Chapter 08
“Kiel oppa!”
When I called out to him with a smile, he looked at me as if asking why.
I just felt like calling you, you jerk! Hehe.
My mood wasn’t bad—actually, it was good. Well, aside from having to go together with those two awful guys.
“How many days will it take to get there?” I asked.
“One to two days.”
“What? That fast?”
Kiel nodded.
In the past, it used to take a full two weeks at the very least to make the trip. Puzzled, I tilted my head out of habit.
“We’ll be using a gate to travel, miss,” said one of the expedition members whose name I didn’t know.
“Oh!”
Back then, I hadn’t used gates—and didn’t even know they existed. Realizing how necessary they were, I thanked him sincerely.
I was riding comfortably in a wagon carrying gold in the rear compartment.
Back when I was Alena Clambeck, I was excellent at handling horses, but now I was just a tiny kid who had never learned horseback riding. Which meant I had no choice but to ride in a wagon. And because of that, Kiel ended up riding with me too.
“Oppa, oppa!”
“What?”
The moment he opened his mouth, I popped an apple jelly I’d prepared into it. His eyes widened at the sudden sweetness, though he quickly returned to his usual expression.
“Is it good?”
He’s cutest when he’s quietly chewing. I asked with a grin. He pretended it was nothing and turned his head away from me.
I put it in on purpose, you know! That’s so mean!
“It’s not good? Then I guess I’ll have to eat the rest myself—”
“It’s good.”
At the mention of me eating them all, Kiel reacted instantly.
As expected, kids are best handled with food!
Giggling, I shoved six apple jellies into his hand. The sweet scent spread throughout the wagon.
“Oppa, play with me!”
I declared dramatically and pulled out a handmade deck of cards and some gonggi stones from my bag.
Ugh, do you know how hard it was to make these…?
I couldn’t exactly ask a craftsman to make them, so I painstakingly chipped stones here and there until they were nicely rounded.
Fortunately, Kiel seemed interested. If he hadn’t been, I honestly might have teared up. Sitting down with a plop, I patted the spot next to me.
It was a signal to sit there, but instead he sat across from me. Tch.
“It’s a game called One Card…”
I showed him the cards and explained the rules. As expected of someone smart, he understood immediately. Truly a genius.
I’ll save Old Maid for when Lotte can join us.
“One card.”
“Huh?! What! Oppa, do it again!”
How are you this good after just one explanation?! What is this insane luck?!
The game ended in an instant. Fired up with competitiveness, I demanded rematches over and over, only to taste defeat every single time.
“Th-Then let’s play another game!”
Next was Baskin Robbins 31. The strategy was simple—I had to secure 28 first. I widened my eyes, focused hard, and started playing…
I lost again.
Why do I keep losing?!
“Another game!”
Like Doraemon’s pocket, I rummaged through my bag and pulled out a notebook and pen. I quickly drew lines and explained the rules of Omok.
I chose black stones and filled the centers in with ink. When Kiel’s white stones were about to form four in a row, I hurriedly blocked them.
“It’s over.”
With those words, Kiel drew a circle.
How are you forming a 4×3 setup on your first try…? Is this the female lead’s brother buff? Or maybe a final boss buff?
“Let’s play this next!”
What, you’re saying I’m picking on a kid? I am a kid right now, so it doesn’t matter!
Burning with competitiveness, I threw the gonggi stones I’d worked so hard to make.
We decided the first to reach thirty years would win, but despite my efforts, I lost again. I couldn’t match Kiel’s dynamic vision and lightning-fast hands.
…Gonggi was my best game!
“What can’t you do? This is the game I’m best at!”
I glared at him with an unconsciously sulky expression.
He seemed to be smiling—just a little. I guess he had fun, at least. Still, being completely wiped out felt unfair. I gathered the notebook, stones, and cards back into my bag.
After brushing off my bottom, I sat down in the soft chair.
“…Let’s play again next time.”
Sitting in the front seat, Kiel said that and turned his gaze to the window.
I blinked in surprise at Kiel’s apparent improvement in social skills, then smiled. Kid Kiel had his cute moments.
What was he like in the novel as an adult again? I think he was described as sharp as a blade… or was it different?
Lost in thought, I turned my head at a soft tapping sound.
