Episode 5
“…Something… deformed…?”
I couldn’t make sense of what Prima was saying. She was talking about something I had no knowledge of. “Not all” of my memories had returned? That couldn’t be right. I remembered everything—my birth from the egg, my days in the sky with Prima, Arabel, and the other dragons. I remembered my marriage to Paris, and even my time with Kian, though I wished I could forget it all. So what exactly was I supposed to have forgotten?
“What do you mean by that?”
Prima scoffed at my question as if it were stupid, shaking her head.
“Was it too much to expect you’d remember up to that point?”
“Stop being vague. Just tell me—what is it that I don’t remember, Prima?”
“There once was a dragon exactly like you.”
Her sudden change of topic made me frown.
“If you’re not going to talk, then leave. Once I return to the sky, there are plenty of dragons other than you who can explain it to me.”
“By then, it’ll be too late.”
“…I’m not falling for that. I’m done being manipulated like that.”
I was sure she was just toying with me—bitter about my leaving her for the humans, taking pleasure in making me squirm, refusing to accept me so easily. She must have resented me. That had to be it.
“You show such kindness to the humans, yet you never spare me even an ounce of generosity. Truly infuriating, Lymenia.”
“…I’m not kind. I’m about to abandon them and come back to you all. Call me a traitor if you want. It’s not like I have anywhere else to go. If anything, you dragons are the ones who’ve been kind. So please, Prima. Show me that same kindness—as a dragon elder. I’m tired of playing word games.”
Who is supposed to be kind to whom?
I was the one without time or space to breathe. Prima was the one who could afford to look at everything from a distance. I didn’t even have the strength to beg anymore—to ask someone to stop hiding things from me. That was how it always had been. That’s why I grew tired of humans. And if even you treat me this way—
“I’ve changed my mind. You don’t have to tell me. I won’t beg, so don’t bring it up again. I won’t try to uncover what that ‘deformed thing’ is. I don’t want the truth anymore. If anything, I want to erase my memories.”
I didn’t want to know what the “deformed thing” was. I chose stability over curiosity. I turned to leave, to go to Leroy, when—
“You’re afraid, aren’t you?”
“…”
I turned to look at her, and Prima approached me slowly, placing something in my hand.
“Dragons are fickle by nature—just as you were. I’ve had a sudden change of heart. Here, take this. Whether you look at it or not is your choice.”
Without another word, she turned and walked off into the distance. I stared at her departing figure in disbelief, then looked down at what she had given me. A gem, barely half the size of my palm, glimmering with tiny, glass-like shards inside. The more I stared, the louder my heart pounded. Instinctively, I knew this feeling—it was dread.
Leroy was a little bored. No, in truth, he was a bit lonely.
“Mama is late…”
He rolled around on the large playroom carpet, trying to fend off the boredom. Picking up a stuffed animal, he spoke to it.
“What should we play today? Or maybe we can just sit together. I like that, too. But still, making memories sounds fun, right?”
As he continued to roll around and chatter to himself, waiting for his mother’s tea party to end—
“You’ll get your clothes, all, dirty… from rolling, on the, floor… Prince Leroy.”
“…Huh? Grandpa!”
Leroy, who had been rolling around just moments ago, jumped up with joy. It wasn’t his mother, but it was someone he liked just as much—his grandfather, the former emperor. Leroy had never really disliked anyone, of course.
The former emperor, Rear, had abdicated the throne to Kian due to illness. He had been sick for quite a long time and sank into deep depression after the empress—his wife—passed away. Most people of the Orizon Empire understood and supported Rear’s decision to step down.
He was considered a wise ruler who passed on his throne at the right time. Now, what brought Rear joy in his retirement was spending time with his grandson, Leroy.
People in the palace lamented that the former emperor had been bedridden so long he barely got to see his grandson. Now that he was free of imperial duty, they hoped he would enjoy quiet, simple happiness with his grandson in the twilight of his life.
“Come here, Leroy.”
Rear, seated in his wheelchair, patted his lap. His aide behind him wore a concerned look.
“Your Majesty…”
“I’m still strong enough to hold my grandson on my lap. Come, Leroy.”
He patted again. Leroy looked at the aide with hesitation before stepping forward.
“But… I’ve gained a little weight. Your lap might hurt, Grandpa.”
Rear blinked at him in disbelief, then burst into hearty laughter. Sharp little thing! He motioned for his aide to leave, and once they were alone, he whispered conspiratorially to Leroy.
“Gerald must think I’m made of glass or something. Because of him, I seem even more fragile than I am.”
Leroy giggled. At Rear’s urging, he hopped up and sat on his grandfather’s lap like a bouncing ball. Rear looked at him fondly, placing a withered hand on Leroy’s head.
“Your hair is nearly silver—just like your mother’s.”
“But not as bright, they say. It’ll darken over time.”
“Really? To black?”
“Nope! Not as dark as Father’s. More like… a pale grey.”
“And who told you that?”
“Hmm…”
Leroy paused, then answered with a little decision.
“A friend did!”
“You have friends in the palace?”
“Sometimes I see one!”
“I see… I wonder how much that friend knows, to say such things… You really do look a lot like Kian.”
“Father?”
“Yes, Kian.”
“Huh?”
Rear stared at his grandson with half-lidded eyes, almost as if projecting someone else onto him. The more he looked, the more he saw Kian in Leroy.
“…How did such a child… come from that demon…”
Rear muttered, his gaze unfocused. Then, slowly, while stroking Leroy, he suddenly gripped the child’s shoulders tightly. Even as a sick old man, his grip was strong enough to frighten a five-year-old.
“…Leroy.”
“G-Grandpa?”
“Do you even know what you are, child?”
“What?”
“Do you know what kind of man your father truly is…? I should’ve cut the root off back then. I should’ve never let that thing live…!”
At that moment, completely lost in rage, Rear raised his hand to strike. But before he could, a firm hand grabbed his wrist.
“…Who… are you?”
The one who stopped him was a young-looking woman. Her long hair shimmered with a grey hue, resembling Empress Lobelia—but she wasn’t her. She wore an old-fashioned dress and stared at Rear with a tight, artificial smile.
“That’s enough. Time for you to leave. I’m the crown prince’s tutor. I believe it’s time for his check-up.”
Her words were shockingly blunt, especially to a former emperor. But perhaps realizing what he had nearly done, Rear said nothing and averted his gaze. Leroy quietly slid off his lap. The aide returned and wheeled Rear out of the room in uncomfortable silence.
Leroy stood there, confused about what had just happened. Then he turned to the mysterious woman, looking up at her curiously. His morning lessons were done, and there were none in the afternoon. Besides, none of his usual tutors looked like her.
And yet, he seemed to recognize her.
“Arabel? You’re Arabel, right?”
Unbothered by what had just happened, he smiled brightly at her.
“…How did you know I was Arabel? It’s not as if Prima gave you advance notice.”
“Hehe, I have my ways! Prima once described you. A dragon with pale silver hair tinged with ash, golden eyes, sharp eye corners, and a very awkward way of speaking.”
It was rare enough to meet a dragon once in a lifetime. Leroy had now met two. His eyes sparkled as he looked at Arabel, then suddenly hesitated.
“…Did you come… to take Mama away?”
Could this be the day he says goodbye to his mother?
