Chapter : 08
Lian barely managed to lift his head and tried to give Lulu a faint smile.
“…It’s nothing, Lulu. I’m just… sleepy.”
“No! You can’t sleep!”
“It’s fine. Don’t call the others, I just… need to rest a bit…”
The truth was, everything felt exhausting for Lian.
Taking responsibility for the children who had lost their parents and came to him crying.
Stealing bread and vegetables while enduring all kinds of insults from the villagers.
Watching his own body weaken even though he was doing everything he could just to survive.
If he fell asleep, he wouldn’t feel the cold anymore.
That last, thin rope of hope—that maybe, just maybe, something good might still happen—had finally snapped.
Thud.
His eyelids were just about to slide shut when—
“Lian!”
The tear-tinged voice grabbed hold of that snapped rope at the very last second.
Something felt strange.
He should still be feeling the northern wind striking his face relentlessly, yet somehow… he felt warmth.
Even his darkened vision began to grow faintly brighter.
There was something in front of him.
Something warm and soft, cupping his face.
“…?”
Slowly, Lian opened his eyes.
An orange glow began to spread over the shadows on his face.
It was fire.
The same kind of fire he had felt four years ago, when he sat in the Duke of Cardin’s castle drinking warm cocoa in front of the fireplace.
“…Lulu. You…”
For a moment, silence fell.
Flames were burning in Lulu’s small palm, and Lian had no idea how to make sense of the situation.
“Lulu, you’re a dragon.”
“……”
“Even if you’re scared, hold on, Lian. And…”
Her voice trembled, thick with fear.
Lulu, who had been holding back her tears, finally let them spill as she spoke.
“When you’re warm enough… that’s when you run.”
Lian sat there for a while, wordlessly basking in the fire.
The feeling of warmth was so foreign to him that he curiously reached out his hand toward it and even closed his eyes for a moment.
He pressed his now-heated palm against his face.
“…It’s warm. I haven’t felt this kind of warmth in so long.”
“Aren’t you scared, Lian? I’m a dragon.”
“I’ve met a dragon before. That time, too, the dragon saved me. And now… thanks to you, I’m saved again.”
The corners of Lian’s lips twitched upward—
—but this time, he was smiling for real.
“Thank you. Your flame is warm.”
“…Huh.”
She had only ever been scolded for her fire before.
Hearing such praise for the first time made her heart tickle.
Lulu admitted shyly,
“My big sister calls this a ‘flame sneeze.’”
“Flame sneeze? That’s an odd nickname.”
“Because every time I go ‘Achoo!’—flames come out.”
Lian’s eyes went wide at that.
“Lulu. Can you make a lot of flames like this?”
“Of course! With one sneeze, I can make a fireworks show!”
“…Then can you show the other kids, too? They’ll love it.”
Will they? Will they not be afraid?
Lulu wanted to ask for reassurance, but she didn’t press him—because his once-lifeless eyes were now sparkling.
At that moment—
“Lulu! Lulu, where are you? If you can hear my voice, come out right now!”
Angela’s voice was hoarse from shouting so much.
She had already circled the village five times, yet she couldn’t even find a single child, let alone Lulu.
“…I don’t think she’s left the village yet, so where could she be?”
As Angela braced herself on her knees and took a rough breath—
“The dragon is over there.”
A deep, low voice spoke from beside her.
The one addressing her was none other than Duke Velix.
She had no idea how he had undone the restraining artifact, but he looked far too composed for someone who had supposedly been confined for days.
That, however, wasn’t the problem right now.
“Where… where’s Lulu?”
“……”
“Duke Velix?”
“So it’s come to this after all. I knew something would happen.”
Velix, silent for a moment, frowned and turned his head.
It seemed he was checking to make sure Lulu wasn’t hiding somewhere near Angela.
“I saw smoke rising from the direction of the Black Lake. It looked like smoke from a fire, and I was told no one lives there.”
“…What?”
“Isn’t it obvious whose doing it is?”
Angela’s heart plummeted.
“It must be the dragon.”
“Lulu!”
Angela took off at a frantic sprint toward Black Lake.
Velix sighed and followed suit.