Kiel had fallen asleep, leaning against the rattling wagon window. The sound was his head gently bumping against the glass.
His dark lashes lay neatly over his cheeks, fluttering faintly, and his deep blue hair swayed slightly.
When he sleeps, he’s nothing but an angel. Admiring him, I carefully laid him down so he wouldn’t wake, resting his head on my lap.
“Sweet dreams, Kiel.”
I whispered softly.
“Yaaawn…”
Maybe because the wagon was warm, sleep crept up on me too. I adjusted my position, leaned back into the cushioned chair, and closed my eyes.
I fell asleep almost instantly.
* * *
“Gordon! Go fetch the young master and the young lady!”
The expedition leader, Danjeong, ordered.
Gordon nodded, recalling the excited Shurer when she’d heard the trip wouldn’t take long. His fellow companions grumbled enviously as they hoisted their luggage.
Since his task was just to wake the young master and lady, he didn’t have to carry anything heavy.
As he approached the wagon, Gordon remembered how Shurer’s eyes had lit up like a rabbit’s at the mention of the short journey, and he let out a hearty laugh. She truly was an adorable young lady capable of winning the young master’s heart.
Opening the wagon door, Gordon froze and slowly closed his mouth.
The sight inside was peaceful beyond words—the young lady leaning on the young master’s shoulder, and the young master resting his head on hers as they slept side by side.
The tension of going to see a dragon melted away at the sight. Still, he had to wake them. Realizing the dilemma, Gordon hesitated, wondering what to do.
“Mm…?”
Just then, Shurer opened her eyes. Gordon’s face brightened.
Still half-asleep, she blinked several times, trying to grasp the situation.
Gordon barely managed to suppress another smile.
“Sir…? Have we arrived?”
“Yes. We’ve reached the inn. Since it’s evening, we’ll stay the night and depart again tomorrow.”
As Shurer tried to sit up, Kiel—who had been leaning against her—also opened his eyes. She briefly wondered why he wasn’t sleeping on her lap anymore, but that thought vanished as soon as their eyes met, and she smiled at him out of habit.
“Did you sleep well, oppa?”
“…More or less.”
Kiel replied with a still-drowsy face.
Shurer laughed at his slower-than-usual response.
So energetic it was hard to believe she’d just woken up, she jumped out of the wagon without waiting for an escort, then turned back and extended her hand to Kiel like a gentleman.
“Shall we?”
She even added playfully.
Of course, Kiel frowned and stepped past her instead, making her pout. Gordon could only struggle to hold back his laughter at their adorable exchange.
* * *
“You’ll be sharing a room with Sir Ren, miss. Ah, there’s no maid—will that be alright?”
“Oh, that’s fine!”
Who brings a maid on an expedition anyway? Thinking that, I headed straight for the bed. Maybe I’d grown too accustomed to luxury lately—the bed felt a bit stiff.
Still… it’s fine. Is it because this is an eight-year-old’s body? No matter how much I sleep, I’m still sleepy. Yawn.
“Miss, you can’t sleep just yet. You need to eat dinner and wash first.”
“Mm, okay. Then let’s go together!”
I clumsily got up and grabbed Sir Ren’s hand. Her expression was odd, but I just laughed it off lightly.
“Let’s go.”
She led me downstairs. It seemed they’d rented the entire inn, as only our expedition was present.
I immediately searched for Kiel, but his familiar dark blue hair wasn’t in sight. He must not have come down yet.
“I swear, I’ll kill that damn dragon whelp!”
Someone shouted in the noisy hall. Apparently, mercenaries had joined the expedition, which explained the rough language.
“With the young lady present, you should watch your words,” someone cautioned.
“She wouldn’t even understand! And what’s with bringing a kid along anyway? Trying to get eaten in one bite?”
Mocking laughter rang out. The mercenaries around him joined in, while the ducal knights frowned.
Is his brain empty? Does he not know what kind of status he’s dealing with?
This was Kiel’s expedition—there was no way the mercenaries hadn’t been carefully selected. Judging by the looks of it, only that man and his immediate group were causing trouble.
The others looked displeased.
He must be strong. His personality, though, was trash.
“Mercenary whelp?”
“W-What?”
At my words, the entire room fell silent.
Wow. My eardrums were about to burst a second ago. Is this some kind of magic phrase?
