safety. True, the forest might be safer than the palace—after all, the Emperor was at the palace. But he wouldn’t be able to live a “normal” life here either.

‘Because of Chase’s biological father…’

If Chase stayed, the people would refrain from blatant bullying out of fear of Ita, but they would still shun him. Even if their attitudes had softened since the prophecy, they were far from warm. In the Empire, he at least had Seamus, and people like Viscount Travie who treated him normally. In some ways, the Empire was the place where he could live most like an ordinary person.

Still, if Chase wanted to stay, I had no intention of dragging him back. His choice was my priority.

[The brat refused.]

“Really?”

[The priestess told him to find ‘this person’ if he ever needs help, and handed him something.]

I saw Ita hand Chase a small object—it looked like a wooden plaque. When I asked Kaiern what it was, he answered with cheerful ignorance.

[I don’t know.]

I wondered if that was something to be proud of, but debating with this “innocent-brained” dragon would only give me a headache. When I fell silent, Kaiern seemed to worry that I was upset by his lack of knowledge.

[I don’t know what it is, but should I steal it? Then we can check.]

“Are you serious?”

I meant it as a “don’t be ridiculous,” but he took it as a question of feasibility. “I can do it!” he chirped, starting to move.

Startled, I lunged toward the source of the sound and grabbed hold of him.

“Hey! Don’t you dare!”

Since I couldn’t see him, I didn’t know what part of him I had grabbed. He stopped dead in his tracks. From the texture and the way it flicked back and forth outside my grip, I realized I was holding his tail.

“Why do you have a tail?”

I thought he was in human form. When I asked why he hadn’t hidden it, he answered brightly that having a tail was convenient.

[Standing on two legs is uncomfortable. Humans move so inefficiently.]

Apparently, the tail compensated for that inefficiency. I had no idea if that was true, never having had a tail myself, but I gave him a stern warning against wandering around as a “tailed human.”

As Chase began to walk back, I quickly let go of the tail.

“Don’t steal it, okay?”

[Tsk.]

Seeing him click his tongue in disappointment, I was glad I’d intervened. Viscount Travie approached us shortly after.

“Please, board the carriage.”

He boarded first and helped Chase up. I turned to the spot where I assumed the invisible Kaiern was standing.

“Don’t even think about getting inside the carriage.”

[…Then where am I supposed to sit?]

He sounded profoundly pitiful, but I just scoffed. The carriage wasn’t small, but if he were inside, someone would inevitably bump into him.

“Sit on the roof.”

“Pardon?”

My voice was a bit too loud. Viscount Travie and Chase both stared at me with wide eyes. I gave an awkward laugh as the Viscount’s face turned grave.

“Is the carriage… that cramped? Should I sit on the roof, Your Highness?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Then should I go up?” Chase asked, looking equally serious.

I waved them off and gave the air beside me a secret nudge. I felt the rush of Kaiern’s presence brush past me as he leaped onto the roof. I quickly made up an excuse.

“I just thought it might be refreshing to ride on the roof and feel the breeze. But on second thought, it’s too dangerous.”

“You are correct. It is dangerous. Please, stay inside, even if it feels a bit stuffy.”

[To think you’d send me to such a dangerous place…]

A sorrowful mumble reached my ears as I climbed into the carriage with the Viscount’s help, but I ignored it completely.

For a while after we started moving, the sound of a tail thumping rhythmically against the roof echoed through the carriage—a clear sign of Kaiern’s lingering protest. The oblivious Viscount and Chase simply remarked that it sounded like branches were falling from the trees.

Knowing exactly what it was, I could only manage a strained, awkward smile.