Chapter : 15
The young dragon who craved praise at first tried to imitate her older sister Lian to get her attention.
She challenged herself with laundry!
But because the drying rack was out of reach, she tried to stand on her tiptoes awkwardly, lost her balance, and knocked over all the blankets hanging there.
“Ruru, you really turned into a little troublemaker, didn’t you?”
In this bitter situation, Ruru clicked her tongue and licked her lips.
Now, she couldn’t get praise just from her stretching exercises anymore.
“Aha! That’s it!”
Ruru, deep in thought, stroked her chin and suddenly whipped her head around.
“Lian, what if Ruru waters everything by herself?”
“Huh? You’d have a hard time doing it alone.”
“But I want to get praised by Ungni. You already got praised once, right?”
“Well, then give it a try.”
Taking a fairly heavy watering can, Ruru asked Boseok for help.
“Boseok, spread your wings.”
—Fly, dragon.
Poof!
By now, Ruru was somewhat used to flapping her wings.
She had been flying around the forest all day, sulking over being called a troublemaker.
With her palm-sized wings, she fluttered and began watering the vegetable garden.
“Drip drop, drip drop. Drink lots of water and grow big, so you can fit in Ungni and Lian’s mouths. This is Ruru’s gift.”
“Oh, you even know how to aim the water now? Impressive.”
Lian, watching fondly, plopped down on the ground.
Crack!
A cracking sound came with a shake of the ground.
“…?”
“It’s not me! I’m not that heavy!”
Surprised, Lian shook her head.
At first, she thought maybe a branch had broken when she sat down.
Crack!
The ominous sound came again, but this time it was from beyond the tower.
Someone was nearby.
Someone capable of smashing things.
“Ruru, get inside the sack!”
“Eek!”
Angela burst through the back door and opened the sack, and Ruru curled up like a pill bug, rolling inside.
Angela lifted the sack.
Around her waist were various artifacts equipped.
“Lian, just in case, stay in the tower’s basement. When things calm down, I’ll call the duke.”
“No, even though it was four years ago, I did receive swordsmanship training. I’ll go with the princess.”
“What are you talking about, kid? Just get inside…”
Bang!
There was no time to argue.
“Damn.”
Angela handed Lian an axe that was nearby.
“But don’t ever step in front of me, got it?”
“Yes.”
The two armed with weapons cautiously approached the source of the noise.
Crack, crack.
Even in the midst of it all, the regular cracking sounds were like trees screaming, sending chills down their spines.
‘…Who on earth could it be?’
Could Father have already sent another knight?
As Angela’s anxiety grew, a black silhouette finally appeared through the trees.
“…What is that?”
Angela’s eyes widened as she discreetly observed the figure.
The opponent was as tall as a door.
The way he expertly and sharply split the wood was so precise it almost looked elegant for a mere woodcutter.
Like the top knights of the Lydia Kingdom.
“What are you doing here?”
Angela narrowed her eyes, losing interest.
“…Brother?”
Lian, obediently following behind her, shared her surprise.
Indeed, the man chopping wood diligently was Duke Belix.
Wiping sweat from his forehead as he chopped, he noticed his sister and gave a faint smile.
“…Lian? Have you been well in the tower? No discomfort?”
“Discomfort? Your little brother is volunteering to be my bodyguard because of you. What are you even doing here?”
It was quite a ridiculous situation.
“Since when does a 12-year-old need a bodyguard?”
“Huh?”
When asked why he came, all he did was nag.
“And I was chopping wood, what’s wrong with that?”
“Huh?”
Actually… no.
“…My head is spinning.”
Frustrated, Angela gave up evaluating his behavior.
At least he wasn’t someone Father sent.
First, she needed to free Ruru, who was still curled up like a pill bug.
“Wow.”
Angela opened the sack on the floor, and Ruru poked out her face, looking shocked as if she’d seen something she shouldn’t have.
“It’s a knight!”
“Yes, Ruru, have you been well?”
“I said I haven’t been well because of you! You should’ve gone back south long ago, so why are you chopping wood in the Shadow Forest?”
Angela sighed, finally letting her anger explode.
“I was making something, but don’t worry. I snuck in secretly, covering my face so the guards wouldn’t notice.”
“It might be easy to sneak in, but hard to get out…”
Lian was worried and expected him to come soon. But she hadn’t expected such a flashy appearance.
Though Lian glared at Belix with displeasure, he ignored her and focused only on his sister.
Fine. None of my business.
“Anyway, uninvited guests can’t enter the tower. I don’t know what you’re making, but when you’re done, either camp or leave however you want.”
Shaking her head, Angela took the kids back into the tower.
Belix’s plan was obvious.
He was worried his only younger sibling was uncomfortable in the tower and probably wanted to give her a proper bed.
Since he couldn’t sneak a fancy bed past the guards, he was trying to build one himself.
Whatever the case, Belix was going to return to the forest sooner or later.
And who knows?
‘Maybe while making something for Lian, some scraps might fall to our Ruru?’
“Hehe. Ruru, get ready for a present.”
But two weeks later, Angela’s expectations were completely off.
Belix did not make furniture for the kids.
Instead, a small log cabin appeared next to the tower.
Bang!
Duke Belix stepped out of the door, eyes moist with tears, shouting his love declaration.
“Lian! It’s late, but I want to be a good brother from now on! If it’s hard for you to come back to the castle, I will be by your side…”
“Ah, seriously, so embarrassing!”
Drip.
The answer from the tower made his teary eyes get even wetter.
“My brother is a noble. That log cabin is even worse than the servants’ quarters. How long do you think he can last there? I don’t have high hopes.”
Unlike Lian, who scoffed, noble Belix’s strange log cabin lifestyle lasted quite a long time.
He even showed his brotherly role with actions.
“Ungni! The knight sent more meat again!”
He had been sending freshly hunted food every morning.
Now Ruru’s daily routine was to open the front door right after morning stretching exercises.
Three horned rabbits ready for eating were always waiting at the door.
Sometimes, Belix even ventured deeper into the forest and brought back wolf monsters.
“As expected… I knew some scraps would come my way.”
Angela, briefly disappointed by the log cabin, smiled thanks to Belix’s hunting skills.
Thanks to him, the tower was treated to a feast every day.
Ruru’s spicy fire-cooked meat skewers. Meat soups.
And stir-fried meat with some grown frost leeks. (Lian helped Angela make this.)
“Yay!”
Biting into a meat skewer, Ruru shouted excitedly.
“Knight, you’re amazing! The wolf was so big, chewing it was hard even for Ungni! It tastes way better than rabbit!”
“Please finish eating before talking, Ruru.”
“Ugh.”
Angela wiped Ruru’s mouth clean.
Of course, the baby dragon’s excitement over the meat wasn’t over yet.
“Lian! How about inviting the knight to eat with us? You should invite him!”
“Why would I invite him?”
“Because he caught a lot of meat! And he’s your brother knight. Even if he messes up, family is family!”
Lian just stabbed the empty plate with her fork, silent.
When a tired Ruru tried to eat again while waiting for an answer,
“I know.”
A gruff voice broke the silence.
“…But if I’m the first to approach just over a piece of meat, how much would my brother think I’m such a snob?”
