Two days ago.
[Contractor. There is something we need to discuss.]
“Hmm?”
Shir asks Epherna, who was reviewing administrative matters with Haron.
[Do you know about Astra’s condition?]
“…”
Epherna gently set down her pen.
[It seems you do feel some discomfort about it.]
She nodded quietly.
It would be a lie to say she didn’t know.
The situation changes day by day; how could she not be aware?
“It’s a bit… strange, indeed.”
[It must be more than just a bit.]
…Ahem.
Epherna cleared her throat and asked.
“…Anyway, what is it you want to say?”
[Are you going to leave it as is?]
“…?”
[You are the only one who can satisfy his desires.]
Epherna’s eyebrows furrowed.
This was something she had never heard before.
“…What do you mean by that?”
[Don’t underestimate a dragon’s obsession. The Dragon Clan is a strange race that feels anxious when they are not in their arms even when they are by their side.]
“Are you saying that Mister is obsessed with me?”
[I’m not sure what emotions are hidden inside, but to sum it up, yes.]
“…”
The corners of Epherna’s mouth trembled slightly.
This was a serious matter.
A serious matter indeed.
She knew she shouldn’t be reacting this way, but honestly, she didn’t feel entirely bad about it.
[Don’t get too pleased. Being the object of a dragon’s obsession can be a good thing, but the results are usually death or destruction.]
Shir warned with a stern face.
Having experienced the Mythical Era, he had seen countless times what results dragon obsessions could bring.
Dragons are creatures that, if they cannot have what they obsess over, make the extreme choice of destroying it instead.
Even if Epherna is a precious existence to Ern, it could still be torn apart by him.
The very thought of the fate of humans who were obsessed over by a member of the Dragon Clan in the past still makes him cringe.
Seeing Shir’s serious expression, Epherna suddenly laughed.
“Hehe.”
[…? Why are you laughing?]
“Nothing, just.”
She had a thought.
“You, are you scared of Mister?”
Shir’s eyebrows shook violently.
[…You’re speaking nonsense.]
“Really? It seems right to me.”
[I’m expressing concern for you. As I said, the Dragon Clan can act unpredictably when enraged.]
“Concerned for me?”
[That’s not what I said. The Dragon Clan is truly dangerous…….]
“Alright. I’ll talk to Mister about it tomorrow.”
*****
Summoned beasts and spirits essentially possess immortality.
They are beings that live by feeding off dreams in the realm of the mind of living beings.
They have the concept of life but not the concept of death.
The Dragon Clan are the only ones that can bring death to them.
In other words, for summoned beasts, the Dragon Clan is their natural enemy.
“It seems like Shir is really scared of Mister.”
Ern looked puzzled.
“Shir is afraid of me…?”
“You’re part of the Dragon Clan, Mister. I guess he thinks you might kill him if you get angry.”
[That’s not true!!]
From the reaction, it seemed to be true.
Of course, he didn’t have any power to influence the imaginary realm, but for Shir, even the mere possibility is enough to be terrifying.
He’s probably never thought about what death might be during his life.
After living for so long, it’s hard to accept the concept of death.
Epherna asked.
“What do you think would relieve his stress?”
“Well……”
[Didn’t I mention it? Increase contact.]
“Do you mean that literally, or is it a metaphor?”
[It’s literal. I mean increasing physical contact. The more skin-to-skin contact, the better.]
“I do hold his hand often.”
[Can you make a lake by dropping a single droplet of water in a dry desert?]
He wasn’t repeatedly mentioning mating for no reason.
Shir swallowed the words he was about to say.
Ern and Epherna were not the types to be told to mate.
He didn’t know why they reject the easy method and look for another way, but if they don’t want it, there’s nothing to be done.
[If you can’t cross the line, at least hug and sleep together.]
“Will that work?”
[It’s worth trying.]
Indeed, aside from actions like holding hands or hugging, the only non-invasive way is to sleep together.
Any other method that could be suggested would not be better than sleeping together.
However, relationships between men and women are not governed by reason and logic alone.
Feelings are also important.
So, Ern had no choice but to gauge the situation and ask.
“Is it alright?”
In response to his question, Epherna was of course okay with it.
She had not touched his skin or seen his sleeping face because of the gender barrier.
With such a good excuse now, there was no reason to refuse.
“I’m okay with it… but how about Mister?”
“…”
Ern couldn’t easily decide, looking serious.