If the fire near Black Lake was left alone and spread to the Shadow Forest, it would be an utter catastrophe.
Not only would Lulu’s identity be exposed to the world, but it would also further tarnish the already-infamous image of dragons.
Velix chased after her in long strides.
“Your Highness, surely you understand now. No matter how young it is, a dragon’s instincts are those of a monster.”
“If you keep talking like that, Duke, I’ll sew your mouth shut!”
Angela’s expression twisted as if she might cry, but Velix muttered without a shred of sympathy,
“…A monster is still a monster. It’s the same monster that killed my brother.”
The wind cut across Angela’s face like a blade.
Every breath made her lungs swell like balloons on the verge of bursting, but she couldn’t stop.
“And as one who serves His Majesty the King, if need be, I will obey the royal order and use force, even against you—”
“Everyone, attention!”
The sudden bark of command drowned out his simmering anger.
The voice had come from the direction of Black Lake.
“…?”
Startled, the two of them forgot they were in the middle of an argument and froze.
Something—or someone—was at the lakeside.
They decided it was better to quietly approach and see what was going on.
Concealing their presence, they pushed aside the black branches and peeked toward the shore.
“As captain of the Black Lake Squad, I hereby proclaim—!”
The voice, young yet charismatic, belonged to a black-haired boy.
They could only see the back of his head, but from his clothes, he seemed to be an orphan from the village.
Even among orphans, though, there was always a leader.
“This squad member has used their own ability to create fire, restoring the squad’s strength and bringing them warmth. In recognition of this achievement, I appoint them as vice-captain of the Black Lake Squad!”
“Who is this brat, talking about appointments—”
Velix stopped mid-sentence.
It was absurd, but curiosity about who the newly appointed vice-captain was won out.
It even reminded him a little of his days as a knight commander.
“Name—Lulu!”
At that, a tiny girl, a head shorter than the rest, raised her hand from among the gathered children.
Though her frame was small, her chest was puffed out proudly, like a knight receiving a noble title.
“As vice-captain, I’ll turn this Black Lake into a sea of fire to keep all the members warm!”
“Warm fire!”
“Now we won’t be afraid of winter—!”
The little dragon’s proclamation drew cheers from the children.
“…Did she just declare she’s going to set the place on fire?”
Velix, who had been pretending to watch with interest, closed his eyes in dismay.
“……”
Angela pretended not to hear.
She had thought that Lulu, as a young dragon, might be too risky to show in public—
—but she had never once thought she would be embarrassing to show in public.
“I’m taking her back and giving her a proper scolding.”
Either way, there was no time to waste now that they had a grasp of the situation.
The two stood up.
How did things get so tangled?
They had come to take the princess and kill the dragon, yet here they were, hiding and watching the children’s team-building scene.
Stretching his neck with a faint crack, Velix muttered as he approached the children,
“Never mind the dragon—how stupid must that black-haired captain be to appoint a dragon as vice-captain…?”
“Who’s there?!”
The “stupid one” sensed their presence and turned toward them.
“…Lian…?”
And just like that, the two brothers reunited for the first time in four years.
Lian was deeply grateful to Lulu.
That single fire had brought life back into the children’s spirits.
Even his fingers and toes, which had been frozen stiff and numb, began to regain circulation.
His cold wasn’t gone, but feeling the blood flow in his body gave him hope.
And that was what mattered—
—having hope.
Knowing the children could smile again.
Right now, Lian felt that was enough to be happy.
“…Lian?”
At least, he thought it was enough—until he came face to face with the man who called his name in a dazed voice.
The same black hair as his own.
The same warm red eyes that always smiled whenever they met his gaze.
Duke Velix of the House of Cardin—his only family, his older brother.
“…Brother?”
Time seemed to stop.
Lian thought he must be dreaming.
“Ah! Sir Knight! Sir Knight, Lulu kidnapped Lian! This is Lian, right?”
Unaware of the expressions on either brother’s face, Lulu cheerfully grabbed Lian’s hand and shook it.
For a moment, silence fell.
“This jewel says so—your brother’s still alive.”
“Duke Velix! You’re Sir Knight’s brother, right? I’ll take you to him!”
Both men thought of the exact same thing Lulu had said before.
