C 97
"If it's difficult, let's go back, girl."
"No. It's okay. Everything's fine."
I shook my head and said. I simply pushed the thought aside. Because it was something I didn't want to think about on such a happy day.
Dad, who was looking at me with concern for my words, nodded with a very disgusted expression and casually threw the dress that Chronos Etham had brought me to the floor.
Then, he left the dress he had chosen in its place.
"Why are you throwing away perfectly good clothes?"
"You'll transmit your puberty."
"What do you mean?"
"As you've been rebellious in puberty up to this age, it might be a disease. What if you accidentally infect my daughter?"
Chronos Etham looked at his father with a trembling expression, as if seeing an idiot for the first time in his life.
"You're pitiful..."
"My older brother, who has gone through puberty, is more pitiful."
"...Are you implying something else? I suppose so."
"Little niece!"
"Hey!"
Nelia and Akrea ran towards me as if they had beaten all their other brothers and held out their dresses one by one.
"Which one do you like better?"
Hyuk, I could see all kinds of impressive dresses scattered behind the two women.
"How much is all this...?"
I had always been told not to look at clothes that didn't even have a price tag, but there were hundreds of garments strewn on the floor.
And in the meantime, I saw Hayel Etham and Charniel Etham, who had turned into rags.
Apparently, they couldn't beat the two sisters.
Both were very nice dresses.
"B-both are nice?"
"What? You have to choose. You can't go to the imperial banquet with two dresses!"
"Since the imperial banquet lasts for five days, shouldn't we take turns wearing them?"
Charniel, who was trapped in the corner, spoke from behind Chronos Etham as if the previous scene had never existed.
"Ah...! Then it's fine."
Akrea Safile nodded.
"Mine, my sister's, the maknae's, and Cream's, the one that's left..."
Akrea Safile crossed her arms as she saw Hayel's look full of anticipation and Charniel's proud expression.
"This would be suitable for the last one."
It was Devane who opened the banquet hall door without warning.
She was accompanied by a bridesmaid, and the dress the bridesmaid held was a beautiful light purple dress.
"Whoa..."
When I looked at it, I felt an exclamation.
"I interrupted because you were about to choose a dress that wasn't as stellar. Do you like it?"
"Yes!"
It was a pastel color that I liked even though it wasn't too noticeable. The silver patterns that looked like they were sprinkled with stars were also very beautiful.
"Then the last one has been decided."
"Yes."
"Nonsense! I'm sorry, mother, but why are you interfering so suddenly?"
Devane laughed at Akrea Safile's words.
"Does it make sense to throw a party like this without telling us?"
"That..."
"Reah, haven't you been repeatedly told not to pick a fight you can't win? Neither Cherry nor you ever get tired of that."
"...Ugh, my mother is really annoying."
Akrea Safile turned her head. Devane smiled as she looked at her puffed cheeks.
When I turned my head a little, Charniel Etham was completely white with an embarrassed expression. He seemed quite disgusted.
What's with all these nicknames?
"Because it's your granddaughter's first time attending, we have to dress up nicely. The same goes for you."
"I know."
"It's a bit early, but Sharnae's debut is also coming up, so let's all help."
"Oh...."
Nelia Zardan and Akrea Safile's eyes sparkled at the same time.
"Then, since we've sorted out the matriarch's outfit, shall we decorate Sylphy's daughter this time?"
The two women pounced on Sharnae, who was choosing clothes.
"Kyaaaagh! What, what?!"
"Jojo, should we choose some clothes?"
"I already thought of the outfit... Kyaaak!"
Dad took this space and held me in his arms.
"Let's get out of this noisy room."
"Yes."
I was slowly getting tired too. He patted my back as I yawned for a long time.
"What time is it?"
I moved my hand and put it in my father's jacket pocket and naturally pulled out the pocket watch.
It's noon now.
Thinking that I should go shopping tomorrow, I looked up and my dad was looking at me.
When I put the watch back in his pocket, he laughed.
"How did you know there was a watch there?"
Oh, right.
Somehow, I thought it would just be there. Is this also the dragon's ability?
"Just... It seemed like it would be there."
"Yes?"
"Yes."
I made a wry smile and answered cautiously, and my dad lightly kissed me on the forehead.
"It's nap time."
"Yes..."
Actually, I'm ten years old, so I'm not old enough for a nap, but Dad always tried to get me to sleep.
"This must be a habit."
As expected, my eyes were tightly closed. I leaned my cheek on Dad's shoulder and closed my eyes.
"Sleep well, daughter."
The voice was so kind that I sank into endless darkness.
* * *
The preparations for the imperial banquet were completed in an instant. My participation seemed to be arranged rather abruptly, so everything was at a fast pace.
When I woke up, two weeks had passed....
"Where am I, who am I?"
Sitting in the noisy carriage, I stared blankly at my well-dressed father.
The Etham family had over ten thousand carriages in motion, as if everyone was participating.
It was almost at the level of a procession.
