Chapter 4
Puzzled, Leoni shook her head.
“Alright. Just follow me.”
She urged him, intending to finish this quickly before he got distracted by something else.
‘There’s a reason why dragon handlers get paid so much.’
She was sure she wouldn’t survive a day if she had to stay by a dragon’s side all day in this state of high alert.
Claude was gentler than the dragons she’d heard of, but that didn’t mean he was easy to deal with.
The way he smiled pleasantly, like a human, or rather, like a dragon trying to appear human, bothered her even more.
After walking for a while, Leoni guided Claude to the place he wanted. Pointing to the dead end, Leoni said,
“This is the way you requested.”
“Thank you.”
The guidance ended here, as the note didn’t include a detailed address.
“Then I will ‘really’ say goodbye here.”
Thinking it was finally time to part ways, she bowed deeply. Just as she turned around, determined not to look back even if he called her multiple times,
“Leoni Winkelheit?”
A familiar phrase stopped her. Her heart skipped a beat.
‘Did I ever tell him my last name?’
Chills ran down her spine.
“That’s right, Leoni. Leoni Winkelheit.”
As she stiffly turned her head, Claude, with a cheerful face, repeated her name like a song.
“Aren’t you curious? How I came to know your name?”
While Leoni hesitated, he took a large step forward. Closing the distance in an instant, he suddenly brought his face close to hers.
Her body instinctively recoiled at the proximity, close enough to hear his breath, but this was nothing compared to what Leoni had experienced.
Should I run? No. Running wouldn’t be any use against a dragon anyway.
“Not at all.”
Instead of running, Leoni chose to stand her ground, her eyes sharp with vigilance. Bravado was always key when dealing with such beings.
“…….”
At her firm answer, his cloud-like gray eyes blinked slowly. He seemed slightly disappointed for some reason.
‘It’s not that important that he knows my full name.’
Someone from the Cooperation Bureau must have visited him, a dragon, and they might have mentioned her, a person of interest within the Bureau.
She could somehow accept that.
But she refused to be manipulated, especially for a pittance.
Leoni straightened her neck and looked directly at him.
“Do you have any other errands for me? Two gold coins won’t be nearly enough from now on.”
“…….”
“From now on, the price will double for each request. Four gold coins for the next one, eight for the one after that.”
“You drive a hard bargain.”
Despite saying so, Claude casually produced four more gold coins from somewhere.
“I have one question. Will you answer it?”
“……Go ahead.”
Along with the gold coins, he handed her a book. It was the Compendium of Mythical Biology he had bought at the bookstore.
“I’m looking for the author of this book.”
Leoni’s expression turned subtle as she took the book. Why would a dragon be looking for the author of that book?
She had a hunch, but she couldn’t say anything.
“……This book was published by the state. If you’re looking for the author, it would be faster to go to the Imperial Palace.”
“I don’t think so.”
Claude’s ash-gray eyes curved.
“How’s Theo?”
‘Damn it.’
Leoni quietly closed her eyes. Claude knew more than she thought.
She glared resentfully at the book Claude had given her.
Compendium of Mythical Biology. The research her father had written and the Imperial Family had taken away.
Realizing she couldn’t get away with vague excuses, Leoni gave up first.
“My father… that is, how do you know Theo?”
Theo was a nickname for her father, Theodore Winkelheit.
It had been a long time since anyone had called her father by his nickname.
As far as Leoni knew, few living people called her father so affectionately. Even her aunt Helen used to call her father a scoundrel, a moron, a parasite, an ungrateful wretch, and so on.
“Friends.”
…Friends?
The unfamiliar word struck Leoni’s heart.
“A human and a dragon?”
“Ah, as expected.”
A low chuckle tickled her ears as Leoni asked.
“You knew I wasn’t human.”
Oops. Leoni’s jaw dropped. She quickly composed herself and berated herself internally. She had been so flustered that she forgot to pretend she didn’t know.
However, Claude seemed deeply impressed that she already knew his true identity. He chirped excitedly,
“Yes, we were friends. Haha, I thought you were really pretending not to know because you kept acting like you didn’t.”
Really?
He seemed too excited for it to be a lie.
‘He doesn’t seem to hold a grudge against my father…’
Claude’s eyes showed neither contempt nor interest. They were filled only with affection.
‘No. Don’t be fooled by that expression.’
Hadn’t she been backstabbed by plenty of people who smiled pleasantly? With a bitter smile, Leoni said,
“I’m sorry, but my father passed away 15 years ago.”
Aside from how he knew Theo, this dragon seemingly didn’t know what had become of him.
There was no one left in the Empire who didn’t know.
Perhaps that was why?
It felt strangely unfamiliar to convey Theo’s death.
“Oh dear.”
Claude’s reaction to the news was understated.
“No wonder I couldn’t reach him. My condolences.”
Compared to his playful demeanor all afternoon, he seemed quite serious. But that was all. Claude, looking at Leoni, quickly smiled.
“Still, you’ll offer a guest a cup of tea, won’t you? Especially with the… rain falling like this.”
He waggled his eyebrows. Leoni frowned at his words.
‘What is he talking about?’
Although it was slightly cloudy, it wasn’t raining yet.
“What rain? It’s so sunny…”
Leoni grumbled and looked up at the sky.
Pitter-patter, pit-pat.
Large raindrops began to hit her cheeks.
