Chapter 30
‘Cute.’
The first thing that caught his eye was the huge teddy bear sitting in one corner of the room — the one Jayna had won at a dart tournament.
It looked so big and soft that you could probably lean on it and fall asleep.
“You came at the perfect time. I was just about to call someone for help.”
Even though Rozian’s sudden visit should have been surprising, Jayna greeted him warmly instead.
Puzzled, Rozian followed her into the room.
“Help with what?”
“Take a look at this.”
Jayna pointed at her mouth with a finger.
Rozian didn’t understand at first, but after she opened her mouth, he immediately realized what she meant.
She wiggled her finger slightly — and one of her fangs wobbled loosely.
“I have to pull out this fang.”
“Do you think I can actually help with that?”
Rozian hesitated, remembering how Michael had scolded him earlier for being useless.
‘I can’t even wield a sword properly like Mother, or use magic like Brother Michael…’
But Jayna simply replied with a calm smile.
“If His Highness couldn’t help, I wouldn’t have asked.”
As she spoke, Rozian noticed a piece of string in her hand and tilted his head in confusion.
“Weren’t you asking me to help pull your tooth?”
“That’s right. This is how we’ll do it — using this string.”
Jayna carefully tied the string around her loose fang.
Rozian just stood there, watching blankly as she tied the other end to the doorknob.
Once she was done, Jayna released her hand and spoke, her voice a little muffled.
“Now, jusht yank it, pleashe.”
“What?”
Rozian froze. Pulling the door while her tooth was tied to it? That had to hurt a lot.
“Jayna, that’s dangerous!”
Without thinking, Rozian grabbed her hand out of concern, but Jayna didn’t even glance at him.
“It’sh fine. It’sh jusht one tooth.”
She gestured to explain the plan — that when the door was pulled open hard enough, the recoil would pop the tooth right out.
Rozian, who wasn’t stupid, understood immediately. Still, his expression remained uneasy.
“Even so, that’s going to hurt a lot.”
“It’sh annoying when it keeps wobbling. If I don’t pull it now, my new tooth won’t come in straight.”
Rozian couldn’t help but admire her.
“You’re always so determined, Jayna. Even though you’re still so young.”
Jayna nodded firmly and signaled with her eyes to begin.
Rozian squeezed his eyes shut and pulled the door.
“Here I go!”
Bang!
But he hadn’t used enough force.
“Ugh!”
He’d been too worried about hurting her, so he pulled weakly — and the fang only wobbled more painfully instead of coming out.
Jayna winced, rubbing her cheek where the fang was.
Seeing that, Rozian rushed to her side, his red eyes filled entirely with concern.
Jayna spoke in a calm, slightly slurred voice.
“If you don’t pull properly, it hurtsh more.”
“I’m so sorry… I’m just clumsy…”
“I’m not blaming you. I jusht think it’sh better to do it all at once.”
She returned to her composed expression, and Rozian sighed before replying resolutely,
“This time, I’ll do it right.”
Though his face still showed worry, he tightened his grip on the doorknob. His crimson eyes glimmered with determination.
“Don’t look at the door — look at me.”
For a twelve-year-old boy, he looked as if he wanted her to trust him completely.
Jayna couldn’t help but laugh softly.
“Ah, Jayna!”
“Yes?”
And just as she turned to answer him—
BANG!
The door yanked open properly this time.
A sharper pain shot through her gums, but it was immediately followed by a satisfying sense of relief.
Jayna looked at the fang she had finally pulled out, smiling in triumph.
“Are you okay?”
But Rozian’s face looked devastated — his eyes were wet, his expression one of guilt and confusion, like a prince mourning his fallen kingdom.
‘Well, he is a prince…’
As Jayna thought calmly to herself, Rozian’s long lashes trembled and his head drooped.
“…Next time, ask someone else.”
He blinked rapidly and rubbed at his eyes, turning away when he noticed Jayna’s gaze.
“I can’t do that twice.”
Well, perhaps it had been a bit too much to ask of a twelve-year-old.
‘Guess I picked the wrong helper. Should’ve waited for someone else.’
Jayna looked at the bloody fang dangling from the doorknob, then walked over, removed it carefully, and wiped it clean with a cloth.
‘Isn’t twelve about the age when permanent teeth come in? Hopefully he won’t end up traumatized from this.’