“Why? Mister mercenary looks weak at a glance. And see? Your rank’s low too! And ‘whelp’ means baby, right? Babies are weak—so you look weak too. I just said it like that. Did I do something wrong?”
I tilted my head innocently, staring at him. He looked more than a little flustered.
I gazed at him with an even purer, more childlike expression. In the silent room, the reply came from Sir Ren.
“No. The young lady has done nothing wrong.”
“Riiight? Sir Ren! I’m hungry! Let’s eat! Is that mercenary whelp eating with us? That’d ruin my appetite!”
My voice was utterly cheerful—so innocent that no malice could be felt at all.
Just ruin my appetite? He’s ruining my eyesight too!
“You—!”
The mercenary slammed his hands on the table and stood up. At that moment, one of the ducal knights burst out laughing—a cheerful laugh completely out of place.
“Told you to watch your mouth. Our young lady is the best.”
The knight came over and scooped me up. Startled by the sudden height, I looked at him in surprise.
Do you have a grudge against that mercenary or something? You’re way too happy for someone who just saw him get lightly roasted.
“Food! Let’s eat!”
Ignoring the mercenary, I settled into my seat while being carried. The stew was thin but spicy, and I liked it a lot.
Most food here was greasy. I often craved ramen broth since there was nothing spicy, so this was very satisfying.
“Miss, ‘whelp’ is a bad word. It’s best not to use it.”
“Mhm, got it! But where’s Kiel oppa?”
“Ah, he seemed tired and went to sleep.”
True—he’d looked really sleepy earlier. After finishing my stew, I returned to the room with Sir Ren.
* * *
“How dare they… just because I’m ‘only’ a noble, hic… they mock me?”
Late at night, the mercenary humiliated by Shurer grabbed his sword and gag and headed toward her room. Drunk and full of pride in his abilities, he was the type who always repaid insults twofold. He was intensely vengeful.
‘Do they know who I am? This inn is nothing.’
After knocking out the guards stationed outside, he picked the lock using various tools. Chuckling as he imagined her in tears, he opened the door.
Slash—
So fast he couldn’t even register it, Shurer swung her blade. The mercenary froze mid-step. As the door shut behind him, his eyes caught sight of Ren sleeping inside.
‘Wait—’
“Hello, Mister Mercenary Whelp?”
Shurer smiled brightly.
The mercenary stared at her blankly, unable to move—any slight motion would brush against the blade at his throat.
“I was going to let it go… but you mocked me first, and now you’re trying to kidnap me? When I do it, it’s romance, but when someone else does it, it’s a crime? Why aren’t you answering? Try answering.”
Shurer spoke gently, smiling sweetly as she levitated the blade with magic.
He had picked the wrong person—terribly wrong. This was Shurer’s third life. In her first, she had been the owner of the Holy Sword and had even contracted a dragon—practically the world’s final boss.
“Are you stupid too? Trying to kidnap the heir of a count’s family. Is your brain empty? I didn’t plan to do this, but since you’re at fault, you’ll accept your punishment.”
She cast a spell on him.
His eyes went unfocused, and he left the room.
Only then did she relax and lie down on the bed.
If the physician who’d accompanied them hadn’t been soft-hearted, there would have been blood in Shurer’s room.
Feigning pitiful innocence, she’d told the doctor she sometimes needed sleeping pills when she couldn’t sleep, carefully naming the drug and dosage. After thirty minutes of deliberation, he finally agreed.
She later cast a spell to remove the scent and mixed it into Ren’s tea—leading to the current outcome.
Thinking herself lucky, Shurer slipped under the covers and fell asleep.
* * *
“Yawn… Huh? What’s going on?”
When I looked confused, Sir Ren hesitated, unsure whether to speak.
“You remember that mercenary you roasted last night? He’s running around town in just his underwear, hands raised, grinning like an idiot!”
The knight who’d carried me yesterday laughed gleefully. Looking around, I saw the mercenaries wearing sour expressions. Naturally so—one of their own was humiliating himself.
And that mercenary had been high-ranked, too. His reputation would take a serious hit.
“I see! He’s been acting really strange since yesterday!”
Has nothing to do with me though! Who told him to stupidly target me?!
Feigning ignorance, I laughed and ate breakfast with the knight.
What a peaceful morning.
