TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 65

“Mr. Dragon is so fierce today…” Albin shrank his neck and muttered quietly in complaint.

【Leave here.】 The demon dragon gave a cold warning, though compared to before, his tone suddenly softened quite a bit.

Albin looked at the gloomy sky outside, then dazedly at the red-eyed demon dragon before him, his heart wavering.

With the hazy moonlight and the muddy, rugged road, no one would choose to travel on such a night. His father hadn’t taken a carriage or horse when leaving the city, so he must be nearby, not too far away.

But after searching all the way here, he never found any trace of his father—only the demon dragon.

In his panicked state, his mind couldn’t process much. Seeing the striking red-and-white colors on the dragon’s body, he couldn’t help but think of his father.

His father’s mysterious and unknown identity always left him guessing.

Come to think of it, last time too, it was when his father wasn’t around that he met Mr. Dragon—who appeared nearby just the same.

Could Mr. Dragon be traveling the same road as them?

Padma’s fox form and human form both had pink hair and pink eyes. After Sutanlei merged with Mr. Lion, he became orange-haired. By that logic, Mr. Dragon’s human form should be white-haired with red eyes, which made it all the more coincidental.

He had suspected before that the demon dragon might be his father, but his father’s hostile attitude toward monsters back then made him dismiss the idea.

He didn’t know what had happened while he was unconscious, but after the poisoned water incident at noon, Albin felt his father clearly knew that Padma was a monster.

And yet, his father didn’t seem as repulsed as expected—not even surprised.

Albin’s tired brain was a mess of thoughts.

He had no evidence to confirm his suspicions, but deep down, he wished that the dragon before him really was his father.

He was afraid he had truly lost his father.

At this thought, grief welled up inside Albin again.

“Mr. Dragon… my dad doesn’t want me anymore.” The more he thought about it, the sadder he became. His mouth quivered, and his crimson eyes brimmed with tears. “Dad hates me now…”

Even in his past life, he had been abandoned in a bed of flowers, an unwanted child.

Although his brother picked him up, he never saw his brother’s parents either. Some nasty kids in the neighborhood mocked that both he and his brother were abandoned children, and some even tried to bully him because of it.

Now, in this world, even his father had left him behind…

Albin began sobbing and hiccupping.

The demon dragon, who had originally meant to drive him away, suddenly froze all over. He lifted a clawed hand, but seeing his dragon claws, let it fall again.

That crying sounded like some powerful curse being chanted. The dragon, radiating a destructive aura, stood stiffly, his dangerous, mighty body showing an almost helpless awkwardness.

【No,】 the dragon hurriedly said. 【Who said he doesn’t want you? Maybe he has other reasons.】

“Uncle Edward said something happened to Dad, and he didn’t want me to be in danger too… But what danger couldn’t we solve together?”

He knew magic. Uncle Jacques was a prince, Uncle Edward was a prince too, and he even knew Sutanlei, who was now a king. He couldn’t imagine anything they couldn’t handle together.

【Maybe it’s something that simply can’t be solved.】

The dragon wrapped his tail around him, soft white fur covering his body.

Even though he was dressed warmly, Albin still felt chilled after crying.

Clutching the big fluffy tail, he whimpered, “Stop making excuses for him. That might just be a cover! He clearly promised to be my dad—what a big liar! A big meanie! Adults always lie to kids!”

The dragon agreed: 【Mm, he is a big meanie. Don’t cry for him anymore.】

But Albin twisted in reluctance, mumbling, “Don’t you call my dad names. He… he might not have meant to throw me away…”

Amid his tangled emotions, the dragon couldn’t help a faint, bittersweet smile.

【Even though he left you, there are still many people who like you. You’ll have other companions by your side.】 The dragon held back his own grief as he told him: 【Those who hate you, you can hate them back. Those who leave you, you don’t need to keep in your heart.】

That was the truth, but still…

“What if Dad really runs into danger?” Albin fretted. “If I’m not by his side then, I won’t know anything and won’t be able to help at all.”

Thinking of Jacques and Xiao Hei, his worry deepened.

Would the next time he saw his father be the same—covered in blood?

Uncle Jacques had only survived because he met Jade. What would happen to his father if no one was there?

Just imagining the possibility made Albin’s heart feel strangled tight.

He lowered his head and muttered, “I promised I’d protect Dad.”

The dragon fell silent. He didn’t know how to answer this child.

He stayed quietly coiled beside Albin, his heart tightening with every soft sob.

He almost couldn’t stop himself from appearing before Albin as his father.

But just like Albin, he felt he must protect this child.

He gazed intently at Albin, as if to brand every detail of him into his heart.

After making up his mind, he never expected he’d get to see Albin again.

To avoid being discovered, he would have to keep his distance from now on. This might be their last meeting.

Albin would meet more people in the future. With Edward’s company, sooner or later, he would forget him.

Under the dragon’s warm breath and presence, Albin’s emotions gradually calmed.