Rozian, still flustered, rubbed his face with both hands like someone washing without water.
“Where did you even learn this method?”
“I’m not human, remember?”
Instead of saying it was something from another world — Earth, specifically Korea — Jayna just brushed off the question vaguely.
“From how you were talking earlier, I think you’ve already realized I’m a dragon, right?”
“Yeah. Brother Michael made it kind of obvious. And it’s strange for a child to be at the Mage Tower in the first place.”
Rozian nodded, asking no further questions.
“But, Your Highness — aren’t you going to take your cloak back?”
Even though she changed the subject suddenly, Rozian remained gentle.
“I’ll lend it to you for… about ninety-nine years.”
Jayna later learned that items bearing the royal crest couldn’t be permanently owned by anyone outside the royal family.
‘A ninety-nine-year loan basically means he’s giving it to me.’
Jayna looked surprised for a moment, then nodded slightly.
‘Well, I won’t be needing it for that long anyway.’
She tugged on Rozian’s hand, then opened his palm.
“You lent me your cloak and helped me pull my tooth, so this is for you — a gift.”
Rozian blinked down at the fang she placed in his hand.
He was more puzzled than repulsed.
“This is… your tooth, isn’t it?”
He didn’t find it disgusting, but still — giving him her tooth?
Just as he was thinking that, something happened.
Crackle!
He felt a sudden surge of magic from the fang.
“Be careful!”
Jayna shouted, startling Rozian, who immediately dropped it.
And then—
THUD!
“What in the world…”
“Oh dear. I should’ve warned you sooner.”
With a heavy thud, the tiny fang struck the ground and instantly grew in size — becoming enormous.
“…”
Rozian stared blankly at the huge fang embedded in the floor.
It hadn’t even fallen from a great height, yet it pierced straight into the ground.
He glanced at Jayna, who seemed entirely unsurprised.
“It’s not a permanent fang, but it’s still a dragon’s tooth. Should be useful. Maybe not for a longsword, but a dagger should be fine.”
“A dagger?”
“Just think of it as a light self-defense weapon.”
She shrugged lightly.
“Or, if you want, you can give it to someone else.”
Her words were thoughtful — probably remembering how he had once said training under his mother was too harsh.
Rozian looked at her in a daze, memorizing her face — the soft voice, the little dimple that appeared when she smiled, her neat black hair…
And those blue eyes.
“Thank you for today.”
They were the same color as Michael’s, yet unlike his cousin’s fiery glare, Rozian’s gaze toward Jayna was warm and kind — gentle enough that he couldn’t look away.
Later…
“Jayna, we first met at the market, right?”
Jayna had left the Mage Tower at Rozian’s suggestion.
“Let’s go there again — it’s been a while.”
Even saying something so simple, he smiled beautifully.
When his eyes curved gently like that, he somehow looked effortlessly charming — truly born royal.
Jayna couldn’t help but be impressed.
“But I can’t use the teleport gates freely, you know.”
Rozian grinned.
“I have my own way.”
He explained that by combining certain relics he possessed, he could instantly teleport to the royal palace.
Jayna’s eyes widened in surprise.
‘A power different from magic… how does that work?’
Though curious, as a young dragon she knew she wouldn’t be able to understand or use it anyway, so she just shook her head.
Using Rozian’s relics, they arrived at the royal palace — and Jayna couldn’t stop looking around in wonder.
Watching her, Rozian chuckled.
“I’d love to show you around the palace properly, but that’ll have to wait for a more official occasion.”
Before she could fully take in the scenery, he led her toward a small hidden passage.
“This place can only be reached through a secret royal passage. No one but me knows about it.”
So that’s how they’d met at the market before.
Jayna nodded slowly — then tilted her head.
‘Is it really okay for him to tell me something like this?’
He’d lent her a royal cloak, now showed her the royal family’s secret route — was that wise?
She thought to ask, but closed her mouth again. If he didn’t seem concerned, she saw no need to press.
‘Maybe he’s just a little careless because he’s still young.’
Still, she worried — if anyone found out, people might accuse her of gaining the prince’s favor… or worse, eliminate her for knowing too much.
“Jayna, careful — don’t stand up too straight or you’ll…”
Rozian began to warn her but then stopped, smiling faintly.
‘Never mind. She’s short enough not to hit her head anyway.’
Since Jayna was much shorter than him, she moved with surprising ease through the narrow passage.