There’s an old saying, “men and women should not sleep together until they are married.”
Although he felt guilty about sleeping with Epherna, who was not yet married, the importance of her life versus his guilt was clear.
He deeply swore to himself that he would gladly become a villain for Epherna, nodding resolutely.
*****
A warm bath with transparent steam rising.
Epherna, with her face submerged in the water up to her chin, exhaled.
“Haah…”
Her eyes were narrowed and her cheeks flushed.
She tried to cool her overheated feelings, but it was difficult to calm down.
It was not the first time she had slept with him.
When she was young, it happened often, and once after her body matured, at the Katia Duchy.
Although it wasn’t entirely absent, she was too young then to have specific feelings, and the time at the Katia Duchy was more of a stepping stone for planning, so there was no room for emotions.
Of course, the current situation, though it had become possible due to circumstances, was filled with emotions entirely different from the past.
“So, Your Highness, what brings you here? I hear you’re sleeping with Astra.”
Merien asked.
It wasn’t unusual to sleep with her fiancé Ern, but given what she knew about their relationship, it was puzzling.
“It’s a matter I can’t explain.”
“Are you not going to tell me either?”
“Yeah. It’s a secret.”
The story about the Dragon Clan and Shir was kept as confidential as possible.
The fact that Ern was from the Dragon Clan was a top secret, and every detail Shir had revealed could have a significant impact on the Empire’s history, potentially causing great confusion.
Sometimes, not knowing certain historical details is better.
“Well, if that’s the case, there’s nothing I can do.”
Merien shrugged off her curiosity without any sign of disappointment.
As someone who had served Epherna for years, it might have been disappointing, but she showed no sign of it.
What mattered to her was the outcome.
After spending four years dealing with her frustration, she had come to the conclusion that as long as the result was good, the process didn’t matter.
*****
Epherna’s pajamas were a very thin white frilly outfit.
Though not transparent enough to see through, the overall whiteness of the outfit made the color of the underwear visible up close.
It wasn’t a problem on a normal day, but now…
‘Is it too… thin?’
Looking at it now, it seemed rather revealing.
Indeed, the exposure was greater than expected for a frilly pajama.
While it was good for comfort to reveal the arms and legs, the shoulder, waist, and back areas were riddled with holes.
The holes were not small.
They were as large as the size of the circle formed by touching the index and thumb together.
‘It didn’t seem this revealing before…?’
Epherna’s instincts were correct.
A few hours earlier, when Merien learned that Epherna would be sleeping with Ern, she had thoroughly modified all of Epherna’s pajamas.
The current pajama was the result of those modifications.
Epherna tried to dismiss it as a matter of mood, but then the sound came.
Creeeak—
The sound of the door opening.
Without even seeing his face or hearing his voice, Epherna knew it was Ern.
She could now sense his presence so well that she could tell if it was him or not.
He, too, was wearing casual clothes for bed, and Epherna swallowed nervously at the sight of him.
‘…Calm down.’
It’s not just tonight.
They would be sleeping together in the future as well, so she couldn’t let herself tremble like this from the start.
Epherna mentally slapped herself a few times.
*****
Beautiful.
That was the thought that came to mind as he looked at Epherna in her white pajamas.
In the past, he might have first thought she was pretty, but now it was different.
If he could understand the difference between “pretty” and “beautiful,” it was an appreciation that made that distinction clear.
‘She’s grown again.’
Epherna’s development after reconstructing her body was exceptional.
It’s not common to shed a youthful physique so easily, but her mastery of magic made the process seem effortless.
‘If I were an ordinary man, I might have attacked on her right here.’
Even if he were to be executed the next day, it would be worth it for such beauty.
Any man would not refuse the opportunity to touch such a flawless body.
‘…I must hold back.’
He bit his tongue to steady his thoughts.
Epherna was still a minor.
Even though she would become an adult soon.
‘…What am I thinking?’
He mentally slapped himself a couple of times.
Was this also an instinct of the Dragon Clan?
If so, it’s truly frightening.
Considering the intensity of his blood, it might be more than half of what he’s feeling.
Shaking off his thoughts, he said.
“…Let’s lie down.”
“…Okay.”
This was a necessary action.
It was merely a process to calm the boiling blood of a young dragon who had not yet reached adulthood.
Thus, Ern, who had mentally prepared himself, lay down on the bed first, and a strange night began where neither of them could fall asleep.
