C 98
"Now?"
"Yes."
It's good to see that you've grown, but isn't it because you met your family and grew up with your parents?
It was sudden, but it was a suggestion that seemed normal, contrary to what I had imagined.
"Really? Come on, BamBam."
Richard, who was sitting on one knee, smiled widely.
As I shivered at that dazzlingly beautiful smile, Richard tightly held my hand.
"It's too much, even though you decided to start a family with me."
The corners of Richard's eyes dipped. I nodded involuntarily at those completely adorable words.
"Yes, it's just for a moment..."
Then, as if he had never done that before, Richard grabbed my hand.
"Then let's go."
As soon as he finished speaking, my view changed.
"Oh, he's a magician."
He's a talented person who will become the owner of the wizard's tower in the future.
I closed my eyes tightly against the tingling sensation, and when I opened them again, I saw a terrifying scene in my field of vision.
It was a cute room. The room was decorated in pastel colors and filled with cute things.
In the cabinet that caught my eye, there were lizard plush toys, statues, and various dolls.
Not only that, the floor was covered with a pink carpet, and the bed looked soft.
Richard lifted me and sat me on the bed.
Then, he placed snacks around me and even stacked novels and books like mountains.
Right next to the bed, there was a hanging rope, and magical stones were placed on either side of the room.
One seemed like a thermostat due to the numbers written on it, and the other seemed like a magical stone that purified the air with the fresh breeze it emitted.
The other two didn't seem to have any apparent purpose.
Fruit was piled up on the table next to the bed.
There were fruits I had never seen in my life, and there were various types of fruits, from completely tropical ones to those found only in the cold north.
When I turned my head to the right, I saw a peaceful landscape outside, and when I turned to the left, I could see dozens of dishes spread out on a large table.
Across the spacious room, there was a soft bed, and there were dolls and toys.
When I turned around with a perplexed expression on my face, Richard took out a blanket and placed a warm magical stone on my belly, next to me.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Before I could regain my senses, the warm magical stone relaxed my body.
My eyelids seemed to close at the sensation that even troublesome thoughts were fading away.
As I wriggled, Richard handed me a soft doll from under my body.
"This... Isn't it the same one my grandmother had?"
My eyes widened.
Seeing my confusion, Richard reached out and slowly stroked my hair.
"BamBam, do you feel uncomfortable?"
"Uh, no...?"
There was nothing uncomfortable about it.
Should I say it's embarrassing because it's so comfortable?
"But why did you bring me here?"
Just as I was about to open my mouth in embarrassment, a lizard poked its head out through his sleeve.
The lizard's eyes and my eyes met. Because of that, my eyes, which had been blinking, widened.
The lizard was startled and quickly hid again with the hem of Richard's sleeve.
It was a lizard with bright red eyes and white scales.
"I was looking for you, and I found it by chance," Richard asked if I knew that he was looking at the lizard.
"His name is HuinBam*."
(N/T: White lizard.)
For the curious, lizard in Korean is 도마뱀/ Domabam. That's why Richard named Eirin 뱀뱀/BamBam.
I've also seen several curious people because the snake in the FL in "A Saint Adopted by the Grand Duke" is also named BamBam. The explanation is simple 뱀/Bam means snake.
What we could learn from all this is that neither of them has a great imagination for naming XD)
...You still have that great sense for names.
"BamBam, I've really been waiting for you a long time."
Richard, sitting at the end of the bed, rolled like a gimbap and leaned over the back of my hand, where only my hands were free, rubbing my forehead.
"I waited for your letter, and I also waited for you, even though I thought you were sick."
The way he spoke became quite rough. It wasn't intentional, but it was true that Richard was always in the background.
Unlike the people in front of me at that moment, Richard was invisible, so I had to pay less attention to him.
"I'm sorry."
"Then I heard the news that you collapsed. But it was also said that you are a dragon."
While I couldn't see it, Richard's expression slightly distorted.
"Richard must be 13 years old now."
It's been 5 years, so maybe that's it.
What was I like when I was eight years old?
"You said you would be my family. Was it all a lie?"
He was a child who foolishly counted the days, remembering every promise he had just spilled.
[Since you and I are alone, how about being a family for each other?]
[You promised!]
He must have hoped, like me, that the promise would be kept.
Waiting for a letter that wouldn't arrive for another five years.
Thinking about it, I was left speechless, and guilt began to weigh on my chest.
"I was wrong..."
"So, if you don't come, I decided to pick you up."
Richard smiled brightly.
The dangling earrings swayed slightly. Contrary to his refreshing voice, his eyes were a little scary.
"Eh...?"
"Then, if you pity me, don't go anywhere else. Let's stay here, BamBam."
"That's a bit..."