He glanced at the sky and whispered, “I should go back now.”

The dragon reluctantly uncoiled his tail.

Albin walked a few steps, then turned back and asked carefully, “Mr. Dragon, if you’re not busy tomorrow, can I come here to see you again?”

He nervously clutched the hem of his clothes.

The dragon was about to refuse, when he heard him add, “My friend Xiao Hei is missing, and my dad just left me behind… If I finally get to see Mr. Dragon again only for you to leave too, I’ll be so lonely…”

【All right.】 Seeing his desolate expression, the dragon couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

It was exactly this child’s gaze and plea he feared, which was why he had wanted to leave without saying goodbye.

But just one day—maybe it wouldn’t hurt.

Albin’s eyes lit up. He waved farewell and walked away into the distance.

The dragon lay down again, slowly slipping into a familiar dream.

He dreamed once more of that vivid dreamscape.

In the dream, the [demon dragon] still dwelled in that cave, and the [white-haired youth], true to his promise, would sometimes come visit—sometimes passing by, sometimes making the trip just for him.

No matter the reason, the [white-haired youth] always brought him things from the outside world—sometimes books, sometimes souvenirs from other countries.

Though the [demon dragon] never left the forest, he somehow came to know a great deal about the outside.

At first, the [white-haired youth] only stayed a short while. But gradually, he lingered longer—sometimes half a day, sometimes a whole day—claiming the nearby inn was hard to find, stubbornly camping out there.

Before the [demon dragon] realized it, the once-empty cave was filled with the youth’s traces—even furnished with human tables, chairs, and a bed, giving the place a faint sense of home.

Having been long isolated from humans, and fearing he might forget his human heart, the [demon dragon] turned a blind eye to these little intrusions.

At times, he even looked forward to the youth’s arrival.

In the endless struggle against the curse, he endured day after day in monotony, and only the [white-haired youth]’s visits made him feel like he wasn’t just a stone statue.

The youth’s stories about his father were especially aggravating, and the [demon dragon] would occasionally correct the views he’d been brainwashed into.

For instance, upon discovering the youth’s talent—and that he had, through self-study, managed to control some elements—the dragon remarked in surprise: 【If that’s the case, why not study magic? At least heal your injuries.】

“Because Father says he’s a monster, and magic would remind him of priests, so I can’t study it. This is just something I practiced secretly, so I don’t know much. And I’ll be careful not to use magic in front of you, Mr. Dragon!”

“As for these injuries, I already had a king friend ask a magician to heal me before—these are new wounds.”

The [demon dragon] was infuriated, snapping disdainfully: 【Only cowards are afraid.】

The [white-haired youth] still grumbled in protest, insisting he not insult his father.

【Do you want to learn magic?】

The [white-haired youth] thought for a moment, then nodded lightly. “Actually, I think magic is really cool…”

【Then study properly. I’ll teach you.】

So in addition to their daily chats, the [demon dragon] took it upon himself to shoulder the task of educating the child.

Their meetings became more and more frequent.

One day, the [white-haired youth] began talking about the birthday he had recently celebrated.

“Mr. Dragon, when’s your birthday? Are there any customs, or things you’d like to eat?”

【None.】 the [demon dragon] replied flatly. 【I don’t remember my birthday.】

Birthdays meant nothing to him. Ever since joining the temple, the most important day of the year had been June 22nd—Festival of Light, the longest day of the year, and the most sacred holiday of the Sun Temple.

“I see…” The [white-haired youth] thought for a moment, then continued, “When it’s my birthday, I always get this sudden craving for little cakes with cream, and also for long, hot bowls of noodle soup. I don’t know why those thoughts pop into my head.”

The [demon dragon] looked at him curiously.

Cake aside, noodles in soup were troublesome to prepare, and he had never heard of any country with such a custom.

Across the continent, only a few nations used forks—most relied more on spoons and knives—so noodles were rarely eaten.

【Did that foster father of yours give you those?】

“Of course! Father treats me very well!” The [white-haired youth] said proudly, though his mood dipped a little. “But the cake Father gave me was so sweet… I like sweets, but not that sweet. And the noodles weren’t soup noodles—they were dry.”

【Hah. He doesn’t even know your taste—how is that treating you well?】 Every mention of that foster father put the [demon dragon] in a foul mood.

“I told Father already—it must have just slipped his mind. Sugar is expensive here, and since there’s no tradition of soup noodles, of course the chefs wouldn’t know how to make them. Even I don’t.”

Suppressing his disappointment, the [white-haired youth] added, “Father has already given me so much.”

The [demon dragon] only scoffed.

The [white-haired youth] quickly changed the subject: “What about you, Mr. Dragon? If it were your birthday, what would you want to eat?”

The [demon dragon] answered casually: “That beef stew with sour fruit juice and spices.”

The [white-haired youth] grinned and made a note of it. That day, he once again stayed the night in the [demon dragon]’s cave.