Dark clouds had gathered in the sky, which had been clear just a moment ago. The streets, which had been bathed in the sunset glow, were quickly enveloped in darkness.
“It doesn’t look like it’ll stop anytime soon.”
“…….”
The intensifying rain drew dark spots on Claude’s light gray jacket.
“I’m a stranger who just arrived here, and I don’t know anyone around here. My only friend, as someone just told me, has already crossed the River Styx.”
He shrugged dramatically. Then, without changing his expression, he continued in a casual tone.
“And I don’t have an umbrella.”
Despite his words, he didn’t seem to care much about getting wet.
Then who does he expect to invite him in?
Leoni scoffed inwardly at his blatant audacity. As she was trying to come up with an excuse to get rid of him,
“What the, where did this rain come from?!”
“Oh no! My laundry will get soaked.”
The sudden downpour caused a commotion in the residential area. Everyone rushed towards their front doors, glancing at Leoni and Claude standing in the middle of the street.
He was a conspicuous man even without the rain, so it was natural that he attracted attention, especially now that he was standing there getting drenched.
‘Oh dear.’
If this continued, and more attention was drawn to them, rumors would spread that Winkelheit’s daughter lived on this street. She had finally found some peace.
Leoni bit her lip.
“Leoni?”
An irritating voice urged her. A pile of gold coins had appeared in his outstretched hand.
It can’t be helped.
Closing her eyes tightly, Leoni let out a long sigh.
“Just for a moment.”
It’s definitely not because of the gold coins.
⊹ ࣪🍰˚⊹♡
“Come in.”
Claude entered the hallway, following Leoni’s guidance. The hallway was dim, as the light had been out for a long time.
Her house was narrow and long, the most common type in the Empire, no different from other houses. However, the inside was a different story.
Scattered clutter and uncollected trash blocked their view.
“Just a moment.”
“…….”
Leoni casually nudged the objects lining the hallway with her foot, creating a path. The silence behind her was strangely heavy, but Leoni didn’t mind.
What could she do? He was the one who barged in.
“Hmm. Your house is lovely.”
“…….”
“I’m honored by the invitation.”
It was difficult to tell whether he was being sarcastic or genuinely grateful.
Maybe she should have just given him an umbrella and sent him on his way? But he claimed to know her father, so it felt a bit much to kick him out now.
Grumbling inwardly, Leoni led the way through the cleared path and fetched a towel.
Claude obediently took the towel and wiped himself dry. He seemed strangely accustomed to such things, whether it was grooming his hair or wiping away water.
Leoni was momentarily mesmerized. The way the water droplets, clinging like jewels to the ends of his hair, shimmered and disappeared was quite a sight.
“What’s wrong?”
“……Nothing.”
Leoni quickly turned her head away. She couldn’t bring herself to say she was admiring him.
“Ah, do you wear shoes inside here too?”
Claude, about to cross the threshold of the hallway, looked at the shoes on her feet.
Leoni tilted her head at the somewhat random question.
“Yes? Of course…?”
“Ah, I’m not used to it. I’ll come in.”
Claude smiled lightly and stepped inside. With each step, his brow furrowed.
The moment he reached the living room.
His eyes fell upon the chaotic scene.
The wooden floor looked like it hadn’t been swept or mopped in ages. Books piled on the floor, not on the bookshelves. Clothes shed like insect exoskeletons. Unidentifiable scraps of paper lying on the floor instead of in the trash can.
“…….”
Claude’s smile deepened.
It was more fitting to call this place a ruin than a house. The cluttered floor didn’t look like a place where someone actually lived.
With a very subtle expression, Claude looked around the hallway and asked,
“Surely the inside isn’t like this too?”
“Like… this?”
Leoni retorted in a displeased tone.
“You suddenly visited, and you expected a clean house?”
“Well, I didn’t expect, expect it, but…”
A very rare sight unfolded before Leoni’s eyes: a dragon carefully choosing his words, mindful of a human’s feelings.
“The living room is this way.”
Before he could say anything else, Leoni hurriedly led him inside.
However, the living room was just as crammed.
Perhaps he had developed a tolerance by now, as Claude calmly picked up a piece of bread from the table. The bread, originally brown, had lost its color and turned white.
“Are you cultivating this mold?”
“……Don’t touch it and give it here. I’ll clean it up.”
Fortunately, he gave up on the bread with a laugh at Leoni’s sharp reply. But that didn’t mean he stopped observing the house.
Claude walked around the living room, as if assessing something, and stopped by the window.
“Leoni.”
“Yes.”
“I’m genuinely curious, is this environment… your preference?”
He seemed to be looking at the dust accumulated on the windowsill. Leoni pretended not to know and replied,
“Of course not.”
“Then that’s good. It would be very troublesome if it continued like this in the future.”
Claude’s gaze met Leoni’s as he spoke. His eyes held a mischievous glint.
“In the… future?”
As Leoni frowned at his cryptic words, Claude smiled faintly.
“Aren’t you curious? Why I went to such lengths to get into this house.”
“Well? That’s…”
You do realize you forced your way in, don’t you? Leoni resisted the urge to say it. He was a surprisingly self-aware dragon.
“Did Theo never mention me to you?”
Leoni shook her head. A deep smile played on his lips as he clasped his hands behind his back.
A sense of unease crept into her mind.
‘Don’t tell me.’
“Then you naturally wouldn’t have heard about the debt you owe me.”