Looking at this room again, where everything is luxurious, I could see how well-prepared it was.
"I will protect you. So stay by my side. I'll get rid of all the people in the world who bother you. I'll give you everything you want."
My eyes widened at the familiar line.
Has he already awakened as a crazy person because I left?
"The family... didn't you like the family I found?"
"No. It was good, it was so good, and I was happy. Still, I was sad that you weren't there. You're my first family."
The smiling face looked so sad that I couldn't say anything for a long time.
"Did you lock me up here?"
"No, I did it so you wouldn't have to leave. Originally, it was a room for you."
You said you would come back.
My lips puckered at the faint resentment mixed with the added comment, so I pulled my arms out and hugged Richard.
"I'm sorry."
"......"
Even after hearing my apology, Richard didn't respond.
"I'm not lying, Richard was important to me too."
However, an unexpected happiness seized me in an instant.
All the things I had only wished for and dreamed of my whole life unfolded before my eyes and constantly rushed into my arms.
It was also true that I was greedy because I wanted to have it all.
"But I also... Because it's my first family... Because we're friends... I missed it too much."
Although I knew it was a burden, I struggled to bear it all.
It was true that even though I knew Richard's affection, I secretly thought this child would wait a little longer.
"I... I can't be your family. Richard, I'm sorry. I have a family that loves me. I like them very much."
I tried to smile.
When I was a child, Cha Mi-so clasped her hands and closed her eyes every night before going to sleep and prayed to an unknown god.
I didn't know what God was, not even if it was Buddha, I just wished because people said it was a great being.
"I want to have parents who love me. I hope to have siblings who treat me kindly. Have fun and trustworthy friends."
Sometimes I imagined meeting a Ki-yeon* and becoming family with a very high-ranking person, or ignoring my family because I became very successful as an adult.
(N/T: The concept of a strange connection. It is mainly written in martial arts novels, and after going through this, the main character's martial arts will improve.)
When I rebelled once and was beaten to the point where blood oozed from my calf, when I had an unfair incident, when I was left alone at the entrance ceremony, when I walked home with an empty bag alone at graduation.
Novels and imagination breathed fresh air into all those painful moments.
However, everything I had imagined so much became a terrifying reality.
"For uttering the dreamy words I wanted to hear for the rest of my life. I'm sorry for rashly offering to be your family."
"......"
"I can't be your family..."
It started wrong in the first place.
I should have said we should be friends from the beginning. It was a promise that couldn't be kept.
"I'm very sorry."
I said with my head down. I couldn't tell what expression Richard was making.
"Silly, BamBam."
Richard held my cheek tightly and lifted it.
"Do you think I'll forgive you for saying that?"
Tak, tak.
Richard's tears ran down my forehead.
I, who had been staring at the wrinkled face with silent tears, suddenly burst into tears of sadness.
"I'm sorry, ugh."
I felt even more sorry because I thought I knew what he was waiting for. I was even sadder because I thought of myself in the past.
We simply hugged and cried profusely for a long time.
We barely regained our senses after crying for a while.
"... I won't talk about becoming a family anymore."
Richard said with swollen eyes. Seeing Richard's appearance, I guessed what mine would look like.
"Oh, my eyes are warm."
It was warm around my eyes.
Richard covered my eyes with a cold towel out of nowhere and lay down beside me.
We stretched out on the bed, exhausted.
"It's okay, let's be friends."
"I don't want that."
"... Oh?"
Don't you want to, since I'm not your family? The atmosphere was good until now.
While I struggled in confusion, Richard mischievously covered my eyes with a handkerchief to prevent me from getting up.
"It's okay, marry me instead. Isn't that a different kind of family? Huh?"
"......"
Dad, this is weird.
It was when I was about to get up at the feeling of absurdity.
Chriiip-!
I heard the sound of sparks jumping somewhere...
"Marriage? It would be better if you went to the underworld and did it alone."
With a familiar voice, my body rose in the air.
Suddenly, the handkerchief fell to the ground.
"Dad?"
In the finally brightened field of vision, there was a father who was smiling brightly and clearly angry, and Richard, who was struggling in the air with magic.
"Daughter, where did you get hurt...?"
His words suddenly stopped.
My father's face, which was closely examining my face, became as bright as a flower in full bloom.
"Kidnapping and attempted murder deserve death."
"What? Attempted murder...?!
Just when I was about to say no.
"They say if a person loses water, they die."
It was just a little crying!
"That's enough for attempted murder."
It was at the moment he drew his sword while spouting some bullshit reasoning as justification.
Waves of water struck Dad. Thanks to my dad putting up a protective shield for me, I didn't get wet at all.
"My son! Are you okay?"
And the scene that unfolded turned into a complete mess.
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