Chapter 239: Side Story 7 |
* * *
Immediately after, Duke Carlyle instructed his knight to first take Nix in a carriage to the Duke’s mansion.
‘So fluffy!’
Nix had ridden the Duke’s carriage multiple times, but he marveled at the soft seat as soon as he sat down. He was exhausted from wandering the forest and roaming around all day in an unfamiliar human body.
‘Human bodies are so inconvenient.’
Poor vision, slow reflexes, and above all, no wings, so he had to walk on two feet.
“Aahm.”
Feeling both hunger and drowsiness, Nix yawned lightly. He chuckled, looking at the writing instrument and crystal flower in his hands.
‘Will she praise me when she sees this?’
He didn’t know what a ‘thank you card’ was, but he definitely wanted one. It seemed to involve writing on paper, and to do that, he needed this tool.
At that moment, the carriage jolted severely.
Thud.
“Peep!”
Huh?
When the carriage swayed, a familiar sound slipped out, and Nix instinctively covered his mouth.
‘Oh no!’
Nix had a gut feeling.
‘I might revert back to my original form!’
Could the magic be wearing off because he’s hungry?
Growl.
The only thing he’d eaten all day was winter strawberries and camellia honey he found in the forest.
Or was he too tired?
Flustered, Nix suddenly recalled the dream from the previous night.
-If you’re truly a good child, I’ll grant your wish for a day.
For a day.
‘For a day?!’
Alarmed, Nix quickly looked out of the window. The sun was already setting!
“Oh no!”
He had to give this to Juliet!
And he had so much he wanted to say.
‘If I change back, I won’t be able to speak human language!’
Fortunately, he hadn’t transformed back yet, but it would be a disaster if he reverted to his original form before reaching the mansion.
“Human!”
In his urgency, Nix popped his head through a small window that faced the coachman.
“Huh? What? It’s dangerous, sit down!”
The knight sitting at the front was startled and tried to make Nix sit down, but he resisted.
“Human! Do you know what a ‘thank you card’ is?”
“A thank you card? You mean a letter?”
“That! How do you make it?”
* * *
“Did you find him?”
Juliet anxiously asked as the secretary Elliot returned.
However, Elliot shook his head gravely.
“It seems he’s not inside the castle.”
“Where on earth did he go…”
Juliet scanned the surroundings with anxiety.
They were sitting in the central courtyard of the Duke’s mansion. Juliet had spent the afternoon surrounded by invited guests and their children.
She had originally planned to distribute snacks to the children and search for Onyx, who had suddenly disappeared. But the persistent guests wouldn’t let her go.
At one point, a child wanted to show her a drawing, then suddenly, each started reciting poems, playing music, turning it into a talent show.
Throughout, Juliet’s mind had been elsewhere even as she sat with a gracious smile.
“Don’t worry too much. He’s probably just playing somewhere.”
“But it’s almost dinner time.”
Juliet peeped out of the window, restless.
At first, she thought Onyx might be hiding because he was scolded yesterday.
It was common for the lively young dragon to play around the castle and then disappear for hours.
But since yesterday, Onyx had eaten nothing except a small piece of pumpkin pie.
The usually hungry baby dragon couldn’t bear hunger and would usually follow Elliot around every morning, chirping loudly for food.
“The Duke said not to worry.”
“But Lennox didn’t say he found him.”
“He’ll search again when he returns.”
“We can’t wait. Before it gets darker-“
Just as an agitated Juliet was about to stand up, a voice called out.
“Juliet!”
The innocent voice of a child echoed across the dome ceiling of the central garden.
Juliet, Elliot, and all the guests turned their eyes towards the entrance.
‘Juliet’?
The audacious one who dared to call the Duchess by her first name was a young boy with black hair.
“Do you know him?”
“No.”
“Then he must be a guest’s child.”
Maybe. But why does he look familiar?
Juliet intently observed the little boy, who, despite being covered in dirt, seemed to be from a noble family given his fine clothes. He had wrapped a white handkerchief around his injured right hand.
Juliet tried to distribute the leftover snacks to the children one by one. But Elliot, who was standing next to her, held out an empty basket with a troubled expression. There was not a single piece of chocolate left.
“What should we do?”
“There might be some snacks left in the storeroom.”
As Elliot quickly left, Juliet tried to soothe the child.
“I’m sorry, just wait a moment…”
“Juliet, look at this!”
However, the child who ran towards her wasn’t interested in the snacks. The child tightly hugged the hem of Juliet’s skirt.
Surprised, Juliet looked down at the child. He looked around seven or eight years old, with an angelic face. He reminded her of someone she knew very well.
‘Could it be?’
Juliet realized whom the child resembled.
But it seemed impossible.
The reason Juliet didn’t recognize him immediately was that the boy she knew with that face never had such a soft smile in his youth.
“How rude.”
“Whose child is this?”
The unexpected arrival of the unknown child abruptly halted the ongoing music performance. While Juliet was flustered, the invited guests unabashedly laughed at the misbehaving child.
“I brought this!”
But the young child, Onyx, smiled innocently as if he didn’t see them.
“And this too… And this!”
Onyx presented Juliet with a crystal flower and a folded piece of paper that he held dearly.
He didn’t care about the stares from others.
Because he finally got to tell Juliet what he wanted to.
“Juliet, you know what!”
Today was so much fun!
It was surprising to become a human, and my legs hurt a lot. But a scary nobleman gave me a ride (though he used me), hugged me (though he threatened me), and gave me a gift (though he took it by force). And he praised me too!
Nix had so much to tell Juliet.
“Juliet, I turned into a human…!”
Peep.
Suddenly, he covered his mouth, recalling a chirping sound he made earlier.
“Huh?”
“I heard a strange sound…”
Then, Nix realized there were many people in the courtyard. Strangers stared at the rude intruder with a mix of curiosity and annoyance. He remembered some mean words from the day before.
-Father said, maybe the Duchess is also a witch.
-That’s why she raises a monster like that.
Nix didn’t fully understand the insult but knew what a monster was.
‘My magic is fading!’
He knew what would happen if the magic faded. In a fairy tale Juliet had read to him, there was a similar story of a princess desperately fleeing before her magic was unveiled.
Because if he was discovered, it would cause trouble for Juliet…
“Baby, are you okay?”
Juliet, with a concerned face, reached out to Nix.
But Onyx stepped back hesitantly.
“…Juliet isn’t a witch.”
“Huh?”
“And I’m not a monster.”
But if his true identity as a dragon is revealed here, people might say mean things about Juliet. Nix hated the idea of Juliet hearing such things.
Realizing he had little time, Nix did what he had always wanted to do as a human.
“Juliet, I really like you!”
He gave her a big hug with a bright smile.
“Just wait a moment…”
Before Juliet could act, the unknown child ran outside.
“Oh my!”
He ran into Elliot, who was hurrying back with snacks, and swiftly passed by him.
Compared to his cute face, the child was very quick.
“…?”
Left alone, Juliet looked puzzled, staring in the direction the child had run. Then she noticed a black mark on her skirt’s hem.
‘Ink?’