The next morning, when he woke up, he suddenly saw on a tray a small cream-covered cake and a steaming bowl of noodle soup.

From an outside perspective, Zeman knew the [demon dragon] had gone into a nearby town the day before to prepare them for him.

The [white-haired youth] clearly realized this too. Startled, he glanced at the [demon dragon] lying nearby, uncertain whether he was asleep.

Overjoyed, he whispered, “Thank you, Mr. Dragon.”

The [demon dragon] opened his eyes—there hadn’t been the slightest trace of sleep—and turned his gaze aside, saying flatly: 【Eat your breakfast and be on your way.】

“Okay!” The [white-haired youth] cheerfully ate the warm noodles and perfectly sweetened cake with a fork.

“Mr. Dragon is just like a father.” He couldn’t help blurting it out.

The sense of disappointment he’d felt yesterday was now fully replaced with warmth and sweetness.

The [demon dragon] gave him a strange look: 【Are you… insulting me?】

After all, “father” from this boy’s mouth was hardly ever a compliment.

He frowned at the cake and noodles he had made, reflecting to himself.

Was it too sweet? Or the flavor not right?

“No, not at all! I wasn’t insulting you. I meant it—Mr. Dragon feels like a dad to me…” The [white-haired youth] scrunched up his face, struggling to explain. “Anyway, it’s a good thing!”

“Because Mr. Dragon has always been good to me, and taught me so much. It feels different from Father. Even though Mr. Dragon can be a little naggy sometimes, for some reason, I really like listening. Talking with you doesn’t make me feel nervous or abandoned.”

The [demon dragon] shot him an annoyed look.

If he nagged, it was only because this child was stubborn beyond cure.

The boy muttered, “If only Father could be like Mr. Dragon sometimes… After meeting you, Mr. Dragon, I guess I’ve gotten more greedy.”

The [demon dragon] gave a light snort.

After finishing breakfast, the [white-haired youth] looked at him seriously.

“Mr. Dragon, is there anything you need? Please just tell me.”

【Why do you ask?】

The boy tilted his head. “Because whenever Father gives me gifts, he always asks me for blood afterward. But you said you don’t need blood, so I don’t know what I can give you.”

The [demon dragon] gave him a cold glance.

【I don’t need anything.】

The boy froze, shaken. It broke the way he thought the world worked, leaving him lost.

But no matter how much he coaxed, the [demon dragon] asked for nothing.

At last, he said, “Then I’ll think of a way to repay you.”

With that, the [white-haired youth] departed, and Zeman’s dream ended there.

What woke him was a voice much like that of the [white-haired youth] in the dream.

“Mr. Dragon!” This voice was younger, more childish. “I came to see you again!”

Zeman opened his eyes, and saw bandages wrapped around Albin’s forearm. For a moment, he couldn’t tell if he was still dreaming.

Wait—this was his Albin!

Why was he hurt?!

What were Edward and Padma doing?!

A low growl rumbled in the dragon’s throat.

“Mr. Dragon?” Albin asked in puzzlement.

The dragon forced down his anger and asked in a low voice: 【You’re injured?】

“Oh, this?” Albin put his hands behind his back. “Once my magic recovers, I can heal it. That’s not the point—I came to share some good news with you.”

He grinned. “I have a new dad now! Of course, I’ll keep looking for my old one. My new dad even said he’d help me. And he has long hair too…”

If not for those all-too-familiar bandages, the dragon might have thought he was talking about Edward. But now, he couldn’t stay calm at all.

Long hair? Edward didn’t have long hair.

Could it be that the rat had lured Albin away after he himself left yesterday? Was it when he went out of the forest?

The thought made him restless. He wanted to storm over to Edward and demand answers.

But Albin kept chattering: “Uncle Edward helped Father trick me too—I’m not going to forgive him! Luckily I met my new dad last night.”

After chatting with him a bit, Albin left the valley.

“My new dad is waiting for me at the inn outside the South Gate. He’s about to take me to my new home. See you next time, Mr. Dragon!”

Albin skipped away, while Zeman could not calm himself.

A strong sense of wrongness gnawed at him, filling him with doubts. Normally, he would have analyzed carefully, investigated every clue. But now, his worry for Albin outweighed everything else. He was terrified the boy had truly fallen into the clutches of a monster.

After Albin left, Zeman immediately transformed back into human form and rushed to the inn to seize the “rat.”

Even if there was only the slightest chance, he couldn’t let it go.

He absolutely could not allow the rat to harm his Albin!!

Outside the inn, Albin watched the familiar white figure enter. Half angry, half delighted, he tore off the bandages he had used to play the victim.

He wasn’t very good at pretending to be hurt, so he had just wrapped them up carelessly, copying a comic he’d once seen. He never expected it would work so well.

He grinned slyly.

You’ve fallen for it, Mr. Dragon.

Hmph! That’s what you get for lying to me!

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