I traveled in the carriage with my dad, Callan, Silian, and Sharnae.
"They all look really nice."
As I looked at the brightly colored faces, I felt a little like I understood why everyone called me fluffy.
Of course, objectively, I'm quite pretty, but...
Should I say that I look somewhat normal since I'm among them? Should I say that the ambient halo is so good that it's covering my face?
"Daughter."
"Yes?"
"What are you thinking?"
"It's just that my heart is beating fast. It's the first time I'm participating in something like this."
Indeed, I've never had a birthday party, and I've never been invited to such a place.
My darn younger brothers went to a friend who was always close to me and teased me alongside him.
"Eirin."
"Yes?"
"You're the best. Don't worry. You're the star of this banquet."
Sharnae squeezed my hand tightly and said.
When I smiled because the warm hand felt good, Callan, who was in front of me, said.
"I've completed everything you said. And there's nothing to fear. Everyone will come to see you."
"Really?"
"Yes, news of your participation started circulating about a week ago, and since then, the number of carriages entering the capital has been seven times the usual."
Silian added an explanation to Callan's response. To be honest, it was a number I couldn't even fathom, so my eyes widened.
"I see..."
I replied, but I'm still not sure.
"Because I'm a dragon?"
"It will remain so. The fact that you have taken on the leadership is a known story to the Etham and some members of the royal family."
I was a little surprised because I had never received so much attention. I pressed my cheek with the palm of my hand.
"Oh? Your cheeks are red."
"Really?"
"In a way..."
Sharnae and the two brothers playfully approached me. The moment I panicked, my body floated.
"Dad...?"
Erno Etham, who was looking at me floating in the air, glanced out the window and suddenly opened his mouth.
"...We've arrived."
My head naturally tilted as I felt like I was covering the reason he found a late excuse.
"Uncle is really..."
"Father..."
"Get down."
Ignoring the boos coming from behind, Dad immediately jumped out of the carriage with me in his arms.
Seeing the Etham family members arrive, I felt a little embarrassed.
It was a bit hard to believe that I was at the front and center of the group, so I buried my face in my father's chest while being held in his arms.
"I should stop running away like this..."
It hasn't been revealed yet that I'm the matriarch of the family, so it should be okay. Looking back, I saw that Chronos Etham was also present.
The man not wearing the white priest uniform looked a bit relaxed.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Lord Erno Etham and the members of the Etham family are entering!"
The room fell silent, and in the midst of that, Dad walked proudly on the carpet.
"Eirin, don't stray from our side."
"Yes."
As soon as I arrived at the banquet, when I was suffocating from the torrential stares, Callan Etham and Silian Etham blocked the surroundings.
"Let's stay here."
The two of them stopped me at an empty seat in the hall and stood up as if to protect me.
Then, they opened their eyes wildly, so when people turned their heads this way, they startled and turned their heads the other way.
The person who tried to sneak up on me also backed away, and soon there were no more ants crawling around us.
I tilted my head in embarrassment.
"Do you want something to eat?"
"Yes."
"Yes? Then I'll bring you something delicious. Wait here for a moment."
"I'll go, what do you know about Eirin?"
"Do I know more than you?"
"No way. I even know what color socks Eirin is wearing."
What?
How do you know that?
"Uh, what does a guy who spends all his time training know? That's called stalking."
"I'm probably better than my brother who spends all day stuck in the laboratory. I'm worried, brother."
Callan Etham and Silian Etham started growling. Well, it might have been a mistake for Dad to put these two together.
"So, should we make a bet?"
"Alright."
"Then let's bet on who can find Eirin's favorite food in 5 minutes. What do you say?"
"Yes! Eirin, stay here for five minutes. Understand? We'll be back soon."
The two of them disappeared in an instant into the crowd without even waiting for my response.
"Why in just five minutes...?"
If Dad finds out, they'll probably both be scolded.
I felt like they were still children even though their bodies seemed to have grown.
"Fortunately, thanks to them being sent away, no one will come for a while... oh?"
As I thought, a shadow grew thicker over my head. When I looked up, a handsome young man was looking at me.
The boy, who wore dangling earrings with family emblems, had dark amethyst-colored eyes and hair of the same color.
A peculiar young man with long hair whose pigment fades as it goes down.
I opened my mouth in astonishment at the familiar sight.
"Hello."
"... Ri...chard...?"
It was Richard Collin.
The fair-skinned youth, who had grown up before I knew it, narrowed his crescent moon-like eyes beautifully at my call.
It was a beautiful smile that could captivate people.
"You must have been fine, BamBam, seeing that you've grown."
"......"
"That wasn't my case."
Richard's fingertips gently caressed my cheek.
"We were exchanging letters, but it suddenly stopped, and you said you'd come to see me, but you never did...."
Richard's voice turned a little somber.
"BamBam, I'm very angry. So, would you like to go somewhere with me?"
Richard Collin extended his hand to me and asked affectionately.
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